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Maki said once that whenever Todo and Yuuji were in the same room, the IQ level plummeted into the negatives. Common sense? It packed its bags and jumped out the window. As for brain cells, well, mass exodus. Except for one poor cell that couldn’t escape and ended up being shared by the two doofuses, likely screaming its head off for help.
"Lil’ sis, how about we have a race to see who can climb the ladder the fastest?!"
Truthfully, Yuuji has been itching for something to do after sitting through two hours of lecture—even Kusakabe-sensei looked bored talking about chemical disasters—so at Todo’s challenge, she leaped at the opportunity. “You’re on, Aoi!”
A crowd quickly gathers around them. Some people are sent off to keep watch in case an instructor shows up, knowing the pseudo brother and sister duo will definitely get their asses handed to them if they’re caught. Yuuji uses a double-beaded hair tie to put hair up into a ponytail, then gets out her aqua blue handycam from her knapsack and hands it to the nearest person, who happens to be Ito Shota, a second-year fire academy student and Yuuji’s senior.
“Mind recording this for me, Ito-senpai?” Yuuji asks with a smile, a bit of her tongue poking out between her teeth.
“Anything for you, Itadori-chan,” Ito says with a smirk, brushing his fingers against Yuuji’s as he takes the video camera.
“Thanks!” Yuuji turns back to Todo, the two of them positioned in front of their ladders. “On the count of three! One…two…”
"Yuuji," Maki’s voice cuts through the chatter of the crowd, interrupting the countdown. "Nanami-sama wants to see you in her office."
Todo starts to complain, but Yuuji pats his shoulder, unfazed. “No worries, Aoi,” she reassures him, scanning the crowd before her honey-brown eyes land on someone. “I’m sure Ito-senpai would love to race you in my place!”
Ito nearly drops the video camera in shock, his face paling at the suggestion. “Wha-what? Me against Todo?”
Yuuji trots over to him. “Yeah! I’m sure you’ll do great,” she says, reclaiming her handycam. “After all, you’re always telling me about how capable and strong you are, senpai.”
“Yeah, go on, Ito,” drawls Maki, nudging him. “Since you’re so strong and capable. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure to give Yuuji the most detailed play-by-play when she gets back.”
Though Maki’s smile looks a little evil, Yuuji is grateful nonetheless. “Thanks, Maki-senpai! I’ll get going now.” With a short wave and a swing of her ponytail, Yuuji heads off for Nanami’s office.
Behind Yuuji, Todo hits Ito with a side-eye. “Since my dearest lil’ sis chose you in her place, I will still race you. But if you make her look bad by performing poorly, I will have no other choice but to fight you,” he declares.
For the sake of saving face, Ito puffs out his chest. "You’re on,” he scoffs, though his hands tremble as he takes Yuuji’s place in front of the ladder, much to Maki’s amusement.
Maybe being friends with morons had its perks. It was like having free front-row tickets to a comedy show.
After knocking and receiving the invitation to enter, Yuuji steps into Nanami’s office, a warm smile on her face.
“Good morning, Nanamin,” Yuuji greets. “You asked to see me?”
Nanami Kento ran the Tokyo Fire Academy within the Tokyo Fire Department as its head chief, and held the distinction of being the first woman to assume the role.
But before Nanami had been promoted to the highest position in the fire academy, she was a fire safety instructor and Yuuji’s mentor. It was why Nanami allowed Yuuji to address her by a familiar title in private instead of the formal “Nanami-sama” everyone else called her by.
“I did, yes,” Nanami replies, gesturing towards one of the seats in front of her desk. “Please have a seat, Yuuji.”
Nanami folds her hands together over her desk as Yuuji sits down, a small smile on her lips. “How are things?” she asks softly.
Yuuji tilts her head, pink hair spilling over her shoulder. “School-wise or personal?”
“Both,” Nanami says easily. “Personal first.”
“I tried to teach Eso and Kechizu how to cook the other day and the stove caught on fire. I took care of it before it got that far, of course, but Choso broke down when he found out, convinced that we almost got burned alive.”
“How long did it take to console him?”
“Two hours,” Yuuji sighs wearily. “None of us can operate the stove without him tearing up nowadays.”
“Please send Choso-san my condolences.” Nanami’s shoulders shake a little as she laughs. “And school? How is it going?”
“Class is sometimes stressful, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. Drills and training are going great though. Ino-sensei says that I’m making a lot of progress.”
“Hmm,” Nanami hums, looking pleased by her report. “Maki’s been doing well, too. Very good. It seems like the three of us are holding our ground quite well around here.”
The three of them were the only women in the academy, managing to keep pace and earn recognition in a field traditionally dominated by men despite facing adversity. It was no wonder, then, where the touch of pride and satisfaction in Nanami’s voice came from.
“But as for the reason I asked you to come in,” Nanami starts. “The deadline for volunteering hours is approaching soon, and I noticed you haven’t submitted yours in yet. I’m sure you remember that the academy mandates each recruit to complete a minimum of twenty-four hours of community service during their training.”
Yuuji bites the inside of her cheek. “...Of course I do.”
Nanami scans Yuuji’s face. “You’ve forgotten.”
“No, no, of course not,” Yuuji shakes her head, vigorously waving her hands in front of her to sell the ruse.
“...Buuuut, hypothetically speaking, of course, if I did forget, which I didn’t, do you still have that list of volunteering options from orientation?”
Yuuji winces at the unimpressed look Nanami gives her.
With a sigh, Nanami hands over a bright yellow sheet filled with small black text, each line representing a place accepting volunteers.
Yuuji’s honey-brown eyes quickly scan the options before landing on one that catches her attention. At a speed that could’ve given her whiplash, Yuuji looks up with a toothy grin.
“I will be volunteering at,” checks paper “Jujutsu Pet Store.”
“Mm. I know the owners,” Nanami says, her tone all-too-casual. “Good last-minute choice.”
“I know, right—” Yuuji slaps her forehead. Hard. “I mean, yeah! No, what—I’ve long since chosen the pet store to complete my volunteering hours. Yep. Hehe.”
Nanami dismisses Yuuji with an exasperated sigh while shaking her head. Closing the door behind her, Yuuji whispers “nailed it” while fist-bumping the air.
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Jujutsu Pet Store took up a modest space among the row of storefronts. Its royal blue awning and vertical signage, both boasting the name of the shop in white bold lettering, made it easier to spot in the condensed space.
A small chalkboard easel in front of the entrance listed basic services and prices, adorned with cute animal sketches and decorative swirls. Nearby, a beverage vending machine stood next to the promotional posters on the open door, featuring some of the most adorable animals Yuuji had ever seen.
The inside, however, was much larger than the outside let out on. The brightly lit interior was vibrant, with glossy blue walls and directory signs above open wall closets of supplies. Tables displayed an array of animal treats and delicacies, alongside stands for pet magazines and books. And that was just the front of the store. According to the signs, the back housed the pets and even featured a spa facility.
Yuuji explores the aisles, lost in wonder by the neat and intricate arrays of supplies that someone must have dedicated a lot of time to and a painstaking amount of attention on. The toy aisle alone made it hard for Yuuji to pick her jaw up from the floor. Plush toys, interactive gadgets, and colorful accessories were organized by type and size, while the selection of chew toys ranged from simple rubber bones to elaborate puzzle feeders. Each item is even tagged with descriptions of its benefits and ideal pet matches. It is, in a word, incredible.
Yuuji was walking backwards in one of the aisles, absorbed in her surroundings, when she suddenly bumped hard into someone else, the two of them colliding in a comical crash.
Bags containing animal food by the bulk fall to the floor with a resounding thud. Instinctively, Yuuji spins around and catches the girl who had been carrying them before she can fall. Then Yuuji freezes, because, well, said girl in her arms is very, very pretty.
Taller than her by a smidge, with very long eyelashes, eyes the color of spring grass, and raven hair that falls down her back in a mess of spikes and waves—this girl, in just a look, with just her face, leaves Yuuji feeling like all the blood has rushed from her brain, with how she just stands there and stares.
“Oh my god,” Yuuji blinks rapidly. “Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.”
She quickly pulls them upright before stepping back to bow in apology. “I am so sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going.” Her nervous gaze shifts to the bags on the floor. “Oh, let me help you!” she exclaims.
“No, it’s fine,” the girl starts to say, but stops short when Yuuji lifts all the bags from the floor without batting an eyelash.
Yuuji shifts the added weight onto both of her feet and finds that the bags aren’t all that heavy. Compared to what she’s used to lifting and carrying at the academy, this is nothing.
Her heart beats a little too fast for comfort when she looks back at the girl again. “Where do these go?” she asks, gesturing to the bags in her hands.
Yuuji places the bulk bags on the shelf the girl directs her to, then turns back around with a sheepish smile.
“Thanks,” the girl says awkwardly.
“Oh, no need to thank me. I’m the reason you dropped them in the first place,” Yuuji trails off, her eyes dropping down to the name-tag clipped to the girl’s shirt. “Fushiguro Megumi?”
When the other girl nods in confirmation, a look of realization crosses Yuuji’s face. “Wait, you work here?”
“How many people do you know walk around with a name-tag?” Megumi asks dryly, but when Yuuji’s brows actually furrow together in thought, she hurries to nod. “Yes, I do work here.”
"Oh, maybe you can help me then!”
Megumi crosses her arms in front of her and nods in reply. “Shoot,” she says.
Yuuji opens her mouth to respond, but before she actually can, something big and blue with wings zips across the room and lands on her shoulder, its talons lightly digging into her sweater.
“Pew pew,” says the parrot (because holy crap, it’s a talking parrot), its left leg raised and talons pointed at Yuuji like a gun.
Yuuji freezes where she stands, gawking at the bird. “Woah…”
“Rio!” Megumi barks, her voice stern. “Leave her alone. Come here.”
The bird ignores them both, its attention still on Yuuji. “Pew pew,” it repeats, making another shooting motion.
Megumi lets out a long sigh. “They won’t stop until you act dead,” she explains.
Yuuji blinks at the information, her thick brows raised. “Oh!”
With all the dramatic flair she can muster, Yuuji drops her head onto her shoulder and closes her eyes. She even pokes out her tongue a little, just to sell the whole thing.
Absurdly, it works. The bird puts its leg down and turns to Megumi with a loud squawk, “Got her, Megs.” After successfully “killing” Yuuji, it flies over to perch on Megumi's shoulder.
Yuuji steps closer to Megumi, her fascinated gaze on the colorful bird. “Wow, I’ve never seen a bird like this before.”
Megumi tilts her head towards the bird, her green eyes partly obscured by her long, messy fringe. “Rio’s a blue-and-gold macaw, they’re native to South America,” she explains. Gently stroking Rio’s spine with her finger, she adds, “Rio was one of the few of its species imported to Japan from Brazil a little over a year ago.”
There’s a small, affectionate gleam in Megumi’s eyes as she looks at the bird, a look that Yuuji finds herself quite drawn to, unable to resist the smile that forms on her lips.
But just as quickly as the tender moment came, it fades, and Megumi redirects her attention to Yuuji with a lot more focus than before.
“So, what was it you needed help with…” Megumi’s voice trails off.
“Itadori Yuuji,” Yuuji responds, sticking her hand out with a smile.
Megumi shakes Yuuji’s warm hand with her cold one, then leads Yuuji to the main store counter. Rio takes flight from Megumi’s shoulder and glides over to a perch stand adjacent to the cash register, where it lands gracefully.
Yuuji picks up one of the squishy toys by the register, absentmindedly squeezing it as she explains. "I’m required to do volunteer hours for fire academy school, and I'd like to complete them here.”
Yuuji isn’t too sure, but she thinks Megumi perks up a little at her words. “Potential volunteers need to fill out this form first.” She hands Yuuji a clipboard with a slim packet attached. “You provide us with your email and cell number, and we usually get back to you in a couple of hours to confirm your shifts.”
“Sounds great! I think I’m gonna like it here,” Yuuji says cheerfully. She hums as she fills out the sheet almost mechanically, used to filling out paperwork due to school. All these forms kind of asked for the same thing.
“So, Megumi—is it okay if I call you by your first name?” Yuuji asks, flashing a friendly smile as she glances up from the form.
Megumi shrugs in reply. “Sure.”
Yuuji's smile widens, the brown freckles dotting her cheeks becoming more prominent with the upward motion. “How long have you been working here?” she asks.
“Practically my whole life,” Megumi replies, the look in her eyes a bit soft. “My adoptive moms have had this place since I was a kid,” she explains, noticing Yuuji’s curious expression.
Yuuji lets out a long oh, nodding in understanding, her left hand continuing to scribble on the form. “So you must like it, right, working here? You big into animals?”
Yuuji doesn’t know why, but for some reason, she wants to ask Megumi a million questions. Wants to get to know Megumi better. The subtle microexpressions that flit across Megumi’s face as she considers her responses, as if nobody has ever taken the time to ask her these things before, fill Yuuji with an inexplicable giddiness that has her smiling so much that her cheeks hurt.
“Big enough to pursue schooling to become licensed in their care, I suppose.”
“No way, that is so cool!” Yuuji exclaims, her eyes gleaming with genuine interest. Talking to Megumi is so much fun. “What is it called again? Veteran? Vegetarian?”
Megumi snorts. “Veterinarian.”
Yuuji claps, snaps her fingers. “That!”
Megumi takes the form after Yuuji is done filling it out, tucking a lock of her dark hair behind her (multi-pierced, wow) ear as she reviews the sheet. “Seems like you filled out everything. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible,” she says, putting the clipboard aside. She looks back at Yuuji, the look in her eyes a little shy. “But is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Don’t think so,” Yuuji replies with a soft smile. “But I do hope we get to work some shifts together, Megumi. You’re really nice to talk to.”
Megumi’s immediate reaction is one of stupefaction, but then she scoffs, shaking her head in denial. “Nobody has ever said that to me before,” she murmurs quietly.
Yuuji tilts her head, her fringe falling slightly over her eyes. “How come?”
“I’m not exactly the most charming person, in case you couldn’t tell.”
“I couldn’t,” Yuuji says honestly, giving a one-shouldered shrug. Leaning her head on her palm, she gazes intently at Megumi from across the counter. “You’re plenty charming to me.”
The look Megumi gives Yuuji in response is odd and kind of intense, making Yuuji wonder if she’s said something wrong. But before either of them can speak, a loud sound comes from Yuuji’s pocket.
Yuuji pats down her pockets until she finds the one her cell is tucked into. She flips it open, her shoulders dropping slightly as she reads the message. “Oh dang, I gotta go.”
Yuuji looks back at Megumi. “I have something planned with my friends, but I hope to see you soon,” she says in a rush, walking backwards toward the door while giving an enthusiastic wave. “Sorry for crashing into you again! Let’s meet next time, yeah?”
“Yuuji.” Her name, spoken by Megumi, is the most harmonious sound. “Watch out for the—”
Before Megumi can finish her warning, Yuuji bumps into a holding rack full of animal collars. Despite it being an inanimate object, Yuuji bows and apologizes profusely to it before quickly turning to do the same to Megumi, an endless stream of "sorry, sorry, sorry" falling from her lips. In her flustered state, she continues to walk backwards and nearly runs into someone at the door, who then becomes the recipient of her repeated bowing and apologizing as she hastily exits the store. Blushing a furious red, Yuuji gives Megumi one last sheepish smile before hurriedly disappearing from view.
Yuuji slaps a hand to her face as she walks back to her bike.
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Yuuji’s best friend came in the form of one (1) brash and fashionable lesbian named Kugisaki Nobara, who once approached Yuuji solely to call her a “fashion emergency” and that she was willing to extend her services to prevent such mishaps in the future only because Yuuji was “too cute for that looking bummy shit.” That was the first time they met, two years ago at a college rave, and although Yuuji can safely say that Nobara has significantly thawed out since then and she’s a lot more open (and nicer) now about how she cares, she still possessed a level of frankness unmatched by anyone else in Yuuji’s life.
Midway through a game of Xtreme Racer 3, she interrupts Yuuji to say, “I always knew there was something fruity about you.” She points an accusing, sharply manicured finger across the internet café aisle at Yuuji. “No straight girl wears basketball shorts to a rave,” she asserts darkly.
“Wait, what?” Yuuji responds, confused. She was just talking about Megumi, the nice and incredibly pretty and smart girl she just met. So Nobara’s words make, like, zero sense to her. “What do you mean?”
“Do you realize how gay you sound right now? This is the third or fourth time you’ve brought up this girl, who you just met, in an hour.”
Oh. “Oh.” Yuuji bites her lip. “My bad. I didn’t realize.”
“Don’t look sorry, I’ve been waiting for this moment for two years!” Nobara shouts, with no regard that her volume could easily get them kicked out.
“Now, onto more important matters: what are you gonna wear when you see her again?” Nobara asks with utmost seriousness, because as a fashion design major, clothes always manage to find their way into conversation with her.
Todo is visibly distressed by the conversation, causing him to lose his lead in the game. Maki races past his bright red truck in a blur of dark green. "Why didn't you tell me about this, lil’ sis?" he whimpers, tears welling in his eyes. “Do you not remember the question I asked you when we met?”
At the mention, a memory from last year comes to the front of Yuuji’s mind:
Todo, one year younger, pointed his finger at the only girl among the crowd of hopeful fire academy recruits. “You,” he said.
The cluster of boys surrounding her parted so that Yuuji got singled out. Yuuji looked up at Todo, her big brown doe eyes blinking in surprise. “Me?” she asked, pointing to herself.
“What,” Todo’s voice boomed out with great severity, “kind of man is your type?”
A slightly puzzled look crossed Yuuji’s face at the inquiry. “Well, although I don’t get what that question has to do with anything, if I had to say…”
Yuuji gazed up at the sky in thought. “Tall guys with big arms, I guess? Like Wi Ha-Jun or Michael B. Jordan.”
“That was the moment I declared you my best friend! My lil’ sis!” Todo emphasizes, betrayed, dropping from second to sixth place in a matter of seconds since he keeps stealing glances at Yuuji instead of focusing on his computer screen. “You should never have to keep parts of yourself hidden, sister, especially from me. I would never judge you.”
“It’s not like Yuuji was keeping it from you, Todo. She just didn’t know she could also be into girls back then,” says Nobara with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“All I said was that Megumi's really pretty and that I like her,” Yuuji says, raising her voice to be heard between them. “I can’t say for sure that it’s like that. I’ve never felt that way towards anyone before. And like you said, Noh, I just met her!”
“Look, I’m not trying to rush you into anything, Yuuji, but that’s usually how it starts.
“One second, you think: oh, she’s pretty, next second you want her tongue down your throat!” Nobara waves her arms out emphatically. “Homosexuality 101!”
Maki remains silent about the matter until after the game is over and she’s secured her first-place title. On the computer screen, the image she took just before the race shows her holding up her middle finger to the camera with a bored expression, as the game declares her the winner.
“Listen, it’s clear that at the very least you admire her,” Maki says, surprisingly calm about the topic even though her niece is involved (yeah, that had been a shock to Yuuji, too). “But if you see her again and your feelings change, they change. It’s nothing to lose your mind over, and even if it is, we’ll help set your ass straight.”
“Not literally,” Nobara interjects as she snaps pictures of her girlfriend and her first-place win. “We only need one token straight in the group,” she says, one eye shut as she holds up the camera. Todo, said token straight, nods in agreement.
Yuuji drops her head onto the counter with a groan, her mind a jumbled mess with her eighth-place ranking taunting her on top of it all.
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There was nothing wrong with being gay. Yuuji knew more gay people than she had fingers to count with and she loved and accepted all of them: Nobara and Maki, all three of her brothers, Nanami, whatever’s going between Okkotsu and Inumaki, Mai, Momo, Kamo, and so on and so forth. So Yuuji knows that if she’s gay, or bisexual to be exact, she wouldn’t freak out or have some sort of internal crisis about it. She’d be bi and that would be the end of it.
Yuuji just doesn’t want to jump to conclusions, or confuse herself or anyone else by saying that she’s something she’s probably not. That’d be icky, and Yuuji would never forgive herself.
That’s why when she enters Jujutsu Pet Store for her first shift and her heart does a little “!!!!” when she sees Megumi behind the counter, Yuuji has to suppress the urge to sprint and call Nobara to tell her about how pretty Megumi looks. Nobara will just call her gay again. Yuuji can already imagine the conversation:
Noh, anybody could think someone looks beautiful and still not be attracted to them like that. Admiring another girl’s looks isn’t enough to say that I’m gay.
Yes, Yuuji, but going as far as to call someone to gush for a full 18 minutes (random number, Yuuji swears it’s a random number) about how beautiful they are, kinda is.
So, yeah. No point there.
Yuuji honestly isn’t even sure what to go stupid over first: Megumi’s hair being up in a messily attractive claw-clip ponytail, her cool ear piercings, or the definition in her arms as she diligently scrubs down the counter.
The door emits a beeping sound at Yuuji's entrance, causing Megumi to look up and see her before Yuuji has a chance to pull herself together.
“Megumi, hi!” Yuuji says cheerfully as she approaches with a wave, her pink ponytail swinging behind her. “Are we doing today’s shift together?” she asks, a hopeful lilt to her voice.
“Seems so,” Megumi replies with a shrug, somehow making an action as simple as shrugging attractive. (She’s literally so cool.) “I’ll orient you to the place and what we’ll be doing as we go along with the day. Sounds good?”
“Sounds perfect.” Yuuji smiles as she rocks to and fro on her feet. “I can’t wait to meet all the little guys!” she says, referring to the pets.
“They!” Rio squawks threateningly from the side, catching Yuuji off guard.
Seeing the distress on Yuuji’s face, Megumi mercifully decides to clarify. “Rio’s a they,” she says, amusement dancing in her eyes. “So, uh, be extra careful with pronouns and gender-specific terms when referring to them. Those talons are very sharp.”
Yuuji nods, her gaze fixed on Rio, who glares back at her with dark, beady eyes.
Megumi leads an excited Yuuji to the back of the store where the pets are kept, opening the door with a deadpan, “Ta-da.”
Inside reveals a spacious room brimming with an impressive array of animals. To one side are rows of sleek fish tanks, bubbling with colorful aquatic life. Adjacent to them, several large enclosures house various reptiles, their scaly inhabitants lounging under heat lamps. In another corner, plush cat beds and dog kennels are neatly arranged, with a few curious pets peeking out to investigate their new visitors.
Yuuji’s eyes widen as she steps inside, the gasp she lets out worthy of getting her job in the entertainment industry. She squeals, her voice echoing slightly in the large room as she bounces from one enclosure to the next. “Oh my gosh, look at all the fishies!” she exclaims, pressing her face and hands against the glass of the fish tanks, her breath fogging up the surface as she watches the fish dart around.
She goes over to the reptiles next, moving like a ball full of kinetic energy. One second she’s cooing at a chameleon changing colors and in the next giggling at a tortoise slowly making its way across its enclosure. Her delighted energy fills the room, and Megumi watches her with fond amusement, her lips curling into a small smile.
Yuuji’s excitement reaches its peak as she presses her face and hands against the glass of the snake tanks with a “wow!” as they watch the creatures slither and entwine bodies with another another.
However, when she looks up, she catches Megumi’s gaze and notices the amused glint in her eyes. Her face flushes with embarrassment as she realizes how she must look.
Megumi’s laughter bubbles just beneath the surface as she says, “If you’re done, we could get started?”
Yuuji, eager to move on and pretend like the last thirty seconds did not happen, quickly agrees. “Yes, I absolutely second that. Let’s start!” She straightens up, trying to regain her composure while her cheeks still hold a rosy hue.
Their morning starts with feeding the animals. Megumi shows Yuuji how to use the portion feeders for each enclosure and Yuuji takes to this task with gusto, her energy infectious as she chats softly with the creatures. Megumi even explains what certain animals shouldn’t eat whenever Yuuji asks, the pinkhead unsubtly encouraging Megumi to talk more because, honestly, Yuuji could listen to her talk about anything for hours.
“So dogs can’t eat chocolate because they metabolize that whatchamacallit substance slower than humans do,” Yuuji repeats after Megumi explains, sitting on the floor with a puppy terrier cradled to her chest. “And the darker the chocolate they ingest, even if it’s a small amount, the more toxic it is to them.”
“Exactly.”
"What about rabbits? The media makes it seem like all they eat is carrots," Yuuji muses, her curiosity piqued as she watches Megumi feed a den of furry white rabbits.
Megumi shakes her head. “Carrots are high in sugar. They can be given to rabbits in moderation or as an occasional treat, but too much and it causes indigestion and vitamin A toxicity,” she explains, petting one of the furry creatures. “A daily diet of a variety of fresh vegetables, hay, and a small amount of rabbit pellets helps meet their nutritional needs.”
Yuuji’s eyes widen as she listens, floored by how much Megumi knows.
“Wow,” she breathes. “You’re definitely going into the right profession. You know so much, it’s honestly amazing. If I ever get animals and they get sick, I’m taking them straight to you—no matter the cost!”
Megumi's cheeks flush a light pink at the compliment, but she quickly regains her composure. "Don't be ridiculous," she scoffs.
Megumi turns away, busying herself with the rabbits, but Yuuji catches the smile tugging at her lips that she tries to hide.
Next comes the cleaning routine, where they scrub and sanitize the enclosures so as to ensure a clean environment for the animals. Megumi shows Yuuji the proper techniques for handling the cleaning supplies and safely maneuvering around the cages.
Genuinely curious, Yuuji holds up one of the more caustic cleaning sprays and asks, “What happens if I touch this without gloves?”
Megumi shoots her a look. “Don’t piss me off.”
Throughout the day, Megumi assists customers with finding the right products for their pets, offering knowledgeable advice while Yuuji stands closeby, listening in and making customers feel more at ease with her warm smiles and enthusiastic commentary. Yuuji even helps a few customers on her own—okay, so Megumi is nearby just in case, but still—and offers tips on pet safety during a fire to the pet owners that ask her after she casually mentions that she’s a fire academy student.
In the afternoon, they tackle grooming, giving baths to the animals that need it. Yuuji is particularly gentle and patient with the more skittish pets, earning their trust with soothing words and gentle strokes.
Mahoraga closes her eyes as Megumi gently cleans around her ears, purring softly at the sensation. It’s the happiest expression Yuuji has seen on the baby snow leopard all day.
“I can’t believe how docile she is around you,” Yuuji says, surprised. The large golden retriever she’s scrubbing down, Kyoryu, is much more accommodating, lazily indulging in licking Yuuji’s cheek every few seconds.
“I wouldn’t say docile.”
“Megumi,” Yuuji says seriously, “you see how she’s letting you touch her right now? If I tried that, she’d bite my finger off.”
Megumi smirks. “Is this still about your failed hide-and-seek game?”
“Of course it is!” Yuuji exclaims with a pout, soap slashing on her cheek as she waves her arms in indignation. “The rest of the pets loved that game. They actually played with me!”
Yuuji gestures towards an extremely proud-looking Mahoraga. “Meanwhile she chased me around the store!”
Though Yuuji is genuinely kind of upset about the matter, she figures that hearing Megumi laugh is worth the misery.
As their day draws to a close, Yuuji helps Megumi with inventory duties. They count and restock the shelves together, working seamlessly around each other as they do, several moments passing by without the need for words as they anticipate and support each other's tasks before they're even requested.
After locking up the store, Megumi turns to face Yuuji under the dim streetlight. She’s as beautiful and ethereal as ever, her dark locks blending with the night. Yuuji’s breath catches.
She has to say something. Anything. “Well, that’s one shift down. Only three more to go,” she blurts out awkwardly.
Yuuji knows it’s the wrong thing to say as soon as the words leave her mouth.
Megumi’s content expression falters. Yuuji’s heart breaks a little at the change.
“Right,” Megumi responds softly, averting her gaze.
“That was the wrong thing to say,” Yuuji admits in a rush. “I just…I mean, today was really fun, and I can’t wait to come back next week.” She pauses, a nervous chuckle escaping her lips. “Believe me, I already love this place. You might have to drag me out by my legs on my last shift.”
Megumi’s cheeks flush a deep crimson under the golden glow of the streetlights. “Oh.”
Yuuji nods, and a beat of silence passes between them. They exchange shy glances before looking away, nerves eating at them as they linger by the door.
“Well, um, see you next Saturday,” Megumi says eventually, breaking the silence. “Get home safe.”
“For sure, and you too,” Yuuji replies, nodding. “See you.”
Yuuji watches as Megumi walks down the street, her gaze following her until the raven-haired girl disappears from view.
With a sense of longing still lingering in her chest, Yuuji pulls out her cell phone, flipping it open and dialing one of the numbers she has on speed dial.
Nobara answers on the third ring, the sound of Maki’s whistling audible in the background.
“How was it?” she asks eagerly.
“I’m going to fall asleep thinking about her tonight,” Yuuji says, hopeless.
There’s a brief pause before Nobara responds, and Yuuji can practically hear the shit-eating grin in her best friend’s voice when she does. “Welcome to the ‘hot & gay’ gang, Yuuji. We’ve been impatiently awaiting your arrival.”
And there’s not much Yuuji can say to that, it being the truth and all.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The only problem Yuuji has now is that this crush of hers makes her feel like she’s being stabbed in the heart four times every night she goes to bed. It doesn't make things any easier when Yuuji finds herself visiting the pet store outside of her volunteering hours.
After a long day of drills and training and lectures at the academy, Yuuji should want nothing more than her bed, but instead, she winds up at Jujutsu Pet Store.
Yuuji tells herself it’s because she wants to see her new feathered and furry friends, assuring herself that since it’s only an eight-minute bike ride away from her apartment, there was no harm in stopping by. But deep down, Yuuji knows that it’s just so she can see Megumi more.
(She may or may not have Megumi’s schedule memorized.)
“How was school?” Megumi usually asks her as she walks in.
“Long,” is Yuuji’s usual response, then: “How ‘bout you?”
“Long,” Megumi echoes, and that’s usually the end of that.
They go to the back and spend time with the pets, spoiling them as they talk about whatever over cans of cola Yuuji buys from the vending machine.
“You go to bed at three AM? That’s so bad.”
Yuuji doubles over in laughter as Megumi lightly shoves her away.
“Well what time do you go to bed?”
“Nine PM! As someone who wants to function properly should!”
Megumi rolls her eyes. “Childish ass bedtime.”
“Hey now, I’m in fire school physically and mentally pushing myself for ten hours straight, five out of seven days of the week,” Yuuji says as she feeds Rio, who perches on her thigh, a sunflower seed. “I’d be a zombie already if I didn’t prioritize getting at least eight hours of sleep each night.”
“You’re in the same academy as Maki, right?”
“Yeah.”
“That must be something. You two being the only female students, surrounded by sweaty asshats all the time.”
Yuuji watches Megumi’s throat bob as she takes a swig of cola, replying only after her brain comes back online. “It’s not too bad. It only means she and I have to work harder in order to not be overlooked or underestimated, which can be a good thing.”
“Mm, true,” Megumi murmurs. “But all those guys, though. I wouldn’t believe you if you said none of them have ever tried to get with either of you.”
“None of them, and I repeat, none of them have ever tried to hit on Maki-senpai. They’re too scared of her. She’s too badass for them to handle. Plus,” Yuuji pauses, a smirk playing on her lips, “they all know that she has a girlfriend. She practically announces it to every man who walks up to her.”
“Well then, what about you?” Megumi immediately follows up, her gaze intense.
Yuuji is silent for several seconds as she thinks it over.
“I don’t think any of them have ever tried to hit on me,” Yuuji says, playing with the small chain around her neck. “I’m only close with one of them, Todo, and we’re like siblings. The rest of them don’t really…catch my eye like that.”
Megumi nods, and for some reason, Yuuji thinks she looks a little relieved, and that’s the end of that conversation.
Yuuji goes in for her second shift later that week, finding it more eventful than her first. She and Megumi are in the middle of restocking shelves when Gojo Satoru, one-half owner of Jujutsu Pet Store and one of Megumi’s adoptive mothers, struts inside with a wide grin.
Then, despite Megumi's attempts to resist, Gojo effortlessly pulls her into a hug.
Gojo pouts as Megumi tries to shove her off. "Megumi-chan!! Is this how you treat the woman who carried you in her tummy for nine months?!"
"You did no such thing," Megumi growls back, a vein pulsing on her forehead. When Gojo refuses to let go, Megumi resorts to more extreme measures. "Mahoraga, come!"
Like a bat out of hell, the baby snow leopard Mahoraga darts out and pounces on Gojo's pant leg, digging its claws and teeth into Gojo's calf. Yuuji figures Megumi must have sicced the pussycat on her adoptive mother before because Gojo responds all to this with nothing more than a bored eye roll.
"Seriously, Megumi? Was summoning Mahoraga really necessary?"
But it does the job. With another eye roll, Gojo lets go, allowing Megumi to wrench herself away.
Once her favorite human is free, Mahoraga releases her grip on Gojo’s leg.
Megumi scoops the cub up into her arms, both of them wearing matching surly expressions directed at Gojo, with Mahoraga hissing threateningly to boot.
"You’re lucky these are my least favorite pair of Dior jeans, young missy, otherwise you’d be getting a speech. Who are you?"
Yuuji jumps, realizing that the last part of Gojo’s sentence is directed at her.
She hurries to half-bow. “I’m Itadori Yuuji, ma’am."
“She’s the new volunteer you and Geto approved last week, remember?” Megumi interjects.
Yuuji isn’t sure why, but Gojo’s expression brightens at this.
"Ohh. So this is why you suddenly wanna work Saturdays now~" Gojo says with a smirk, her eyes on Yuuji, though Yuuji doesn’t think she’s the one being addressed.
Yuuji’s brows furrow in confusion. “Sorry?”
Megumi moves to stand in between them before Gojo can say anything else, blocking Gojo from Yuuji with a scowl. “What did you come here for?”
Satisfied, Gojo smiles down at her daughter. “I originally came to check how you and the store are doing, but it seems you’ve got this place locked up tighter than Fuchu,” she jokes. “So I’ll just say hi to Naruto and Sasuke, then be on my way~”
As Gojo heads to the back of the store, Yuuji turns to Megumi with a puzzled expression. “Naruto and Sasuke?” There were no pets with those names in the store.
“That’s what she calls Kyoryu and Aime,” Megumi clarifies with an eye roll.
Kyoryu, a golden retriever, and Aime, a black cat, are always together despite their contrasting personalities. Kyoryu is like a large, furry ball of sunshine—energetic and friendly—while Aime embodies the tranquil moon—calm and independent.
They fight often, with Aime usually initiating the attacks when Kyoryu gets too cuddly and familiar with her. Kyoryu, aware of his size advantage, rarely responds to the feline's aggression. Once he senses she’s getting tired, he would lift his paw and gently pull her into his side, lying down and pinning Aime until she stops resisting. Afterwards, he would lick her face as if to apologize, and eventually, Aime would lick him back, and they’d cuddle up, right as rain again.
For all the two of them fight, Kyoryu and Aime eat together, sleep in the same enclosure, and remain steadfastly by each other's side. And the more Yuuji thought about it, the more the unofficial names Gojo gave them kind of made sense.
Gojo returns from the back a few minutes later. “Okay, I’ll be going now!”
Yuuji waves at the woman as she walks past. “Nice meeting you, Gojo-san!”
“Nice meeting you too, Itadori Yuuji! And Megu-chan, remember: I have cameras all over the place, so don’t do anything I wouldn’t do~”
Megumi glares at the back of Gojo’s head. “What wouldn’t you do?”
“Love you, too!” Gojo yells back before disappearing from view.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The streets are quiet and dimly lit, the occasional flicker of neon signs casting colorful reflections on the wet pavement. A light breeze rustles the leaves of nearby trees, carrying the distant hum of city life and the occasional car honk. Yuuji and Megumi sit on a wooden bench beneath a streetlamp, eating ice cream as they unwind after a long day at the pet store.
Yuuji’s cone is piled high with strawberry ice cream, colorful sprinkles dotting the top, while Megumi enjoys her mint chocolate chip ice cream from a cup. The two of them sit in companionable silence for a moment, savoring their sweet treats.
“Hey, let’s play a game,” Yuuji says suddenly, her eyes bright with mischief.
Megumi looks at her curiously. “What kind of game?”
Yuuji looks off to the side, thinks for a moment, then grins. “Ooh, I know! Let’s play I Spy.”
Megumi nods. “Alright, you go first.”
“Hmmmm….” Yuuji scans the street, searching for something that piques her interest. “Okay, I spy with my little eye something…red.”
Megumi looks around briefly, then points confidently. “The stoplight?”
Yuuji blinks in surprise. “How’d you guess so fast?”
“It was either that or a stop sign,” Megumi shrugs with a small smile. “It was kinda easy, Yuuji.”
Yuuji pouts playfully. “Alright, your turn.”
“I spy with my little eye something…orange.”
“Orange?” Yuuji echoes, scanning the street before her eyes land on something. “Oou, the traffic cones!”
Megumi shakes her head.
“The light from inside that building?”
Megumi shakes her head.
Yuuji, refusing to give up, tries for something a little less obvious. Then, she sees it: “Oh, oh! The soda can over there!”
The smile Megumi gives her is full of sarcasm. “Ding, ding, ding.”
“Alright, my turn! I spy with my little eye something…blue.”
Megumi’s gaze sweeps across the street before landing on a blue trash bin. “The trash bin?”
Yuuji groans dramatically. “How are you so good at this?”
They continue playing, with Megumi correctly guessing nearly every time on the first try, while Yuuji’s guesses become increasingly outlandish. Finally, Megumi decides to change things up.
“I spy something brown,” Megumi says, looking directly at Yuuji.
Yuuji taps her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm…my hair?” She touches the dark brown lower half of her hair, but Megumi shakes her head.
Yuuji tries again, pointing to her skin with a cheeky grin. “Me?”
Megumi snorts, “No.”
Yuuji throws her hands up in defeat. “Alright, I give up. Tell me?”
After a brief pause, Megumi finally says, “Your eyes.”
Yuuji’s cheeks flush a deep red as she and Megumi shyly avert their gazes. Megumi’s voice is soft, almost apologetic. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make things awkward.”
Yuuji takes a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. “It’s fine, I don’t mind.”
She pauses, then nervously asks, “Do you like my eyes? Do you think they’re pretty?”
Megumi doesn’t hesitate. “I think they’re beautiful.”
Yuuji blushes even harder. “They’re…nothing special. They’re just a boring brown, unlike yours. People could easily write sonnets about your eyes.” If Yuuji wasn’t total ass at all things writing and literature, she’d be one of them.
“No. That’s not true,” Megumi shakes her head, her voice earnest. “Your eyes remind me of honey and the color water turns when hit by the sunset. They have…so much light in them, these little golden flecks, like…they hold pieces of the sun within them. And what people feel when you look at them, Yuuji, it feels like standing underneath the warmth of the sun after being cold for so long. Your eyes, Yuuji, they’re…sunlight themselves.”
Yuuji, overwhelmed by the sincerity of Megumi’s praise, hides her face in her hands, her cheeks burning a bright tomato red. Megumi’s responding laughter rings out, nervous and light and melodic all at once, cutting through the quiet night air.
Yuuji’s doomed.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
“...And then there’s Nue, the owl, with the biggest, cutest eyes I have ever seen. He can literally fall asleep anywhere. Like yesterday, he fell asleep on my hand, and when Megumi took him to his cage, I kid you not, he didn’t even blink his eyes open,” Yuuji pauses her ramble to laugh. “He is always sleeping, which is sad because it means I don’t get to play with the wittle guy as much.”
Nobara snorts. “So, lemme get this straight: I’ve been replaced as your best friend by a nonbinary talking bird, a grumpy baby snow leopard, an inseparable cat and dog duo, and a chronically sleepy owl?”
“Don’t be silly, Noh, you could never be replaced,” Yuuji says, picking up her chopsticks. “But do know that these animals own ninety-nine percent of my heart now. You and everyone else can fight for the one percent,” she half-jokes.
“Speaking of your heart,” Nobara says in a purposeful drawl, “how are things going with your little crush?”
Yuuji chokes on her laughter at the question, which was likely the reaction Nobara was aiming for, if the smug look on her face says anything.
“They’re…going,” Yuuji says awkwardly.
Nobara’s face drops. “You haven’t cuffed her yet?”
“What if she doesn’t like me back?”
“Yuuji,” Nobara pointedly sets down her chopsticks. “She literally waxed poetic about your eyes. That’s lesbian for she’s practically lusting after you!”
Yuuji swirls the ramen in her bowl, feeling something between doubt and hope. “Really?”
“Really,” Nobara confirms, this time in a softer tone. “So, how do you plan to get the girl?”
“Maybe I’ll try to be a bit more physical?” Yuuji cringes at her own wording. “Not anything weird, just…I’ll touch her hand more and…hope she reciprocates?”
Nobara blinks.
Yuuji throws up her hands in frustration. “I don’t know!”
She drops her head in her hands. “It’s hard to plan for this type of thing when I don’t even know for sure that she likes me,” Yuuji murmurs.
“And you’ll never know if you don’t try,” Nobara protests.
“Don’t try what?”
Yuuji and Nobara look up in surprise to see Ito standing in front of their table.
“Ito-senpai,” Yuuji acknowledges him with a nod.
“You,” Nobara says back, eyeing Ito with disdain.
Ito ignores Nobara, instead smiling at Yuuji. “Hey, Itadori-chan. It feels like I haven’t talked to you in forever.”
Yuuji can’t help but feel a little confused by this, because she didn’t really talk to Ito all that much, but she nods anyway. Maybe Nobara was right. Maybe she’s gotten so distracted that even people she isn’t close to have noticed.
“I’ve been kind of busy these past few weeks,” Yuuji says. “I’ve been doing my volunteering hours between school.”
“Seriously? Where? Maybe I can stop by sometime,” Ito offers.
Yuuji tilts her head slightly to the side, lashes fluttering as she blinks, puzzled. “Oh, that’s not—”
“That’s a great idea!” Nobara suddenly interjects.
Yuuji turns to see the subtly wicked glint in her best friend’s eyes, a foreboding feeling creeping up her spine as she listens to Nobara give Ito the details of the when and where of her own shifts.
Once Ito leaves, Yuuji turns to give Nobara a questioning look. “Do I wanna know why you did that just now?” she asks, a hint of dread creeping into her tone.
Nobara’s evil smile widens—an exact mirror of her girlfriend’s own diabolical smile.
“Oh, don’t you worry your pretty little head about a thing. Just thank me later.”
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
“You made me a mixtape?”
Megumi rolls her eyes, but it lacks any true heat as her lips twitch into a small smile. She shoves her Walkman into Yuuji’s hands, the cassette inside labeled, “Stop Humming!”
“It’s got all the songs you won’t quit humming and singing around the store,” Megumi explains, her gaze focused on the Walkman instead of meeting Yuuji’s eyes.
Yuuji stares at Megumi, awe written across her face. Then she surges forward, enveloping Megumi in a very, very tight hug. “Megumiiiii~!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!”
Megumi tolerates the sticky gesture for a few seconds before gently placing her hands on Yuuji's waist to pull her away, rolling her eyes like the true tsundere she is. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Hopefully you listen to it enough that you finally get the lyrics right. You’ve been driving me crazy with how much you butcher the classics.”
As Megumi walks off to check on the animals in the back, Yuuji calls after her, feigning offense. “Well, I’m sorry that the ‘AD’ in my ADHD literally stands for attention-deficit!!”
Once Megumi is out of sight, Yuuji eagerly puts on the headset connected to the Walkman and presses play. A familiar melody fills her ears, and a wide grin spreads across her face. Megumi had clearly been paying close attention to her; Yuuji hummed this song all the time.
It’s Yuuji’s last shift at Jujutsu Pet Store, and her emotions are already running high. Megumi’s thoughtful gesture makes Yuuji lose herself in the music, her mind racing.
Just then, the door beeps as Ito enters the store. Yuuji locks eyes with him instantly, and hurriedly removes the headset, tousling her ponytail.
“Ito-senpai,” Yuuji says in surprise, stepping out from behind the counter to approach him.
Without warning, Ito pulls Yuuji into a hug, catching her off-guard. “Hey, Itadori-chan.”
He pulls away first, a slow, lazy smile spreading on his lips as he looks around the store. “Nice place,” he comments.
When he glances back at Yuuji, his eyes shift to something over her shoulder. “Hello,” he says suddenly.
Yuuji turns around and finds Megumi standing there, looking at the both of them with an unreadable expression.
“O-oh, Megumi.” Yuuji subconsciously takes a few steps away from Ito, Megumi’s eyes following her movement. “This is Ito Shota, he’s one of my seniors from the academy. Ito, this is Fushiguro Megumi, my, um, really good friend who works here.”
Megumi smoothly slides her gaze to Ito. “Are you here to buy something?”
Ito’s smile falters at the cold tone in Megumi’s voice, and the hand he’d extended for a polite handshake freezes midair.
“No,” he responds, wrapping his arm around Yuuji’s shoulders. “I’m here to see her,” he says coolly.
“How sweet of you,” Megumi drawls, her hands becoming fists by her sides. “But Yuuji has a job to do.”
Ito takes a cursory glance around the store before locking eyes with Megumi again. “I don’t see anybody here right now.”
“That doesn’t mean we don’t have pets in the back to take care of,” Megumi snaps, her expression twisting into something strange and intense.
Yuuji steps in. “Megumi,” she says softly, moving out from under Ito’s arm and towards the raven-haired girl.
Her heart beats a tattoo in her chest when Megumi looks at her.
“I’ll be with you in a second, I promise,” Yuuji reassures.
Megumi holds Yuuji’s gaze for a stilted moment, and there’s nothing, no emotion Yuuji can read in her eyes.
Without another word, Megumi turns on her heel and strides away, grabbing her Walkman from the counter with more force than necessary before vanishing into the back hallway. Yuuji watches her go with a lost expression, unsure of what just transpired.
“Jeez,” Ito mutters behind her. Yuuji turns back around to find him scowling. “What a control freak…”
“Don’t call her that,” Yuuji snaps, her hackles rising.
Ito raises his hands slightly in surrender. “Okay, damn, sorry,” he says, but Yuuji can tell he’s just saying it to appease her. He’s probably not sorry at all.
Frustrated, Yuuji crosses her arms, Ito’s presence starting to sour her mood.
Before Yuuji can ask him to leave, Ito cuts to the chase. “Look, Itadori-chan, the reason I came here was to ask you something.”
Yuuji’s stern expression softens slightly, curiosity piqued despite her annoyance. “What is it?”
“Would you like to go out—”
The sound of scraping claws and something dashing towards them makes Yuuji and Ito whip their heads around. Mahoraga, with the most feral expression Yuuji has ever seen on her, barrels towards them.
Yuuji, thinking that the leopard is coming for her, refuses to show any fear and stands her ground, steeling herself.
But to her surprise, Mahoraga straight-up pounces Ito.
Ito pants as he struggles to shake Mahoraga off his leg, his face contorted in pain as the leopard’s claws pierce his skin through his jeans.
Frantically trying to free himself, Ito stumbles backward into a magazine stand, sending it crashing to the ground, its contents spilling out across the floor.
Yuuji stands rooted to the spot, her heart pounding as she watches the chaotic scene unfold.
“Itadori, help me! Get it off!” Ito shouts in panic.
“I–I can’t, she doesn’t like me either!” Yuuji’s voice trembles as she thinks of what to do.
Desperately, Yuuji recalls that Mahoraga only obeys one person and calls out, “Megumi!”
But instead of Megumi, it’s Rio who emerges from the back, swooping down to flap its wings aggressively in Ito’s face. The macaw’s mocking laughter echoes off the walls. “Heh-heh-heh heh-heh!”
Caught between a feral baby leopard biting into his leg and a bird flapping its wings in his face, Ito grabs the nearest objects from the shelf and hurls them at his attackers, trying to fend them off. “No, no! Get away, you bastards! Listen to me!”
Then, the bomb: “Bad boy!”
Yuuji gasps. The look in Rio’s eyes becomes absolutely lethal.
“They!!!” The bird screeches at the top of its lungs before swooping down on Ito’s face with their talons outstretched.
Ito’s screams pierce the air, and Yuuji springs into action, moving swiftly to wrench Mahoraga off his leg. The leopard, still clinging fiercely, swipes at her, but Yuuji deftly dodges the attack.
Just as Mahoraga raises her paw to claw at Yuuji again, a sharp whistle pierces the air from behind. At the sound, Mahoraga wriggles herself free from Yuuji’s grip and darts behind Megumi’s leg.
There’s not a trace of remorse in Megumi’s eyes as she watches Rio scare Ito out of the store.
Yuuji opens her mouth to speak, but the words die on her lips when she hears Ito’s string of curses from outside, followed by a pained groan. With a final, troubled glance at Megumi, she follows Ito outside.
Her heart sinks at the sight of him. Ito’s pant leg is shredded in several places, and he has scratches all over his arm and face. And to make matters worse, Ito looks pissed.
“It was that fucking bitch. She let out those animals on me!” he shouts, glaring as he points over Yuuji’s shoulder.
Yuuji doesn’t need to turn around or ask Ito who he’s referring to. The memory of the cold look in Megumi’s eyes burns a hole big enough on its own.
All Yuuji can do now is apologize.
She bows slightly. “I’m sorry, senpai. I-I don't know why that happened.”
Ito scoffs angrily, brushing the fur off his clothes with force. “She was obviously jealous.”
Yuuji freezes at this. “What?”
Ito gives Yuuji a pointed look. “She literally sicced animals on me after she saw me put my arm around you. There’s not many reasons why she'd go that far over something like that.” Ito goes back to patting himself off, sounding bitter and disgusted as he goes on, “She’s probably one of those pathetic gays, dumb enough to believe that a pretty, normal girl like you could ever—”
Yuuji pins Ito to the nearest flat surface, the look in her eyes fierce.“Don’t finish that sentence.”
Stunned, Ito’s mouth falls open in a spell of speechlessness. He doesn’t even try to fight her off.
“Megumi is not pathetic or dumb, she’s wonderful and one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. And since you have such a problem with gay people, I suggest you stay away from me,” Ito's eyes widen, his features frozen in disbelief as Yuuji's words sink in. “And if I ever catch you saying something hateful like that again, the pets will be the least of your problems. I’ll beat your ass myself.”
Yuuji releases Ito with a forceful shove, holding her ground as he glares at her. Ito laughs, the sound of it harsh and cruel. His eyes, cold and unfeeling, sweep over Yuuji before he spits on the pavement and walks away without a word.
Yuuji stands there for a few minutes, taking a moment to steady her breathing and collect her thoughts as the tension bleeds from her body. When her heart no longer feels like it’s about to burst out of her chest, Yuuji turns and heads back into the pet store.
Not finding Megumi behind the counter or anywhere in the front of the store, Yuuji instinctively heads for the back.
She finds Megumi there sitting on the floor, looking as beautiful as ever as she’s surrounded by their favorite animals. The sight honestly belonged in a museum: Megumi with her head bowed, dark hair flowing around her shoulders, a heavy expression on her face. Rio perches atop her head, Nue sleeps on her shoulder, Kyoryu and Aime cuddle by her hip, and Mahoraga meows forlornly in her arms. Yuuji stares for so long that the image burns itself into her mind.
Megumi lifts her head at Yuuji’s entrance, watching as Yuuji approaches and sits down next to her. Neither of them say anything for a while, the quiet stretching between them.
“Megumi,” Yuuji’s voice breaks the silence, barely above a whisper. “Why did you send them after him?”
“Does it matter?” Megumi replies, her voice hollow. “I don’t regret it if that’s what you’re asking.”
“I don’t want you to regret it—well, not totally. It was a tad aggressive, but…it did open my eyes to what a jerk Ito really is," Yuuji says, letting out a faint chuckle when she realizes something. “Now I see why my friends can’t stand him.”
Megumi turns to look at Yuuji and sees the unwavering resolve in Yuuji’s honey-brown eyes, the golden flecks in them mirroring the fire that burns within her.
“Why did you send them after Ito, Megumi?” Yuuji repeats.
Megumi holds Yuuji’s gaze before her eyes drift down to her lips. Yuuji’s breath catches.
“Because…” Megumi swallows. “I think you know why.”
“I think I know why, too,” Yuuji whispers, leaning in closer. “But I want to hear you say it.”
“How sadistic of you,” Megumi whispers back, her eyes flickering Yuuji’s lips again.
Yuuji brings her hand up to cup Megumi’s cheek, her eyes on Megumi’s lips when Megumi finally says, “I’m into you, Yuuji.”
The confession isn’t as surprising as it would’ve been weeks ago, but it still burns through Yuuji all the same.
Yuuji hurries through her own confession—I’m into you too, Megumi, like, real bad. Really, really bad. I’m pretty sure I’ve been into you since the moment I crashed into you. She hyperventilates, her blood roaring in her ears, her pulse quick and just a hair below abnormalcy when Megumi gently sets Mahoraga down before pulling her in, bringing their lips together in a kiss.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
A few weeks later, in a busy shopping district in Shibuya, Yuuji and Nobara weave through the dense crowds under the blazing afternoon sun. Yuuji adjusts the bags slung over Nobara’s shoulders, the weight making her groan as they navigate past a group of teenagers.
“Can we get ice cream now, Noh? It’s scorching, and you’ve already spent a fortune of Maki-senpai’s nepo baby money,” Yuuji pleads.
Nobara, with her big Chanel sunglasses perched on her nose, tsks in mock disapproval. “You’ve gotten so rude. I blame your girlfriend.”
Just then, Yuuji’s phone buzzes in her pocket. She flips it open and sees a new message notification from m<3, her face lighting up with a grin. Her fingers move quickly across the keys as she types a response.
Noticing that Yuuji was no longer complaining in her ear, Nobara sneaks a glance at her, sees the grin on her best friend’s face, and peers over Yuuji’s shoulder to see what has her geeking.
After replying back to her girlfriend(!!!!), Yuuji gazes fondly at her phone’s homescreen.
The picture there is a blurry snapshot capturing her and Megumi’s shocked expressions with Rio frozen mid-flight above their heads, the menace of a bird having purposely flown into the frame just as the flash went off.