Zephyr's eyelid twitched. "I wasn't even talking about you—what are you so happy about?"
"We're of one heart and mind, remember?"
"Lumine and Paimon being of one heart and mind is already enough. We don't need to add you into the mix."
"Hmph… hmph!"
Paimon puffed up her cheeks in frustration.
Gojo Satoru chuckled. "It's great to see you all getting along so well. But… nope, still not happening."
"This afternoon, I deliberately took a stroll around Tokyo. Thanks to your efforts lately, most of the curses in the city center have already been cleansed.
To exorcise more, we'd have to head out to more remote areas. But those places are barely populated, so whether we clear them now or later doesn't really matter.
But tomorrow's meet-up? That's different. Tomorrow is a very special, heartwarming occasion—you absolutely can't miss it!"
"Speak like a normal person."
"At tomorrow's meet-up, the students from both sides are definitely going to brawl a little beforehand. If you don't show up and our school loses, it'll be super embarrassing, don't you think? So pretty please, you have to come~~"
Gojo whined and struck a cutesy pose.
"Scram, scram, scram!"
Paimon muttered, "Wow, this guy's so shameless."
Itadori Yuuji nodded. "Exactly, exactly."
"You really want me to go?"
"Yeah."
"1,000 gold coins."
"Huh?"
"1,000 gold coins."
Gojo sighed. "You still remember that? Come on, don't be so hung up on 1,000 gold coins."
"Then make it 2,000."
"You little—! Okay, truth is, I'm being gently threatened by the principal. If you don't go, he's gonna dock my salary!
Seriously, I'm on the verge of starvation over here—I can't even afford a meal anymore!"
Itadori's mouth twitched. Is this the same Gojo-sensei who was just being all cool and mighty a second ago?
Zephyr smirked. "Heh? You, broke? Who are you trying to fool?"
Still, he thought about it. Gojo did kind of have a point. And who knows? Maybe this could even trigger a new quest.
"So you're saying… you'll go? Yay!"
"No 'yay's allowed!"
...
The next day at school, Gojo Satoru gathered everyone for a small meeting.
"So, you all know by now—today there's going to be a meet-up between our school and the other one."
"Mm-hmm."
"Yeah, we knew."
"What's the point of a 'meet-up'? We're gonna have a joint exchange event anyway, might as well just do it all together."
Gojo said, "You can't say it like that. Think of it like the Olympics—before the games begin, athletes and their national representatives always arrive in the host country early to get acquainted with the environment and people.
You can't have athletes flying in on the day of the competition and jumping straight into events. The jet lag would kill their performance. Someone who could've come first might end up dead last.
That's why it doesn't work like that. Our meet-up is kind of the same. Just, y'know, a little earlier than usual."
"Well, put that way… I guess that makes sense."
Suddenly, Maki called out, "Hey, newbie—go buy me a drink."
She was looking at Itadori Yuji.
Yuji froze, then turned his head toward Fushiguro Megumi.
Maki snapped, "Didn't you hear me, newbie? I told you to go buy a drink."
Fushiguro's mouth twitched. "I enrolled way before you did. Maki-senpai was clearly talking to you."
"Oh really? But I don't feel like going."
"Huh!?"
Lumine spoke up, "Just help her out, it's a small favor. Grab one for me too while you're at it."
"Yes ma'am! Got it!"
"I want a cola."
Nobara Kugisaki instantly stood up. "Cola? Got it, Big Sis!" she shouted, and whoosh—she was gone.
"Hey, Nobara! Get back here! I was the one Big Sis told to go get the drinks, not you!"
Maki was momentarily speechless.
Panda commented, "Even though Lumine's the same age as Yuji and the others, she really carries an air of authority."
Paimon stood with hands on her hips. "What a useless bunch of underlings. Sorry you had to see that."
"Was she talking about you?"
Zephyr pinched her cheek.
"Why do I have such a bad feeling about this… According to Murphy's Law, ugh, whatever—I'll just tag along and keep an eye out."
The group made their way to the vending machines.
Yuji looked puzzled. "Big Sis, why'd you all come too?"
"Nothing much, just stretching my legs a little."
Suddenly, Zephyr let out a sigh. "As expected, the thing I least wanted to happen is happening."
In the distance, two figures were approaching—one was a burly man with a broad build, the other a short-haired woman.
Fushiguro raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Zen'in-senpai? What are you doing here?"
Yuji asked, "Fushiguro, you know her?"
"Just heard her name. She's Maki-senpai's younger sister."
"Honestly, Fushiguro, still acting so cold. I told you, just call me Mai."
Fushiguro's mouth twitched. Yeah, no way I'm doing that. I don't feel like getting punched today.
Mai Zen'in said: "Hehe, oh right—there's something I heard, though I'm not sure if it's true. A while ago, during a mission to retrieve a cursed object, you all failed, and as a result, a normal person named Itadori Yuji almost died. Is that right?"
Everyone frowned at her words.
"What's your point?"
"Oh, nothing much. I just heard that this guy, Itadori Yuji, became a sorcerer after accidentally coming into contact with a cursed object. Isn't that what happened?"
Paimon whispered, "Yeah, she's definitely not here with good intentions."
"What are you trying to say?" Itadori said irritably.
"Ah, so you're the legendary 'ordinary person'—Itadori Yuji, right? Don't get me wrong, I'm not badmouthing you.
I just have a question: since you used to be a normal person, why would you choose to enter such a dangerous world? Wouldn't it have been better to just stay an ordinary guy and live a peaceful life?"
Itadori replied, "Everyone has their own goals. Mine is to save as many people as I can—to protect the people I care about. And also… I'm doing this to carry on my grandfather's dying wish."
And… he couldn't bear to leave his current companions…
But how could he possibly say something that cheesy out loud?!
"Saving people, huh…"
Mai's expression became strangely complicated—clearly, Itadori's words had stirred up something in her.
The large man beside her scoffed, "Fulfilling a last wish? Tch, I really don't know how someone like you passed the school's test. Joining this world for the sake of others—you'll regret it someday."
Itadori snapped, "What the hell's it to you? Who even are you?"
"That's Todo. The guy who's taken down a special grade curse before."
"Ohthat's him!"
"Heh, well, you're not wrong. What you believe in is your business. I only care about one thing—whether or not you people are qualified to take Yuta's place in the tournament. That's all."
His gaze swept over the group—but pointedly skipped the two women—then settled on Itadori.
"You talk big, but I like your attitude. Still, the best should be saved for last."
Todo Aoi then turned his eyes to Fushiguro Megumi and asked seriously:
"Tell me—what kind of women do you like?"
//END