Convergence

Part 2 : chapter 1

Days passed—then months, then years.

Utahime grew up on that vast estate, which she now knew as well as the back of her hand.

Aiko became her closest friend there, and the two girls spent countless evenings talking about everything and nothing: their future, friendships... and love.

But Utahime never spoke to her about Satoru.
Nor about what had happened on that night during the Obon festival, when she was thirteen.

Since the death of Satoru's uncle and his sudden departure to the United States, the mansion had grown eerily empty.

It felt like tending to a castle abandoned by its masters centuries ago. Everything seemed frozen in time - like a relic of a bygone era.

Over the years, Utahime memorised every room, every corridor. She could have found her way through the house with her eyes closed.

Without the Gojo family, even the household duties that once structured the servants' lives had diminished.

The wards now had more time to devote to their studies and their training as future exorcists.

No one knew when Satoru would return.

And no one seemed to care.

No one - except Utahime.

At first, she believed he would come back after a few months.

During the first year after his departure, every time she heard the sound of a car approaching, she would run to the entrance, hoping it was him.

She lost count of how many times she was disappointed.

More than once, she slipped into Satoru's room.

On nights when loneliness overwhelmed her, she would take refuge there. Though the room was empty, it brought her a strange sense of peace.

She waited for a letter, a phone call - any sign from him.

But nothing ever came.

The only people who called her were her parents... or Shoko, who would ring at random hours just to ask the most random questions.

She had never imagined she would miss that boy so much.

She couldn't quite put into words what she felt for him.

She had only known him for a short time, and yet his disappearance left a deep emptiness inside her.

It was like losing a friend without understanding why.

He had simply vanished from her life overnight, without explanation.

She didn't even know if he was still alive.

And that uncertainty haunted her.

Perhaps something terrible had happened - and she simply didn't know.

To fill that void, Utahime devoted herself entirely to her studies.

While the other students struggled to control their cursed energy, Utahime worked twice - sometimes three times - as hard.

Before long, she became the top student in her class.

She knew that admission to the teams at Tokyo Exorcist High School depended on exam results.

And she wanted - no, needed - to be among the best.

Even if she came from an unremarkable clan.

Even if her cursed energy was nothing compared to that of the Zenin, Kamo, or Inumaki families.