Morning arrived more ordinarily than expected.
To Amanai Riko, that was the strangest part of all.
The night before had been long.
The events at the Tombs of the Star Corridor, the duel between Satoru and Yuji, and those faces that returned smiling despite being caked in blood and dust—it was all so vivid that her mind refused to quiet down even when she lay with her eyes shut.
Yet the sun rose anyway, light spilled through the cracks in the window frame, and in the distance, the cicadas continued their frantic, buzzing cry.
Riko remained motionless under her covers for a long time.
It was odd.
Having endured a night that felt like the world was ending, she felt as though the next day should have been heavier, more tragic in its resonance. But reality was shamelessly nonchalant. The sunlight was bright, the air was muggy, and she was getting hungry.
Those mundane sensations made Riko feel even more dazed.
She was alive.
That fact kept hitting her with a delayed realization.
She hadn't died. She hadn't merged. She had greeted a morning called 'tomorrow.'
Riko exhaled very slowly, her eyes still closed beneath the blankets.
A second later, the tips of her ears flared red. A scene she desperately wanted to forget surged back into her mind with effortless ease.
In front of the Tombs of the Star Corridor—her own face, a mess of uncontrolled sobbing.
And the hand that had reached out so casually to stroke her head.
The voice that told her to come along.
Riko buried her face into the pillow.
"...Ugh."
The sound escaped her lips, sounding pathetic even to her own ears.
But the memories didn't stop there.
Inside the barrier.
The sight of Gojo Satoru's limbs flying through the air. And how, immediately after that, Yuji's expression hadn't shifted even a fraction.
That cold gaze, and the indifferent attitude with which he returned to his usual self once the combat ended.
He was terrifying.
And—was the emotion of 'liking' someone always supposed to be this exhausting?
"Amanai-sama."
At the sound of Kuroi's voice from outside the door, Riko jolted upright.
"W-What is it?!"
"What do you mean, 'what is it'? It is time to wake up."
Kuroi's voice was as calm as ever.
"I have brought your breakfast."
Riko responded after a beat of hesitation.
"...You may enter."
The door opened, and Kuroi Misato entered quietly. She carried a small tray containing a simple breakfast, tea, and a damp towel.
Kuroi immediately scanned the room. The disheveled blankets, the crumpled pillow, and Riko's face, flushed all the way to her ears.
She said nothing.
Instead, she set the tray down and handed Riko the tea.
"You certainly tossed and turned quite a bit."
Riko immediately protested.
"W-Who says I did!"
"The blankets look like a battlefield."
"....""
"The pillow, too, seems to have suffered heavy casualties."
Riko's eyes widened.
"Kuroi!"
Kuroi let out a tiny, subtle chuckle. That faint laugh was even more annoying.
Riko took the tea but couldn't bring herself to drink it immediately. She stared blankly at the rim of the cup before finally speaking in a small voice.
"Kuroi."
"Yes."
"I...""
She trailed off, the words stuck in her throat.
How should she put it?
It was too embarrassing to say, 'I think I like him,' yet to merely say she felt 'strange' didn't capture how deeply her heart was already wavering.
After taking a sip of tea, Riko muttered while keeping her eyes downcast.
"I have become a bit strange."
Kuroi asked back with a knowing expression.
"In what way?""
Riko fidgeted with the rim of her cup.
"He keeps coming to mind."
"And who would that be?""
Riko almost snapped at her again but stopped herself.
Kuroi's gaze was too serene. If she tried to put on a brave front now, she would only look more miserable.
So she spoke in a barely audible whisper.
"...Itadori."
Kuroi wasn't surprised this time either.
"I see."
"You aren't surprised."
"I had expected as much."
Riko's face burned again.
"What is that supposed to mean?!"
"Exactly what I said."
Kuroi answered calmly.
"You heard such profound words at the Tombs of the Star Corridor, and then witnessed that kind of battle immediately after. It isn't strange for your heart to be shaken."
Riko bit her lip.
"It isn't so much that I'm shaken...""
She averted her gaze for no reason.
"Doesn't he seem so far away?""
Kuroi remained silent for a moment. That silence gave Riko the room to be more honest.
"I saw it clearly yesterday."
Riko continued in a low voice.
"He wasn't fighting a person; he looked like someone measuring out a man's death like it was just a distance. It seemed as though no matter how hard Gojo struggled, Itadori was the one who ultimately decided whether he would live or die."
Her words settled quietly in the room. Kuroi didn't interrupt.
Riko continued with a calmness that surprised even herself.
"I was afraid."
It was a very sincere confession.
"The person who stroked my head, told me it was okay, and asked me to go with him... and that person inside the barrier... it's hard to believe they're the same man."
Kuroi finally spoke, her voice measured.
"They are undoubtedly the same person."
Riko looked at her. Kuroi poured more tea and said,
"However, both versions are likely the 'true' him."
"Both?""
"Yes. The man who reached out to you, and the man who pushed his enemy to the brink of death."
Riko was silent.
Kuroi's words were strangely comforting, yet they made everything more complicated.
If both were real, which one had she fallen for?
The kind one? The terrifying one? Or the person who housed both of those facets within him?
As the thought reached that point, Riko's face heated up again.
Kuroi saw this but chose not to smile.
"Please, eat your meal."
Riko dazed for a moment before nodding. The breakfast tasted better than she had anticipated.
She thought she'd have no appetite, but perhaps because she hadn't eaten anything the day before, she cleared her plate quickly. She felt a bit annoyed with herself for being so healthy, but at the same time, it was a relief.
If you're alive, you get hungry. It was such a natural thing that it felt even more bizarre. As she finished her meal, Riko suddenly asked,
"Is Gojo really okay?""
Kuroi replied,
"Yes. He contacted us earlier."
"From that guy?""
"He said he was hungry."
Riko's expression went blank with disbelief.
"That was his first priority?""
"Doesn't that sound just like him?""
Riko was stunned for a moment, then finally couldn't hold back a laugh. It was a short laugh, but it was the first natural expression she'd made all morning.
She followed up immediately with another question.
"Then, was Itadori with him?""
Kuroi looked at Riko very slowly this time.
Riko realized her mistake.
She had asked far too naturally.
"I-I'm just! I'm just checking to see if they were together!""
Kuroi said,
"Yes. I am told they were together."
With that short answer, Riko felt her heart skip a beat for no reason.
How ridiculous.
She knew it herself.
This wasn't just being 'shaken' anymore. At that moment, a light knock sounded at the door.
Kuroi rose and opened it. After a brief exchange with the person outside, she stepped back in.
"It is Gojo Satoru-san and Geto Suguru-san."
Riko instinctively adjusted her posture.
"Tell them to enter."
The door opened, and Gojo was, predictably, the first to enter.
She wondered if he'd be covered in bandages, but he wasn't. His injuries were completely gone. Aside from having changed his clothes, it seemed like a lie that he had been so bloody the night before.
Geto followed behind him with a much calmer expression. Gojo beamed as soon as he crossed the threshold.
"Oh, look at that. A living Amanai."
Riko immediately scowled.
"That's a rather unpleasant way to put it."
"Really? I quite like it. It makes your survival feel real, doesn't it?""
"I'd prefer to realize it in a different way."
Geto added quietly from the side,
"Satoru, stop teasing her so early in the morning."
Gojo shrugged.
"Hey, I'm genuinely happy to see her."
His words were playful, but they didn't feel like a lie. Riko could sense that much.
Geto's gaze swept over Riko before he asked,
"Are you alright?""
Riko hesitated for a moment before responding.
She was going to say 'I'm fine,' but then she realized that pretending to be okay—just like she had yesterday—was pointless.
So she tried a different answer this time.
"Not completely, but better than yesterday."
Geto's gaze softened slightly.
"Then that's enough."
Gojo, having listened to their brief exchange, scanned the room once.
"But doesn't it feel a bit suffocating in here?""
Riko furrowed her brows.
"Suffocating?""
"Like you're being hidden away."
Riko went quiet at that.
Because he was right.
She had declared she would survive, and she had, but she was still confined to a room where she had to remain hidden. She couldn't leave as she pleased, and walking the streets or going to school like a normal girl still wasn't an easy task.
Gojo saw her expression and suppressed his grin slightly.
"So, here's the thing."
He raised a hand and pointed at Geto.
"This guy went and drew up a serious plan."
Geto sighed.
"Coming from you, it sounds suspicious."
"No, really. Even I was surprised."
Riko and Kuroi turned their attention to Geto naturally.
Geto paused for a moment before speaking.
"For the time being, we're going to further diversify your movement patterns. There's a chance the Higher-Ups might move faster than expected, so staying in one place for too long isn't ideal."
Kuroi nodded.
"I expected as much."
"And Riko."
Geto continued,
"I know it's stifling, but please bear with it for a while. At the very least, if you step outside right now, it reduces the options we have to protect you."
Riko pressed her lips together. It wasn't as if she didn't want to argue.
She felt the unfairness of it—why did she still have to hide? Why did choosing to live mean she had to shrink back even more? She felt a pang of resentment.
But then she remembered her own words from the day before, and she couldn't bring herself to throw a tantrum.
She was the one who said she wanted to live.
Then she had to endure the inconveniences that came with surviving.
Riko finally gave a short reply.
"You need not tell me... I know."
Gojo, watching her, deliberately tried to lighten the mood.
"Tell you what, once things settle down a bit, I'll sneak you out for a walk."
Geto shot back instantly,
"You're the most suspicious person for that job."
"What? If I'm the one taking her out, it's the least likely we'll get caught."
"I think you're the most likely to get us caught."
Riko eventually chuckled at their banter. Even Kuroi couldn't hide a tiny slip of a smile.
In the midst of all this, one thing continued to weigh on Riko's mind.
Yuji.
His name hadn't come up once so far.
Were they avoiding it on purpose, or was he just naturally left out?
Finally, Riko couldn't help but ask.
"By the way."
The three of them turned to her.
Riko averted her gaze slightly.
"Where is Itadori?""
The question was far too direct.
Gojo's lips curled into a smirk.
Geto feigned ignorance of the smirk, while Kuroi quietly bowed her head.
Riko scrambled to add more.
"I-I'm just! Since you said the Higher-Ups consider him dangerous, I was simply wondering if he was also taking precautions!""
Gojo dragged out his answer.
"Ah—that Yuji?""
Riko's face turned crimson.
"Satoru."
"Alright, alright."
Gojo chuckled, holding back his laughter.
"That guy was so perfectly fine this morning it actually pissed me off."
Geto added,
"He went to see Yaga-sensei."
Riko looked surprised.
"By himself?""
"Yeah."
Gojo leaned against the windowsill.
"That man has zero intention of hiding. Ever."
That one sentence lingered in the air for a long time.
No intention of hiding.
Perhaps that was why he was so frightening. And yet, even being that kind of person, he had spoken to her with such a warm gaze, asking her to go and see the beautiful world together.
Riko fell into deep thought.
Gojo saw her expression but refrained from teasing her this time. Instead, he spoke in a voice laced with mischief.
"Why? Do you miss him?""
Riko shot back immediately.
"No!""
"Wow, that was a fast answer."
"I said no!""
Gojo finally burst out laughing. Geto sighed softly, but a faint smile remained on his face.
Riko fumed at having fallen into the trap again, but strangely, it didn't feel as frustrating as before. She realized that the tightness in her chest had loosened slightly compared to earlier that morning.
It was strange.
A life she thought had ended only yesterday was continuing today in such a loud and chaotic manner.
A short while later, Geto stood up.
"We won't stay too long. We have a lot to prepare."
Gojo also rose.
"I should get going too. I think I'm in for a massive lecture from Sensei today."
Riko asked immediately,
"You knew that, yet you still fought like that?""
Gojo nodded as if it were obvious.
"Yeah."
Riko looked at Geto in disbelief, and Geto just closed and opened his eyes as if he were exhausted by it all.
"Satoru has always been like this."
That short sentence explained everything.
As Gojo headed toward the door, he suddenly looked back.
"Amanai."
"What is it?""
"You...""
Riko blinked.
Gojo softened his playful expression just a fraction.
"Choosing to live—you did the right thing."
The words were so unexpected that Riko couldn't respond right away.
Gojo didn't wait for her to speak. He simply waved once and turned toward the door.
Geto also took one last look at Riko before leaving.
"Get some rest today."
With that, the two of them exited the room.
Only after the door clicked shut did Riko exhale very slowly.
Kuroi quietly refilled her tea.
The room felt slightly more serene than before.
Riko was silent for a long time.
Then, in a voice so tiny she could barely hear herself, she muttered,
"...Did I really do the right thing?""
Kuroi heard her clearly but didn't answer right away. Instead, she handed Riko the cup and said,
"Amanai-sama."
Riko took the cup. Kuroi smiled softly.
"I think for today, at least, it is perfectly fine for you to think so."
Riko gripped the cup tightly and looked out the window.
The summer was still scorching, and the cicadas were still loud.
And yet, it felt slightly different from yesterday.
A day of survival was more complicated, noisier, and more embarrassing than she had imagined.
Still, one thing was certain.
It wasn't the end.
And that fact—now, she was starting to feel a little happy about it.