12 Roses

45 | Growing Apart

Suguru Geto's survival has been confirmed, and he has been sentenced to death again.

Satoru Gojo has been deemed an accomplice in the Shibuya Incident and is thus permanently exiled from the Jujutsu World. Furthermore, removing his seal will be considered a criminal act.

Masamichi Yaga shall receive the death penalty for inciting Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto and causing the Shibuya Incident.

The Suspension of Yuji Itadori's death sentence is revoked and the execution is to be carried out immediately.

Special grade sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu is appointed Yuji Itadori's executioner.

You stared at the notice for a long while before turning around and shutting the door, unintentionally right in Kusakabe's face.

He sighed. "I guess I should find Panda then, huh?"

•••

You held out your hand as Suguru placed a cup of coffee in it and sat down next to you, the both of you staring holes into the lawyer that sat across from Maki and Mai at the table in the inn's foyer.

His name was Higuruma or something like that, and you had found every ounce of information you could about him, making you perhaps more educated on him than his own parents.

There was a taint in his soul, you could sense, a certain indignation that you couldn't brush off. You couldn't hold it against him though — Suguru had it too. When he first spoke to Gojo again, it wasn't concealed, but placed in the sun to burn.

After far too long and far too many cups of coffee from the inn's kitchen, Higuruma stood, bowed, and walked off.

"How was it?" you asked as Maki and Mai came over.

Maki took your mug of coffee and chugged it down like a shot.

Well, that answers that question.

You took the mug back, frowning at its emptiness.

"So what'd he tell you?" Suguru asked.

"We need proof of the unhealthy environment, proof that we can pay for a house of our own, just proof for everything."

"Proof that we don't have," Mai added snappily.

You glanced at Suguru, who translated, and you gave him a look. He could never hate anything about someone so close to a family member to him, but he was extremely close to some form of loathing when he saw how easily you could speak with your eyes.

Talk to him, they insisted, and it didn't take much brilliance to know who 'him' was.

"You're incredibly insistant."

"I haven't said anything."

Maki and Mai looked between the two of you. "There's definitely a different kind of silent conversation that I'm not getting," Mai muttered.

Maki rolled her eyes. "Anyways, you should probably get going. Your shop was supposed to open an hour ago."

You nodded and stood, waving to the two before leaving the inn with Suguru following.