Qian walked down the hall vaguely recalling the direction of where the first years' classrooms were held. After turning a corner, she heard a familiar voice and crept towards the room, peeking her eyes through the sliding door, which was slightly opened. She saw Principal Yaga gesturing towards the chalkboard, drawing a series of diagrams of what appeared to be various spirit forms. Glancing around, she noted the first years seated at their desks- well, Nobara and Megumi were… Yuji was face down on his desk, his drool pooling on the wood and beginning to drip onto the floor. She bit back a soft giggle before her shoulders stiffened upon seeing Satoru himself perched on an empty desk.

"To reiterate," Masamichi tapped on the board. "There are endless curses out there. But what gives them power, besides cursed objects?

"Negative emotion." Nobara drawled. She was hunched across her desk, her arms hanging over the edge as her chin rested on the wooden surface, eyes clouded in boredom. "Principal, we already know this."

Masamichi frowned and released a sigh. "Yes, but what specifically? Why are there certain spirits stronger than others?"

"Humanity's fear." Megumi interjected. He, on the other hand, was sitting upright in his chair, a pen held in one hand, placed over an open notebook. "The more humanity is scared of something, the stronger the spirit becomes, to the point where it could manifest a consciousness."

"Correct, Megumi." The man turned his gaze back to the board. "And that's why we have strong spirits like these three, who we know are named Jogo, Hanami, and Mahito. What do you think drove them to become powerful?"

"People's fear of nature. For Hanami." The dark-haired teen replied.

"Fear of Fire." Nobara grumbled, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. "For the creepy eye-ball guy."

"Close on both accounts. Land-based natural disasters and forestry for Hanami. And volcanos and fire-related natural disasters for Jogo." He corrected, recording their answers on the board. Suddenly, he flung his chalk towards the left, and a loud yelp was heard. Qian strained her neck to see Yuji sprawled out on the floor, his fingers twitching, as a large, swollen welt formed on his forehead. Probably where the chalk hit him. The girl noted grimly, feeling sorry for the teen.

His teammates didn't even flinch. "That's what he gets for falling asleep." The brunette quipped as she flipped her hair.

Suddenly, the door was pulled open fully and the girl flopped forward, having been leaning on the panel from her eavesdropping. "So, what do you think drives the last curse?" Qian squeaked and tilted her chin up to see Satoru peering down at her in amusement.

W-When did he move!? "I-I- Um!" She frantically pushed herself to her knees, furiously adjusting her glasses and brushing her hair back (despite it already being tightly pulled into her signature bun), before coughing awkwardly to clear her throat. Still in a kneeling position, she took a deep breath and hung her head shamefully.

"I-I'm very sorry. It was rude of me to eavesdrop." She murmured regretfully, bending forward to place her fingers on the floor as she rested her forehead on them in a full apologetic gesture. "I-I was curious about what was being taught."

Satoru smirked. "You're really fine. Much better than 33% of my class, that's for sure." He jerked a thumb towards an empty desk beside Megumi. "Come on, have a seat."

The girl raised her head in surprise, her eyes shining with curiosity. "R-Really? I-Is that okay?"

"Don't see why not. Right, sensei?" Satoru replied, nodding to his old teacher.

Principal Yaga shrugged indifferently and Qian glanced back up at the sorcerer once more, a grateful smile spread across her lips, before quickly scrambling to her feet to scurry over to the desk, where the dark-haired boy handed her a sheet of paper and a pencil. She gratefully whispered her thanks as she glanced at the board to jot down the words Masamichi had written.

Satoru couldn't help but smirk at the girl's antics. Such a nerd.

"So, here's a hint." The masked man leaned against the wall, crossing his arms while Masamichi took out another piece of chalk. "Mahito has the power to manipulate souls and transform them into whatever it chooses."

"U-Um… Transforming souls?" She quickly wrote down the last line on the board before raising her head. She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "...J-Just human souls or other species as well?"

"Just human for now, that we know of." Masamichi stroked his beard thoughtfully as he drew on the board. "But he's a relatively young spirit, so he could grow more powerful and impact others."

"I-If it's able to manipulate humans, then that means the human essence in particular is the core of its abilities." She bit her lip thoughtfully. "C-Could it be due to humanity's personality? Maybe… their fear of themselves?"

Satoru raised his brows at her intellectual guess as the principal nodded. "Very close. Their fear of each other, or their hatred specifically. Again, this is all speculation based on our analysis and research of their abilities. We've fought against numerous other spirits besides these guys as well: one was manifested from people's hatred of the dark, fear of the ocean, even as mundane as people's fear of spiders. Regardless, the possibilities are endless and It's important to use your knowledge to think ahead and prepare yourselves, so that if you were faced with an enemy, you'd be ready."

"Or you could just, you know, not bother to think about it and defeat them with your skills alone." Satoru countered haughtily, placing his hands behind his head.

Masamichi rolled his eyes. "Anyways, I'm assigning you guys two spirits each with their abilities described. By next week, I want you to have done your research and write a paper on what you think their origin is, what drives their power, how you'd determine their weak point, and how you'd exorcise them. Dismissed."

Megumi nodded in affirmation and Nobara groaned, both soon beginning to gather their belongings. Atr this time, Yuji finally regained consciousness and pushed himself into a seated position.

"W…What…? What did I miss?" He asked groggily, rubbing the sore spot on his forehead.

"About time." Nobara growled, placing a hand on her hip as she glared down at him, swinging her bag over her shoulder.

Megumi sighed and pulled the boy up to his feet. "Report due next week. Let's go."
"Whaaaaat?! Why?" Yuji whined, dejectedly following his teammates.

Satoru pushed himself off the wall to exit before he suddenly heard a soft voice. "P-Principal, if I may." He peered over to see Qian walk up to the man, the paper clutched in her hand. The burly man regarded her questioningly. "What is it?"

"C-Could I participate in this assignment?" The girl inquired softly. "I know I'm not a sorcerer, but I think this report could be an interesting exercise for myself."

Masamichi quirked a brow before shrugging his broad shoulders. "Sure. I don't see why not. Come to class next Thursday then."

Her shoulders sagged in relief as she thanked him profusely, and Satoru couldn't help but grin softly as she bowed her head once more. She then began heading to the door, scribbling another line or so, inadvertently brushing against him as he tried to take a step back to allow her to pass.

Her eyes shot up apologetically. "O-Oh, sorry Gojo-sensei." She quickly moved back, realizing that she had bumped into the man.

"No worries." He drawled, taking a step back to let her pass, choosing to follow her down the hall. "So, you're joining us for class now?"

She peered over her shoulder to stare up at him. "A-Ah no, just the one next week! Sorry, I was just curious and wanted to participate, I think it's a really interesting subject."

"What's interesting about it?" He snorted. "When you're in the middle of a fight, there's nothing to it. You don't have time to think at all."

Qian internally sighed as they reached the courtyard. "W-Well, it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

He trailed after her, a cocky smile spread on his face. "Prepared for what?

She huffed and halted in her tracks, giving him a pointed look. However, she faltered upon seeing he stopped as well directly in front of her, his signature smirk spread across his face as he towered over her petite form. She gulped, trying to calm her nerves so she could act normally around the man. "T-To know your enemy's weak points. It could help you win the battle."

"Uh, no. Skill and power is how you win." He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he playfully stared down at her annoyed expression.

She pouted and Satoru's grin widened. "Y-You do know that it takes more than just brawn to win, right? Isn't it better to analyze their movements so you can anticipate their next attack and defend appropriately?"

He released an incredulous laugh. "One, why defend if you can just defeat them? And two, who has the time to do that? By the time you even stop to think, you're dead."

She took off her glasses to rub her eyes tiredly. Even though she was supposed to be taking a break from her lab work, she felt more exhausted than before, especially with how he is intentionally trying to rile her up. But she refused to give in and sniffed, holding her chin up. "W-Well, you don't have to stop to think. You multitask." She then walked around him as he let out an incredulous chuckle.

"Multitask." He repeated, following in step with her which, admittedly, wasn't difficult. In-fact, he only needed to take half-steps to keep up with her.

She sighed, unsurprised that he would disagree. "Y-Yes. Multitask."

"Well, I've never needed to do that. And look at me, I've only won so far." He held his hands out, gesturing to his body.

"W-Well, consider yourself blessed." She muttered, folding the piece of paper and tucking it into her back pocket. "Y-You've been lucky. It's not always going to go that smoothly."

Satoru's eyes widened, the memory of her unconscious body in his arms flashing in his mind. The blood seeping through his fingers and soaking his shirt… her body growing cold and pale in his grasp…

He released a breath, running a hand through his hair."...I know."

She stopped and turned around questionably at his unusual response. She froze upon seeing him reach up to pull his mask down, regarding her with his bare eyes. Her breath caught in her throat upon seeing his irises swirl with an unknown emotion. "G-Gojo-sensei, are you okay-"

"I would've been fine, you know." He sighed, his eyes downcast as he continued speaking. "I had Infinity activated, he wouldn't have been able to touch me."

Qian blinked, realizing the context of his words. She thought back to that night and cursed her own stupidity. She wanted to slap herself: of course he did, he's not known as the strongest sorcerer in the Jujutsu world for nothing.

"R-Right, of course." A bitter smile tugged at her lips as she lifted her glasses up to rub her eyes once more. She was so tired.

She looked down at her feet, wanting to just walk away from the conversation, but it would be rude. He was probably going to reprimand her once more for being in the way again and she really didn't have the energy. "T-That… would make sense."

"So if… if something happened to you." Her ears perked up and she raised her eyes to see a stern frown marring his features, his expression torn. "I don't-"

"S-Sensei…" She interjected, staring at him incredulously. "H-Has this been on your mind this whole time?" Her eyes widened as he refused to look at her, as though the memory of the event visibly weighed on his shoulders. Upon hearing silence, her previous emotions suddenly dissipated like a deflated balloon. She interlaced her fingers together, placing them in front of her calmly as she took a breath regarded him gently.

Satoru heard her footsteps approach and he raised his brows upon seeing her face suddenly appear in his vision. She was now standing closely in front of him, her gaze tilted up to meet his in full. "S-Sensei, I hold no regret over what happened. If I had the choice to do it over again," she took in a breath, "I-I would. It was my choice, my responsibility."

He clenched his jaw before opening his mouth, but she shook her head. "I-I'm serious. Sensei, please don't feel bad. I hope that you can continue treating me like you always have- I don't need to be pitied. I take full responsibility for what happened."

Satoru was silent for a moment, studying her intently. Qian bit her lip, bowing her head down. "I-I apologize, I didn't realize you've been burdening yourself with this… all this time."

The man flinched, as if her words smacked him in the face. "What? No, Qian. Stop. This isn't your fault."

"B-But I should've communicated with you earlier." She shook her head, denying his assurance. "I had no idea that you felt so strongly about what happened, I've been so consumed with my research and-" Panic and shame suddenly struck her chest. Is this why he had been on so many missions recently? Trying to distract himself from his own guilt? Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and she tore off her glasses, rubbing her eyes viciously in distress over the thought. "G-God, I've been so selfish and I wasted your energy! I'm so sorry-"

She suddenly felt a warm hand grab her wrist, pulling her fingers away from abrading her skin. She snapped her head up in shock and gasped upon seeing how close his face was to hers.

"Qian, stop." Heat spread across her cheeks as an unreadable expression clouded his gaze. "You didn't do anything wrong. Stop apologizing for things that aren't your fault." He murmured, his brow furrowed as he stared intensely into her eyes. She blushed radiantly from the intimate gesture. "And you're not selfish, nor did you waste anything."

"I-I-I-" She swallowed thickly, trying to take a step back while turning away. "O-Okay, I'll try-"

However, his other hand suddenly reached out and cupped her cheek, forcing her to meet his eyes. The sudden motion, plus her trying to create space between them, resulted in her falling forward directly into his chest.

W-What is happening?! She suddenly forgot how to breathe as she once again tried to pull away instinctively. But his grip was firm. W-Why is he touching me?! His masculine scent flooded her mind; he smelled faintly of amber and resinous elemi, interwoven with wisps of mahogany and teakwood.

He smirked upon seeing her face darken to a dangerous shade of red, and before he could stop himself, he bent down to whisper in her ear. "You'll try?"

Her face felt like fire and she nodded her head vigorously in his shoulder, unable to form coherent sentences, let alone words. His smirk widened. "Or you will?"

"W-W-W-Will." She managed to splutter out. Finally, he released her and she stumbled backwards, breathing heavily as she fumbled with her glasses, barely managing to get them back onto her face without poking her eyes out.

"W-W-W-Well, I-I-I b-b-better g-g-get g-g-g-going. I-I-I-I'll s-s-see y-y-you l-l-later, s-s-sensei!" She gave another quick polite bow before scurrying off.

As Satoru stared after her retreating figure, he took a deep breath, relieved that the guilt he had felt bearing on his being was finally gone. Yet, the gnawing sensation still remained in his gut.

His fingers still felt warm where they had touched her face and he tightened them into a fist. Initially, he was appalled that she, once again, was blaming herself for something that was completely not her fault. Especially when she began freaking out; at first he was worried she was going to rub her skin off since she had been doing that repeatedly during their conversation- he personally had painful experiences with over-rubbing his eyes during long missions and didn't want that happening to her. When she refused to lift her head and averted away, however, he couldn't stop himself from reaching out to her and touching her even more. And when he saw her distinct reaction, he actually… enjoyed it?

He gritted his teeth as he pulled his mask up over his eyes, bewildered by himself. Guilt and pity, that's all there was. Except now it's just pity…right?

—-

Qian clutched her racing heart as she scurried back to her lab. As she closed the heavy door behind her with a 'click', she pulled her hair out of her bun, rummaging through her locks with an exasperated sigh.

What the hell was that?! She screamed internally. Did he forget about my feelings?! Why did he suddenly do that?!

She gripped her arms as she hugged herself, leaning against the door. Was he doing this on purpose? For what gain? Just to mess with me?

She felt her heart sink, knowing that she's just overthinking it. This is how he is after all, he's always been very touchy and playful, especially with other people. She shouldn't think too much about it.

She sighed to herself before her phone buzzed in her pocket. As she pulled it out, she noted the text messages from her brother.

Tomorrow's the day! Have you picked a restaurant yet?

With a groan, Qian realized the date. Her parents were coming tomorrow and she was supposed to book a reservation at their favorite restaurant.

She slapped her cheeks once more to ground herself. Focus, Qian. Focus. With a final deep breath to calm her rapid pulse, she then googled the restaurant and began to place the call.