A/N: Chanko Nabe is a type of hot pot filled with all kinds of vegetables and tons of protein in a rich dashi and chicken broth. It's a hearty meal that many sumo wrestlers use as part of a weight-gain diet due to how nutritious/protein-rich it is.
Yuta walked quietly behind his two senpais. He didn't really know where they were going but he assumed it was to meet the Kyoto students. From what he had heard from Panda and the others, Hakari was really strong while, as Tsuki phrased it, Kirara's cursed technique was "really fucking complicated at first glance". He had opened his mouth multiple times to speak and attempt to make conversation with them but his timidity would always get the better of him so he'd end up closing his mouth and staying silent
He wasn't good at talking to people, to begin with, cause no one ever really spoke to him so he didn't know how to go about holding conversations with others. His timid nature caused by his lack of self-esteem didn't help much either. He usually counted on others initiating the conversation first unless he was talking to Hiyori.
When he spoke to Hiyori, he always ended up rambling on about whatever was on his mind and she would listen or sometimes even add on. That was why he liked talking to her. Being around her made him talk so much that he just couldn't shut up sometimes. It didn't help that her natural charisma would help push the conversation from one topic to another until a conversation meant to last a few minutes spanned into a few hours instead. Even when he was nervous to broach a subject, she always knew and made him comfortable enough to talk about it.
Talking to Hiyori was relaxing and easy but talking to anyone else was really hard, especially strangers.
Speaking of Hiyori, he wondered when she would return from her talk with Satoru. She didn't look that happy about it when Kirara and Hakari told her that their sensei wanted to talk about lizards. He wasn't sure why the topic of lizards would stir such a reaction out of her. He hoped she was alright, especially with how fast her smile dropped.
"So are you dating Yori-chan?" Kirara asked causing Yuta to snap out of his thoughts and turned to the dark-haired upperclassman who was clinging onto Hakari's arm. He blushed.
'D-dating Hiyori...? Do they think we're d-dating?'
"E-Eh?" Yuta sputtered in surprise at the sudden question.
"Huh, guess not." Kirara said.
"C'mon, knowing Gojo-san, Tsukuyo's probably not the type to settle down either. People like them are too busy maintaining the balance of this world to do something like date" Hakari said. Kirara pouted.
"Yori-chan would make a cute bride though" Kirara commented. Yuta blushed at the thought of Hiyori in a wedding dress. He couldn't help but agree with his senpai's comment not that he would ever admit it out loud though. His thoughts about Hiyori were interrupted by someone's voice.
"Well if it isn't the Tokyo students. Ready to get crushed like you were last year?" Yuta turned to see a girl that he thought resembled Maki standing a few feet away from them. In fact, they looked extremely similar except for their hairstyle and uniform. Yuta wondered if they were related by any chance. Maki never really spoke about her family so he wasn't sure if she had any siblings. A large guy with his hair tied in a top ponytail stood next to her. He had a large scar over one eye. If Yuta was being honest, the guy kind of scared him a little bit.
"Nice try, I'm burning up with fever at the thought of beating you all" Hakari responded, cracking his knuckles. Todo, paying the fellow second-year no mind, turned to Yuta. Yuta gulped nervously under the intense stare of the much larger individual.
"You're Okkotsu, aren't you? The special grade. The name's Todo Aoi" The large mountain of a man asked.
"Yea...I am" Yuta responded nervously. Yuta's eyes widened as Todo took his shirt off and got into a fighting stance.
'Huh? Why'd he take his shirt off?'
"Tell me, Okkotsu, what kind of woman is your type? Mine is a tall woman with a big ass! " Todo asked seriously.
'What?'
"E-Eh?" Yuta stared at him in confusion. Todo looked at the boy expectantly, waiting for an answer to his question. Yuta placed a hand on his chin and thought about it.
"Uh...I don't know. I don't really have a particular preference...I-I guess someone kind with unshakable character and a really nice smile...?" He replied awkwardly. Yuta's preference was Hiyori but he wasn't going to say that aloud especially not to someone he had never met before.
'What a strange question to ask...EH?!' If Yuta's eyes were widened before, they were practically popping out of their sockets now at the sight of the tears falling from Todo's eyes. 'Did I say something wrong?'
"You're boring, Okkotsu. People with boring taste in women are boring people themselves" Todo stated angrily.
"E-EH?!"
'B-Boring? Wait why is he angry...? He's the one who asked the question....'
"And I hate boring people!" Before Yuta could respond, Todo charged at him. Yuta stood frozen in a mixture of fear and shock. He closed his eyes and waited for impact. However, it never came.
'W-What..?' Yuta hesitantly opened his to see Todo frozen in place. The older male's mouth was hanging open in awe and his dark eyes were shining with amazement. He looked completely and utterly awestruck. But by what? Yuta turned in the direction Todo was looking to see Hiyori walking toward them.
"Sorry for making you all wait. That conversation took longer than expected" She said, stopping in front of the group, with an apologetic smile. Concern filled her violet-blue eyes when she took in Yuta's paler-than-usual pallor.
"Yuta, are you alright?" She asked worriedly. Before Yuta could respond, she pressed her forehead against his. Yuta blushed from the close contact. His face heated up in a bright shade of red. He could smell her scent - a mix of strawberries, tea, and old books. It was a comforting scent.
"You don't seem to have a fever but your temperature is a bit above normal" Hiyori mumbled, pulling away from him. Hakari and Kirara watched their two kouhais, who were caught up in their own world, with interest. It was like they had front-row 4-D seats to a real-life romantic comedy. Kirara kind of wanted some popcorn to eat while watching all of this action go down.
'That's because of how close you are...' was what he wanted to say but he didn't. Instead, he said, "I-I'm okay".
"Thank goodness, I was worried since you looked pale" Hiyori said in relief. Yuta's lips curved up in a tiny smile.
"You're paler than me though" He pointed out. Hiyori laughed, which caused Yuta's smile to widen. He really liked it when she laughed.
"That's true"
"Hiyori is naturally pale. Yuta, on the other hand, is sickly pale" Tsuki stated causing Yuta to sweat-drop. She wasn't wrong though. "I mean, at least it's gotten better. You were literally skin and bones when you first transferred."
Yuta couldn't deny that either. He sighed. Even though Maki wasn't here, he was still getting roasted.
"You seriously need to eat more especially if you want to get better at fighting" Tsuki sighed.
"Okay...." Yuta mumbled. He felt like he was being nagged by a parent except the parent was a small, white fox familiar.
"Hmmm....I'll make you some chanko nabe when we get back to Tokyo then. How does that sound?" Hiyori asked with a smile. The smile on Yuta's face widened. He nodded. There was a nice, warm feeling bubbling in his chest from knowing that someone cared about him.
It was moments like these that made him wish he could be with her but he knew better. That naïve promise he made with Rika to be with her forever was now a chain of obligation and guilt that kept him from pursuing his feelings for Hiyori, especially after the revelation that he might have been the one who cursed Rika rather than the other way around. Maki's words of never letting him be with Hiyori until he saw her for who she truly was only fortified that chain and made his already muddled thoughts more muddled. It wasn't like he deserved to love Hiyori anyway. Not after all the harm he had caused. She deserved better than him.
Yet, part of him wanted to be selfish and pursue her, love her, anyway. That part of him never won on the nights his thoughts would be at war with each other no matter how much he wished it did.
"-uta, Yuta" Yuta snapped out of his spiral at the soft sound of Hiyori calling his name and the feeling of her gently tugging the sleeve of his jacket. His dark blue eyes widened at the worry swirling in those violet-blue eyes that he wished he could get lost in forever.
"Y-yea?" He said, blushing when she leaned forward so her lips were next to his ear. He could feel her breath against his ear.
"Who are the people in front of us?" She asked softly. Yuta turned in the direction she was looking at. He jolted at the intense bloodlust that was radiating off of Todo. Bloodlust and anger that Yuta was pretty sure was directed towards him.
"They're..uh...some of the Kyoto students" Yuta answered, still unsure of why Todo was so angry with him. Yuta watched Hiyori's eyes light up in understanding. Her lips parted in a silent oh.
'Cute'
"You're the girl that Gojo Satoru adopted, aren't you? The one who exorcised an army of curses singlehandedly in one night - the Shinigami of Curses - Gojo Hiyori" Mai asked causing Hiyori to turn to look at her.
'Wait did she just say an army?!' Yuta blinked in shock.
'That's how Hiyori got her title? She exorcised an entire army of curses in one night?! Alone?!'
"That's me!" Hiyori responded with a smile that Yuta noticed didn't quite reach her eyes. It was unlike her. She usually smiled so genuinely. He wondered why the mention of her incredible feat put her in a bad mood.
"You must be Maki's sister, Mai" Mai let out a "tch" after hearing Maki's name. Yuta's brows furrowed, wondering why Mai responded in such a way after hearing Maki's name.
'Are they not on good terms...? Then again, Maki never mentioned having a twin before....'
Hiyori turned to look at Todo. "And...this is...." Yuta's eyes widened when the large mountain of a sorcerer stood at his full height and flashed Hiyori a charming smile.
"I...am Todo Aoi - a second year." He said eccentrically with a flirtatious wink. Yuta blinked in confusion at the introduction. This was drastically different - almost a complete 180 - from how Todo had introduced himself to him.
"Nice to meet you, Todo-senpai" Hiyori said with a friendly smile causing a light blush to creep up Todo's face at the sight of her smile. His face showed pure elation over the smile that she had given him. Tsuki wrinkled her snout at the reaction from Todo. She wasn't the only one who cringed. Mai, who stood next to Todo, did as well. Yuta wondered why Hiyori had elicited such a different reaction from Todo.
Tell me, Okkotsu, what kind of woman is your type? Mine is a tall woman with a big ass!
Mine is a tall woman with a big ass!
Oh.
Hiyori must be Todo's type. That was why he was acting that way.
Yuta turned to look down at Hiyori who noticed his gaze and flashed him a small smile. He couldn't help but smile in return. Sure, she was still shorter than Yuta but she was kind of taller than average.
Yuta felt that unpleasant feeling rise from the pits of his stomach at the realization that Todo was probably interested in Hiyori. But, unlike previous times, this time he knew what it was now that he had come to terms with his feelings for Hiyori.
It was jealousy.
His blood boiled and his stomach churned. Though irrational, Yuta was jealous. He wanted to hit himself for being jealous when Hiyori wasn't even his and she probably never would be.
Yuta could understand why Todo was interested in Hiyori even if it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Call him hopeless but Yuta was in love with every aspect of Hiyori and that was why he understood why Todo would be interested in Hiyori. Of course, he would be, she was beautiful after all...both inside and out.
Yuta always wondered what he did to have someone who he thought was so perfect come into his life. He would pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming and feel all giddy inside, every time, without fail, when he realized it was all real. That Hiyori really did exist in his life.
"I see that the Tokyo students have arrived" Yuta looked up to see a group of, who he assumed to be, the rest of the Kyoto students approaching them. The speaker was a tall young man with black hair kept in two strands in front of his face. There was a tense silence.
"You know what, forget what I said earlier, that guy's paler than both of you" Tsuki said, low enough so only Yuta and Hiyori could hear. Yuta choked and covered his mouth with the back of his hand in an attempt to stop his laughter. Hiyori, having a similar idea to Yuta, also covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
"Guess you just can't beat anemia" Tsuki added. Yuta, feeling movement from beside him, turned to look at Hiyori who was now visibly shaking from trying to hold back her laughter. His dark blue eyes widened slightly in surprise. He had never seen her act this way before. She was usually so calm. It was cute.
"It seems the third-years for the Tokyo school are busy as well. It would usually be a drawback for the first-years but you have two special grades in your team. That may be disadvantageous towards us though I'm sure we'll still be capable of winning" The anemic guy said but Yuta and Hiyori weren't really focused on what he was saying. They were too busy looking at one specific student from the Kyoto group.
'Is that a robot...?'
"Yuta, there's a robot" Hiyori whispered to Yuta. He nodded his head.
"Do you think they're like Panda?" He whispered back.
"Maybe...they seem to be a cursed corpse of some kind"
"Do you think the robot needs to be charged or does it use batteries?" Hiyori asked with genuine curiosity evident in her eyes. Yuta's lips quirked up slightly in amusement at her curiosity.
"Then again, it probably runs on cursed energy even if it is a robot" Hiyori decided after a bit of serious thought. Yuta nodded his head in agreement.
"That makes sense"
Hiyori's eyes landed on the light blue-haired girl next to Mechamaru. "Oh, Miwa-san, it's good to see you again." Hiyori said.
Miwa blushed and straightened her posture. Yuta turned to look at the aforementioned girl who was extremely flustered.
'She also got hit with the Hiyori effect....'
"G-Gojo-san! It's good to see you too!" Miwa replied, bowing her head in greeting.
"Thank you for your help earlier. The ice cream was really good." Hiyori said with a smile. Miwa's face reddened.
"I-It's no problem!" Miwa rushed out.
"Ne, Yori-chan, how do you know her?" Kirara asked, wrapping his arms around one of Hiyori's.
"She gave Yuta and me directions to a nearby convenience store so we could buy ice cream" Hiyori replied. Yuta wondered if Kirara was just naturally touchy with people. Hiyori didn't seem to be fazed by it so maybe that was possible but, then again, there wasn't much that could really faze Hiyori. Yuta turned to look at his other senpai who was squaring up against Kamo.
"We'll be winning this time. I'm already burning up with fever at the idea of beating you up" Hakari said, cracking his knuckles. Yuta sweat-dropped.
'Hakari-senpai sure gets worked up when it comes to fights....'
"That's enough." Everyone turned to see Principal Yaga, Principal Gakuganji, Satoru, Utahime, and Mei Mei walking toward them. Utahime crossed her arms and shot her students a disapproving look over their behavior.
"Mei Mei-san, long time no see" Hiyori said in greeting. Mei Mei chuckled and flipped her front braid away from her face. Her dark brown eyes creased and her lips curved into what Yuta thought kind of resembled a smile (?). He wondered how Hiyori knew this person but then again Hiyori knew quite a lot of people. Now that Yuta thought about it, outside of their friend group, the only other people Hiyori seemed to know were adults.
"I see you haven't changed at all, Hiyori" Mei Mei said, patting Hiyori on the head. "Though you've grown since the last time I saw you." Hiyori smiled. Principal Gakuganji's eyes widened at the sight of Yuta.
"Gojo, what is the special-grade cursed human doing here?" He asked, more like demanded. Yuta gulped nervously under the elderly man's intense gaze. Yuta turned to look at Hiyori whose demeanor completely changed.
"Is that a problem, Principal Gakuganji?" Hiyori asked with a raised eyebrow as if challenging the Kyoto principal to say something. Yuta shivered slightly at the wave of cursed energy that seeped out from Hiyori. She was threatening the principal who, from what Tsuki had previously told him, was one of the jujutsu executives that had wanted him executed immediately. It was a pretty big contrast from her usually calm demeanor.
'Is this what Maki meant by seeing who Hiyori truly is...?'
"Man, I'm surprised you didn't just up and faint!" Satoru mused before slinging an arm around Yuta's shoulders. "Yuta-kun is obviously participating in the exchange event because he's a student at Tokyo Tech."
'They're both openly opposing one of the higher-ups for me....?' He felt Hiyori gently squeeze his arm in reassurance. It was subtle and silent but the message was clear: as long as we're around, no one is laying a finger on you. Yuta felt like crying. He didn't know what he had done to deserve their support but he was definitely going to make sure that he proved it wasn't for nothing.
Principal Gakuganji didn't respond, knowing not to push the two of the strongest jujutsu sorcerers in the world. He wasn't a fool to openly plan something against Yuta, especially in his position as a school principal. Satoru clapped his hands together loudly to get everyone's attention.
"Now then, let's get the team battle started!"
Jujutsu Scroll
"I think there should be a convenience store near here" Hiyori said while searching on her phone. Yuta walked beside her towards the gates of the Kyoto school. He watched her bite her bottom lip in thought while trying to search for a nearby convenience store. It didn't help that all Jujutsu High schools were isolated in the mountains. Yuta stared at the way her pearly white teeth bit her soft, pink bottom lip with her eyebrows slightly furrowed in thought and confusion over the navigation app she was using. Her lips looked so soft. He wondered if they were as soft as they looked. Yuta jolted at his own thought.
'What am I thinking?' He shook his head slightly to rid himself of the less-than-appropriate-for-a-friend thoughts swirling in his mind.
"Why don't you ask that girl over there?" Tsuki offered causing Hiyori to look up from her phone and Yuta to pull his attention away from his own thoughts. Their eyes shifted to the direction Tsuki was looking to see a girl with long light blue colored hair and diagonally cut bangs.
"Excuse me" Hiyori said, walking towards the girl with Yuta following after her. The blue-haired girl turned to see Hiyori walking towards her. Her eyes widened slightly.
Miwa Kasumi was a hard-working first-year jujutsu sorcerer. She'd met admirably, strong people in her life in the past but there were two that she fangirled over. The adoptive father-daughter duo - special grade sorcerers - Gojo Satoru and Gojo Hiyori. From how strong Gojo Satoru was as the strongest sorcerer in the world to Gojo Hiyori's expertise in swordsmanship and title as the Shinigami of Curses, Miwa thought the two special-grade sorcerers were the coolest.
'Oh man, oh man, it's Gojo Hiyori in person' She internally panicked as Hiyori stopped in front of the girl.
"Hi, my name is Gojo Hiyori" Hiyori said with a friendly smile that caused Miwa's cheeks to flush pink. 'She just smiled at me EEEEEE!' The blue-haired girl internally squealed.
'Alright, be cool, Kasumi. Be cool' She told herself.
"Hi, I'm Miwa Kasumi" Miwa responded. She mentally patted herself on the back for pulling off the introduction smoothly.
"It's nice to meet you, I was wondering if you know any nearby convenience stores. My friend, Yuta, and I want to buy some ice cream." Hiyori said. Miwa finally noticed the lanky, dark-haired boy standing next to Hiyori. She had been distracted by seeing Hiyori in person that she hadn't noticed his presence. His dark, droopy eyes and dark eye bags contrasted his pale skin. That, in combination with the strong yet creepy cursed energy radiating from him, kind of scared Miwa. Yuta offered her a slight head bow in greeting causing Miwa to do the same in return.
'I wonder who he is..'
"There's a convenience store a mile from here. If you go straight from the gate, you'll be able to see it. They sell ice cream cones there." Miwa responded causing Hiyori's eyes to light up.
"Really? Thank you for your help!" Hiyori said, ready to walk in the direction that Miwa had told them to.
'Wait! I want to get a picture with her!' Miwa panicked while she took her phone out of her pocket.
"Wait, do you mind taking a photo with me?" Miwa asked. Hiyori stopped and turned to the girl again.
"Sure" Hiyori stood close to Miwa and held one of her hands up in a peace sign while Miwa snapped a selfie of the two of them together.
"Thank you so much!" Miwa bowed in gratitude.
"You're welcome. It was nice meeting you" Hiyori said before walking away with Yuta. Miwa let out a cheer of happiness while holding her phone, with the photo displayed on the screen, in the air.
"Does that happen often?" Yuta asked causing Hiyori to turn to look up at him just as they passed through the gates of Kyoto Jujutsu High.
"No, not really. It happens once in a while when I meet some lower-grade sorcerers but it's extremely rare since I don't usually see lower-grade sorcerers outside of students at Tokyo Jujutsu High." Hiyori responded. Yuta nodded his head in understanding. "It's because of Satoru's connection with her and that Shinigami of Curses title that some of the lower-grade sorcerers gave her. I wouldn't be surprised if she had a fan club" Tsuki explained. Hiyori smiled and clapped her hands together.
"Well, that's not what matters. What matters right now is the ice cream waiting for us!" Hiyori said with child-like excitement causing Yuta's lips to curve up in a smile and silently coo at how adorable she was. His feet matched her pace as they walked to the convenience store together.