I looked at the children that were surrounding Mei, Megumi and Nobara; unintentionally, a smile broke on my face and ran towards the three of them and hugged them tightly.
"Thank you." The words escaped my lips before I could stop them. "Thank you... thank you so much."
Those were the only words I could utter as I hugged them; I thought my hand would once again dip into the blood of innocents. I was prepared for that, as from Jogo's words, I was sure that all the children had already died.
But even with that, after ending my not-so-struggling fight with Jogo—I just nuked him out of existence with my Domain Expansion—I used my projectile sorcery to run to this kindergarten to face the consequences of my decision to save the Eishu Juvenile Detention Center.
I thought I needed to carry the corpse and guilt once again; I was prepared to add another mountain of innocent dead onto the countless nightmares that still visited me in the quiet hours of the night. But they made sure I wouldn't have to.
"Naoya, you are suffocating me," Nobara murmured.
I forgot that they are injured. So I released my hold on both Nobara and Megumi.
"Sorry," I murmur.
Megumi adjusted his uniform with an annoyed expression. "You really don't know your own strength."
Ignoring his complaint, I turned toward Mei; unlike the other two, she stood there quietly. Her clothes were stained with dust and blood. Small cuts decorated her exposed skin, but despite her composed appearance, I could see the exhaustion hidden beneath her smile.
Without hesitation, I pulled her into another embrace.
"Thanks, Mei," I murmured softly. "You have no idea how much you helped me."
For a brief moment, Mei remained still, and then, unexpectedly, she buried her face against my chest. By "unexpected," I mean she never showed her weak self in front of me, so this was my first time seeing her like this.
"But I couldn't save two of them," she whispered; her voice was so quiet I nearly missed it. "I was already too late when I arrived."
Silence settled around us. I gently rested my hand atop her head and patted her silver hair. I sneakily looked at Megumi and Nobara; they both are looking at the ground without looking up. No doubt they are also carrying the guilt of what happened.
"You saved this many lives." I broke the hug and then looked at Mei, Megumi and Nobara. "You three saved this many lives that are not meant to see another." I then looked at the children that were sitting on the ground; they were talking about chocolate or something. Just as I arrived, I already started using RCT on them as well as Mei, Megumi and Nobara.
"But two still—"
"You saved this many," I repeated firmly. I don't know the exact number of children present here, but I believe it already exceeded 20; they saved that many while a special grade was active. It was praiseworthy in itself: "If you wanted to blame someone for the two lives you couldn't save, blame me. My decision was the one that made what happened today. Curse me because I can take it, but don't blame yourself; you did everything you could."
Hearing that, Mei, Megumi, and Nobara continued to stare at me. Then, Mei straightened her posture, regaining her usual confidence as she addressed me. "Naoya Zenin," she began, using my full name with icy sharpness, "I am a professional sorcerer. I don't need to scapegoat others to mask my own failures. I have lived my life stoically enough to shoulder the sins of my own making, and I don't need you to carry that burden for me. Always remember that."
"Yeah, like, who are you to carry the blame anyway? Don't be a fucking Gandi." Nobara said with a tick forced into her temple.
Megumu nodded along with both.
Mei continued, a sharp glint returning to her eyes. "I am a mercenary, Naoya. If you're so desperate to carry a burden, start by carrying my bill; it's going to be quite hefty after the work I've put in today."
Megumi cleared his throat, breaking the heavy silence. "As touching as this is," he said, gesturing toward the ruined kindergarten behind us, "Yuji is still inside."
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
"...Yuji?" I mused.
Megumi nodded, his expression grim. "The curse that appeared was too powerful. We couldn't fight it while protecting the children; if Sukuna had been forced out while we were nearby, he would've killed us all."
I remained silent for several seconds before offering a firm nod. "I understand."
Without another word, I turned toward the ruined kindergarten.
"Naoya," I paused, glancing back to find Mei watching me with an unreadable expression.
"...Bring him back."
A small smile formed on my face. "Of course."
---
After Naoya left, Nobara looked at Mei. "Was it alright to send him alone? From what I heard, wasn't Naoya just a healer? Inside it is a special grade."
Mei smiled hearing Nobara's concern. "What do you think his rank is, Nobara?"
"A grade-1," Nobara tilted her head as she replied.
"Grade-1? No. He is special grade, and he is not just a healer. He is THE healer; he is the most fabled healer JJK society has ever produced. With him present, you can put a sword on your own chest, and you won't even die." Then Mei turned and looked at Nobara, "Do you know where he was before he came here?"
"No."
"When I called him this morning, he was still in Ibaraki. Knowing him, he likely ran all the way back here without bothering with a train, and here you are worried about a man who can cover 120 kilometers without even breaking a sweat." Mei pauses for a bit, then continues, "Remember, both of you, Naoya is a monster in literal sense. You don't need to worry about him."
~~~
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