By the time the car returned to the city, the setting sun had already sunk behind the buildings.
Okkotsu sat in the passenger seat, his back still rigid, his fingertips repeatedly rubbing the seam of his uniform trousers. The clash of fists from earlier kept replaying in his mind.
Was this what it meant to be strong?
What if... what if I could have that kind of power too?
The moment that thought surfaced, it was like a spark landing on dry tinder.
He did not want to become powerful so he could fight. He wanted to control Rika's surging curse, to pull her back when she lost control.
He wanted to never again have to watch her bare her fangs and claws to shield him from everything, and never again let anyone get hurt because of them.
He watched Qingxiao, his eyes holding nothing but a clumsy yet resolute longing.
"Stop tensing up." Qingxiao glanced at him. "We'll be spending plenty of time together."
"Exactly!" Satoru Gojo leaned forward from the back seat, speaking indistinctly around a lollipop:
"Let's fill our stomachs first! That ramen place in the alley is amazing. The pork slices are thick enough to hide your face!"
Okkotsu snapped out of his thoughts and hurriedly answered, "Oh, oh, okay."
The car stopped outside a little shop deep in an old alley. As they lifted the curtain and stepped inside, warm, savory aromas washed over them.
The owner was clearly familiar with the two of them. Before they could speak, he served three bowls of tonkotsu ramen, giving Qingxiao a double helping of sliced pork.
Without a word, Qingxiao moved the soft-boiled egg from his bowl into Okkotsu's.
Okkotsu froze for a moment, murmured his thanks, then lowered his head and dug into his noodles.
Nobody