Between the unspoken words

That morning, in my room, everything felt suspended: time, air, even the beat of my heart.

I woke up slowly, stretching like someone emerging from an abyss. My eyelashes heavy, skin still warm under tangled sheets, the creases of sleep marking my face, and my mind foggy with a dream that refused to fade.

For a moment, I remembered nothing. But then... his eyes.

Yuji.

It wasn't the first time he had appeared in my dreams, but this time was different. There was a new intimacy, almost forbidden. A tense silence between us, charged with all the things we'd never said.

We were close. Too close.

His fingers hovered just above my wrist, as if touching me might shatter something. His breath carried the weight of a confession held back. I said nothing. Neither did he. But there was desire. Uninvited. Unwanted. Just... surfaced.

I turned slowly in bed, still caught in the trail of emotion.

Toge was already awake, standing by the open window. He wore only sweatpants, his shoulders relaxed, his profile traced by the pale morning light. He was typing something on his phone — maybe a message to Panda, or a mental note. Silent. Present.

And yet... I felt far away.

Not from him. Not truly. But from myself.

I brought a hand to my chest. My heartbeat was uneven. Maybe from the dream, maybe from the guilt that now clawed quietly at my stomach. I looked at Toge and my breath caught.

How could I love someone so deeply… and still feel the memory of another's face on my skin, as if it had really been there?

I got up without a sound, pulled on the longest shirt I could find — his, still warm with his scent — and stood before the mirror. My eyes were tired, glassy. But filled with a question I didn't dare speak aloud.

"What is Yuji to me?"

A friend? A projection? Or just the shape of something missing in my current relationship?

I wasn't in love with him. I was sure of that.

But there was something in his silences. In those restrained glances. In the way he looked at me like he knew who I really was — even on the days when I couldn't find myself.

"You getting ready?" Toge asked, showing me a message on his screen. He smiled, the way he always did in the morning, with that gentleness that melted every wall.

I nodded and came back to him. Kissed his cheek softly, resting my face against his chest, seeking shelter.

I found it. Like always.

But the dream still clung to me — lodged in bone and thought.

And as we left the room, I kept telling myself it meant nothing. Just an illusion. A flicker of the mind.

An echo, destined to fade.

Yet the moment I saw Yuji down the hallway — leaning against the wall, laughing with Megumi, hair tousled from the night, his presence radiating strength — my heart skipped a beat.

He lifted his gaze.

Locked eyes with me.

Said nothing.

And it was as if the dream had never ended.

Toge and I walked past them, the hallway echoing only with the sound of our steps and the soft murmur of their conversation. I began talking to Toge immediately — any random story, anything at all. I didn't want to be silent. I told him about the time I helped my mother bake cookies for the first time.

Then he…

<< Morning.>> Yuji's voice, low and hoarse, reached me.

<< Morning.>> I replied — too quietly, maybe.

His gaze lingered. Not heavy. Not intrusive. Just… intense.

He looked at me like someone stares at a thing they know they can't touch — but want anyway.

And he kept watching. Even as I walked away.

Even as I turned the corner.

Only then did I glance back.

He was still there.

Eyes fixed on where I'd been.

But the moment didn't last.

<< GOOD MORNING, LOVE BIRDS! >>

Gojo-sensei appeared like a flash of lightning in broad daylight, waving both hands in the air, sunglasses halfway down his nose, wearing the smile of a kid on festival day.

<< Sleep well? You both look... radiant. But more importantly... we might have some explosive news! >>

My eyes widened. Toge raised his chin just slightly, as if to say: please, just be serious this time.

Gojo made a small nod, and his tone shifted at once.

<< Geto and I visited the site of the attack. We examined what was left of the cursed barrier, the spiritual frequencies, even the residual shadows. And... we have a theory.>>

He paused.

<< A living curse. Rooted. Not born of pure hatred, but of attachment. Twisted affection. More growth than attack. Like a vine wrapped around someone's heart.>>

My stomach clenched.

Gojo sensei turned to Toge, his eyes suddenly sharper.

<< Inumaki. I need to know everything. The girl. The one you spoke to years ago. Is she still alive? Did you ever learn what really happened to her? >>

Toge stayed silent for a moment. Then took out his phone, his fingers hesitant on the screen. He typed slowly.

"They thought she was catatonic. Then she vanished from the hospital. No one's seen her since. Ever."

Gojo sensei ran a hand through his hair, as if that answer had just confirmed his worst suspicion.

<< Then it's possible. If she survived... and if her energy mutated over time... it might be her. No longer human. But not entirely a curse either. A hybrid. Something in between. And... linked to you. >>

Toge lowered his gaze. I instinctively turned to him, my heart thudding in my chest.

<< And to me?>> I whispered. << Is that why she chose me? Because I'm close to him? >>

Gojo sensei didn't respond right away. Then he crossed his arms and said, calm:

<< Or because you have something she lost. A voice she no longer has. A love she never knew. Or... maybe, just because she saw you. And decided that now... you're hers.>>

A heavy silence fell over the three of us.

The light, which moments ago had seemed golden and clear, now felt milky — filtered through clouds gathering on the horizon.

Gojo sensei looked at us, serious now.

<< We need to find her before she finds you again.>>

He paused, then turned fully to me. His tone softer, but no less firm.

<< Rebecca, listen carefully. This curse doesn't feed on your strength. It feeds on your weakness.>>

Something froze inside me.

<< Your soul is still open. And she… she's starving. She feeds on your cracks, your ambiguity. Your heart.>>

He waited a beat. Then added, voice low:

<< The more conflicted you are… the stronger she becomes. Remember that.>>

I didn't answer. But inside me… something began to stir.

***

When we returned to the classroom, the atmosphere seemed the same as always: the voices, the laughter, the disorder of an apparent normality. Panda was joking with Yuta, and Maki was arguing with Nobara about who would win in a fight between the two of them.

But me… my skin felt stretched tight like wet paper.

I sat in my seat, between Toge and Yuta. Toge glanced at me. Just a moment. Then he looked back at his phone.

He was trying to give me space. But I wasn't really there anymore.

Yuji came in a moment later. His hair was still slightly damp, a light hoodie on, backpack over his shoulders. When he saw me, he stopped.

Just for a second.

But his eyes… they grew darker.

There was no malice.

There was something more dangerous: a genuine emotion, unspoken.

He looked at me. Not insistently, but fully present.

And I felt my stomach tighten.

I should have looked away.

I should have ignored him.

Instead, I smiled at him.

Barely.

It was a second, maybe two. But enough for my heart to falter.

Enough for Toge—without even turning—to sense everything.

That's when it happened.

A stab, a sudden chill at the base of my neck—like a cold wave under the skin.

And then… the voice.

Faint, distant, yet clear.

"He isn't Toge. But you like him anyway. You're imperfect. You're mine."

Instinctively, I raised a hand to my chest.

Yuta turned toward me.

<< Rebecca? You okay?>>

I nodded. Or maybe not. Maybe I only pretended.

I turned slightly toward Yuji.

He was still there. Still looking at me.

And I understood: it wasn't his fault.

It was mine.

My heart was no longer a steady place.

It was a battlefield.

And the curse… was taking root right there.

***

After class, the hallway emptied out slowly. Afternoon light streamed in from the tall windows, tracing golden cuts across the walls. Toge was still next to me, backpack on, phone in hand.

He slid his fingers across the screen, then held it up.

"Gojo‑sensei wants me—he sent a message. There's a mission. Maki and I leave soon."

I looked at him, barely hiding my disappointment.

<< Right away? >>

He nodded. He brushed my cheek with his knuckles, then typed quickly:

"Gojo‑sensei wants you to stay here. Still under observation."

He pointed to my chest, my heart.

"For safety."

Then he bent down and touched my forehead with his lips—a silent, gentle kiss.

<< Come back soon,>> I murmured.

He just wrote:

"Promise."

And turned away.

I watched him walk down the corridor while Maki—already geared up—caught up to him. They didn't look back. Typical of them.

Inside… I suddenly felt hollow.

I was about to leave too when I heard a voice behind me.

<< Hey. You okay? >>

I turned.

Yuji was there, hands in his pockets, backpack slung over one shoulder. He looked at me with an unreadable expression—half concern, half something he didn't want to voice aloud.

<< You look tired,>> he added, softer.

I smiled, but it was an empty smile.

<< It's just been a long day.>>

<> he said. << I saw it too. That… thing. And I know it's still on you. >>

My chest tightened.

I said nothing.

Yuji stepped closer, his voice dropping lower.

<< He protects you—Toge. Does everything he can. But who protects you… from yourself?>>

I lifted my eyes. His words hit me like a cold breeze on my neck.

<< You always keep everything under control, right? But not with me.>>

His voice cracked, almost a whisper.

<< With me you lose yourself a little. I've seen it.>>

We stood in silence for a long moment. Just our breaths. Distances shifting.

<> I began, but he shook his head.

<< I'm not asking for anything. Just… let yourself collapse, if you want. For a second. Only with me.>>

His words were both balm and blade, because they were true. And I knew it.

Yuji was a clean mirror, and I… I didn't want to look.

But the curse made sure I remembered.

"Toge is away. And he is here. You feel alive, don't you? Wrong. But alive."

I spun around, searching for a way to sever the thread.

<>

Yuji nodded. But before letting me pass, he said one more thing.

<< If one day you need… to lose your balance, I'm here. And I'll catch you.>>