365 days | Satoru Gojo x OC

Day Twenty-Six

╰┈➤ 26th september
With her head on his shoulder and his arm around hers, Natsuki can't help but find herself in a state of... peace.

The only sound disturbing the post-morning silence is the gentle sound of them chewing the cookies happily, their little creations turning into nothing but fuel for them.

He doesn't quite know whether or not to break the silence, to ask her a question that could possibly bring back all her memories of him. You see—he'd been over it countless times in his head, "How's Komiki doing?"

It has the chance to make her think about her past with the girl, which had his own being entangled right in it. Or, she could brush him off and not think about it, meaning nothing bad would happen.

In the most extreme case, if he were to ask her if she remembers him from Jujutsu High, there's a chance of her brain regaining all her memory of him in an instant, and that would most likely overload her brain and is even more likely to deal her damage. But any question more subtle than "How's Komiki doing?" would probably be of no use.

Although the clueless higher-ups had strictly ordered that he doesn't let Natty remember him, recently, with her growing closeness, his need for her to remember him—to fully and properly remember him—had also been growing.

He's been told countless times to create new memories with her, to keep an eye on her and her usage of her cursed technique due to what happened the last time a special grade sorcerer left abruptly. But that's not what he wants, not what he needs. What he needs is for her to remember him, to remember their bond, remember their friendship.

"Natty?"

"Satoru—"

Their names clash in the air, causing the pair of them to giggle.

Natsuki finishes off a cookie, stuffing it into her mouth and making her cheeks bulge out. "You go first, sorry."

He shakes his head and lets out a gruff chuckle, sliding his hand down and off his other arm, leaning back on it as he watches the night sky. "I was just wondering..." What is he doing? This wasn't the question he wanted to ask!

"Does anyone else call you Natty, or is it just me?"

A small, thoughtful hum escapes her lips before she shakes her head. "Well, someone used to... I can't quite remember who, though. But you're the only person who calls me it currently, so count yourself as special."

He flops down onto the patio suddenly, pulling her down with him with a yelp. His arms snake around her and pull her in for a tight hug, their chests together and her cheek pressed against his shoulder as he gives her a gentle and welcomed squeeze. "I'm glad you find me special, Natty."

"Hmph!" She pushes up and hovers above him with one arm on either side of his head. Despite her brave face and words, there's no way she can conceal her red cheeks and slightly shaky arms. "You should already know I find you special, Satoru. You're one of my closest friends."

A wave of glee and appreciation floods over him as he sits up eagerly, wrapping her up in his arms again, his face too far buried in the crook of her neck for him to notice the look of instant and inescapable dread and regret on her face.

With a deep breath, she leans back with a smile. "It's a shame I can't shorten your name!"

"Oh yeah? And why's that?" He leans back on his elbows as she sits criss-cross applesauce beside him and begins explaining her reasons. "It's just that nicknames usually break up the original name, and I find Sato or Ru kind of weird as names. And the other option, Toru, sounds a bit too much like tofu!"

"Is Toru really such a bad nickname? A friend of mine used to call me Toru." The glint of love in his eyes piques her interest. She leans forward on her elbows and glances between his hand in the pile of cookies and his eyes that seem to be locked on her. "Who was it? A nice friend?"

"Mmh..." He sighs thoughtfully, letting his eyes drift away to the stars above them. "He was, without a doubt, my best friend. But... he messed up and ended up leaving."

He notices her face drop in reciprocation and familiarity.

"That hits close to home, right, Natty?"

She nods, her eyes welling up stupidly. *Shit.*

She lowers her shuddering head and stares right at her lap. "Hits close to home times two." She chuckles softly and sticks up two fingers. Without warning, Satoru takes her clammy hand in his own cool one and gives it a gentle squeeze, not daring to say a word as he holds it at his side.

The scent of grief hangs heavy in the nostrils of all those who have experienced it.

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊|• 0:26