Tsuyoi 強い ⋮ Gojo Satoru

Chapter 29

A month, a stage.

You spend the first month living in denial. You continue to deny the possible reality. There was still a glimpse of hope—at least for you. Your mind doesn't stop fantasizing about Gojo returning at any moment. You day dream about him walking through the shoji screens of jujutsu tech or waking up and finding him in your room next to you. It's not like he hasn't surprised you that way before. Every night you pay attention to the wall clock in the community kitchen or the common area. When the hour hand reaches 8, you retreat to your room and you stay there till about 10. And then you muster the strength to wander the outdoors; you find yourself frequenting the areas you've been to with Gojo.

"Hey..." Kugisaki tries to snap you out of your delusion, "...I don't want to come off the wrong way but I really think you should consider that he isn't going to come back."

It had reached that time of the night again and you get off the chair. It was routine and everyone knows it.

"He's coming back..." you say to the girl.

"How do you know that though?!"

You don't like Kugisaki's tone, you don't like her discouragement and you hate her pessimism. So you change your tone of voice too. You say each word slowly and sternly, "He's. Going. To. Come. Back."

And then you leave to your room.

The second month is an indignant and irascible one. You find yourself always short-tempered, snappy and bitter. You're angry—all the time; at strangers, your schoolmates, your superiors and even inanimate objects. You get angry at life, yourself and even at Gojo. You start to play the blame game and you point fingers. You blame everyone and everything. You blame the universe, fate, God or any higher being. You start asking yourself, why this had to happen to you? You start to ask, what did you do to deserve this? You even ask Gojo, why and how he had the nerve to leave you. It was everyone's fault, your fault, God's fault.

The miniature Gojo sits next to you on the couch in the movie room. You've been bringing the stuffed toy with you almost everywhere. You watch a romantic film (surprisingly) by yourself. It makes you bawl.

The sound of galloping footsteps grow increasingly louder as Yuji makes his way down the stairs to join you. He makes room for himself by moving the plush to the side. It triggers you.

"Don't touch that!"

It was the only thing Gojo left you. It was the only thing you had left of him. You were overprotective.

The pink-haired boy throws his hands up in a placating gesture, "Alright! Alright! I'm sorry!"

Yuji leaves you alone.