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"Satoru's always on his own these days, ne?"
Suguru turns to his classmate seated beside him. The both of them were lounging in the courtyard, at the back of the dormitories.
His hair was down. And the bags in his eyes could compete against Shoko's.
"You miss him, don't you?" She jokes, turning to him and tilting down; then chuckling when Suguru's lips twist into an unamused frown. "Don't be so down!"
"...I'm not..."
Suguru was about to say - when Shoko suddenly points to the hallway.
"See!!"
Suguru follows her finger, honestly confused.
"Satoru's back already!!"
And he purses his lips when, as he thought, he finds no one there. The missions Satoru were assigned to these days spanned days, covered far off provinces; all against curses and curse users whose strength he can only fathom. At times even, Satoru would be sent abroad. And it's becoming far more often now.
He'd usually send all of them a text blast, an email blast too; one that Nanami unsubscribed from with an angry hiss. And he'd recount to them how the missions were insane. And Suguru would read on about his friend's encounters. And unknowingly, he'd start stewing in envy.
He'd always catch it soon enough. He'd always laugh it off, his annoyance; his disappointment. He'd laugh and tell himself that it was pretty frustrating, huh. This repetitive routine he's stuck in. This rut that's dragging him down with it.
"He's probably still in Nagasaki." He sighs at Shoko. And, with a frown, he turns to her; wondering what she was playing at.
"What are you saying?!"
Suguru's sharp eyes nearly bulge out of its sockets. And his lips twist at the sides. And he fights back the disbelieving laugh escaping from the back of his throat.
"I'm right here!"
Suguru shook in laughter - at Shoko who was wearing Satoru's shades - a pair she must've swiped from his room -
"I'm Gojo Satoru - !!"
Suguru could only look up with an amused and horrified twist on his lips - at Shoko prancing around like their idiot classmate -
" - I'm the strongest guy you'll ever meet! - " Shoko huffed and puffed. Stomping around the place and mocking Satoru's bigheadedness -
"You're weak!"
"You gonna cry, Utahime?!"
Suguru clapped his hands and couldn't help but throw his head back in laughter -
"AAHHAHAH!" Suguru burst out laughing - Shoko was too good!!
"Ah," Shoko laughed with him and dropped to the seat beside him; slipping off Satoru's shades. "That was too tiring. How does that guy always act like that?" She scrunched her face in disbelief.
Beside her Suguru could only shake his head, wiping his happy tears and trying to calm down from his laughing.
"He's such trash." Suguru tells Shoko.
And Shoko was kind enough to remind him; with that quiet chuckle of hers he's always found so demeaning -
"You're trash too, you know."
Suguru loses the laugh on his face then. He can never tell if Shoko was joking. She's always called him trash, and stupid, and an idiot too. If anything, Satoru was the idiot; he thought with a sour frown.
"But," Shoko adds; her hazel eyes turning to him. "I like you both anyway." She laughs.
And Suguru finds himself sighing. And he leans back; arm to arm against Shoko as they sat on the bench out back.
"You're a good person, Shoko." He tells her out of the blue, so randomly.
"I know!" Shoko laughs, thinking he was playing around. "I'm way better than you and Satoru combined!!"
Beside her, Suguru only shakes his head. And his lips curl into a wry smile.
"You're not like me at all." He continues.
"I try to be good."
"I try to be kind."
"Because, I think I'm not."
Shoko's brows crease. And she turns to Suguru, confused by the grim turn of the tone of his voice.
"Actually," He laughs lightly. "I know I'm not."
And he turns to her, he turns to his classmate with a sincerity in his eyes; "You're an incredible woman, Shoko."
"I hope you know that." He smiles up at her.
"Ha!" Shoko laughed dryly. And Suguru turns to look up at her, his small wry smile lingering on his lips; his eyes, tired and dark. "If you said that to someone else, they'd think you liked them, you know!"
Suguru shakes his head. And his lips rest into a small smile.
"I like you, you know."
"Ha!" Shoko shook her head and looked at him all funny, like he was joking; like there was no other explanation other than him pulling her leg. "Falling for a classmate! Classic!"
Suguru just smiles and lets her laugh it off. Shoko had never been good with confrontation. She would always be quick to leave an uncomfortable situation; always first to duck away and hide.
"The next thing you know - you'll tell me Satoru likes Utahime!!" Shoko laughed her head off.
And beside her, again, Suguru keeps to himself. And he looks down and hides the small smile on his face.
"He does, you know."
"Ha!" Shoko shook her head and stood from her seat. "You say the worst jokes!!"
Suguru sighed. And, with his hair loose over his shoulders, with that small, tired smile, he tells his classmate;
"I'm not joking."
"Haha!" Shoko slaps his back and laughs off the weird tension in the air.
And Suguru;
He just smiles on his seat. He smiles and waves after her as she slowly escapes from him and this odd air that's been surrounding him since his failed mission with Tengen-sama's vessel.