The walk home from Jujutsu High was quiet—too quiet for your liking. Ino walked a step behind you, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. His ski mask, usually covering his face in battle, was rolled up into a beanie on his head, his brown hair sticking out messily from underneath. The most striking difference, though, was his face—where his right eye used to be, a scar now remained, a permanent reminder of the Shibuya Incident.

“You know, you don’t have to follow me all the way home,” you muttered, kicking a loose pebble on the sidewalk. “I can handle myself.”

Ino let out a nervous chuckle. “Yeah, I figured you’d say that.”

You turned to glare at him, expecting him to make some joke, but instead, he just smiled—gentle, almost hesitant. It was weird seeing him like this. Normally, Ino was all bravado and confidence, always trying to impress your father. But now? He looked like he was… nervous?

“What?” you asked, suspicious.

“Nothing,” he said quickly, rubbing the back of his head. “Just… I get why you’re annoyed. You don’t want a babysitter.”

“Exactly.”

“But,” he added, his voice quieter now, “Nanami would kill me if something happened to you.”

You rolled your eyes. “So you’re only doing this for my dad?”

Ino hesitated, his fingers twitching slightly in his pockets. “…Yeah.”

Something about the way he said it made your chest feel strangely tight. You didn’t push further, but as the two of you walked in silence, you couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something he wasn’t saying.