The Strongest | ɢᴏᴊᴏ ꜱᴀᴛᴏʀᴜ

Chapter 29

I've not been summoned to Yaga's office until the next day comes. Shoko and I are running into him on our way to the cafeteria for breakfast, and he tells me he was just on his way to get me. I don't know how to react to that because why would he get me himself instead of sending someone for me? Am I in trouble? Now that I think about it, I haven't seen Gojo around since last night. I mean, we sometimes only see each other at breakfast, but I would have thought he would now make an effort to get to me before that.

"Then maybe you can tell me the truth about why you weren't at the hotel for dinner," Yaga says.

At first, I don't react, but then Shoko frowns and says, "You told me you were."

Yaga raises his eyebrows. "Funny. That's what you told me, too."

My face goes bright red and hot, and I wish I could vanish into thin air. It was nothing special, really, but now I'll have to somehow talk myself out of that. I don't want to have to explain what we did or what happened. Can't we just leave those memories untouched and unharmed? Untainted? Especially yesterday was so pure and real that I don't want to spoil it with explanations now. But what can I do? I'm not Gojo, I can't just defy orders from my boss and get away with it. Because I'm not the strongest. He is.

No matter what my feelings about this are, I follow Yaga into his office, leaving Shoko to have breakfast without me. She'll probably save me something if I don't make it in time. I wonder if she'll sit with Gojo. If he's there. Where else would he be? He wouldn't have gone to a mission without telling me, would he? I thought things had changed at least that much. But I figure I can never be too sure with him. He's a bipolar idiot and probably wouldn't even notice if he did something to hurt my feelings. Oh, no, there are no feelings involved. I won't let them be.

"So," Yaga says when he sits down and I do the same. "Will you at least tell me why you two weren't having dinner together as I ordered you to?"

I open my mouth to answer when I realize something and close it again. What does he mean by "you, at least?" What did Gojo tell him? Did he not tell him anything at all? Is that why he's coming to me? I have to try very hard to hold back a smile.

"I don't know what you mean, sir," I reply, playing dumb.

Yaga takes a deep breath. I know that breath, and I know that clench in his jaw. It's personally reserved for me and Gojo and our misbehavior. "You see, Satoru said the same thing. That's why I sent him to Kyoto last night to help out at our sister school for a few days until he remembers what I mean."

My eyes widen just a little. Kyoto? So Shoko won't be sitting with him at breakfast. He can't do this. Gojo just got home from a four-day mission that, for all Yaga knows, was very hard for him to do, and now he's sent away again? For a few days? What does that even mean? Will he spend the rest of the week there, then? There was no need to punish him like that. I know that Gojo is on missions all the time and that he hardly ever gets a break, but now that I actually seem to care about that, it just feels wrong.

"If I tell you, will he be able to come back?" I ask, hoping to be able to bargain with him. This isn't a secret. We weren't fighting, that's for sure, so Yaga should be happy to hear that. I'm just happy that Gojo also felt like where we were is no one's business but ours.

Yaga shakes his head. "He made his choice. Telling me will keep you from getting a punishment, too, though."

What kind of punishment could he have in store for me? It makes me hesitate for a moment. Do I really want to stick my neck out for something Gojo said or didn't say? Do I want to sacrifice my happy arrival back to keep safe what we shared yesterday? Is it really that important to me? It doesn't matter, really, if I tell anyone. We were eating sushi; it's not as if we were trying to kill each other or, even worse, having sex. But Gojo must have had a reason not to tell Yaga, and if there's one thing I learned this weekend, it's that I don't want to disappoint Gojo.

"I'm sorry, sir." My fingernails are digging into my palms as I'm balling my fists under the table. Yaga sighs. "I don't know what you're talking about."

There's a heavy, pressing silence for a few seconds in which I think I'm going to lose my job. I shouldn't have said that. It's the one rule I have: don't do anything for Gojo Satoru. Well, it's maybe not my one rule, but it's definitely a rule. I realize that it's a bit conflicting with the "don't disappoint Gojo Satoru" rule, but I'll make it work somehow.

"Fine. You took care of both missions I gave you, and the children are recovering well in the hospital. They'll be released tomorrow. As for the hotel bill..." Yaga raises an eyebrow, and I sit up straight. "I won't tolerate wasting money on things that aren't saving lives," he tells me. "Unfortunately, you two are saving lives, and you are a big part of the Jujutsu community."

Gojo more so than me, but okay.

"What you must surely know is that I can not fire Satoru no matter how much I would want it," Yaga says. I nod. "So if anyone ever reports any antics between you two that's disturbing the workplace, it will be your job on the line, not his. Do you understand that?"

My heart is beating fast, but I force myself to nod again. Of course, I knew that. Of course, he and the elders can't afford to lose their strongest sorcerer just because he doesn't get along with someone. I'm sure there's been many times when Yaga wished he could just get rid of that annoying thorn in his eye. But Gojo's strength and skill will always outweigh the bad he does. They need him. They don't need me.

My boss leans back in his chair and sighs again. He looks so exhausted, and I'm really sorry that we keep doing this to him. It's my first day back, and he's right back where he was before. "I was, however, positively surprised when Satoru asked to go to his room before he would leave for Kyoto. Surely, he didn't need to. He still had his bag over his shoulder."

I look up at him. There's this suggestive half-smile on his face, and I frown even though I really want to smile. So Gojo wanted to tell me he had to leave. Or maybe I'm just paranoid again. "Listen, sir. I've given up trying to guess what that fool is thinking a long time ago."

I think I should start counting how many times I can make the principal sigh for the remainder of this very strange interview. Interrogation? "You'll be cleaning Shoko's medical wing every evening for the rest of the week, and I want you to do all of your missions on your own and help out Nanami whenever he needs it."

I let out a breath and nod. That definitely could have gone worse. That's what I also tell Shoko when I leave the office to find her waiting for me. She hands me a sandwich, and while we walk, I tell her what just happened.

"So that's why he wasn't at breakfast," she says when I tell her about Gojo's punishment. "And I thought it's because he didn't want to see you."

My eyes flare before she starts to laugh. "That's not funny," I grumble.

"Maybe a little," Shoko admits. "And you'll be helping me with the cleaning? That's great!"

"Yes," I say. "It is. I'm mainly worried about having to do my missions on my own."

Shoko stops. "He said that?" I stop, too, and nod wordlessly. "He can't do that. You can never know what happens. What was he thinking?"

"It's fine," I assure her and push her to keep walking. "I'll be fine. I don't get as many missions anyway because I'm teaching the students for the most part, so whatever he throws at me, I can handle. And I'm sure he won't just send me somewhere he knows is too much for me. He told me to help out Nanami, too, so maybe he'll give the more dangerous missions to him."

Shoko sighs. I'm really good at that today, apparently. We head to the classrooms where she leaves me and goes to her own workplace. I slide open the door to find my two students already seated and making out. This is going to be another fun hour.