Finally entering the building, Gojo Satoru let out a long yawn.
"Aaah..."
The morning classes had finally ended.
The students were exhausted.
The boys looked half-dead. While the girls had spent most of the class laughing at the miserable boys.
And Gojo himself?
He was sleepy. Very sleepy.
Recently, his favorite sleeping spot had been the gazebo near the courtyard.
Unfortunately, that place had also become increasingly popular with students eating their lunch there.
Even teachers occasionally stopped by to drink coffee.
At first, there had been enough space for everyone.
Now?
The place was packed before noon!
"Tsk~" Gojo clicked his tongue. "My sleeping territory has been invaded."
A tragic situation.
One that required immediate action. Action to change territory.
While walking up the stairs, Gojo began considering alternative locations.
"The rooftop is too noisy."
"The library has too many people."
"The nurse's would definitely get me kicked out if I stay their."
After reaching the second floor, a new idea suddenly appeared.
"Hm? How about the Service Club?"
The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it sounded.
The clubroom was usually quiet.
There was a table.
There were chairs.
Most importantly, there was air conditioning!
A perfect environment for a nap.
"Not bad." Gojo nodded in satisfaction.
Although there was one problem.
The table was shorter than his height. If he lay down on it, part of his legs would definitely hang off the edge.
Still.
With his destination decided, he continued climbing the stairs like a particular aura monster.
Third floor.
Fourth floor.
Fifth floor.
As he reached the fifth floor corridor, his footsteps suddenly paused.
As a faint melody drifted through the air.
"...Hm?"
Piano music.
Elegant.
Clear.
Beautiful.
The quiet notes echoed softly throughout the corridor.
Gojo blinked. Then his expression became slightly strange.
"Why does this scene feel familiar?"
Several memories resurfaced.
The last time he heard piano music and followed it out of curiosity, he had encountered a certain troublesome woman.
The experience had been memorable. And not necessarily in a good way.
Gojo stared ahead with dead-fish eyes. "Please don't tell me it's another troublesome person."
Unfortunately, curiosity was a powerful force that had cause many brave warrior downfall.
And Gojo Satoru had never been good at ignoring interesting things.
He changed directions and followed the sound.
The deeper he walked into the corridor, the clearer the music became.
Each note carried emotion that could be felt by the one listening to it.
Unlike the technically perfect performances taught in textbooks, this piano carried a sense of loneliness.
A sense of isolation.
And beneath that..a faint stubbornness.
Eventually, Gojo arrived outside a music room.
The piano melody flowed through the partially open door. He glanced inside without entering.
Then paused as he look at the beautiful girl that sat before the grand piano. Long black hair flowed down her back. Her profile was elegant and refined. Her fingers moved smoothly across the keys.
The sunlight streaming through the windows illuminated her figure.
If someone saw this scene without context, they would probably think they had stumbled into a movie or a beautiful concert.
Touma Kazusa.
A student from Class E.
A famous problem child. At least according to the teachers and staff members.
As she frequently skipped class without any reason and rarely participated in school activities.
And had enough attitude to make even veteran teachers develop headaches just by talking to her.
However...She also happened to be the daughter of the world-renowned pianist, Touma Yoko.
More importantly.
Her musical talent was absurd.
Even Sobu High School's administration couldn't ignore it.
As long as her grades remained acceptable and she continued achieving results in competitions, the school generally began to overlooked her habit of disappearing during class.
Which explained why she was currently here, playing the piano in the isolated room during class hours.
Gojo quietly leaned against the door, he didn't make any sound, as he simply listened.
The music continued without any error while Gojo continue to stare at the person through the gap between the door.
Several minutes passed.
Then—The melody stopped as Touma Kazusa's fingers slowly left the keys.
Without turning around, she spoke without any change in her expression.
"Sensei." Her cold voice echoed through the room. "Peeking at people is a bad habit."
Gojo smiled from behind the door,
"Peeking?" He pointed at the open door. "The door was already open."
Touma finally turned around. Her sharp gray-blue eyes landed on him.
For a brief moment, silence filled the room as no one speak.
Gojo wore casual clothes, with an unusual blindfold and an expression that looked entirely too relaxed.
To Touma Kazusa, he looked less like a teacher and more like some moron who had accidentally wandered into the school. And that too how she didn't know.
"What a strange person." She muttered quietly under her breath.
Gojo heard it, as he smile, "I'll take that as a compliment."
"It wasn't."
"That's unfortunate."
Touma looked away.
A truly troublesome teacher.
That was her first impression of the unwanted person before her. She turned back toward the piano.
Her fingers returned to the keys.
The melody resumed, as her fingers began to work it's magic.
However—Something felt different.
Having someone watching nearby made the atmosphere awkward.
As mistake appeared in the rhythm.
Then another.
Touma frowned slightly at her own mistake and the problem as the piano music stopped again.
Gojo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hm."
Touma glared at him. "What?"
"You can't focus."
"..."
The girl remained silent to his query, which was essentially an admission.
Gojo smiled in amusement as he walked inside the room, "Why don't you move over?"
Touma blinked. "What?"
"Let the teacher try."
Now she was genuinely surprised. "You can play piano?"
The skepticism in her voice was painfully obvious.
Gojo looked offended as he asked back, "What kind of question is that?"
"A reasonable one."
"Tough crowd."
Touma folded her arms with a cold expression. She clearly didn't believe him.
Seeing her expression, Gojo laughed, he was too thick-skin to care, as he casually walked over and sat down.
Touma reluctantly moved aside with a "Fine."
If this strange teacher wanted to embarrass himself, she wouldn't stop him from the experience.
She crossed her arms and watched with clear judgement in her eyes.
Gojo placed his hands on the piano.
The room became quiet.
Then—His fingers touched the keys.
Gojo smiled slightly as his fingers touch the cold surfaces of the keys.
Fortunately.
His skills hadn't become rusty.
Their is many things that Gojo or the He who has become Gojo Satoru tired after becoming the strongest. Like Cooking, Dancing, Singing, Piano, Violin and many other things, He had tured the reason being that he was too bored and also fulfilling some of His past regret it wasn't easy as to say at first but that only motivate him even more!
And the fact that their too many of his favorite music and song that were not present or created in his previous world (JJK) doesn't help...
The question now was—What should he play?
He thought for several seconds. Then a melody surfaced in his memory.
"Let's use this one." His fingers began moving.
The piano responded instantly.
A gentle melody filled the room.
The notes flowed naturally with one another. Neither too fast nor too slow.
A quiet sadness.
A nostalgic warmth could be felt from the tone as if the feeling of remembering something precious.
Touma's expression gradually changed slowly, her cold expression disappearing slightly.
At first she merely listened. Then she became focused.
Then completely absorbed as the room disappeared around her.
The corridor disappeared.
Everything disappeared except the sound of the music that continue to flow without any awkwardness.
The melody continued for several minutes.
The notes rose and fell.
The emotions shifted.
Until finally—The final note faded in the silent environment.
Silence returned to the room.
Gojo stretched his arms, snapping his fingers.
"Not bad." Then he pointed at himself. "As expected of the me."
Touma ignored the narcissistic comment entirely. Her attention remained on the music.
Because she had never heard that piece before.
Not once.
And she had listened to an absurd amount of piano music throughout her life.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she turn her eyes to the blindfold person.
"Sensei."
"Hm?"
"What was that piece called?"
Gojo turned his head as the smile widen appeared on his face, he asked in pure amusement, "Interested?"
"I'm curious." The response came immediately.
Far too quickly.
Touma looked away from the face he was making.
Annoying teacher.
After a moment, Gojo answered.
" 'Tsuyoku Hakanai Monotachi' (The Strong and Fleeting)."
{T/N:- Tsuyoku Hakanai Monotachi (強く儚い者たち) translates to "The Strong and Fleeting" (or "The Strong and Ephemeral"). It is the title of a famous 1997 Japanese pop-rock song by singer-songwriter Cocco, which was also notably covered by artists like Aimer, i dont know much about song and music but it was good to listen}
Touma repeated the title quietly in her head. It was a fitting name for this music.
The melody carried exactly that feeling.
More importantly—She was almost certain she had never heard it before.
"Did you compose it?" She asked in a peculiar manner.
Gojo shrugged in response, "Something like that."
Touma frowned slightly. That wasn't a proper answer and she herself couldn't believe that someone like this blindfold person could composed such a beautiful melody.
Unfortunately, before she could ask another question—
Ding~!
The bell signaling the end of class rang throughout Sobu High School.
As students immediately began flooding into the hallways.
Ping!
At almost the same moment, Gojo's phone vibrated.
A message.
He took his phone out of his pocket as he glanced at it. Then stood up. "Looks like lunch break is starting."
Touma remained in her place with her usual cold expression.
Gojo walked toward the door. Before leaving, he paused.
"If you're interested in music discussions, I'm usually free around noon."
Touma looked up.
Gojo grinned in return, "Though whether I actually show up depends on whether I find a good place to nap."
"..."
"What kind of teacher says that?" She asked in pure disbelief.
"The honest kind."
Touma stared at him.
Gojo laughed.
"Cya~"
Then waved casually and left the silent girl.
Step! Step! Step... step...
The sound of his footsteps gradually faded down the corridor.
As silence returned to the music room.
Touma sat down before the piano. Her fingers lightly touched the keys.
Yet she didn't play.
Instead, she quietly recalled the melody she had just heard.
And the title.
Tsuyoku Hakanai Monotachi.
For some reason, she couldn't get it out of her head.
...
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Bonus Chapter:-
4 Bonus chapter at 100 powerstone
6 Bonus Chapter at 150 powerstone
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Word Count — 1,825