Not Today

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction based on multiple existing anime/manga series. The characters and settings used in this story belong to their respective owners and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is not intended to infringe upon any existing intellectual property. I do not own any of the original works that inspired this fanfiction, and I fully support the original creators and their works.

-Story Start-

As the weight of the trepid atmosphere pressed on the shoulders of all the occupants of the room, Badigadi's words and gestures cut through it like a hot knife through butter.

Crossing his arms as he noticed Satoru's excited smirk, Badigadi clarified, "Oh, I do not intend for the duel to take place now."

Satoru blinked in surprise, "Heh? Not now?"

Similarly, the rest of the room's occupants, especially Rudeus who was aware of Badigadi's intentions were thoroughly confused by the eccentric Demon Lord.

Lifting a finger, Badigadi explained, "A grand arena is currently being constructed on the outskirts of the city, it was promised to be the stage for our duel!" His voice boomed as he imagined the grandiosity of it all.

Frowning, Badigadi added with a sigh, "Unfortunately, construction is estimated to be complete within the week."

"And here I was hoping to get an exercise in..." Satoru murmured in lament.

Prompting Nina's offended glare.

Seeing the disappointed look on Satoru's face, Badigadi surmised, "I take it that you have accepted my challenge? The Anomaly - Gojo Satoru Of The Great Powers?"

A moment of silence passed and Satoru's tone grew cocky, "If you lost to that guy~" He pointed at Rudeus who frowned at the attention and insinuation.

"What makes you think you can beat me?" Satoru haughtily asserted.

Before Badigadi could utter a response, Satoru smiled lightly, "But, oh well~ If you're so eager to taste dirt in front of a large audience... Who am I to stop you~? I've always wanted to fight a Demon Lord!" Satoru rose up from his seat.

Nina rose up as well, following Satoru by his side.

"We can still get an exercise in-" Nina tiredly suggested, only to be cut off by Satoru.

"Later. I've got a schedule, apparently~" Satoru giggled as he shrugged helplessly.

Passing the smirking Badgadi, Satoru patted one of the demon's hulking arms, "See ya there in a week~!"

The suffocating silence returned in full force, as Badigadi's visage was utterly silent and still, whilst the other Special Students simply observed with mixed feelings.

Until...

"BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA! I shall look forward to it! I will relay the good news to Georg!" Badigadi's gleeful exclamation echoed in the vast classroom.

The room fell silent again, but the air buzzed with the tension of the upcoming duel.

Satoru simply waved a departing wave of his hand, his steps steady and confident as he continued his walk unperturbed as he passed by the motionless figure of Rudeus.

Pushing the giant wooden door with a loud creak, leaving the classroom of Special Students alongside the frustrated Nina.

As silence settled back over the classroom filled with friends and acquaintances among the Special Students, Elinalise broke it with a blunt observation.

"He's certainly as arrogant as I'd expected," she remarked, blinking as she conveyed her first impressions.

Adjusting his glasses, Zanoba replied matter of factly, "It is expected of a man of his status. Such behavior is not that uncommon for great men. Shishou is simply an outlier."

Rudeus shook his head with a small smile, "I'm not that great, Zanoba, but thanks... I'll be skipping lunch so go on ahead with Julie without me."

Cliff sighed, "That's right... You're going on extended leave... For two months at least, correct?"

"Yeah, it's to make things righ-" Rudeus elaborated, only to be interrupted.

Cliff interrupted with a lift of his hand, smiling supportively, "I understand."

Mirroring his expression, Rudeus turned to Elinalise, smirking lecherously, "Take care of him, alright?"

She smirked back, lifting a thumb as she wrapped an arm around Cliff, "No worries here~"

Zanoba nodded, "Do you not require assistance whatsoever, Shishou? I have no issue with an extended leave as well-"

"Thanks, but there's no need, Zanoba. Julie needs you."

Zanoba frowned lightly but nodded in understanding amid the suddenly loud snoring of the pair of knocked-out Beast Race Royalty.

"Regardless, I think I'll be alright, after all - I'm not going alone." A genuine and tender smile formed on Rudeus's face.

---------------------------

A displeased and ominous melody of taps echoed from a wooden table.

A pair of narrowed eyes.

Alongside the utterance of a profound and rather outrageous accusation.

These three forces combine to form a trinity of infinite power.

A trinity only one woman may ever construct so effortlessly:

"You're late, and you brought an uninvited guest. Care to explain?" Nanahoshi's voice rang out lightly in the decent-sized Research Room.

Satoru replied with an infantile giggle as he poked the frowning Nina's sleeve, "Hehe~ You're an uninvited guest~ Hehe~"

Rudeus simply looked uncomfortable as he smartly decided to distance himself from the exchange, standing with a polite smile in his little corner.

Nanahoshi repeated, "Well?"

Satoru shrugged, pointing at the now visibly offended Nina. "She's a grown woman. She makes her own decisions. If she wants to follow me around like a puppy, that's on her."

Nina ignores the blunt call out and the subtle bullying to narrow her eyes at Nanahoshi, "Silent Seven Stars... What is he to you?"

Satoru answered in Nanahoshi's name, straightforwardly cleansing Nina's puzzlement, "We come from the same place, basically."

Nina's eyes widened at the admission, turning to Satoru in shock. "Y-You never talk about your home... Why now?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Satoru scratched his head lazily. "I never cared about telling you where I'm from. It's more fun to keep you guessing... But, I knew the questions were coming."

Nanahoshi chastised Satoru, her tone grave, "Do not tell her. Something of this nature spreading could only lead to trouble and possible danger coming our way, don't jeopardize my safety and our passage home." She emphasized.

Turning to Rudeus, he shrugged helplessly, giving Nanahoshi a reluctant look simply translating to:

"It's best I don't even try, he'll say it just to spite me."

Satoru nodded in acknowledgment, turning to the confused and incredibly inquisitive Nina with a nonchalant expression.

"We're from another world," he said casually.

The words hung in the air, the weight of the revelation sinking in.

Nina's eyes widened, her mind racing with questions and a sudden, overwhelming sense of awe.

Rudeus and Nanahoshi, meanwhile, exchanged resigned looks the latter of the pair more enraged than resigned, their facepalms reflecting the shared exasperation over Satoru's carelessness.

"Keep it a secret mkay~?" Satoru winked with a goofy thumbs-up directed at Nina.

Nina's mouth hung loose, whether due to the nonchalant delivery of the revelation or the revelation itself, seemed unclear to Satoru.

Nanahoshi's figure trembled with frustration and rage as she muttered, "You... Y-You... Insufferable, insensitive, unempathetic, and flippant littl-"

Satoru waved her reaction off with slight annoyance, "Oh relax, Nina's a friend, she'll keep it a secret." He gestured at the now-blinking Nina.

Collecting herself, Nina closed her mouth, as she smiled lightly due to Satoru's words.

She knew, that now, was not the time to react to the information.

No matter how curious she was.

She had to prove herself worthy of this trust.

Nodding, she met Nanahoshi's eyes and stated with absolute certainty, her hand gripping her sword resolutely, "By my name as Nina Farion, daughter of the Sword God, Gal Farion, and by my title as Sword Saint, I swear to take this information with me to the grave." She then turned to Satoru and nodded.

Satoru frowned, faux chastising, as he clicked his tongue, "Tsk, tsk. Now look what you made the poor girl do! Swear an oath for information as worthless as this!"

"Worthless in your case. Thank you... Nina. I'll hold you to it." Nanahoshi nodded.

Nina hummed, her eyes lighting up with sudden profound understanding. "But... It all makes sense now. The things you can do - They're not from this world. How did you get here? Where are you from?"

Satoru replied with rapid-fire motion, lacking any patience for it, "We've got a couple of theories, but nothing concrete, i just found myself in the Frozen Forest while saving a couple of idiots. We're from a place filled with mostly weaklings called Japan. That's about it. No more questions."

...

Nina's eyes suddenly widened in subtle horror and deep understanding, a conclusion forming that was all too clear, the puzzle pieces of the mystery known as Gojo Satoru gluing themselves together in lightning speed.

"...The reason you came to the Academy. To study Teleportation Magic... That's to get back home, isn't it?" She whispered solemnly.

Satoru hummed, nodding affirmatively, "I said no more questions, but... That's an impressive deduction, coming from you Nina~!"

His voice grew serious, "But yeah, I'm looking for a way to get back home. They need me there." He stated without room for argument, his gaze distant and heavy, a rare look altogether.

Gesturing at the masked Nanahoshi, he added, "She's on the same page. A more rigid, stressing, and boring page, but the same one."

Nina could only digest the information in complete silence, her image of Satoru adjusting itself in real-time.

A moment later, she questioned, "Where does Eris's Lover fit into this situation?" Her last lingering inquiry was uttered for all to hear.

Rudeus blinked at the sudden transition in attention to himself, contemplating how to answer that rather loaded question.

He could never admit his reincarnation. Not now, not to some acquaintance, even if she's familiar with Eris.

Satoru's sudden Cheshire grin sent shivers down Rudeus's spine, "Oh, him~? I'm glad you asked! He's-"

Nanahoshi's voice must have sounded like an angel's voice to Rudeus at that very moment as she interrupted Satoru with a simple reply, "His Mana Levels are unprecedented and are helpful in my experiments. He would not agree to assist without intimate knowledge for what purpose I'm researching Taboo Magic."

"Furthermore, not to offend you, but what his role serves or what I do here, is, respectfully, none of your business, Miss Nina."

Nina frowned lightly, "As unfriendly as I'd heard. Silent Seven Stars..."

Without further delay, Rudeus assisted Nanahoshi in one final experiment before taking an extended leave for at least two months.

Satoru and Nina had simply observed, one in a rather leisurely and intrigued manner, whilst the other seemed contemplative as she silently and rather uncomfortably gazed between Nanahoshi and Satoru.

Following the experiments, which expectedly ended in disappointing failure, Nina handed Rudeus the intended letter, to cheapen delivery costs of course, and all but Nanahoshi left the research room to their destinations.

---------------------------

The powerful clash of wooden swords echoed through the Academy's Training Hall, drawing the attention of all attendees and passersby, some even deciding to take a seat on the verandas to spectate the scene in front of them.

It wasn't just the oddity of a Swordsmanship Training session in a hall traditionally used for Magic Training sessions that caught their eye, but also the identities of the dueling party.

"Think you could tell me the secret behind your power? It'll make things easier, GRAAH!" Nina strained, pushing her blade against Satoru's in a contest of strength.

To her surprise, she forced him back, but he landed gracefully a distance away.

Blocking her follow-up Longsword of Light with ease, Satoru teased, "Now, where's the fun in that~? Getting awfully greedy, aren't we~?" He sent a kick towards Nina, who pivoted her sword to block it.

The kick shattered the fragile wooden sword, the Battle Aura coating only managing to weaken and slow the impact.

"Oops," Satoru muttered, pausing his follow-up sword strike as the kick continued its trajectory, hitting Nina's forearm which moved to swiftly block the kick.

The impact knocked her back an incredible distance, a light crack resonating from her forearm.

Satoru lowered his shades for a moment, his Six Eyes glittering with fascination as they darted between Nina and the Magic Circle below her.

In nearly an instant, Nina's broken forearm healed as a result of the Magic Circle below her, and she sighed in relief at the instant recuperation.

Satoru whistled, "Real handy, this Saint Class Healing Magic Circle... Ave would have been out of a job if we had that back in the Holy Land Of Swords." He muttered jokingly.

'Shoko would've been out of a job herself with that thing.' Satoru noted, memorizing the pattern of the circle in front of him.

Noticing Nina's firm gaze on him, Satoru's eyes met with hers, as he commented on her troubled and easy-to-read expression, "Well? You gonna sulk at me or are you gonna spit it out?" He tilted his head in slight bemusement.

...

Clenching the hilt of her broken sword, she opened her mouth to say something, only to shake her head, smiling, "It's nothing. I'll trouble you about it later."

Tapping his head with his wooden sword, Satoru hummed, contemplating it for but a moment.

Only to shrug, "I see... Well, stew in your own thoughts if that's what you prefer, I offered... Also, it's making your Longsword Of Light sloppy, so get a grip."

---------------------------

The night graced the Ranoa Magic Academy as it always had.

In a dark and cold embrace.

However, the walls of the Academy functioned in clear defiance of the night's embrace.

Warm, comfortable, and inviting, such was the experience within these prestigious walls.

In those very same walls, within the Student Council sat two individuals.

Luke Notos Greyrat and Ariel Anemoi Asura.

The former held a stoic expression, yet his tone and micro-expressions suggested otherwise, "Lady Ariel, isn't allowing Sylphiette to take an extended leave to join Rudeus on his journey northwest a risk we cannot take?"

A thin line on her face as she folded a few papers together, Ariel answered with a blunt question, "Luke, are you displeased with Rudeus's oath to marry Sylphy?"

He shook his head, "I will not lie to you and say that it pleases me. I am pleasantly surprised he had gone that far, but my concern lay with the chances of an assassination attempt being made on you with Silent Fitz missing his station for so long."

Clenching his fist he elaborated, "It displeases me to admit it, but I and the other attendants are not strong enough to stop an attempt."

She nodded, her tone contemplative yet unconcerned, "I had not anticipated Sylphy's and Rudeus's sudden decision to head out to the Holy Land Of Swords. Your concern is clear. The recruiters that are already here or on their way here upon the news of Gojo Satoru enrolling and taking residence here serve an incredible risk."

"Silent Fitz's sudden disappearance might embolden the spies that are set to arrive or already here to send assassins or even attempt an assassination themselves. This Academy might not be so safe, after all." She concluded.

Luke's thin line lost its subtlety and transitioned into an anxious and worried frown, "So then-"

She lifted the palm of her hand, smiling gently, "It is a risk I must take. Sylphy deserves to be happy. For now, we can only be more vigilant and careful. Besides, there is nowhere else safe and effective to go." She flashed a sad smile.

At the sudden awkward and depressive silence, Ariel continued.

Smirking she added jokingly, lightening the mood, "Hopefully, Gojo Satoru's enigmatic and powerful presence will serve a secondary purpose of halting any bold assassination attempts, mayhaps out of concern for harming the chances of his recruitment~?"

Sighing, Luke nodded in acknowledgment, adding, "If I may speak out of turn, but I believe that is wishful thinking at best. Gojo Satoru thus far has not concerned himself in political matters or large conflicts."

Waving her hand, Ariel nodded, "I know, we should at least be thankful he's been much more manageable and quiet today. Yesterday was quite the mess." She shook her head tiredly.

Luke nodded empathetically, suddenly recalling, "That reminds me, Lady Ariel."

She hummed, "What is it?"

He started slowly, "That arena Principal Georg has been constructing for no spoken reason... He's told me to convey to you its purpose and prepare accordingly."

Gesturing with her hand from him to continue, he took a deep breath, "It is apparently for the purpose of a duel between Gojo Satoru and Demon Lord Badigadi... He wants the Student Council to take care of the publication and ticket sales."

...

To Be Continued!

-Author Note Start-

Sup sup my lovely readers!

Hope you've had a wonderful day and hope you've enjoyed this chapter!

Sorry if the battle hasn't occurred yet, but it'll happen in EXACTLY two chapters.

Anywho, hope it's been up to snuff in quality n stuff and as always I'm always glad for any type of feedback or suggestions or otherwise!

Thank you!

You can read 1 chapter ahead on my P at Re 0n!

Here's the link:

patre0n.com/BurgerNoTomatoes

As always! I'd appreciate feedback on the characters and especially Gojo!

If I've misrepresented someone or something I'd love to get feedback!

Thanks again!

Also, Gojo Maturity is, at this point, subtle, but you'll be or have been seeing it.

Also also, it's a slow process.

So for now, it's all fun and games and vacation.

Read with that expectation in mind.

Although he has been starting to take things a bit more seriously.

Though, do not be afraid to call me out!

Criticism = Gettin bettah!

Cya!