5: All To Myself

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To my utter surprise, my session with Gojo was actually helpful. I walked into this expecting him to be his normal arrogant self that would leave me furious and having not learned a thing. But, I ended up spending the whole time anticipating degrading responses to my mistakes that never came. His critiques were constructive, always laced with tones of encouragement. When I succeeded at something, he'd praise me with a sense of genuineness that made my heart leap.

It perturbed me at first. I couldn't help but shoot him confused glances throughout the first hour when he'd demonstrate kindness or patience toward me. But then, I found myself craving it. My efforts, which were once rooted in refusal to fail, were now directed at my need for Gojo's approval. I even found myself looking back at him expectantly when his praise wasn't immediate.

"Good," he would say when I executed my cursed technique. His tone was heavy and firm, like he wanted to burn the action I'd just done into my brain. And boy, did it work well.

Gojo ends the lesson by walking me to a room on the lower level of the school, which consists of a plush couch sitting before a TV. The cushions are still slightly indented, like whoever used it last had only left recently.

Whoops...

"I think I want one more day with you all to myself before I share you with my other students," he tells me.

It's his charismatic way of telling me that he wants me to have one more individual lesson before participating in class with the others, and I know this very well. Yet, somehow, his words still bring a blush to my cheeks. Warmth swirls around inside me like honey as my brain replays his statement over and over again.

He goes on to explain my next and final task of the day, but I can hardly focus on what he's saying. I manage to gather that I'm to watch movies while channeling my cursed energy into a tiny cursed corpse—a bear plushie wearing boxing gloves.

He wants me all to himself—ugh, shut up! That's not what he meant!

I must have really impressed him with my cursed technique...

He thinks I'm strong...

I wonder if I'm his best student? Maybe even his favorite student...

"Got all that?" Gojo's voice cuts through my thoughts.

I nod, my eyes wide and lips parted.

He smiles, thrusting the cursed corpse into my hands. "Good! I'll check in on you later, 'kay?"

As soon as Gojo strides back up the stairs, the cursed corpse jolts from its slumber. It glares up at me and sends its fist straight into my jaw, the impact literally knocking me off my feet. I groan, bringing a hand up to make sure my jaw is still in its socket. It only gives me a few seconds to recover before delivering a second blow right to my stomach. All of the air is forced out of my lungs and a pained cry follows right behind it.

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