Weight

In the last week of October, Suguru Geto's name appeared in Jujutsu High's monthly evaluation report.

It wasn't because he had done anything out of line. Quite the opposite: he had done too well. The Grade 1 Cursed Spirit mission in Ichihara had taken less than four hours from the initial report to completion, including the drive there and back. The field assessment read: "The cursed spirit was completely eliminated. No casualties or collateral damage. Special Grade Sorcerer Suguru Geto's performance was beyond reproach."

Beyond reproach.

Those words sat on Masamichi Yaga's desk for an entire day. As he studied the report, his eyes lingering on the name "Suguru Geto," deep furrows formed between his brows.

He had known Suguru Geto for three years. The boy had never been the "beyond reproach" type. He had moods, ups and downs, moments when no one could read him. But over the past few months, especially since the Zama mission, Suguru Geto had changed. He had grown quieter, calmer, less like a seventeen-year-old boy.

Masamichi Yaga picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Shoko, come to my office."

Five minutes later, Shoko Ieiri pushed the door open with an unlit cigarette between her lips. She glanced at Yaga and sat down.

"What is it, Mr. Yaga?"

"Suguru Geto." Yaga slid the report toward her. "How much do you know about his physical condition lately?"

Shoko fell silent for a few seconds, then took the cigarette from her lips and tapped it against the ashtray, even though she hadn't lit it.

"There's something foreign in his cursed energy core," she said, her tone as flat as if she were describing the weather. "It's been there since the Zama mission. I've checked every source I could find. There are no similar cases."

"Does Satoru Gojo know?"

"Yes. His Six Eyes can see it more clearly than I can."

"What did he say?"

Shoko raised her head and met Yaga's eyes.

"He said it looks like a shattered mirror, with light seeping through the cracks."

The air in the office froze for a few seconds.

Masamichi Yaga took off his glasses and slowly wiped the lenses with a cleaning cloth. He only did that when he was thinking about something very serious.

"Shoko," he said, "in your judgment, what effect is that thing having on Suguru Geto?"

Shoko was silent for a long time.

"It's too early to say," she finally said. "But there's one thing I'm certain of. It's growing. And it absorbs cursed energy. Every time Suguru Geto swallows a Cursed Spirit Orb, it absorbs some of the cursed energy and grows a little."

"What happens if we don't stop it?"

"I don't know." Shoko's voice grew quieter. "Maybe it'll dissipate on its own. Maybe it'll merge with Suguru Geto. Maybe it'll eat away at him from the inside. I don't have an answer."

Masamichi Yaga put his glasses back on and looked out the window.

"Keep observing him," he said. "Report any changes immediately."

Shoko nodded, stood up, and headed for the door.

At the doorway, she stopped.

"Mr. Yaga," she said without turning around, "Suguru Geto knows that thing is growing. He knows it's eating away at him. But he hasn't said a word. He goes to class, takes missions, and bickers with Satoru Gojo, just like always. As if nothing has happened."

"What do you think is going through his mind?"

Shoko fell silent for a few seconds.

"I think he's waiting," she said. "For an outcome. Good or bad."

Then she left.

The door closed softly behind her, leaving Masamichi Yaga alone in his office.

At that same moment, Suguru Geto was on the hill behind the school.

He had been coming here more and more often lately. It was quiet, and no one was around. He could be alone without having to pretend nothing had happened.

"Geto!"

Yu Haibara's voice drifted up from below. Suguru Geto opened his eyes and saw him running up the slope with two bottles of soda in his hands. His steps were steadier than they had been a few weeks ago, his breathing more even.

"Haibara." Suguru Geto accepted a bottle. "Finished training?"

"All done!" Haibara sat down beside him, twisted open his own drink, and took a long gulp. "Nanami timed me. I did it five times in a row today, and I held it for over ten minutes every time!"

"Not bad."

Haibara grinned, but the smile didn't last long. As he watched Suguru Geto, his expression slowly grew serious.

"Geto," he said, "have you been feeling unwell lately?"

Suguru Geto glanced at him. "What makes you ask?"

Haibara scratched his head. "Because you look really tired. Like you're carrying something heavy all the time."

Suguru Geto fell silent for a few seconds.

Yu Haibara was more perceptive than he had realized. Perhaps it was because they trained together every morning. Perhaps Haibara was simply better than most at noticing other people's feelings. This boy who was always smiling didn't smile because he couldn't see pain. He smiled because that was how he chose to face it.

"Haibara," Suguru Geto said, "if one day you found something else living inside your body, something you knew absolutely nothing about, what would you do?"

Haibara froze for a moment.

He didn't answer right away. He lowered his head and looked at the bottle in his hands, staying quiet for so long that Suguru Geto thought he wasn't going to answer.

Then he spoke.

"I'd find out what it was first," Haibara said. "Then, if it was good for me, I'd keep it. If it was bad for me, I'd find a way to drive it out."

"What if you couldn't?"

"Then I'd live with it." Haibara looked up and met Suguru Geto's eyes. "As long as I'm still here, as long as I'm still me, it's just one part of my body. Not all of me."

Suguru Geto watched him for a long time.

Yu Haibara's eyes were bright, so bright they made him want to believe in him, to believe what he said.

"Thank you, Haibara," Suguru Geto said.

Haibara smiled. Though his smile hadn't quite regained its old brightness, at least it no longer seemed so fragile that a gust of wind might carry it away.

"Geto," he said, "you saved my life. So whatever's inside you, I'll be on your side."

Suguru Geto's throat tightened.

He said nothing, only reached out and gave Yu Haibara a pat on the head. The gesture was light and brief, but Haibara felt its weight. Rather than duck away, Yu Haibara lowered his head a little.

He thought back to Haibara's words: As long as I'm still here, as long as I'm still me.

That was the problem.

If that thing kept growing, if it kept devouring his cursed energy, if it eventually replaced his heart, would "he" still be "him"?

He didn't know.