Asae's mother had been marked missing since she was found by the people from the Jujutsu world. She wondered if they knew her crime or they just simply couldn't find any shreds of evidence at all. Truthfully, the evidence had been devoured by her territory so nothing could be found by the outside world.

It was such a pity that mother was killed by her. Asae knew not only her mother but also her father was a strong sorcerer. Hence, why her mother became crazily obsessed with developing new cursed techniques and practicing cursed energy.

Strangely, their names had never made it into the Jujutsu world, the Miura clan which was mentioned by her mother last time seemed like it had only Asae as the only descendent.

The strongest sorcerer alive of our clan, huh? Well, that meant Asae was a member of a dead clan and this clan produced one unimaginable individual, her mother. Then, Miura Asae was born as a cursed child. What a tragic clan.

Asae didn't regard herself as a sane one. In fact, she was quite unhinged when it came to exorcizing cursed spirits. On the other hand, Asae was a possessive person. That might be the reason why her territory decided to devour that woman. Because Asae loved her mother a lot. She couldn't think the woman would be anywhere but by her side even when she was dead.

Every night, when she closed her eyes, the scenario of her hand buried deep in the woman's chest kept repeating. Her hand squeezed the beating heart tightly, soaking with the blood of her mother, Asae could just stare at her mother's smiling face.

Love hurts, I hope I will never love anyone.

She whispered her wistful wish into the darkness.

Life was good. Masamichi had never given up on her mental illness, he helped her with the breathing exercises, calming her when she had a panic attack, and giving her stuffed animals to cuddle every night. Therefore, it was natural when Asae unconsciously deemed Masamichi as her father figure and it looked like the man was pleased with that.

One day, he had suggested meditation and since then, Asae could finally find her peace in the living world. Sitting still was once her habit when being hunted by her mother's cursed creatures, so it wasn't hard for Asae to master it. She soon realized the progress of breathing and relaxing her body had calmed her mind a lot.

When in this state, she could sense the energy of living things, especially the cursed energy. Opening her eyes, a similar sight warmed her heart endlessly. Behind a wooden desk sat Masamichi who silently did his work. Sensing her gaze on him, the man looked up from his paperwork.

"Well, Asae, how was your first day of school?"

"It would be surprisingly uneventful if we don't mention...what's his name again?" She paused and frowned slightly. "Ah, right. Snowy. It would be uneventful if we don't mention him, I guess? Brownie was friendly, fortunately, and Earrings was also...nice, I think. They're tolerable. At this rate, I can last for two more years, no problem." She nodded to herself which incited a breathy laugh from her teacher.

Watching the brunette before him, Masamichi couldn't help but delight at her good mood. Despite the girl not saying their names, he still knew who they were based on the nicknames she gave them. And that said a lot for his understanding of the brunette. Four years and he already grew fond of her, he could foresee the other three would be the death of him, too.

"Hm, I'm glad you're happy with the setup, and their nicknames are a nice touch. Can you tell me where those ideas come from? Because last time, I didn't remember you calling anyone by their nickname." Masamichi raised his eyebrow incredulously.

Asae shrugged, "Recently, I've read this book about friendship and stuff. It said nicknames will make close friends but I think it's dumb. You know I'm bad at remembering faces, right? I only use nicknames to pinpoint their traits in case my memories fail me. Like when I think about Brownie, I know that she's friendly, she has brown eyes and her name is Shoko."

"I see, so you've read How To Befriend Everyone in the library then. I would say these books are good but not useful at all, you should be yourself and be honest with your thoughts. Though, remember to be careful with your words, that would help you befriend them easier." He told the girl in earnest.

Maybe it had been one of his habits, but Masamichi felt like he would never teach the brunette enough whenever he talked with her. She was smart, but sometimes, the girl could also be quite dense.

"I'll remember that." Asae noted in her mind to research more about being careful with words since she wasn't sure what was different between her mother, brats, Masamichi, and teenagers.

"Okay, I have work to do now so you can make time for yourself then. Why don't you go read some books to relax your mind a bit? I can see your tenseness since last week, Asae." He signaled her to step to his side. "Remember, hard work goes hand in hand with good rest. Don't stretch yourself too hard because we're only human, okay?" The man patted her head lightly.

Feeling his big warm hands, Asae squinted her eyes like a cat. Right, she could be strong all she wanted but in front of this man, she was nothing but a little girl who sometimes needed to slow down and relax. Honestly, she was grateful to Masamichi for always reminding her of the basic but also essential needs of human beings.

"I'll try it, sensei." Asae patted lightly on his hand to express her gratitude.

Leaving the headmaster's office, Asae began ambling around. She wasn't in a reading mood yet, maybe if she could make it to the forest, her mood would pick up soon. Keeping that in mind, Asae headed to a small yard that was located near the students' dorms.

Every year, the college didn't accept many students due to some mysterious reasons she barely cared about. Therefore, at this time of the day, there weren't many people who willingly wandered around as Asae did. At some points, she had run into some second-year and third-year students who acknowledged her with their smiles. They had been familiar with the sight of her casually sauntering on the corridors every night. After nodding back to them out of politeness, Asae continued her way.

The moment she arrived at the yard, she sensed someone was already there. And indeed, when Asae could see more clearly, she realized that Earrings was sitting there on the usually empty bench. Immediately, she started weighing the pros and cons of leaving the place silently. As she was deep in thought, Earrings had already decided for her.

"Who's there?" He voiced his question evenly.

Sighing, she headed toward the guy, "Hello, Ear...Geto-san, it's a pleasure to meet you here."

"Oh, Miura-san, me too. You can sit with me if you don't mind." He seemed to catch her slipping but then chose to ignore it. Instead, he gave her a friendly smile.

When Asae had sat down, Earrings didn't make any more sounds and that was fine in her case because she was just here to get her reading mood, no need to chit-chat silly teenage things.

"Say, why is your uniform white, Miura-san? Our uniforms are all designed in black color but yours is different. Is there anything we need to know?" He tilted his head to the side, just like a curious cat would do. Then again, Earrings looked more like a fox to her.

Of course, they would be curious. She was surprised they didn't question her at all in the class but maybe that was because either they were shy on the first day of school or they just didn't care. And now, Earrings had proved her wrong seeing as he was curious enough to ask. Hm, she narrowed her eyes internally, it could be just an act to initiate a conversation. Still, he tried, so she could give him credit for that.

"It's nothing you didn't know about, I'm a special grade sorcerer so they make me wear this uniform to differentiate me from everyone else, that's all." Asae shrugged slightly.

"Wow, you're a special grade at this age? You must be really good to be recognized by the school, huh?" Earrings looked at her in wonder.

Humans truly were complicated creatures, so the uniform things were his act because why couldn't he connect the dots to find out an answer? Then, she could see that he was honest when he said in that surprised tone of voice. His emotions and behaviors changed too quickly. Somehow, she felt like she was on a rollercoaster just by watching him. In moments like this, Asae was always grateful to all those books about human psychology and behaviors, because she could read the people in front of her quite easily.

Seriously, if only he knew about her circumstance, he wouldn't look at her in that way. Rather, pity would likely fill his eyes whenever he looked at her. What a troublesome classmate Earrings was.

"Really, I'm not that good. I'm just trying to survive, you know?" Asae said in a monotone.

"Hm, to me, every sorcerer is considered a survivor." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Facing him like this, she suddenly discerned a strong atmosphere from him but weaker than Snowy and her a bit.

"Well, I don't know. I've been doing it, the survival thing, for so long that what I can only see now is still her smiling face." Asae looked at the moon, it seemed like it was eight p.m. That meant she still had about one hour and a half to associate with Earrings, Asae looked at her mental clock.

"Who?"

"Huh?" She turned to see the guy raise an eyebrow at her.

"Whose smiling face that you can still see now?" He sounded curious. Yet, she wondered if he knew curiosity would kill a cat?

"Who indeed?" Asae exhaled softly as she went back to stare at the crescent moon. The woman who once was her mother, then a broken widow, then gradually became a monster that she once loved deeply, and ended up being a corpse that was devoured in her territory.

Somehow, they settled in a pleasant silence. Suguru, despite still being deep in thoughts, was truly enjoying his classmate's company. Although they didn't talk much, he appreciated Asae for willingly putting up with him for almost an hour despite her social anxiety. That was enough for him to want to befriend the girl, though.

The nighttime was exceptionally quiet and Suguru could hear her steady breathing beside him. It was…actually good and relaxing. He mused how contented he was just by sitting with the girl, how her silent company calmed him from his overthinking head. The effect she had on him was surprisingly powerful and Suguru considered it as strong as a certain someone's piercing blue eyes.

Suguru glanced at the dazed girl, he couldn't grab what was in her mind. At first, he was interested in the way she carried herself, confident and steady. That was how the strong ones proudly announced their presence to people around them. He had seen enough those who were deemed powerful and worthy in his clan so he knew how their kinds acted.

Being a powerful sorcerer, Asae didn't act arrogant like Satoru, apparently. Instead, she was always humble when answering Masamichi's questions. Just then, he realized that she had a large amount of knowledge, yet, she didn't brag about it. And then her uniform, its color was enough for them to know that Asae was a special grade, a strong one that made even Gojo Satoru always have his eyes glued on her. Suguru couldn't blame the guy for that. Seeing as she seemed to overwhelm even the Gojo's heir.

Suguru sneaked a glance at the girl once again. His instinct told him something was wrong with the brunette but he couldn't point it out. Nevertheless, after a week of observing her, he could tell the way she talked was a bit off, and the way her eyes didn't focus most of the time when they talked didn't sit right with him. It was as though she didn't even look at him but at something no one could see. Maybe that was a bad habit due to her social anxiety, but Suguru wasn't sure the way her body would go stiff whenever someone approached her from behind should be normal.

Asae noticed that Earrings was silent for too long but she was kind of thankful for that seeing as she wasn't good with words. And whenever she conversed with someone, things would usually get out of hand because she would likely zone out in the middle of the talk. That was a side effect of her problem, but it didn't happen regularly so she could let it slide for now.

"Geto-san, thanks for your company. I must be back in the dorm now." She stood up and bowed slightly at him.

"See you tomorrow, Miura-san and you can call me Suguru." Earrings smiled kindly at her.

"The same goes for you, too. You can call me Asae, Suguru-san." She nodded at him. Although she noticed the sudden change of attitude from the guy, Asae just chalked it off as teenage mood swings for the sake of not letting herself be confused any further.

"Then, see you later." With one last goodbye, Asae turned away to go in her dorm block's direction.

Unbeknownst to the brunette, Suguru looked at her back until she disappeared from his sight. Something glinted in black eyes but its owner hid those thoughts in no time. A fox-smile stretched on Suguru's face. It seemed things would get interesting soon.

lililil

Asae started her day just like her every day ever since she moved into the college four years ago. Everything had stayed the same except ever since last week, she had met three peers who were her age. She wasn't sure if she would really care for them but if the situation called for it, Asae was certain she would throw herself between them and the dangers.

It was as simple as that because she knew she could never die by will nor by some nasty injuries (she had tried). Therefore, in short, she was just an immortal meat shield. Once the elders knew about her not-so-secret, Asae was certain that they wouldn't hesitate to throw her out in the warfield (if they ever had one). Talking about secrets, in the future, she would be on missions with them. However, her reverse technique wasn't deemed 'normal'. Furthermore, if her hunch was right, they would likely catch her having a panic attack or worse self-harm in the middle of the mission.

Those things didn't happen as often as before but better be careful than never. She would've to talk to Masamichi, and if he allowed her to tell them everything then Asae wouldn't have any problems with it. Entering the classroom, she sauntered to her seat and sat down. Once again, she was the last one to arrive. Needless to say, it was based on her calculation, so she wouldn't have to interact too much with her new 'classmates'. Given that things would only get complicated if Asae had a tight knot with any of them, she wouldn't and couldn't afford that disaster to happen.

One was enough, Asae kept reminding herself, she already had Masamichi so she couldn't be greedy and had more friends, that would hurt her deadly when they chose to cut ties with her. Fortunately, her calculation was on point so as soon as she sat down, the class started without delay. Asae didn't deem it necessary to go out of her way to ignore her classmates, since humans were born with curiosity. If she tried too hard in order to ignore them, they would get even more interested and never leave her alone. Therefore, if she acted right, they would leave her be and peace would be all she had.

Zoning out in the middle of class was acceptable by Masamchi considering she had learned everything from him. Nonetheless, Asae still chose to pay attention to the man most of the time since he was the only one that mattered to her. There were two sets of eyes on her back ever since the class started and due to the lack of members, she knew whose eyes were on her but Asae didn't mind as long as they didn't bother her.

When the break came, while she preferred to use the little time to meditate, a certain two guys wouldn't let her do that. Well, she could guess what was in their mind and what was their plan, Asae couldn't help but become curious since she didn't interact with anyone besides people who she went on missions with back then. Thus, she decided to observe their behaviors in case she needed to play along with them for the sake of missions.

"Asae, how are you?" Sitting down on a chair he had pulled along, Earrings greeted her with a friendly smile.

"I'm good, thanks for asking Suguru-san." She nodded to the guy.

"How polite, Miura-chan." Snowy said in a sing-song way, then he gave her his lopsided smile just like the one he gave Masamichi.

"Hello to you too, Gojo-san."

"No need to be up-tight like that," He waved his hand slightly as he flopped down on the chair beside Earrings. "Just call me Satoru. I think we should be on a first-name basis since we will be together for three years, don't you think Suguru?" Snowy tilted his head then looked a bit too intensely at Earrings.

"Yeah, I think so, too. Since we're friends and all." Earrings nodded with a smile perching on his lips.

"Alright, then please call me Asae, Shoko-san, Satoru-san." She nodded at Snowy, and then at Brownie who had been silent ever since the morning.

"Asae, why were you always so polite like that? You should relax a bit, we want to be your friends, you know?" Brownie smiled warmly at her. Blessing the girl's thoughtfulness, she avoided touching Asae suddenly like last week. At that time, Asae almost had a panic attack. Regardless, she thought she didn't give herself away, but turns out, Brownie was better at observing than she had given the healer credit for.

"I will try, Shoko-san." Asae responded in monotone.

"Sooooo, Asae-chan, is it right that you are a special grade sorcerer?" Snowy inquired, eagerness laced in his tone of voice. Unlike the other days, he had taken off his glasses to direct those blue marbles at her.

"Yes, that's why my uniform is white." She inclined her head.

"Then you must be strong, eh? You see, my goal is to become the strongest so what do you say if I challenge you in a spar?" A wicked smile appeared on Snowy's face.

"Hey, don't you think that's a bit too much, Satoru? She's supposed to be your friend, not your rival." Even though Shoko had a laid-back personality, she still worried about Asae after that accident. She knew Asae was a strong one but the medic couldn't help but be concerned about the girl's mental health.

"Unfortunately, I have to decline your proposal, Satoru-san." Asae said solemnly.

"Why not? Are you scared?" The guy cocked his eyebrow. He held his chin up as though to provoke her.

"Yes, I'm scared." Asae looked right into his eyes then steadily voiced out her answer.

'Surprise' was the only word to describe the other three's faces. To them, a special grade sorcerer would never back down from a friendly spar, because they were too strong to be afraid of not being able to hold back or lose. And yet, this girl admitted she was scared and backed down from it instantly.

Meanwhile, Asae frowned internally. She didn't know how much stronger Snowy would grow into in the future, but at the moment, he was still weaker than her. Since she usually took things too far for her liking, Asae would've caused a disaster if she accepted his challenge. Moreover, she had a feeling that if she didn't inform Masamichi soon, Snowy would never get out of her hair.

What a drag. She sighed quietly.

Thankfully, break time was over before Snowy could say anything. As everyone went back to their seats, Masamichi slid the door and entered the classroom. Sensing the awkwardness in the air, the man sent a questioning look at her but she could only give him a shrug.

You have to tell me what was going on after class, okay?

Asae didn't know if the man was really saying that but she nodded anyway, better be responsive than nothing.

lililil

"So, Satoru finally decided to challenge you. I can see where your concerns come from and I agree with it. Being considered the strongest of the Gojo clan since his birth, Satoru is quite arrogant for his own good but since no one can defeat him yet, he will remain that attitude longer, I'm afraid. And knowing his stubbornness, he would not back down from a challenge easily so I'll try to train them harder, then you won't have to worry about these spars anymore." Concentrating on knitting, Masamichi hadn't looked at her ever since she stepped foot into his office. It was their daily routine so Asae wasn't offended by his behavior at all. Instead, she watched the man do his job in fondness.

"That's kind of you, sensei. I'm sorry for not handling the situation better." Her shoulders slumped dejectedly.

"Don't be, sooner or later these things would happen and you did back down first hand from Satoru so you already did a good job, Asae." Masamichi finally paused the needles in his hand and patted her head gently. His warm hand always succeeded in luring her into a state of calmness. Asae wondered if that was also his cursed ability.

"About sparring, I will arrange missions for you on those days so you won't be at risk with Satoru." The man winked at her.

"Thanks, sensei." Unconsciously, Asae beamed at him. Meanwhile, Masamichi pleasantly noted another step-up of the girl's mental healing progress.

After four years of his patience and Asae's efforts, her mental state had improved a lot. She became better than when he first met the girl, and in his dictionary, that was a huge feat.

Thinking about the trio in his class, Masamichi dreaded the day when those three found out about Asae's situation. Knowing his terrible luck, chaos would definitely ensue.