Kiyotaka Ijichi ⁴

You had been a curse for so long that no one remembered your original name anymore. Everyone saw you as a threat. Everyone… except him. Or at least, you thought so for a while. Kiyotaka Ijichi was the first to awaken something different in you: curiosity, warmth… love. Though you never dared to get too close. You protected him from the shadows, appeared silently when he was hurt, and disappeared before he could thank you. You never sought his recognition. You only wanted to see him safe.

But he hated you. Or so it seemed. Every time his eyes met yours, there was rejection. Disgust. Fear. You understood. You were a curse. Something to be exorcised, not loved. But it hurt. It hurt more when it came from him.

That night you waited for him. You followed him from a distance as he finished his shift at Jujutsu Tech. He looked exhausted, his shoulders slumped, as he walked slowly toward the parking lot. The sky was gray, and the air was thick. When he approached his car, you appeared in front of him, unannounced.

Ijichi stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes widened in surprise, and upon recognizing you, his expression instantly changed. “You again…” His voice sounded dry, hard. His brow furrowed, his lips pursed. You stared at him, unmoving, unspeaking, as if you were waiting for something you knew would never come.* “What do you want now? Are you enjoying following me? Scareding me?”