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Chapter 12: Understanding and Weirdness

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Fuwa Yozora didn't feel like clapping back. Under Yaga Masamichi’s lead, they arrived at the Jujutsu High medical wing.

Inside the infirmary, she spotted Ieiri Shoko in a white lab coat and greeted her politely.

"Hello, Ieiri-san."

Ieiri Shoko was a bit surprised by the group. Seeing the cursed energy erosion on Fuwa Yozora, she threw a deadpan insult Geto Suguru’s way.

"Scumbag."

Geto Suguru just shrugged.

"She's a non-sorcerer, it is what it is."

As soon as he finished, Yaga Masamichi grabbed him by the collar and hauled him out.

Only the two girls remained in the infirmary. The faint scent of disinfectant wasn't too overpowering. Ieiri Shoko told Fuwa Yozora to take off her outer layer so she could check if any other spots were eroded.

"Suguru was a bit too hyper today, don't take it to heart."

Ieiri Shoko was a real one; even though she called her classmate a scumbag 24/7, she knew he wasn't actually a bad person.

"Too hyper?"

"Yeah. Ever since Haibara died, his vibes have been totally off. He doesn't say anything, but it’s weird."

Fuwa Yozora sat quietly on the clinic bed, feeling Ieiri Shoko expertly treating the wounds.

"Who was Haibara?"

"Suguru didn't tell you? He was an underclassman, a year below us. He died in the line of duty."

Fuwa Yozora went silent. This was the person Geto Suguru had mentioned before; it seemed he really had been through it.

Even as a mafia member, the number of minors she’d seen dying wasn't as high as one might think. The Sanyei-gumi didn't hire child labor, and the high school branch was just an organization that didn't participate in the actual business.

So, finding out that sorcerers went on missions and faced death starting from high school was a bit of a shock.

She had personally felt the touch of death at the hands of a cursed spirit, so she understood exactly how high the mortality rate was.

Did the numbers over Geto Suguru’s head mean he was going to die on a mission, too?

And was this mission somehow linked to her father?

"Is Geto a really powerful sorcerer? Is he... also likely to die easily?"

Hearing this, Ieiri Shoko actually let out a relaxed laugh.

"My classmates are scumbags, but I'm not worried about them dying easily on a mission."

"You might have known Suguru for a long time, but you might not realize his power scaling in the jujutsu world. Currently, there are only three known Special Grade sorcerers alive, and Suguru is one of them."

"He's literally a one-in-a-million existence. So, you don't need to be that worried about his safety."

Fuwa Yozora expected Geto Suguru to be strong, but she didn't realize his reputation in the jujutsu world was that cracked.

Then why would a guy like that die so young?

Seeing Fuwa Yozora fall silent, Ieiri Shoko assumed she was just worried about Geto Suguru.

She decided to switch topics to lighten the mood.

"So, what did Suguru take you to do just now? He didn't use a cursed spirit to jump-scare you, did he?"

The partnership between Fuwa Yozora and Geto Suguru was lowkey a secret, so she started capping with a straight face.

"Yeah. Since I'm just a normal person, maybe Geto wanted to use that method to draw a line between us?"

Ieiri Shoko almost choked. Looking at Fuwa Yozora’s gorgeous face, she never would have guessed the girl was such a persistent type.

"You're really... invested in Suguru?"

Ieiri Shoko swapped the word "crushing" for "invested" at the last second. She felt her scumbag classmate was being a bit ungrateful.

Fuwa Yozora just nodded naturally.

Of course she was invested. That man held her dad’s life in his hands.

This time, it was Ieiri Shoko who went silent.

Ieiri Shoko didn't use much medicine for the treatment. Aside from some rubbing alcohol for disinfection, she just placed her hand over the eroded area.

A warm current surged into Fuwa Yozora’s skin, but she couldn't see anything with the naked eye.

She remembered Geto Suguru saying Ieiri Shoko was cracked at healing.

"It feels like you guys are mages in an anime, specializing in combat or healing. I didn't think stuff like this actually existed in the real world."

Fuwa Yozora’s take amused Ieiri Shoko. Their existence was basically top-secret to the public.

They worked with the government, and the government would manipulate the media to redirect attention. After all, talk of ghosts and monsters would just cause mass hysteria.

This was the first time Ieiri Shoko had heard an opinion from a "monkey"—a normal person.

"Does it scare you?"

Fuwa Yozora thought about it for a bit and then shook her head honestly.

"I think it’s actually pretty interesting."

As expected of Geto Suguru’s childhood friend—she was built different in certain ways.

Ieiri Shoko finished treating the last bit of erosion and patted Fuwa Yozora’s shoulder.

"Standard for Suguru's childhood friend. Your showing up actually put him in a better mood. Come hang out more often."

There was a misunderstanding there, but Fuwa Yozora didn't bother to clear it up.

She politely thanked Ieiri Shoko. When she walked out, she saw Geto Suguru leaning against the hallway window, looking at who-knows-what.

It might have been an illusion, but Fuwa Yozora noticed a bump on Geto Suguru’s head, like he’d been smacked by something.

"Can you tell me how to get to the main gate?"

Hearing her voice, Geto Suguru turned to look at her. As he moved, white smoke trailed in the wind; looks like he was smoking.

"Sensei told me to walk you back. He also told me to apologize."

"No need for an apology. I’m the one who came looking for you on my own."

Fuwa Yozora’s level-headedness suddenly made Geto Suguru feel like the whole thing was a bit mid.

But the girl continued.

"Ieiri-san said you’re super strong. I think you could have totally kept me from getting hurt. Next time, cut the corny pranks. I’m hoping we can have a slightly more friendly partnership."

Friendly. A monkey was talking to him about being friendly.

Geto Suguru crushed the cigarette between his fingers. His fox-like eyes curved into a dangerous, alluring arc as he stepped toward Fuwa Yozora, one pace at a time.

Pinning the girl against the hallway wall, Geto Suguru looked down at her.

"Who are you to set conditions with me? if you're not feeling it, we can just cancel the collab."

Fuwa Yozora looked up, her pale violet eyes showing zero fear.

"Then please throw up that curse ball first."

"?"

"That was the down payment. Don’t tell me you’ve already unsummoned it. I can’t see spirits, but I can see that ball. If you throw it up so I can take it back, we can cancel. Taking my deposit and then trying to quiet-quit—who do you think you are?"

The atmosphere was tense. Geto Suguru felt the stinging burn on his fingertips. His eyes were cold enough to kill, but in the next second, they overflowed with amusement.

"Fuwa, I actually can't with you. What kind of freak are you, seriously?"

Nothing special, the Mafia Heiress just doesn't let people play her.

Geto Suguru really needed that spirit, and he couldn't exactly turn a spirit back into a ball and vomit it up. So, he had to take the L and compromise.

Yeah, that was the only reason.

"Can you take me to the gate now?"

Geto Suguru didn't answer immediately. He just reached out a finger to brush away a strand of hair from the girl trapped in his arms, checking her snow-white neck to make sure no scars were left.

"Shoko’s cracked, for real. Top-tier healing."

Fuwa Yozora felt the gesture was a bit too "close," so she raised her hand to push against his chest.

Being touched by this guy... didn't seem as annoying as she thought it’d be.

Geto Suguru suddenly felt a bit pressed. He stepped back, releasing her, and led the way toward the stairs.

The summer sun was bright, making the medical wing hallway look vivid.

But as Fuwa Yozora watched Geto Suguru’s back, she couldn't help but feel it looked lonely and tragic.

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· Genuine translation/MTL can be found only in OchatimesBlogspotCom, Ochatimes' FanFictionNet, or Ochatimes' Wattpad
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