Chapter Text
Today seemed like any ordinary day at Jujutsu Tech. Everyone was off doing their own thing, whether it was missions or training. But for a certain group of freshmen, it wasn't quite so ordinary. For you see, yesterday they took care of a problematic curse hotspot involving half-human spirits. It was a tough mission, but they all made it out alive, with each of the teens improving for some way.
But today? It was back to business.
Or at least, it should have been.
Right now these four teens were lounging in the courtyard lawn. They were supposed to be training, but neither of them had the energy to actually do so. So as a result, they could only sit and complain about their tired bodies. This was all they could do as soon as they woke up.
After an unknown amount of time had pass, Nobara groaned loudly. "I can't do this anymore!" she complained. "We just stopped a group of curses from killing people and they expect us to move on to the next mission?"
Megumi yawned. "It would be nice to let us rest," he agreed.
"All we've been doing is fighting curses and training," Junpei recalled. "I thought coming here would be a little more exciting."
"Nah, that's all life here is like," Yuji corrected.
"Exactly!" Nobara shouted. "We deserve to have some kind of special reward, especially with what happened yesterday!"
"I doubt that'll happen," Megumi corrected. "Sorcerers only get paychecks as rewards. And even then, they barely get enough money to live off of. Besides, it's not like Gojo will suddenly treat us to a surprise."
Then as if on cue, Kiyotaka approached the tired group. "Excuse me," he told the first-year students. "Please meet Gojo in his office. He wishes to speak to all of you."
The four students were confused. Why did their teacher suddenly ask to see them? Regardless, they got back on their feet and headed to towards a very familiar office.
"Good morning, everyone!" Gojo cheerfully greeted. "How's my favorite students?"
Nobody responded to that question. Megumi and Nobara being displeased was one thing, but even Yuji was a little down in the dumps. Thankfully a certain long-haired boy was able to speak on the group's behalf.
"Sorry about the others," Junpei apologized. "Yesterday was a little draining."
"So I heard," Gojo said. "I heard everything from Nitta. Solving the mystery of Yasohachi Bridge, confronting the stolen Death Paintings... Sounds like it was a busy mission. So for all your hard work, allow me to show you my appreciation." Then without warning, he revealed a rectangle-shaped brochure. "You're all invited to a super-luxury banquet on a cruise ship!"
That snapped the teens out of their fun. "You serious?" Yuji asked.
"Did I hear that right?" Nobara checked. "A luxury banquet on an actual cruise ship?!"
"Not just luxury," Gojo corrected. "It's a super-luxury banquet."
With that, Yuji and Nobara went into total freakout mode, rambling about what this banquet would feature. Junpei could only laugh nervously at his sort-of-crush's excitement, but then he noticed Megumi remained quiet. A little too quiet, in fact. Almost like...this wasn't the first time this happened?
"Is something wrong?" Junpei asked.
"Right. You weren't with us at the time," Megumi realized. "We went to an abandoned building in Roppongi shortly after Kugisaki joined the school, but Gojo tricked her and Itadori into thinking we were going on a luxury tour of Tokyo."
Junpei glanced back at the sibling-energy duo. "So this...?"
"Feels a little too familiar," Megumi finished.
"Now I know you're all excited, but try to calm down," Gojo advised, ignoring Megumi's usual stoic expression. "I'll meet up with you at the port this evening, so take this time to prepare yourselves."
"It's tonight?!" Nobara yelped. "We better get going right now!" She hurried towards the door, only to stop suddenly and realize her fellow first years stayed put.
"What's with the rush, Kugisaki?" Junpei asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Nobara asked. "We gotta go clothes shopping!"
"How come?" Megumi wondered. "Our uniforms should be fine."
"Oh no, I'm not dealing with your wardrobe nonsense!" Nobara snapped. She rushed over to Megumi and grabbed his wrist, forcefully dragging him out of the office. "Itadori, you and Yoshino are coming with us!"
"But I was thinking of seeing a movie before the cruise!" Yuji protested as he followed the stubborn orange-haired girl.
Junpei nervously glanced at the lone teacher. "...I'll see you tonight, Gojo," he said, then he hurried after his fellow classmates.