Ms. Gojo thought she was dating an ordinary person's boyfriend.

On Saturday evening, when the doorbell rang, Sumi Kichikawa was standing in the kitchen, turning over the beef and potatoes that were slowly simmering on the stove.

The lid of the clay pot was lifted slightly, and a cloud of steam carrying the aroma of soy sauce and heat immediately wafted out, filling the entire apartment with a warm, homey feeling.

The doorbell rang only once, followed immediately by a hushed but impossible-to-suppress voice from outside.

"Kudoshin, don't stick your whole body to him."

"I'm just listening to see if there are any footsteps."

"...How embarrassing."

Kikawa Sumi paused in her movements, a hint of a smile appearing in her eyes.

He turned down the heat, smoothed the edge of his apron in his palm, and then went to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, the first thing to peek in was indeed a striking pink head.

"Dr. Kikawa!" Yuji Itadori's eyes lit up, and he leaned half his body into the doorway. "Did you make stew today? I could smell it in the elevator!"

"You have a very keen sense of smell." Sumire Kichikawa chuckled, stepping aside slightly. "Come in, it's cold outside."

Huzhang responded quickly, and even as he bent down to change his shoes, he didn't forget to look inside, like a large dog that couldn't sit still once it smelled a delicious aroma.

Behind him, Nobara Kugisaki was carrying a paper bag with the name of a high-end fruit shop printed on it. She stood a bit more composed than him, but her expression still carried a hint of awkwardness.

When she handed over the bag, she deliberately kept her tone flat: "I saw some strawberries for sale when I was passing by, so I bought some. They're not heavy anyway."

Sumi Kichikawa glanced down.

A row of white strawberries was neatly arranged inside the transparent hard-shell box. The fruit was plump and the surface was glossy and exquisite. It didn't look like a cheap item that was "bought on a whim".

He took it, and as his fingertips touched the paper bag, the girl withdrew her hand first, turning her gaze to the side, refusing to meet his eyes.

"You always bring things." Kikawa Sumi's tone was gentle, with a hint of slight helplessness.

"It would be better if you came in person next time, otherwise I would feel bad asking you to come and eat here again."

"I didn't intentionally bring anything." Wild Rose's ears burned a little, and she quickened her pace as she changed her shoes.

"It's really strange that we all came empty-handed."

Kikawa Sumi didn't expose him, but just smiled and replied "okay", then casually put the fruit aside.

Fushiguro Megumi walked last.

He said nothing, quietly closed the door, changed his shoes, and reached out to hang the coats that the other two people had carelessly tossed aside by the door.

After Sumi Kichikawa took the fruit to the kitchen, he naturally walked to the dining table and took out the sterilized bowls and chopsticks from the cabinet and set them out.

"Hui, what happened to your right hand?"

Fukuro Megumi paused slightly.

The boy subconsciously pulled his hand a little deeper into his sleeve, and when he looked up, his expression had returned to normal: "It's nothing, I just brushed against something while moving things."

Kikawa Sumi looked at him for two seconds, but didn't ask any questions on the spot. She just nodded and said, "Go wash your hands first. I'll take a look after you finish eating."

Fushiguro Megumi opened her mouth as if to say no, but in the end she remained silent and swallowed her words.

The living room was heated, and a thin layer of fog floated on the glass windows.

Not long after, Gojo Satoru returned.

He brought a gust of cool air in when he pushed the door open. His eye mask was still on, but his voice rang out first: "Xiao Cheng, I'm so hungry—"

As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze shifted, as if he had just noticed the three familiar faces in the living room. His drawn-out tone became even more exaggerated: "Ah, you guys are here to freeload again?"

"What do you mean, 'coming here to freeload again'!" Wild Rose immediately retorted, "We brought our own food!"

"That's for Sumi, not for me," Gojou Satoru said matter-of-factly as he walked into the kitchen and reached out to put his arm around Sumi's waist.

What did you do today?

As Sumire Kikawa was serving soup, a hand suddenly appeared around her waist. She simply tilted her head slightly and said, "Go wash your hands first. Take off your coat too; there's a seat at the table."

"You didn't even answer me first."

"Beef and potatoes, tamagoyaki, pan-fried salmon, and soup."

Satisfied, Gojo Satoru lowered his head and gently nuzzled against his shoulder, as if finally soothed, and slowly replied, "Oh."

The distance from the entryway to the kitchen is so short that people in the living room can see it with just a slight glance.

Wild Rose, who was still fighting with the scepter for the last cushion, suddenly stopped when she saw this.

It's not because of intimacy—Gojo Satoru is naturally clingy, something they've long been aware of.

What's truly hard to describe is Sumi Kichikawa's reaction.

Sumi Kichikawa usually appears gentle and mild-mannered, seemingly without any temper, and speaks softly. In short, she is completely different from the gorilla-like sorcerer.

They originally thought that Sumi Kawakawa would be the one who was more likely to be shy in her relationship with Satoru Gojo.

But the opposite was true. He didn't dodge, nor did he feel uncomfortable, and he didn't have the subconscious panic one would feel when suddenly entangled with someone.

He simply continued what he was doing naturally, putting down the soup spoon as he turned his head and said in a very soft voice, "Go sit down first, it'll be ready soon."

The tone was so practiced, as if he had done this countless times before.

What's even stranger is that Gojo Satoru actually let go.

He was usually the kind of person who would do whatever came to mind immediately, but after Kikawa Sumi's casual remark, he was completely swayed and sauntered to the bathroom. As he passed through the living room, he casually ruffled Itadori's hair, which elicited a scream from the latter.

As usual, the atmosphere was lively after dinner was served.

Tiger Knot was always the one who ate the most enthusiastically, saying "Delicious" while asking if they could make fried chicken nuggets again next time;

Wild Rose complained that it was shameful for the two of them to fight over food, but her chopsticks didn't slow down at all;

Fukuro Megumi sat upright, rarely participating in the food grabbing, and was almost silent, yet his plate was always the first to be emptied, and he even ate all the side dishes.

Kikawa Sumi served them rice, added soup, and changed their empty plates with natural movements, only occasionally asking a casual question:

Is the workload heavy at your school lately?

"How did you sleep last night?"

"Yujin, you said your stomach wasn't feeling well last time, has it still bothered you?"

These words sound ordinary, but when they are spoken at a dinner table like this, it's hard not to relax.

It's like being temporarily dragged into a world that's quite different from the outside world from school, training, exhaustion, and those unspeakable pressures.

Halfway through the meal, Fushiguro Megumi reached for the soup bowl, and her right sleeve rode up a bit.

As soon as Sumi Kichikawa's gaze fell upon him, she immediately put down her chopsticks.

Give me your hand.

Fushiguro Megumi stopped moving.

"It's not serious," he said softly.

"I know it's not serious." Sumire looked at him, her tone still gentle, "Even if it's not serious, it still needs to be treated."

There was a moment of silence on the table.

With half a tamagoyaki on his plate, Huzhang stared blankly at Fushiguro, then at Kikkawa Sumi. Nobara also put down her chopsticks.

Fushiguro Megumi remained silent for two seconds before reaching out her hand.

There was a scratch on the back of the boy's hand near the base of his thumb, as if it had just been accidentally scraped while moving something.

The wound wasn't deep; only the edges were broken, and it was a light red color.

As Sumi Kichikawa got up to get the first-aid kit, Satoru Gojo, chin in hand, watched lazily and suddenly clicked his tongue.

"None of you know how to take care of yourselves."

Wild Rose immediately glared at her: "You talk as if you're so good at it."

"Of course I will," Gojou Satoru said without changing his expression. "Because I have Sumi."

Kikawa Sumi happened to be returning with a first-aid kit. Upon hearing this, she simply smiled and didn't take it.

He half-squatted down next to Fushiguro Megumi, lifted the boy's hand, and carefully dealt with it.

When the cotton swab, moistened with medicine, touched the area, Fukuro's knuckles twitched almost imperceptibly.

"Does it hurt?" Sumi Kichikawa looked up.

Fukuro Megumi immediately shook her head: "No."

"It's okay if it hurts, you can say so if you can't help it." Sumi Kichikawa's voice was very soft as she slowed down her movements. "You kids are the most likely to pretend to be strong. Even when you're in pain, you always think that you can just bear it and it will pass."

He didn't say this in a preachy way; it was just like stating a very ordinary fact.

But Gojo Satoru, who had been casually leaning back in his chair, suddenly became quieter upon hearing this.

He looked at Kikawa Sumi's half-lowered profile, his gaze lingering for a moment under the light.

Fushiguro Megumi remained silent.

Disinfecting, applying medicine, and putting on patches—the whole process was efficient and meticulous.

After putting away the first-aid kit, Sumi Kichikawa also smoothed down Fushiguro Megumi's cuffs, as if to prevent the edges from rubbing against the wound.

Be careful when getting it wet these next couple of days.

"……Um."

Fu Hei Hui responded softly.

After the meal, the three of them were kept behind for a while, as usual.

The scepter helped carry the plates, the wild rose washed the fruit, and the black-faced beauty wiped the table.

The kitchen lights were warm and inviting, making even the deepening night outside the window seem less cold.

When they were finally ready to leave, Sumi Kichikawa saw them to the door and gave each of them a small box of sliced ​​strawberries and freshly baked snacks.

"Be careful on your way back," he said.

"Dr. Kirikawa, you really look like—" Itachi was interrupted halfway through his sentence by Wild Rose stepping on his foot.

"Like what?" Sumi Kichikawa asked with a smile.

"It's nothing!" Itachi shook his head frantically, clutching the snack box.

As the elevator doors slowly closed, the three people stood inside, none of them speaking first.

Two seconds later, Itadori lowered his voice and sighed softly, "I feel like... this place is a completely different world from the vocational college."

Wild Rose crossed her arms, tilted her head to look at the continuously decreasing floor numbers, and didn't say anything.

Since then, the three little ones have been visiting Sugawa Sumi's apartment more and more frequently.

It's not that they come every week, but whenever there are no plans for the weekend, or if the afternoon ends a little early, Hisahito Itadori is always the first to suggest, "Why don't we go see Dr. Kikawa?" And this suggestion usually doesn't get objected to by the other two.

Over time, without them even realizing it, the small apartment with its warm-colored lights had quietly become a place where they could relax.

That evening, the three of them, carrying drinks they had bought on the way, rang the doorbell as if they knew the way well.

The person who opened the door was Sumi Kichikawa.

"Excuse me—" Itajimaru instinctively tried to raise his voice, but was silenced by an index finger held to his lips the next second.

"Shh-"

Sumi Kikawa stood in the entryway, lowered her voice, and said gently in a breathy tone, "Be a little quieter, Satoru is sleeping."

As Huzhang changed his shoes, he suddenly stopped, and even Wild Rose behind him subconsciously lowered her breathing.

"Still sleeping?" Wild Rose asked in a whisper, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

It's 5 p.m. now.

"Okay, let him sleep a little longer." Sumire Kichikawa took the drinks from their hands, placed them neatly on the cabinet, and gestured for them to sit in the living room.

The main lights in the living room were not on; only a warm yellow floor lamp was left on.

A very faint "bubbling" sound was coming from the clay pot in the kitchen.

Kikawa Sumi brought over three cups of warm barley tea, sat down on the single sofa opposite them, and sighed softly, her tone filled with an overwhelming sense of helplessness and heartache:

"His work is so chaotic. At his busiest, he can only sleep three or four hours a day. He didn't get back until almost 3 a.m. yesterday, but when I got up this morning, he was gone again. He didn't come back until the afternoon, ate something, and then went to sleep."

Fushiguro Megumi's fingers tightened slightly as she held the teacup.

I didn't get home until 3 a.m.

But this morning, Gojo Satoru was still on the college's playground, hands in his pockets, wearing that black eye mask, grinning wickedly as he pressed the three of them to the ground and rubbed them against the ground.

At that time, the man looked extremely energetic and at ease, not a single hair on his head was out of place.

Yuji Itadori and Nobara had obviously thought of this as well, and their expressions became somewhat complicated.

"Actually... I've always been a little worried about him." Kikawa Sumi, oblivious to the students' odd behavior, simply looked at the rising steam in her hands and sighed softly.

"His eyes are probably a bit sensitive to light, or perhaps he has some kind of neurological sensitivity?"

The three of them were all taken aback.

"Every time he goes out, he wears that black eye patch or those dark sunglasses." Kikawa Sumi's voice was filled with worry.

"I tried those sunglasses, and I couldn't see anything when I put them on. But he would only take them off when he got home."

Kikawa Sumi lowered her eyes, looking at her clasped hands, and her voice became even lower:

"When he came back in the afternoon, he didn't look well. I asked him if he wasn't feeling well, but he just smiled and said he was fine. I don't know if it was because his eyes were uncomfortable from being outside for too long."

These words struck the hearts of the three students like a muffled thunderclap.

Fushiguro Megumi raised her head and glanced in the direction of the bedroom.

He knew that Gojo Satoru was always busy, and he also knew that the person was often traveling all over the world. One second he was at a vocational high school, and the next second he could be smiling and saying that he was going on a business trip.

But he never imagined that those blank spaces, lightly glossed over with a "the teacher is busy," were actually filled with such fragmented sleep and such prolonged exhaustion.

And these people have never seriously asked: Are you very tired?

Because he possesses the Reversal Technique, Gojo Satoru will not fall ill; and because he is the "strongest," he is entitled to handle the most dangerous missions.

They know this, the entire sorcery world knows this.

Everyone took it for granted.

Sumire Kikawa asked them to sit on the sofa first, and then went to the kitchen.

A soft knocking sound soon came from the kitchen.

Just then, a very faint noise came from the bedroom.

Sumi Kichikawa almost immediately put down what she was holding.

"Wait a moment," he said softly to the three of them, then turned and walked toward the bedroom.

The living room fell silent again.

The three people sat there, and none of them spoke.

Only faint whispers could be heard coming from the bedroom. The words were indistinct through the door, but the voice of Sumi Kichikawa was always gentle, as if she was patiently coaxing someone.

After a while, the door reopened.

Sumire Kawakawa came out first, followed a little behind by Gojo Satoru, who slowly followed.

He was no longer the disheveled person he would be when he first woke up.

Although her white hair still had a bit of natural fluff, it had clearly been casually trimmed, and her loungewear was neater.

He wasn't wearing an eye patch, and his pale blue eyes appeared softer than usual under the warm light. He even had his usual lazy smile on his lips.

"Oh dear." He stood at the entrance to the living room, drawing out his words, "I was wondering why it was so noisy in my dreams. Turns out, the problem children have all come to our door."

Itadori almost instinctively stood up: "Gojo-sensei!"

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." Gojo Satoru raised a hand to rub the back of his neck, his eyes crinkling at the corners, regaining that lighthearted air that made people grit their teeth.

"Do you miss your teacher that much? Just so you know, there's no gift today."

Normally, Wild Rose would probably have already replied with "Who cares?" and Fushiguro Megumi would probably have a speechless expression, but for some reason, no one responded as usual today.

Gojo Satoru seemed to sense something, his gaze sweeping over their faces before he raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Why did you suddenly make that expression? It's kind of scary."

"Teacher," Itadori looked at him, his tone unusually serious, "have you been working too hard lately?"

Gojo Satoru was taken aback, never expecting that the first thing he would receive would be such a straightforward expression of concern.

He blinked, then his smile widened: "Huh? Who told you that? I'm super fit—"

Before he could finish speaking, Kikawa Sumi had already walked over to him with the glass of water and shoved it into his hand.

"Drink some water first before you talk," he said.

When Gojo Satoru was interrupted, he couldn't help but glance at him for two seconds before finally lowering his head and drinking.

Kikawa Sumi stood beside him and waited for him to finish drinking before taking the cup from him.

"Don't worry." Gojo Satoru finally handed the cup back, reverting to his carefree demeanor, and leaned back on the sofa with a smile.

"The teacher was just catching up on sleep; he wouldn't collapse so easily. What's with all of you looking at me like that, like you're at a funeral? Yay—"

"Who's holding a memorial service?" Wild Rose finally couldn't help but ask.

"You... at least take care of your health."

Gojo Satoru paused for a moment, then seemed amused: "Eh—is Wild Rose concerned about the teacher?"

"Don't get too cocky," Wild Rose glared at him.

Dr. Huzhang was more direct, frowning as he said, "Teacher, if you're very tired, please rest. If you're really feeling unwell, you must say so. Won't it make you feel even worse by enduring it all yourself?"

"Hirujin," Gojo Satoru drawled, "what kind of image does your teacher have in your heart? So fragile?"

"It's not a matter of being weak or not." Itadori looked at him directly. "It's because, teachers get tired too."

After those words were spoken, even Gojo Satoru fell silent for a moment.

The smile on his face slowly turned into a softer, more helpless curve.

Kikawa Sumi stood to the side without saying a word, but simply lowered her eyes to straighten the coasters on the coffee table and replaced the half-cold water in the cup with new warm water.

Fushiguro Megumi sat to one side, her knuckles pressed against her knees, and remained silent for a long time before speaking in a low voice: "...If you're not feeling well, don't force yourself."

Gojo looked at him, unusually refraining from immediately trying to tease him.

After a two-second pause, he chuckled, his voice lowered: "What? Did you all plan this together to teach the teacher a lesson today?"

"It's not education," Itari immediately interjected, "it's care."

"Yeah, right." Wild Rose crossed her arms, frowning as she looked at him. "Can't you tell?"

Gojo Satoru blinked.

Then he raised his hand and ruffled Itari's hair as usual, flicked Wild Rose's forehead, and finally raised his chin toward Fubuki Kuroko, smiling a little cheekily: "Seriously, this sudden thoughtfulness is quite unusual for me."

The wild rose was thrown backward, its feathers immediately bristling.

"What are you doing, you idiot teacher!"

Gojo Satoru laughed heartily: "So this is the more normal way to look at it."

The atmosphere finally eased a bit.

As Sumire looked at them, a hint of a smile appeared in her eyes.

He didn't say much, but simply asked softly, "Would you like to stay and have something to eat? The porridge is just ready, and there are some side dishes too."

"Is it okay?" Itachi asked instinctively.

"Of course." Sumi Kichikawa smiled. "But the food will be very bland today. Because someone doesn't have a good appetite and will have to eat the hospital meal with them."

"Hey, Satoru," Gojo protested in a drawn-out tone, "Don't damage a teacher's authority in front of students."

"Do you still have that kind of thing?" Wild Rose retorted without any politeness.

"That's too much!"

The group finally started arguing as usual.