HAVEN || SATORU GOJO

XXVIII

THE WOMAN'S PERFUME CARRIED A COMFORTING SCENT. It was a delicate blend of soft flowers, like blooming jasmine and velveteen chamomile. As Megumi began to wake up, the fragrance gently reached his senses, offering a tender embrace.

The aroma had a touch of sweet vanilla and a hint of powdery musk, adding a familiar clasp. It felt like a warm breeze in a peaceful garden, filling the air with tranquility. The scent lingered gently, creating a safe haven.

"Man he's deep in sleep. Megumi, wake up! You're late for class!" The voice bellowed.

At that moment, he snapped his eyes wide open, revealing sapphire orbs that guised themselves under a lingering drowsiness.

"Satoru!" The other voice had hit the man as he let out a quiet 'ow'.

That voice.

The boy immediately scrambled into a sitting position, looking up and finding the face of the woman who had spent the last seven to eight months overseas.

The one that he had been missing and cursing altogether because of her sudden leave.

She sat there, smiling as though nothing had occurred. Her hair was the same way it always was on off days, swept onto one side of her shoulder, tied at the bottom few inches. the lilac purple top she wore in addition to the long white skirt .. the comforting fashion she'd sported unlike those in her videos that she pre-recorded for him.

It was like she hadn't left at all.

The mother figure that wasn't there when he locked himself away into his dorm room after his divine dog had been destroyed in the mission not too long ago.

Losing classmates of his due to curses .. she should have been there.

She always was there until he needed her the most.

"Where .. have you been?" Those were the first words that escaped the boy's lips, still staring at the sorceress in disbelief of her presence just merely out of the blue. But perhaps he had seen it coming and that was why he had muttered her name before losing consciousness.

Rieka tilted her head to the side .. not in curiosity but in shame. "Out and about."

"I've missed a lot .. haven't I? You even unlocked your domain expansion already. You have some pretty great friends and you've grown strong .. someone we're proud of." The woman reached out to pat the top of his head, but he gently brushed her hand away.

It didn't surprise her. Gojo kept a straight face, watching the smile dissipate from his fiancee's lips.

In a way, he felt sorry. It was because of his dream that Rieka had left in the first place. There was only so much he could do to substitute her absence with his own presence.

"We bought some ginger glazed pork if you were hungry. Considering that you first years each defeated a special grade on your own .. I'm sure you're famished. We bought enough for all three of you to share, but the other two are still asleep. But if you—"

She stopped speaking, watching the boy grip onto the sheets.

Maybe it was selfish of her to assume that Megumi would understand.

"Are you angry?"

He was. It felt like he was throwing a tantrum like a little kid would. It was almost embarrassing—humiliating how much he cared.

But it traced back to the fact that his mother died shortly after he was born and his father was also dead.

It traced back to the conditioning he had of Rieka always being there to guide him at a young age with Gojo.