The Strongest | ???? ??????

We're standing just inside Master Tengen's barriers; I can feel where it stops just a few feet in front of us. Gojo is next to me, keeping a safe distance after I almost bit his head off this morning.

"Lighten up," he said when we ran into each other in the hallway on our way outside. "I'll have to spend the weekend with you, so you're getting off easy."

I only flipped him off and walked away, but the man has such long legs that he easily caught up with me. I also think his will to torture me is the driving force behind his fast steps.

"Let's just get through this without killing each other," I replied without looking at him.

"Don't promise what you can't keep," Gojo joked and stepped outside, shutting the door in my face.

Yaga has come to see us off and to make sure we're actually leaving together and not doing this mission separately. Either he's too clever or we're too predictable because as soon as I had left Yaga's office yesterday, Gojo and I had agreed not to spend the weekend together and just come back and pretend that everything was peachy.

"Off you go," the principal says, threatening to push us if we don't get moving.

"Yaga sensei -" Gojo starts to argue, but it's no use.

"Satoru," the other man interrupts him. "You promised once not to be more trouble than I can afford."

I raise my eyebrows. That's news to me. And how is it that Gojo isn't already enough trouble? I'm pretty sure Nanami must have been fed up with him at least once and threatened never to come back to work.

Gojo stiffens, but despite his body's clear recognition of those words, he says, "That doesn't sound like something I would say."

And I have to agree. It really doesn't. It makes me wonder what the context for this is. What happened between them that Gojo had to promise not to cause trouble? It's common knowledge here between the teachers that something happened while Gojo was still a student, but no one ever dares to talk about it. I think it's a sensitive subject, and even though I might not like him very much, I'm not mean enough to bring it up with him.

Yaga crosses his arms. He's a huge man, and he's towering over me but is just barely taller than Gojo. "Well, you did," Yaga says, "and you're becoming more trouble than anyone at this school can afford. The same goes for you, (y/n)." He gives me a glance. "Now go on, both of you. It's a long walk into the city."

"Walk?" Gojo and I ask at the same time, then look at each other in surprise for just a second.

Our boss nods. "Yes. More time for you to get to know each other and get along."

I raise my eyebrows, but I can see that we don't have a choice. What are we supposed to do, say no? Gojo might be able to defy his boss's orders, but I'm still new here and have to do as I'm told. So I walk. This time, it takes a while for the guy to follow me, but eventually, I can hear his footsteps behind me on the gravel. He's not saying a word. Neither am I.

Once we're out of sight from the school, safely in the shelter of the trees, I turn my head to look at Gojo. "You don't have to walk, do you?" I ask.

"No. I'll see you there."

Without another word, he vanishes, and I'm left walking alone through the forest. He's an asshole. But I guess at least now I don't have to walk with him. I wonder if Yaga anticipated this. Did he think Gojo would take me with him? I almost laugh to myself. He wouldn't do that. He would rather let me walk halfway across the earth than take me with him for even a few feet.

It takes me over an hour to get to the hotel we're supposed to be staying in. By the time I enter the cool reception area, I'm soaked in sweat and panting. The weather is dreadful today; the humidity in the air makes it feel even hotter than it already is.

My eyes fall on Gojo, who's lounging in a comfortable-looking armchair. He's holding a drink with ice cubes in his hand. "What are you doing down here?" I ask. I would have expected him in his room or, quite honestly, at the sight of the curses.

At the sound of my voice, he turns his head to look at me and gets up. The ice clinks in the glass with every step he takes, and my mouth begins to water. I almost smile when I reach out to take the glass from him, but Gojo holds it out of my reach and moves it to his mouth. I watch him tilt his head back as he empties the glass in a few gulps, and I narrow my eyes.

"Your room is on the third floor like mine," Gojo says. "307."

"I don't need an escort," I snap. "I can find room 307 perfectly fine on my own."

The tall man bends down to me a little, and even though I can't see his eyes behind the blindfold, I'm certain he's rolling them at me. "The woman at the reception gave me your room number and card because obviously they expected us to show up together." He dangles the key card in front of my nose. "And since you took your sweet time coming here, we'll have to wait until the sun sets to do our job."

"I took my time?" I ask, outraged, and snatch the key card out of his hand. "You left me! Again!"

Gojo straightens up, and his blindfold knits a little when he furrows his brow. "Is that what this is about?"

I draw back as if I've been slapped. I shouldn't have said that. He has no right to inquire me about my feelings. They are none of his business. "I'm going to my room," I only retort and walk past him, purposefully bumping my shoulder into him.

To his credit, he doesn't follow me, and he doesn't throw any comments after me. This time, he just lets me walk away. I make my way to the elevator and when I step inside and watch the doors close, I get a glimpse of Gojo as he's still standing there, frozen for a moment, before turning around and heading somewhere I suspect to be the bar where he got his drink.

It's a nice hotel. The maids I come across all smile at me and wish me a nice stay. I smile back and thank them even though I know my time here will be anything but nice. Room 307 isn't far from the elevator, and when I hold my card to the door to open it, I wonder for a moment where Gojo's room is. He's on the same floor, but the hallway stretches as far as thirteen more doors on either side before making a sharp left to where I assume are more doors. The door gives a soft chime to indicate that it's unlocked and I open it.

My bag is already waiting for me at the foot of the bed. I stride over and open it to find the contents untouched and just as I had left them. Good. That at least means I have my cursed knives with me. I sigh and sink down on the bed, holding my face in my hands for a second. This is going to be a stressful weekend, isn't it?