Chapter Text
On the second day after entering the Tokyo Jujutsu High, Itadori Yuuji realizes that Gojō Satoru is married.
The ring is visible on his finger, and his teacher does nothing to hide it. He continues his lessons as if nothing ever happened, and neither Kugisaki nor Fushiguro pays any attention.
Yuuji raises his hand.
“Sensei!” he speaks up, interrupting the class.
“Yes, Yuuji?”
“Does this ring mean you are married?”
For a moment there is silence in the room. Fushiguro buries his head in his hands, as if he doesn't want to hear the answer. Kugisaki freezes as well as turns toward their teacher, as if she is about to say something. Gojō remains silent for a moment, then raises a finger to his lips.
“Who knows?”
“I knew it was like that!” Kugisaki rises from her chair and extends an accusing finger in his direction. “I said it from the very beginning!”
“Really?” Yuuji glances at her.
“Exactly,” Kugisaki nods. “I knew something was up, but Gojō-sensei wouldn't tell me anything!”
“Really?” Yuuji turns toward his teacher. “Who was crazy enough to marry you?”
“Now I feel very hurt,” Gojō paws at his chest with clear exaggeration. “Are you aware of how many people would like me to at least look at them? I am quite popular.”
“Popular?” Kugisaki can't believe it. “How? By what miracle?”
“Could we continue the lesson?” Fushiguro speaks up. “If you want to pester him about this kind of thing, do it when I'm not around. Please. I don't want to hear it.”
“I feel even more hurt, Megumi,” Gojō speaks up.
“Heard and ignored. Let's go back to the lesson. Please.”
Despite Yuuji and Kugisaki's insistence, they fail to find out who their teacher's mysterious wife (or husband, Kugisaki adds) is. Gojō avoids answering the question, eventually telling them that if it makes them so curious, they can find out for themselves.
“What if he's only doing it because he's lonely and wants to feel loved?” ponders Yuuji later. “You know, he's not really married, but would like to be? He's not young anymore, after all, is he?”
How old is Gojō, in fact? He looks young, but Yuuji knows that his teacher a teenager is not.
“Perhaps,” mutters Kugisaki. They are having this conversation just the two of them. Fushiguro refused to take part in it. His loss. “I took something like that into consideration. Well, because, let's face it, who would want to get involved with someone like Gojō?”
Gojō is irresponsible, childish, and unpredictable. At the same time, he is someone Yuuji trusts more than anyone else. Gojō is powerful and strong and does not break his word once made.
Yuuji owes him his life.
“I don't know,” says Yuuji. “Has he worn this ring before?”
“I think so. I think the moment I first met him. Then he took it off. And he put it on again.”
“Hm.” Yuuji thinks about what he heard. “Maybe they had a fight? He and his wife.”
“Or the husband. I'm telling you, he's gay. I'm almost absolutely sure of it. Do you see his outfit? That blindfold?”
“He didn't have it today thought.”
Today Gojō was wearing such dark glasses that you couldn't see his eyes. When Yuuji first saw him, he thought Gojō was blind-until Yuuji realized that Gojō could see just fine as well as having no trouble reading.
“I'm telling you, Gojō has a male partner!” Kugisaki leans toward him. “I have an idea. You can help me find out who they are.”
“Why me?”
“Because Fushiguro is completely useless.”
The aforementioned teenager is not even around. Yuuji doesn't have to think long. He squeezes Kugisaki's outstretched hand.
“Fine” he says. “Let me help you. We will find out who Gojō-sensei's mysterious partner is.”
“I count on a successful cooperation, Itadori,” Kugisaki smiles at him.
“Yuuji,” he corrects her. “If we're going to be partners, you might as well call me by my first name.”
The smile on Kugisaki's face becomes even wider.
That day, Kugisaki becomes Nobara, and Itadori becomes Yuuji.
The same day Yuuji and Nobara start their mission to find Gojō’s partner.
Yuuji and Nobara spend the next few days trying to find out more about their teacher and the person crazy enough to want to be with him. June turns into July, and they still don't learn anything more. They are still standing in the same place.
And then Yuuji dies.
Which is Sukuna's fault, by the way. It's not like Yuuji wanted to die, okey?
When he wakes up, he realizes that he is alive after all. He doesn't remember exactly what happened, but apparently, however, Sukuna wanted Yuuji to live even longer.
He finds himself in the morgue. Yuuji looks around and...
“Woah,” he says. “I'm completely naked.”
“Go-Gojō-san!” Ijichi is shocked.
“Ijichi, be quiet,” Gojō asks him.
“I'm a bit disappointed,” a woman unknown to Yuuji speaks up.
She's wearing a white doctor's coat, and her eyes are blacked out, as if she's lacking sleep. She must be slightly older than Yuuji, probably Gojō's age. The doctor looks at him with curiosity, though her face remains calm. This is the face of someone who has seen so much that few things can surprise him.
“Forgive me for asking, but who are you?”
“Yuuji!” Before the woman has time to answer, Gojō is already beside him. “Welcome back!”
There is a wide smile on his face. His teacher is not surprised that Yuuji is alive (not like poor Ijichi, who almost fainted).
“Yeah!” Yuuji also smiles at him. “I'm back!”
They high-five each other. Before Yuuji can ask any questions, a cloak falls over his body.
“I appreciate the fact that you're alive, but you could get dressed,” the woman speaks up. “I may deal with bodies on a daily basis, but if I'm going to look at someone, I prefer it when those are dead or my age.”
“Shōko! Don't kill my student yet!” opposes Gojō.
“I'm not killing him. Not anymore. I mean, I've declared death before, but apparently, I'll have to change that,” the woman sighs heavily. “You owe me a pack of cigarettes and good wine, Satoru.”
“For what? For the fact that my student survived after all?”
“For the fact that there is always trouble with you,” the woman sighs once again. “Forgive me, Itadori-kun, for having to deal with this idiot.”
“Oi!”
“My name is Ieiri Shōko,” the woman sends him a bit-tired smile. “I am the local medic. It's good to know that you're alive after all, Itadori-kun. I suggest that you don't move for a while. I need to check that everything is working properly.”
Yuuji dresses quickly. Ijichi leaves, saying he has to take care of something. Yuuji has a suspicion that the man needs a long rest.
Shōko asks him a dozen questions, jotting down something in her notebook. She asks him to try moving his arm, then his leg. She makes him stand up, then run a piece. After several minutes, she concludes that for the moment Yuuji is alive and that it's unlikely anything serious should be wrong with him.
“Sukuna has healed you,” she says. “From a certain point of view, you were lucky. And now you'll have to forgive me, but I really need to smoke. I've spent too much time in the morgue and it's probably time to get out of it.”
Shōko stops at the door.
“That's right, Satoru,” she speaks up when Yuuji takes a few swings with his arm in an attempt. His arm doesn't fly off. Good. “I almost forgot. Saturday's crêpes date is still on?”
Wait, wait, what?
“Yep,” says Gojō in a light tone. “The girls are looking forward to it. They've been pestering me about it for a week now.”
“Will there be just the five of us?” Shōko makes sure.
“Yep,” confirms Gojō.
“Your son not coming?”
“Still trying to pretend we don't know each other,” Gojō sighs heavily. “Teenagers are difficult.”
“Whatever you have done to deserve this cold treatment, you certainly deserve it. Anyway, remember, you're the one paying,” Shōko raises her hand in farewell.
In the pale light of the artificial lamps on her finger something shines. A ring, previously hidden by white gloves.
A ring on which finger means someone is married?? Which hand? Left of right? Yuuji can't remember it.
He should have paid more attention to what his grandfather was saying.
I know who Gojō's mysterious wife is! he writes as he reaches his cell phone. It’s Ieiri Shōko. I met her today. She wears a ring on her finger.
The same one as Gojō's? Nobara writes back almost immediately.
I think so. But I didn't look closely.
Nobara does not write back immediately, probably calling him idiots in her mind.
But, adds Yuuji quickly, I have more evidence! They are going on a date! She, Gojō -sensei and some three girls who are probably their daughters!
This idiot has children?!
Apparently, he does. Shōko-san called them “girls”, so I don’t think they’re very old. And she definitely called it a date. So, she is Gojō’s wife. Oh, and she said that Gojō has a son.
I heard about her earlier, Nobara writes back. She was in the same class as Gojō. And, if I'm not mistaken, I think I saw her picture somewhere before.
See?! The riddle solved!
Although Shōko and Gojō-sensei didn't hug and kiss in front of him, Yuuji is almost certain that he has found his wife. The only thing he doesn't like about it is Shōko's personality. The woman seems like someone who wouldn't fall in love with such a crazy person as his teacher... but as they say, love doesn't choose, right?
By the way, Itadori...
Hm?
Weren't you supposed to be dead?
Yuuji freezes.
He forgot to tell her that. And he forgot that Gojō-sensei had forbidden him to tell others that he was alive.
Oops?