Episode 2 – The Rival Appears

Part 1: Morning Chaos & First Day Back

The morning started like a battlefield.

Gojo Satoru, brand new reborn CEO of the Gojo Conglomerate, stood in the hallway clutching a necktie like it was a cursed object. “It’s supposed to loop and cross—no, wait, maybe it’s bunny ears? Suguru, how the hell do people wear these every day?”

From the living room, two high-pitched voices sang in unison:

“Daddy doesn’t knooow how to dress himself!”

The twins, little Satoru with his black hair and piercing blue eyes and Suguru with his white mop and warm brown gaze, were rolling on the floor, giggling at their father’s expense.

Pregnant Suguru, calmly sipping tea with one hand resting on his swollen belly, didn’t even look up. “You’ve been tying ties since you were twenty. Don’t tell me rebirth made you forget.”

“It did, actually,” Gojo argued, dramatically throwing his hands up, the tie dangling like a dead snake. “My brain reset when I became a hot young CEO again. Everything before this morning is gone.”

“Convenient,” Suguru muttered, but his lips curled into a fond smile. He set down his cup, stood with slow grace, and walked over. Despite the five months of pregnancy rounding his middle, he still moved with elegance that made Gojo’s chest ache with an emotion he refused to name.

“Come here,” Suguru sighed. With practiced ease, he fixed the tie around Gojo’s collar, tugging him close enough that their foreheads brushed for a fleeting second.

Gojo froze. His heart thudded a little too loudly.

Suguru’s eyes softened, just for a moment, before he let go and stepped back. “There. Try not to embarrass the company on your first day.”

The twins clapped like they’d just witnessed a magic trick. “Papa saved Daddy!”

“Traitors,” Gojo muttered, scooping both kids into a messy hug. He nuzzled their hair, making them squeal. “One day you’ll understand how hard adulting is.”

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At the company lobby, the atmosphere was different.

Everyone stiffened as Gojo walked in. His sunglasses gleamed, his grin was too wide, and his energy was more suited to a college frat leader than a CEO.

“Yo, morning! Your new boss is here! Relax, I won’t bite—unless you’re chocolate flavored.”

The receptionist nearly dropped her pen.

Inside the boardroom, however, the air was colder. Gojo immediately felt it: the weight of expectations, the legacy of his grandfather, the calculating stares of executives who weren’t sure if this carefree man deserved the throne.

Gojo slapped the table with both hands. “Alright, let’s get down to business! Who’s ready to make capitalism sexy again?”

Dead silence.

Then the door opened, and a man walked in.

Tall. Sharp suit. Tattoos peeking from his collar like dark flames. A smirk curling on lips that carried both charm and menace.

“Sorry I’m late,” the man said smoothly, voice like velvet hiding knives. “Ryomen Sukuna. CEO of RyoCorp. I believe we’re competitors.”

The room shifted. Whispers. Nervous glances.

Gojo tilted his head, smile lazy but his pulse quick. Oh. So this is the big bad wolf of the business world.

“Nice ink,” Gojo quipped, leaning back in his chair. “Did you run out of coloring books at home?”

Sukuna’s smirk widened, eyes glinting. “Nice sunglasses. Hiding something? Or just afraid people will see through you?”

The boardroom went silent again, tension crackling like static.

For the first time since his rebirth, Gojo felt a spark of genuine rivalry burn in his chest.

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