A day

Suguru Geto slept until he woke naturally.

He checked his phone. Nine forty-seven in the morning.

No unread messages.

He got out of bed, washed his face, brushed his teeth, got dressed, and left the dorm.

At this hour, those who had classes were already in class, those who had missions were already out on missions, and those who were supposed to be sleeping were still asleep.

Shoko was the only person in the cafeteria.

She sat by the window, a cup of coffee that had already gone cold and an open medical textbook in front of her. When she saw Suguru Geto come in, she did not greet him. She only shifted her coffee cup aside, making room for him across from her.

Suguru Geto got his food from the serving counter. Breakfast was plain rice porridge, a fried egg, and a small grilled fish. He carried his tray over and sat across from Shoko, unwrapped his chopsticks, and pressed his palms together. "Thank you for the food."

Shoko turned a page and took a sip of cold coffee without looking at him.

"Where's Satoru?" Suguru Geto asked.

"He got called away," Shoko said.

"When?"

"This morning. Yaga came to get him. Said someone from the Association was here and wanted him to come over." Shoko's tone was flat, as if she were commenting on the nice weather. "He bumped into that light in the hallway on his way out. The bulb started flickering."

Suguru Geto remembered the broken light at the end of the hallway. So Satoru Gojo had bumped into it.

"When will he be back?"

"I don't know." Shoko finally raised her head and glanced at him. "He didn't say. Did you need him?"

Suguru Geto picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and chewed.

"No."

Shoko gave him another look but did not press him. She lowered her head and went back to her book, turning one page, then another. Suguru Geto ate his breakfast slowly. The porridge was hot, so he blew on it and took a small sip. The fried egg was soft in the middle. He pierced it with his chopsticks, and golden yolk spilled out, seeping into the porridge.

There was no one else in the cafeteria. The cafeteria lady was doing something in the kitchen. He could hear running water and the clatter of dishes.

After finishing breakfast, Suguru Geto carried his tray to the return counter. On his way back, he paused beside Shoko.

"That light," he said. "Has someone been called to fix it?"

"Yes," Shoko said. "They're coming tomorrow."

Suguru Geto nodded and left the cafeteria.

The morning passed slowly.

Suguru Geto walked around campus. A few first-year students were training on the field, running, jumping, and throwing punches. Their movements were still awkward, but he could already make out traces of cursed energy flowing through them. He stood at the edge of the field and watched for a while without approaching. He did not know those students, and they did not know him. It was not indifference. Their paths simply had not crossed.

He reached the library entrance, pushed the door open, and went inside.

The library was empty. The books on the shelves were as untidy as ever. He stayed there for about an hour. He did not read. He only sat. He sat by the window, sunlight falling through it onto his hands, his knees, and the empty tabletop in front of him.

Then he stood and left the library.

At noon, Suguru Geto went to the infirmary.

Shoko was there, with a fresh cup of coffee and a different medical textbook in front of her. When she saw Suguru Geto come in, she did not lift her head. She only pointed to the chair beside her.

Suguru Geto sat down.

"Need something?" Shoko asked.

"No."

"Then why are you here?"

Suguru Geto thought for a moment.

"To sit for a while."

Shoko turned a page and did not tell him to leave.

The infirmary was quiet. The plant Shoko had bought the previous month sat on the windowsill, sporting two new leaves. They were pale green and small, but full of life. Sunlight shone on them, making their veins clearly visible. Suguru Geto watched the potted plant for a long time.

"Shoko."

"What?"

"How long have you had that plant?"

Shoko raised her head, glanced at the plant, and thought for a moment.

"Three weeks."

"Is it easy to take care of?"

"It hasn't died yet," Shoko said. "It's doing better than the last one."

Suguru Geto smiled.

Shoko did not smile, but she began turning the pages a little more slowly.

At two in the afternoon, Suguru Geto went to the rooftop.

No one was there. The wind was strong, constantly blowing his hair against his face. He leaned against the railing and watched the sunlight on the field. A few students were running below, moving slowly, as if they had been at it for a long time. He recognized one of them. Yu Haibara was leading the group.

Suguru Geto watched Haibara run one lap, then two, then three. On the fourth, Haibara stopped and bent over, bracing his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath. Then he straightened and waved toward a window in the classroom building. Suguru Geto followed the direction of his wave and saw the infirmary window. It was open. Shoko stood beside it with a coffee cup in her hand. She nodded to Haibara, then turned and went back inside.

Suguru Geto drew his gaze back and continued watching the field.

The wind grew stronger, lifting fallen leaves from the rooftop. They spun a few times in the air, settled, then rose and fell again. He leaned against the railing, listening to the wind and his own heartbeat. The echo was gone. His heartbeat was only his heartbeat now, with no other sound overlapping it. He felt as though it had grown quieter. It was like a door closing and the sounds inside a room suddenly becoming clear. There had been so much background noise. It had been there all along. You had simply grown used to it, so you could no longer hear it.

Now he heard it.

The wind, the rustle of leaves, distant shouts from the field, footsteps in the hallway below. Every sound had become clear, so clear that he was not quite used to it.

He stood there for a long time.

At four in the afternoon, Satoru Gojo still had not returned.

Suguru Geto came down from the rooftop and walked along the hallway, past the light that was still flickering. Bright, dark. Bright, dark. He stood beneath it and looked up for a while, then kept walking.

He reached the school gates and stood there for a while.

The road outside led down the mountain. Trees swayed on either side of it, their leaves rustling in the wind. No cars approached, and no one came walking up. He watched for a while, then turned and headed back.

Toward evening, Suguru Geto went to the cafeteria.

There were only a few people inside. Yu Haibara sat in a corner with a plate of curry rice, adding fukujinzuke pickles to it. When he saw Suguru Geto, he waved him over. Suguru Geto got the same curry rice and carried it over to sit across from Haibara.

"Is Gojo not here today?" Haibara asked.

"He got called away."

"Oh." Haibara did not ask anything else. He lowered his head and started eating.

Suguru Geto lowered his head and ate too. The curry tasted the same as always, mild and on the sweet side, with carrots and potatoes in it. Haibara ate quickly, finishing half his plate in a few mouthfuls before slowing down to eat the rest.

"Geto," Haibara said suddenly, "have you lost weight lately?"

Suguru Geto looked at his own arms.

"Have I?"

"You have," Haibara said. "Your face looks thinner too."

Suguru Geto picked up a piece of carrot and put it in his mouth.

"Maybe."

"You should eat more," Haibara said earnestly. "Jujutsu sorcerers burn through a lot of energy. Especially someone as strong as you. You won't hold up if you don't eat enough."

Suguru Geto looked at his earnest face and smiled.

"All right," Suguru Geto said.

After dinner, Suguru Geto helped Haibara carry his tray to the return counter, then the two of them left the cafeteria together. The hallway lights were on, but the broken one was still flickering.

"That light's been flickering for days," Haibara said.

"Someone's coming to fix it tomorrow," Suguru Geto said.

"That's good," Haibara said. "The flickering makes my eyes hurt."

They parted where the hallway branched. Haibara headed back to the dorm, while Suguru Geto continued on. He reached the school gates and stood there again for a while. It was nearly dark.

He turned and headed back.

When he reached the flickering light, he stopped and raised his head, watching the bulb struggle to shine, then struggle to go dark. Its rhythm was steady: three seconds on, two seconds off, three seconds on, two seconds off. Suguru Geto watched for a while, then kept walking.

Back at the dorm, he pushed his door open, went inside, and closed it. He did not turn on the light. He went straight to the window and opened it.

Then he heard footsteps in the hallway.

Soft, but familiar. One step, two, three. Drawing closer. They paused outside his door, then continued on. Farther and farther away, until he could no longer hear them.