Jujutsu Kaisen X OC (The Red String of Fate)

【 CHAPTER 26 】Begging for an End

Inari's POV

I stood in front of the mirror, my hands trembling slightly as I adjusted the collar of my kimono.

"Miss, you're fidgeting too much," my maid, Aiko, murmured as she smoothed out the pleats of my skirt. "Is something wrong?"

Everything.

Everything's wrong.

But I forced a small smile, shaking my head. "Just... tired, Aiko. That's all."

Liar.

"Should I add the ribbon, miss?" Aiko asked, her hands hovering near the lace.

"Yes," I murmured, softly. "Make it perfect."

Because tonight... I needed to be perfect.

For Sukuna.

"Yo, Princess! You decent?" Gojo's voice echoed from the doorway, and before I could even answer—he was already inside.

But he was Gojo. He didn't give a damn.

"Mission report," he chirped, flopping down on my bed. His long legs sprawled across the silk sheets as he casually flipped through the file.

Oh, for the love of—

"Satoru..." I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Can't you ever... I don't know... sit somewhere other than my bed?"

"Eh? It's comfy." He shrugged, unbothered. "Anyway, about the mission—"

I barely heard a word he said.

"Inari? You alive?"

My head snapped up. Gojo was looking at me now, his usual playful grin replaced with... concern?

"I'm fine," I lied, plastering on a smile. "Just... a lot on my mind."

"Uh-huh." He didn't buy it for a second. "So, about this report—"

"Just read it," I mumbled, pointing at the filed on the table near my bed. Gojo flipped through the pages, and for a moment, there was silence.

Then—

"Uh... Inari-sama?" His tone shifted, frowning. "This is... not a mission report."

"What do you mean?"

"This," he tapped a page, "sounds like your personal diary. 'I can't shake the feeling of losing something precious... the weight of the choices I made... I can still feel his warmth fading...'"

"Satoru," I whispered, my throat tightening.

"This isn't a report," he deadpanned, flipping through more pages. "This is Shakespearean-level heartbreak wrapped in a cursed energy incident summary."

"Give that back," I hissed, snatching the papers from his hands.

But Gojo wasn't looking at the report anymore.

His gaze was on me.

And I hated it.

"Inari..." His tone was softer now. Too soft. 

"Don't," I murmured, looking away. "Just... don't."

Aiko finished adjusting the obi around my waist, her hands deftly smoothing out the fabric before pulling it tight.

"Will that be all, Miss?" she asked softly.

"Yes," I nodded. "Thank you, Aiko. You can... go now."

She lingered for a moment.

"Goodnight, Miss."

"Goodnight, Aiko," I whispered, not looking up as the door clicked shut behind her.