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"We're being stared at. Or, at least, I'm being stared at. There's no way those glances are for you two."
Call it sort of a duckling march; three first years are following behind their teacher on the streets of Eastern Shibuya and at least fifty percent of eyes are on them. Kugisaki claims the fault.
"It's not us, dimwit. If you were a little more observant you'd know by now that this happens every time we go somewhere with...that." Megumi tilts his head in a forward motion, exasperation seeping into every ounce of his voice and movements.
And yes, given a little more consideration, it becomes obvious that the gazes of all these random people are strictly glued to Gojo. Maybe they give the kids a little once-over to make sure they're not his kids, but nothing more than that.
“That’s ridiculous.” Nobara scoffs. Why the hell would anyone look at that? He’s not even all that attractive. A little freakish once you get close–don’t you think so, Fushigurou?”
“I’m not discussing whether or not our teacher is attractive, thanks.”
“Yeah, Kugisaki” Yuuji chimes in on her left, “He’s known Sensei since he was a little kid! That’s weird!”
“Well as someone who hasn’t known him for long, what do you think, Itadori?” She asks him.
“I think he looks different.” Yuuji waves to his own face “The white hair and all. Maybe he’s just getting all of these stares because he looks different. They don’t all find him attractive, probably.”
“No, they think he’s hot. I can tell.” Nobara rejects his thoughts with a wave. “You don’t understand how to read people’s faces, Itadori. That’s why it didn’t work out with Ozawa.”
“What the hell does Ozawa have to do with this?” Yuuji asks, baffled.
“And that’s my point.”
Before Yuuji can stumble over that conversation anymore, Megumi stops in his tracks causing the other two to stop with him. They glance at him, irritation has replaced the exasperation. “Kugisaki is right. For some reason this guy is popular, I guess. Just look at him.”
Up ahead Gojo has stopped too–his path is blocked by some chick with a stack of papers in one hand and a terribly unique smile on her face. She’s pitching something, obviously, but they don’t know what until they’ve all taken a few curious strides forward.
“You’re a remarkable candidate, Sir. Your measurements are suited for an astounding number of brands–all of which will be very enthusiastic to work with you, trust me. It’s an opportunity like no other, and by looking at you, I’m almost inclined to say this is your calling.” She pushes a business card towards him, “I’m positive it’s your calling, really.”
“How nice.” They watch as Gojo takes the card, “and I assume you’re one of these people who will be very, very enthusiastic to work with me? That would work out great, wouldn’t it?”
“Un believable.” Nobara seethingly whispers as they watch, “Is he actually flirting back right now?”
“He always does this.” Megumi replies, bored. “He thinks it’s funny.”
“Why? Looks a little bit mean to me.” Yuuji’s face drops a bit–not terribly, but enough.
“I don’t know. It’s some sort of inside joke. A stupid one.”
“Joke with who? Nobody has inside jokes with Gojo except Gojo.” Nobara scoffs. “No one can stand his jokes.”
“Does it matter?” Megumi asks, bored. “A joke with a guy he went to school with who also pulls this same bullshit with strangers. I don’t know why they both get such a kick out of it, but they do. Who cares.”
“A guy from his school days? Is it Nanami? He doesn’t seem like the type.”
“Definitely not him.” Yuuji pipes up, “He got asked to lunch while I was with him once, and he was very formal about declining her. Apologized like three times.”
“Well it sure as hell isn’t Ijichi.” Nobara responds. “I think people look through him most of the time.”
“Does Yaga count? He was there–”
“It’s no one you know, so drop it already. Why do you two care at all?” Megumi cuts him off. “It’s just Gojo.”
“But you just revealed that he has friends! Outside of Ieiri and Nanami! This is crazy stuff.”
“Something like that.” Megumi mutters. “One person doesn’t make that much of a difference.”
“It does in our world. Don’t forget that there’s only three of us, Fushigurou. Are you going to stand here and say that if one of us was gone it wouldn’t make a difference?” Nobara rolls her eyes. “I really just want to know who could possibly get along with…that.”
“Very few people.” Megumi supplies, unhelpful. “And stop counting Nanami on your lists of ‘Gojo’s Friends’ before he finds out about it. He’d hate that you think so little of him.”
“But–”
“Come on.” Megumi interrupts, turning to walk in the opposite direction of Gojo.
“Where are we going?” Yuuji asks.
“Away from that nonsense. Let’s go back to that diner where Yuuji had his nightmare reunion and get something to drink.”
“What nightmare reunion?”
“You see what I mean, Fushigurou?” Nobara chimes in, following him. “He’s absolutely helpless.”
“Yeah. Never doubted that.”
—
During some boring afternoon Nobara’s leg gets knocked just about backwards by a crazy training session and the whole thing lands her in the infirmary.
Yuuji’s the one who pulled the move that got her into this mess, and he follows her there very sorrily, sitting by her bed with almost knitted eyebrows. He’s already apologised plenty, so now he’s just sort of there like a hovering ghost in what can be interpreted as attempted comfort.
“Does it hurt too bad?” Shoko asks her, pressing two fingers just below her knee.
“It’s no worse than shoving a nail through my arm.” Nobara rolls her eyes. “I’m fine. Really.”
“Right. Well I’ll heal it up for you the best I can, and you can just stay off it for the rest of the day for good measure. Should be alright by tomorrow.”
A red hue surrounds Nobara’s leg that forces a good chunk of the swelling down. She flexes the limb a couple times to get a feel for the remaining damage, then slips back against the wall with a sigh.
“This is stupid.” She groans, turning towards Yuuji “you’re stupid.”
“I already said that I’m sorry, Kugisaki.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re sorry.” She mimics. “I’m sorry for what you’ll be getting once I can walk again. Really.”
Yuuji grumbles under his breath–some bullshit that Nobara doesn’t care to ask for clarification on. Instead she turns her attention to Shoko, bored.
“Hey, Ieiri, do injuries like this annoy you? Like, you know, rough-housing ones instead of mission-related ones.” Nobara asks, “they gotta be underwhelming.”
“I’ve been patching up idiotic boo-boos since I was a student, I’m used to it.” Shoko raises an eyebrow, “And why would I prefer a half-dead teenager over a scraped up one? All that does is make a bad day worse.”
“Mhm, I guess.” Nobara flops back, “but this feels stupid as hell to me, so it must be so to you.”
“You know,” Yuuji interjects before Shoko can reply, “I always forget that you were a student here, Ieiri. You seem like…Immortal or something. Like you’d still be here patching people up if I looked in the first ever Jujutsu Tech yearbook.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, there is something like that.” Nobara agrees. A second later her face lights with something of a realization and she props herself up on an elbow. “Hey, Ieiri, you were in Gojo’s year, right? You guys are the same age and all.”
Shoko moves unblinking to the window just next to her desk, opening it fully before sitting back down and slipping a pack of cigarettes out of her desk. “I was, yeah. He was in here all the time–those were the good days. He was still shit at working his own power back then.”
“So you know the guy Fushigurou was going on about a few days ago, yeah?” Nobara asks.
Yuuji makes a noise of recognition behind her, “Ohhhhh yeah! Fushigurou was telling us that Gojo has this weird secret friend that he’s known since his school days! Someone we haven’t met.”
“Oh?” Shoko blew a puff of smoke out the window, “Must’ve been talking about Geto. He doesn’t come around the school much.”
“Who is that? Why doesn’t he work with the school like the rest of you?” Nobara presses.
“Why does it matter? You two are awfully curious.” She snorts.
“I’m just sort of surprised that Sensei has friends.” Yuuji admits, “And secret ones, too.”
“Geto is no secret to anyone. You two haven’t met him, but just about every other sorcerer in Japan has, I’d say. He’s a pretty important guy.”
“Well why haven’t we met him, anyway? If everyone else knows him–and why is he like, the only guy out of your school days that isn’t still somehow affiliated with the school? Even Nanami helps out with training.” Nobara says it flopped back on the bed again. “That’s weird, right?”
Shoko shrugs, “Geto is an independent. He stays away from the school to stay away from the higher-ups. He does come help with hand-to-hand every now and again, but that’s really just to get to know the up and coming sorcerers. Expanding his connections while they’re still close by, I guess.”
“An independent? You can do that?”
“You can when you’re a special grade.” Shoko snorts. “There are only two fully independent sorcerers in Japan–Geto and Tsukumo; both of them are powerful enough to just do whatever they want, really. But…independents are normal in other countries where there aren’t as many sorcerers, you know. They spread thin all over and do their own thing, whereas in places like Japan, where sorcerers come more frequently, everything is kinda done in bases.”
“A special grade?” Yuuji asks, “Jeez, Ieiri, your school days must’ve been crazy.”
“I still think it’s weird that I’ve never heard of this guy.” Nobara sparks up, “I mean, he is friends with Gojo, isn’t he?”
Shoko glances at her, “hm, something like that.”
“So! Gojo never shuts up! And he’s only got like… three people to talk to other than his students, I mean…”
Shoko gives another shrug, “ask Gojo about him then. He’ll talk for hours–just like you said.”
—
The only reason that Nobara doesn’t take Shoko up on that recommendation is: Gojo boards a bullet train to Sapporo that same day, and says he won’t be back for maybe, he doesn’t know, a week or something.
That isn’t out of the norm–he’s gone probably a third of the time if not a little more, and the first years know how to accommodate their teacher’s absence pretty expertly by now.
Though, there is one difference between this particular absence and ‘the norm’ and that is: Gojo really didn’t intend to be gone. This whole mission was entirely short notice, and for once actually caused some disarray.
The first years were supposed to go on a mission the very next day, and he was supposed to supervise said mission. The norm–what they always do when he’s around.
But Gojo being absent while they go on missions isn’t weird either; all three of them quickly decide that they still want to go through with the whole thing, and move to gather up the pieces that are usually put together by whoever is supervising their escapade.
And, well, that’s where they find their problem. See, a chunk of their necessary files for this particular mission are found to be very much M-I-A, and a quick phone call to the would-be supervisor cracks the tedious case.
It goes like this:
“Gojo.”
“Megumi! How is it going, huh? You three are still planning to pursue that case without me, if I’m right to expect the best of you guys, yes?”
“Yeah. Yeah, we’re working on it now. Some of the files are missing, though–that’s why I called. We need you to tell us where they are.”
“Ohhh, right. Yeah, I was doing a quick read-up the night before we were supposed to go out there together. They’re at my place, probably. You know the one–the apartment, not the one in the woods. Tell Ijichi the address if he’s forgotten it.”
“How am I supposed to find anything in that pigstye? You probably have the files for every case you’ve ever been assigned to in there.”
“Hey, it’s been a minute since you’ve been over there! Who knows? Maybe I’ve cleaned up and you’re shaming me over nothing.”
“Have you?”
“Somewhat, sure–I’m a very busy guy, you know. Anyway, I’m sure you can handle it just fine. Great talking to you, alright?”
So now Megumi–irritated–is sitting in a car with Nobara and Yuuji groaning internally as it slows to a stop in front of a rather dull, unassuming apartment complex. He’s got this place memorized by now, really.
“I can’t believe we’re going to Sensei’s house!” Yuuji gasps, “I never really thought of him having a place. It’s weird.”
“I wouldn’t have been surprised if he never moved out of his dorm room.” Nobara replies. “Or just slept in his office chair. How long has he even had this place, Fushigurou?”
“I don’t know. Since I’ve known him.” He undoes his seatbelt. “Not many people know the address, really. He’s got a weird decoy house in the woods that he uses as a dojo and gets all his mail sent to.”
“ So secretive.” Nobara rolls her eyes, “Perfect for Mister Man over there.” She nods towards Yuuji.
“What did I do?” He sputters.
“Not you, I’m talking about him.”
Yuuji’s face scrunches before turning a complicated kind of worried. “That’s true…I should stay out here. What if I lose control or something and Sukuna destroys Sensei’s house?!”
Megumi raises an eyebrow, “That’s ridiculous. You don’t just lose control. And Gojo could just buy another one, obviously. He’s loaded.”
“That is true.” Nobara snorts, “Remember how much he spent on a stupid white shirt?”
“He’s like that with everything.” Megumi rolls his eyes, starting towards the front door, “Come on, we’re wasting time.”
Nobara and Yuuji follow behind Megumi like they’re sort of unsure–or maybe just still in disbelief over the fact that Gojo actually lives somewhere. It’s awkward, and he somewhat feels like a Group Leader, or something. Not a good feeling.
“Can you two stop acting so ridiculous for one s…” Megumi trails off, fumbling with a ring of keys in his hand–there are a few the other two recognize: The key to his dorm room, one for the shed of training weapons down by the track, the key that got them in and out of the building in which they had their last mission. Then there are a few that they don’t. Megumi looks through them all before letting out a groan.
“So we can’t get in then.” Nobara says, almost with a tsk to her tone.
“Just give me a second, will you?” Megumi pulls out his phone.
The other two peer over his shoulder as he types:
The door is locked, we can’t get in.
Don’t you have a key
I don’t know. Nanako probably took it after she dropped all her shit in that river.
Try knocking
Someone’s here?
Idk Suguru might be he gets back today
If he isn’t just break the door
Megumi sighs, rubbing his eyes. “To hell with this.”
“Who the hell is Suguru, huh? And Nanako?? What’s with all these secret people you and Gojo know, Fushigurou.” Nobara says over his shoulder.
“They aren’t secret just because you don’t know them.” He grumbles. “And stop reading over my shoulder.”
Yuuji and Nobara stay confused behind Megumi as he raps on the door a couple times. They all stand silently for a moment waiting for footsteps on the inside to confirm that Suguru is coming to open the door.
But when Megumi mutters to himself and knocks again, a little louder, the responding sound is not one of footsteps–or rather, not of human footsteps. There is some sort of scuttling around on the other side getting closer, closer. It’s really freaking two of the three students out.
“What the hell is Gojo hiding in his house??” Nobara exclaims, “Fushigurou, what–”
She’s cut off by a crazy old centipede-like creature popping the door open. On one side of it’s body a dozen little prickly legs are latched onto the door handle; on the other side, the thing is holding it’s own head like a purse.
“A curse?!” Yuuji squeals, “Is it a pet? Is… this that uh, Suguru guy?”
“Of course not.” Megumi scoffs. “Don’t be stupid.”
He starts boldly into the apartment, the other two behind him in slightly hesitant tow.
“Eh? Where’d it go?!” Yuuji pushes the door closed, looking up and down around it. “The whole curse just vanished!”
“It was recalled, idiot.”
Megumi keeps down the hallway, stopping just before the living room. Neither Nobara or Yuuji can see past him or his crazy hair. They only hear a slight shuffle of a blanket or something–the curtains are completely drawn, every lamp is off.
“Welcome back.” Megumi says, “We’re here for some files–sorry to wake you.”
“Who’s in there?” Yuuji whispers, peering over Megumi’s shoulder, almost shoving him. Nobara does the same on the other side.
It doesn’t help them much–the character Megumi has been talking to is curled up to his forehead in blankets with only a huge mess of black hair sprawling out. That’s all they can make out–though the guy does let one eye peak out of his cocoon after being addressed.
“If you’re looking for the ones for the mission Satoru was mapping out for you, they’re on the table.” Comes a muffled reply. “Red folder.” The eye disappears back into the blankets.
Megumi nods. “Thanks.”
“Who’re–” Yuuji starts, but Megumi drags him by the arm into the dining area, heading directly for the promised folder.
“He’s trying to sleep, Itadori. Let him.”
Nobara follows behind them, “who is that?” She whisper-yells to Megumi. “Why is he passed out on Gojo’s couch?”
“That’s just Geto. Stop freaking out.” He pushes through a few papers, confirming their attribution to the case.
“Why is he passed out on Gojo’s couch?” She repeats, a little more exasperated.
“I guess he must be tired.” Megumi draws. “He just got back from a long mission–he’s tired.”
“The same Geto Shoko was talking about?” Yuuji asks, peeking into the living room again.
“There’s only one.”
“So he’s like, Gojo’s roommate then? If he let himself in so comfortably–he must live here, right? Or is Gojo's apartment another decoy that’s actually owned by some other guy?”
“Gojo isn’t scared of his enemies to that kind of extent. His other place is solely so randos don’t go bombing this place.” Megumi whispers back. “Now come on–you’re going to wake him up again.”
“So his first idea was right?” Nobara chimes in, “Gojo has a roommate?”
“Sure, something like that. Would you two just focus on leaving already?”
“But we want to meet this guy! Everyone seems to know him except us!” Nobara finally falls in line behind him towards the door.
“Meet him some other time–he’s barely conscious right now, idiot.” Megumi quickens his pace.
“Fine, fine.” Nobara grumbles. “But we will be asking Gojo about this.”
“Alright? Why would I care? It’s not like him being here is a secret. You two just don’t know anything.” Megumi rolls his eyes, “It’s honestly a feat to be a sorcerer in this country and not know one of the most famous guys in the modern field.”
“Well we’ve known about him for like…a week now! We just didn’t expect the guy to be passed out on Gojo’s couch.” Nobara scoffs. “Who would?”
“Everyone else.” Megumi quips, passing one last glance towards the living room before he shuts the front door.
—
Gojo won’t be back for a few days, and Nobara and Yuuji are impatient. They bring the whole ordeal up to Nanami two afternoons later while he is stepping in to help with training.
“Do I know Suguru Geto?” He almost scoffs at them. “Of course I do. One of the only respectable people that came out of my schooling time. When he’s not around Gojo, anyway.”
“Why doesn’t he come around the school?” Nobara asks, “I mean, you don’t directly work for Jujutsu tech, but you’re here all the time.”
“Because he’s right in the head.” Nanami says, “Unlike the rest of us.”
Yuuji and Nobara stand there, silent. The answer doesn’t satisfy them, really.
“Why do you two ask? Did Megumi introduce you to the twins or something?”
“Twins?” They both ask. “What twins?”
“The Hasaba twins. Geto’s apprentices. Megumi is good friends with those two, isn’t he?”
“How would we know?” Nobara mutters, “he’s never even mentioned their names. Are they famous, too?”
Nanami shrugs, “by relation, maybe. They’re just about your age..been around probably the same amount of time Megumi has.”
“And they don’t go here?” Yuuji inserts, “are they Kyoto students?”
“Geto would never enroll them in a Jujutsu school. They just train through him and Gojo. It’s probably a better system than this.” He readjusts his shirt, “why do you ask?” he repeats.
“We saw him in Gojo’s apartment. Just. Curious. He seems like a special case.”
“He is.” Nanami agrees. “If you’re smart, you’ll take a page or two out of his book after you graduate–my condolences for having to step foot in that apartment, by the way. They hardly keep up with it.”
“Hey, how long have they lived together, anyway?” Yuuji asks as an afterthought.
“Since they graduated. A while.”
“Huh!” Yuuji’s eyes widen, “they must really get along, then.”
“Sure, something like that.” Nanami cringes every so slightly–no one catches it. “Now raise your weapon already.”
—-
The day before Gojo is supposed to return, a spout of boredom leads Nobara, and therefore Yuuji and Megumi on a purposeless escapade to bother Shoko about some type of nonsense or another. She’s really just the easiest person to find.
It takes them about four minutes to patter towards the clinic, then another ten seconds to realize that, while Shoko is in that room, she isn’t alone.
“I think I ought to talk to Yaga sometime soon. Share a bit of my intel with him–you know how he has to be regulated.” A man’s voice says.
“He asks about you all the time–like Gojo and I can tap into your exact whereabouts and actions at any second of the day. Honestly, Geto, you might cause him the most stress out of all of us.” They hear Shoko reply.
“How sweet of him. Though, it’s been a decade since my day-to-day has been any of his concern.”
“You know the higher-ups are still pressuring him to try and track you down and wrangle you–they gave up on asking Gojo to ages ago. Drives them crazy–you both do.”
“Hey, it’s the guy.” Nobara whispers. “Gojo’s roommate.”
“No way,” Yuuji gaps, “did you know he was here, Fushigurou?”
“Obviously not.”
“Yeah, yeah. Everything drives them crazy. That isn’t my problem.” The door suddenly rattles, peeking open a little. “I’ll talk to you later. Catch a smoke with me sometime, you spend too much time in this old dump.”
The door swings open.
Catching a glimpse of this guy in all his glory is, well, sort of weird at first. Maybe because he’s way more intimidating than Nobara and Yuuji assumed he’d be. He’s tall, he’s built, he’s obviously very experienced. On top of all that, he’s a rumor; it’s always weird to see rumors in person.
“Megumi?” The guy’s voice rings out, not muffled this time. He stands right in front of them.
“Hey, Geto. You here to train with the second years again?” Megumi is asking questions– Yuuji and Nobara can tell right away: these two get along well. Megumi never asks unnecessary questions.
“Not today. Just visiting Shoko for old time’s sake.” Suguru waves to the infirmary. “Are these your classmates? Yuuji and Nobara, right?”
“Yeah.” Megumi answers for them. “Sorry about their…gawking.”
Yuuji and Nobara stand behind him with half-curious and half…perhaps a little alarmed. Megumi doesn’t know; it’s just a guess.
Suguru hums, “you’re the two students that accompanied Megumi to my apartment a few days ago, yes? Sorry that I wasn’t more…present. It had been a long night.”
“Uh,” Yuuji starts, “Sorry to have disturbed you.” He stutters a bit, “We, uh, didn’t know that Sensei lived with anyone.”
Suguru raises an eyebrow at that. He looks to Megumi who just gives an annoyed shrug. Some sort of non-verbal conversation seems to happen in between them before Suguru resigns to hum again, this time sounding more amused.
“Well regardless, I would have preferred our first meeting to be a little more social. Satoru talks about you two often–I’ve actually been meaning to drop by this old place and introduce myself for a while now.” He smiles, “I’ve been eager to witness your capabilites–Satoru rarely speaks words of praise so eagerly.”
“Really?” Nobara starts, “We’ve been hearing about you lately–Ieiri and Fushigurou say you’re strong, Nanami too. Seems like…we’re the only ones who didn’t know that. Or anything else.”
Suguru chuckles, “Well, I do make a point to stay a little hidden–most of the time, anyway. Watching the up-and-coming sorcerers learn the ropes here every now and again is fairly enjoyable. And I trust you two won’t disappoint–Satoru put all three of you on par with he and I, if you continue to grow as you have been.”
Megumi scoffs. “He talks out of his ass–you know that.”
The smile on Suguru’s face twitches a little, “I do know that.” He resigns, “but I also know that you, Megumi, have a striking lack of faith in your capabilities and potential. As someone who has known you for all of your days of being a Jujutsu Sorcerer, I’m inclined to agree with Satoru on this one.”
“He’s right, Fushigurou!” Yuuji pipes up, slapping a hand onto Megumi’s head, “You can do some crazy stuff–I’ve seen it!”
“Alright, alright–get off me, will you? There’s nothing to freak out like this about.” Megumi grumbles to him.
Suguru’s smile returns in full, “I’m glad you three get along so well–it’s easier to survive in this system when you’re alongside someone who looks out for you.” He shuffles a little, moving to put the black jacket in his hands on properly. “I’m afraid I do have to take my leave now, but I do hope to return in the next few days to observe you two in training–you three, actually, I’m sure there has been a notable improvement within your skill since our last spar, Megumi.”
Suguru places a hand on Megumi’s head where Yuuji’s had just been moments before in some caring motion before side-stepping the three students to make his way towards the exit.
“Huh.” Nobara murmurs after he turns the corner, “he’s a lot more sensible than I expected a good friend of Gojo’s to be.”
—
The next day, Yuta Okkotsu sits on stone steps with his three underclassmen mid-way through some friendly training. Gojo is going to be back in the evening–that’s what they’re discussing while trying to take a break from the action.
“You know,” Nobara starts, lulling her head back a little “speaking of Gojo, we met Geto yesterday–Yuuji and I did, anyway. You know, the sorcerer.”
“I didn’t know he was back in town,” Yuta hums, “I’ll have to get in touch with him soon–he’s been promising to do a little training with me for ages now.”
“He says he’s planning on coming by the school and working with us sometime this week.” Megumi inserts, “he’ll probably come the day after tomorrow, if I had to guess.”
“Yeah, yeah he said that–” Nobara brushes Megumi to the side, “Oi, Okkotsu, did you know that Gojo had a roommate? Fushigurou says everyone knows, but if you ask me, it seems kinda under-wraps.”
“Oh will you shut up about it?” Megumi rolls his eyes, “it’s not anyone else’s problem that you’re so invested in this nothingness.”
“Can it, will you? I’m talking to Okkotsu.”
She turns her attention fully to Yuta, taking into account that he looks more confused than anything else.
“Uh, yeah? I mean, I’ve never heard anyone say it like that before, but I did know they live together. Why…wouldn’t they?” He raises an eyebrow.
“What do you mean ‘say it like that’? What else are you supposed to call it?” She feels herself start to mimic his confusion.
Yuta looks to Megumi in some awkward way that seems to scream out: ‘what is she on about?’
The guy makes eye contact with Yuta, gives his expression a once-over, and the whole thing really makes him snap, or something. “Oh for godssake, Kugisaki, do we have to spell it out for you? Why the hell would two adults be living together if they aren’t stupid roommates?”
“Well I don’t–” She stops short, eyes getting wide.
Megumi rolls his eyes at her, making a face that says: ‘well? Do you get it now?’
She thinks back on all the conversations she’s had about this Geto guy recently–and,
‘A guy who pulls the same bullshit with stangers–they think it’s funny.’
‘Ask Gojo about him–he’ll talk for hours.’
‘Sure, something like that.’
‘Sure, something like that.’
‘Something like that.’
“You don’t mean it’s like that, do you?” She gawks at Megumi.
“It’s like that.” Comes the reply, “and you would know that if you, I don’t know, observed a little?”
“Oh shut up.” She sputters, turning to Yuuji–he’s been sitting just on the other side of her inhaling a bag of chips, almost looking oblivious. Nobara snatches the bag to get him to look at her, “You didn’t know, right? That Gojo and that guy are a thing?”
“Oh, Geto?” Yuuji asks, suddenly present, “I suspected it when we saw him in Sensei’s apartment” he shrugs, “but no one was saying it outright, so I figured it was a secret or something and just said ‘roommates’ not to blow their cover. I dunno.”
“Un believable–” Nobara spits. “How could you know before me? That’s just…”
“I mean,” Yuuji scratches at his head, “roommates, Kugisaki? Sensei is loaded. And Geto looked so happy talking about him yesterday, remember?”
“Like we’ve been saying,” Megumi pipes up. “None of this shit is secret, and never has been. They’re just…too insufferable to talk about. I don’t care enough.”
“I thought you liked Geto.” Yuta says, looking a little amused now.
“Yeah. Geto. Singular. When he isn’t around Gojo. Put them in the same room and I just…my head starts killing me–it lasts for hours.” Megumi grumbles. “Only Ieiri and Yaga can handle being around both of them at once for more than five minutes. Nanami too, I guess. Not as easily, though.”
“Wow, Fushigurou,” Yuuji grins, “that’s harsh!”
“I’m getting a headache now, even.”
“They’re not even here.” Yuta laughs.
“But they could be, and that’s just as bad.”
“I still can’t believe Itadori figured this out before I did.” Nobara blurts, “I mean…he’s hopeless about this kind of thing. Just think about poor Ozawa–”
“Why do you keep bringing her up?” Yuuji raises an eyebrow, “I mean really–what does catching up with an old classmate purely by coincidence have to do with any of this?”
“Unbelievable” Nobara repeats, almost seething, “Are you hearing this, Fushigurou?”
“I’m hearing it.” Comes the bored reply–Megumi has his head in one hand, “and I’ve been hearing you for the past few weeks.”
“Oh fuck you.” She says, throwing her open water bottle directly at his stupid cradled forehead.