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It is the single dumbest, most ridiculous, most humiliating idea that Miwa Kasumi has ever heard. Nothing about it makes much sense and it seems rather exploitative in nature to offer up something that person for the sake of amusement and entertainment.
Or perhaps it's just culture shock. Is it really so surprising that the origin of such a disturbing concept is American? Not really.
There are shows about it on Webflix and as funny or bizarre as they are tried on American screens, Miwa never really expects the concept to find its way in front of her much like it is right now.
"Come on, now it doesn't have to be that bad!"
It helps nothing that such words come from the source of her giddiness here in this planning committee. Even less that Gojo Satoru bounces in his chair like an excited child.
"Think of it as a way of getting to experience a different culture!"
"This kissing booth idea is disgusting, Gojo," and as expected Utahime firmly places herself between the excitement of her idol and the logic spewing with aggravation. "I'm not subjecting anyone to it without good reason!"
Yeah, tell 'em sensei! Miwa feels the sentiment from the other women beside her. Both Momo and Mai look just as relieved by their teacher's intervention as they're allowed. For a moment they think that that's that and the idea has been put to death resolutely…
But, of course, in their world, it's never that simple.
It only takes the principal to give them the actual reason behind such a ludicrous idea to keep the damn thing alive. It's not often one sees the principal and Gojo Satoru be in agreement with anything and apparently this particular target has its hands on a particular special grade curse. This angle is not what the target will be expecting and so the idea provided them a certain angle of attack that somehow meant the kissing booth has a proper purpose… and therefore couldn't be refuted.
Utahime wasn't pleased but she at least did pull enough weight that none of the girls were actually required to do any kind of kissing.
"It's a simple spell we can cast to literally anyone else who's simple," Momo explains to them with a flat expression. "We'll be able to know exactly who the target is since they shouldn't be affected by it."
Still … regardless of whether or not Miwa actually has to kiss anyone… standing in the public view of a large carnival wearing the shortest pair of red shorts she's ever seen and tugging a white t-shirt down past her waist is not the image she has for herself as being a successful jujutsu sorcerer.
"Miwa, you should be smiling."
She flinches before turning back in the direction of the ostentatious backdrop of their carnival set. Pink hearts and kissing lips adorn every square inch of the bright yellow backdrop and Miwa glares at them before glancing at Mai, who is leaning against the booth, scrolling through her phone and looking disinterested beyond anyone else.
"It's been hours and we haven't seen any sign of this target we're supposed to be keeping an eye out for," Miwa sighs, leaning against the wooden surface where Mai props her elbows. "No one bothers to even acknowledge us anymore…"
She motions to the latest family that glances at their setup, gives disapproving glances, and takes their kids far away. Miwa doesn't bother trying to assume the position of attracting clients anymore. It's obvious no one respectable appreciates the practice and the latest perverts have been handled by Momo's spellcasting (and if they persistently return it only takes Mai pulling out the butt of her gun to get them to scurry off in a fright).
Miwa heaves a big sigh, "I wanna go home."
"I thought you wanted to try the rides," Mai says, never once glancing up from her smartphone. Miwa's gaze follows the distant line of sight to the other side of the park where the sounds of happy screaming and loud machinery tease her ears every so often.
"I don't care anymore. At this point every one knows that we're a bunch of weirdos… I'll have to pack up and take my brothers to Tokyo now so no one can recognize me."
"Such drama," Mai snorts softly and squeezes the button on the side of her phone with a thumb. "Well, I'm off. I'm going to take my fifteen now."
Miwa's shoulders droop, "But you just came back from--"
"Mind the booth, would you, Miwa?"
She deflates further as Mai pushes away from the booth and starts walking off behind the stall. Mai, at least, looks better in their damned uniform of red shorts and white T better than Miwa thinks she does. The knee-high socks and sneakers make her look sporty and Miwa can't help but feel a twinge of envy as Mai saunters off with her typical femme-fatale energy, leaving Miwa alone… again.
Embarrassed and miserable, Miwa swings her legs over the booth and takes the seat Mai left her, and places her chin in her hands.
This sucks.
The sound of something crashing inside the booth startles Miwa into standing up. She glances around, but besides the curious glances of passersby who, for the most part, do their best to ignore the booth. Another crash and Miwa turns towards the stall. She doesn’t sense any negative energy or anything remotely cursed, even so, she picks up her katana from behind its hiding place as she goes inside to check it out.
The booth itself isn’t very big. It was constructed with the intention to house a couple of people for a short period of time, but the two seats are still cushioned and meant to give an atmosphere of inviting privacy. It’s all part of the rouse. Yet, when Miwa walks in, the chairs were toppled over and one of the long red sheets that covered the roof was draped over a shifting body.
Miwa immediately sinks into a battle-ready stance, eyes narrowing in suspicion as she hears the body grunt and twist, sounding annoyed.
“Wh-who—who are you?!” Miwa tenses, wishing she hadn’t stuttered. Still, she places her palm over the hilt of her sword and feels in the pit of her belly the energy that allows her to unleash her incomplete domain.
Suddenly, a hand pops out from under the sheet and yanks the sheet off a familiar indigo uniform and styled pink hair. Miwa’s eyes widen just as the owner of said hair shakes his head and sits up with a grunt.
“Itadori-san?” Miwa asks. Itadori Yuuji blinks and looks up before his face spreads in a bright if sheepish smile.
“Ah—Yo! I know you! You’re from the Kyoto school!” He says pointing at her sword before his eyes blink and then he gives her a complete appraisal. “Er… why are you dressed like that?”
Miwa’s cheeks flush pink and she drops her stance with a sigh. “It’s part of my mission. Trust me I wish I didn’t have to… did you crash through the roof?”
“Oh, uh, yeah,” Itadori says, untangling himself from the sheet and picking himself back up. “I was just with Gojo-sensei. Apparently, I’ve got to lie low or something so he threw me over here.”
Threw…? Miwa’s eyebrows pinch. I don’t want to know.
“Do you know what’s going on?” he asks her finally and Miwa stiffens again, not sure how she can explain this whole kissing booth idea in a way that won’t make her look crazy for running with it.
“There’s a very dangerous target who has their hands on a special grade curse,” Miwa explains, placing her sword against the nearest wall and starting to pick up the chairs. Itadori catches on quickly and starts helping her straighten the place up. He’s not so bad… “This is supposed to be a trap for the guy… I guess this means he’s some kind of pervert or something. But, as far as I know, he’s supposed to be lured in here. Gojo-sensei placed a trap for him so once he comes in here…”
She trails off, miming a cage with her hands and snapping them together. Itadori’s eyes narrow.
“I was told the user was going to come after me,” he says and sighs. “So, I’m bait, once again.”
Miwa gives him a small smile, “It could be worse!”
He shrugs and chooses then to sit down on one of the plush chairs and take a second to observe the area. With half the roof yanked off, it still feels a bit cramped but not so private anymore. His eyes land on the big lip decals and hearts, eyebrows arching.
“A kissing booth?” he asks and Miwa feels her stomach drop with humiliation but she can’t help but wonder how he got that just from looking.
“How did you–?”
“There’s like eight romcoms with the premise of a kissing booth,” he says offhandedly. “The latest on Webflix is kind of stupid. I skipped a lot of the episodes.”
“Oh,” Miwa says and decides to sit on the opposite chair, for nothing better to do. “You watch a lot of movies, then?”
“Yep, it’s good training,” Itadori responds with a nod before looking at her. Miwa's nerves calm when he keeps his eyes on her face. Most men can’t help themselves looking all over her body, especially with this outfit. She’s been itching to jump back into her pantsuit all day just to get away from the leers and the half-lidded stares. “What about you?”
She blinks. “What about me?”
“You like watching shows?”
It hits her then that this has been the most normal conversation she’s had all day. It’s a bizarre realization and it’s the kind that suddenly hooks into her chest and tickles a giggle out of her throat. Itadori tilts his chin, curious. Miwa grins at him.
“Sorry, it’s just been such a weird day. I mean… you literally crashed through the booth and now we’re just sitting here, talking about shows with a gaping hole in the ceiling.”
Itadori glances up before a lopsided smile pulls at his lips. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
When he looks back down, they both enjoy the moment with matching smiles, and Miwa can’t help but feel a little grateful that he’s here. The company is surprisingly better than she expected it to be.
“Hello?”
They both perk up and look to the main entrance of the booth, where a chubby-looking twenty-something sticks his head through with an arched brow.
“Is this booth still open or what?” the guy huffs, waving a rope of tickets. Miwa blanches and looks around out of habit to locate Momo, but it’s just her and Itadori and no one else. She had forgotten to ask how to cast the spell Momo had mentioned. Dammit, useless Miwa! What should she even say? What’s she going to do? Where are Momo and Mai? It’s been way too long since they left, why haven’t they gotten back yet?
“Oh, uh,” Miwa flushes pink again. “S-sorry, but… um…”
“It’s being used,” Itadori suddenly pipes up. “You’ll have to come back later.”
Miwa blinks up in surprise but sees him meet the guy’s face with a pretty straightforward expression. When she looks back at the guy, he’s frowning at them before glancing back and forth between them.
“In that case, get a move on, buddy,” he scoffs. “I’ve got an entire row of tickets to use, so that means I can get upwards of ten minutes of kissing time. Get your smooch and go.”
Ten minutes? Miwa blanches and feels sick to her stomach. It’d be one thing to give this greasy-looking dude a quick kiss and then kick his ass out. Who even made the rules for this damn thing?
“How many did you bring?” Itadori asks suddenly. Miwa flounders as she looks back and forth between them. The guy scowls.
“Two hundred tickets,” he replies snootily, a leering grin turning on Miwa as his eyes start roving over her body from head to toe, narrowing over her chest and exposed legs. Miwa instinctively inches away in revulsion and wishes she could jump back into the comfort of her uniform and forget this damn thing ever happened.
“Oh,” Itadori says before he suddenly reaches into his jacket pockets and pulls out a thick roll of tickets. “Well, I’ve got a thousand… how much time does that give me?”
Miwa’s jaw drops in surprise and she sees the clear shock on the guy’s face at the sight of all those tickets. All Miwa can think is, how…? But a moment later, she can’t help but feel a wave of relief and appreciation when the guy huffs incredulously before turning away.
“It’s always to good-looking ones,” he grumbles loudly and bitterly as he leaves. “No fucking fair, I can’t even get a good squeeze by playing the rules… god dammit…”
Miwa heaves a deep sigh before she turns to look at Itadori again, grinning brightly. “Itadori-san! Where did you get all those tickets?”
He looks back at her and the look of confusion only makes him all the more endearing. “I played the booths…? This is a carnival right?”
Miwa snorts and shakes her head. “Well, yeah but I don’t think I’ve seen anyone win a thousand tickets. You must be really good.”
Itadori shrugs before putting his hand out, offering her the tickets in his hand.
“Well, here,” he says. “I think this should buy you some time right?”
Miwa looks up at him, her amusement fading to surprise. She arches a brow before gingerly accepting the stack. “Are you… going to want to kiss here…?”
“Oh—what?!” Itadori startles and his cheeks flush a bright red as a result. “I wasn’t—no, this is just to help—”
“Quit your stammering, brat, and take her up on her offer!” A darker voice suddenly pipes in and it’s so sudden, Miwa chokes on a gasp, her eyes meeting Itadori’s before registering the new mouth smirking on his left cheek. Itadori slaps a hand to his face, eyes widening in embarrassed shock. A new mouth pops up on his right cheek in response, grinning lewdly.
“Don’t be so shocked, kid. You’ve been doing your best to keep from staring at her legs this entire time!”
Itadori squawks in annoyance, dropping the tickets to slap his other hand to his cheek, swiftly turning around to evade her gaze. “Sukuna, you sick fuck —!”
“Come on, kid, you won it fair and square right? Isn’t this providence smiling down on you?” Another slap. “Say, that other guy had ten minutes with just two hundred tickets. How much time do you think you can get with the thousand you’re offering?” A harder slap this time.
“Maybe, if you’re lucky she’ll let you go all the way— ”
“Shut UP!!”
Miwa stares in stunned silence as she watches Itadori go to war with his own body, slapping his hands and punching his own jaw to silence the King of Curses. It’s definitely not a sight she expected and given the way her day has been going, it almost feels like it’s back to the same old insanity she’s been dealing with. She huffs in amusement and for a moment, she allows herself to think of something crazy… if only to appease the madness of the day.
“Um,” she pipes up. Itadori twists his head to look at her and he certainly looks slightly worse for wear given his sharp attacks on himself. In the end, she knows, he is just another teenage boy. She blushes though, a part of her sort of shocked with herself for considering it, but… well… It can’t be that bad.
“It’s just a kiss, right?” she says and looks down, bashfully. “I don’t mind… you did help me out earlier, after all.”
It’s quiet for a long moment and as the seconds' tick by, Miwa can’t help but stew in her own nerves and pounding heartbeat. She fidgets at the fifteen-second mark and glances up nervously, finding Itadori standing very still, eyes wide in shock. The eye contact must’ve helped him come back to earth because he startles and his face flushes all the way up to his ears.
“Miwa-san,” he says and shakes his head. “I really didn’t mean to make it seem like I was asking for a… well. That. We really don’t have to—”
He slaps another hand to his cheek and he does so with such exaggerated casualness that it’s wildly comedic in hindsight. For the moment, all Miwa can do is nod and look away.
“R-right, no, you’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking,” she says with a light laugh.
“N-not that I mind either,” Itadori continues. “I mean, you’re a really pretty girl—”
Her belly flutters at his words and the flattery spread through her cheeks when she realizes just how much he’s stammering through his words. It’s cute. He’s pretty cute.
And he’s also taking a step toward her right now. She doesn’t know if he realizes he’s doing it since he keeps rambling, but his body moves toward her in slow steps. Each step heightens the sensation of nerves and anticipation in her belly, especially when he doesn’t seem to realize and keeps looking anywhere but her.
“So—well, I think we can just keep talking instead. Neither of us has to do anything. You don’t owe me anything either, so we can just keep it cool—”
He blinks and makes eye contact and it dawns on them both that they’re standing rather close. He seems surprised, glancing down between them as if wondering how he got to this side of the small room, but it works against him. His eyes land right on her chest and he sucks in a sharp breath before glancing up at her—caught.
The wildest thing, though, is that even though there’s no way she didn’t spot him looking at her body, there’s something about this entire exchange that makes Miwa’s nerves twist in a needy desire. She doesn’t mind him looking at her. Not really.
“Um,” he says, almost despairingly and it’s very clear it distresses him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“Itadori-kun.”
Why she chooses then to change honorifics is beyond her but it catches his attention and Miwa wants to hold it. She glances down at his hand, gripping his opposite wrist, and she doesn’t know where she gets the courage but she reaches for it and finds his palm with her fingers.
Carefully, she pulls until his fingers pry open and she guides his hand toward her hip. What am I doing? Oh my god, what am I doing? Already this far ahead, though, she grabs his other hand and brings it down to the opposite hip. This close she realizes then just how tall he is.
She doesn’t have to crane her neck up to meet his gaze as she does with Todou or even Gojo-sensei. His eyes aren’t hidden by a dark cloth or reflective glasses, and it’s because of this that she sees the very honesty in his eyes, surprise, and… just a bit of needy curiosity. He’s just as into this as I am…
“I’d like you to kiss me.”
In some distant future, Miwa is going to march up to Utahime-sensei and ask to be scanned for any special grade demonic possession. Perhaps she’s under control of something too that she can’t explain or is too weak to dissuade. If this is what it’s like for him, she wonders, and he’s still able to keep himself under firm control… he must be really strong. And that strength is something she can’t deny she admires. Maybe even likes. Maybe she even finds it just a bit attractive.
“Are you sure?” he asks quietly and there’s a seriousness in his eyes that seems a bit off but somehow doesn’t take away from the endearing emotions he’s tapping into. “I…I’m not very experienced…”
She likes his honesty. It makes it so much easier for her to reciprocate.
“Neither am I,” she admits with a soft giggle. The remnants of nerves and knee-locking anticipation. She hopes he isn’t put off by how much her hands are shaking, but she’s not running away. That’s gotta count for something right?
“I am.” the other voice—the one she now recognizes as the King of Curses, Sukuna’s pops in, low and sultry and definitely interested. “Maybe you should let me take over for a bit, brat. I’ll show you both an excellent time .”
A hot shiver erupts under her skin and it takes her by such surprise that Itadori seizes the chance to take his hand back and slap it on his cheek again.
“Sorry,” he says and sighs, long-suffering before he winces. “He can be… a real pain. ”
“You sure put up with a lot,” Miwa chuckles airily. “I don’t know how you do it.”
“Yeah, I don’t either,” he replies with a groan. His fingers on her opposite hip stretch and pull a little, reminding her of the contact and the start of something she invited. When he looks at her again, the nerves seem to melt a little, and genuine interest is sparking in the gold of his eyes. She likes the way he glances down at her mouth.
She doesn’t like him well enough to desire much, but she does know him well enough to know that he’s not going to take from her like most of the men she’s been harassed by all day. Itadori Yuuji could seize this opportunity and make off with a rough kiss and leave her behind to deal with the aftermath. He doesn’t. He simply glances down and asks…
“Do you… still want…?”
She realizes then, that yeah. Yeah. Yes. She does. It’s a spur of the moment. It isn’t planned. It isn’t even close to what she expected out of her day, but now that they’re both here and he’s been able to buy them more than enough time… she can’t say she wants to take the unspoken offer of running away.
She’s done a lot of running away. She wants to know what it’s like to do the opposite.
But she’s not as courageous as Mai or maybe even Momo. all she can muster is a bashful little nod and shuffling a just a little closer until their chests brush and the distance is a mere movement away.
He breaths and she feels it on her face. There’s a bit of hesitation in his eyes, a little nervous strain on the edges of his mouth. So Miwa sucks in a slow breath and tilts her chin up… then she closes her eyes.
He doesn’t move for a short moment and she thinks she hears him stifle a groan. He moves… she feels him lean closer and she feels herself go rigid.
And then his lips bounce against her nose.
“Oh—” he gasps. “Sorry… I…”
She smiles, her heart is still racing but all this does is make her want to lean into him more. She looks up at him again and she giggles.
“Try again?”
This time, what she sees is a flash of determination in his eyes. His right-hand drops from her hip and she’s surprised when she feels him slip his fingers under her jaw before cradling her cheek. Miwa leans into it without thinking and this time, when Itadori does lean in his lips find hers with a lot more certainty.
The pressure is sudden. A bit too hard, but Itadori seems to notice this and he backs off. The sound of their skin popping together spins in her ears. Miwa parts her lips, about to say something when he goes for it again.
This time…
This time, though.
She ends up with her mouth slightly open, just enough for his lips to capture her lower lip. It feels way better than the first time, and they both seem to feel it. Miwa mimics his movement and sucks at his upper lip gently. Itadori sucks an inhale through his nose and breaks their kiss—only to go back down for another one.
It’s better. Much, much better. He mimics her in parting his lips and it’s pure instinct at this point for the desire to taste. Her tongue darts out to lick his lip but ends up brushing against his. She tastes cotton candy, a bit of raspberry ice, and the sugar of funnel cake. Miwa sinks deeper into him, sliding her hands up to wrap around his neck and pull him in tighter.
To her growing delight, Itadori also seems to feel the need to deepen their little connection. His arms wrap around her waist, pulling her flush against him. The second time their tongues touch, it’s a complete meeting–a vast difference from the flirting brush from before.
Miwa moans softly, eyelids fluttering as Itadori rubs his tongue against hers and teases her lips with experimental sucking. For all that talk of lack of experience, Itadori kisses like he’s been doing it for ages. Wow…
Suddenly, he breaks away, leaving them both gasping each other in and their foreheads pressed flush together.
“Sor—was that okay?” He asks, just a touch breathless. It sounds so good . Miwa wants more. She nods, their noses rub and she chases after him for another kiss. He takes it in with growing appreciation and surprises her by hoisting her up against him. Miwa moans again, more out of surprise, but it seems to do something to them both because Itadori responds with a soft groan and more use of that talented tongue. It’s a lovely feeling… why would she want to stop at all?
“ Ahem. ”
A new voice—an all too familiar voice—suddenly interrupts. The two of them break from the kiss, still far too wrapped up in each other’s embrace to spring away as they turn their heads in the direction of the speaker.
Miwa’s eyes widen in shock. Gojo-sensei stands at the mouth of the entrance, flanked by Fushiguro Megumi, Zen’in Maki and her sister Mai, and Momo and all staring at them with various expressions of flushed shock or surprise. Meanwhile, Gojo grins at them the only way an adult would when catching two teenagers red-handed—with profound, knowing amusement.
“G-Gojo-sensei?!” the two of them both exclaim before looking back at each other at whiplashing speed. In an instant, Itadori drops her at the exact same time Miwa means to jump away, leaving them both stumbling away from each other and nearly toppling over the chairs.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Gojo-sensei says through a snicker as they both hurry to straighten their clothes. Miwa covers her mouth and stares off at the ground in a panicked dread. Her lips throb in tune with her racing heart, no doubt red and kiss-stung like the rest of her feels.
“Just wanted to come in here and let you guys know that we caught the target,” Gojo continues to explain and the grin is so obvious in his voice, Miwa wants to die. “We hadn’t heard from either of you and… well, now we know why.”
“I-It's not like that!” Itadori exclaims, “We—I… we were just—”
“Y-yeah,” Miwa tries to explain, frantically glancing between Mai and Momo who stare at her with the biggest eyes she’s ever seen. “Itadori-kun was just—we didn’t mean to—”
“Oh, just save it!” Maki huffs, the first to recover with a large roll of her eyes. “This isn’t the time for that. Sensei,” she turns to Gojo-sensei with a deep frown, even if her cheeks are also dusted pink. “You should get rid of the trap since we didn’t end up using it.”
“Right-o,” Gojo says with a grin, lifting up two fingers to the air, but his smile was still wide and impressed. A bright flash of purple cursed energy burns under their feet before it disappears with a soft bursting sound. “Come along, kids, we best get going and enjoy the rest of the carnival.”
Miwa grimaces when he gives them both a nod and turns away, chuckling. At that moment, Mai and Momo jump towards her, crowding her while Fushiguro and the other Zen’in sister approach Itadori.
“Miwa, what were you thinking?!” Mai immediately scolds. “What if the target had come this way? You two could’ve gotten caught in a worse situation for lowering your guard like that!”
“Right,” Miwa says, nodding and lowering her head miserably. To her relief, Momo offers up her uniform, to which Miwa grabs on too quickly. She throws a quick glance towards where she sees Itadori follow after the others outside, overhearing Fushiguro sigh.
“You’re lucky Nobara’s on the other side of the carnival,” he says. “She’d never let you live it down.”
“I know, I know,” Itadori says. Mai is still scolding her but Miwa doesn’t miss the way he glanced back toward her over his shoulder. The eye contact makes them both flush red again. He looks away just as she feels Mai grab her chin and yank her back to face her.
“Are you nuts , Miwa?” Mai asks, scandalized. “That’s Sukuna’s Vessel! I can’t believe you’d do that with him! Did he force himself on you? Did he cast some kind of curse on you to make you more susceptible?”
“N-no!” Miwa jerks her chin away, hurriedly, looking away and moving quickly to change out of these ridiculous clothes. Momo and Mai stand back, while Momo casts a quick spell to keep the tent blocked out while Mai awaits an explanation.
“It’s really nothing like that,” Miwa says shakily, pulling her slacks up with shaky, clammy fingers. “He—he just crashed through the ceiling and told me he was thrown here by Gojo-sensei. He needed to lay low so we just—”
“Started making out?” Momo interrupts, lifting a brow. “I never knew you had it in you Miwa. It’s always the nice girls first.”
“NO!!” Miwa snaps and heaves a sigh as she tugs on her shirt and works the buttons in a fury. “Ugh, I don’t see what’s the big deal!”
“The big deal here is that you should’ve been more careful,” Mai says staunchly. Her eyes narrow as she glances over to the entrance with thinly-veiled distrust. “I don’t care who you go around kissing, Miwa. That’s frankly none of our business, but I had hoped you had the taste not to stoop so low, especially with that school and that person in particular.”
Miwa groans as she finishes getting ready, “I don’t see why you keep saying that. Itadori-kun is a really nice guy, actually–”
“I’m sorry,” Momo interjects. “Itadori- kun ? What’s this, Miwa? Do you actually like him?”
Miwa thinks she might die from the intensity of her face being flushed with so much blood. “Look, can you guys just drop it? Please? And… maybe don’t mention this to Utahime-sensei?”
Mai and Momo exchange a narrow-eyed look before sighing. Momo shrugs while Mai shakes her head. “Whatever. Let’s get going. I’ve suddenly lost all interest in this enough to care.”
Miwa sighs and follows after them in leaving the damned kissing booth, pausing to grab her katana from its hiding place. When they make it outside, the Tokyo students are standing nearby with Gojo-sensei waiting. As soon as he notices them, that same amused smile spreads over his mouth and he beckons them over. The last thing Miwa wanted was for her idol to notice her making out with his student. This whole thing is a mess.
“Nice to see you back in your usual colors, Miwa-chan!” Gojo says. Miwa drops her head miserably.
“Sensei,” Fushiguro grunts, annoyed.
“Alright, let’s get going.” Gojo turns to all of them. “You’re all free to enjoy the carnival however you like! Make sure to meet back up at the Ferris Wheel in about a couple of hours for a briefing!”
They all respond with various ways to acknowledge his words. Miwa barely mutters a small “Yes, sir,” before expecting to be yanked away by Mai.
To her surprise, she hears another set of footsteps approach her. When she turns, she sees Itadori, standing just a little closer than expected. Her heart jumps in her throat, but something else keeps it from dropping.
“Oh, ah—” Miwa stammers, swallowing shakily. She expects him to start apologizing for what happened inside the booth, but instead, he surprises her.
“Miwa-san,” Itadori says. “Do you like roller coasters?”
Her eyes widen. She feels all eyes on her all of a sudden.
“Oh… Y-yeah. I do,” she says, nudging a glance over to Mai and Momo, who watch with mix-matching expressions of forced disinterest or complete disapproval. When she looks away, she sees Fushiguro and Maki watching, but there’s a curiosity in their eyes and just a faint bit of pink on their cheeks as well. When her eyes jump back up to Itadori, she wonders if this is some kind of trap. But there’s nothing in his eyes that betrays anything nefarious… and dammit if she can’t deny there’s a part of her that doesn’t want to leave seeing those earnest brown eyes of his just yet.
“Wanna go ride one?”
It makes it much easier to say yes knowing full well he wants to see more of hers too.
“Sure,” she says brightly. He grins at her. His lips are still pink from their kissing, his cheeks are still a touch rosy, but nothing makes her feel more excited than the way he nudges his head for her to follow.
“So, there’s two of them here that are actually pretty good,” Itadori launches into a complete spiel as they start walking and Miwa easily falls into step next to him. “The Colossal Samurai and the Ghost Titan—”
“It’s the Ghost Samurai and Colossal Titan,” Fushiguro corrects.
“Right, what he said,” Itadori says. Miwa smiles in amusement. “I prefer the Colossal since it’s apparently a replica of the one in Shingeki no Kyojin land but the Ghost Samurai has a lot of loops.”
“I kind of wanna try the Colossal,” she offers. “Is it really fast?”
“Oh, unbelievably!” Itadori says excitedly. “Fushiguro screamed so loud at the start, it was hilarious!”
“For the last time, that wasn’t me , Itadori.”
Miwa giggles as she nods. She can see the muted surprise in Fushiguro’s glances, the way Maki keeps an eye on her despite appearing bored. Yet, Itadori looks and talks to her like they’re old friends, and that helps. It makes her feel a little more at ease. She never expected even for a moment for the events of the day to take her in this direction. The madness of finding herself kissing Sukuna’s Vessel and enjoying it is never something that was on her list of expectations…
But now that they’re here… Miwa doesn’t run away from it. She faces it head-on and laughs when Itadori walks into a pole for not paying attention. She knows, he didn’t expect this either. But that makes this all the more unexpected.
As much as she hated the idea of the kissing booth, she can’t deny she’s kind of glad for it. She just won’t ever admit it out loud.