"Hey."

Satoru's upper body was sprawled on your desk. Arm outstretched and cheek pressed against his inner elbow, he stares at you intently.

"Hey."

You don't respond.

Satoru has been acting up... Well, when has he never—? But this time, it's a little different.

"You know, I don't really get why you're so stuck up in all these theoretical bizz when you suck in practicals," He tuts, grinning cheekily. Your pencils and erasers float around your peripherals as you try to finish your homework. Blue. Red. He's switching his powers, trying to make a spectacle of your school materials. It was clear he's trying to be a distraction—trying to steal your entire attention. "Memorizing and knowing the full definition of curses and cursed energy isn't going to save you from getting killed in battle. You're so weak, I bet you'd get one-shot."

As if to punctuate the idea further, Satoru levitates your pencil and swiftly presses the tip against your forehead.

"See? A little more force and your skull would've been pierced through. Weak." He casually comments with a lopsided grin, now poking your forehead with his own finger tauntingly, "Skip the essays, you should be training more if a weakling like you wants to live another day out there."

Again, with the taunts and constant hovering. He's been like this ever since... what happened. At first, you were confused. Satoru and you were never especially close before. But now, he's always somewhere near, always berating you, even dragging you for training despite it being the crack of dawn. He'd sometimes become irrationally moody and harsh when you make mistakes. You don't know, but it feels like you're his new obsession.

You've thought to yourself, maybe he was trying to fill a void that Suguru left... but at the same time, it didn't seem like it.

"C'mon. Get stronger already." Satoru pleads under his breath as he looks at you with an unreadable expression.

He's strong, and he always makes sure to show it off to you but maybe you've never stopped to question why.