While Suguru was adjusting to his new life and making new friends, Sana's health was also improving, thanks to the seals placed by Jujutsu sorcerers. The curse afflicting her was powerful, so they took extra care to seal it properly. Meanwhile, Suguru was learning new things and becoming increasingly invested in the world of Jujutsu.
"How can you fight so well if you're new to this?" Satoru asked one day during practice, curiosity evident in his voice.
"I took martial arts classes with a friend since we were little. She later switched to track and field, but I continued," Suguru replied, thinking of Sana.
"Oh, that's great! Who knew it would come in handy one day," Satoru said with a grin.
They continued their practice. It had been a week since Suguru arrived at Jujutsu High, and he was thrilled to have met Satoru and Shoko. He had already grown to love spending time with them.
Meanwhile, at the Hospital...
Sana's curse was successfully sealed, and her health had shown significant improvement. Though she wasn't completely healed, the seals had stopped her condition from deteriorating further. Her health was stabilized, and her situation no longer seemed as dire as before.
Still in the hospital, Sana began receiving daily visitors—her friends from school, her coach, and relatives all came to see her. They shared stories and school gossip, helping her stay connected to the world outside her hospital room. However, the one person she truly missed was Suguru.
One day, as she lay idle, thoughts of Suguru filled her mind. She hadn't had any visitors that day, and her parents were also absent—her father had urgent business to attend to, and her mother had gone home to prepare some homemade food for Sana. They only left because they knew she was safe.
As she lay there alone, a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She sat up slightly, curious to see who it was. It was a friend from her class, coming to check on her on behalf of the entire class. The friend had brought Sana's middle school results. Despite her illness, Sana had insisted on taking the exams, determined to complete middle school and motivate Suguru to study as well.
"Sana, you passed the exams!" her friend exclaimed, bursting with excitement. "And guess what? Suguru aced the exams and ranked first in the school!" she added with a pause, letting the news sink in.
Sana was overjoyed to hear this. "I knew he could do it," she said, astonished yet proud.
Their celebration was interrupted by a soft knock. The door creaked open, and standing there was someone Sana hadn't seen in over a year—Akagi.
For a moment, Sana could hardly believe her eyes. The Akagi she remembered was still there, but he had changed. His hair, now longer, was tied back in a loose style that revealed more of his neck tattoo, the one she used to steal glances at. He seemed more composed, more confident, as if the time apart had refined him in ways she couldn't quite put into words.
Sana's friend noticed her reaction instantly—the subtle widening of her eyes, the slight hitch in her breath. She knew all too well what this meant—Sana's old crush, the one she thought she'd outgrown, was still very much alive.
Akagi stepped into the room, and as he did, memories of their last encounter came rushing back to Sana. She thought she had moved on, but now she wasn't so sure.
"Akagi-kun," her friend spoke first, breaking the tension that filled the room.
He nodded in acknowledgment, his eyes briefly meeting Sana's before shifting away, as if unsure of what to say. "It's been a while," he said, his voice steady but carrying the weight of time passed.
Sana felt a wave of emotions—surprise, nostalgia, and something she hadn't felt in a long time. She glanced at the tattoos on his arms, new since the last time she had seen him out of his school uniform. "Yeah, it has," she replied, her voice softer than she intended.
Her friend glanced between them, sensing the unspoken history. The room felt different now, warmer somehow, with Akagi's presence filling the space. He wasn't the same boy she used to know, yet there was a familiarity that made her heart ache just a little.
As he walked further into the room, Sana couldn't help but wonder about the changes in him, the parts of his life she had missed. "Well, I'll leave you two alone. Only one visitor at a time, after all," her friend teased as she made her exit, leaving Sana blushing.
Embarrassed, Sana tried to avoid eye contact. "You didn't even contact me despite my efforts. I must have hurt you a lot," Akagi said, starting with a teasing tone but ending more seriously, his voice tinged with regret.
"Is that what you wear to a hospital?" Sana deflected, her tone light as she tried to steer the conversation away from the awkwardness.
Akagi's outfit contrasted sharply with the clinical environment. His body-hugging shirt showed off the tattoos on his arms, while the loose undershirt hanging off his shoulders gave him a relaxed, almost effortless vibe. The checkered shirt knotted at his waist added a touch of ruggedness to his look, and the joggers he wore further emphasized the casual, carefree attitude he seemed to carry.
"Oh, sorry about that. I came straight from work," he replied with a small laugh.
"Work? What kind of work are you doing? Modeling or something?" Sana asked, genuinely curious.
"Forget about that. Tell me, how are you? How could you not inform me? You know, I almost had a heart attack when I heard about this from a friend," Akagi blurted out, his concern pouring out all at once.
Sana tried to dodge his questions like a child avoiding trouble, but deep down, she was relieved to know he still cared.
"You've changed," she said after a brief pause. "You look all grown up now," she added, blushing and still avoiding his gaze.
Akagi just laughed softly at her comment. A silence fell over the room for a few minutes, with Akagi looking at her while she tried to avoid his gaze by looking elsewhere.
"Are you happy with her?" Sana asked suddenly, breaking the silence.
After a long pause, Akagi finally spoke. "I left Fumiko after school."
Sana was shocked and saddened to hear this. "Why did you do that? How could you? Was it your decision?" she asked, bombarding him with questions.
"I'm sorry, to both of you. But I'm a terrible person. I hurt someone else because I didn't want to hurt you," Akagi confessed, his words tumbling out with no filter.
Sana was confused, unsure of how to respond. She struggled to comprehend what he was saying, the weight of his words leaving her speechless.
A profound silence filled the room as they just looked at each other, each grappling with the emotions and history between them.