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With the baseball game wrapped up, it’s been a wild event. Still, due to all the interruptions, Yuji would love to get to know the Kyoto students a bit better before they go home.
He runs to the front of the group in an attempt to invite them over. “Great work, everyone! How about i treat you to some ramen before you head off?”
Mai sneers. “Tch. No thanks.”
“I’m with Mai on this one! Sorry.” Momo says, after intently listening to her reply.
Kamo shakes his head. “I’d rather go back to Kyoto and heal up on my own for now.”
“Food’s.. not really my thing.” says Mechamaru, in a forlorn tone.
Just as the situation seems grim, Kasumi jumps up. “Oh come on guys, that sounds fun! Sign me up, Itadori-kun.”
Todo’s eyes are gleaming with excitement as he bids Yuji farewell. “My best friend! I wouldn’t dare get in the way of your date. Have fun, you two.”
Unsurprisingly, the students that aren’t so fond of Yuji immediately start to chuckle.
Naturally, hothead Yuji immediately jumps to his defense, in an attempt to shake off the embarrassment for the two of them. “Oh come on dude, don’t make it weird. I’m just trying to be nice here.”
“It’s fine, Itadori-kun. I appreciate it. Just let them laugh it out for a bit. Shall we go?”
He’s honestly astounded by how well she’s able to shrug it off. “Uh.. yeah, sure!”
“All right. I’ll see you all later!” Miwa says, waving at everyone else just before leaving.
He takes her over to some quaint ramen shop in Taitō – his favorite apparently, or so he was enthusiastically explaining to her on the way there, and from what she can tell – it’s quite like him. It’s loud and busy, but it has a very homely, warm feeling to it to balance that out. They sit down, and start off with some drinks while they get to know each other better.
She’s very grateful for his offer, but can’t help but feel guilty for everything that happened regardless, so she decides to carefully bring that up.
“Hey, Itadori-kun.. i know I’ve said it before, but i am so sorry about what happened during the Race. Principal Yoshinobu’s orders were ridiculous.”
Yuji looks at her with a confused expression. “Why are you bringing this up now? It went well, didn’t it?”
It’s almost as if he’s pitying her with his carefree attitude. “Well yeah, but you could’ve died, you know! Weren’t you worried?”
Yuji shrugs. “Nah. The higher-ups might be cranky old bastards, but i figured a few of you would know better. If not for Todo, i’m sure you would’ve come up with something.”
“Huh.. i see. That’s an awful lot of trust to put in people you hardly know though, isn’t it?” she asks.
He’s never given it much thought. “Yeah, maybe. That’s how I’ve always been, though. Worked out pretty well so far.”
Something’s still not adding up to her though. “So why’d you choose to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer, then?”
He’s looking at her with a troubled expression, as if he’s having a hard time thinking of what he can and can’t say.
“Well, that’s a long story. I turned into Sukuna’s vessel to help someone else, and ever since then I’ve realized this is a thing only i can do. So it just felt right to keep going. What about you?”
“To help someone, huh.. same here, actually! Though my reasons are a bit more simple. My family’s having a rough time making ends meet, so i’m doing whatever i can to help them out.”
Yuji’s eyes light up. “For real? That’s great! I didn’t expect to have something like that in common with ya.”
She smiles. “Yeah, me neither. The way you threw yourself into that fight, i would’ve thought you were just some reckless show-off.”
“Haha, well I figured i had to go all out if i wanted to keep Todo’s attention away from the others, so you’re not wrong. Never expected it to end up like it did, though.”
“Yeah.. i’m glad you two hit it off, who knows what would’ve happened if you didn’t.”
Saying that, she sighs. “And meanwhile i couldn’t do a thing."
He does his best to cheer her up, as he usually does. “You’ll get your chance! It was a messy fight, i’m glad we all got out safe in the first place.”
“Still.. it feels like everyone walked out of it as a better student, and meanwhile i’m still Useless Miwa.” she says, dejectedly.
“And “Useless” Miwa has plenty of potential. I know you weren’t expecting me to be as fast as i was, but a Simple Domain’s incredible. If you keep practicing that, you’ll do great.”
She sulks. “Yeah.. i suppose you’re right. I just wish i had that opportunity this time around. Thanks, though.”
“All right, how about this?” he says, while sliding his phone in her direction. “Anytime you wanna spar, lemme know. I’ll head right over. Could be good practice!”
She squints for a second to read his number, and adds it to her contacts.
“Hm.. sure! Sounds good. I want to catch up as fast as i can though, does tomorrow work out for you?”
“Tomorrow, huh? Yeah, that’s fine! Don’t think i have anything planned just yet. All right, i’ll head over after class.”
“Perfect! Now then, shall we order? I just realized I’ve been talking about myself for far too long, sorry.” she says, all while being a bit embarrassed.
“All good! I figured you had a lot to deal with, so i’m glad i could help. But yeah, sure!”
They decide to order based on Yuji’s recommendation and get back to their spot.
Miwa’s apparently a lot more hungry than she’s let on.
“Oh wow! This ish so good!” As she's clearly enjoying her order.
Yuji smiles. “Figured you’d like it! This is Gojo’s favorite place, after all.”
Her eyes gleam with excitement as Yuji mentions his name. “Ooh! Well that explains everything. You’re pretty close with him, huh? Got some juicy secrets?”
Yuji chuckles at her instant lack of composure. “Well, he’s a lot less cool when you get to know what he’s really like. Trust me. Still, i owe him a lot, that’s for sure.”
Hell, he’d likely be executed at this rate if not for him. He doesn’t particularly like admitting that, though.
The idea of relying on someone else to that extent is scary for him, but at this rate he doesn’t really have much of a choice.
Either way, she’s far too curious about him still. “But he’s still the best, right?”
Yuji nods. “Oh yeah, there’s no doubt about that. He’s goofy, but there’s no one like him when he gets serious.”
“Wooow..” she says, listening a bit too intently.
Yuji can’t fathom why. “So uh, why are you so interested in him anyways?”
“Oh well, i just love trends! And nothing’s more trendy than the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer, you see..”
“I.. see. That’s not an answer i was expecting, but all right!”
“Ehehe.. yeah, i’m kinda boring. Sorry.” She knows Jujutsu sorcerers tend to be a lot more extravagant than her, so for a moment she’s too embarrassed to even look him in the eye.
“That’s all right! I’m glad, honestly. Everything’s been wild ever since I’ve arrived here. It’s nice to have a down-to-earth conversation once in a while.”
What a relief, she thinks. It’s liberating to just be herself without having to worry whether or not that’s enough.
“Yeah.. you’re right! Gotta say, i didn’t expect you to be so natural considering what the Principal led us to believe. Definitely not what i imagined from the vessel of some King of Curses.” she says, while looking at him with a sheepish smile.
“Haha, yeah that’s fair. Despite everything, i’m still me! Just some loner who loves to help people. I’m not gonna let him hold that back.”
She smiles at his iron resolve. “Very well! I’m glad to hear it. You’ve certainly helped me out a lot today. Thank you, Itadori-kun.”
“Glad to help! If your day’s made, then so is mine. Anyways, should we wrap up for today?” He asks.
She nods. “Yeah, if that’s all right. It’s getting pretty late and it’s a long way home.”
He jumps up. “No problem! I’ll go get the bill. You’re the guest, after all.”
He’s pretty short on cash - but he’ll get by! As usual, he’d rather take the hit himself. Especially after hearing her reasons for enrolling at Jujutsu High.
She shoots him a worried look, but figures he’s too stubborn to change his mind. “A-are you sure? Thanks..”
He gives her a thumbs up. “Of course! Leave it to me.”
It’s not until they’re outside that she realizes how long they’ve been in there.
The once auburn sky has turned to dusk. Time flies when you’re having fun, huh.
“We’re both headed to the same station, right?” says Yuji, snapping her out of her thoughts.
He’s still walking beside her with his arms folded behind his neck.
Kasumi nods. “Yeah, though we’re headed in different directions from there.”
“Sweet. Then i’ll walk with you until there.”
For a moment they found solace in just walking next to each other, but Yuji’s not the best at sitting still.
“So you wanted to start training tomorrow, right?”
“Yep! We’ve still got class in the morning, but if you wanna stop by in the afternoon, that’d be great.”
“Sure thing! Wanna try focusing on your Simple Domain? I wanna check how well i can hold up against it considering i haven’t had much experience with them yet so far.”
“Sounds good! I can definitely use the practice in that regard.”
And just as she says that, the station’s in sight.
“All right! Then i’ll see you tomorrow, Miwa-senpai!” As he says that, he starts frantically waving goodbye, and she waves back.
“Certainly. Thanks for today, Itadori-kun! It was really fun!”
Both of them head back home and call it a night – it’s been a long day, so they both get home pretty late.
As soon as class ends, Yuji heads over to Kyoto immediately and lets Miwa know by sending her a text.
He didn’t expect the train ride to last about 3 hours though, and he can’t help but feel bad when he imagines just how late Miwa-senpai actually got home.
Maybe getting to know them in the evening wasn’t the brightest idea, in hindsight. Still, she did mention she had fun, so maybe she didn’t mind.
Gojo’s description of Kyoto being the cultural capital was definitely not selling the city short; as soon as he’s outside of the station, he can’t help but gasp at the gorgeous city surrounding him.
He’s a bit lost while gazing at the spectacle around him, but luckily for him his blue-haired friend figured as much and decided to wait for him there.
She’s wearing the same suit as she did during the Goodwill event and similarly, he’s still in his uniform as well.
At least he assumes that’s what her uniform is. A tad unconventional, but it suits her perfectly.
She walks up to him and salutes him. “Good afternoon, Itadori-kun! I hope the train ride wasn’t too boring.”
He waves right back. “Hey, Miwa-senpai! Definitely a longer ride than i expected, but it wasn’t too bad. But wow, what a city! I’m almost jealous you get to see this every day.”
She giggles. “Yeah, it’s beautiful! I’d love to give you a tour someday, but i doubt we’ll get the time for that today unfortunately. Shall we head over to school?”
He nods. “All right, i’ll hold you to that! But yeah, that sounds like a plan. Lead the way!”
He’s still learning plenty of things about Kyoto on the way there, as she’s more than happy to talk about everything they come across on their route.
As soon as they arrive, he’s surprised to see how similar the schools are. They don’t have the same mind-boggling defense system considering they’ve got less Cursed Objects to protect, but apart from that they’re not far off from each other.
She leads him to the training field and heads to her room to grab her trusty sword. Meanwhile, he’s doing stretches to get ready, just to be sure.
As she approaches with her sword on her belt, she looks at him with a determined expression.
He clenches his fists and stances up, though he’s more so determined to dodge her attacks than throw any punches. “All right! Ready?” he yells.
She assumes the proper stance for her Simple Domain, as she holds one hand steady on her sword and the other close by on the sheath. Everything around her goes dark as the light of the domain spreads. She closes her eyes and fully hones in on all other senses to anticipate his movement. “Ready.”
He stands ready and dashes through the domain unscathed, jumping across the blade as soon as she attempts to intercept. Seems like she’s still not quite ready to predict just how fast he is, but it feels like there’s more to it than that.
He stances up and tries again. He approaches from the side, and even though she’s getting better at telling where he’s coming from, she still can’t land a hit.
He’s finally starting to realize what the issue is. The domain feels.. unstable, somehow? As if it’s not active for the entire time whenever he’s in there. Could that be why she’s having trouble reading his movement?
Another attempt. This time, he gets ready and makes a mad dash through it from the front. And sure enough, the moment he enters the domain, it still feels off.
She’s getting closer, but hasn’t quite landed a hit yet; he jumps across it without any issue.
Come to think of it, it felt the same way when he ran through it during the Goodwill Event. Is she instinctively holding back, maybe?
Her stance seems perfect, and he can tell she’s got no problem controlling her cursed energy, so it’s definitely not the amount of training she’s done that’s the issue here. Maybe it’s the way she’s applying her energy?
Sure, she had every reason to hold back during the Spirit Bash Race, but maybe that guilt is what’s still holding her back from seeing this fight any differently.
As much as he hates to admit it, Cursed Energy is aligned with negative emotions, so he might need to amp her up a bit.
He gets ready for another run across and even though he’s really not fond of doing this in a friendly competition, he tries to rile her up by taunting her. “Come on Miwa-senpai, i know you can do better than that!”
“Hmph.” She grunts in an attempt not to respond, but he can definitely see her brow furrow.
Much to her surprise however, she can feel the expand by a slight amount even without looking at it. Not just that, Yuji can tell it’s shining a lot brighter than it used to. This is it, he thinks.
Once again, he gets ready to run across from the front, as that’s been her best bet yet. He dashes in, and she can immediately pick up on the direction he’s coming from due to the noise he’s making.
He enters the domain, and the atmosphere feels a lot more dense immediately.
She gets ready to intercept, so he’s immediately putting all his strength into his legs to jump over it – but then;
Thud.
The wooden practice blade hits him in his stomach and knocks him flat on the ground, and he’s left tumbling a few meters further due to the impact.
Kasumi’s eyes go wide the moment she opens them, and she immediately runs over to check on him. “Woah! You okay, Itadori-kun?”
He grunts for a bit as he tries to get up, but the smirk on his face says it all. “Relax! I’m fine. I’m just glad you decided to grab a training sword, heh.”
“Phew. You had me worried there. So did you taunt me in the hopes of that happening, you jerk?!” she says, while playfully (and most importantly, carefully) bopping him on the head with her fists.
“Ow! Ow! Stop! Y-yeah, i sure did. It felt like you were subconsciously holding back, so i figured giving you a reason to fuel yourself with more cursed energy might help. And well, it sure did.” He laughs for a bit, but still ends up coughing from the blow he took.
Despite his attempt to cheer her up, she looks somber when she decides to sit next to him. “Holding myself back, huh..”
Oh now he’s really feeling guilty. Better help her out quick, he thinks.
“Hey, don’t worry about it okay? It makes perfect sense considering the stakes of the fights we’ve had so far. That’s why i thought you might need a jab in the right direction.”
She curls her hands into fists and slams them on the grass around her in an attempt to quell her frustration.
“But what if an emergency happens? Who’s to say i’ll have it under control immediately then? How can you be so sure of that?!”
His heart sinks. He didn’t expect her worries about this to be rooted so deeply.
“Well.. i’m never sure, honestly. Any dash i made today was a complete guess. A real battle’s no different, and i doubt it’ll ever get any less scary than it is.”
Her frustration turns into regret as she realizes how shaken up he is, and she folds her arms around her legs. “..I’m so sorry, i shouldn’t have yelled at you.”
He shakes his head. “Nah, it’s all right. I can tell you’ve been worried about that for a while. It’s best to get it out of your system, in that case. The only way to get rid of that doubt is by understanding what you can and can’t do, and you’ve gotten a lot better in your Simple Domain already. There’s no need to sell yourself short, Useful Miwa.” He’s so proud of that last line that he can’t help but grin.
Luckily, it makes her chuckle too. “Pfft, thanks Itadorki. But you’re right. Maybe i have been holding myself back this entire time. How embarrassing.”
He shakes his head. “Not at all! There’s no need to see everything about yourself negatively, it just goes to show how compassionate you are. I think it’s sweet, honestly. You just gotta figure out how to balance that against getting serious, but i’m sure we can figure that out if we keep training.”
“R-right. It’s just been learning one thing after another with you around, Itadori-kun. Thank you so much.”
Ofcourse, shaking off a negative self-image was never that easy, but he's doing a wonderful job at making her feel more valued.
“Don’t mention it, Miwa-senpai! I’m glad i could help.” He says, with a big smile on his face. Nothing makes him feel more valued, after all.
She gets up as she realizes what time it is. “You should probably be heading home right about now though, right? Don’t wanna be late for dinner.” She asks.
His dumbfounded expressions says it all. “Oh right, the train ride! Damn, i nearly forgot about that.”
“Did you remember the directions, or were you too entranced by the sights on our way here?” She replies, with a smile.
“..The latter. Mind showing me the way again?”
“Heehee, i thought as much. Glad to hear I’ve been such a good guide, then. But sure! After everything you’ve done, that’s no problem at all.”
“Sweet. Thank you so much, Miwa-senpai!”
After a relatively short walk, they arrive at the station once again.
“Well, here we are. You’ve helped me realize a lot today, but it’s also been a lot of fun. So again, thank you so much, Itadori-kun.”
“I’m glad to hear it! Ever since our first encounter, i felt like you might need a push in the right direction, so i’m happy i was able to help. If you’ve ever got any time off, lemme know if you wanna meet up again, okay? Sparring or just hanging out, anything’s fine with me.”
She nods. “I’ll take you up on that soon! I still have to show off the rest of Kyoto too you, after all.”
His eyes light up. “Ooh yeah, nearly forgot about that due to everything that’s happened today. Sounds great!”
She smiles and waves him off. “Sure thing! Safe travels.”
“Thanks! See ya, Miwa-senpai!” He waves back, and immediately runs off to find his train.
And with newfound resolve and understanding of each other’s abilities, they both head home, slightly more ready to face whatever trial comes next on their path to become professional Jujutsu sorcerers.