A/N at the end of the chapter
CHAPTER 21
{POV: Suzue Kujou}
Suzue couldn't shake the events that had led up to that moment from her mind, like a broken record stuck on replay, playing the same awful tune over and over again.
Naoya Zenin's slimy, cutting words, Satoru's sudden punch, the sight of blood spurting everywhere… and finally, the firm, unyielding grip with which Satoru had pulled her away, dragging her from that chaotic scene under the shocked gazes of half the sorcerer society in Japan.
She had seen it coming; she'd known things would spiral out of control the moment Naoya approached them. But she hadn't expected them to go this far. Satoru had completely lost it, hitting the clan head's son in his own home.
A declaration of war would have been less shocking.
A small sigh escaped her involuntarily as she tried to find something to ground her in the present. The guilt of being the cause of that disaster weighed heavily on her, as the car moved slowly through the dark streets, wrapping them in a tense silence, broken only by the gentle hum of the engine.
Satoru sat beside her with an almost terrifying expression; their hands were still intertwined, but the grip felt more like a desperate anchor than a comforting gesture.
"How did we get to this point?"
Suzue felt uncertainty tighten her throat as she desperately tried to find the right words. She couldn't let the silence grow any deeper between them. Whatever it was that was going on between them, it had to be faced, even though… it would probably be painful.
And a quick glance in the rearview mirror, where she caught a glimpse of a pale and visibly uneasy Ijichi, made her realize she couldn't let this situation drag into Tokyo Jujutsu High, for everyone's sake.
The two of them had to resolve that, right there, in that moment. Suzue took a deep breath, trying to maintain a gentle and understanding tone, even though she felt her hands trembling slightly. She gently squeezed Satoru's hand, a gesture meant to pull him back to reality, an attempt to break down the wall of distance he seemed to have built between them.
«Satoru…» she began, using that soft voice that usually seemed to reach him. «What Naoya said… they were just provocations. Empty lies. He wasn't going to do anything beyond talking. You didn't need to react like that.»
Satoru didn't respond immediately. He kept staring out the window, as if the world outside had suddenly become incredibly interesting. «Don't worry, I know.» he finally said, his voice trying to be reassuring but coming out cold and distant, as if he were reading from a script. «I can handle provocations. I've been doing this long enough to know when to take action. Everything's fine.»
Those words, spoken so lightly, hurt Suzue more than she wanted to admit. Her heart clenched, but she tried to stay calm. She wouldn't let him push her away so easily. «But it doesn't seem like everything's fine.» she countered, her voice firmer now. «You seem… angry.»
"Angry… with me?"
For a moment, the silence grew even heavier. Satoru continued to avoid her gaze, only letting out a small sigh. «Look…» he finally said, his tone weary. «This isn't about you, Suzue. Let's just drop it. I told you, it's okay.»
Suzue felt frustration building inside her, every fiber of her being wanting to shake him, to make him look at her. «No, we can't just drop it. You need to talk to me. Whatever happened, we need to face it together.» She realized that despite her efforts, her voice was starting to show traces of pain.
Satoru stayed rigid, frowning slightly, his grip on her hand tightening but without adding any warmth to the touch.
«Why won't you look at me?» Suzue whispered, almost pleading. «Please, I want to talk to you—not Satoru Gojo, the strongest sorcerer. Just you, the man I know. The man I care about.»
Finally, after a long pause, Satoru slowly turned to her, as if fulfilling that request was taking an enormous effort, almost an unbearable burden. His blue eyes met Suzue's, but what she saw made her shiver.
As she'd suspected, it wasn't the gaze of the man she knew, the one who had supported her, encouraged her through every tough moment. It was a cold, distant look, the look of "Satoru Gojo, the strongest sorcerer of the modern era", someone who couldn't be shaken or disturbed by anything. Someone who kept the world at arm's length. Including her.
"Don't look at me like that."
It was a look that irritated her, that made her feel small and fragile, as if she were something delicate and easily broken, something that needed to be handled with extreme care.
«Why are you looking at me like I'm made of glass, ready to shatter at the slightest touch?» Suzue whispered, her voice cracking despite her efforts to keep it steady. She felt tears burning at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. «I'm not that fragile.»
«Are you not?» Satoru raised an eyebrow, a sarcastic smile creeping onto his lips, but it was a smile devoid of warmth, almost cruel in its shallowness. «'Cause actually, it looked like you were about to break today, letting yourself get humiliated publicly without batting an eye. Like you had no dignity.»
"Ah. So he really is mad at me."
Those words, spoken with such cynicism, triggered something inside Suzue. The initial sweetness dissolved in an instant, replaced by a burning anger she could no longer contain.
«I didn't let him humiliate me because I enjoyed it!» Her voice started to rise involuntarily, dangerously, charged with emotion. «Someone had to stay calm. I kept my cool to avoid you doing exactly what you did!»
Satoru's smile faded slightly, and for a moment, Suzue could see a flicker of regret in his eyes, as if he hadn't expected his words to hurt her so deeply. «No, listen—» he began, his voice trying to maintain control but slipping away. «Okay, maybe I shouldn't have let him get to me, but—»
«But what, Satoru?» Suzue cut him off, her voice trembling. The way he said it, as if he were trying to dismiss the matter quickly, only fueled Suzue's anger even more. She stared at him, incredulous at his stubborn refusal to be honest with her for once. «Do you really think I'm that weak? That I need you to step in every time things get tough? Do you trust me so little? I'm not some burden you have to carry, I should be your partner!»
"I don't want to be a burden."
Satoru lowered his gaze, staring into the void before him, his face twisting into an expression of frustration. «Suzue, you're not exactly a walk in the park. You're stubborn, reckless, and sometimes you have a really skewed view of what's dangerous and what's not. Always putting yourself in trouble bigger than you.» he retorted, his voice growing harsher, sharper. «If you had just… If you had just let me handle Naoya from the start, none of this would have happened. I only did what I had to do.»
«What you had to do? You mean cause a diplomatic incident?» Suzue felt her voice trembling with anger and frustration as she spoke. «Was it worth it? All the sacrifices you've made, the compromises… You've been trying to change this world from within, and you've risked everything for what? A punch? A punch to that idiot Naoya Zenin? For… for…»
"For my sake? Have I driven Satoru Gojo to self-destruction?"
She stopped, feeling the knot in her throat tighten too much to continue. The truth, the harsh truth, was that she felt responsible for what had happened, and the thought was devastating.
He had always been the one to protect, to shield others from the harshness of their world.
Satoru Gojo, the man who had taken it upon himself to challenge the very foundations of the jujutsu world, a society that was resistant to change, one that would rather see him fail than admit their wrongs. And now the man who was supposed to be above petty conflicts, had jeopardized it all in a single, impulsive moment. The years of effort, the sacrifices, the carefully laid plans to reform the corrupt, elitist sorcerer society... Now, she feared, all of it was teetering on the edge of ruin. Had her presence, her needs, caused him to lose sight of the bigger picture?
What if his impulsive actions set back all the progress he had made because of a moment of unchecked anger?
Satoru's gaze darkened, his usual mask of nonchalance slipping as her words hit home. «You think I don't know that? But I couldn't just stand there and let him insult you like that. I won't apologize for protecting you.» His voice was laced with sarcasm, but there was an undercurrent of something else—something defensive.
"And who protects you?"
Suzue flinched at his tone, but she didn't back down. «Protecting me?» she asked, her voice softening, though it was no less intense. «Satoru, I don't need you to protect me from every little thing! I need you to trust me, to believe that I can handle things on my own. But instead, you keep me out, acting like you're the only one who has to carry all the weight.»
Satoru's expression faltered for just a second—an almost imperceptible crack in the wall he had built around himself. But it was there, and Suzue saw it.«You need someone to watch your back, someone you can trust. But instead of letting anyone in, you push us away. You push me away.» Suzue shot back, her frustration giving her voice an edge.
He fell silent, his eyes narrowing as he processed her words, but the irritation was still there, simmering just beneath the surface. «I don't need anyone to look my back, Suzue. I'm the strongest, remember? That's the whole point.»
He looked away, unable to meet her gaze, his expression slowly starting to show some emotion again. A slight shadow of concern flickered in his eyes, but he was still trying to hide it. «Suzue, listen… It's not your fault. I'm not trying to push you away.» he said, trying to sound reassuring. «I'm just tired. It's been a long, complicated day. I don't want to make it any more complicated.»
No, she couldn't accept this latest attempt to escape the conversation, to avoid being honest with her. She tightened her grip on his hand, trying to stop him from pulling away any further. She felt her anger reaching its peak, frustration spilling over into her words uncontrollably. «Don't you dare! Don't shut me out. Not this time. You were the one who believed in me, who pushed me to be stronger. And now that I'm finally trying and standing on my own, you decide you want to protect me from everything? That's not what I need from you. I need you to trust me.»
Satoru remained silent for a long moment, his face twisted in an expression of internal conflict. His fingers, still holding Suzue's hand, tightened slightly as if he were trying to find something to hold onto. «Suzue, you don't understand, you just don't get it.» his tone was almost desperate, as if he were trying to explain something complex that even he didn't fully grasp. «Damn it, why do you have to be so damn stubborn?» Satoru lowered his gaze, an unusual move for him, as if he had suddenly become vulnerable.
«Then tell me! I don't understand what?» Suzue pressed, her voice firm, determined not to let him off the hook. «That you think I can't handle difficult situations on my own? That you'd rather take on everything yourself and never give me the chance to prove I can do it? That you don't trust me enough to share whatever's going through your mind right now? Because that… that hurts me more than anything Naoya said.»
Satoru stayed silent, his blue eyes still staring into the void. His grip on Suzue's hand loosened slightly, but she didn't let him pull away. When he finally spoke again, his words were laced with bitter sarcasm, almost self-destructive. «What do you want me to say, Suzue? That I was wrong? That I lost control? That I should have let you get humiliated in front of everyone? I can't do that and I don't regret punching Naoya. I'm sorry, apparently, I'm no prince charming, but maybe you should be a little more grateful.»
That phrase, so loaded with sarcasm and bitterness, was the final straw for Suzue. «Grateful?!» Her voice rose an octave, and the tears threatened even more to break through. «Grateful for what? This isn't protection, Satoru! It's… it's control! And I don't want to be controlled anymore!»
"Because otherwise, it's no different from when I was under the Zenin clan's 'protection.' "
Satoru seemed taken aback by her reaction. He frowned, and for the first time, his voice rose dangerously. «Control? Really?» he repeated, his tone sharp. «That's fun, because it seems to me that you're the one thing I absolutely can't control, Suzue. And maybe that's the problem, and I can't handle it.»
The silence that followed was heavier than any words. Suzue felt like the world was crumbling around her. She couldn't believe they had reached this point, with words so filled with venom and resentment. Yet, deep inside, a glimmer of understanding began to emerge. For a moment, she was breathless, the meaning of what he had just said slowly sinking in.
"He's not mad at me… he's mad at himself."
Suzue looked at him, their eyes finally meeting, and for the first time, she saw something she had never seen before. Fear. The gears in her mind started to click back into place, realizing that the man in front of her was probably struggling even more than she was. With immense effort, Suzue tried to calm her anger, to find a way to break through Satoru's armor.
«Satoru. I don't want you to stop worrying about me. I need you to worry about me, I like that you care. It means more to me than you know.» she said finally, her voice soft but firm. «But I need you to see me as your equal. Someone who can share the burden, not just be protected from it. I don't want to be kept safe like I'm fragile. I don't want to be a weakness; I want to be your strength, just like you are mine.» The words spilled out of her without a filter. It was as if she had finally found the courage to say everything she had kept hidden inside for too long. «I want you to trust me, the way I trust you. I want to face things together, not feel like I'm being kept safe from them. I don't want to live under a dome, even if it's made of your—»
She stopped abruptly, biting her tongue hard enough that she almost tasted blood.
The word had been right there on the tip of her tongue, and it had almost slipped out without her even realizing it. What was she about to say? The thought sent a rush of warmth to her cheeks, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.
It wasn't that she had consciously thought about that word or even that she had intended to say it. It had just… slipped out, as if a part of her mind, a part she hadn't been fully aware of, had decided it was time to acknowledge something she had been avoiding.
When those almost-spoken words hung in the air, Satoru stiffened, his usual mask of nonchalance cracking. His expression shifted, and for once, there was no sarcastic smile to hide behind. He looked... insecure, almost awkward, as if he were trying to grasp something that was suddenly slipping out of his control.
Now, what had once been a dangerous but manageable game between them felt frighteningly real.
Suzue wasn't panicking, not in the way Satoru seemed to be. Her reaction was more of a quiet, internal shock. She remained still, her hands still holding onto Satoru's, and realized that the words that had almost slipped out were... true, at least on some level. It didn't feel entirely wrong. It felt... right, in a way that was almost unsettling to her.
«Isn't that what this is really about?» she murmured gently, as every word exchanged between her and Satoru up until that point began to take on a new meaning in her mind. She tried to piece together everything that had passed between them. The words, the gestures, the unspoken understanding—it all seemed to point to the same place. Something so obvious that it had never needed to be spelled out or defined, and yet, now that it had been named, it seemed to have hit both her and Satoru hard.
She watched him nervously run a hand through his hair, his silence heavy and full of was as if, for the first time, they were both forced to confront something they had both been avoiding. Maybe, to him, naming it made it real in a way that was terrifying. For someone who prided himself on being untouchable, on being above such things, the sudden intrusion of something as messy and uncontrollable must have felt like an attack on his very identity.
«Suzue I-» When he finally spoke, his voice was a whisper, the words almost childlike in their plaintiveness. «Whatever.» he muttered, the word sounding like a vague surrender, as if he couldn't quite face what had just been exposed.
Whatever. Suzue's words had struck him deeply, and now Satoru was trying to piece himself back together, to find a way out.
Suzue looked at him with a tenderness that contrasted with the fury she had felt just a few minutes earlier; she knew him too well now not to understand that this was his defense mechanism. Her voice was now reduced to a whisper. «What is it that scares you so much?» She was surprised at the calmness with which the question left her lips.
Her hand tightened around his again, and for a moment, she felt him respond.
He lifted his gaze, their eyes meeting in a silence that seemed to last an eternity. Then, almost without realizing it, he answered.
«You. You scare me.»
The rest of the ride passed in suffocating silence. Satoru, sitting next to her, had retreated once again behind his mask of false confidence, staring stubbornly out the window. Suzue, on the other hand, fought back the tears that threatened to fall, keeping her head down to stop that pain from escaping. The silence between them had become oppressive, every attempt at conversation dying before it could even begin. They had said everything they could, but nothing had resolved the issue.
When the car finally pulled up in front of the steps of Tokyo Jujutsu High, Suzue realized that their hands were still intertwined. That contact, so natural and involuntary, now seemed to carry a tremendous weight. For a moment, she couldn't let go, as if that hand was the only thin thread still connecting them, the last link holding them together in the face of the fracture that had formed between them.
Satoru also glanced down at their hands, probably only now noticing the persistent contact. Their eyes met briefly, and in that moment, there was a silent understanding.
Slowly, almost reluctantly, they let go, their fingers separating with a tenderness that contrasted sharply with the emotional brutality of what had just happened.
Without a word, they started climbing the stairs. Satoru moved quickly, a few steps ahead of Suzue, but every now and then, he seemed to slow down, as if he didn't really want to leave her behind, alone, in the dark. However, he never looked back.
When they finally reached the top of the steps and stood in front of the main entrance, Suzue spotted Shoko. The doctor, leaning nonchalantly against a post on the porch, was smoking a cigarette, her gaze seemingly indifferent but actually attentive. As soon as she noticed them, she gave a small wave, holding the cigarette between her fingers with a casualness that seemed out of place at that moment.
«Hey there,» Shoko began, her tone feigning disinterest but not quite masking her curiosity. «How did that fantastic meeting with the Zenins go?»
The timing of the question was devastating. Suzue felt a pang in her chest, knowing Shoko couldn't possibly know what had just happened, but she couldn't find the strength to respond.
She tried to signal to Shoko that now wasn't the time to talk about it, but she didn't get the chance. Satoru, with that unnaturally calm demeanor he was known for, simply walked past Shoko without even looking at her, continuing on as if nothing had happened. «Fine.» he replied in a flat, almost robotic tone, with no trace of emotion.
Shoko raised an eyebrow, confused by his reaction, watching him walk away. Then she turned to Suzue, and what she saw on her face made her immediately lower the cigarette, concern replacing her usual cynicism. «Ouch. Did husband and wife have a fight?» she asked, a hint of irony in her voice, but the concern was evident.
Suzue sighed deeply, the weight of the evening pressing down on her. She didn't blame Shoko, but in that moment, irony was something she just couldn't handle.
She just watched Satoru's back as he walked away with determined steps, growing more distant, not just physically but emotionally too. She felt her heart sink in her chest, struggling to find the right words, but in the end, all she could mutter was a bitter realization. «By tomorrow morning, there won't be a single sorcerer who doesn't know what happened.»
«Who are you?»
Suzue, in the body of her younger self, stared wide-eyed at the woman standing in front of her. The woman had an aura that felt comforting, yet there was something deeply wrong about her. Her short, jet-black hair swayed slightly in the breeze, and the smile on her face had an unsettling quality.
In the background, Suzue could hear the gentle flow of the river, just a short distance away. The sun was setting, casting everything in a golden light and throwing shadows over the landscape that felt strangely familiar.
Suzue felt trapped, the same sensation she'd experienced many times before when she found herself in Kaede's body in a dream. But this time, something was different.
This wasn't Kaede's body. It was hers. Or at least... her younger self's body. And this place... it was the village where her clan lived, surrounded by the familiar countryside that had been the backdrop of her childhood.
When the woman spoke, her voice was sweet, almost motherly, but the words she spoke carried a strange weight. «Don't worry, I'm an old acquaintance of your brother.»
Suzue, still immersed in the carefree mindset of her younger years, tilted her head in confusion. Brother? The word didn't match any memory she had. Yet, there was something in the way the woman said it that set off alarm bells. «I... I don't have a brother?» Little Suzue's voice came out soft, still marked by the innocence of her childhood, but a thread of uncertainty ran through it.
The woman's expression changed almost imperceptibly. Her smile grew tighter, and her eyes began to scrutinize Suzue more intensely, as if trying to unravel a hidden mystery. «...No?» The woman seemed momentarily disoriented, her tone growing colder, less comforting. «Who am I talking to... little girl?»
The directness of the question made young Suzue's heart beat a little faster. She sensed that something was off, that something was deeply wrong in this situation. «I'm... Suzue Kujou,» she finally replied, but her name sounded like a question, as if she wasn't even sure who she was anymore. The woman's smile suddenly vanished, replaced by a serious, almost worried expression.
The woman stopped smiling abruptly, her face growing serious, almost concerned. «Not Kaede?» the woman murmured, bringing a hand to her chin in a thoughtful gesture. She stepped closer to Suzue, and now the distance between them was minimal. «It didn't work? And yet... your cursed energy has undoubtedly been rewritten,» the woman continued, speaking to herself as if Suzue were just a failed experiment.
Little Suzue looked up at her with wide eyes, trying to make sense of what was happening. Despite her young age, something about the woman made her deeply uneasy, a feeling she couldn't quite name. Yet, her childish curiosity got the better of her, pushing her to ask the question.
«Miss... what happened to your head?» Suzue asked, pointing with a trembling finger at the stitches that marked the woman's forehead. The question seemed to snap the woman out of her thoughts, and she smiled again, but this time the smile was cold, devoid of warmth.
«This is a problem. He won't be pleased,» the woman murmured to herself, tilting her head slightly as if weighing her options.
Suzue watched her, confused and worried, trying to understand what was going on. The woman continued to stare at her with eyes that were no longer human, eyes that conveyed only cold analysis and detachment.
Young Suzue didn't move, still waiting in innocent confusion for the woman to say or do something, but she seemed too lost in her thoughts, fixated on her.
«Oh well, no matter.» the woman finally said, as if she had made a decision.
The atmosphere around Suzue changed suddenly, the sound of the river grew more distant, muffled, and the air around her seemed to grow heavier. Instinctively, she took a step back, but the woman followed, her gaze predatory, her eyes now locked on Suzue as if she were prey.
«Miss—» Suzue began to say, but she didn't get to finish her sentence.
A sharp pain exploded across her face, as if something had suddenly struck her with devastating force. The world around her spun wildly, and before she could understand what was happening, she felt herself plunging into the cold water of the river.
The freezing water enveloped her body, and Suzue desperately tried to thrash about to keep from sinking, but it was as if her body were paralyzed, unable to respond. She felt the air leaving her lungs, every breath she tried to take was just more water filling her lungs. Terror gripped her, but she couldn't fight, couldn't move. Her vision began to darken, the world slowly fading around her.
Then, everything went black.
«Kujou-sensei, where's Gojo-sensei?»
The abrupt and unexpected return to reality hit Suzue like a jolt, with Nobara's bright and chirpy voice yanking her out of her thoughts.
Suzue found herself staring at Nobara for a moment, trying to organize her confused thoughts. It took a second to remember that she needed to respond.
«Nobara, I'm not a teacher.» she corrected tiredly, trying to keep her tone from betraying her current state of mind.
«Oh well, not officially,» Nobara shot back, frowning slightly, as if Suzue's correction was irrelevant.
Suzue sighed and refocused on the students who were training. The previous day had been a disaster on multiple fronts, and the night had been anything but kind to her.
Was it a dream? Was Kaede tormenting her so much that she could invade even her dreams now? Because it had to be a dream—no, more like a nightmare—since it definitely wasn't part of her memories. Or was it? The line between the visions that plagued her and mere nightmares had become so blurred that Suzue was no longer sure of anything.
A strange, dangerous idea was beginning to take shape in her mind. There was only one "person" who had become a constant, a thread connecting almost all those strange visions that assaulted her, and that had proven to know more than he let on.
She shouldn't even be considering talking to "him," wasn't even sure if it was possible without risking the world's destruction, but she needed answers, and if anyone could make sense of what she was going through, it was him—the one who always seemed a step ahead of everyone: Sukuna.
Just the thought sent a shiver down her spine, and for a moment, she thought maybe Satoru was right, that she was just naive, not realizing the risks until she was in over her head.
She blinked, lost in thought again, and realized that Nobara was still staring at her, waiting for a more concrete answer.
«Sato— Gojo-sensei is... out with low blood sugar.» Suzue tried to come up with a plausible excuse, but her mind was too foggy from exhaustion. She hoped that would end the conversation, but Maki, who had been lingering in the background, approached with her usual nonchalance, holding a naginata as if it were a natural extension of her body.
«Does it have anything to do with what happened last night? So... it's true?» she asked, with a hint of hope in her voice. It was clear Maki wanted nothing more than for the rumors to be true. Understandable, but why did it seem like Suzue was the only one who found that act of violence wrong?
"They all know already, and it's only 11 AM. Fantastic."
Suzue clenched her hands, trying to stay calm. Megumi, who had been focused on his exercise, had stopped moving and was now listening in on the conversation. Even Panda and Inumaki had drawn closer, intrigued by where the discussion was heading. Suzue found herself surrounded.
«No comment...» she muttered, trying to shut down the situation, but already knowing that her answer wouldn't stop the curiosity of a group of inquisitive teenagers.
«True about what?» Nobara, as usual, couldn't hold back.
Maki didn't waste time and answered with enthusiasm, a satisfied smirk crossing her face. «Gojo-sensei punched Naoya Zenin! Damn I have to message Yuta-»
«What? Did he kill him?!» Nobara's eyes lit up as if that was the most exciting thing she'd heard in days. Nobara's reaction was so lively that Suzue couldn't help but rub her face in resignation and despair. The situation was spiraling out of control.
«N-No!» Suzue replied, her voice betraying her exasperated attempt to maintain control. «It was just one punch, not a brawl—» She cut herself off, realizing that trying to explain was pointless. The kids were too caught up in the gossip to pay attention to her words. «Ah, never mind. Get back to your exercises,» she added, trying to regain control of the situation.
«Kujou-san?»
Suzue turned, immediately recognizing that stressed and anxious tone. There was only one person in the entire school who could speak like that, with that air of perpetual worry: Ijichi.
At least Ijichi's arrival was enough to finally disperse the students, who quickly returned to their training with a feigned air of innocence.
Ijichi, visibly agitated, adjusted his glasses with a nervous gesture. «The principal, Yaga, needs to see you in his office for…» he began, his voice trembling, his expression tense.
Suzue decided to spare him the trouble; it was only a matter of time before that summons arrived anyway.
«Because of last night, right? Got it.» she replied in a soft but tired tone, trying to reassure him with a gentle smile. She nodded, a gesture that seemed to lift a huge weight off Ijichi's shoulders. He sighed in relief, grateful to be relieved of that responsibility.
«There's also this, for you.» Ijichi held out a thick, sealed envelope bearing the stamp of the Jujutsu Headquarters.
"A mission? What timing." Suzue thought with a hint of irritation at how those damned missions always seemed to arrive with alarming precision, just when her mind was already preoccupied with something else.
Gently, she took the envelope from Ijichi's hands, trying to convey a sense of calm. «I'll take a look at it.»
With a sigh, Suzue cast one last look at the students, giving them quick reminders about their exercises, training, and most importantly, safety. Then she headed toward Principal Yaga's office, her feet moving automatically as her mind braced for what was likely to be an epic scolding.
The argument with Satoru the previous evening weighed on Suzue like a stone, yet the more she reflected on it, the more she realized that what she had said wasn't wrong.
She had spoken honestly, trying to convey what she truly felt. Those words, so full of emotion, hadn't just slipped out—they had been necessary. She had seen the effect they had on Satoru, how he had tensed up, how, for a fleeting moment, there was vulnerability and pain in his eyes. And she knew she had hurt him.
"I said too much..." she bit her lip, trying to suppress that feeling. She only wanted to make him understand how much she respected him and wanted to be respected in return, as an equal. But now she wondered if she had messed everything up, if she had chosen the worst words at the worst time.
She couldn't let things stay as they were between them. It didn't sit right with her, and it wasn't fair to either of them.
"I don't want to live under a dome made of your-."
"Whatever."
"What is It that scares you so much?"
"You scare me."
Suzue frowned.
Those words, which had slipped out almost impulsively, carried a truth she had always taken for granted.
The word she had almost said—she still couldn't quite bring herself to complete the thought—was it really the problem? Hadn't it always been there, lingering between them? And now, giving it a name hadn't changed that; it had only brought it into the open. Satoru's reaction—his fear, his sudden withdrawal—was something she hadn't expected, but she could understand it, even if she didn't share it.
She had never thought to define what was between them, never felt the need to dissect something that felt so natural. But now, she was beginning to realize that maybe it was more significant than she had allowed herself to believe, and that perhaps she had underestimated just how powerful that unspoken truth was.
"How can something so beautiful be so scary?" She wondered, not in confusion, but in genuine curiosity. To her, what they had was inevitable, a part of the natural order of things. But for Satoru, it seemed to be something that shook the very foundation of his world. Almost as if he had never allowed himself to consider the possibility.
That morning, she had left her room with one goal in mind: talk. But apparently, he had other plans. Satoru, who was always so present, able to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time, had decided to disappear that morning.
For the first time in weeks, he hadn't dragged her out of bed at dawn to force her into some push-ups or crunches. And now that silence, that absence, hurt more than she wanted to admit.
The man who faced down curses and enemies with a smile, who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders without breaking a sweat, was suddenly brought to his knees by a single almost spoken word, by the possibility of something as simple—and as complicated as...
While she was lost in the river of thoughts, her feet had completed their task, and she now stood in front of the door to Principal Yaga's office. Quickly, she straightened her clothes, hoping that looking as presentable as possible might ease the principal's anger. With her hands, she smoothed down the long black skirt and tucked in her shirt neatly.
She knocked lightly a couple of times, waiting for the already irritated voice of the principal to summon her inside. «Come in.»
Gently, she pushed the door open, peeking inside with her head lowered into the room adorned with adorable dolls. She was ready to receive a scolding right there, among stuffed animals, but when she took her first step into the room and raised her eyes, she froze.
He was there, like the best magic trick from some magician. Disappeared and reappeared suddenly. With his usual air of ostentatious calm, one leg crossed over the other, and an indifferent expression plastered on his face. He had his head tilted back, staring at the ceiling, sunglasses covering his eyes.
All this time, Satoru had been hiding in Principal Yaga's office. And judging by his irritated and defeated look, he had already received a good dressing-down.
Once the moment of disbelief had passed and she swallowed the lump in her throat that had formed upon seeing him there in front of her, Suzue had to suppress a small smirk of satisfaction because, deep down, it was only right that he was also there to answer for the consequences of his actions.
«Good morning.» she announced herself, her voice just above a whisper, and with steady steps, she walked over to take a seat in a chair in front of the principal's desk. Right next to Satoru.
He didn't move, his gaze remained fixed on the ceiling, and Suzue could tell, even with his sunglasses on.
"Perfect. Just perfect."
Yaga, standing behind his desk and visibly already irritated, observed them both for a long moment, the silence in the room growing more oppressive by the second.
«So, who wants to start?» Principal Yaga took a moment to massage his temple, as if the simple gesture could alleviate the headache he was clearly feeling. «Why I am surprised but not shocked that it turned into a diplomatic incident?» It wasn't an invitation to conversation, but a rhetorical question, almost a challenge.
Suzue lowered her gaze, feeling a lump form in her throat. «I-I'm sorry, things got out of hand—»
But before she could finish, Satoru cut in with that unmistakable tone of his and a mischievous grin that promised nothing good. «Diplomatic incident? I'd say I performed a public service, Principal.»
Suzue felt a shiver run down her spine, remaining still. Her hands, resting on her knees, clenched slightly, resisting the urge to shake Satoru.
Yaga's lips pressed into a thin line, visibly annoyed by his colleague's response, his brows furrowing even more deeply.
«You two…» Yaga began with a dangerous calm, making it clear how close he was to his limit. «Satoru, for the love of God, you're a teacher at this school! Do I need to remind you that when you attend these meetings, you also represent Tokyo Jujutsu High?!» The principal raised his voice, and Suzue could see a flash of frustration in his face. Then, he sighed deeply, as if he was trying to find the patience to handle the situation.
«Satoru,» Yaga continued, fixing him with a penetrating gaze. «You need to stop thinking the world revolves around you. Your actions have consequences for all of us, and not all of us are Satoru Gojo. We already have the conservative faction breathing down our necks, and the Zenin clan isn't known for letting insults like this slide. And you, the strongest sorcerer around and head of one of the three great families—a title that certainly doesn't let you go unnoticed—you break every protocol and diplomacy for what? A punch to an idiot like Naoya Zenin?» Yaga shook his head, visibly irritated, while the silence in the room became almost tangible, heavy with tension.
«And what a punch! Yet he still roams this earth, alive and well.» Satoru muttered, lowering his gaze just a bit, but without losing that mocking tone.
Suzue, feeling the tension escalate, tried once more to take responsibility. «It was my fault too. I should have—»
But Satoru wouldn't let her finish. He cut in again, this time more seriously, his voice losing its playful edge. «No, it's on me. I acted impulsively, and I won't let her take the blame for it.»
Yaga, now clearly fed up with the back-and-forth between them, sighed heavily, rubbing his temple as if warding off an incoming headache. His patience was wearing thin. «Enough, both of you! I'm tired of this dynamic. Satoru, you need to realize that your actions don't exist in a vacuum. And Suzue, I appreciate your sense of responsibility, but you can't always shield him from the consequences. Fortunately, Naoya Zenin's ways are well-known even within his own clan, and that saves us a lot of trouble. Plus, I don't think it's in their interest to start a war with the Gojo clan. We can get by with a few apologies… if we're careful.»
"A few apologies?" Her lip trembled and Suzue felt the knot in her throat loosen, only to be replaced by frustration. First, Naobito wanted to be thanked for "protecting" her in his gilded cage, and now… Naoya expected her to apologize? There was a limit to everything, even to Suzue's good manners.
«Let's not forget, Naoya Zenin didn't do anything improper, right? Oh, wait… yes, he did.» he chuckled, his tone laced with mockery.
Suzue closed her eyes for a moment, trying to suppress the urge to bury her face in her hands out of frustration. «Satoru… enough.» she said calmly, trying to maintain a diplomatic tone.
Satoru's response was immediate. He stopped his playful banter, and for a moment, his usual sarcastic glint in his eyes dimmed. He looked at her with a rare vulnerability, acknowledging her command. The levity in his demeanor faded, replaced by a somber resignation. He lowered his gaze, letting out a deep sigh as if he were conceding to an unseen pressure.
Yaga seized the moment to shift his attention to Suzue. His gaze, though stern, softened slightly when it fell on her, but it remained firm nonetheless. «Suzue,» he addressed her as if he had lost all hope, and probably any desire, to deal with Satoru. «I regret to remind you that even though you're not part of the faculty, as long as you live under this school's roof, you represent it in these meetings.»
The principal looked at her for a moment, as if seeking confirmation that she fully grasped the gravity of the situation. «I expect you to be the responsible adult between the two of you in these situations.» he added, with a hint of barely concealed hope in his voice.
The comment drew a slightly offended expression from Satoru, but he didn't comment further.
Satoru crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair with an expression that seemed to say, "Let him talk."
Suzue's heart raced, knowing that Yaga was right. She should have managed the situation better, avoided letting things escalate. But with Satoru, with his stubbornness and sarcasm, it was all more difficult—almost impossible.
«So can I count on you to deliver a formal apology?» the principal finally asked, in a tone that left no room for argument.
They really expectes her to… apologize? It was one thing to disapprove of Satoru's impulsivness, but to actually expect her to apologize to someone who called her a whore in front of dozens of people? Apologize to Naoya Zenin? Absolutely not...
«No way.» both Suzue and Satoru responded simultaneously, albeit for different reasons. Satoru said it with his usual defiant tone, but Suzue… Suzue was firm, determined—her response carried a deeper meaning.
Satoru slowly turned to look at her, one eyebrow raised, while Yaga stared at her with a look that combined disbelief and frustration, as if he had lost all certainty in life.
«Naoya Zenin insulted and disrespected the head of the Kujou clan. I can't accept that Satoru is being singled out as the only one at fault here,» Suzue said, her voice calm but resolute. «I'll offer my apology when Naoya offers his.»
The room fell into a nearly palpable silence, broken only by a stifled laugh that Satoru was trying to suppress. Suzue could feel his gaze on her, almost amused by her determination, but at the same time… proud?
On the other hand, Yaga stared at her with a look that combined disbelief and frustration, as if his last hope had just vanished into thin air. He ran a hand over his face, as if wanting to erase the entire situation and start over.
«The… head of the Kujou clan?» he repeated slowly, trying to make sense of what was happening. «And who…?» His gaze shifted between Satoru and Suzue, as if desperately trying to find meaning in a situation that was rapidly spiraling out of control. Then, the realization seemed to hit him hard.
«What the hell did you two do last night?! You know what—» he finally exploded, his voice echoing through the room.
Yaga slumped heavily into his chair, a gesture of extreme exhaustion, then looked at both of them, shaking his head with a mix of frustration and resignation. «Congratulations, Satoru, you've made her just like you! Get out. Now. -Not you, Satoru, I'm not done with you yet!- I'll write the apologies myself, just keep the school out of your clan bullshits!»
Suzue felt the heat rising to her cheeks as the realization of her act of insubordination started to sink in. She wasn't exactly proud of what she had just done—openly challenging Principal Yaga had never been her intention.
However, the mere thought of apologizing to the Zenin clan was out of the question. Not after everything that had happened, not after the humiliations she had endured. She bit her lip, trying to hide the guilt that threatened to surface on her face.
Slowly, she stood up from the chair, trying to maintain a respectful demeanor. With a small bow, she lowered her gaze, avoiding making eye contact with the principal again. The words that followed were whispered, filled with a mix of respect and an implicit desire to end the meeting as quickly as possible. «Thank you for understanding, I'm really sorry for causing this mess…»
As she bowed, she stole a quick glance at Satoru. He was still sitting there, nonchalant, arms crossed as if everything that had just happened didn't concern him in the slightest. When their eyes met, he gave her a slight shrug, with an expression that seemed to say, "See? Everything's fine."
With one last look at Yaga, who seemed on the verge of exploding with frustration, Suzue turned and headed toward the door, leaving behind an extremely frustrated principal and an obstinately smug Satoru. She quietly closed the door behind her, leaving them to talk about who knows what.
"And once again, we don't get to talk alone..." she mentally noted, annoyed by the circumstances that seemed determined to keep them apart at all costs.
Once outside, she let out a long sigh, as if releasing all the tension that had built up during the confrontation. It was only then that she noticed how tightly she was still clutching the envelope Ijichi had given her.
The mission. For a moment, in the confusion of the meeting, she had completely forgotten about it. Probably another colossal mess, as usual. Or maybe just a routine mission, like a boring public restroom cleanup… if someone had already decided to punish her for the events of the previous night.
She tore open the edges of the envelope with a decisive motion, eager to find out what it was about. She pulled out a stack of papers, and as she flipped through them, her expression grew more focused. Report after report, she began to piece things together.
A strange fog, laden with cursed energy, had started to cover a vast rural area. The situation itself wasn't entirely out of the ordinary; missions like this were often assigned to lower-grade sorcerers.
"This is all? Lower-grade sorcerers could handle this." she murmured to herself as she continued reading.
Her eyes caught the next part of the report. Two groups of sorcerers had already been sent, including a first-grade sorcerer.
All sent to investigate, only to disappear into the fog, never to return.
"Ah, now I get it. That's not a good sign, for sure."
But it was only when her eyes fell on the location of the fog that her heart skipped a beat.
Part of her wanted to believe it was just a cruel coincidence, but the more rational part of her knew that coincidences were rare in the world of sorcerers. Was this a punishment? Or worse, a challenge from Naobito Zenin?
This wasn't just any mission, and it definitely hadn't been assigned by chance.
The area affected by the fog wasn't just any countryside. It was where the village of the Kujou clan once stood.
A/N
First portion of angst is served!
I feel terrible writing angst, maybe because I empathize with them too much and deep down, I just want them to reconcile immediately.
Anyway, while revising the material I already have and preparing the chapters, I noticed that we're consistently hitting 6000-8000 words per chapter, whereas initially, I planned not to exceed 4000? I hope that's not an issue. If you prefer shorter chapters, let me know, and I'll try to divide them further (or be less verbose!).
P.S. How are you holding up, manga readers?
Facts:
Suzue is an introverted and shy person, but when she gets angry, the floodgates open, and everything she usually doesn't say comes out in a torrent along with the tears. Satoru is learning this the hard way (though it's not the first time, remember?).
But how could they settle for just an apology? Well, yes. Maybe. I mean, imagine the arrogant Zenin clan receiving a formal apology from the great Satoru Gojo—wouldn't that be a pretty big victory for them to humiliate him like that?
I have a lot of fun exploring the dynamics between the different clans, but as always, keep in mind that it's mostly my imagination at work since the manga explains very little, which is a shame.
With these brief infos, I'll leave you here!