Since the funeral, three days had passed. Everyone had tried to cheer me up, and Gojo seemed to be glued to my side. I sat with Geto, Rika, Gojo, Nobara, and Yuji. I continued to sip my coffee as Geto stretched out his legs, while Gojo stuffed burgers into his mouth.

 Riko proudly strutted around, boasting, "Look how long I can hold my barrier, guys!" 

We all watched her as she erected a barrier. Her ability was to create protective barriers. 

I smiled at her. "If you keep training, you could not only use those barriers defensively but also offensively."

 Her eyes lit up. "Really?!" 

Gojo nodded, his mouth full, and I cringed at the sight. Geto shot him a look as if he wanted to strangle him. 

"Can you stop talking with your mouth full?" 

Gojo grinned and opened his mouth to show him the contents. I made a disgusted face, and Nobara gave me the same look.

 Riko scolded him, "Idiot, that's gross." 

Yuji laughed at the scene.

He sulked but continued chewing. If it weren't for Gojo, I would have burst into laughter. Since our little disagreement, we hadn't talked much, but he glanced at me more often, making me want to punch him. 

I sighed and leaned back, finishing my coffee. "I'm leaving now." 

Gojo looked surprised, crumbs on his cheeks. I stood up, and Riko grabbed my arm. 

"Wait, I'll come with you."

 "Sure, come along."

 We went outside together, walking down the path to the Jujutsu Academy, where she stayed overnight.

Riko walked with her hands behind her back, a smile on her face. 

"You know, Miura..." she began, catching my interest. "I know you're feeling down right now, but I need your advice."

I glanced towards the sun.

 "Don't worry about me, go ahead and ask," I reassured her.

 She hesitated briefly before continuing.

"It's clear to you what I feel for Geto, right?" she asked. 

I was taken aback and grinned broadly.

 "Everyone knows except the idiot himself," I teased.

Rolling her eyes, she said, "Yeah, he's really an idiot... but I wanted to talk to him about it."

I stopped walking, my mouth hanging open.

 "Seriously?" 

She also halted and fiddled with her fingers. "Yeah, why? Do you think it's too soon?"

I burst out laughing happily and patted her shoulder. 

"No, no, don't get me wrong." 

I smiled at her. "You just have the guts to tell him, which I don't think I could do. My ego's too high for that."

She laughed, blushing slightly. "Oh, I see." Then she looked at me confidently. "So, do you think I should do it?"

I crossed my arms, pondering. "If you do it now, you have nothing to lose, but if you don't, you might regret it later."

Her eyes lit up. 

"SO, I SHOULD DO IT!"

 I put an arm around her shoulder. 

"Live for now and don't think about tomorrow, Riko." 

She smiled at me, and we continued walking. "You're right."

We walked in silence for a while until the Jujutsu Academia estate came into view. 

Suddenly, she asked, "What about you and Gojo?" 

I nearly choked on my own spit. "What do you mean?," I managed to croak.

Amused, she raised her eyebrows and nudged me with her elbow. "I can tell the atmosphere between you two has changed."

Blushing, I looked away. "No, definitely not. You just imagined that."

She laughed, and we stopped because we were at the entrance. She hugged me, and I hugged her back.

 As she pulled away, she said, "I'm glad I asked for your advice."

I smiled at her and patted her head.

 "Always ask me for advice."

"See you tomorrow, Miura-chan!"

"See you tomorrow, Rika-chan." 

She went inside, and I continued straight ahead. The Sumiko estate wasn't far from the Jujutsu Academy, but I didn't feel like going home yet, so I decided to take a walk. If I turned left at the intersection here, I'd go to the gravesite. I stopped at the crossroads and contemplated. 

Our estate was to the right, and the gravesite was to the left. I decided on the left. 

Megumi deserved a visit.

I went to the gravesite, where the simple graves were lined up. If he had still belonged to the Zenins, his grave would have been in their estate, and they would never have let me in. I was grateful that he was a Fushiguro. I crouched in front of his grave, brushing away the sand covering it. I smiled at the grave, feeling a mix of sadness and guilt. 

"Megumi, I'm so sorry." 

I looked at the ground, tears welling up, and wiped them away quickly. I formed a bouquet of flowers with my ice and placed them on his grave. Then I stood up and walked away, feeling defeated.