The series of soft chimes echoed through her ears, causing Qian to wake from deep slumber. The girl groaned, an excruciating and burning pain throbbing in her back and chest. She stirred, feeling her muscles protest as she blinked her eyes open to see a fuzzy ceiling fan and wooden beams.

"Qian?" Her head felt so heavy. She strained her vision to the right to see a blurry woman wearing a white lab coat stand up from her seat.

"I-Ieiri-sensei…?" Was that her voice? Her throat was so dry as she tried to speak, and the doctor quickly grabbed the glass of water on the bed stand beside her, placing a hand under the girl's head. She held the rim to her lips, and Qian gratefully swallowed the cool liquid.

"How are you feeling?" Shoko asked, gently lowering her back down onto the pillow. "You're back at Jujutsu High, in the infirmary." She returned the glass back on the table and opened the drawer, taking out a pair of glasses. She gently placed the spectacles on the girl.

"T-Thank you." Qian whispered, grateful to see her mentor clearly. She winced. "I-I'm okay." A cool breeze rustled her hair, closely followed by another melody of gentle bells and she turned her head to see a bronze wind chime hanging at the window. Her eyes flickered to the left, taking in her surroundings. "H-How did I get here? What happened to-"

She suddenly gasped as her last memory of the fight flashed in her mind. She frantically shoved herself upright, resulting in the sensation of a thousand daggers piercing her limbs. She cried out in agony, doubling over on the bed as sweat dripped down her brow.

"Qian! Don't move!" Shoko gently clasped her shoulder. "You're not fully recovered yet."

"G-Gojo-sensei!" Qian raised her head to regard her mentor with pleading eyes. "Is he-"

"I'm fine." Her eyes went to the door, and she released a sigh of relief upon seeing the sorcerer leaning against the frame. He was wearing a dark sweatshirt, his eyes covered by sunglasses.

"O-Oh thank goodness." Qian sighed, before succumbing to a fit of coughs. Shoko placed her hands on the girl's back, her palms shining with white light, before prodding her to lay back down.

"Everyone's fine, Qian." Shoko assured. Qian's body began to feel less heavy, the sharp prickling slowly dissipating into a dull ache. "You need to rest. It's been five days and you're not fully recovered yet. Your lungs were pierced, by some miracle, your heart remained intact. You got seriously hurt."

Qian peered up at the doctor, nodding slowly. "W-What about my brother?"

"We told him that you were sent to help out at another school and that you wouldn't be back for a while." Shoko explained. "I figured that even though he knew a bit about your work here, telling him the truth would cause unnecessary stress."

Qian gave a grateful smile before her gaze traveled back to the man, who seemed to be staring at the floor, his arms crossed firmly across his chest.

Shoko turned to her old classmate. "She needs to rest." She repeated, apprehensive of the man's presence and his… well, heartless, personality. She scrutinized the man as he remained rigid, narrowing his ice-blue eyes at the girl. If he tries to chew her out again-

Satoru then surprisingly placed his hands in his pockets, an oddly pensive look crossing his face. "Shoko, you've been at this for 36 hours. Get some sleep, I'll keep an eye on her."

The doctor raised a brow. "She needs continuous healing." She countered. "You know you're unable to use Reversed Cursed Technique on anyone but yourself."

"I am aware." He straightened his back and took a step forward. "But too much positive energy will overburden her body, you know that. She'll be okay for a couple of hours."

Upon seeing her skeptical frown, he shrugged nonchalantly. "Besides, your cursed energy is all but spent, you won't be able to do much more anyways."

Shoko bit her tongue, knowing that the man had a point. After a moment, she nodded in defeat and sighed. "Alright. But if anything happens, you have to call me, okay?"

He nodded, taking a step to the side to allow her to make her way towards the door. She paused, peering over her shoulder nervously.

However, she saw the man pull up a chair and simply seat himself right beside Qian. Releasing a subtle breath in relief, she went into the hallway.

—-

Qian couldn't help but stare at the man, who leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs, seemingly beginning to make himself comfortable in his seat. "U-Um, Gojo-sensei…I-I'll be okay, I'm probably going to fall asleep soon and I know you're busy so-"

Satoru ran a hand through his hair, returning her gaze through his sunglasses. "I'm not. Just go to sleep."

Qian swallowed, turning her head away. For some reason, his gentle tone was making her anxious. "I-I'll try." She squeezed her eyes shut.

An hour passed and she was unable to fall asleep. She tried counting sheep, drawing up images of gentle snowfall, pretending to hear the sound of soothing ocean waves washing ashore, but nothing was helping. She peeked an eye open to see Satoru scrolling through his phone absentmindedly.

She gulped nervously, unable to stop herself from opening her mouth.

"G-Gojo-sensei?" He raised his head quizzically, meeting her eyes. "I-I'm very sorry but… c-could I ask you for a favor?"

"What is it?" He replied, tucking his phone into his pocket.

"M-My brother used to read me stories to bed, to help me fall asleep." Qian explained, closing her eyes to avoid seeing his expression. She nervously licked her dry lips, hesitating about the next few words she was about to utter. "W-Would it be alright if you just..um…talked to me for a bit?"

She was met with silence. Blushing madly, she began to turn away, drawing the covers over her red face. "S-Sorry nevermind, it's ok! I-It's super stupid and I'll be fine! I'll just-"

"Would it still help?" She blinked and stared at the man in awe. His expression seemed purely curious, laced with concern. "If it's my voice, instead of your brother's?"

Qian frantically bobbed her head, ignoring the slight pain that resulted from the gesture. "Y-Yes, it will!"

"Alright." Satoru rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before folding his hands across his lap. "Well, let's see. Last month, I stopped by this new bakery that had opened up-"

For the next hour, he spoke to her about a bunch of random topics, essentially anything and everything that came to his mind. She would reply with questions and he would answer: from what he did during his down time, to a bit about his favorite foods, what sort of shows he liked…

"-I don't know, I kind of liked Boruto better than Naruto but, looks like a lot of people don't feel the same." He then heard light breathing and looked down to see that the girl had fallen asleep.

He sighed, reaching over to gently remove her glasses. He quietly opened the drawer and placed the lenses inside, closing it with a soft 'click'.

He returned his eyes back to the girl. Her round cheeks, despite its pallidity, remained soft and smooth. Dark strands of her hair fell over her closed eyelids.

He reached out, gently pushing the locks out of the way, tucking them behind her ear. His fingers lingered, traversing down from her temple to brush her jaw. His thumb stroked her lower lip tenderly-

He scowled and pulled his hand away. God damn it. Rolling his fingers into a fist, he sat back down, running a hand through his hair in frustration. He buried his face in his palms, releasing a defeated breath.

What the fuck am I doing?

—-

Days passed and Qian was feeling much better. She could feel her strength returning and was now finally about to sit upright against the headboard on her own. Shoko was constantly by her side, performing healing techniques to ensure her recovery. The other students also stopped by her room to check in on her as she regained her strength.

However, she was most shocked to see that Satoru was the main visitor. The man was there when she woke up, waited for Shoko to return, before leaving for a few moments. He would then come back a couple hours later and seat himself beside her, either on his phone or reading a book.

And despite her informing him that she was now able to fall asleep naturally, he kept talking to her: first about how she's feeling, then they would occasionally move to random topics. She felt confused, but grateful at this gentle side of him. It almost seemed as though they were finally…dare she say it…friends? A new feeling of happiness burst in her chest whenever they interacted- she felt like she was on cloud nine.

One morning, she woke up to see Shoko folding some towels near her.

"G-Good morning, Ieiri-sensei." She called, pushing herself to a seating position.

"Good morning!" Shoko replied, smiling softly. "How are you feeling?"

"A-Almost 100%!" Qian exclaimed, raising her arms up victoriously. "T-Thank you so much for taking such good care of me!"

Shoko laughed as she flipped her hair. "Well, I admit, it wasn't just me."

Almost on cue, Satoru appeared by the doorway. He nodded towards the duo. "Morning."

They returned his greeting, but Satoru remained standing in the same spot, not taking his usual seat.

"H-How are you, sensei?" Qian asked, missing the curious look Shoko was giving him.

"Fine." Suddenly, there was a buzz and Shoko pulled out her phone, staring at the caller ID.

"Ah, it's Principal Yaga. I have to take this, Satoru-"

"Yeah, go. I'll be here." She nodded and strolled out the door, closing it quietly behind her.

For a moment, the couple remained silent. Qian sighed contently and stared outside the window, admiring the full trees and relishing the soft breeze that flowed inside.

"Qian, listen." She turned back to face him, her smile faltering upon seeing that he had removed his sunglasses, a deep frown marring his features. His gaze was different than usual; his ice-blue eyes seemed… conflicted?

"W-What's wrong, sensei?" She tilted her head curiously, folding her hands across her blanket.

—-

Satoru sighed, opening his mouth slowly as he pondered his next words. "Do you remember…back at the park, when that cursed user chased you into that funhouse?"

Qian nodded cautiously, begrudgingly recalling the memory. "Y-Yes, why?"

"Do you…" The man cleared his throat. "Do you remember what you two talked about?"

Qian lowered her gaze, recollecting the bits and pieces of the event. "Y-Yes, unfortunately, that was where I stupidly gave away my location and she was able to find me. She almost…" She shuddered inadvertently, not wanting to think about what would have happened if the sorcerer did not show up in time.

"Oh! I-I never got to thank you, did I?" She realized, turning back to face the man. She bowed her head down deeply. "T-Thank you so much for saving my life!"

Satoru faltered, raising a hand in protest as he shook his head. "No, that's not what I mean-"

"I-I'm sorry I was a burden this time…" Qian continued morosefully. "I don't know what she wanted to do with me, and-"

"Qian, do you remember what exactly you two talked about?" She glanced up at the sorcerer, tilting her head in confusion upon his interjection.

"I-I think so…she insulted you… then she asked why I got angry…and then-" Qian's eyes widened in mortification, the conversation and her blatant confession flooding back into her mind like a waterfall bursting through a broken dam. "Y-You were there?"

Satoru exhaled, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "...I was."

"A-And you…" She squeaked, her cheeks beginning to turn a dangerous shade of red. "You… heard-?"

He couldn't hold his gaze and he placed a hand in his pocket, choosing to look at the floor beside them. "...I did."

Qian gaped, her face now completely red and her eyes wild with hysteria. "S-Sensei, I-I am so sorry. P-Please disregard it, I-I-I truly apologize, I know it is completely inappropriate and-"

"I'm sorry."

She snapped her gaze back to the man, who was staring at her with a…disappointed look in his eyes. She shrunk back. I knew it. He's angry, he's disappointed with me.

He released a shaky breath, not realizing he had been holding it this whole time. "I am… flattered, honestly, but I… I don't… " Satoru gently placed his hands in his pockets. "...return your feelings."

Qian shook her head vehemently. "N-No please, don't apologize! I knew that from the start, I never planned for you to know and honestly…" She forced a smile on her face. "T-The fact that you're still even talking to me is all I could hope for."

She folded her hands together and squeezed her fingers to stop her trembling. She felt her eyes begin to burn with suppressed tears and she bit her tongue firmly, in a desperate attempt to stop herself.

"S-So!" She bobbed her head to regard him. "D-Does this mean that I have to leave? I-I know this must disgust you more than anything-"

He snapped his gaze towards her, his eyes wide. "What? No!" He replied incredulously at her latter statement.

"O-Oh, thank you." Qian sighed in relief upon hearing him say that she didn't have to leave. "I-I promise, I-I'll be sure to keep myself away and y-you won't see me!"

Satoru opened his mouth to respond but then the door opened and Shoko popped her head inside. "Hey, Principal Yaga wants to meet with both of us in his office."

"Just, give us a minute, Shoko." Satoru replied, gritting his teeth as he turned back to the girl.

The doctor didn't budge. "No, he needs us now. And I mean, right now."

Satoru pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I'm always late- he can wait."

"Not this time." Shoko opened the door in full, gesturing him outside. "Let's go. Now."

Satoru clenched his jaw, running a hand through his hair. "Shoko, can you just-"

"S-Sensei!" He turned to meet Qian's forlorn gaze. "I-I'm ok. Really! T-Thank you for being so kind to me these past few days and… being so gentle with our discussion."

"Qian-"

She forced a smile on her face, a traitorous tear cascading down her cheek. "A-And… I'm…I'm really sorry again."

He opened his mouth to reply; however, Shoko had pushed him out of the infirmary.

—-

Shoko closed the door and released an angry sigh. "You are the biggest idiot."

Satoru raked a hand over his face in exhaustion. "What the hell are you talking about?" He muttered in defeat.

"You know exactly WHAT I'm talking about." She hissed, shoving him down the hallway away from the room. "This girl actually loves you, which honestly is fucking beyond my understanding, but she does."

"What do you want me to do?" He glared at the woman, slapping her hands away to stop her pushing. "I don't feel the same way."

The doctor placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head to give him a knowing look. "You don't, or you can't?

He rolled his eyes, turning his heel to walk away. "Same fucking thing. I don't have time for this shit."

"No, it's really not actually." She rushed forward to stand in front of him, poking him hard in the chest. "Look. I know that you always push people away. Especially after what happened to Suguru. You don't want to get hurt again by allowing yourself to care. But not everyone is Suguru, and let's be real- this is on a whole different level."

"You don't know anything about me." Satoru glowered at her, his eyes warning her to back down.

But she was unfazed. "No, I really do. I've known you for 14 years. I know you and Suguru were like brothers, I know how betrayed you felt when he went rogue. But this is different. You think you don't feel the same way, honestly probably because you don't understand what exactly you're feeling."

"Shut up." He growled, taking a step to the right to move past her.

She skipped to the same side, stopping him in his tracks. "What you're feeling is stronger than anything you've ever experienced before. You're panicking because you don't know what to do, or how to react, and your fucked up sense of logic and arrogance is telling you to push her away because you don't want to get disappointed."

"Shut up." He was getting pissed off, and he tried moving to the left. "And fucking move out of my way."

She was undeterred. "Face it. You're scared-"

"I SAID SHUT UP, SHOKO." He roared at her, ripping his sunglasses off as cursed energy burst out of his body like an electrical power outage. For a moment, they glared at each other. As he breathed heavily, trying to regain control and subdue his powers, she kept her chin held high, unflinching at his rage.

"Satoru, look." Her voice was eerily calm as she raised her hands in defense, finally taking a step back. "I'm not going to tell you what to do. You're an adult, you do what you want. But I will tell you now, if you let your pride get in the way- you will live the rest of your life in regret."

Satoru remained silent, unable to respond. Shoko sighed once more and headed in a different direction down the hallway.

He gazed after her in confusion. "Isn't Principal Yaga's office the other way?"

She twirled a lock of her hair as she rounded the corner, a shrewd glint sparkling in her brown eyes. "Yeah, I suppose it is." She continued her path, soon disappearing from sight.