45

'Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School.'

That's the full name of the jujutsu school located in Tokyo, although it's a lot more common for people to refer to it simply as 'Tokyo Jujutsu High' or just 'the Tokyo school.' As the name suggests, it serves as an educational institute, and that's perfectly true. Young, aspiring candidates are trained at the jujutsu schools with the proper skills they need. Not all end up becoming sorcerers –a talent for sorcery does not necessarily translate to an aptitude for the work. A number of Windows and assistant managers are also trained through the curriculum. There are also others who go on to pursue higher education after graduating.

Both the Tokyo and Kyoto schools are officially registered and recognized as legitimate institutions of learning. As far as the paper records are concerned, they're private religious schools funded by a few wealthy sponsors.

Which is… somewhat true. A significant portion of the jujutsu school's funds comes from generous donations from sorcery families supporting them…

More than just being a place of education, however, the schools are also significant in the other vital role that they play: Acting as a structure of support, and base of operations for active sorcerers in the field. In this, it's not entirely inaccurate to say that the schools are just another facet of the jujutsu administration.

Shiki has known for a long time that she would attend one of the jujutsu schools someday. The fact that there were many people in the jujutsu world who were interested in her abilities, the fact that the Gojo Clan would want to show off the newest talent in their bloodline… there was no ambiguity on this front, regarding this particular matter. But there was some flexibility in which school Shiki would attend, precisely, and so she chose the Tokyo school.

It probably doesn't come as much of a surprise to anyone around her.

Shiki is well-familiar with the Tokyo school grounds. Her familiarity is one born from exploring with Panda as her guide, and being carried around the school by Satoru-niichan, back when her cousin had still been a student here. Shiki can't claim to be an expert in every nook and cranny of the school, but she knows how to navigate the sprawling cluster of traditional buildings well enough on her own.

Still, it almost feels like there's something that's a little different in this moment, regardless of her longstanding familiarity with her surroundings. Even though the stone pathway that she follows is the exact same one that she's walked upon so many times before, there's something that's just a touch different from normal. It's hard to put her finger on it.

Shiki finds her classroom with minimal trouble. It's… empty. There are a dozen desks in the small classroom, neatly lined facing the blackboard on the wall. The young girl takes a seat towards the front and settles in to wait.

She doesn't have to wait long.

"Good morning, students." The doors to the classroom slide open, revealing a tall man with ashen gray hair. He's dressed neatly in long pants and a sharp jacket with clean lines, all in the same dark color that's standard for Jujutsu High uniforms.

… The same color that Shiki herself is wearing right now, too. Shiki is currently dressed in a kimono for her school uniform –Satoru-niichan had bemoaned her choice of clothing as 'uncreative' and proceeded to inform her in no uncertain terms that he was going to be in charge of her next uniform– and it's comfortable. She's comfortable wearing kimonos, and kimonos and yukatas are what she usually wears, anyways. It hadn't really occurred to her to go for something different when Choki had asked her what she would like as her school uniform.

For all that students were expected to wear uniforms, there was quite a large leeway in terms of any personal customization that a student wished to make. Which made sense, since the school uniforms were made out of specially-treated materials designed to enhance durability and protectiveness. If there was already so much effort going into it, then ensuring that students liked the clothes they were getting was only a minor, negligible detail to add on. It probably also helped that there weren't very many students in the first place, so all requests could be easily accounted for…

But it was surprising.

Shiki had known beforehand that there generally weren't very many students attending the jujutsu schools, so it wasn't surprising for there to be classes that only consisted of a single student. But somehow, she'd still expected that she would have at least one classmate…?

Yet the teacher is already standing in front of the classroom, and Shiki is still the only person sitting here among the dozen or so empty desks.

… Did all the incoming new students enroll in Kyoto this year or something? Was Shiki going to have to go out and scout for some potential recruits herself if she wanted classmates?

The deal with Tsumiki to make at least three friends in a year had never seemed quite as daunting in this moment. Shiki didn't really mind not getting the senbei, not exactly, but Tsumiki would be disappointed.

And that was… not ideal. Tsumiki probably wouldn't accept trite excuses like, 'I have no classmates,' would she?

Shiki keeps her gaze focused on her teacher in polite interest despite her mental floundering over the minor setback. This is fine, she tells herself. Even if Shiki is the only student in her class, this won't be–

The classroom door suddenly slams open.

"I'm sorry for being late!"

… Oh. A classmate! So Shiki wasn't the only student in her class. That's a relief; there was hope for Tsumiki's mission yet.

"Don't dawdle around the doorway. Come in," their teacher shakes his head and sighs. "I hope this isn't going to be a habit, young man."

"I-I'm really sorry," the boy winces. Short hair, decked out in a tsume-eri that's the same dark color as Shiki's own uniform… there's something that's a little familiar about him, for some reason. Shiki is pretty sure that she hasn't seen this boy from any of the clans, though.

Their teacher waves a hand dismissively. "Enough with the apologies. You weren't late by much, anyways… just take a seat at any of the desks."

"Yes, sensei." The boy bows swiftly, then straightens and looks towards the desks. His eyes widen when he catches sight of Shiki, and he stumbles, nearly tripping over his own two feet.

Shiki watches him impassively. It seems like her classmate is a clumsy one.

"It's you!" he blurts out thoughtlessly, clearly surprised, then promptly flushes in embarrassment.

… Shiki doesn't really know how to respond to that. He recognizes her, that much is obvious –but there are many people who recognize 'Gojo Shiki' in the jujutsu world.

(And there are also many people who don't. Shiki's mind briefly flits to that encounter with a sorcerer a few months back, the girl who'd shouted at Shiki to run from a Grade Two cursed spirit and hadn't recognized her at all.)

"Hello," Shiki greets politely. Then is left to look on in confusion, because the boy almost seems to shrink in on himself from a simple greeting. Was she… not supposed to say hello? No, but wasn't it perfectly normal to say hello to someone? Shiki is pretty sure that she's not the one reacting strangely here.

She stares at the boy blankly. The boy twitches.

"… Just take a seat." Their teacher sighs again, and this time the sound is much heavier than the last. Her new classmate obeys the directive, gingerly sitting down in an empty seat next to Shiki.

Is he… nervous? Is that what's going on here?

"Alright, then," the ashen-haired man standing at the front of the room claps his hands together. "My name is Takagi Hajime. You may call me Takagi-sensei. I'm a Semi-Grade One sorcerer, and this is my third year teaching first year students in the Tokyo school."

His tone is brisk, professional. The man's gaze rests on Shiki for a moment, unreadable, then flicks towards the boy next to her.

"Both of you are enrolled as sorcerers. If that is what you truly wish for yourselves, and you are able to perform adequately in your assessments and practical excursions over the years, then you will become full-fledged sorcerers upon graduating in the future." Even though their teacher is addressing both of them, Shiki gets the distinct sense that these words aren't actually directed towards her, especially because it's not as if… ah. Takagi-sensei is mainly talking to her classmate in this moment, isn't he?

"But if you find that the path of a sorcerer is not for you, then… know that there is no shame in choosing another field of work, even if others around you insist otherwise," the man continues. "My door will always be open to you if you wish to speak with me on this topic, or if you wish to consult me on what other alternative opportunities might open to you."

It's very considerate of him to say this to her classmate. Shiki remembers Satoru-niichan mentioning a kouhai of his at one point –a boy whom he'd nudged towards the management track after discovering that he was in the sorcery one, because that was someone who was not suited for the life of a sorcerer.

"He'd only have ended up getting himself killed," had been Satoru-niichan's exact words at the time. From what Shiki knew, apparently the kouhai in question was doing quite well for himself as an assistant manager these days, so… it seems that things worked out well in this particular instance.

… In a way, Satoru-niichan's actions had been almost reminiscent of Isao-san. Gojo Isao, Yuzuki-san's uncle, who had died protecting Shiki from a curse user so long ago. Shiki vaguely recalls that the man had once briefly spoken of how he most vehemently disagreed with people taking on roles that they were ill-suited for when it came to sorcery. How he believed that those without the strength and talent to fight should not be on the frontlines exorcising curses, lest they bring undue danger both upon themselves and to those around them.

There was a certain amount of sense in those words, Shiki supposed.

"Classroom lessons for general subjects and such will take place in the mornings," Takagi-sensei remains oblivious to her thoughts as he moves on with his words. "Afternoons will be for physical training and technique development. Missions may come in at irregular times, and those will always be prioritized. We'll work around any disruptions to the schedule as best as we can."

Shiki nods in placid acknowledgment. Beside her, the young boy hesitantly raises his hand into the air.

"When… when will we be expected to take on missions?" he asks their teacher quietly. Despite the clear nervousness in his demeanor, his words are surprisingly steady.

"Not until I get a chance to properly assess your abilities first, at the very least," Takagi-sensei answers, his response immediate. "Rest assured, you will not be thrown off the deep end and left to figure things out for yourself on the fly. The entire point of this school is to train students to fight and exorcise curses. Students are also to be supervised by a higher-ranked sorcerer when undertaking missions."

Supervised…? Shiki blinks. It's been quite a long time since she's been supervised like this on any of her missions. At this point, she's quite used to Choki being the only one to accompany her on her assignments, but it's not as if Choki is actively involved in the process of exorcising malevolent cursed spirits.

(In the past, it had been Kiyohira-sensei and Jihei-san who would watch over Shiki.)

"Although… Gojo, you would be an exception to this," Takagi-sensei turns towards her, inclining his head slightly. "I know that you're already cleared for solo missions. I do not intend to interfere with any of your duties, but there will be cases where you will be assigned on lower-ranked missions together with Hoshi here."

"I understand." Takagi-sensei looks a little surprised at her easy capitulation. Had he been expecting her to disagree with him?

Then again, Shiki had known about this ahead of time already, thanks to Satoru-niichan having told her about his own school experiences. Satoru-niichan had been ranked a Special Grade at the time of his own enrollment in Tokyo Jujutsu High, and he'd been very aggrieved at being saddled with classmates who fell far behind him. One was from a civilian background and didn't really have anything going for him beyond an interesting cursed technique, and the other wasn't even a fighter, even if she could use reverse cursed technique.

But Satoru-niichan changed his mind, eventually.

Shiki finally recognizes her classmate now. Hoshi, Takagi-sensei had called him, and the name is familiar. This is the same sighted boy that Shiki had found on a mission a year or so back, the one that Choki has been checking in on ever since, and Choki has even mentioned the boy a few times to her before. Although, Shiki had been under the impression that Choki was simply concerned about the sighted boy's unfortunate living situation, not that the boy was intending to become a sorcerer himself.

… Wait, was this why Choki told her to keep an eye out for a 'surprise' on her first day of school? Huh. Shiki didn't know that her assistant had a sense of humor like this.

"Missions aside, there is also another matter for us to address." Takagi-sensei's fingers tap restlessly along the surface of the table in front of him. "Training. Ordinarily, I would arrange an assessment for each student and work on strengths and weaknesses from there, but…"

"But?" Hoshi-san tilts his head in confusion.

Their teacher smiles, the slight expression just a touch wry.

"The class this year is a little unconventional," he tells them candidly. "Even though I am your teacher and technically the superior for you to defer to, Gojo here actually outranks me as a Grade One sorcerer. Furthermore, typically those who come in as first year students are Grade Four or Grade Three sorcerers, so there's a greater focus on building a strong foundation for physical combat skills."

Which would only apply for one of them, then. Hoshi-san certainly looks like he could use a little more muscle… although Shiki really doesn't have any room to be pointing any fingers on this particular front.

But it's not entirely her fault! It's an unfortunate fact of reality that female bodies simply don't build up muscles as well as male bodies, and at this point Shiki has long resigned herself to the impossibility of reaching Kiyohira-sensei's physique someday. There's no winning against her own biology, and Shiki is a fifteen year old girl who stands tall at an intimidating height of one hundred and fifty centimeters.

… Depressingly enough, this also means that she probably won't ever gain enough muscle mass to properly use Kageryu like Kiyohira-sensei. Which is a shame. Having better musculature would also make her a lot stronger when she augmented her body with cursed energy as compared to the current level of strength that she could achieve. There was a limit to how much a sorcerer's body could be enhanced and reinforced with cursed energy.

"Hoshi, I intend to get around to making a general assessment of your combat skills today," Takagi-sensei says. Shiki should… probably reel in her wayward thoughts and actually pay attention to what her teacher is saying to her classmate right now. "Make sure to be in the training halls this afternoon."

"Y-yes, Takagi-sensei."

"And as for you, Gojo…" There's a moment of stillness in the room, as their teacher trails off into silence. But it doesn't take long before he shakes his head roughly and regathers himself, "I am primarily a shikigami user, so I doubt that I would be of much help in refining your combat skills, especially given that your specialization is in close combat. But there are also various other subjects that I am familiar with. Is there… any particular topic that you're interested in?"

He's directly asking her himself?

Shiki doesn't really know what she'd been expecting from her instructor. She wouldn't have been surprised if he told her to just practice her sword forms or something, but this offer of his for her to choose a topic that she wanted to learn more about…

With the Gojo Clan, none of her childhood lessons had involved a choice from her end. Even dancing, which she had grown to enjoy and love. In the beginning, it had been arranged as one of the many subjects that Shiki was expected to learn about because it was 'only proper' for a 'respectable young lady' of the Gojo Clan.

Briefly, Shiki entertains the thought of telling Takagi-sensei that she'd like to learn dancing from him, please and thank you.

Hm. Maybe at a later date, although Shiki doubted that anyone would come close to Iori-sensei as a dance instructor.

"… May I have some time to think about it?" she ends up asking. Nothing comes to mind immediately at the moment, but Shiki still appreciates the gesture.

"That's fine." The motion is near-imperceptible, but Shiki notices the way that Takagi-sensei's shoulders relax with her answer. As if there is an invisible string of tension that leaves his body after hearing her neutral response. "If you would like, I could also try to work something out with one of my colleagues. Kusakabe-sensei teaches second year students, but he's also a sword user and a Grade One sorcerer like you are."

Shiki blinks. "Are you passing me off to another teacher?"

"Nothing of the sort," Takagi-sensei waves his hand, and pauses. "Well, not in the sense that you're implying. You are a first year student, and that won't change. But if sparring with Kusakabe would help you hone your skills better than any shikigami I could summon as a sparring partner, then it's only reasonable to provide you with what would be more useful to you."

"That might be for the best," Shiki concedes the point. Takagi-sensei had just mentioned that he was a shikigami user, and if he wasn't confident in his melee skills, then that would be a problem. Because, "I wouldn't want to permanently destroy any of your shikigami by accident."

"… Thank you," her teacher says. "I appreciate your consideration."

Shiki nods.

Back before she'd started taking missions, Kiyohira-sensei had thought it would be a good idea for Shiki to get some more experience by fighting shikigami spirits in the training room. Shiki had been allowed to use her tanto, and she'd swiftly cut the shikigami into pieces. Kiyohira-sensei had nodded in approval, then moved to re-summon the training shikigami using its talisman–

And nothing happened.

… Which was what led to the subsequent discovery that Shiki could easily destroy a shikigami. Usually, if a sorcerer dismissed their shikigami before the shikigami was stressed beyond its breaking point, then that would be it. After a period of time, the shikigami would simply recover, and a sorcerer would then be capable of summoning it again. Typically, stronger shikigami had a longer 'cooldown' time, as Satoru-niichan put it.

A knife cut wasn't normally any kind of injury that would be enough to utterly destroy a shikigami. But if Shiki cut a shikigami's lines, then that cooldown time apparently became extended to 'forever.'

As a direct result, Shiki is always careful not to cut any of Megumi's shikigami. She has the slight suspicion that perhaps it wouldn't be quite so disastrous even if she did; given the principles of how the Ten Shadows technique operated, transferring the abilities of a 'deceased' shikigami to one of its surviving brethren so as to strengthen the remaining shikigami…

In this case, it's entirely possible that this is all that would end up happening if Shiki killed one of Megumi's shikigami. The shikigami would die, its power would be inherited by its brothers, and Megumi would probably be very put out with her. Especially if the casualty was one of his Divine Dogs.

Unlike regular shikigami users who had to figure out ways to summon shikigami on their own, whether it be through finding various mediums or by inheriting shikigami passed down in the family bloodline, Ten Shadows was a cursed technique that innately guaranteed a sorcerer a pool of ten shikigami to summon. A normal shikigami user might use a talisman to summon a shikigami. Megumi needed no such aid, however, as his shikigami were summoned directly by virtue of his cursed technique.

That meant a Ten Shadows shikigami was inherently different from a normal shikigami. Tied to a cursed technique, bound to a sorcerer in their blood.

Shiki had no real way of knowing what would end up happening if she killed one of Megumi's shikigami. Would it only mean the loss of a summoning partner for Megumi to call upon? Or would it permanently remove that shikigami's ability from the Ten Shadows technique? Or perhaps, did Shiki have to destroy the Ten Shadows technique itself if she wanted to put an end to it? Would cutting a shikigami's lines somehow affect Megumi?

… Shiki doesn't know the answers. And… she's not particularly interested in finding out, either.

Ah, she's getting distracted again. Shiki forcibly reels her attention back to her new teacher and classmate, and sighs internally.

.

.

The morning passes quickly enough. Takagi-sensei talks about a few more things, and later on in the afternoon he finally gets around to assessing Hoshi's combat skills as promised. Their teacher seems to be a fairly no-nonsense man with a strong sense of responsibility, and it almost reminds Shiki a bit of her uncle in some ways.

Ken-jichan is far stronger than him, though.

… Still, it's clear to see that Takagi-sensei's Semi-Grade One ranking isn't just for show. If Shiki had to make a point of comparison… in a straight fight, he's probably stronger than Iori-sensei. But if Iori-sensei is actively using her cursed technique, then the results might turn out differently.

At any rate, Takagi-sensei's strength is plenty enough to see him running circles around Hoshi-san, who looks like he's had some rudimentary training, but hasn't actually been in very many fights. His movements lack surety, and there's even some unnecessary flailing at some points.

In the Gojo Clan, Hoshi-san would've been deemed useless. Takagi-sensei tells Hoshi-san that everyone starts from somewhere, and how far he'll be able to go in the future depends on him and him alone. He then holds out a hand and helps his student up from the wooden floors.

"I have a good idea of your physical abilities now," Takagi-sensei informs him. "I'll have a conditioning regimen planned out for you by the end of this week."

"Thanks, sensei," Hoshi-san groans, gingerly poking at a purple-black bruise darkening on his arm, and grimacing slightly.

"Let me see that," their teacher takes his arm and examines it. "… You'll be fine. For future reference, though, if you ever find yourself severely injured and requiring medical attention, then you can look for Ieiri-sensei in the medical buildings. She's the doctor here. If you don't find her in her office, then she's probably in the morgue."

Hoshi-san chokes a little bit, spluttering. "I'm sorry, the what?"

Takagi-sensei lets out a light huff of amusement. "The morgue. It's fine, don't worry about it too much. Ieiri-sensei is a licensed doctor and a professional. Now, the last item in the list for your assessment… your cursed technique. How much have you figured out about it, Hoshi?"

Cursed technique. That certainly more than explains Hoshi-san's presence in this school, and why he's specifically been placed on the track of a sorcerer despite a purely civilian background.

"Not much, honestly," Hoshi-san admits. He seems a little more comfortable now, not as nervous as he'd been just earlier this morning. "I can sort of… 'mark' things, I guess? And they're either attracted or repelled, like magnets. It's hard to control, though, and it's also rather finicky…"

The clear note of confusion in Hoshi-san's voice is very, very familiar to Shiki, as someone who'd also been perplexed by an unknown cursed technique whose rules she was still figuring out on her own.

"I'm very sorry," Shiki tells him, because she knows exactly what he's grappling with. For some reason, though, her gesture of sympathy only earns her a faintly panicked look from her classmate.

… She's not very good at this 'making friends' thing, is she.

Takagi-sensei clears his throat. "It's alright if you haven't managed to figure out the details yet, Hoshi. We'll work on it together this year."

Their teacher goes on to ask Hoshi-san for a small demonstration of his cursed technique, and the boy obliges. Shiki notices a faint swirl of shaky pink lines in the air as two pebbles placed several centimeters apart suddenly collide with each other at speed.

It's a nice shade of pink. One that reminds Shiki of the cherry blossoms from the flower viewing party that Tsumiki had organized last year.

"Your lines are pretty," Shiki pokes one of Hoshi-san's hands, where the last vestiges of a few fading pink lines finally disappear, and–

…

… It's a compliment. Why does Takagi-sensei suddenly have a look of alarm on his face?

"Um, thanks?" Hoshi-san, in contrast, wears an expression of confusion.

Shiki sighs tiredly and pointedly steps away from her classmate, which makes their teacher relax again, although it does not stop him from giving her a long, wary look.

In response, Shiki looks up and meets his gaze evenly. Unsurprisingly, he is unable to look her in the eyes for any longer than a few moments.

"… I think we're done here for now," Takagi-sensei says.

Shiki cocks her head to the side, not that her teacher can see it in this moment. "You're not going to assess me?"

"You're a Grade One sorcerer," the man responds like that's all that needs to be said. Which makes sense, because there's a difference between Semi-Grade One and Grade One, but… "I'd like to keep my bones intact where they currently are, if that's all the same to you."

Shiki eyes her teacher for a moment, then shrugs. If Takagi-sensei feels that it's not necessary to spar with her, not even for a rudimentary sense of how she fights, then far be it for Shiki to push the topic on her own. Between the two of them, he's the teacher, so… he probably knows what he's doing.

It's somewhat insulting that he evidently has no faith in her control, but Shiki won't fault the man for it when they've only just been acquainted with each other. Kiyohira-sensei had been much the same way when she'd been placed under his tutelage in the beginning, confiscating sharp objects in the household and determinedly ensuring that her nails were kept extremely short. Although, she supposes that it hadn't been solely due to fear for his own person, or concern that Shiki would get a little destructive to her surroundings. Knowing him, Kiyohira-sensei might've also been worried that she would end up accidentally hurting herself with her own abilities, beneath all his gruffness and bluster.

Silly.

Lessons end for the day shortly after Hoshi-san's assessment. Shiki doesn't really know what to think about it. Because it's not as if Takagi-sensei had really taught them anything, but it's only the first day. Mostly, the man had seemed more concerned with getting a general idea of Hoshi-san's capabilities in order to do right by the boy. Which was good, because Hoshi-san would certainly need the help as a prospective sorcerer from a civilian background, but Shiki idly wondered if Takagi-sensei remembered that she was also supposed to be his student.

… He'd seemed confident enough in handling Hoshi-san, but Shiki had an inkling that he was not so confident when it came to her. Was it because of the difference in their ranks? A Semi-Grade One sorcerer teaching a Grade One sorcerer seemed a bit silly on paper, but it didn't change the fact that Takagi-sensei was a grown man and a teacher, while Shiki was only a fifteen year old girl. Surely there was still plenty for her to learn from an experienced sorcerer. Yaga-san had been able to assist Satoru-niichan in developing Limitless, back when their relationship had been that of a Grade One sorcerer teaching and providing guidance to a Special Grade.

It didn't seem that Takagi-sensei was scared of Shiki, exactly. He'd been perfectly polite and cordial the entire time too, save for that brief comment about not wanting Shiki to break his bones in a spar. Really, why would he even think that? Even if he knew about her technique, shouldn't he be more concerned about Shiki carving him up with a knife or something? Not that Shiki would do something like that for no reason…

She doesn't really understand what the man had been thinking.

Maybe she should look for Shoko-san?

Shiki brightens a bit at the thought. Shoko-san is the school's doctor, so she's probably familiar with the teachers who were stationed here year-round. Maybe Shoko-san would be able to provide some insight into Takagi-sensei's oddities.

There wasn't really much of anything else for Shiki to do at the moment, anyways. Her schedule had been cleared of missions today by Choki, and Hoshi-san had been held back by Takagi-sensei for a few additional words. Right now, it was just Shiki on her own in the school.

It feels… strange. Shiki is used to always being busy, whether it be with her missions or her training or her lessons. But right now, standing on the stone-lined walkway on her own, there aren't any pressing tasks that require her immediate attention.

… Might as well go visit Shoko-san, then. Shiki had only just moved into the student dormitories the other day, and while she'd been ambushed by Panda shortly thereafter, Shiki hasn't actually gotten around to dropping by and greeting Shoko-san yet. It would be nice to see her, and maybe ask her a few questions about Takagi-sensei. Two birds, one stone.

Plan made up in her mind, Shiki nods to herself and changes directions to head for Shoko-san's office. A place that she's well-familiar with, given her numerous visits to it over the years, for various reasons.

She hasn't been in the morgue before. There are usually always other things going on, and the one time Shoko-san asked Shiki if she wanted to take a look, Kiyohira-sensei had promptly picked her up under one arm and carried her out of the room, saying something about running late for a meeting with Daisaku-sama. Except it turned out that there hadn't been a meeting scheduled with Daisaku-sama at all…?

Another sign that it was good that Kiyohira-sensei had retired, clearly, if he was starting to remember things incorrectly like this.

Actually, Shiki should probably also ask Shoko-san about seeing the morgue today. She's always been a little curious, and it would also be a good topic of conversation to break the ice with when she saw Hoshi-san again, right?

Shiki hopes that Tsumiki is proud of the effort that she's putting into this whole endeavor. Even though she's still not sold on the necessity of it the way Tsumiki is, Shiki has never been one to go about her tasks half-heartedly.

.

.

…

.