Chapter 37

Life is currently, in a word, perfect.

After being inexplicably dragged into hugs by Gojo Satoru even in his sleep, Takizawa Sei realized that their dynamic was heating up rapidly—it seemed even more intense than during their most intimate times in the past!

Incidentally, that same night, Takizawa discovered that Gojo had read his memoir. His howl was truly miserable. "You read it?! This thing is so embarrassing—"

Gojo Satoru remained righteous, spreading out the manuscript and pointing to a specific sentence, declaring right to Takizawa's face, "How could these things be more embarrassing than the things you say to me on a daily basis..."

"That's different! Writing it down is different!"

"How is it different? How?"

"It's just, it's..."

Takizawa choked on his words.

After a long pause, he dodged the gaze of those beautiful blue eyes and stammered, "It’s just... the things I say to you normally, I want you to hear, and I say them voluntarily. These... I never intended for you to see them..."

"You didn't intend for me to see them?! Then you let the 'oranges' see them—!"

"Isn't that why I'm still editing it...?" Takizawa rubbed his nose. "I’m not a writer; how would I know what to put in a book?"

Gojo looked back at the manuscript. "So, which parts were you hiding from me?"

Takizawa snatched it away. "Well, you’ve seen it all now. Spare me... this thing was supposed to be a ledger, but I ended up turning it into an emotional record." He soothed the grumbling cat he had just tossed aside, muttering to himself, "Thank goodness I only wrote up to age fourteen..."

"And what about after you turned fourteen?"

"After fourteen, there are a lot of things I didn't want you to know," Takizawa said gloomily. "But you can probably guess."

"That would be when you were frequently assigned missions by the higher-ups, even sneaking out at night, wouldn't it?" Gojo, as expected, looked like he knew exactly what was going on.

Takizawa sighed and patted his shoulder. "Mission memoirs are dry enough as it is. Get some sleep; look at what time it is. Staying up late will make you ugly, you know."

Gojo didn't dwell on that topic, instead becoming intrigued by the idea of becoming ugly. "But we stay up late every single day~"

Ever since Takizawa returned, his sleep had been dwindling day by day. Falling asleep on the sofa earlier had been a product of the atmosphere, but now, he was wide awake.

"Yes, yes, the great Master Gojo remains extraordinarily handsome and dashing, still as youthful as he was at eighteen, even though he's pushing thirty."

"My face at eighteen was a bit too babyish compared to now. I’ve clearly matured. You’re the one, Sei, who hasn't changed a bit."

Takizawa paused.

"That's true..."

He glanced back and smiled lightly. "I will be twenty forever."

***

Utahime and Mei Mei sent their regards; they were both doing well. What surprised Takizawa even more was that Haibara was no longer a jujutsu sorcerer. Even so, having heard the news of his return from Nanami, Haibara had made a special trip from his hometown.

The dark-haired young man remained as full of life as ever. "Takizawa-senpai! You really look so young—"

His straightforward personality seemed unchanged. Takizawa embraced him with delight. "Hahaha... You, on the other hand, look much more mature. What kind of hairstyle is that!"

"It's a salaryman's slicked-back look!" Haibara said loudly. "I feel like it makes me look mature and reliable!"

"Hahahaha..."

They shared many common traits, and their presence together always became rowdy. Haibara Yu never tended to overthink things. Upon hearing that Takizawa had returned as a "curse," his first reaction was that it was amazing, that Gojo-senpai was amazing, and that it was wonderful. Thus, he was the quickest to accept Takizawa, and their interaction felt no different than in the past.

He showed off a scar from a near-fatal incident. "My mom cried for three days because of that. She was so worried, and her health isn't great, so I went back home to take care of her." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "But I do pick up some low-level exorcism missions on the side for extra cash."

Nanami Kento sat to the side, pouring a cup of tea for Takizawa. "I actually stopped being a sorcerer for a while, too."

"Why did you come back?"

"Because I realized it’s the same everywhere."

"Haha... I feel the same way," Takizawa said, resting his head on his hand. His gaze drifted toward the window; the noon sun was warm, but it couldn't dispel the winter chill. "Because it's the same everywhere, I choose to stay by the side of the one I love."

Nanami’s movement with the tea stopped, as if he had heard something nostalgic yet still capable of making his skin crawl.

He couldn't help but recall those two seniors from his youth who were always attached at the hip, "pouring their hearts out" to each other, having completely abandoned any sense of reserve or subtlety.

"Takizawa-senpai is still the same, wearing his heart on his sleeve." Haibara Yu accepted it well, his smile sincere. "So, have you and Gojo-senpai officially gotten together?"

Takizawa took a moment to process this. "...Huh?"

"You haven't?" Haibara was extremely surprised, blurting out, "Then when will you?"

Nanami Kento stiffened at his friend's lack of tact. He felt a subtle, wicked impulse, knowing that the "great" senior was utterly helpless when it came to his relationship with his "best friend"—a rare "failure" for the strongest.

Even Haibara felt that Takizawa was cursed by love, which was why he could understand those feelings.

"Haven't we always been together?" Takizawa said firmly. "And we will always be together in the future."

"..."

Haibara seemed to just realize it, a look of astonishment crossing his face before he quickly turned his head.

The two juniors exchanged a silent look in front of Takizawa for three seconds.

Then, Haibara gave Takizawa a thumbs-up and grinned. "Yeah, you're right! As long as you two are together forever, that's all that matters!"

His eyes held a profound light, the deep, heavy side of a jujutsu sorcerer pressing silently against his heart.

He was thinking...

This bond was so precious; he had seen it torn apart and cruelly severed.

And this bond was so resilient, capable of rising from the dead and blooming right before his eyes.

So... as long as he saw them still by each other's side, even he would feel happy from the bottom of his heart.

"Seeing that Takizawa-senpai is still here is enough, because Gojo-senpai was super sad back then," Haibara said. "He looked for your body for a long time but never found it. We were all too afraid to speak to him during that time; he was super, super scary."

The junior, having used "super" several times, exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders. "I felt like if I got too close to him, I'd suffocate; the air around him wouldn't even circulate."

Takizawa felt a bit of resistance to imagining that scene. "He wouldn't have taken it out on you."

"I know," the young man said, propping his chin on his hand. "But it was still scary."

Takizawa let out a few soft laughs.

"Where's Gojo-senpai?" Haibara looked around. "Is he not here?"

"He went to teach a class," Takizawa said. "He'll come over to find me as soon as he's done."

***

Gojo Satoru had become super-duper clingy.

Takizawa Sei felt it deeply.

The separation phase—this must be a long-term side effect of the separation phase! Aside from necessary occasions, Takizawa found that he could see Gojo the moment he turned his head, feeling the other's burning, straightforward gaze.

They set off immediately to buy new winter clothes once they felt the cold air. Gojo wasn't afraid of the cold, and since Takizawa's shell had become strange, he no longer shivered like a human either. But as if it were a necessary ritual for the changing of seasons, they were determined to do it with a sense of ceremony.

Draping a soft scarf around Gojo's neck, Takizawa examined it carefully and sighed. "This color doesn't seem to suit you."

Gojo spoke, his breath visible in the cold air. "How come?"

"Try this one instead."

The jade-eyed man's fingers slid gently over Gojo's jaw and fragile neck, his gaze focused and bright.

The freedom between his fingers was shimmering.

"As I thought, it's the uniform. It always looks out of place. If you want to wear a scarf, you need a comfortable outfit to go with it."

"Sei, you're like a strict designer."

Takizawa's tongue slipped. "I have plenty of experience with fashion; I even did this for a living once."

"…?"

Takizawa stiffened, his eyes widening as he realized his slip-up.

"What did you do?" Gojo asked.

"…Studied color coordination and fashion styles from different countries."

"You have hobbies like that..."

Takizawa shut his mouth, feeling disgruntled.

Gojo likely trusted him too much to think too deeply about it.

But this skill of Takizawa’s was actually learned under duress. When he first joined the Port Mafia, he was a lowly errand boy, even lower in status than Chuuya.

While Chuuya managed gem channels, Takizawa worked as a clerk in a high-end luxury shop. Occasionally, he provided codes to contacts or served as a heartless messenger—the kind who was easily captured and interrogated by rival organizations.

Fortunately, Takizawa had followed Gojo Satoru since he was a child and had extensive experience in buying and using luxury goods. Otherwise, as a down-and-out boy from the slums, he would have been overwhelmed during his first few days on the job, making mistake after mistake, and would likely have been fired the moment he gave someone a handle on him.

When Dazai Osamu discovered that he was thriving in the luxury shop and had been promoted to store manager within a single month, his expression had been truly marvelous.

At the time, Takizawa had been as arrogant as if he’d won a war. "Didn't expect that, did you? I’m a quick learner. You think this little bit of difficulty is enough to get rid of me? I’m going to make it in the Mafia!"

***

Takizawa and Gojo went on missions together more and more frequently. Even when maneuvering around the "oranges," they were never more than a few steps apart.

"The kids you've taken in are all problem children..." Coming out of a meeting with the elders once again, Takizawa sighed. "A castaway from the Zenin clan, a cursed speech user who was born with their technique, a Panda who is treated like an AI because no one respects that he has self-awareness, and a death-row inmate. And the second-years, too. What about the next batch?"

Gojo, wearing his blindfold, wore a faint curve on his lips. "There's another one from the Zenin clan."

"Hiss..."

"Actually, the most serious case is you, Sei," Gojo said, turning his face toward him. "Your resume is the most terrifying. They are terrified of you."

That was true. They knew they owed Takizawa, so they constantly fantasized about his motives for revenge.

Takizawa reached out to adjust Gojo's blindfold and hair, saying, "This thing isn't very convenient, is it?"

"It's fine. Once you wrap it enough times, it blocks out the light and stops a lot of information intake."

Takizawa secretly thought about making him an eye mask. The bandages lacked flexibility, had poor breathability, and looked especially like those of a disabled person with an injury. He asked, "Do you have another mission next?"