Chapter Text
Welcome to Hayato Tokyo. At a glance, this seems like any other hair salon in the area. People come in to schedule appointments and the various stylists oblige in their different requests. Yet for the world of Jujutsu sorcerers, this particular salon was very special. There was one particular stylist who was more than she initially seems. A bold woman named Miya Kondou. She had a very striking look with her dark green-brown hair tied up in a messy bun and pitch black eyes that seemed devoid of color. Her usual outfit consisted of a white tank top, dark blue jeans, and navy blue high heels. Yet her most iconic feature was the bright pink lipstick that was always applied to her lips, the same shade of bubblegum.
Now what made this stylist popular among sorcerers? Well she just happened to be a Jujutsu Tech dropout, foregoing the life of a sorcerer to attend beauty school. Yet unlike Kento Nanami, she never returned to that world in full. She stayed as a beautician to handle smaller threats, like cursed spirits that cause irritating back pains. She also provided a secret service to proper sorcerers and trainees. Bringing them to her special Domain, she would use her Memory Sync curse ability to figure out what kind of style would suit them. This was a very easygoing life, taking care of pesky spirits while also helping out younger sorcerers.
So while the students of Jujutsu Tech carry out their battles, let's take a trip to the salon to see what goes on in the background...
Today seemed like any other work day for the beauticians of Hayato Tokyo. Well, for at least most of them. Miya had heard about the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons in Kyoto and Shinjuku. She knew her curse ability would be useless in combat, so she was glad there were stronger sorcerers in the area. There was even talk of a new local student who was cursed by a very powerful spirit. Of course, this wasn't something her co-workers were aware of, so she kept her mouth shut about it.
Right now Miya was in her Domain, washing her scissors and comb to prepare for the next customer. She did have her own salon station for regular customers, bout she preferred to wash her tools by waterfall, especially since they secretly doubled as curse weapons. Who knew if there was a customer unknowingly suffering from small cursed spirits. Her co-workers did seem confused with why she often did her work in a broom closet, but luckily they didn't ask questions.
Suddenly, just as Miya was finished washing her tools, she received a text from Shika Mori, the salon's cashier. She knew exactly what the text was as soon as she heard the notification. While the other employees didn't know about curses, she did give them a simple rule. If there was a new customer who was associated with someone named Satoru Gojo (who was actually her junior), she would handle the appointment. And sure enough, that's just what the text said.
This kid showed up claiming to be Gojo's student.
This surprised Miya. Her services have been somewhat inactive lately. While there was the occasional pesky shoulder ache cursed spirit she could easily exorcise with a simple snip of her scissors, not a lot of new faces had shown up among the sorcerer community. Although it could be one of the usual first-year students whom she had come to know and love.
Yet upon leaving the Domain and making sure the door was locked, Miya headed straight towards the front of the building. "You the one who knows Satoru Gojo?" she asked, realizing this really was a new face. One that looked worse for the wear.
This was a boy who looked to be in his mid-teens, wearing the white uniform commonly used for Jujutsu Tech's problem students. He was noticeably tired and his hair looked greasy and messy, like it wasn't properly washed. He seemed to be nervous, but that was a given whenever Miya met a new sorcerer. Who wouldn't feel unease if they were approached by a bold person such as herself?
"I am," the boy replied. "I'm Yuta Okkatsu. Gojo wanted me to come here."
"I figured," Miya said with a gentle smile. "The name's Miya Kondou. I'm the one who's gonna cut your hair, so follow me."
But before bringing Yuta to her Domain, Miya knew this kid was in serious need of a proper wash. So she wasted no time bringing him to the sinks. He leaned his head back, allowing her to get his hair wet before applying shampoo. Yet it was during this process that made her wince. When was the last time Yuta actually bathed? He didn't smell bad, but his hair felt like it wasn't washed for a long time. Years, in fact. She had to apply a second layer of shampoo to make sure the oily texture was fully scrubbed out.
But that wasn't all. Even after rinsing out the shampoo, this boy's hair felt knotted and tangly. So Miya proceeded to use a palm-sized amount of conditioner, finger-combing it into the damp locks. She normally wouldn't use this much conditioner, but this was a slight emergency. There was no doubt she was going to use Memory Sync to figure out why he looked like a mess once the wash procedure was complete and his hair actually looks and feels silky soft.
Once the conditioner was fully rinsed off and Yuta's hair was lightly damp after a brief towel dry, Miya brought him to her special Domain. She waited to give him some time to take it all in as she made sure the door was closed. This was the usual for newcomers, being completely in awe with Luxury Spa Escape's dim candlelight and ever-active waterfall. Yet it wasn't the same awe as usual newcomers, since his gaze seemed to indicate this probably wasn't his first Domain experience. How long was he training at the school?
"What is this Domain?" Yuta asked.
"I call it Luxury Spa Escape," Miya explained. "It's useless for curse abilities, but it helps keep stressed customers nice and relaxed." She pointed at the waterfall. "And ya see that waterfall over there? I use it to wash my equipment."
That amazed Yuta. "Like scissors and combs?" he guessed.
"Bingo," Miya confirmed. She walked over to the Domain's sole chair and held up her palms. "Now come. Have a seat." Then without warning, the empty eye sockets on her palms opened.
Yuta's eyes widened in surprise as he warily sat in the chair. "Y-Your hands..." he stammered.
"What? You think Jujutsu folks gotta be full-time sorcerers?" Miya joked. "I'm a dropout who went to beauty school. Someone's gotta handle all the minor threats."
"So what's your curse ability?" Yuta wondered.
"It's a little somethin' called Memory Sync," Miya answered. "I can sync your memories into my brain, but I need to see 'em from your perspective. So try not to squirm so we can get this over with."
Yuta slowly nodded in response and took a deep breath, trying to stay relaxed. Once he seemed to be calm, Miya covered his eyes with both hands, positioning her palms so her empty sockets were perfectly lined up. With everything set up, she activated Memory Sync, her eyes changing color from black to dark blue. So far it seemed this kid lived a normal life. His early years didn't seem too traumatic and there wasn't anything special about him. But then...
"It's a promise. That when we grow up, we're going to get married to each other."
...it all went downhill from there. Yuta begged for his closest friend to not die, prompting her spirit to get cursed and become a ghost-like creature. From then on, he had become withdrawn and started to neglect self-care. It felt like a drag going through all his more painful memories. She could feel tears dripping downwards on her actual body, but they were faint given how her brain was currently synced with Yuta's. She felt so bad seeing all the suffering he went through and how it prompted him to stop properly bathing and cover up any foul odor with hand soap.
But then most recent memories occurred. Memories of Gojo, Maki, Toge, and Panda. Memories of him gradually opening up to these four and making friends for life. Memories of learning to control Rika and making sure she never hurt his newfound blossoming crush. Memories of fighting Suguru Geto and pulling off a Black Flash. Memories of saying goodbye to Rika and releasing her cursed spirit after so many years of pain.
And then, memories of Gojo handing him some yen and an address.
Soon the sync came to an end. Miya withdrew her hands from Yuta as her empty eye sockets closed and her eyes regained their original black color. "Sounds like you've got a lot of baggage," she said, trying to make a joke as she usually did after a tense sync session.
"So you saw everything?" Yuta checked.
"From your birth to Gojo tellin' you to come see me," Miya recalled.
"Within three minutes...?" Yuta muttered in disbelief.
"I can slow down my mind to make sure I see all of your memories in real time without keepin' you waiting," Miya explained. "And before you ask, I do this with all sorcerers who come here. Gotta check to see which style suits 'em best."
"So you have a look in mind?" Yuta checked.
"You bet," Miya replied, proudly holding up her comb and scissors. "By the time I'm done, your friends probably won't recognize you."
What followed was a haircut that had very little cutting. Miya mostly combed Yuta's hair and carefully cut off any split ends she came across. Thanks to the double layer of shampoo and extra conditioner, the dark locks were finally tamed. His bangs were too short, so she settled for combing them into the rest of his hair. Once the light trimming was done, she used her combs to give the tired boy a proper style, one that was neat and polished with a visible side part. She finished things off with her cordless hair dryer, making sure his hair didn't spike up. Thankfully that wasn't the case, resulting in a smoother look with fresh bangs combed to the side.
Yuta was in shock as he looked at his reflection. "Is this...really me?" he asked, slowly reaching up to touch his own face.
"You bet," Miya happily reassured. "Thought you could get cleaned up after coming here looking like a wreck. You like it?"
Yuta smiled wide as fresh tears fell from his eyes. "I do," he answered. "Thanks."
Once Yuta left after paying, Miya couldn't help but smile warmly. She wasn't sure what was going through his mind, but he seemed happy with his new look. A little too happy, in fact. Almost like he was trying to impress someone.
Some time had passed and later that day, Miya was setting up for another customer when her phone notification went off. Expecting another heads up from Shika, she took out her phone and saw-
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY STUDENT?
Attached as a poor-quality photo of Yuta with Panda pulling him in for a one-arm hug and Toge giving his fellow classmate a thumbs-up. As for Maki, she looked annoyed, but there was a visible blush on her face. This was clearly a post sent from Gojo, who was probably surprised by Yuta's new look. Miya couldn't help but chuckle as she texted back.
You're welcome.