The Strongest | ɢᴏᴊᴏ ꜱᴀᴛᴏʀᴜ

Chapter 48

Gojo and I have been back for ten minutes but haven't had the chance to speak to each other yet because all of us were immediately called to Yaga, but there is nothing more important than properly debriefing after a mission and catching everyone up on the status of the group that's been hunting us. I didn't even take a shower yet, and I haven't gone to see Shoko. She was waiting for us when we arrived back, already dressed in her pajamas, which reminded me that it's almost morning again. Shoko took one look at me and told me she'd make her workstation ready for me. Of course, the others had gotten hurt as well, but I'm still pretty messed up from the fight before.

It's as if the universe is trying to prevent Gojo and me from getting some time alone. Or maybe it's not the universe but just our coworkers. I don't know what they'd be more afraid of: us fighting or us making out. It's a close call, I think, but I also think we'd have the decency not to make out in front of everyone. At least I don't want everyone to watch; how Gojo is thinking about this is a mystery to me.

Yaga keeps his speech short, and I try to keep the update short, and Nanami seems to want to leave as well, but then Yamazaki and Aikawa show up because they're conscious again (apparently have been for hours - How long were we gone?). They tell us everything they know, which is a lot, and we sit and listen. Gojo is sitting on the other side of the room, but I don't look at him. Well, I do, I keep stealing glances at him from the corner of my eye, but I never fully turn my head. His blindfold is hiding his eyes, so I don't know if he's looking at me, too, or if he can even see that I'm looking.

When the meeting is done and Nanami is grumpily walking out the door, surely going straight to bed, I immediately want to get to Gojo, but Yaga stops me with a hand on my shoulder, so I'm forced to watch the tall, blindfolded man leave the room without me.

"Good job taking care of the men before backup arrived," my boss tells me, and honestly, that's all I wanted to hear. "It seems I was right about sending you two away."

I frown. "What do you mean?" Surely he doesn't know about Gojo and me. He's the only one who's never seen us interact with each other since we got back. He didn't even hear us fight in the hallway earlier because he was still in a meeting.

But his smile tells me something different, and he lets go of my shoulder. "When our windows informed us that one man who was believed to be dead escaped from the warehouses and would be coming for you, I immediately sent my sorcerers out. Satoru was eager to get you back here safely, but he was hesitant to go himself until I gave him the order."

I frown even more. He didn't want to go? Why not? But he wanted me back? So that means -

"He said he doesn't want to go in case you might think he's there to save you. Because he wants to save you, but he doesn't think you need someone to save you, and especially not him," Yaga answers my unasked question.

This makes me grin. To be honest, it almost makes me laugh. Gojo is so dramatic sometimes, but I wouldn't want it any other way. On my way to see Shoko, I keep shaking my head to myself, wondering when the hell I started liking Gojo's knack for drama? When did I start liking the way he grins at me? Probably around the time his grin stopped being patronizing and started being in adoration.

Shoko fixes my entire body; from my aching head and tired eyes to my bleeding feet. She makes sure that I'm okay and then sends me off. I want to stay with her and help her clean up (after all, she made the mess mostly because of me), but she shoves me out the door and says, "You have something better to get to."

I only roll my eyes and want to protest, but there's not a chance. I'm out of the room and in the hallway before I know it, and Shoko has her hand on the door already.