The hospital room was quiet, save for the faint sound of the air conditioner.
Kitagawa Marin leaned back against the pillows, her left leg propped up with a bandaged foot. Though the doctor had reassured her that it was only a minor misalignment and she'd be fine in two or three days, the accident still lingered in her mind.
Across from her bed sat her new homeroom teacher, Gojo Satoru.
Even here, he didn't carry the air of a serious instructor. With his blindfold covering his eyes and his posture far too casual for someone visiting a hospitalized student, he looked more like some strange house guest than a teacher.
But there was something comforting in his presence nonetheless.
They had been chatting for a while, the conversation drifting from light topics to the events leading up to her accident.
Marin hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking, her voice subdued.
"Gojo-sensei… do you think I'm stupid? Just to save a puppy, I let myself get into a car accident. If it had been worse, maybe I wouldn't even be here now."
Her words hung heavy in the air.
In the days following the incident, her father had rushed back from Osaka the moment he heard.
But, instead of comforting her, his first reaction had been to scold her. He had shouted, furious and scared, calling her reckless, even stupid, for putting herself in danger over what he called "a stray dog."
His words had sting, it hurts, though Marin knew the scolding hadn't come from hatred but from the fear of losing his daughter. He had been too worried, too shaken, and his emotions had burst out the only way he knew how.
Later, he'd come back to her room with arms full of snacks and fruit, quietly apologizing in his own clumsy way for the way he behave during their first meeting after so long.
Marin's chest tightened as she recalled it. She looked down at her hands, her hands tightly holding the edge of her blanket.
Gojo didn't answer immediately. He leaned back in his chair, tilting his head as if seriously considering her words.
Finally, he spoke in a low, steady voice.
"There's nothing wrong with saving a life, Kitagawa-san. You did the right thing."
Her eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected him to say that. "Huh…?"
Gojo continued, his tone soft but carrying weight. "But when you save someone—or something—you also have to think about yourself. Whether you can save them without getting dragged down too. Your life has to come first. Because…" His voice grew more serious, the earlier playfulness gone. "There are people in this world who care about you. People who'd be devastated if you threw your life away."
The words struck something deep inside her. He wasn't scolding, nor was he sugarcoating.
It was a warning — one that came from genuine concern.
Gojo's eyes couldn't be seen behind the blindfold, but his voice carried a complexity she hadn't noticed before.
The world wasn't peaceful, not always.
Accidents happened, dangers appeared, sometimes out of nowhere. To sacrifice oneself recklessly might sound noble, even brave sometimes, but to the ones left behind, it was nothing but grief and lost.
Marin fell silent, pondering over his words.
She had never thought of it that way — For her, saving the puppy had been instinctive. She hadn't considered the cost.
Then slowly, a smile broke across her face. It was warm, bright, almost radiant. "Arigatou, Gojo-sensei."
The knot in her heart, one she had been holding onto since the accident, seemed to unravel.
The weight lifted, replaced with something lighter.
.....
By noon, 12:10 p.m.
Gojo stretched his arms lazily, cracking his shoulders as he stood. "It's almost time for me to go. Do you want me to bring you lunch, Kitagawa-san?"
He glanced at her bandaged foot, concern flickering in his tone despite the casual question.
Marin shook her head quickly, as she reply:
"Ah, no need, sensei. The nurse will bring it up later. You don't have to trouble yourself."
Even so, as she said it, a small pang of regret touched her chest.
She had enjoyed their conversation more than she expected, and the thought of him leaving left her oddly disappointed.
Still, she reminded herself that she would be discharged in just a few days.
Then, finally, she could throw herself into the idea she had been secretly excited about: making her first cosplay costume.
Gojo nodded, half-turned toward the door. "Alright then, I'll head out—"
But he stopped mid-step, his posture shifting.
His head turned slightly, the air around him changing in an instant.
He wasn't casual anymore.
Marin noticed immediately. "What's wrong, Gojo-sensei?"
Her teacher's tone was even, but it carried a weight that made the hairs on her arms rise.
"Iie… it's just that I may not be able to go to lunch for the time being."
He walked toward the window, his blindfolded gaze fixed outside.
The shift in his presence was palpable, like a storm gathering on a sunny day.
His voice dropped into a murmur, almost too quiet for her to catch.
"…A demon..."
Marin blinked, not sure if she had heard him correctly.
Gojo's six eyes, hidden beneath the blindfold, had picked up on something foul — An aura radiating disgust and malice.
It wasn't filth—the corrupted spiritual energy he often dealt with as an onmyoji.
No, this was something else entirely. Another force.
Demons.
In this world,
Filth weren't the only monsters. There were also demons, creatures that originated not from calamity but from a place known as the Void. Their ruler was none other than Satan himself. And naturally, humanity had institutions designed to fight them—exorcist organizations, the most famous being the Exorcist Private Academy.
Onmyoji like Gojo could combat demons as well, though their true battlefield was against filth. Still, when manpower allowed, the two forces occasionally worked together.
Marin tilted her head, still curious. She had noticed the way his body stiffened, the seriousness in his voice. "...is something going on outside?"
She tried to lean forward, straining to see past the edge of her bed toward the window. Her injured foot made it difficult, as she puffed her cheeks in frustration, stretching her neck like a curious cat.
Before she could catch even a glimpse, Gojo reached out and shut the window with a quick, firm motion.
"Ehhh—!?" she groaned, pouting when her curiosity was cut short. "I wanted to see!"
Gojo chuckled softly and reached over to ruffle her golden hair. "Can't be curious, Kitagawa-san."
Her cheeks flamed red at the sudden gesture. She swatted at his hand half-heartedly, eyes glaring but lips trembling with a smile.
"Geez~, Gojo-sensei, you're really…!"
The warmth of his palm lingered against her head, and though she pouted, her heart was beating faster than before.
Outside, something dangerous was approaching closely. Whereas Inside, a teacher and his student had shared an honest conversation that left one of them lighter, and the other preparing silently for what was to come.
...
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