Evening had slowly fallen over the institute, coloring the air with shades of amber and purple. The windows reflected the last rays of sunlight while the chirping of cicadas accompanied the laughter coming from the inner courtyard.
Panda had floated the idea:
"A serious welcome party this time. Music, snacks, chatter, and no fighting, I swear."
Gojo-sensei had turned up his nose a little at first, but then he'd come by, leaving us a bag full of cans and a portable speaker.
"Don't blow anything up. And no karaoke until two like last time."
And he left with his usual smirk.
So there we were.
A small bonfire in the brazier in the center of the courtyard. Blankets folded, snacks scattered haphazardly on the patio tables, music drifting through the treetops. The decorative lights, salvaged from some forgotten room, twinkled suspended among the branches like tired fireflies.
I was sitting cross-legged next to Maki and Yuta, a can of iced tea in my hands. Toge was nearby, next to Panda, who was telling one of his usual absurd stories.
"...and then that poor bastard found himself with his face pressed against a 'No Trespassing' sign. Literally!"
Toge nodded knowingly:
"Shake! Shake!!"
I burst out laughing.
"That shake, is it a yes or a no?"
"It's an absolute 'you're absolutely right!'" Yuta explained. "If he says 'mentaiko,' then it's a negation, he's lying."
"We need to create an Inumaki-Italian dictionary!" I said, jokingly.
Toge looked at me, his eyes laughing. Then he lifted a can and handed it to me silently, with a slight bow of his head. I thanked him with a smile.
He kept shooting me brief glances, as if he were memorizing my every laugh. He had his back against the trunk of a tree, his legs outstretched, his hands crossed over his stomach.
When our irises met, I smiled and he blushed slightly. Then he lowered his gaze, biting the corner of his mouth. So I got up to go and sit next to him.
"Apparently... I'm starting to feel part of something." >>
Toge turned to me.
Then he typed on his phone and showed it to me:
"So have we. Since you arrived, something has changed."
"For the better?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Shake." He replied. And smiled.
We stayed up most of the night. Talking. Laughing.
To discover that the most beautiful stories begin just like this: a fight, a laugh, and a gaze that lasts a little longer than necessary.
----------- Just with a gaze...----
The sun was already high when I opened my eyes. The air in the room was warm, welcoming, filled with the scents of the night just gone by: grass, torch smoke, laughter. I stretched, rubbed my eyes, and looked at the clock.
<< ELEVEN O'CLOCK?! >>
The common room was filled with scattered pillows, empty water bottles, and a giant panda sleeping on its back. Maki was already standing, Yuta was hugging her from behind, nuzzling her neck. I understood everything almost perfectly. Toge emerged from the bathroom with his hair still wet, a simple t-shirt, and a still sleepy expression. He had just taken off his hoodie again; I saw that tattoo engraved next to his mouth. It was like a small curse written on his skin, black, elegant, yet menacing.
I stopped, determined to ask him some questions.
"Wait... what's that?"
He looked at me a little surprised, gesturing to that spot on his face with a finger.
"It's part of your technique, right?" I leaned closer. "Does it hurt? Is it like a seal? Have you always had it? Who made it?"
He smiled with his eyes.
Then he picked up the phone from his pocket, typing:
"It helps contain some of my energy. It's like a seat belt."
"Wow..." I said, genuinely impressed. "It's a little... creepy."
He laughed softly.
"Okaka." he said simply.
"Anyway..." I added. "What do you say, can we make it today, mission partner?"
He gave us a thumbs-up.
***
In the courtyard, Gojo-sensei was waiting for us, sitting on a bench, inexplicably elegantly dressed for a summer afternoon. New glasses, gray suit, mochi in hand.
"Kids! Medium-level mission. A cursed spirit located near an abandoned tunnel north of the city. Simple stuff, don't be scared. But interesting enough to make you sweat a little."
"Coordination?" I asked, taking out the tablet with the coordinates. "Are there any civilians?"
"None. But be careful. They say the place has been cursed for years. Dense stuff, stagnant energy, and please, don't get fooled. Trust each other. >> He winked at us.
------------ Mission Site – Hoshikawa Tunnel..----
The air at the entrance to the tunnel was charged with electricity, as if time had stopped there. The asphalt was cracked, moisture dripped from the walls like sweat. I put on my gloves and activated my technique: the lines of energy lit up on my arms, tracing luminous symbols.
Toge, beside me, was silent. He lowered his scarf slightly, just enough to be ready.
<
<
He hesitated.
We hadn't yet found a common language for tactical details. And I wasn't used to reading the meaning of his "onigiri."
We moved, but it was difficult at first. A noise. Two presences. A false one. I pounced on a shadow, thinking it was the curse. Toge instead shouted:
"Stop!"
The sound of his "serpent and fang" seal split the air, nearly knocking me backward.
"You were telling me not to attack, weren't you...?"
Toge nodded, embarrassed.
He quickly typed on his phone:
"The energy was out of balance. It was luring you into a trap."
"Okay, okay... my fault. We need a system. Give me a hand signal when it's dangerous, a look when I can go. Okay? Are you in?"
He stared at me intently. Then he nodded.
The cursed spirit finally appeared, emerging from the darkness like a breathing shadow. It seemed made of bones and rags, with too many eyes and a stitched smile.
It hissed, it laughed.
Its energy was acidic.
Toge took a step forward.
"FALL!" he uttered.
The effect was immediate: the spirit staggered, its legs collapsing. But it was powerful, it got up immediately, regenerating itself before my eyes.
I drew the symbol for "compression" (cursed light energy stored at the cellular level) on my right arm and struck the creature's chest. But it wasn't enough.
I turned to Toge. He was rubbing his throat, slightly in pain.
We looked at each other for less than a second.
And there it was.
That second was all it took.
He motioned to me. I nodded.
I jumped into the air, twisting my torso. Ready to draw more symbols to charge another compression in case the next one didn't work. Toge lowered his gaze, uncovered his mouth, and said:
"Explode."
A devastating sound broke the silence.
The creature was slowly disintegrating, and to ensure its death, I tried to concentrate all my energy and channel it into the monster's core.
With a sharp cry, the curse dissolved into a cloud of dark vapor.
Silence.
Bare breath.
Victory.
-------------- back...------------
<
Toge and I looked at each other, tired but satisfied.
<
Gojo-sensei nodded.
<
Toge laughed softly. So did I.
<>
Then he threw a bag with two sweets.
<
***
That night, as we walked side by side in the silence, I turned to Toge.
"You know we were good, right?"
He nodded, then showed his phone:
"You understand my look. It's rare. I trust you."
My heart warmed a little.
<< Me too, Toge. Me too. >>
---- Who's sitting next to you...?---
The next morning had begun with cooler air than usual, and a bright light filtered through the curtains of classroom 1-EF.
I had arrived early. My hair was loose and straightened, my bangs neatly combed over my forehead, and I wore just a hint of makeup. I was wearing my uniform with the belt cinched tightly around my waist. I liked the way it slid over my legs as I walked.
As soon as I entered, I found Yuta sitting in his usual spot, intent on reading. Maki was a little further away, crouched in the chair as she always did when she was relaxed. The two were talking intently, in hushed tones; there was something in their gazes... a complicity... maybe they were just friends? Or maybe not.
I approached with a smile:
<< Good morning! >>
Yuta nodded in return. Maki looked at me quickly and knowingly.
<< You stayed out late last night, huh? >>
"Too much sake. After the mission, Panda challenged me... and I lost."
Just then, my partner walked in. Needless to say, my heart skipped a beat.
I sat down next to Yuta, but Toge came over and sat down to my right, leaving a slightly spicy, fresh scent in the air. He showed me his phone. It said:
"How are you?"
"I'm pretty good! Even though I didn't want to get up this morning..." I gave him a sideways glance: "You, on the other hand, are already perfect at eight in the morning. How do you do it?"
Toge shrugged, then typed a word:
"Onigiri."
I smiled.
"Oh, right. Beauty secret #1... rice and nori."
A few minutes later, sensei walked in. With his dark glasses, a coffee in hand, and the gait of someone who had arrived to change the rules of the world.
"So, cursed and beautiful children, today we're talking about innate techniques. Who knows what an innate technique is?"
Yuta raised his hand:
"It's a technique inherited through lineage, which can awaken naturally even without training, if the potential is already present in the body."
"Exactly, Yuta. Maki, add something."
"Sometimes waking up is traumatic. Other times it's spontaneous... Mmm... But still unstable at first."
Gojo frowned dramatically.
"Well done. But remember: an innate technique isn't a gift. It's a weapon. And if you don't master it, it becomes like a boomerang."
Then his gaze fell on me.
"Rebe. You have a damned intense energy, but not yet... focused. Do you know there might be a technique inside you that you haven't experienced yet?"
"Yes." I replied softly. "I feel it. Sometimes it pulsates. But I don't know what it means."
Gojo nodded, his tone suddenly more serious.
"Then you have to learn to listen to it. >>
The lesson continued with dialogue, case studies, and a few of Sensei's trademark jokes, which even made Maki, who usually laughed little, laugh. Finally, Panda and she were called on a mission.
"You two are the lucky ones today. A new curse, North District. Medium difficulty. The rest of you stay here."
--Lunch break...---
The sun was beating down high in the sky as I headed for the cafeteria. I entered with my hands in my pockets, humming, my stomach rumbling. I sat alone at a table near the window, with a simple tray: cold soba noodles, a green tea, and a small mochi.
I was scrolling through my phone when a familiar, smiling voice interrupted me:
"Can I?"
I looked up and noticed Gojo-sensei's assistant. It was Kaito.
He sat down next to me without waiting for an answer. He was still wearing his support uniform, but his jacket was unbuttoned and his brown hair was slightly tousled. He looked at me with an almost disarming smile.
"You've already won everyone over here, you know that? Maki adores you, Gojo is always talking about you, Toge..."
He paused.
"Well, he looks at you like you're a poem he needs to memorize. >>
I laughed, trying not to blush.
<< Stop it. >>
<< I'm not kidding! But, it's better to be careful with him, you know? He's different. Deep. Fragile. >>
<< I know. >> I replied.
For a moment we were silent. Then he smiled again and finally introduced him to me:
"Anyway, you haven't shown up in the break room yet. Are you afraid of losing at cards?"
"No. I'm afraid of winning and then no one will want to talk to me again."
He paused briefly, his gaze fixed on my lips. Then he sighed.
"You're tough, aren't you?"
"No! I'm just trying to become one."
At that moment, my gaze instinctively drifted toward the door. And there...was Toge.
Standing. Still.
He was looking at us. His eyes were clearer in the daylight, and a dark shadow clouded his gaze.
He stared at us for a few seconds. Then he turned and disappeared around the corner.
My stomach dropped.
Kaito didn't say anything. But his smile faded.
And, for the first time since I'd arrived...I no longer felt the air around me.