Ataraxia 平静 | Gojo Satoru

-'๑'-𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟐-'๑'-

Gojo's POV:

As graceful as Yue had been moments before, watching her stumble on her own feet as she darted across the room was something else entirely.

I managed to suppress my sigh when she toppled over the boy.

"What—" she stuttered, cupping his cheeks, "How are you here? I mean, this feels unreal—No one even told me. . ."

Another pause followed, and I exchanged subtle glances with my best friend.

"You've grown so much. . ." her lip trembled, and I quickly averted my gaze.

"You look different too, Yue-chan."

Yuta Okkotsu.

One of the four special grade sorcerers recognized by Jujutsu High. And by far, my strongest student.

Yuta's immense cursed energy came from his genetic relation to Michizane Sugawara, an ancestor we both shared. It first manifested when he transformed his childhood friend into a cursed spirit—Rika, so powerful that the Society dubbed her the "Queen of Curses."

His cursed energy capacity exceeded even mine.

Though he was a mere novice when I took him under my wing, Yuta had quickly mastered sword wielding and hand-to-hand combat, which then led to his cursed energy control improving dramatically. Not to mention the past years he has spent training. Even at his age, he had the potential to become the strongest of his generation.

He and Yue had been close ever since he joined Jujutsu High, and I remembered how painful it was for both of them to be separated. The three-year age difference never seemed to matter. Yuta was timid, introverted, yet that didn't stop Yue from breaking him out of his shell; They trained and fought together every single day before Yuta left Tokyo. If I were to describe their relationship, siblings had to be the closest word for it. In their own, trivial way.

"You were still a kid when I last saw you," she pouted.

The boy chuckled, resting his katana against the sofa. "Well, we're talking years, right?"

The table to our right grew quiet as everyone watched their interaction.

"How come you were able to come back? I received no word of it," Yue glanced around for confirmation.

"How could I miss your birthday?" he smiled, and she scoffed.

"Well, you missed the last two, dork."

"I sent you letters," he tried.

"And I read every single one," she giggled, the irony obvious in her tone.

I couldn't help but chuckle. She seemed startled when she turned to blink at me, probably unaware of our proximity.

"How was Africa?" I grinned at the boy.

"Hot," was all he said.

I've missed his dry humor.

"As happy as I am to see you," he rested a hand on Yue's shoulder, then smiled at the company, "All of you, really, I'd be lying if I said there wasn't more."

She raised her brows in worry, and our friends tensed at the booth.

I met his eyes pointedly. Careful.

He nodded subtly and bowed, before clearing his voice. "There's something I need to discuss with Yue," he looked at me again. "We have a lot to catch up on."

The smile he flashed seemed to ease the atmosphere, everyone too buzzed to pay it more mind.

"Let's go somewhere quieter," Yuta said calmly into her ear.