The afternoon ended as usual at Jujutsu High, for Umeko.
For the past few weeks, the third year hadn't got any exorcize missions and by Dai's initiative, they spent all their afternoons training.
If someone told Umeko that today's Dai was the same Dai, Umeko would not believe it. He was someone who was good to Umeko, let alone Katashi who was his partner in everything.
"Kamo! You've been too quiet today." Katashi pointed at Umeko who only took a brief glance at them.
Came Dai's response for that of, "She just never spoke."
"Iya, iya." Katashi shook his head. "As far as I can remember, Kamo was never someone who would be this quiet. She'll talk a little."
"Are you sure you remember the right person?"
"Dai urusai!"
"What was that? You wanna fight, huh?"
"Tch! You'll lose to me, baaka!"
"What did you say?"
Umeko didn't get bothered by what happened to her two friends in the background.
She returned her gaze to the sky that was already more orange than blue. It was getting late in the day and soon it would be night. She took her water bottle and quickly left the field, not caring about how Katashi shouted at her and prevented her from leaving too soon. She kept on walking.
Umeko may have liked the sky, but not the depiction of the evening sky. She didn't like the orange color in the sky because it presented her a painful memory.
In one afternoon, when she woke up, her world was all about the tears staining on her mother's cheeks who was smiling at her while hugging Eiji's stiff, breathless body in her lap. And every evening when the sky turns orange instead of blue, it's all about deep mourning ever since.
"Eiji!"
The boy clad in a white kimono immediately straightened up when he heard Umeko's voice. As soon as he turned around, he showed the brightest and warmest smile. In contrast to how his face was full with obvious bruises and dust he picked up from his afternoon training.
"Onee-san!" Eiji was excited when he saw Umeko walking down the stairs towards him.
"What are you doing here?"
Umeko's steps were heavy, slowed down when she came into a closer look of how battered Eiji's face was today and how his white top was covered in stains which made him look even more shabby.
Realizing what Umeko was thinking as her gaze turned sorrowful, Eiji immediately smiled, "It's okay, Nee-san. This is fine. Kaa-san will do something with these bruises."
Umeko frowned, "You…"
"Ii-kara ii-kara…" His hand patted the empty spot beside him, his smile had not faded. "Here. Come sit with me, Nee-san."
Umeko continued walking and ended up sitting beside Eiji. As soon as she arrived, Eiji gave a smile that was even brighter than before, "You'll get ugly if you keep frowning like that. Women have to look beautiful until they are old, Nee-san."
"Urusai. Do you even know what you're talking about?" Umeko answered softly.
Eiji chuckled.
There was silence when Eiji returned his gaze to the open space above.
The sky was no longer blue and had turned orange, but his head and eyes were still there. Beside him, Umeko sat hugging her folded knees while her chin was buried on top of her knees. She didn't look up like Eiji, her gaze was fixed on something below her, the ground.
A gentle breeze blew Eiji and Umeko's long black hair. The atmosphere was quiet and calm.
"Eiji…" Umeko broke the silence between them with a soft voice.
"Nani?" Eiji answered with a smile on his face, his world was still an orange sky and the sun had almost completely set.
There was a pause before Umeko's next words, "I'm sorry."
After that, Eiji's world was all about his sister who kept her head down. "What are you talking about, Nee-san? Why apologize?" Eiji's voice rang out, his tone cheerful but gentle at the same time.
Umeko didn't dare to raise her head, her arms tightening around her knees. She bit her lip. "I…"
"Nee-san," Eiji's hand touched Umeko's. And her body, which was tense, gradually relaxed. Only then did Umeko raise her head and look at Eiji who was looking at her with a warm, welcoming look on his face.
Umeko's gaze was still filled with sorrow when she got to see the view of the bruises on Eiji's face from a closer distance. But after that, Eiji said, "It's fine." And at that moment her heart hurts so much. It was as if someone had just gone there on the inside of her chest, squeezing her heart in a wholehearted grasps.
"Eiji…" Umeko's voice was soft.
Eiji cupped Umeko's cheeks with his warm hands, "I'm fine. I will go through everything and return to both of you, as a worthy and strong heir to Kamo. I promise it will be fine. You don't have to worry about everything, Nee-san. After all, I am a man."
Umeko didn't say anything.
"You promise?"
Eiji flashed his warmest smile as he said, "Promise."
Umeko stared at Eiji before saying something after that. She sighed a moment before, "Before that, you have to promise not to be late from your afternoon practice." Despite not having completely recovered from everything that was going on, Umeko's expression was already a bit better. She looked more sullen than sad when she said everything.
"Ah!" Eiji immediately chuckled. He withdrew his hand and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I forgot. Today, the sky was really good so I think I should spend a little more time watching the sun sets."
"It starts tomorrow."
"What?"
"Starting tomorrow, you can't be late."
"Heeh? Now you're being that assertive, Nee-san?"
"Urusai. Just promise me."
"Hai, hai. I won't be late tomorrow."
But Eiji couldn't keep that promise because the next afternoon, Umeko's world was the reality that her little brother who was still laughing and smiling at her yesterday was in her mother's lap, stiffening and cold, not breathing, and wouldn't open his eyes anytime soon or forever.
Her world seemed to collapse that very day.
When she opened the room where Eiji's training was supposedly held, what she saw was how tears were staining on her mother's cheeks and she was smiling at her. Then Eiji was in her mother's lap, clutched tightly in her arms, his eyes closed.
Her hitched breath got caught in the back of her throat.
She couldn't hear how her Mother was calling. Her world was just a loud buzzing that was then followed by a loud thunder in her ears watching what was before her. Her heart pounded wildly as she stood over her Mother and saw how Eiji's eyes were shut. And it wasn't just how he was exhausted by the training that he would clenched his eyes to sleep on his mother's embrace, it was restful.
She thought it was dark and that she couldn't see how Eiji might have opened his eyes, glazing over from exhaustion, but no. He won't be opening his eyes anytime soon or ever.
Her stomach dropped and her knees gave out in that very second when the realization hit.
Eiji was a good boy and as his older sister, Umeko failed to protect him.
As his older sister, Umeko failed to protect him.
She failed to protect her brother.
Umeko jerked upright in her bed.
Panting, she cast her eyes wildly about. Half expecting to see her mom was somewhere before her eyes, hugging the breathless Eiji in her lap but all she saw was a very very familiar interior of a modest bedroom.
It was a nightmare.
Umeko tried to catch her breathing which was still ragging, her knees were folded and her palms were moved to rub her face which was wet with cold sweat. She tried to calm herself from the bitter taste of a nightmare that seemed to be a reality that she had just experienced in the blink of an eye, she still felt it on the surface of her skin. It felt too real to be a dream.
It was a nightmare.
Just a nightmare…
"Umeko!"
A voice caught her attention, the voice of someone she knew very well. Her body immediately reacted.
"Umeko! It's time to wake up. You've slept too long."
She heard a knock on the other side of the door. Her gaze immediately landed towards the door and after that, a familiar voice called out to her softly from behind the closed door.
"Umeko?"
Half scared and unable to believe what she was hearing, Umeko gulped and called out to someone outside, "Kaa-san….?"
"Ah? So you woke up. You have to get out now. You've slept too long."
Umeko brought her hands to cover her mouth after hearing the response coming from whoever or whatever was beyond the door. Her mind was roaming, trying to figure out what was going on. She tried to sense something from behind the closed door that was just about five steps from her.
Perhaps it was a cursed spirit or something that would make more sense than whatever her mind was telling her about. Then her gaze wandered around only to find that she was in a strangely, very familiar room. Instead of her room in the Jujutsu High dormitory, it was her old room in the family's house.
She wasn't at Jujutsu High's dormitory but at the family's house and the one who had just called out to her from behind the door was her mother, her mother.
Umeko took a deep breath, trying to think straight.
What is happening? What is she doing in the family's house? What had happened that she ended up in the family's house? Why was she in her room when she was supposed to be sleeping in her room in Jujutsu High's dormitory? Had something happened to make her have to come here? Perhaps the one that she couldn't recall due to some certain trauma during a certain mission—
"Umeko?" Her mother's soft voice came again. "Are you listening?"
"Yes. Kaa-san." Umeko closed her eyes, trying to respond to her mother.
"Are you coming soon?" her mother asked again.
"Yes… Kaa-san?"
"What is it?"
Umeko swallowed hard before she got to ask her next question, "Where is this?"
"What do you mean where, of course it's home. You're home. You should get out by now."
"Home…"
"I'm leaving, Kaa-san!"
Umeko's body immediately reacted after her ears picked up a very familiar voice from behind the door. Her body straightened the moment his voice rang in her ears.
"Eh? Are you leaving now?"
"Hmm. I can't be late for my training."
"Take something with you."
"No need to. It would be bothersome if I bring something into my hectic training."
"Hora, Eiji! Don't eat like that! Your stomach will hurt! Moh… this kid."
Umeko's breath hitched.
Without thinking, she wiped off her blanket and rushed to the door, nearly flying to shift her bedroom door and all she saw was how her mother turned to her with a strange look. "Umeko?"
Umeko's gaze fell on another person who was clumsily shoving onigiri into his mouth and had to stop. Her brow furrowed when all she saw was Eiji. A very alive and healthy Eiji, still breathing, still blinking, and still making sounds.
Eiji was there.
His white kimono was still as shabby as last time, the bruises on his face were still there but not as many as the ones she had seen in her sleep. It's Eiji.
Eiji was there.
Whatever was going on, Eiji was right there with her and she wanted to believe that more than anything else.
"Umeko?"
Her mother's palm touched her shoulder and made her have to shift from Eiji to his mother only to return to Eiji who was now looking at her with a confused look.
"What is it?" her mother asked.
Umeko stared at her mother for a moment before turning back to Eiji's voice echoing in her ear. "Nee-san? Are you okay?"
It was Eiji's voice. She knew it.
It was Eiji.
"Did something happen?"
Umeko's gaze was fixated on Eiji munching his onigiri.
He was there, real, healthy, and alive.
Her heart melted at what she was seeing. The one at the other end of the dining table was really Eiji. Eiji was actually in front of her, breathing, talking, blinking, chewing, winking… he was there.
It's Eiji.
Umeko felt her mother's hand touching her, "Is it the nightmare again?" And now her world was about the worried look of her mother.
Umeko's brow furrowed. What is happening? How did… "How did you know?"
"You're always bothered by nightmares."
"Always?"
"Yep." Eiji's voice was back, and he had her attention. "You dreamed of how I got hurt yesterday. You're always bothered by your nightmares, Nee-san."
"You must've been going through a lot."
Umeko didn't know what was happening to her, it all happened before she realized. But one thing she knew for sure was that Eiji was there.
"Oh, Yabai! This is bad! I'm late now! I have to leave soon. Kaa-san, Nee-san, I'm leaving!"
Right.
Eiji still has his afternoon training with their father. With Eiji still there, it means that the whole scheduled training wasn't over yet.
Umeko didn't miss those bruises on Eiji's face the moment she saw him there and now Eiji would return to that hellhole again, to come home with fresh bruises; new, more.
No.
"No."
Umeko won't let Eiji go there ever again, she won't let him out of her sight again. He can't leave the door.
"No… Eiji! Wait!"
Eiji stopped and turned to Umeko. "What's wrong Nee-san?"
Umeko's breath hitches again. "No. Don't go there."
Eiji frowned, "Huh? Don't go where?"
To father…
Don't go there…
"You are here. That's enough," Her lips began trembling out of fear, she was scared. "for me…"
"What are you talking about, Nee-san? I have to go now—"
"Don't go. Please…" her voice cracked.
Eiji's expression changed when he saw Umeko crying.
"Stay… please…"
"Nee-san?" Eiji's voice softened.
"Please…"
Eiji walked over to Umeko and immediately hugged her. and Umeko, her knees gave up the moment she felt Eiji's body still warm when he went to hug her. She collapsed in Eiji's embrace while her hands were squeezing tightly on Eiji's kimono.
Eiji really was there.
"Nee-san, calm down. Nothing's happened. I'm fine. It's alright. I got you."
No.
Eiji isn't fine.
How could Umeko believe such words every time Eiji said that when all she saw was how he kept coming home with bruises on his face and body.
Please don't go again...
Don't go to father today...
"Kaa-san? Let's let Nee-san rest today. Please take care of him while I train."
No…
Please don't go!
Eiji released his hug from Umeko.
No…
Eiji's warm hands touched her cheeks, cupping them gently. His eyes were warm as he said, "I promise I'll be back early after training. I'll rush back home and hold your hands and watch you sleep. I promise."
No…
That was exactly like the one she saw in her sleep.
No…
Don't go…
Eiji!
Umeko screamed with all her might to call out to Eiji who was slowly leaving her. She screamed and screamed, calling out to her younger brother's name with all her might, but what happened was that Eiji's back kept moving further and further away from her.
She ran after him, bringing her feet to catch up with Eiji who was leaving.
"I promise I'll be back soon from practice this afternoon. I promise."
No.
You're not coming back.
The last time Eiji said the same thing, Umeko's world was all about his breathless body, slumped in their mother's arms.
No…
Eiji…
Don't go see Dad...
Come back Eiji….
"Don't go, Eiji!"
"Kamo…! Kamo…! Kamo Umeko!"
Someone was calling out to her…!
Umeko flinched.
Before she realized, her world had been a wall that was a snowy-white haired man staring down at her, his hands were both on her shoulders, holding her in a steady, iron grip.
Her consciousness had not fully returned as tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. Her lips trembled and a second later she started crying.
"Where do you think you're going?" Her hands grabbed the hem of the jacket that the person in front of her was wearing and gripped it weakly. "Don't… I said don't go there…!" Her voice was weak and lost to sobs.
The person before her straightened up after witnessing what was going on. Gradually, he lifted his hand slowly from Umeko's shoulder and turned to gently pat her back. Then it was a reassurance like, "It's alright. It's alright now… I'm here. I got you."
Slowly, the gentle pat turned into a hug as soon as the person's finger touched Umeko's forehead; it was to what was coming seconds after. Umeko collapsed in that person's embrace and it was his words that were the last thing she heard before her world completely turned pitch black.
Then when her world returned brighter, she was surprised by the whiteness that she caught the first time when she was in partial awakeness. The sudden shift from the pitch-black to the bright white made have to close her eyes again, but she caught some voices around her.
"She is back." A woman.
And another one. A man. "Try ask her something. I'll be here and watch."
"It's very kind of you. Gojo."
Then slowly, when she opened her eyes, Umeko had caught a woman staring down at her, talking to her. "Kamo Umeko? Can you hear me?"
"You said she's back? Of course she can."
"If you're going to keep bothering me, you better wait outside."
"I'll just watch. Thank you."
When she returned to full consciousness, all that Umeko heard was a sigh which then brought her to Ieiri Shoko, the head of Jujutsu High's medical department.
"You're back." Was the first thing Ieiri Shoko said when their eyes met.
"Where is this?" Umeko asked while turning to see what she could catch to her left.
"Academy infirmary. You passed out, messy and… dirty."
"Dirty?" Umeko frowned and got up when Ieiri Shoko said something else.
"You're wandering around the academy barefooted and then you're here in that state. Currently as dirty and messy as you were." Dirt stuck to her feet and there was also grass stuck to them and a few other things on her feet—that state.
"I don't know if that is the correct explanation of your situation. But apparently you're unconscious."
Right. She was totally unconscious.
The last time, Umeko did saw Eiji. The breathing Eiji whose back was moving away further and further leaving her… no matter how fast she ran to reach him out, their distance would not decrease, Eiji was still far away, way too far for her to reach. No matter how loud she screamed Eiji's name, he didn't stop… everything happened when she wasn't in her conscious state at all. It was all part of her dream.
So this is the real present day.
And this wasn't the one where her breathing brother existed, Eiji didn't exist here.
Umeko turned to Ieiri Shoko.
"You're being kept that way by a fool with a blindfold who took you."
A fool with a blindfold?
Umeko followed where Ieiri Shoko pointed, to see a familiar man leaning against the wall. His hand was lifted and his lips stretched into a thin curve, "Yo." : Gojo Satoru. Just like Ieiri Shoko said, he was wearing a blindfold of a white bandage and looked like a complete idiot.
"He brought you here after picking you up on a side at the academy."
"Picking her up made it sound like I was picking up trash there, Shoko. I did the best on my part, give a little credit to that, can you?"
"You're the one using that weird term when you appeared in front of my desk carrying her."
"Oh did I? Weird. I would usually use the harsher terms."
Ieiri sighed, "What did I expect?"
Umeko didn't bother to listen.
Then, Gojo Satoru's voice echoed in her ears. "Long story short, I caught you running after sensing a certain amount of the cursed energy you released. Then you're already in that state." And then he continued, "I thought you were lost and just needed help getting back to the dorms… but even then, I wouldn't know where your room was either."
"Knowing you, you might end up throwing her in front of Katasuke or Bushimura's room."
"I might end up throwing her in front of Katasuke or Bushimura's room… was something that was so rude to consider that it shocked the hell out of me. Shoko! You are such a sadist!"
Ieiri Shoko laughed sarcastically before she said, "Urusai."
Gojo Satoru ignored that and continued with telling the whole abbreviated story, "With that, allow me to tell you that the bottom line is, you're here."
Ieiri sighed, "Ano baka…"
Umeko bowed her head towards Gojo Satoru. "I'm sorry to trouble you."
"Exactly. I almost broke my arm."
Umeko stared at Gojo Satoru for a moment and then looked down again, "I'm sorry."
Ieiri Shoko softly laughed and turned to Umeko. "Just rest a bit here, Kamo… Umeko. I'll let you stay."
"No. I'm going back to the dorms." Umeko immediately left the bed she was lying on, bowing to Ieiri Shoko and Gojo Satoru who were watching her with his arms crossed over his chests on the same spot, he hadn't moved an inch. "Thank you."
Umeko was about to step out of the room when Ieiri Shoko stopped her, "Wait! Kamo," and she came to bring her a pair of footwear, "At least wear these. Don't hurt your feet. It could be quite troublesome for your mission tomorrow."
Umeko looked at the pair of footwear Ieiri Shoko gave her and said, "I have no mission tomorrow."
"Who knows?" Ieiri Shoko said nonchalantly before she turned around and returned to continue her work.
Umeko immediately left Ieiri Shoko's room after she put on the shoes. Just before she closed the door, she still managed to hear the slight talks between Ieiri Shoko and Gojo Satoru from outside.
"What are you waiting for? Isn't our business done?"
"I'll be here for a while to have a talk with Ieiri."
"What's with that weird calling—and since when were we that close to be able to talk so freely…"
Then when Umeko got to her room in the dormitory, she found herself curled back up on the bed. Her eyes were closed and her hands clenched, tightly gripping on the bed sheets.
Right.
Everything was just a dream.
When the night ended and the sun rose for a new day, Umeko indeed had another mission the next day. She went off on her own and completed the mission as usual, with her obvious rituals and all but silence. Then she would return to Jujutsu High's dormitory and spend all of her time there, ending the day the way she had ended it the night before, curled up in bed with everything on her mind. The next day was the same, just like that. It's just that, the next day she didn't have to go for any mission.
The next day when Kirara came banging on her door and asked her to join them on the training, Umeko turned them down. The next day, she had a mission; a grade 3 cursed spirit activity in Shibuya so she left with Nitta.
On the way, she ran into Gojo Satoru who was accompanied by Ijichi, one of Jujutsu High's field managers. Unlike how Umeko felt when she saw him—a feeling of guilt and gratitude for what he did for her that night—Gojo Satoru still looked as playful and goofy as ever.
While Umeko felt embarrassed that she had troubled him that night, Gojo Satoru looked nonchalant. She didn't know whether it was that he didn't care or that he simply didn't see Umeko there, but he still continued whatever he said to Ijichi without being bothered in the least.
Maybe as Ieiri Shoko said, Gojo Satoru was just a weirdly stupid guy with a blindfold.
After all, what happened that night was accidental.
Umeko had no idea that she would end up like that and she wouldn't know that she was to accidentally trouble Gojo Satoru. Even though for some reason, she thought that she was at fault for what had happened, what happened after was purely unintentional. Gojo Satoru also probably wouldn't care much more about what happened, he was never that kind of guy.
Umeko then completed her mission and ended her day as usual and woke up like the previous days. An obvious habit and routine that will also be repeated in the coming days. But then, the next day once again when Hakari and Kirara came banging on her door, she finally came out and decided to join them on the training to see that Gojo Satoru had hijacked what little relaxed training it should've been. And here they were, having to think of a way to counter the very Gojo Satoru.
She had no idea what was going on.
Before she realized, Umeko was already in a situation where she was being careful when she was around Gojo Satoru. Suddenly, the atmosphere in the place where Gojo Satoru was in became a raw awkwardness that felt so weird to Umeko.
It wasn't because she was suddenly admiring somebody who had helped her.
Umeko knew very well that how he was there to help her was purely coincidental and that night's circumstances were pure coincidence. But even so, she still found herself in an uncomfortable situation around Gojo Satoru like this. And it was clear that training with him when her own situation was like that wouldn't be to her advantage.
She only felt awkward because suddenly she had to look vulnerable and weak in front of someone. Or perhaps even stranger, her awkwardness came from feeling that of all people, it was Gojo Satoru. Of all everyone, iIt should really be him. And that Gojo Satoru had seen the side that she had been desperately trying to hide from the world.
On the other side of her head, in a distant part, she was also busy questioning what happened that night? What happened before she opened his eyes in the treatment room?
If it was someone else, like Kirara or Hakari, maybe she wouldn't feel this awkward.
That was because Gojo Satoru was a complete stranger to her. He was someone who had only recently become a familiar presence in her life. That was because all the things that brought her close to Gojo Satoru happened so suddenly, as if the whole thing, everything was squeezing her down and constantly bringing her closer to a situation where Gojo Satoru would be there around her.
And thanks to all the unnecessary thoughts, she was distracted enough to barely dodge Hakari's accidental attack that sent her thrown away—it was a blow that was quite painful if only in the split second after she returned to the present day, she didn't use a bit of cursed energy.
"Katasuke Dai, you idiot!" Katashi yelled.
"Oh! Kamo! Sorry!" In an almost indifferent tone, Dai said to Umeko without doing anything according to what he said.
When she fully regained consciousness, her back collided with the wall that was Gojo Satoru's lean upper body and a second after, there was already a pair of steady iron grip putting her back in place.
Umeko's eyes widened and her body stiffened at his touch—in such a sudden state. Everything just happened suddenly without Umeko being able to process it.
A moment later, very close to her ear, there was a warm breath and a voice that was softer than playful, "I got you." Just before the hands left her arms.
Had that just now been Gojo Satoru catching her…?
Unconsciously, for seconds of being in the closest proximity to Gojo Satoru, Umeko didn't breathe. She barely caught her breath after Gojo Satoru shifted himself and returned with a completely different tone of voice.
His hand pointed at Dai, "Katasuke! You need to control yourself a little more." Rather than the gentleness he had just before when he spoke to her, this one sounded more like the Gojo Satoru that he was.
"Warui." Dai raised a hand to Gojo Satoru just before he groaned as Katashi slapped him hard on the shoulder. "Hey! That one just hurt so bad!"
"Katasuke Dai no baaka!" Katashi didn't care.
"What did you say to me, kuso chibiga!?"
"What are you saying!? You should apologize to Kamo real quick or I'll kick your ass."
"That one was accidental. She was distracted because of whatever."
"Apologize first, Katasuke idiot!"
"Idiot!?"
"Now!"
"Ah… alright! Kamo! Oi! That was genuinely accidental. I'm sorry. See? Now it's done."
THUMP
"But, Gojo! You are being unfair!"
"Huh? Me?"
THUMP
"Yes! You actually turned off your infinity to catch Kamo and kept it on while fighting me!"
THUMP
"Ah? I didn't turn it off, did I?"
"You stupid blindfold!"
THUMP
Wait a minute… What is this? What's with this strange rhythm of my heartbeat?
"Hmmm… then we can try again." Gojo Satoru's voice continued to echo in Umeko's ears, in his usual tone of voice. "But I think you will be fine to fight me while I keep my infinity." Gojo Satoru flicked his hand and ended up pointing at Hakari. "You are worthy enough, Dai."
"I'm not okay with that. I want to the honor of fighting you while you are being serious."
THUMP
"Am I not being serious enough?" Gojo Satoru, with his playful nonchalant tone, asked in a very annoying way.
THUMP
"Don't play dumb. All you did was just be there." Dai bluffed with an irritated face.
"Ja… then let's try again!"
THUMP
"What about you, Bushimura? Are you coming with Katasuke?"
THUMP
"Yes. I'm with him."
"Good then."
THUMP
Gojo Satoru turned to Umeko.
THUMP
THUMP
THUMP
"De… What about Kamo?"
Umeko didn't say anything after she was caught in the situation of suddenly staring at Gojo Satoru, she was not aware that Gojo Satoru was waiting for her answer. She was too distracted by the sound of her own heartbeat which had gotten into a weird rhythm ever since.
Everything happened at once.
And whether she was hallucinating or exaggerating, she could see Gojo Satoru slightly surprised after a few moments staring at her.
A moment after that, Gojo Satoru immediately looked away from Umeko while clapping his hands to get everyone's attention. "Alright. Everybody back in position." He shifted and walked away from her saying, "Let's just leave Kamo in her own world." followed with how he was clearing his throat the next second.
Dai pointed at something he saw from Umeko, "Oh! She's red!"
Then Katashi quickly turned to Umeko, "Kamo! Are you okay?"
But Gojo Satoru distracted them with his next words. "Katasuke! You better get ready because I'm really going to be serious from now on." His tone was still as playful and nonchalant as ever.
"Hah? Bring it here, you stupid blindfold!"
"Katasuke-chan yo! People can get hurt by being too proud. Be careful." Gojo Satoru's voice echoed in Umeko's ears.
What Umeko didn't know was that her cheeks were warm and there had been pink dust covering them the whole time. On the contrary, she knew that everything that was happening was weird.
———
Present Day
The morning air of Tokyo was quite sunny.
Seven in the morning, the station was already very crowded, full of people hurrying and passing by to find their fastest routes to get to work. Some walked at a fast tempo, some ran with all their heart and got into the train a split second before the doors closed, but there were also a handful of people who kept walking calmly.
One of the few people walking quietly was a girl walking quietly while carrying coffee that was Kamo Umeko.
Her current appearance is very different from her previous appearance. Umeko used to be comfortable with her hair in half ponytails, but now she's more comfortable blowing her hair down. And if she used to be so comfortable in skirts, now she prefers trousers.
She kept her appearance as simple and normal as possible after graduating from Jujutsu High. Loose hair, a deep purple shirt with small uzumaki buttons, black loose pants, and a pair of shoes.
After her graduation, Umeko didn't leave Jujutsu High. Even though she chose to leave home and chose to live in an apartment in the middle of the hustling of Tokyo, Umeko didn't necessarily leave matters related to the Jujutsu world and breaking ties with her clan. Up until now, Umeko still goes off on missions like she did when she was at the academy.
And if she didn't have any missions to do, then she would spend the entire day in her apartment eating, watching movies, and sleeping. Or if deemed necessary, she will attend some clan meetings inconspicuously because even so, she still hasn't reconciled with her father after Eiji's death.
Umeko sat in a waiting chair on one side of the station and got up from there after exactly five minutes. Then after that, her untouched coffee would be discarded and she would walk leisurely towards the waiting line for the train that was about to arrive. The second she stepped into the train, her previously serene world began to fill with noise and bustling of people jostling to fit into the train.
Closing her eyes, Umeko thought that her days used to be much calmer than the past eight months. Since moving to the center of Tokyo, her world is no longer peaceful like when she used to live in the Jujutsu High dormitory.
She opened her eyes, looked around her which was full of people who were busy with their own worlds—perhaps worried that they would be late for making it by this train, or maybe a simple thought that taking the train was no longer effective, or maybe something else. Even though everyone was silent, for Umeko it was still too noisy.
A man had just tapped her on the shoulder and offered her to his seat, but Umeko bowed her head down. Her gaze was fixed on something in front of her, something outside the window that she could catch.
In the past, she didn't need to be like this every morning. In the past, she didn't need to go through this troublesome kind of morning.
In the past, she was fine every morning. It's not that she wanted anything of what the past could offer, it's not that she could return.
But perhaps… She does want something. A few, just a few of the things that are kept in the past. Perhaps, what she wants are those times with Hakari and Kirara, going off on a mission with both of them or alone in her Jujutsu High's uniform, or anything else—something else. Something that was now standing before her eyes right in front of Tokyo's Jujutsu High Academy.
The only thing that had been keeping her from coming here, or perhaps it is on the contrary, was the only thing that had been keeping her thinking about the past lately—the only person that she didn't expect to see most.