The weeks since the Sobu High "haunted classroom" passed in a blur. The rumors had already faded, replaced by the usual tide of school gossip, new hairstyles, missed homework, and someone's and somebody relationship drama.
But the shadows hadn't gone. They still lingered at the edges of my vision, whisper-thin anomalies that bent light or warped reflections. I erased them quietly, with a flick of my fingers and a muttered spell. No need for witnesses. No need for questions.
Today, though, I had a different errand. The kind that required me to wear a suit jacket instead of a uniform and carry a pen instead of a spell.
Tokyo's sky was clean after rain, and the crosswalks pulsed like arteries. I blended into the flow, headed toward Futabasha's office.
my other identity, Éclair's public life was calling.
---
Café
I ducked into a café to kill ten minutes before the meeting. The coffee was bitter, the foam curling into a small storm.
The door chimed.
She walked in like gravity had tilted, tall, blindfold tilted up just enough to reveal a grin that could outshine neon. Gojo.
"Small world," she said, voice bright. "Or maybe I'm just really good at finding interesting people."
"Statistically unlikely," I said. "But I'll allow it." feeling amused at finding gojo.
Behind her, six figures spilled in, each carrying a distinct presence. 'and pressure'
A short-haired girl with an easy smile: Yuji.
A dark-haired girl with eyes like glass: Megumi.
A redhead already glaring at the pastry display: Nobara.
A tall girl with glasses and sharp posture: Maki.
A boy with a high collar, words muffled to single syllables: Toge.
A panda. Yes. A panda. As for how this doesn.t attract attention, let's just say cuz it is a panda.
They scattered with practiced chaos.
Gojo leaned on my table. "Kurosawa Ras, right? Or should I say Éclair, a novelist who always made a tear-jerker?"
"Depends who's asking, and what are you doing miss gojo?" I said.
"Tokyo Jujutsu High, exchange program division. I brought the kids out to play." She waved a hand. "Say hi, team."
Yuji bounded over. "You're Éclair? I loved Your Lie in April! I cried for a week!"
Megumi followed more slowly. "Ignore her. She cries at everything."
"Shut up," Yuji snapped.
Nobara crossed her arms. "Huh. I expected someone taller. Or at least moodier."
"Sorry to disappoint," I said dryly.
Maki gave me a curt nod. "Writer, huh. Hope your spine's stronger than it looks."
Ras: "....."
'I'll show you what's stronger, and straighter...' -Ras on his mind.
Toge mumbled, "Salmon."
Panda waved both paws enthusiastically. "Big fan of pastries!"
"See?" Gojo said, grinning wider. "They're stars. My impeccable taste, confirmed."
She slid into the chair opposite me. "So. Free later? Come to the Kyoto Exchange Event. Consider it research for your next book."
"Careful," I said. "Invite me and I might write you in, and cut you in half"
"Oh no," she gasped. "Not literary immortality." Gojo take this as a joke.
I pushed my phone across the table. "You'll want a number, then."
Her grin sharpened like a knife. "Always." She tapped digits in, then sent herself a message. My phone buzzed: [Gojo: 💙 sunglasses emoji*].
Subtlety wasn't in her vocabulary.
"See you there," she said, standing. "Don't sell all the copies before I get mine signed."
"I'll charge triple," I said.
She laughed, her students following as the café dimmed behind them.
---
Futabasha Signing — Éclair Revealed
The Futabasha booth was polished, vinyl banners flapping with:
"I Want to Eat Your Pancreas - Author: Éclair."
Fans lined up, clutching books, tissues, posters. Some smiled too brightly, others blinked tears they'd sworn they wouldn't shed.
"Éclair-sensei, your words saved me," a girl whispered as I signed her copy.
I smiled faintly. "Then they did their job."
Flashbulbs popped. My hand moved steadily. Signature after signature. Calm. Composed.
I lived a double life: student in Sobu, sorcerer in shadows, and here… Éclair, author of tearjerkers.
Odd jobs, all of them.
---
Guild Chat
My mind buzzed mid-signature. Gojo, of course.
[Gojo: Group selfie. Yuji beams, Nobara peace-signs, Megumi half-scowls, Panda photobombs with pastry.]
[Gojo: Look who I found. Same world, confirmed.]
The Guild went nuclear.
Kazumi: "Pastry boy, exposed. So Éclair = Ras. Figures. sadly, im in another world with a baka-godess."
Yaya: "WAIT. That means I can get free autographs and snacks?? Hire me for book-launch exorcisms!"
Ichika: "Tch. Next time, invite me."
Satsuki: "This complicates things..."
Lin: "Waw, Ras also write a book!???? though it didn't matter, I HAVE A PILLOW WITH YOUR FACE IN SOBU UNIFORM! (*don't judge)."
I signed the next book without looking up, lips twitching.
---
Next day, Kyoto Exchange Event
The grounds buzzed with energy. Banners fluttered, staff moved briskly, and students squared shoulders for battle.
Gojo waved me through security with a grin. "Guest of honor, don't get lost."
Across the field stood the Kyoto team: Todo, towering and eager; Mai Zen'in with her sharp eyes; Noritoshi Kamo cool and precise; Miwa bowing politely; Momo hovering with her broom; Mechamaru stiff in his puppet body.
Staff repeated the etiquette rules: "No crude antics. This is a female-dominated society. Respect is mandatory."
Todo groaned but nodded.
---
I took my seat, hands in my pockets, watching.
Yuji vs Todo: explosive footwork, fists clashing like thunder. Todo demanded, "What's your type?" Yuji shouted back, and somehow they bonded mid-battle. Sparks turned to friendship in a heartbeat.
Panda vs Mechamaru: steel vs instinct. Panda rolled with brute force, Mechamaru countered with mechanical precision. Sparks lit the air.
Maki vs Kasumi → Mai: the Zen'in sibling tension simmered. Maki's strikes were relentless, Kasumi faltered, and Mai stepped in sharp as glass.
Megumi vs Kamo: elegant, tactical. Arrows clashed against shikigami in a duel of precision and control.
Toge: quiet but decisive, his cursed speech tilting battles at key moments.
The field pulsed with energy. Students collided, tested, grew.
And I watched. Calm. Measuring. Filing away every detail like another chapter in a book.
---
That night, the Guild Chat lit up again.
Gojo sent a video of the Festival.
Gojo: "Did you see Yuji and Todo? Best friends forever."
Kazumi: "Feels like a sports anime. Overrated."
Yaya: "PANDAAA. I WANT PICS. Also, I'll exorcise ghosts at tournaments, cheap rates."
Lin: "Ras in the audience… Éclair watching battles… it's canon, it's canon!?? NO what is thiss!??"
Ichika: "I should've fought them myself."
Satsuki: "Their coordination is worth study."
other members doesn't understand what Lin's saying, so they just brushed past them.
I typed last, as always.
Ras: "Add one more odd-job: ringside analytics."
The chat erupted. Gojo laughed. Kazumi mocked. Yaya begged for Panda autographs. Lin spammed heart emojis.
I closed the chat.
The city outside hummed, indifferent. I smiled faintly.
Another day. Another way.