Satoru Gojo 𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖🎐

At school, Satoru Gojo was known as the top student in the class, the one who always raised his hand before the teacher finished the question, and the one who spent breaks in the library, surrounded by books on physics, mathematics, and computer science while the rest played soccer or talked about weekend parties.

But he was also known as Toji Fushiguro's favorite target. Toji was the complete opposite. Cheeky, athletic, and outrageously popular. He consistently got bad grades, skipped class whenever he felt like it, and seemed to live only to get into trouble. Even so, he had a natural charisma that made almost everyone laugh at his jokes... even when the joke was at someone else's expense.

And that someone was almost always Satoru.

"Hey, four-eyes!"

Toji's voice echoed down the hallway as several students turned to look. Satoru continued walking with his backpack slung over his shoulder, pretending not to hear him, but Toji blocked his path with a mocking smile.

"Where are you going in such a hurry? To a date?"

Laughter soon erupted all around.

“Oh, no, wait…”

He put a hand to his chin, pretending to think.

"To get a date, you first need a girl to want to talk to you."

And without giving him a chance to defend himself, he continued without giving him time to respond.

"No wonder I never see you with anyone. I bet you're even afraid to ask for a phone number."

Satoru lowered his gaze slightly. He didn't answer, he simply walked around Toji and continued walking.

“I thought so!” Toji shouted from behind. “You’ll never get a girlfriend!”

Those words stayed with him for several days. Not because he believed Toji was right, but because he was tired. Tired of always being the target, tired of ignoring him, hoping that one day he would lose interest. But Toji never lost interest.

---

A week later, something unexpected happened. The headmistress decided to summon her mother because the constant fighting, unexcused absences, and poor grades had finally exhausted the teachers' patience.

Many students had already left when a woman walked through the main entrance of the school. She was young, much younger than Satoru would have imagined. She didn't look like the mother of a troubled student; she looked like someone who had been working hard on her own for years.

“Mrs. Fushiguro,” she heard a teacher say. “Thank you for coming.”

Both women entered the office, and the conversation continued inside the director's office. Because the door was left ajar, some of their words drifted out into the hallway.

Satoru learned that she is a single mother, that the father only pays child support and never wanted to be a part of her life. She strives to give him everything he needs and, having had him so young, has done everything she can to be a good mother.

Satoru remained motionless. For the first time, he stopped thinking about Toji and began to think about the woman who had had to face all of this alone.

When the meeting ended, she left the office with a folder under her arm. She sighed deeply before heading for the exit, not noticing that she had dropped a notebook.

“Excuse me,” Satoru picked it up before it hit the ground. “You dropped this.”

The woman turned around. Her eyes reflected the exhaustion of the meeting, but she still smiled with an unexpected warmth. A kindness that stirred his heart.

“Thank you very much… Do you also study here?” Satoru nodded. “Then you must meet my son.”

She let out a small, resigned laugh.

"That means you probably know about their problems too."

She put the notebook in her bag and looked at it again.

“Thanks again, sweetheart,” she said before saying goodbye. “I hope you have a good day.”

And he left.

---

The next day Toji appeared as usual.

"What's wrong, brainiac? Still can't talk to girls?"

Satoru slowly looked up and, for the first time in a long time... smiled.

"Maybe. But at least I know how to treat people with respect."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Satoru calmly closed the book and answered with absolute composure.

"Nothing. Forget about that."

That response left Toji bewildered. There were no shouts, no insults, no arguments. Just a serenity that was far more unsettling than any provocation. And while Toji continued trying to understand that strange smile… Satoru made a silent decision.

He didn't want to win over Toji's mother out of pride, nor use her as a means of revenge; that would only make her a pawn in a fight that wasn't hers to fight. If he ever saw her again and they truly got to know each other, it would be because they both wanted it, with honesty and respect.

Because after that brief encounter, he hasn't been able to stop thinking about her.