"Yuri-san, I'm so sorry... I was so preoccupied with the Curse User earlier that I forgot to grab the hat. I'll make sure to buy you an identical one later."
Upon hearing my apology, Yuri shook her head with a look of utter indifference.
"It is quite all right. That hat has already fulfilled its purpose. It was simply its time to go."
"...Excuse me?"
"Simply seeing you wear that hat, Touya-kun, was more than enough to satisfy me."
Flustered by her stoic nodding as she stared at me with those unblinking eyes, I managed a weak response.
"I... I see. Well, if you're fine with it, then I suppose it's okay."
Yuri drove in silence for a while before suddenly breaking the quiet.
"By the way, you were exactly thirty minutes later than your usual mission completion time. Did something happen?"
"Huh? Exactly thirty minutes?"
Have you been timing me this entire time?
"Yes. Even taking into account the condition that you had to track down a Curse User, you were a bit slower than your usual pace. Did you encounter some sort of trouble during the pursuit?"
"Ah, no... just as I was finishing up and preparing to head back, I ran into a young sorcerer. We ended up chatting for a short while."
Yuri gave a small, understanding nod, her eyes meeting mine through the rearview mirror.
"It was a girl, wasn't it?"
"What? How did you know?"
"It's obvious. You naturally draw people's attention, Touya-kun, but you possess the kind of face that is particularly prone to bewitching young girls."
"Wait a second. I feel like there's something slightly problematic about the way you phrased that..."
Suddenly, Yuri spoke with a burst of pent-up indignation.
"No! Touya-kun, you need a reality check. With a face like yours, acting that kindly... any woman would fall for you!"
Spitting out words as fast as a rapper, Yuri took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Phew... I got a bit carried away. My apologies."
Stunned by her sudden intensity, I struggled to find my voice before finally speaking up.
"Er... no... it's fine. Actually, I'm sorry. Shall we just leave the conversation at that?"
"Yes. That would probably be for the best."
For the remainder of the drive back to the college, the interior of the car was enveloped in absolute silence.
-------
"We have arrived."
"Thank you. I appreciate your hard work today."
"It is you who worked hard, Touya-kun. Please, head inside."
"Haha... take care on your way back."
I gave a polite bow and headed toward the faculty office at Jujutsu High.
"Yaga-sensei. I'm coming in."
I knocked and entered immediately. Yaga-sensei stood up to greet me.
"Oh, Touya. You're back. How did it go?"
A small smile played on my lips as I saw him welcoming me back. He probably felt a bit guilty about sending me on a mission the moment I returned from my leave.
"Haha... You can just treat me like you normally do, Sensei."
"Shut up, you brat. So, how was it? Your first mission specifically targeting a Curse User."
"It was tougher than I thought. He was the type who activated his technique through touch... and like a true Curse User, he blended in as a pedestrian to get close enough for a natural contact."
"Hmm... and the level of the opponent? I'm sure he was formidable."
Level, huh... He was definitely strong. But...
"He was strong, but he was a specialist. His technique caused the target to lose their sense of equilibrium upon physical touch. Simple enough, but if you know what to look for, the technique becomes useless. In terms of pure martial arts, I'd say he was around Grade 2 level."
Yaga-sensei nodded a few times in thought before speaking again.
"The Higher-Ups will likely continue to assign you missions to eliminate Curse Users. Not just you, but Satoru and Suguru as well. Your future opponents will likely be of a similar caliber, but do not ever let your guard down. Curse Users will resort to any means necessary to achieve their goals."
I made a mental note to take his warning to heart.
"Yes. I'll keep that in mind. Even today, one wrong move could have cost me the fight."
"Good. Next time, I'm counting on you to look after Suguru and Satoru. You're the only one I can trust. Those two... God damn! They're nothing but a pair of walking disasters."
"Haha... don't let it get to you too much. I mean, at worst they just destroy a few buildings, wreck the school during a spar, or forget to cast a Veil, right?"
Wait... now that I think about it, that actually sounds pretty bad.
"That's exactly the problem! Tsk... there's no point venting to you. It's not like it's your fault. Go on and get some rest. There are no more missions for today. Even if one comes in, I'll handle it myself."
"Really? Thank you, Yaga-sensei! I'll be going then. Good luck with the paperwork!"
"Make sure you have Shoko look at your face before you head back!"
Afraid he might change his mind, I bowed quickly and hurried out of the office.
"Phew... Right, I do need to get my face fixed. Almost forgot. Yaga-sensei seems to be having a hard time because of those two. I think I even saw some grey hairs."
I headed down to the first floor and walked toward the infirmary.
"Shoko-emon~~ Help me out!"
As I slid the door open with that playful cry, Shoko, who had been engrossed in a medical textbook, looked up and let out a heavy sigh.
"Touya. You can use Reverse Cursed Technique yourself, so why do you keep coming to me?"
I replied with a grin.
"Well, whenever Shoko treats me, it just feels... more relaxing. You know?"
"Ugh. Just come over here and sit down."
Following her lead as she patted the stool, I sat down. Shoko examined my wound closely before gently placing her hand over it.
"Oh? Who did you let hit you? This is clearly a fist mark."
I gave a sheepish laugh.
"It was a mission against a Curse User. I let my guard down and his technique landed. He was incredibly cheap."
Shoko sighed and looked at me with pity.
"How dare they leave a scar on your face. Your face is your only redeeming quality; you should take better care of it."
"Hey... the one who hit me is the bad guy here. Why are you attacking me? That's mean, Shoko."
"Quiet. If you deliberately left this untreated just to make me work, despite being able to heal yourself, then you deserve to hear this much."
"I suppose you're right. Thanks, Shoko. For always taking care of me."
Shoko's eyes widened in surprise, and she suddenly pushed my face away.
"Fine. Now get out. The treatment is done."
"Oh, really? Thanks, Shoko. Enjoy the senbei crackers."
I stood up, wondering why Shoko was suddenly looking down with such focus, and left the infirmary. I was just about to enter the dormitory building when I heard a familiar call.
"Touya!"
I turned around at the sound of my name and immediately caught Satoru as she came flying toward me in a hug.
"Satoru! You startled me. Have you been resting?"
"Mhm. I was waiting for you."
Waiting for me? Why?
"Why were you waiting?"
Satoru looked up at me as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.
"We were going to eat the strawberry cake together. I made a promise with Touya."
"I told you to go ahead and eat it without me..."
Despite my words, I was deeply moved. Satoru, who loved sweets more than anything, had actually resisted the temptation just to eat with me.
"Urk... Satoru. Are you an angel because you are Gojo Satoru, or are you Gojo Satoru because you are an angel?"
"Huh? What are you suddenly talking about? Never mind that, hurry up and change your clothes, then come to my room. It's a secret from the others!"
She hopped down from my arms and skipped back toward her room. Watching her retreating figure, a thought crossed my mind.
"That girl... is she actually starting to look a bit pretty to me?"
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