"You know what our school's like. Everyone has unique circumstances." Megumi's gaze lingered on me a moment longer than normal, his dark eyes steady, unreadable. A faint breeze tugged at his hair, and the distant sound of other students talking filled the awkward pause between us.
"Sorry for the wait!"
Gojo-sensei's voice cut through the low murmur of the crowd like a splash of cold water. Megumi, Yuji, and I turned our heads toward the tall figure making his way through the crowd. His white hair caught the sunlight, almost glowing against the black blindfold that hid his eyes, and his long strides made the space around him feel smaller somehow.
"Your uniforms made it in time, I see," he said, his tone light but tinged with approval.
"Yeah, it's a perfect fit." Yuji grinned, adjusting the red hood that framed his face. His uniform matched Megumi's dark style, but the bright red cuffs and lining made him stand out even more.
"Yeah, I really love mine." I smoothed a hand down the front of my outfit, feeling the soft but sturdy fabric beneath my fingertips. It was black like midnight, flowing and loose, more reminiscent of a traditional yukata than the fitted uniforms they wore. The sleeves brushed lightly against my wrists with every movement, and the faint scent of fresh cotton still clung to it from the packaging.
Wearing it, I almost felt like one of those ancient exorcists I'd seen in old anime.
Yuji added after me, "Though it's slightly different from Fushiguro's. It has a hood, for one, and Tatsuya's is completely different!"
"That's because the uniforms can be customized upon request," Gojo-sensei answered his question like it was nothing. I hadn't even put in a request—plus I didn't even know I would be active this quickly!
Yuji had the same doubts. "But I never put in any requests."
Gojo-sensei laughed, pointing at himself with his thumb. "I was the one who put in the custom order."
"Whatever, I guess." Yuji seemed appreciative. I, on the other hand, looked at Gojo-sensei in a new light. At first, I thought he was a troll, but it seems he paid more attention to his students than it seemed.
"Be careful. Gojo-sensei has a tendency to do things like that." Megumi's words didn't make sense to me. I didn't think this meant that we had to be careful of anything. Wasn't such an amazing sensei what everyone wanted?
Megumi wasn't done either. "More importantly, why are we meeting up in Harajuku?"
"Because it's what she asked for." Gojo's smile deepened, and we started making our way through the crowd.
Apparently, our fourth member was supposed to be around here, but I didn't even know who we were looking for.
"Tatsu-kun, come here for a moment."
"Gojo-sensei?" Yuji and Megumi turned to look at us.
"Go on. I have to talk with him real quick."
"Okay!"
"Fine."
The duo left as Gojo-sensei and I were now left alone—minus the surrounding crowds.
"Tatsuya. Tell me, what exactly does the world feel like to you?"
"I'm guessing Megumi told you what I told him?"
"Yeah, but he seems to think that you can feel more than you think but lack the knowledge. So tell me. What can you see?" I couldn't tell what Gojo-sensei was thinking because his eyes were behind the blindfold, but I trusted him most. He was the only one I could afford—and had—to trust.
"For starters, I can tell that your energy is constantly recycling itself. I don't know if that's correct, but it feels like a limitless cycle is completing itself in and out of you. That's how I know to describe it."
"Wow! What else?" Gojo-sensei got closer, his face way too close, but I didn't want to make things weird.
"Um... Yuji, there seems to be a different energy source? I guess that split personality of his deep within him."
"Bahaha~" Gojo-sensei broke into a fit of laughter for some reason. "To think you'd call him Yuji's split personality. But I guess that's how it looks to you."
"Is it not?"
"No, that presence you are feeling is better known as the..." Gojo-sensei paused. "Add a drumroll for me."
"O-Okay? Dududududud." I made a drumroll sound with my mouth and clapped my hands to a similar beat. My face heated up with embarrassment, but Gojo-sensei asked me to do this.
"The King of Curses! The ultimate menace that shouldn't be allowed to roam this earth again!"
"…"
"Does that make you scared of him?"
"No, but I can tell why Megumi seemed ready to kill him though."
"Yeah, Megumi is way too textbook sometimes, hah~" Gojo-sensei sighed. "If only he knew..."
"Knew what?" I asked curiously.
"Nothing!"
"Alright." If he didn't want to say, then there was no point in trying to pry the information out. He was more experienced than me, so I'll just trust that.
"Last thing, Tatsuya. Can you explain to me what happened that night in more detail?"
"Sure."
I told him everything. How I've been able to see what I now know as curses since I was a child, what happened when I walked inside, the scene I saw with the curse that took my family, that feeling when it died, and even when I ate that golden pill. Then lastly, how my senses expanded after eating that orb.
"Tatsuya." Gojo-sensei's voice became dead serious. I felt my body tense up at his sudden change. "Never tell anyone else about this. I think I have an idea of your ability. It seems similar to an old friend of mine." His tone became a bit sadder toward the end.
'I guess this friend died or something.'
It would be wrong for me to try and confirm this, but it was clear from the way he sounded. I felt that Gojo-sensei was super easy to understand. He felt just like Yuji in a way.
"You're scary, Tatsu-kun~!"
"Huh?" I tilted my head, confused.
"Don't worry about it." Gojo-sensei messed up my hair, leaving me stunned. I seriously didn't understand how I was scary. "Let's go catch up to those two. I'm sure those three have already met by now."
I followed behind, staring at Gojo-sensei's back. I couldn't put it into words, but there was this… lightness to his back now. Like someone carrying a secret they've decided not to share, but it's still heavy enough to leave a dent.
Shaking my head, my mind focused on this new girl.
'I hope this girl isn't as edgy as Megumi...'
Best-case scenario, she's more like Yuji… or that green-haired girl who's friends with the Dragon Warrior. Anyone but another stiff stick up the ass.