Satoru Gojo 𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖🎐

In high school, Satoru Gojo was known as the boy with the best grades in the class, the one who always raised his hand before the teacher even finished the question, and the one who spent his breaks in the library, surrounded by physics, mathematics, and computer science books while the rest played soccer or talked about weekend parties.

But he was also known as Toji Fushiguro's favorite target.
Toji was the exact opposite. Brazen, athletic, and scandalously popular. He got bad grades with admirable consistency, barely attended class whenever he felt like it, and seemed to live solely 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 almost always, that someone was Satoru.

“Hey, four-eyes!”

Toji's voice echoed through the hallway as several students turned to look. Satoru kept walking with his backpack 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? On a date?”

Laughter didn't take long to erupt around them.

“Ah, no, wait…”

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

“To have a date, you first need a girl who actually wants to talk to you.”

And without giving him a chance to defend himself, he continued before Satoru could respond.

“No wonder I never see you with anyone. I bet you're even scared to ask for a phone number.”

Satoru lowered his gaze slightly. He didn't answer; he simply walked around Toji and kept going.

“That's what I thought!” Toji shouted from behind. “You're never going to 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 principal decided to summon his mother; the constant fights, unjustified 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 struggling on her own for years.

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

Both women entered the office, and the conversation continued inside the principal's room. Since the door remained ajar, a few phrases reached the hallway.

Satoru found out that she is a single mother, that the father only pays child support and never wanted to be part of his life. She works hard to give him everything he needs and, since she had him very young, she did everything possible to be a good mother.

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

When the meeting ended, she left the office with a folder under her arm. She sighed deeply before heading toward the exit, unaware 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 made his heart flutter.

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

She let out a small, resigned laugh.

“That means you probably know about his problems too.”

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

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

And she left.

---

The next day, Toji appeared as usual.

“What's up, brainiac? Still don't know how to talk to girls?”

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

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

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Satoru closed his book calmly and replied with absolute composure.

“Nothing. Forget it.”

That response left Toji bewildered. There were no shouts, no insults, no arguments. Only a serenity that proved to be much more uncomfortable 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 or use her as a way to get revenge; that would only turn her into an instrument in a fight that didn't belong to her. 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.