All right, then what about before the Goodwill Event?
“I told you when I examined you,” Ieiri continued, “that your condition is caused by stress, but that doesn’t mean it’s all in your head. Stress accrues over time if you keep on working too hard and neglecting your health.”
“I haven’t seen you take any real time off since around July,” Gojo said. “I bet you didn’t take any time off at all in September.”
Ijichi thought back. The sorcerer was right.
“That’s true,” Ijichi replied, “but we’re shorthanded right now.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Gojo said. “If you collapse because you can’t recognize your limits, then we really will be shorthanded. Think about all the work that only you can do!”
“Huh?”
“Ijichi,” Ieiri said. “It was actually Gojo who suggested taking you out tonight.”
“What?!” The shock was enough to dispel Ijichi’s drunkenness. He turned to gawk at Gojo.
“He wants you to realize how exhausted you are before you collapse,” Ieiri said. “Are you so moved you could cry?”
“Moved? I’m astounded beyond all belief!”
Ijichi took a swig of lukewarm sake to stop himself from shaking. Then he swung his gaze from one side of the table to the other until his eyes rested on the surface of a puddle of sake that remained in his cup. He could faintly see his reflection.
“Do I really look that tired?” he asked.
“I knew it was serious when you tried to take on that cursed spirit investigation in Saitama. Nitta was supposed to do that,” Gojo said.
“It’s just because I’m familiar with Itadori’s group.”
“But that’s no reason for you to force it into your schedule when you were already in charge of cleaning up after the Goodwill Event.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Ijichi admitted. He shrugged in resignation.
“I only know about it from the reports and what Nanami has said,” Gojo said. “But are you still brooding over that incident at Satozakura High?”
“T-to what exactly do you refer?”
“You weren’t able to stop Yuji.”
My pulse is pounding, Ijichi thought. He felt the heat drain from his flushed face, down through his spine. “Well … that, um …” He covered his mouth with one trembling hand and steadied his glasses with the other.
“I figured it out from what I heard,” Gojo said. “The report detailed a messy fight against cursed spirits. Nanami didn’t say anything, but he’s a serious guy. He wouldn’t willingly take Yuji to face nasty enemies who are too strong. As a result, Nanami came out all right, but Yuji made his own decision.”
“In the end, I … um … made the same mistake as at the juvenile detention center.”
“Does that mean you need to hold their hands? Your devotion is touching, but Yuji isn’t as much of a child as you think—or as inexperienced. Your attitude isn’t actually considerate or protective.” With his right hand, Gojo cocked his middle finger behind his thumb and aimed it at Ijichi. “Yuji will be fine without all your fretting.”
Then—bammo!—a painful flick to the forehead jolted Ijichi’s glasses. Ijichi held his flushed forehead as the pain washed over him. That sensation pushed his tear ducts to the limit.
“Gojooo!” he cried out.
“Aw, a grown man shouldn’t cry over one flick to the forehead,” Ieiri said.
“Maybe Ijichi’s a weepy drunk.”
Instead of more sake, Ieiri ordered steamed matsutake mushrooms.
“I really would rather not see a man cry,” she said.
“Ijichi, go home after we finish here tonight,” Gojo said. “You’ll be just the right amount of drunk to get a good night’s sleep. Then take tomorrow off. You don’t have any work, right?”
“Yes … that’s right.”
Tears made the sake taste different, but Ijichi finished his drink and wiped his eyes. They all tried the seafood broth, then finished their feast with chazuke with matsutake broth.
Ijichi felt good for the first time in a long while as he set off down the neon-lit nighttime streets. When he got home, he had a long and deep sleep.
Meanwhile, Gojo complained when Ieiri dragged him to yet another drinking establishment. There was no telling how long this pub crawl might last.
Returning to work after a break felt good. Ijichi’s shoulders weren’t stiff. His head didn’t hurt. His appetite had returned. The world seemed wide open. He felt in the best of shape for the first time in he didn’t know how long.
“Good morning!” His voice sounded different as he greeted his coworkers.
The air was clear, and tomorrow looked bright. In part, this was because he had enjoyed a solid rest for the first time in ages. Another big boost had come from relieving an emotional burden. Furthermore, learning that Gojo actually cared about him had worked wonders. The sorcerer might be careless, outrageous, and tough, but he was a teacher. He was a dependable person, and he recognized Ijichi’s hard work. Realizing that had significantly improved Ijichi’s outlook.
What Ijichi could do and what he should do were not cause for worry or regret. From now on, just as in the past, he would give his job everything he had. Having thus reaffirmed his resolve, he approached his desk in high spirits.
“Hmm?”
He didn’t have a desk. Or rather, he was unable to see it beneath the mountain of documents that had grown while he was away. With trembling hands, Ijichi looked at a note on top. It was in Gojo’s handwriting.
See the USB for more details.
Ijichi waded through the documents, booted up his computer, and opened the password-protected message file. A moment later, Gojo’s instructions appeared.
① List occasions anyone entered or left Tokyo Jujutsu High School and all individuals who did so.
② Organize information regarding the current activities of the curse users who attacked the Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event.
③ Examine the details of cursed techniques using cursed tools as substrates for curtains used in the attack on the Goodwill Event.
④ Prepare methods for secret communications that are reliable and resistant to jujutsu and physical interference
⑤ Arrange for construction workers to repair Jujutsu High building and appoint supervisors from the school
⑥ Secure a budget for the abovementioned repairs
⑦ Obtain inspection permits from environmental protection groups for addressing destruction of nature by large-scale cursed techniques
⑧ …
… ⑨ … ⑩ … ⑪ …
Ijichi looked at the computer. Then he looked at the documents. Then he looked at the computer again. He turned to the colleague next to him with a movement like that of a mechanical doll winding down.
“Um, where is Gojo?” Ijichi asked.
“He said he had business to attend to and left. Apparently, he’ll be away for a few days.”
“Oh, he will, will he?”
Ijichi looked out the window and up at the cloudless sky.
Oh, right, he thought. That’s the kind of guy I am. Give me a break to recover and then I’ll return to work at full strength.
He could almost sense Gojo out there somewhere beyond the blue sky. He supposed this indicated Gojo’s reliance on him. With a wry laugh, Ijichi decided to dive in by straightening the documents Gojo had haphazardly dumped on his desk.
The stiffness in his shoulders had disappeared overnight, but he could already feel it returning.