Rain always made the city feel quieter than it really was.
You noticed it first when you were walking beside Yuji, your shoes splashing softly through shallow puddles. He was talking—something about a fight, about how Gojo would definitely brag about it later—but your attention drifted.
Because someone was watching.
You turned your head slightly, just enough to catch a glimpse of him standing across the street.
Tall. Still. Unmoving despite the rain soaking through his dark clothes. His hair clung to his face, framing those unmistakable eyes—sharp, unreadable… and locked onto you.
Your chest tightened.
“Hey—” Yuji noticed your pause. “You okay?”
“…Yeah,” you said, though your voice came out quieter than expected.
But when you looked again, he was gone.
—
You didn’t expect to see him again.
Yet somehow, he kept appearing.
At the edge of crowds. Across rooftops. Reflected faintly in windows before vanishing when you turned around.
He never approached. Never spoke.
Just watched.
And it was driving you insane.
—
“Okay, that’s it,” you muttered one evening, pulling your jacket tighter as the cold air bit at your skin.
You felt him again.
That same presence.
“You’re not subtle,” you called out, stepping into the narrow alley where shadows swallowed the light. “If you’re going to stalk me, at least say something.”
Silence.
For a moment, you thought you imagined it again.
Then—
“I am not stalking you.”
The voice was calm. Deep. Close.
You turned sharply.
He was there.
Closer than ever before.
Your breath hitched as your eyes met his.
Up close, he was… overwhelming. Not just in presence, but in the way he looked at you—not like a stranger, not even like an enemy.
Like something important.
“…Right,” you said, trying to keep your composure. “Then what do you call this?”
He tilted his head slightly, as if considering your question seriously.
“Observing.”
“…That’s worse.”
For a second, you thought—swore—you saw the faintest hint of amusement flicker in his expression.
“I needed to be sure,” he continued.
“About what?”
A pause.
Then, quietly: “That you were not a threat.”
You blinked. “…To who?”
“To him.”
Yuji.
Of course.
“You’re his friend,” he added, his gaze softening—just slightly. “Which makes you… significant.”
There was something strange about the way he said it. Not possessive. Not exactly protective.
Just… certain.
You crossed your arms. “So you’ve been watching me for days just to figure that out?”
“…Yes.”
You stared at him.
“You’re insane.”
“I am aware that my methods are… unusual.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
Another pause.
The rain filled the silence between you, droplets tapping softly against concrete.
“…But I have confirmed it now,” he said.
“And?”
His gaze shifted—more focused, more intense.
“And now I want to understand you.”
Your heart skipped.
“…Why?”
This time, he didn’t answer immediately.
When he did, his voice was quieter than before.
“Because you are always near him,” he said. “And yet… you are different.”
You frowned. “Different how?”
“You do not look at him the same way others do.”
Your chest tightened slightly.
“And you do not look at me with fear.”
That… wasn’t entirely true.
But you didn’t say it.
Instead, you met his gaze, steady.
“Should I?”
For a moment, the world seemed to still.
Then he stepped closer.
Not threatening.
Not aggressive.
Just… closer.
“Perhaps,” he said softly. “But you don’t.”
Your breath caught.
“You’re strange,” you whispered.
“…So I’ve been told.”
There it was again—that almost-smile.
It made something in your chest twist.
—