Author's note: Hi guys! Apologies for the delay- unfortunately, some more difficult changes are coming in my life, so I will be (trying) to post every two weeks instead of once a week now, may end up being even later. So sorry about this… I really appreciate everyone's kindness and patience during these difficult times. You guys have been my rock throughout everything and truly am grateful for you guys supporting and reading this story! I'll keep working hard and doing my best!
Qian's eyes widened as she stared up at him, his breath tickling her lashes. "I-I don't understand-"
"You love me, right?" Satoru's eyes were pleading as they swirled in a deep whirlpool of blue, drawing her into a hypnotic daze.
She gaped at him, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as warning signals once more fired inside her brain. She accidentally lowered her guard, and he knew just how to slip inside the walls she had tried to erect so desperately. Her chest was burning as she once more tried to suppress her feelings, her… hope.
But the lid was threatening to open. "W-Why are you asking me that?"
He leaned down, resting his forehead on her collarbone, over her erratic pulse as he closed his eyes, breathing in her scent. "Answer me."
Through her inner turmoil and internal struggle between her logic and emotions, the girl noticed he had pulled her closer and, with shaking fingers, she fisted the front of his shirt. Grappling onto the bits and pieces of what dignity she had left, she made another attempt to push him away. "S-Sensei… I…"
"Please." Qian gasped upon feeling him kiss the junction between her shoulder and neck. The fire spread throughout her limbs as she gulped, trying to gather her thoughts.
"S-Sen-I- I-" Her mind went blank as he suddenly opened his lips, his tongue licking the sensitive part of her skin as he left open-mouthed kisses. "I-"
His lips traveled upwards, tickling her jawline, before they finally ghosted over her own. She released a shuddering breath, his irises glowing as he regarded her deeply.
"D-Don't kiss me." She whispered against his lips, desperately hanging onto her last shred of logic.
"I have to." He confessed as he dipped his head down.
"SATORU!" The door suddenly jiggled violently, causing the pair to rip themselves apart from each other. "Open the door! You have to come to Principal Yaga's office right now!"
Qian squeaked and quickly began to try straightening her clothes, buttoning up her cardigan and fixing her collar. Oh my god, oh my god.
Satoru's lips twitched as he watched her bounce around in panic. "Qian-"
She practically began hyperventilating as she yanked her hair tie from her messed up bun, running a hand through her locks as she tried to smooth out her hair.
"Qian, relax." She didn't seem to hear him until finally, she felt his warm fingers threading through her tresses, tucking any loose strands back into her bun.
"Qian." His eyes regarded her passively. She snapped her head up at him in mortification at his calmness. "You look fine."
"B-B-B-" She could only stammer after him as he headed to the door, twisting the lock and pulling it open.
"OH! Both of you are here, good." They both raised their brows upon seeing her bizarre visage. Her cheeks were almost glowing, despite her attempt at maintaining her usual nonchalant expression. The bags under her eyes did nothing to hide the elated glimmer in her normally exhausted brown irises. The woman was practically skipping in her step as she stood in the hallway. "You guys have to come to Principal Yaga''s office right now! You'll never guess who's back!"
Satoru quirked a brow at her as Qian turned to face her. "W-Who's back, Ieiri-sensei?"
The doctor giggled (to Qian's surprise) and shook her head, turning right to head into the main corridor of the high school. "Come on! Satoru knows, and he's gonna get a kick out of it! Qian, you have to come too! He loves meeting any newbies!"
Qian and Satoru looked at each other curiously, before following the woman down the hallway.
—-
Shoko knocked on the door with suppressed glee, stuffing her hands in her lab coat as she waited. Qian and Satoru were closely behind her when the door opened, revealing Masamichi's usual stern gaze.
However, his lips lifted into a smirk as he regarded them. "Good, you guys are all here." He grinned, throwing the door open to allow them in, revealing two individuals: a slender woman with shoulder-length, straightened light gray hair, and a tall man with…
Qian blinked in shock, furrowing her brow. Silver-white hair?
They turned to face them right as Shoko gave an unusual squeal, rushing into the office to throw her arms around the man. "Hitsunara-senpai!"
He laughed as he caught the doctor in his arms, swinging her around. He was rugged, almost as built as Qian's father. His biceps protruded out of his tight black t-shirt, threatening to rip the cloth apart, as his massive thighs also seemed to almost burst from his khaki pants. Qian quickly covered her open mouth, which had dropped open at her mentor's affectionate display. The man had the same-colored hair as Satoru beside her, though his bangs cascaded over his forehead in a curly fringe instead of the Six Eyes user's straight bangs. And…
He lifted his gaze to meet her. His eyes are violet. The stranger flashed a grin, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth.
The woman next to him seemed unsurprised by Shoko's display of affection, taking a step back in her knee-high camel boots to give them space. She adjusted her off-shoulder sweater dress before crossing her arms over her ample bosom, glancing the rest of the company. She raised her brow upon seeing Satoru but, upon seeing the girl standing beside him, narrowed her gaze suspiciously.
Her violet eyes flickered back to the teacher. "Satoru, you look well."
"Vivian." He quirked a brow, seemingly equally surprised to see her. "Didn't realize you guys were back."
"Oh whoops, I'm so rude, please excuse me." The burly man gently lowered Shoko to her feet before extending a large hand out towards the girl in front of him. "You must be that new recruit! My name's Hitsunara Toshinori, this is my younger sister, Vivian. Pleasure to meet you!"
Vivian flipped her hair with an exasperated sigh, her sharp chin tilting away from her brother in annoyance. "Literally younger by two minutes, Toshi."
Toshinori shrugged dismissively as Qian shyly took his hand to shake it. "I-I'm Tomioka Qian, Ieiri-sensei's assistant and- oh!" She was suddenly pulled into his muscular chest, and Satoru's eyes widened in shock.
"Pleasure to meet you, Qian! Welcome to the Jujustsu High family!" He held her tightly to his body as he also swung her around in a similar fashion as her mentor. "So happy that a gifted scientist like you could join us!"
Vivian groaned as she placed a hand on her forehead. "Toshi, put her down. You're scaring her."
"Ah, am I? My bad, my bad!" Finally lowering her shaking body to the ground, he flashed a wide grin as he leaned into her ear. "Honestly, could use more brains around here than brawn, ya know what I'm sayin'?"
Qian couldn't stop her trembling legs, completely embarrassed by explicit displays of affection and Satoru coughed uncomfortably. "Hitsunara-senpai. Good to see you."
"Satoru?! THE Gojo Satoru?!" The man guffawed as he reached towards the sorcerer, who nimbly stepped to the side with a cocky grin. Toshinori was unfazed however, choosing to clasp the man's shoulder gruffly, though his hand hovered right above instead due to Satoru activating his Infinity technique. "MAN! I can't believe that scrawny kid is all grown up! Look at you?! I hear about you all the way in England now! You're a big hotshot!"
Shoko snorted, twirling a lock of hair between her fingers. "Maybe for you, he's still the same old Satoru here in Japan, that's for sure."
Satoru bit back a sigh, awkwardly shying away from the man's grip. "Good to see you too, but I must ask…why are you both here?"
Toshinori's laugh resonated off the walls. "Obviously because Masamichi here pleaded us to come back. Isn't that right, sir?"
The bearded man shook his head in denial. "Administration's orders. They were worried about the recent appearances of these new spirits and, if our enemies are still out there, we're stretched thin with Okkotsu and Hakari being away-"
"Right, right, whatever they say." He waved his hand dismissively, much to Masamichi's chagrin. Toshinori threw an arm over the principal's shoulder, patting his chest heartily. "If you asked me, I honestly missed Japan so much I had to come back!"
"It's only been a couple of years." His sister muttered under her breath. "Last time you didn't even bother stopping by to say hi."
He jerked a thumb towards the woman, seemingly missing her snide remark. "And once I told her that her favorite boy-toy was still working here, she immediately wanted to come with, right Viv?"
"No." The woman's poker face remained unfazed, though her violet eyes flickered curiously towards Satoru, who seemed to miss the glance, instead remaining fixated on the interaction between his old upperclassman and the medical assistant before him.
Toshinori then approached Shoko, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Plus, this little cutie missed me so much, didn't she?"
Shoko gawked, as if suddenly aware of her weird behavior. Face red, she swiped his hand away, smoothing out her wrinkled lab coat in a huff. "Hitsunara-senpai. We are no longer in school anymore, so I must ask that you address me correctly and refrain from exhibiting such… touchiness."
The man simply grinned and messed with her hair even more. "Oh, come on, you couldn't even stay away more than three feet from me back in school! Admit it, you missed me."
The woman opened her mouth to protest when he suddenly returned back to Qian, walking around her with a scrutinizing eye as his hand cupped his square jaw in deep thought. "Hm… you really do look familiar." He stood up straight and crossed his arms, staring down at her with a twinkle in his eye. "...By any chance, were you in Akihabara a couple years ago?"
Qian stared up at him in shock, her jaw completely dropped open. "I-I was, how did you know?"
"Ah HA! I knew it!" The man threw his hand on her head, tousling her hair completely to the point of it falling out of her bun. "I never forget a face!"
She squeaked at the rough gesture. However, there was something familiar about the feeling of his hand on her head. "W-What do you mean?"
"You're that kid I saved! That scrawny teen who was hiding behind the frozen food section! Well-" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "What was left of it that is… man, that was a pretty crazy fight. Definitely wasn't expecting that to happen during my first trip back since graduation."
"F-First trip?" Qian snapped her gaze at him in shock, her brain muddled in confusion but slowly piecing the information together. "Y-You were there? That was you… fighting that cursed spirit back then?"
"Yep! It was an annoying one too, kept leaping around like some rabid monkey." He tapped his forehead as he furrowed his brow, recalling the memory. "Anyways, I was back from England, supposed to do a quick recon mission, but then saw that thing wrecking havoc. Obviously, I had to step in."
He then raised a thumb at her in approval. "But WOW! You made it! And I can't believe you're here! Usually, normal civilians just go about their lives and pretend things like that never happened- how did you end up here?"
"W-Well… it's a long story…" Qian stammered, ducking her head down in bashfulness, her thoughts racing at a million miles per hour. Was he the one who saved me that time? But then- She glanced at Satoru in bewilderment, who was observing them with raised brows. So then, this whole time… it wasn't him?
Satoru remained standing in the same spot, raising his arms to slowly fold them over his chest as he observed their exchange. An odd, bitter feeling rose in his chest upon seeing her initial shock and speculation wear off, instead replaced with awe and admiration as she slowly opened up, beginning to converse with him.
Vivian noticed his tense expression and followed his gaze. No way. She glowered apprehensively as he twisted his heel around, choosing to slink out of the room.
"Satoru? Where are you going?" Masamichi called after him once he shouldered his way past his old teacher.
"Back to training." He growled, stalking down the empty corridor.
From her conversation with Toshinori, Qian's eyes flickered towards Satoru's retreating figure. She clasped her hands closely to her chest, feeling conflicted and perplexed. So…it wasn't Gojo-sensei…who saved me…
"Principal Yaga." Masamichi turned to face the gray-haired woman, who dipped her head politely. "It was a pleasure catching up. I'll take a look at the mission report and let's discuss logistics later."
"Ah, sure?" Masamichi scratched his head in confusion as she left the office as well. Shoko appeared beside him, a knowing grin spreading on her lips. "Oh gosh, I did not expect this but now I am FULLY invested."
The man heaved a knowing sigh, taking off his glasses to pinch his nose. "You young people are so complicated."
Shoko rolled her eyes, also strolling out of the room. "Bullshit, it's just Satoru being Satoru." She turned back to the man, who was engaged in an animated conversation with the girl in front of him. "Hitsunara-senpai! I'll be in my office, I'll catch up to you later!"
Toshinori shot his head up in response. "Cool, I'll hit you up later!" He turned to Qian, giving her a smile. "So, have you eaten lunch yet? I'm starving and really craving some Japanese food!"
Qian shook her head. "I-I haven't yet-"
"Cool, let's head over to the cafeteria!" He jerked a thumb out the door. "Come on!"
"Satoru." The sorcerer peered over his shoulder upon hearing his name, seeing Vivian following closely behind him.
"Hey." He stopped in his step, allowing her to catch up. "How have you been?"
"Oh, you know." She wiggled her finger absentmindedly in a circle. "Same as usual. Exorcising in England gets mundane after a while but, European money you know, the pay is better."
He released a knowing smirk. "Yeah, I get it. Sounds nice though, being able to get away from your family."
Her violet eyes softened as she searched his face. "Satoru, you should've come with me."
The man's smirk stretched further across his lips, shaking his head. "Nah, you know how I am, Viv. I don't do attachments."
"I know." She took a step closer, placing a hand on his chest as she slyly pushed him against the wall. Her lips traced his outer ear as she grinned mischievously. "But you do do fun, right? Or has that changed as well?"
Satoru recalled their high school days. Despite her being one year above him, they were drawn to each other since they both came from dysfunctional rich families who cared about power and prestige. They would often skip class to hang out and, well, fool around.
Once she graduated, she and her brother were set with a job in England. She offered him a position once he graduated as well but, frankly, he wasn't interested. She was a good friend and fun to be around, but he would never let himself get attached to anyone.
At least… he never thought he would. His thoughts traveled back to the bespectacled girl. Satoru's gaze softened as her face appeared in his mind, and he placed a hand on her shoulder.
Vivian pulled back, quirking a brow up at him questioningly as he gently pushed her away. Through his sunglasses, he regarded her apologetically. "Sorry, Viv. I guess it has changed."
She furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?" She thought back to his expression back in Masamichi's office. "You can't possibly mean… with her?"
Satoru clenched his jaw, biting his tongue. It was as if the woman read his mind. He coughed uncomfortably, grateful his mask hid his real expression as he attempted to remain nonchalant. "What? Who are you talking about?"
"That girl, back there." Vivian replied skeptically. "You may have gotten better at hiding the emotions in your eyes, but I know when you get annoyed, Satoru."
"Nah, I just felt your brother was being obnoxious as usual." He shrugged offhandedly, turning to continue heading down the corridor. "Anyways, it was great seeing you, Viv. I need to train my students, talk to you later."
As he retreated around the corner, Vivian crossed her arms in anger, jealousy coursing through her veins. She looked behind her to see the dark-haired girl and her brother exiting Masamichi's office.
What makes her so special? She flipped her hair once more, pushing herself off the wall and disappearing down the hall towards the opposite way.