A/N: Long time no see! Finals have been keeping me busy, and I didn't want to end this chapter with Junpei alone and emotionally unstable, so it ended up being pretty long lol.

Content warning for the brief mention of self-harm scars.

Junpei wakes up slowly the next morning, aware of the warmth of sunlight on his face before he opens his eyes. His entire body is warm and comfortable, down to the tips of his toes, which he wiggles leisurely. He blinks his eyes open slowly, stifling a yawn that stops short when Yuuji's face comes into focus centimetres away from his own. His eyes go wide and his mouth falls shut, the yawn forgotten.

Yuuji's face is squashed up against the pillow, his mouth hanging open and a damp spot of drool darkening the pillowcase beneath it. The sunlight casts a warm glow over Yuuji's skin, softening his jawline and weaving through his hair. This close, Junpei can even see the tiny freckles that dot the space between the larger ones.

God, if I could wake up every morning like this… Yuuji lets out a soft snore, and Junpei's lips twitch into a soft smile. Then he wrinkles his nose as Yuuji exhales and the smell of his morning breath hits him. For a moment, his fingers itch with the urge to run them through Yuuji's hair, to make it stick up so that Yuuji will laugh when he wakes up.

He sits up instead, blinking hard as his vision swims. Sunlight slants across the floorboards, motes of dust dancing in the rays. Fushiguro and his futon have vanished, but Kugisaki's still there, sprawled out with one leg sticking out from under her blanket. He glances past Yuuji to the side table and sees a white teacup next to a bottle of water.

Carefully, he reaches over Yuuji and picks the cup up. Settling back against the headboard, he lifts the cup to his lips and takes a sip. He winces as cold tea hits his tongue. Wrinkling his nose, he looks down into the cup, then shrugs and downs the rest of it in one go. He winces again and gags, then sets the cup back on the table.

He throws the blanket off of his legs and swings them over the side of the bed, standing up and stretching his arms over his head. His vision goes black for a few moments, and he sways slightly, blinking as it starts to clear, then walks over to the window to peek through the blinds. The white flagstones glow in the morning light, the shadows cast by the buildings and trees cool and blue. There's no one in sight, and campus is silent except for a rustle of wind through the trees.

He turns away from the window and pats his pockets for his phone. Finding them empty, he lifts his end of the pillow up, then checks under the blanket. He spots his phone sticking out from under Yuuji's thigh.

Letting out a small sigh, he kneels on the bed and slowly eases his phone out, watching Yuuji carefully. His phone comes free without even a hitch in Yuuji's deep, even breathing. He flips it around in his hand and lifts it to wake it up as he sits back on his heels. The screen stays black, even when he holds the power button down. Of course.

He drops his phone back on the bed and slides off, padding around to Yuuji's side of the bed. He picks Yuuji's phone up off of the side table and tilts it. Then blinks at it blankly for a few moments until the screen goes dark again. He tilts it again, and his eyes widen. Then he sets the phone down and reaches for Yuuji.

"Yuuji," he whispers urgently, his hand stopping short of Yuuji's shoulder. "Yuuji."

Nothing.

"Yuuji," he tries again, tapping Yuuji's shoulder a few times. "Wake up."

Yuuji snorts and buries his face deeper into the pillow.

Junpei sighs. "Yuuji," he says, a little louder, and taps his shoulder harder.

Yuuji moans and rolls onto his back, brow furrowed, his eyes still closed.

"We're going to be late for class."

"Hm." Yuuji's brow relaxes, and his breathing starts to deepen again.

"Yuuji," Junpei huffs exasperatedly. "Come on, you need to get up."

Yuuji's face scrunches up-God, why is he so fucking adorable-and he turns his face towards Junpei without opening his eyes. "Hn?"

"It's 8:24, Yuuji, we're going to be late."

There's no response from Yuuji for a moment, and then his eyes fly open. "What?"

"It's 8:24."

Yuuji shoots up, shoving the blanket off, and Junpei steps back as he stumbles to his feet. "Shit! Kugisaki, wake up, we gotta go!"

She groans loudly and throws an arm over her face. "Shut up."

"We're going to be late for class!" Yuuji says as he runs around the bed to his pile of clothes.

She sits bolt upright. "Shit!" Scrambling to her feet, she drops her blanket on the floor and runs out of the room at a dead sprint.

Yuuji tosses his uniform onto the bed and starts stripping off his shirt while he kicks his pants off. Feeling his face go red again, Junpei drops his eyes from Yuuji and hurries out of the room with his gaze averted. He bursts into his own room, struggling to get his shirt up and over his head. He tears it off and tosses it on the bed, then grabs his uniform top off of the bed and slips it on, buttoning it with clumsy, shaky fingers. He wiggles out of his sweats and kicks them onto the floor, then hops into his uniform pants and pulls them up.

And holy shit, he has to pee.

So, still buttoning up his pants, he sets off at a run down the hallway. He bangs into the bathroom to find Yuuji furiously brushing his teeth at the sink. Yuuji pauses long enough to grin at Junpei in the mirror around his toothbrush, and Junpei's cheeks heat up again. What is wrong with me today? He hurries past Yuuji and into the stall, shutting the door behind him.

Business taken care of, he steels himself before stepping back out of the stall, keeping his eyes on the floor as he approaches the sink to wash his hands. Yuuji scoots over for him, still vigorously brushing, and flashes him another grin. Junpei's face flushes, and he offers a small smile in response as he dries his hands. Yuuji spits energetically into the sink a couple times, and Junpei hovers behind him, coming to the painful realization that he left his toothbrush and toothpaste at the guidance center.

Yuuji finishes rinsing his mouth out and looks up at Junpei in the mirror. "Sorry, I'll get out of your way," he says, stepping back and drying his mouth on the towel.

"No, you're good," Junpei replies awkwardly. When he makes no move to step up to the sink, Yuuji pauses, staring at him blankly. "I, uh, don't have my toothbrush and toothpaste."

"Oh," Yuuji blinks at him a few times, then says, "You can use mine, I don't mind."

"Uh-no, no that's okay," Junpei says, dropping his eyes from Yuuji's as his face flushes deeper red.

"I don't have cooties, I promise," Yuuji replies, laughing. "And I probably need a new toothbrush anyway."

Junpei shakes his head. "It's fine, I can wait."

"Well you could at least use some of my toothpaste and brush with your finger," Yuuji insists, then, his expression turning teasing, says, "I don't want to be smelling your morning breath all day."

A smile twitches at Junpei's lips, and Yuuji laughs again, handing his toothpaste over. Junpei accepts it and squeezes some out onto his index finger. He starts to raise it to his mouth, then stops, staring down at it, the idea of actually sticking it in less than appealing. Yuuji laughs harder.

"Just do it!"

Junpei bites the insides of his lips, then opens his mouth reluctantly and sticks his finger in, rubbing the toothpaste over his teeth. His nose scrunches up at the sensation, and he steps forward to lean over the sink. He can feel Yuuji still watching him, his laugh subsiding into a quiet chuckle.

"How's your finger taste?"

"Shut up," Junpei replies around his finger, blindly smacking at Yuuji with his free hand. Yuuji starts laughing again as he pushes Junpei's hand away.

Junpei spits into the sink and rinses his mouth out, then dries his hands on the towel. He straightens and turns to face Yuuji, whose eyes are still sparkling with amusement.

"Ready for class?" Yuuji asks.

"Yeah."

Clapping Junpei on the shoulder and shoving him a little, Yuuji turns to head out of the bathroom. Junpei follows, eyes flicking up to Yuuji's face for a moment before glancing away, a small, private smile on his lips. Yuuji darts into his room to grab his backpack, then rejoins Junpei in the main hall.

"Hey, I'm glad you're back," he says, squeezing Junpei's shoulder, and Junpei feels a warm glow spark in his chest. He can't stop the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, so he drops his head, embarrassed. Yuuji gives him a light shove, then says, "Race you there!" He breaks into a run, slamming the door open and letting a gust of cool air in.

Junpei takes a few running steps after Yuuji, and then his head starts swimming and he lurches to a stop against the wall. He rests his forehead against the wood as the dizziness subsides, his hands cold and shaky again. The door opens again, and he glances over to see Yuuji jogging back towards him, an apologetic expression on his face.

"Sorry, I realized you probably aren't feeling up to that."

"It's okay," Junpei replies quietly, his heart thudding unevenly against his ribs and his head still feeling light.

"Need me to run and grab you something from the vending machine?" Yuuji asks. "Since we didn't have time for breakfast?"

Junpei starts to shake his head, but Yuuji is already breaking away from him again at a jog. "Too late, I'm already going!" he calls over his shoulder.

The corners of Junpei's mouth lift as he stares after Yuuji. I don't deserve him. The thought comes unexpectedly, and it wipes the smile off of his face and pushes his gaze back to the ground. He folds his arms across his chest, goosebumps prickling at his skin in the crisp morning air, and continues on towards the classroom building. His eyes pass over the rough flagstones without really seeing them, and he doesn't look up when he hears Yuuji's footsteps coming back towards him.

"Here you go!" Yuuji says, a little breathlessly, and a bottle of orange juice and a muffin are shoved at Junpei.

Reluctantly, he unfolds his arms to accept them, the plastic on the muffin crinkling in his grip. Yuuji falls into step with him, tearing the wrapper off of a protein bar and biting off half of it in one go. Nausea churns in Junpei's stomach, but he makes himself tear the plastic open anyway, dropping the orange juice into his pocket to free up both hands. The sugary smell of the muffin wafts up to him, and he almost gags, but he can feel Yuuji's eyes on him, so he pinches off a bite and sticks it into his mouth.

"How is it?" Yuuji asks around the second half of his protein bar, crumpling the wrapper and sticking it into his pocket.

Junpei shrugs. It tastes like damp cardboard and feels like a used sponge, but it's easy to swallow, at least. He pinches off another bite and manages to get that one down, too, before they're entering the classroom building. He stops short as they cross the threshold, sudden anxiety clawing up his throat. Yuuji stops too, and looks over at him.

"What's up?"

With the hand not occupied by the muffin, he presses his fingers into the hem of his shirt and rubs it between them. "Do you think Yaga will let me come back?" The question is soft, hesitant.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Yuuji's worried expression relax, and he says, "Of course he will!" He puts an arm around Junpei's shoulders and pushes at him until he starts walking again. "And if he doesn't, I'll fight him!" His arm slips from Junpei's shoulders, and he pounds his fist into his palm.

Junpei manages a flicker of a smile in response to that, but his throat is choked off and dry. He stuffs the rest of the muffin into his pocket, his pants bulging awkwardly over it, and follows Yuuji into the first years' classroom.

Kugisaki and Fushiguro are already there, standing at the front of the classroom with their teacher, Ine, and-Yaga. Yaga looks over as they enter the room, and Junpei can feel the weight of his gaze land on him even from behind his glasses. His heart jumps into his throat, and he looks away, chest tightening with panic.

Shit shit shit shit shit.

He watches Yaga's black boots approach, each step heavy and deliberate. "A word, Yoshino?"

Fuck, he's going to kick me out, he's going to kick me out.

Junpei manages a nod, steeling himself, his mind scrambling for what to say, and Yaga steps past him and out into the hallway. Junpei turns and follows him, his eyes finding Yuuji's bewildered gaze for a fleeting instant before he's in the hall and Yaga is pulling the door shut behind them. He keeps his eyes fixed on the toes of Yaga's boots as Yaga takes up a stance against the wall opposite him, arms folded.

"I got an interesting call last night," Yaga says, his voice flat. "Apparently the local guidance center had one of their residents run off, and they thought he might be at my school. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Junpei doesn't answer, clasping his hands in front of him to stop them trembling.

"Well?"

Junpei swallows, feeling the muffin stick in his dry throat. Then he says, voice quiet but firm, "I didn't feel safe there."

"Oh? What did they do?"

Junpei wets his lips. "My roommates bullied me." In the silence that follows his statement, Junpei can feel it's not enough, so he continues. "And my tutor...he did some things." He winces internally, knowing he's been too vague.

"So you came back here because it feels safer?" Yaga's voice is heavy with disbelief.

"Yes, sir."

Yaga huffs out a laugh. "And you think I'm going to let you back in?"

Junpei licks his lips and swallows again, his heart thudding painfully in his chest, and Yaga takes a step forward into his space. "You've already made it clear to me that you don't have what it takes to be at my school, and if what you're looking for is to feel safe, then this is the last place you should be."

Shit shit shit I'm losing-I'm losing my chance, I can't let him-

"I'm going back to my office to call the guidance center. Make sure you're ready when they come."

Yaga's boots turn and stride off down the hall, and by the time Junpei has found his voice enough to choke out "Sir-" it's too late and he's gone. The silence that follows is deafening, and he can't hear anything past the blood pumping in his ears. He takes in a shaky breath, his eyes wide and blankly fixed on the empty spot of floor where Yaga had just stood.

That's it.

Numbly, he turns and trails after Yaga, his feet carrying him out of the building and into the courtyard. The warmth of the sunlight offsets the cool air, but not enough. He folds his arms tightly, the fabric of his uniform dragging across the goosebumps on his skin.

That's it. No more curses, no more training, no more fighting.

No more Yuuji.

This is good. This is a good thing. Kugisaki said it herself, he'll care until it kills him. He's better off this way. I'm better off this way.

The words feel hollow, but he says them to himself anyway.

The dorms are warmer than outside by a little bit, and oppressively quiet. He finds himself lightening his steps so the floor won't creak so much under his weight. He goes back to Yuuji's room, the light still on and the bed unmade. Junpei stops just inside the doorway, something catching in his throat. The covers on Yuuji's side are half-spilling off the side of the bed, and the damp spot where Yuuji drooled is still faintly visible.

Junpei walks to the bed and tugs the covers back up so they're lying more or less evenly. He sits down on Yuuji's side, fingers loosely curled around the edge of the mattress on either side of his legs.

I can't believe I seriously thought I could make it at this school. I couldn't even do regular school, I should have known I wouldn't last long here.

He swallows thickly at the lump in his throat, blinking hard as his eyes start to prickle. Clenching his jaw, he stands back up, grabs his phone off of the other side of the bed, and plugs it into Yuuji's charger. Don't worry, Yuuji. That's the last thing I'll take from you.

He turns his back on it and heads out of the room, shutting the light off and pulling the door most of the way closed. He returns to his own room-his old room-where his clothes lie in a crumpled heap on the floor. Methodically, he unbuttons his uniform top and slides it over his head, then lays it neatly over the foot of the bed. He picks the blue T-shirt off of the floor and has it halfway over his head before he remembers that it's Yuuji's. He pauses, fingers tightening around the hem of the shirt, and breathes in. Yuuji's scent filters into his nostrils, and his throat starts to ache again.

He won't miss it, right? Junpei pulls the shirt the rest of the way down, the fabric soft and pliant against his skin. He pulls the orange juice and muffin out of his pockets and drops them on the bed, his appetite completely gone. He tugs off his uniform pants and lays them next to the top, then bends to pick his sweats up off the floor. He pulls them on, thumbs brushing over the ridged, white scars criss crossing his upper thighs.

He looks around at the room that was never really his, the half-made bed and his school uniform the only signs left of him, and he thinks, Soon it'll be like I was never here at all. The thought unsettles him, but he tells himself it doesn't matter and turns his back on it. He turns off the light and shuts the door behind him, his feet taking him back to Yuuji's room.

He walks over to the side table and turns his phone on, sitting back down on the bed while he waits for it to start up. His gaze loses focus as he stares blankly at the bright white screen of his phone. Absently fingering the collar of his shirt, he brings his feet up onto the bed and settles back against the headboard. It finishes restarting, and he blinks his gaze back into focus to see his mom grinning up at him from his lock screen.

Fuck.

Pressure builds at the backs of his eyes, and he blinks hard, blowing a shaky breath out. I'm sorry, Mom. I messed up. I messed up, and I'm never going to find out who killed you, and they're going to fucking get away with it because I can't do anything right. His fingers tighten around his phone, and he tilts his head back until it bumps against the wall, staring up at the bare ceiling. I failed you.

His phone buzzes in his hand, and he glances down to see a text from Yuuji, sent eleven minutes ago: Everything ok? What did yaga say?

Junpei's jaw clenches, and he opens the text, the tapping of his fingers on the screen audible as he types out: He kicked me out

Almost immediately, Yuuji starts typing, then: omw

Junpei scowls at the screen, his heart twisting in his chest. He turns his phone off and drops it on the bed, wrapping his arms around his knees and burying his forehead in them. You told me it would be okay. You told me I could come back.

In the distance, he hears the door to the dorms slam open and steps running down the hall. He draws himself in tighter as Yuuji comes closer, and then he hears the footsteps go past and his bedroom door getting slammed open. After a moment of silence, the footsteps come back, and Yuuji bursts into the room.

"What happened? What did he say?" Yuuji asks breathlessly.

Junpei looks up at Yuuji, then drops his eyes to the floor, his mouth still buried in his arms. He shakes his head a little.

Yuuji comes to the bed and sits down in front of Junpei, his hand coming to rest on Junpei's elbow. "Look, I'm sure we can talk to him and explain and he'll let you come back. I can't see why he wouldn't, I mean you already know how to use your shikigami and you're pretty good at fighting. I bet he's just still testing you."

"Bullshit." The word is muffled in Junpei's arms, but it tastes sharp and bitter on his tongue.

Yuuji blinks a couple of times, taken aback. "What?"

Junpei's gaze snaps up to Yuuji's, brows drawn low over his eyes. "I'm a goddamn enemy sorcerer, Yuuji. I learned everything I know from a curse. He has every reason not to let me come back."

"Then he's wrong. Let's go talk to him, I'm sure-"

"I tried to kill you, Yuuji," Junpei spits, pushing Yuuji's hand off of his arm and turning his face away. "Or did you forget that?"

Yuuji shakes his head. "You were going through a lot. I told you, I don't blame you."

"Maybe you should." Junpei gets to his feet, brushing past Yuuji.

Yuuji turns to face him. "I know you're not that kind of person, Junpei."

Junpei rounds on him, his hands trembling. "Do you? How well do you actually know me, Yuuji? We met, what, a week and a half ago?"

"And we've been through a ton together!" Yuuji insists, unfazed. "You're a good person, Junpei."

"No. No I'm not." Junpei shakes his head vehemently, turning away from Yuuji again, tears raw at the back of his throat.

Yuuji jumps up and grabs Junpei by the shoulders, turning him to face him and looking him earnestly in the face. "Yes you are. I promise."

Junpei recoils from Yuuji's grip, shoving his arms away and stepping back. "Stop!" His voice breaks halfway through the word, leaving the rest of it a cracked whisper. "Stop it, you can't–" He rubs a shaking hand over his face. "You can't–" He shakes his head again, a sob catching in his throat.

"Junpei," Yuuji says, softer, reaching out for him.

"No." Junpei shrinks away from him, shoulders hunched, and his eyes flick up to Yuuji's for a split second, scared and hurting and glassy with tears, and Yuuji lets his hand fall back to his side uselessly. The trembling breath that Junpei draws in is harsh against the silence. Then he ducks his head again until his hair completely covers his face and folds his arms across his chest, fingers digging into his biceps.

"Leave me alone," he says, voice low and trembling, but firm with resolve. Then he backs away from Yuuji a couple of steps before turning and walking out. His bedroom door slams behind him, leaving Yuuji alone in the silence, standing motionless beside his bed.

He stares at the empty doorway, brow furrowed and chewing on the inside of his cheek. He takes a couple of steps forward, then stops himself, tapping his fingers against his thighs agitatedly. He turns around and goes back to his bed. Then goes back to the door. Then back to his bed. Huffing out a sigh, he runs his hands through his hair and flops onto the bed.

How well do you actually know me, Yuuji?

Yuuji's heart twists in his chest, and he blows out another breath, frowning up at the ceiling. He rubs his hands over his face, a lump starting to form in his throat, and he swallows it back and sits up. His eyes land on the side table, where a phone is sitting face-up plugged into his charger. That's weird, I could have sworn…

He reaches for it and picks it up, realizing as soon as his fingers curl around the smooth, black case (unlike his bulky red and black one) that it isn't his phone. He tilts it to wake up the screen, and his eyes widen when he sees a picture of Junpei and his mom on the lock screen. Pulling the phone into his lap, his eyes flick over it, taking in Junpei's small but genuine smile, Nagi's broad grin, the way her eyes are focused just below the camera instead of looking directly at it. The screen goes dark, and after a moment, Yuuji sets Junpei's phone carefully back on the side table.

If I hadn't shown up, would she still be alive?

The thought had never occurred to him before. But until Yuuji had shown up, Mahito hadn't ever tried to hurt Junpei or his mom directly. And the same night he does, Mahito leaves one of Sukuna's fingers to lure a curse in to kill Nagi.

Why kill her, though? She wasn't a threat. She probably didn't even know Mahito existed, or anything about curses at all. And Junpei wasn't a threat, either. Did he think Junpei told her something?

Or was it me? Did he not want any sorcerers getting involved? Was he threatening Junpei?

He sighs and drops his head into his hands. I could spend all day worrying about it. If Nanami knows, he decided not to tell me. Junpei's the only other one who might be able to figure it out, and he doesn't even know…he doesn't even know it was Mahito who killed her.

There's a rap on his doorframe, and he looks up to see Kugisaki coming in, followed by Fushiguro. "There's Thing 1," she says, walking up to the bed and depositing Yuuji's abandoned backpack on it. "Where's Thing 2?"

"In his room," Yuuji replies, jerking his head in that direction. "But he said to leave him alone, so you probably shouldn't bug him."

"Uh-oh." Kugisaki heads over to her futon and starts folding up her blanket, while Fushiguro remains in the doorway, leaning up against it with folded arms.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Taking an early lunch," Kugisaki replies breezily.

Yuuji pulls his phone out of his pocket to check the time. "That's a really early lunch."

"They can't have class if none of the students are there." Finished with her blanket, she drops it onto the futon and takes a seat in Yuuji's desk chair, stretching her legs out.

"You guys didn't have to skip class," Yuuji says. "I was probably heading back soon anyway, I just wanted to have a chance to say bye to Junpei before he leaves."

"When is he being shipped out, then?"

Yuuji shrugs, frowning. "Dunno. I tried to get him to go talk to Yaga so he can stay, but he's…not in a great space right now."

"Is he ever?" Kugisaki asks flatly.

"Would you be?" Fushiguro shoots back.

Kugisaki sticks out her tongue at him, then says, "Anyway, it's too late now. We made Ine cancel class, and honestly Takei should just take the opportunity to go take a nap. Nobody likes him anyway." She crosses her ankles and folds her arms, slouching further down in the chair. "So what's up with emo boy?"

Yuuji sighs and looks away. "He thinks he's a terrible person and that Yaga is right to kick him out."

"Mm."

"Like I said, I tried talking to him about it, but he just–wouldn't listen. Like at all. And then he went back to his room." Yuuji rubs his hands over his face. "I don't get it. Sometimes he doesn't want to be left alone, and he wants me there, and then other times it's like this. Like I'm a stranger."

"Well, you are a pretty strange guy," Kugisaki quips, and Yuuji manages a humorless huff of laughter in response. Then his expression goes serious again, and he slumps, his eyes far away.

"I guess now that he's actually leaving, it won't matter as much anymore, but I just…I want to help him. But I never know how he's going to react, and sometimes it feels like I'm just making things worse. I mean, just now, it was like…" Yuuji pauses, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "It was like he was…scared. Of me."

Kugisaki shrugs. "He's dealt with a lot of fucked-up people."

"That's true…"

When he doesn't continue, Kugisaki cocks her head at him. "You want my honest opinion, Itadori?"

He looks up at her, his expression open with worry.

"You need a break from him. I don't know if you've noticed, but he's kind of a black hole. You're going to worry yourself to death."

"I'm fine, Kugisaki," he says, shaking his head. "I don't mind, he's dealing with a lot right now."

"Whatever," she replies with another shrug. "Just try not to think about him every waking moment of every day. It gets a little old sometimes."

Yuuji's face softens with a tired smile. "I'll do my best."

"Have you decided whether or not to tell him?" Fushiguro asks from the doorway, his voice low.

Yuuji bites the inside of his cheek, his face going serious again, and then his gaze drops to the floor. "I should probably tell him before he leaves," he replies softly. "He deserves that much."

Kugisaki nods once, then looks out the window, her jaw clenching. Fushiguro watches Yuuji silently.

Yuuji gets to his feet and offers them a resigned smile. "Wish me luck."

Kugisaki's eyes flick back over to him, and she replies, "Good luck."

Fushiguro turns to allow Yuuji through the doorway, their gazes meeting as Yuuji passes him. Yuuji goes to Junpei's door and takes a bracing breath, then raises his hand and knocks. He can feel Fushiguro watching him from the doorway.

"Junpei? There's something I need to talk to you about," he says, and the wood seems to absorb his voice.

Yuuji can feel his heart pounding in the silence that follows. He stands motionless by the door, head bowed, barely breathing, as he waits for Junpei's reply. He glances back at Fushiguro, who just stares evenly back at him, then raises his fist to knock again, taking in a breath at the same time.

"Jun–" The door swings open to reveal Junpei, tugging the shoulder of his shirt into place, his face turned away so that Yuuji can't read any expression on it behind his hair. Yuuji looks back at Fushiguro again, eyes wide with worry, then follows Junpei into his room, shutting the door behind him.

"You didn't have to skip class for this," Junpei says as he comes to a stop next to the bed, his back turned to Yuuji and his voice flat and distant.

"I wanted to make sure I said goodbye." Yuuji's eyes flick down to the bed, where he sees the unopened bottle of orange juice and the barely touched muffin next to Junpei's uniform. "Fushiguro and Kugisaki actually came too, if you want to say goodbye to them." Yuuji can't read anything from looking at Junpei's back, other than tension in the lines of his shoulders.

"Is that what you needed to tell me?"

Yuuji bites the inside of his cheek and blows out a breath. "No."

"I'm all ears."

Yuuji glances back at the muffin on the bed, fingers tapping against his thighs. He clenches his fists for a moment, then exhales slowly, moving to sit on the bed. He looks up at Junpei, who is still turned away from him, and says, "It's about your mom."

Junpei's head jerks towards Yuuji, the tension in his shoulders doubling. "What?"

"Nanami…told me who killed her."

Junpei's frame goes very still, and Yuuji can hear the way each of his breaths shudder in and out. Most of his face is still obscured by his hair, and Yuuji can only see his lips, slightly parted and trembling.

"Who?" he asks roughly, his voice choked to a broken whisper.

Yuuji studies Junpei with his brow furrowed with concern, searching for how he might react to the news, and everything is screaming at him that the answer is not well, but he can't back out now, not now that Junpei knows that he knows, not now that Junpei's leaving. So he steels himself and takes the plunge.

"It was Mahito."

A/N: Within the story, it's only been ten days since chapter one, and I have somehow written 70,000 words and 26 chapters covering that time. Literally how is that possible.

Also I literally forgot that Junpei's hair is pink (and I'm sure most of you did, too), so I went back and I fixed where I said he had black hair at the end of ch. 24. I also modified his interaction with Koizumi in ch. 23 so that his unusual hair color comes up.