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SATŌ AYAME FINDS that her guardian may be a bit more reliant on her than she is on him these days. He keeps her alive of course, but she keeps him from betraying everything he knows — from doing what Suguru and Yūto so desperately wanted to do that they killed themselves over it. Satoru saw how broken she was (is?) after she lost them, and now he refuses to put her through the same thing again; so he keeps a tight lip and stays in line as a teacher at Tokyo Jujutsu Tech, only disrespecting the Elders when he's feeling particularly awful that day, or if they begin to walk the line of death when speaking about Ayame. Otherwise, he's truly the best the school has seen in a while, and not even the Elders can deny that when the facts are as clear as day.
But in his protectiveness, in his determination to keep Ayame alive and happy, Satoru has become a looming shadow over her that never seems to quite go away. School used to be the one escape she had, but now he's her teacher and always has an excuse to be by her side (or in the general vicinity). He treats her like a fragile object one crack away from shattering to pieces — and perhaps that is a good description of what Ayame feels like these days — despite how strong they both know she is. (And with Megumi, Satoru is truly no better.)
Ayame has to admit though, that having Satoru and Megumi consistently with her has made dealing with things much easier. Megumi has been her safespace since they were much younger, but the addition of Satoru's constant shadow makes her feel less out of control. (And now, she can't stand being separated from either of them for too long.)
Today, Ayame still finds herself still separated from the boy who means so much to her. She and Megumi were both assigned solo missions the morning before and while Ayame came home within the day, Megumi had yet to return by the time she she went to sleep. When she tried to ask Masamichi where he had been sent to earlier today, she was met with a stern eye that spoke without saying, 'Don't ask about that.' He threw her a bone to reassure her Megumi was in no immediate danger, but that was all he said before sending her to Shōko for her injuries and dropping the subject completely. She was to report back to him tomorrow about her mission but for the day, she would sleep without protest and let her body heal.
Sleep has never come easy to Ayame, so that order is nothing but a suggestion to her once she's lying awake in her bed, lavender irises focused on the soft cream ceiling above her. Anxiety regarding Megumi has replaced her exhaustion from her own mission, and now all she can think about is whether or not he's okay. She knows he's strong and he can handle himself, especially as the first (unofficial) Zen'in clan member to have the Ten Shadows Technique in generations, but she worries about losing him far more often than she worries about anything else these days.
Ayame can feel Satoru's presence before the door to her dormitory slides open. His aura — one colored a deep blue that has always had an ominous yet gentle, almost child-like feel to her — seeps into the room rapidly and the owner of it strolls in just as loudly. Ayame closes her eyes in an effort to disguise the fact that she's wide awake and hasn't slept a wink since lying down an hour ago, but her efforts prove to be fruitless; within seconds, Satoru is squatting directly by her bedside, anticipation radiating off of him like a small puppy.
