Chapter Text
When they arrived at the beach, it was still early: the sun shone, caressing their skin, the crystal-clear water was beautiful, and the white sand was fine; the warm breeze barely stirred their hair.
Maki took a deep breath, feeling her body fill with energy. Without realizing it, a subtle smile settled on her lips.
"You look happy, Maki-san."
"Not particularly," she replied without taking her eyes off the scenery before her. Yūta chuckled softly.
"Is it good that we could come, huh?"
It was certainly fortunate that everyone could attend. The school didn't have breaks or vacations like normal schools, although there were days off, such as certain holidays or weekends; those were exclusively for the regular classes they attended. As for resting as sorcerers, it was completely different: missions could arise without warning and had to be attended to. That's why it seemed incredible that they were being brought to Okinawa, both the first-years and them, who were in their fourth and final year (the busiest and most mission-filled year).
Yūta, beside her, continued talking in good spirits.
"Gojo-sensei is truly incomparable. I never thought this was possible."
"There you have the leader of the Gojo clan. If he can't take a few students to Okinawa, is he really the most powerful person in the world of sorcery?"
Yūta chuckled.
"Being a clan leader has its perks. Sounds good, doesn't it?"
"But it also comes with a lot more responsibility. Satoru makes it look easy by delegating most of the things he doesn't want to deal with, so don't be fooled."
Everyone was surprised by Satoru's intention to bring Yūta into his clan. Maki suspected his motives—while Satoru justified it by saying it was a way to protect Yūta by having him directly under his and his clan's protection, Maki still saw it as a personal political move—and she had confronted him about it more than once, provoking a series of snickers from her teacher as he hummed nonsense that embarrassed Maki.
"In turn, whenever she could, Maki reminded Yūta not to be swayed, emphasizing how twisted the clans were. Even though Yūta was a special class, his nature was gentle, and Maki worried about him getting caught up in political struggles (the life of a sorcerer was hard enough without having to get involved in that kind of filth). Therefore, whenever possible, she tried to make him see the danger behind it all. But, as always, the girl received the same reaction from Yūta: a subtle smile, his eyes half-closed, and a laugh that could hardly be considered as such. That gesture was so common for him when he wanted to avoid answering, whether because he lacked words or because he knew his response wouldn't be well received. Faced with this, Maki snorted under her breath, not wanting to reprimand him. He was a lost cause.
"But Maki-san, you wanted to be the head of your family," Yūta said, his tone far too casual, as if to say, «You're not being fair by getting angry with me over something that hasn't happened and might never happen.» Ah, that guy's cunning.
"Maybe I said that a long time ago in a fit of passion, but I didn't fully grasp everything that being a clan leader entails. But that was before. Tch, you didn't have to remind me."
It wasn't that Maki was saddened by her impassioned declarations or the old ambitions she'd confided in him during the winter of their first year. Still, ever since she'd managed to move from fourth to first class, Maki understood that no matter what she did, she wouldn't gain her family's acceptance, and that restructuring her clan wouldn't be possible with such deeply ingrained beliefs.
The rejection of her nowadays was stronger, almost amounting to a complete loathing for her very being—not just for being a woman and having left her clan to become a sorceress—but especially once her Heavenly Restriction was complete. Yes, Maki had become as strong as she had wished, but her family would never let her return; they had made that clear.
Well, Maki didn't give a damn. Her relationship with her sister had improved, and with a renewed promise not to separate, there was no need to return to the clan, much less try to assume its leadership.
"It would be a waste of time trying to change anything there. That place is like a basket full of rotten fruit," she said vehemently. She thought there was only one way to change her clan, but didn't say it.
"...the only way would be to get rid of everything rotten and start from scratch, right?"
Maki looked at Yūta, a little stunned. His words left no room for doubt about what he meant. What was surprising was: one, he said what she thought, and two, his suggestion was made in a light tone and with a friendly expression, as if he hadn't just suggested a crime.
Yūta tilted his head slightly, a silent question hanging over Maki's lack of response.
"You... you know what you just said, right?"
Yūta nodded. "But I already told you that a long time ago. Maybe I said it easily years ago, too, but even today, my offer still stands."
He was offering to eliminate her clan if she wished, with a friendly smile and sincere eyes. Was it strange that this made her heart beat faster?
Without realizing it, the space between them was shrinking as he spoke, his voice growing softer and softer.
"Or if you want to erase the Zenin name from your name, then Maki-san..."
Her eyelids felt heavy; she held her breath, waiting for him to continue, whether because of what he was saying or because of the obvious way his face was moving closer to hers.
"Then…"
She could feel his breath against her skin, the heat radiating from his presence, and—
And what she saw when she opened her eyes wasn't Yūta's face, but the little panda between them, grinning like an idiot, his words echoing in the air with his characteristic mocking tone, watching them with amusement.
Not a second passed before the little panda flew out of the pergola, landing right over Itadori, who was playing volleyball with the second-years.
Yūta's face was completely red, and he tried to cover it with his hands, while Maki, equally flushed, kept cursing Panda.
Megumi and Toge, who were also in the pergola, decided to remain silent, hoping Maki wouldn't turn around and see them, remembering that they had been there the whole time.
It took the first-years quite a while to find Panda, and it was only with the help of Megumi's shikigami that they were able to—and because Maki had managed to contain her power in the throw.
Meanwhile, Maki joined Itadori and the second-years for volleyball. Although she didn't consider herself that kind of athlete, her skills prevented her from missing. It was more fun because Yuji wasn't far behind, both in strength and reflexes, but perhaps the funniest part was watching the second-years terrified, trying to avoid being hit by the ball thrown by her or Itadori.
"That's cheating!" Itadori complained. Maki just smiled smugly. "We weren't supposed to use cursed energy or anything like that."
"Don't be such a crybaby, Itadori. Maki-san is holding back. Just accept that you're bad at playing and a terrible loser."
"I won't accept that from you, Kugisaki. You've barely moved from your cot." Why bother asking to come to the beach if you're going to be in the shade all day?
"Well, you don't want me to get a tan, do you? Do you know how much it costs to maintain perfect skin?"
"It seems you got ripped off," the boy muttered, but Nobara heard him. She stood up to hit Yuji, and only then did they manage to get her out of the pergola.
Unimpressed by how that had unfolded, Maki resumed the game until Yūta took pity on the second-years and asked Maki to stop. Not long after, the first-years arrived with Panda and Megumi. It was just in time for lunch.
Some sat under the parasols, others inside the pergola, but all shared snacks and food appropriate to their surroundings. It must have been from playing all day in the sun, swimming, or walking on the beach, but they were hungry, and the food tasted especially delicious, and the drinks refreshed their throats and purified their bodies.
For a while, Panda refrained from talking much to Maki.
But that only lasted an hour, because the complaints and near-whining about how he had hit a bird while flying through the air after being thrown by Maki had been a traumatic experience.
"You deserved it. Be grateful I was considerate, or you would have left the country."
"How awful," the little panda, nestled against Yūta's shoulder, shuddered. Yes, Maki had been «generous.»
"Ah, Panda-senpai, why did Maki-senpai do that?"
So, if Maki had been generous, Panda wouldn't have made the same mistake, right?
Looking at Itadori with the dark eyes typical of his species, then at Maki and Yūta, as if considering their actions, Maki shot him a silent but threatening glare. Panda shook his head, hiding further behind Yūta. The boy gently patted his friend's small head.
"It's okay, Panda-kun."
"Yūta, you're really good." He just smiled, conciliatory. He hadn't liked what Panda had done, but he thought Maki had been a little harsh. Panda sniffed (could he even produce nasal fluid?) and returned the gesture to his friend, patting him on the head. "Sometimes I feel bad that you're going to end up with such a monster."
"Uh, Panda-kun..."
"You'd be better off with one of Gojo's cousins, someone docile. It's not too late; the fact that you and Maki have shared bodily fluids already isn't so bad. Humans do that all the time."
"Panda!"
"Maki-san!"
Who was faster? Furious (and embarrassed) Maki, Yūta, who jumped into action and held her in his arms (the correct word would be «restrained»), or Panda, who finished saying all that and jumped off Yūta's shoulder just before Maki's hands could reach him.
"Damn it, let go of me, Yūta!"
"No, not until you calm down."
"I'm not going to calm down until I give him what he deserves!"
"Come on, Yūta, you're the man!"
Ah, Panda had too much faith in Yūta. A faith he didn't even feel himself; it wasn't for nothing that he had to reinforce his body with cursed energy to stop Maki.
"Uh, could someone go get Gojo-sensei and Nanami-san?" Yūta asked those present. The first-years were terrified; the second-years blushed at what had been said; and the third-years whispered, half scandalized, half embarrassed by the scene.
"Bodily fluids, huh."
"Like saliva?"
"I wish it were just saliva."
"Guys, please," Yūta felt his feet sink into the ground as he counterbalanced Maki's strength.
It wasn't until Gojo and Nanami arrived that Yūta was able to stop Maki. And it was just in time. Unfortunately, that didn't prevent him from being accidentally hit, but, more importantly, Maki's anger was also directed at him. Yūta had to convince himself that he had done the right thing, but that didn't stop him from feeling a little resentful toward Panda.
"Hey, Yūta... are you still upset?" Panda tapped him on the cheek with a paw. Yūta couldn't help but pout. "You've been sitting here for a while. Let's go play in the water."
"I don't feel like it," he said, slumping to the side, his gaze blank and a sigh that seemed to come from his soul.
"Tuna?" Inumaki offered him some snacks. Yūta didn't even look up.
"I didn't think Maki would get that angry." Panda leaned onto his side, half-climbing, but ended up falling face-first and rolling forward like the adorable animal he was designed to be. He brushed off the sand and apologized to his friend again.
"I wish you hadn't said that..."
"The thing about bodily fluids? But y-"
"No!" Yūta sat up abruptly, startling his friends. The guy didn't usually react like that. He tried to lower his voice and, in a calmer tone, continued, "No, but still you shouldn't have said that, it's... part of our privacy..."
Both Panda and the Toge decided not to comment on the fact that Yūta hadn't denied it. Panda had only said it partly as a joke, based on what had almost happened earlier, but it was amazing that he'd been lucky enough to guess. They would save that information for later.
"Seaweed?"
"...about Gojo-sensei's cousin."
Maki didn't tell him that it had bothered her, but there was no need. Ever since Panda mentioned it, Yūta felt the urge to silence his friend, but it had taken him by surprise, so he could only react to stop Maki. And that was because, even though Panda had said it jokingly, it was an uncomfortable topic for both Maki and Yūta, since something similar had happened before.
Just remembering that fiasco of an attempt by someone from the Gojo clan to «match» Yūta with one of Satoru's cousins made his stomach churn. Yūta and Maki had barely started dating when that almost ended their relationship, if not for Satoru's intervention. That was another reason why Maki insisted that he shouldn't get involved with clans, much less trust someone from one. During that situation, Yūta truly felt desperate, afraid that Maki would leave him… even though he respected her more than anyone and generally did what she asked, Yūta had resolved not to let go of her. No matter what he had to do.
Luckily, things had been sorted out. But even though everything was clear, it was still a thorny issue. Panda's inadvertent mentioning of it had only brought back that memory.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll apologize to Maki. I'll help you, buddy."
"Okay. Just apologize to Maki-san for making her feel bad, Panda-kun," Yūta said, his smile weary.
"Mustard?" Inumaki, pointing urgently toward the beach, interrupted his friends' conversation. They both looked in the direction he was indicating. Panda was a little slower to understand what Toge was saying, but when he did, he looked at Yūta warily.
Panda had joked that Maki was heartless and a monster, too much for someone as gentle as Yūta. But the truth was, they were more alike than anyone could believe. That was how terrifying they both could be. While Maki's fury was more passionate, explosive, so to speak, Yūta's was the opposite. And many who knew that side of him agreed that Yūta's anger was even more frightening. It was a heavy, cold, silent fury. Where Maki's temper could crush you, Yūta's would flatten you. But Yūta was kind and tolerant; that's why he was more menacing than Maki.
Fortunately, few things could bother him.
Unfortunately, messing with Maki was one of them. And the biggest one.
Yūta stood up and calmly walked over to where Maki and the people with her were. Panda and Inumaki swallowed hard, praying that the fate of that unsuspecting person wouldn't be too painful.
They'd once seen what happened to a guy who flirted with Maki outside the subway. He didn't want to know what would happen to this miserable fool who was eyeing Maki up and down with a perverted look. And even though she wasn't wearing a swimsuit, but rather a tank top and shorts, her exposed skin, combined with her attractiveness, made her hard to ignore.
"Oh, that guy tried to touch her shoulder."
"Salmon."
"Huh, can you hear what he's saying? The look on that guy's face tells me he's upset about being rejected."
"Tuna."
"Hmm, sounds like he's saying something rude. I hope Maki knocks him out before Yūta gets there—ah, never mind. We should find Satoru and Nanami before Yūta kills that guy."
"Salmon."
When Gojo arrived on the scene, he was confused. He thought he was having déjà vu. But this time it was Maki holding Yūta back, and she was having a hard time.