' made it all look painless, man am i the greatest? '
Reliance is a curse. Blood is worse than that. And love? Well love is the worst of all.
Satoru Gojo knew he was the strongest, but he never expected anyone to make him feel powerless. That was un...
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I roll my eyes as the text message buzzes through my phone.
Naoya: "Clan meeting — 15:00 next Friday. You are required to attend, Kaede."
So typical. So monotonous. So Naoya. He's the absolute worst — arrogant, condescending, and somehow always managing to sound like a pompous ass, even over text. "Required to attend"? What does he think I am, a dog that comes running at his beck and call? And of course, he'd use 24-hour time, because heaven forbid he does anything the normal way.
Prick.
The buzzing irritation in my chest spreads, warm and restless. I shove the phone back into my pocket, like that'll help me shove the annoyance down too. It doesn't.
I take a slow, deep breath, the kind they teach you when you're on the verge of losing it. It's not like I have the time to waste on his self-importance today. Training's still waiting, and I'd rather spend an afternoon punching the crap out of a target than dealing with Naoya's never-ending superiority complex.
But as I make my way down the hall, lost in my frustration, a familiar voice cuts through my thoughts.
"Fushiguro, there you are. I've been looking for you."
I glance up, startled, to see Yaga-sensei striding towards me. His usual collected appearance looks... off. His shirt is wrinkled, like he's been rushing around, and his brow is furrowed, tension written all over his face.
"Sensei." I nod, studying him carefully. There's something sharp in his eyes, something that puts me immediately on edge. "What's going on?"
"Come," he says firmly, no room for argument in his tone.
Curiosity prickles at me as I follow him down the corridor. The air feels heavier with every step, like it's charged with something I can't quite name. He leads me away from the main hall, into one of the quieter wings, and glances around to make sure no one else is nearby before stopping.
"Listen, Fushiguro," he starts, his voice lower now, almost cautious. "I need to talk to you about something."
I raise an eyebrow, more intrigued than ever. Yaga isn't usually this cryptic. "What's going on, Sensei?"
"The higher-ups are sending Satoru and Suguru on a mission," he says, his tone strained. "A high-priority one. They're escorting the next Plasma Star Vessel on her journey to Tengen."
My brows knit together. "That's happening already?" No wonder he looks stressed. Sending those two idiots on a mission this important seems like asking for trouble.
He sighs heavily, like the weight of it all is too much. "I don't trust them to handle it. Especially Satoru, not after the... curtain mishap yesterday."
Curtain mishap? What's he talking about? I almost ask but decide against it. Whatever Satoru's done this time, it's probably as ridiculous as always. Instead, I get to the point.
