CH 94: NEVER FULLY TRUST ANYONE

"...What did you say?"

"You try tattling on me, you explode."

"...Are you threatening me?"

Soi Fon's eyes narrowed as she asked this.

"A threat? No. Only third-rate villains make threats. I am just stating facts. You are free to do as you wish with the information I provided."

Gojo was serious. Threatening a Captain like Soi Fon was useless, and there were few things Gojo hated more than useless actions.

The tension between the two continued to grow steadily, one wearing a stiff expression and the other wearing an easy-going smile.

In the end, the light in Soi Fon's eyes dimmed as she asked,

"So, in the end, you never trusted me?"

She had trusted him enough to ask all her subordinates to leave and stay with him to face what could only be called a certain death. She had thought that the two of them were companions and had something of a friendship. It seemed that it had been her illusion all along.

'I have been really stupid.'

"Oh? But I do trust you."

"...Are you joking with me? If not, then you have a really weird way of showing your trust."

"As I said, I trust and believe in you. The Soi Fon I know is a just and loyal shinigami, ready to dedicate her life to the soul society. I am sure that even if Yoruichi herself attacked the Soul Society, you would face her even if it hurt your heart. This is exactly the reason why I have to do this."

A gentle smile formed on his lips as he let out the whisper of a devil.

"Later, no matter what happens, you can just say that you had no choice and was under duress."

Gojo believed in friendship, love, and such things, but he believed even more in proper understanding.

Never ask for more than they could handle. Never leave all the weight on their shoulders. Find a way for them to surpass their limits. This was why, even though Megumi had the potential to one day rival him, he had never really guided Megumi before the appearance of Yuji.

After all, before Yuji came into the picture, the mindset Megumi had would always stunt his talent.

As a teacher, he had to deal with different students who had different skills and mindsets. Underestimating one student meant wasting his talent. Overestimating another student means sending him to his death.

The shinigami world was cruel, true. Every day, shinigami died fighting hollows. But even though this world outclassed his previous one on nearly every level, there was one that they could never surpass.

Brutality.

Compared to the pain and misery brought by Curses, Hollows were just cute children in Gojo's opinion.

Since the start, Gojo had developed the habit of never giving his full trust to anyone.

'Always keep a failsafe when necessary. Always understand what kind of information you can give.'

He trusted Unohana enough to explain his skills to her, but not enough to reveal his past.

He trusted Momo and Toshiro enough to see them as siblings but never shared his worries with them.

He trusted Nemu enough to show her his secrets but never left her out of his sight.

As for Soi Fon, he trusted her enough to give his back to her but knew that her loyalty to Soul Society as a whole could not be shaken.

In such a situation, threats were worthless. What he needed to do was carefully manipulate the situation to give her an outlet.

When he took her out, he blended a part of his own Reishi in her body. Currently, like a chain, that Reishi had already coiled around her heart.

<<Jujutsuki: Heaven's Vow.>>

By setting a vow and certain restrictions, it could bring a punishment should the vow be broken. He had created this skill by basing it on the Heavenly Restriction.

Of course, Nemu was also under the effect of a Heaven's Vow. Though in her case, the punishment was simply fainting and being unconscious until he reached her.

Giving a short explanation about the situation to Soi Fon, he was quite surprised to see her simply shrug and begin inspecting her state.

"You do not seem shocked, nor apprehensive."

"When I was training to join the personal guard of the Shihoin's family, all the children were injected with a poison that would kill them should they fail and get caught. The same treatment held true when I became a guard. It's only after becoming captain that I got rid of it. I am already used to not being the master of my own life."

Soi Fon's tone as she explained her past was plain, but Gojo could feel the alienation toward him. Clearly, in her mind, he was just another jailer.

If it was a dating sim, before her favorability would be at 60 and now it should be between 10 or 20, which really surprised Gojo.

After all, he had been ready for her favorability to outright become negative.

'Hum...Perhaps she has M tendencies?'

It was something worth considering. After all, even though she was rather short, Soi Fon was quite a beautiful woman. He wouldn't mind spending a night with her.

[You are really a pervert]

'I am not a pervert. I am a man of culture. A gentleman if you will.'

[*Scoff* I may be only five years old, but don't forget that I have all your memories and knowledge.]

'Haha, don't mind the small details.'

Finally satisfied with what she saw, Soi Fon frowned.

She had no way to look at the interior of her body, but, after focusing deeply she could faintly feel a foreign power flowing around her heart.

'So he wasn't lying.'

Despite confirming the existence of the bomb, Soi Fon did not seem particularly worried.

In the first place, she had already decided to not divulge his power. In a way, this seal really helped her. All she had to think was, 'It isn't my fault, it's his.'

----

Meanwhile, Yoruichi was advancing with a frustrated expression, things weren't going very well. She had known that Soi Fon was supposed to enter the Dangai for an extermination mission thanks to the spie Tessai had left in the Kido Corps, but she couldn't understand why someone of her caliber was in such a state.

As if it wasn't enough, she wasn't even supposed to make contact with them in the first place. Her mission had been to follow incognito, enter Dangai, observe the situation, and if possible capture some Blanks for Kisuke to observe.

It should have been simple, but,

'Who would have thought that I would meet another shinigami that can move through dimension'

The fact that learning space-time kido was forbidden aside, only a very select few shinigami had even the necessary talent for such things.

At least, for as long as she could remember, the only one who could do so was Kisuke. But, from what she had seen not long ago, it was clear that Gojo could also move through dimension, and at a way higher level.

'I really wonder just how long he will stay at Gotei 13.'

This man and Kisuke were really similar, and this was why she knew that they were the kind of people with no particular taboo. Very dangerous individuals that move at their own pace and live in their own world.

She was sure that Gojo would either enter the Royal Guard or leave the Gotei 13 sooner or later.

'Well, not that it matters to me. I should think about what to do now.'

In the end, after pondering for what should have been a few minutes, she finally decided to just follow them from afar.

She did not know how far his sense extended, but it did not matter. She more or less understood the kind of man he was. The kind that would rather play around and observe people moving like chess pieces while showing a charming smile.

She found this kind of man quite fascinating.