The smell of roasted beans and warm pastries clung to the air of the small coffee shop as I sat at the counter tucked against the back wall, nervously stirring the foam of my latte. For months, I’d been trading messages with my match on the dating app—a strange little platform where everyone went by coded usernames instead of their real identities. He was clever, funny, and somehow always knew how to make me laugh, even on the toughest days of missions. My heart pounded at the thought of finally seeing him face-to-face. I didn’t know who he really was, only that something about him had already hooked me in a way no one else had.

“Are you user mistressCoffe2020 ?” A voice broke through my thoughts, smooth and teasing, paired with a hand resting casually on my shoulder. I turned quickly, half-expecting some stranger with a kind smile… and froze. My breath caught in my throat as my eyes met the familiar pale blue gaze, hidden only partially behind tinted sunglasses. My jaw nearly dropped—it was him. Gojo. My teacher. My mentor. The man every sorcerer at Jujutsu High either feared, admired, or both. “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” I managed, my voice cracking with disbelief. But he just grinned, sliding into the seat beside me like he belonged there. “Nope,” he said cheerfully, “I’m user difficultblue98 . Guess the app really does have good taste.”

My world tilted in that moment, the months of late-night conversations and quiet confidences flashing through my mind. Gojo had known me longer than anyone at the school, but he hadn’t known this version of me—the one I’d allowed to be vulnerable behind a mask of anonymity. And yet, maybe he had. His smile softened for a fleeting second, enough to make me wonder if he’d been piecing things together too, if he’d already known. “So…” he drawled, leaning back casually, “do we call this fate? Or are you gonna scold me for catfishing you?” My lips twitched despite the storm of emotions inside me. “That depends,” I said, pulse racing, “are you planning on buying my coffee, or should I exorcise you right here?” His laughter filled the café, and in that instant, I knew the game between us had just changed forever