Suddenly, I felt a presence much stronger than mine. I abruptly opened my eyes, forgetting my concentration. The ice burst, and the water splashed against my face. The ice crystals cut my skin. Shocked, I looked in the direction of the presence.

Grinding my teeth, I yelled, "HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

Gojo, who had been watching me from the veranda, laughed.

"You get distracted by me pretty quickly," he said with a cheeky grin.

My eyes widened at his audacious comment.

"Are you kidding me?" Anger surged within me.

I sent ice crystals flying in his direction. His Infinity held them back, and he grinned even wider.

"Keep trying," he said.

My father casually approached him, giving me that look again. Damn, I hated that look.

"He wanted to pay us a visit and is leaving now," my father said to Gojo with a deathly stare.

Gojo laughed sarcastically. "Oh, I'm so scared, Kiyosaka."

My father scoffed. I placed a hand on my hip, getting cheeky.

"There's the door."

He looked me up and down one last time before walking away. I shook my head in annoyance. I used my reversal technique to heal my skin.

My father spoke seriously as he continued, "Come with me; we need to talk about something important."

I let my skin absorb the water and followed him. He walked ahead of me and sat down at the head of the room, and I sat down too.

"As you can see, our father-daughter bond isn't particularly good," he said.

Yeah, I wonder why, you old man.

I didn't say anything; I wanted to hear him out first. The picture of my mother and him hung behind him. I looked at them. She died because of me. The reason was still unclear. Even though I've never seen my mother, looking at her picture evokes a certain sadness in me. He continued speaking, and I looked back at him.

He sighed, "I can't make up for what I've done wrong, and the memories of what I've done to you will remain with you."

I furrowed my brows in annoyance.

Is he even aware of his mistakes?

"It took you 19 years to apologize," I said through gritted teeth.

He took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, Miura, but I'm also a human who makes mistakes."

I bit my lip.

Does he even realize what mistakes?

"The older I get, the more sorry I am that I didn't use the years with you wisely."

I simply stood up and walked to the door, stopping and giving him a deathly stare.

"Save your apology; I don't need it anymore," I said before walking out.

Tears welled up inside me.

He only realizes this now? After he mentally broke me?

I scoffed and suppressed the tears. I put on my jacket over my sportswear and left the Sumiko estate.

There, I saw Kaya (25 years old, smaller than me, my servant).

She smiled broadly at me from behind.

"Miura! The elders want to speak with you," she said.

I looked at her, confused. "The elders?"

She nodded.

I sighed, "You don't need to grin so broadly for that."

She covered her mouth with her hand, "Oops, sorry."

I headed towards the Jujutsu Academy, to the headquarters of the elders. The doors opened automatically for those who were expected. They were all sitting around a table. The leader, also known as Urahara, eyed me skeptically, stroking his long beard.

His old, deep voice emerged, "Miura, we have an important mission for you."

I tilted my head to the side, "Oh yeah? And why don't you assign it to Gojo?"

He shook his head, "He's not trustworthy."

Neither am I, particularly.

"You are to neutralize a curse and bring us the cursed object it contains," he continued.

I widened my eyes and grinned, "Gladly."

"You can also take some students with you, like Yuji, who have recently been promoted in rank," he said.

I looked puzzled, "But isn't it dangerous for students?"

"He needs to learn gradually," he said.

I sighed, "If you say so."

He handed me the file. I nodded at him once more and then went outside. I sat down on the bench nearby. Opening the file, I read: Mission: Shinjuku area, Special Grade curse, discharged by a Special Grade sorcerer, confiscation of a cursed object. There was a picture included. It looked like a crystal ball used for fortune-telling, but it was black inside.

I took a deep breath. There must be more to it, but they're not saying. Well, it will become clear there. I saw Yuji and Megumi walking down the path towards me.

I called out from afar, "Hey, Yuji! Megumi!"

They both turned to me in surprise and approached.

I smiled at them, "You little troublemakers. Yuji, you've been assigned to a mission with me."

I turned to Megumi, "How about you?"

He adjusted a bandage on his face and sighed, "No thanks, I want to rest."

I laughed, "If you say so."

Yuji brimmed with enthusiasm, "Miura-sensei and I on a mission together for the first time!"

I raised my fist and bumped it against his, saying excitedly, "I'm curious to see what you've got, Itadori Yuji."

He got into a fighting stance, "Don't worry, sensei."

Megumi smiled at him, "Just don't die on me."

"I assure you, I'll bring him back safely," I said.

Megumi sighed in relief, "I'm glad to hear that."

"Will Gojo-sensei be joining us on the mission?"

My smile faded, and I made a frustrated grimace, lightly hitting Yuji on the head.

"We don't need him," I replied.

He rubbed his head where I hit him and pouted.

I calmed down, "Mission start is tomorrow. I want to see you promptly at 5 a.m. in front of the main entrance."

He exclaimed in shock, "At 5 a.m.?"

I stretched, "Yes, I want to get things done quickly and return."

Megumi chuckled lightly at Yuji, who then showed him his middle finger.

I turned around, "Alright, see you tomorrow."

Yuji gave me a thumbs up. I then headed back to the Sumiko estate. On the way there, I wondered what my father could have been talking to Gojo about. But I couldn't think of any topic they would both be interested in other than Gojo humilating him.

The only thing I liked about that jerk was his cheeky attitude. I'll prove to everyone eventually that I'm better than him. The past still haunts me. I have to improve and I can't let things slide with him.I waited at the main gate, checking my phone. I saw him coming from afar, running, exhausted.

He called out, "Sensei, I'm sorry!"

I looked at him sternly, "You're 10 minutes late."

He laughed, and I sighed. I couldn't hold it against him when I used to do the same.

I smiled back and held out my hand, "Are you ready?"

He nodded eagerly, clapping my hand, and we teleported directly to the evacuated area of Shinjuku, about 100 kilometers away.

I stretched and looked serious, "The presence here feels different."

Yuji nodded, "Miura-sensei, the area feels very oppressive."

I glanced at him, reconsidering my decisions. Maybe I shouldn't have brought a 15-year-old on such a dangerous mission.

Yuji looked at me questioningly, and I shook my head, "It's fine; that must be the cursed object intensifying it."

I cracked my fingers and stood in front of Yuji, walking a bit ahead, "Just stay close to me, and nothing will happen to you."

Yuji laughed, "Miura-sensei, I thought you were always cold-hearted."

I scoffed, "Only towards a certain person, and you know exactly who I mean."

We then walked through the area, searching the streets, corners, and alleys for almost . We also searched some houses. We cautiously entered one, well, I kicked down the door while Yuji stuck to the walls, thinking it was a spy mission. I grinned at that. At least he had a normal childhood. Plates still full of soup were on the table. I focused on the presence, but it was unclear. I scratched my head in frustration. The sun was slowly rising.

I kicked over a chair in annoyance, "I wanted to finish early."

"What is this cursed object anyway?"

I leaned my head back slightly, "I actually don't know myself."