Chapter Text
Location: Kami High
"Thank you very much," Aira said to the lunch lady. She took the tray and turned to the white-haired Yokai standing beside her. "Evil Eye!" she snapped, voice laced with impatience.
The Yokai, currently inhabiting Jin Enjoji's body, had been toying with her friends. Well, sort of.
"Good job making up with your friend," the Yokai said calmly, though his eyes gleamed with mischief. "I won't kill you."
Tsubame, the dark-haired girl, gasped. "Enjoji! Please, let us go!" Anzu pleaded, her voice trembling, barely able to look at the Yokai in Jin’s form.
Aira's patience was wearing thin, and she couldn't hide her frustration. "Evil Eye!" she commanded again.
"What, you?" The Yokai’s eyes glowed brightly as he turned his full attention to her. "Score!" With a mischievous grin, he released the girls and, in a single motion, dove into the curry.
"Hot, hot, hot!" Jiji yelped as his hands and mouth went ablaze, but he immediately followed with a grin. "But it's good, though!" he added, wincing.
Aira glared at him, arms crossed. "I practically babysat that Yokai all day, you idiot!" she snapped, clearly exasperated. "Don't you dare transform again!"
Jiji, realizing the gravity of her tone, held his hands up in a mock surrender. "Sorry, sorry! I won’t, fearless leader. Please don’t kick me."
"You better not transform again today, understood?" Aira’s gaze was sharp, but there was a slight softening to her tone.
"Okey-doke, ma'am!" Jiji saluted with exaggerated enthusiasm, his grin unshaken.
Aira sighed, her annoyance subsiding just a little. "Thanks for helping with my friends, I guess," she muttered, her voice quieting.
Jiji leaned back, his playful smirk returning. "So, even you have a soft side, huh, Aira?"
Aira flushed, looking away. "No way! Don’t be ridiculous!" she said, her voice a bit too quick to be convincing.
Jiji, emboldened, leaned in a little closer. "We've known each other for a while now. We also just survived a potential alien invasion. Maybe you could call me Jin, just this once?"
Aira’s eyes widened in shock. "No way! Never!" Her face was beet-red, and her body stiffened, clearly uncomfortable.
Jiji chuckled, an eyebrow raising. "Hah? Why not? It's just a name."
"Because," Aira stammered, "it’s… weird."
"I wouldn’t expect you to be this shy about my name." Jiji smirked playfully.
"Don’t push it, Enjoji," Aira snapped back, trying to hide the slight embarrassment creeping into her cheeks. "And I am not shy!"
Jiji shrugged nonchalantly, his grin wide. "Suit yourself. But hey, have you seen Momo and Okarun? They’re absent today."
Aira furrowed her brows, her tone turning thoughtful. "Yeah, they got permission to be out. I hope they’re not up to something." Her mind drifted to the possibilities. "Momo better not be trying anything with Takakura!" she exclaimed, a hint of protective anger in her voice.
Jiji raised an eyebrow, surprised by her intensity. "Whoa, calm down. They might just be studying or something."
Aira rolled her eyes, her expression softening but not losing its sharp edge. "Yeah, right. I’ll have to keep an eye on them."
"Anyways," Jiji’s voice returned to its usual playful lilt, "come on, Aira! Say ‘Jin’ just once!"
"No!" Aira exclaimed, her voice too loud, drawing a few glances from nearby students. She groaned in exasperation. "Gah! Why are you being so persistent about this?!"
Jiji turned away dramatically, feigning a wounded expression. "I'd like to be much closer, don’t you?" He then looked back at her, leaning in a bit, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
Aira’s face flushed a deep shade of red. She scoffed, hoping to mask her embarrassment. "Don’t be ridiculous, Enjoji. We’re just friends." She turned away, eager to avoid his gaze.
Jiji’s grin never wavered, though his eyes were full of something more sincere. "We’re more than just friends, Aira. We’re teammates, classmates, and… well, something more if you count our strange little group." He paused for a moment, his gaze intense as if he wanted to say more but held back. "Maybe someday, you’ll see it too."
Aira rolled her eyes, but there was the faintest tug at the corner of her lips—a smile she wouldn’t fully admit to. "In your dreams, Enjoji. Now finish eating."
Jiji chuckled, unfazed by her stubbornness. "We’ll see." He winked, his playful demeanour fully intact.
Aira scoffed again, but this time it held less sting. "Whatever. My heart belongs to Takakura, you bird-brain."
Jiji called out to her as she started to walk away, his voice light with humour, "We can walk to Momo’s after school later."
Aira’s eyes narrowed, the teasing tone not lost on her. "Maybe you’ll have shaken off whatever ridiculous outlandish thoughts are plaguing you."
Jiji placed a dramatic hand over his heart, feigning injury. "Ouch." He chuckled, adding, "Alright, alright. But don’t forget, as long as it’s in my power, I’m always here for you, no matter what."
Aira softened, just for a moment, before quickly brushing it off. "Yeah, yeah, Enjoji," she muttered, feeling a warmth she wasn’t sure how to deal with.
As they began walking side by side, the tension between them had eased. But there was something else lingering now—something that neither of them would acknowledge, yet both felt.
"I know," she replied with a small, involuntary sigh. "Thanks, Enjo-"
She stopped, her words trailing off as she caught herself, feeling the weight of her response. Without looking at him, she finished, "...Jin."
Jiji blinked, his smile faltering for a moment as if the world had shifted just a bit. Aira said his name—Jin. No teasing, no sarcasm—just his name, soft and real.
"Well," Aira glanced at him, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips. For the first time, she wasn't sure if she was looking at him as Jin, or something more. She sighed, and then with a softer voice, said, "See you later then."