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"We'll end early for today," Miguel instructed as he wrapped his practice whip around his hand. "Make sure you get plenty of rest. Training will resume first thing tomorrow morning."
Yuta could only nod in response. When he agreed to train in Africa with one of Geto's former lackies, he didn't think it would be this brutal. He was a powerhouse even without his Black Rope. As a result, Yuta only felt drained after every training session. Today was particularly brutal, so all he could think about was getting some much-needed rest.
One hot shower later, Yuta collapsed onto his hotel bed. He was about to close his eyes and let sleep take him over when he heard a very familiar song from his phone.
Now is the time
Cause you are ready
Trust in yourself right now
Let your heart burn it up
No one can stop you
So just do to you
You never doubt yours—
It took Yuta a while to reach over to his phone and press the green phone icon. He was too drained to actually pick it up, so he lazily moved his finger across the screen to hopefully set it to speaker mode.
"H-Hello...?" Yuta muttered. Who would even be calling him this late at night?
"Hey, beansprout."
That made Yuta's eyes widen in surprise. That was Maki's voice! It had been a long time since he heard it, especially that little nickname of hers for him. He quickly sat up and attempted to regain some composure.
"Hey, Maki!" Yuta cracked. He cleared his throat. "Wh-What's up?"
"We just finished the Exchange Event," Maki revealed.
"With Kyoto?" Yuta checked. He was a little disheartened. He was hoping to make it back for the yearly tradition, especially after Todo got down on his knees and asked to be his senpai last year. He still wasn't sure why he started doing that after revealing his type of woman.
"Hey, don't get all glum," Maki reassured. "Todo was disappointed when he saw you were absent. He kept saying the event wasn't the same without you."
Yuta smiled a little nervously. "So what happened this year?" he asked, trying to change topics.
"The first round was a team event," Maki recalled. "We were supposed to work together to take care of roaming cursed spirits, but the Kyoto students were apparently told to kill Itadori instead. It didn't really matter after this weirdo plant special grade showed up, so we all teamed up to try and take it down."
"Sounds like it must've been tough," Yuta remarked. "Was the whole thing cancelled afterwards?"
"Almost," Maki answered. "Todo insisted on continuing, so we all played baseball."
That actually made Yuta snort a laugh, prompting him to cover his own mouth. "Baseball?" he asked amusingly. "Sounds like something Gojo came up with."
"It was," Maki confirmed. "The two principals ratted him out for it afterwards. Guess Gojo really wanted to play baseball."
"That sounds like fun," Yuta said. "Wish I actually there."
"You probably would've took care of the special grade cursed spirit," Maki guessed. "It fled once Gojo showed up and took out a huge chunk of forest. Guess it got weak from Itadori and Todo's attacks."
"So this Itadori guy's tough?" Yuta assumed.
"Not as tough as you," Maki corrected. "I dunno what he told Todo, but he thinks the two are childhood friends or something. It pissed me off, so I intentionally knocked Todo out during the baseball game."
"You're joking!" Yuta shouted. Last time he checked, Aoi Todo was a giant made of muscles. How was it that his girlfriend was able to knock him out?
"Like I'd joke about throwing a baseball right at his smug face," Maki bragged. "The others told me it was a nice pitch, even my own sister."
Yuta couldn't help but laugh while also feeling a little sad. He should have been there to see it, not stuck in Africa training with a brute he barely knew. He knew Maki wanted to keep him updated for what's going on back home, but it only made him feel homesick. This longing made things quiet for a while, until Maki eventually spoke again.
"So when are you coming back?" Maki asked.
"I don't know," Yuta admitted. "Gojo stopped by a few months ago to ask for a favor. He also told me to not tell anyone about it, including you, Toge, and Panda."
Maki was heard sighing. "That sounds like him," she naturally assumed. "Well you better get back here quick. Things've been lonely without you."
"I'll try," Yuta hoped. "I just hope I can endure this harsh training until then."
With that, the two said their farewells and hung up. Yuta let out a sigh as he dropped his phone onto the bed. It had only been months since he arrived in Africa and he still felt lonely. He missed all his classmates, especially Maki. And it sounded like things became more interesting once this Yuji Itadori guy joined the school. Maybe the two could even spar once the overseas training was finally done.
But for now, all Yuta could do was close his eyes and rest, wanting to see his friends and girlfriend in his dreams.