I really enjoy writing all the flashbacks. I hope you guys love reading them too. :)

Chapter Six

One lesson that Keiko's mother couldn't stop preaching was that true happiness came from appreciating little things in life. A big birthday celebration and a school trip to another prefecture would make her smile, but the fun would fade in a few days. Having food on the table and clean water to soak herself in, on the other hand, would remind her that she was lucky enough to live in a nation without war. The cracking of fallen autumn leaves, young people who helped elders cross the street, morning songbirds that couldn't stop chirping—these things would accumulate into what her mother regarded as bliss.

As she grew older, Keiko learned to understand the concept more and more. When she opened her eyes and saw Satoru's back crystal clear despite the total darkness of the room, she knew that it was one of those little things. The mournful thoughts about her father's passing were still there, but to be able to stretch out her legs under the blanket she shared with someone who meant the world to her gave her extreme comfort that words couldn't perfectly convey. Did the same thing ever happen to her parents? If only there was a way to find the similarities between what she felt now to what her mother had.

The dim light and tapping noises coming from Satoru were the indication that he was wide awake. Keiko remembered asking him to stay at least until she fell asleep, so he sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her hair as she tried to get some peace. While she was snoring, he must have grabbed a pillow from another room and gone back to rest alongside her. This wasn't their first time sleeping next to each other, but this was their first doing it in a bed instead of the living room. Her father never liked it when she got too intimate with a man, even if it was her best friend.

"Why would you aim there? What an idiot!" Satoru hissed under his breath, startling Keiko a tad. He had been an avid gamer since he was a kid, so it must be what he had been doing while waiting for her; getting frustrated at online players who didn't contribute anything to his team. A bot would help me more, he had told Keiko a few times after losing several matches in a row. She would always laugh at his sulking expression.

After watching Satoru in silence for a whole minute, Keiko finally poked his shoulder. "Senpai. What time is it now?"

He quickly rolled around, showing her a pair of blue irises that seemed magical for glowing brighter than the phone in his hand. "You're awake already? It's only been two hours."

"Yeah… What time is it now?" she repeated her question.

"Almost five—hold on. I'm going to win this round and report everyone on my team." He gripped his phone with both hands, lifting it above his face and skillfully using his thumbs on the screen. Other people would be terrified with this position since the phone could fall and injure their faces, but the strongest sorcerer surely didn't need to worry about such a mishap.

Keiko brought herself closer to Satoru's pillow, but there was still a space between their heads. She could see it was a popular battle royale shooting game that was released early this year, which turned out to be one of his new favorites. "You're still going to report them even if you win?" she asked.

"Of course. I'm doing everything by myself now. What a bunch of losers," he said before clicking his tongue. "Seriously? They knew the enemies were there, and they still went there?"

She chuckled. "Senpai, you're probably playing with middle schoolers."

"Like I care!"

Her laughter only got louder. Instead of waiting for him to be done without doing anything, she rose from the bed. Her legs were slightly wobbly when she walked to the bathroom—she might need more sleep, but her stomach growled, and it would be dinner time soon. Inside, she couldn't stop giggling when Satoru kept moaning about how useless and pathetic everyone was. He made it harder for her to wash up because she couldn't stop shaking. Sometimes it was hard to believe that he was twenty-eight years old.

"So, did you win?" she asked once she left the bathroom and found him sitting cross-legged on the bed, no longer squeezing his phone and scowling like he was about to smash it against the wall.

"Only because I was there," he said, apparently still in a bad mood, but it only amused her. "Aren't you going back to sleep?"

"No. I'm fine." She switched on the lights and went to sit in front of him, also folding her legs. "I'm hungry. Besides the ice cream, I haven't had anything since morning."

"Should I order some food?" he asked before grinning. "Better yet, do you want to cook dinner for us?"

"Oh, I'll cook for you! Should we invite Shouko-senpai, Kiyotaka, and the students as well?"

"Won't you get tired cooking for so many people?"

She gently smiled. "Do you remember what I would usually make for a crowd?"

"Shabu-shabu, of course," he answered before unlocking his phone and typing on a few things. "The second years had a mission today, but they should be back by now. Let's invite them and the teachers as well. The more, the merrier, and you can have extra hands to help you."

"Hold on, Senpai." She clutched at his arm, stopping him from contacting everyone on his friend list. "If we do that, then we need to invite the auxiliary managers and windows as well. I don't mind preparing everything, especially if I get some help, but who's going to pay?"

He blinked a few times before titling his head sideways. "Are you seriously asking that?"

"Yes…? What's wrong with my question?" she confusedly replied.

"I purchased your winter jacket for half a million yen. Of course, I'll be the one paying. Do you think I care about wasting a little money on food?" he deadpanned. "Let's invite those who are still around at the school. There'll probably only be about fifteen of them. Consider this your welcome party."

"Which winter jacket?" She couldn't help focusing on the major problem with his statement.

"Your favorite one. The white puffer jacket," he casually replied.

"That was half a million yen?!" she screeched. It wasn't breaking news for the most celebrated jujutsu sorcerer to earn the highest amount of money. Counting that with the inheritance he received from his family, he could afford several houses in Tokyo's most expensive district. She just never realized that she had been wearing a piece of cloth that was worth her two months' salary from the cedar tree farm, and it wasn't the only thing that he had given her.

He grinned, looking smugger than usual. "Do you honestly have no idea? You didn't search for the price on the internet?"

"No… You know I'm not that kind of person…"

"How cute. At least you should know that I've never gifted you a cheap brand."

"Uh, all right, then. Thank you, I suppose. You can do whatever you want with your own money." Not knowing what else to say, she glanced down for a second before shooting a look at him again. "I almost forgot. Will you invite Nanami-senpai as well?"

He raised his brows. "Nanami?"

"Yes. He texted me when my father passed away. It's been years since the last time I spoke to him. If everyone is here, then he should be included as well."

"You know him personally, so why don't you invite him yourself? Do the same with Shouko and Ijichi. I'll take care of the rest. When can we start?"

"Seven o'clock is good. The prepping is just chopping and washing vegetables."

"All right! Let's get going!"

Like a child, Keiko giggled, grabbed her phone that had been charging on the nightstand, and went back to sit near Satoru. She hadn't saved Kento's number, but she could just reply to their previous message. Nanami-senpai, I'm sorry for bothering you. If you're free at seven, can you come to the school? We're having shabu-shabu. Her wording was a little stiff, but she hadn't spoken to this man for almost seven years. Heaving a sigh, she pressed on the blue sending icon before composing a shorter notification to Shouko and Kiyotaka.

"I'm done," she announced, looking back at Satoru, who was still busy typing. She waited for a while before he handed his phone to her. "What's wrong?" she asked, meeting his eyes that hadn't been covered by sunglasses ever since they woke up.

"I'll bring Yuuji and Megumi to shop with me. Write the things that I must buy."

"Oh. True." She took the phone. It was hot, and the battery only had eleven percent left. He must have spent two whole hours getting mad at those in-game strangers.

The school's cafeteria always made delicious meals for the students and staff, but the menu was limited. More often than not, more people would cook by themselves or get food from the outside. When it was her time, she almost always chose the former unless she was too lazy to move a finger, which rarely happened. Since the school was quite generous, the kitchen never ran out of essential ingredients in the pantry, such as herbs and spices, several types of oils, and other necessary condiments that anyone could use for free.

With that in mind, Keiko wrote down the fresh produce that the cafeteria wouldn't have or only kept a tiny amount of. Napa cabbages, enoki mushrooms, shimeji mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, scallions, daikon radish, firm tofu, dried udon, and the most important of all, thinly sliced beef. She wasn't sure if the ponzu sauce they had was enough to feed more than ten people, nor if they ever bought sesame dipping sauce, so she added them to the list. She checked on everything before giving the phone back to Satoru.

"Five kilograms of super good quality thinly sliced beef," Satoru read her memo out loud. "Are five kilograms enough for us?

She shrugged. "I think those are plenty, but we can always get more if we run out of them."

"All right, Chef," he teased her before standing up, taking his sunglasses from the nightstand and wearing them. "Ah, one more thing. When you slept, I realized something about Sukuna."

She widened her eyes, getting excited by the mention. "Yes?"

"You said you felt like you were about to die when you tried to look into his soul, and Sukuna seemed to know about it. Then, why did he try to attack you? Why didn't he let you suffocate and pass out from the immense pain? It was either he almost gave in to your power, or he was curious if being shocked would break you loose. I think it was the first," he explained.

She fell silent for a moment before groaning, "Why are you telling me when you're about to leave? Now we can't discuss it!"

"Haha. I'm sorry. I genuinely forgot. My head was focusing on the best dinner I'll have since the last time I went to Okawa to eat your yakitori," he smoothly retorted. "But it isn't like we have anything to go into. Everything is just my speculation, unless if you want to try facing him again?"

Remembering the torment, she immediately shook her head. "Maybe after Yuuji eats another finger. I should also be more ready by then."

"I agree," he said before spreading his arms. "You won't see me in a while. How about giving me a hug goodbye?"

"What for? I'm going to the cafeteria. We can walk together there, right?" she asked.

He pouted. "Just hug me. Please. I need it."

She snickered before leaping forward and circling her hands around his waist. "I'll miss you, even if we'll see each other again in less than an hour," she said, feeling her heartbeat raced as per usual.

"I'll miss you too. If only we don't need to be separated, even if it's for less than an hour," he jokingly replied while caressing her upper back. Friends don't treat each other like that, what one of the higher-ups had told her came to mind, but she swiftly shoved it aside. There would be many moments where they would be more connected than this—emotionally and physically—so she mustn't overthink it every time it happened.

"Can I ask something?" she proceeded, not decreasing the firmness of her embrace.

"Anything."

"Why do you think Sukuna almost gave in? I fully accepted and understood if I could never win against him. He's… superior to your typical special grade curses. Unlike you, I'm not on the same level as him."

He laughed, moving up one hand to twirl her hair around his fingers. "I've said this too many times. The nature of your cursed energy is very heartwarming. Anyone who can sense it will be aware of the difference."

"So?"

"Cursed energy comes from negative emotions, so how can yours bring evil spirits to tears? It's because you're directly connected to heaven, a place filled with the purest form of love. Among the animosity on earth, you stand out as the embodiment of the purest form of love," he explained it to her like she was five years old, but his tone became pensive when he added, "Trust me, Keiko. Even the most wicked soul will be weakened by kindness."

"But like I told you, Sukuna has no regrets. Even if he has, he managed to cast a shield to prevent me from finding it during our last interaction. It was irritating," she huffed, resting the other side of her head on his chest. "Sometimes, you think too highly of me."

"How could I not? You are powerful, and hatred will never conquer love."

His statement caused her to shiver, but not in a bad way. She couldn't object to anything he said, so she released him, looked up, and smiled. "That was nice. You sounded like a wise teacher."

"I'm always wise, whether I'm a teacher or not," he cheekily admitted, ruining the pleasant atmosphere by turning conceited, as always. It was a move that tended to tick other people off, but it never struck her to detest his personality. She must be blinded by his never-ending compassion.

"Let's go." With one hand, she lightly tapped his left cheek. "Don't forget to charge your phone."

"I'll borrow Megumi's portable charger. Don't worry."

"Good," she said before reapplying her makeup and turning off the lights. Once they left the room, she locked the door and kept the key in her pocket. As they stepped out, they immediately got immersed in their phones—it was bound to happen since they had sent quite a lot of texts to so many people at the same time. Both Shouko and Kiyotaka were around, so they would definitely attend the dinner. I'll be there. Thank you for inviting me, was the short response Kento gave her three minutes ago. It made her happy because she didn't expect him to answer so quickly.

"The second-year students and Kusakabe-san, their teacher, are available now. Yaga-san has some business outside, but he'll come at seven. I'm not sure about the other auxiliary managers and windows," Satoru said. "I think these people will force themselves to be free because they want to spend time with you. Quite a reputation you had built back then."

Kusakabe Atsuya. Keiko remembered him as one of the fourth years who barely left a mark in her heyday. He was big, tall, and way less friendly than Kento. "Kiyotaka, Shouko-senpai, and Nanami-san will also come," she added, skipping the commentaries about the names she heard from the man beside her.

"It's a perfect reunion, then. Aren't you excited about meeting with some old friends?" he asked.

She laughed. "I guess?"

"Good. I just want you to have fun, Keiko."

"Yes. I know," she murmured. "I really appreciate it."

They parted ways when he had to go to the male students' dormitory because the cafeteria was a bit further away. He squeezed her hand twice before he went anywhere, smiling coyly and whispering "I'm really going to miss you". She pulled back her arm and ran off because she couldn't stand the drumming of her heart. They had been friends for eleven years. How could he still make her blush every time she thought that she had gotten used to his affection? Helplessly, the quietness of the empty road forced her mind to mull over the past.

Satoru was the only student that Masamichi brought to the hospital where she had stayed, so he also took the title of being her first friend in Tokyo. He did take care of her for the first few days. He went to her room every so often to make sure that she had everything she needed, advised her to rest as much as possible before starting the learning process in a week, and introduced her to all of his friends, including Shouko, who turned out to be the calmer version of her older sister.

Since she didn't immediately click with Shouko, she always came to Satoru whenever she had something to say. If he hadn't encouraged her to be bold and brave, especially in the jujutsu society that was full of the so-called "scary-looking people", then she wouldn't have had the nerve to complain about the quality of the cafeteria food. They weren't as complex as her mother's cook, so Satoru told her to replicate them herself. It wasn't a mockery or sarcasm. He genuinely wanted her to see the school as her new home.

The following weeks, as Keiko began spending her free time in the kitchen, Satoru rarely came around. The school ground felt bleak without his voice, but she also learned more things about him. Together with Getou Suguru, who was also always so busy, they were two of the only three special grade sorcerers. Shouko would often say that they lived in a whole different dimension than the rest of them, while Kiyotaka would claim that he was grateful for having people like them on humanity's good side.

She didn't know how, when, or why it started, but hearing praises about Satoru made her feel very proud. I can't believe that I get to be friends with someone like him. I wish we could speak again. The temple workers gushed about how good-looking he is, and they weren't wrong at all. Soon, her admiration turned into interest. Is he eating well out there? Shouko-senpai told me that he has a sweet tooth, so what should I make him? At one point, she even pondered if she should text him first. Would she be a bother because he never did it first?

"Keiko, I heard you've been looking for me." One evening, Satoru suddenly appeared in the kitchen, sitting on the stool in front of the long countertop and grinning at Keiko, who was making a mess alone. She remembered feeling a pang in her chest as she held back her tears; she was only fifteen, but she was so sure that she had missed him. It was her first time feeling that way toward a stranger whose last name she only heard a month before.

"Gojou-senpai, I heard you like chocolate chip cookies," she blurted out, feeling thankful that she didn't drop the baking tray in her hands because she got too nervous being the only person within his field of vision. Why didn't she reply by asking how he had been doing? But she wanted him to take off his sunglasses. She longed to see the faultless morning sky marbled in his eyes. She wondered if he was exhausted and wanted her to make him a cup of tea. There were countless things she couldn't tell him that day because they hadn't known each other too well.

"I love all kinds of cookies." He smiled, stretching out his hand. "Give me them."

She almost burned his fingers when she carelessly placed the tray on the countertop. Carefully, he picked one cookie and ate it, making a crunching sound. He seemed satisfied with the taste because he took another piece, then two, then he devoured almost ten of them within a minute. They hadn't exchanged a word when she laughed aloud, followed by him, who beamed from ear to ear like they had read each other's minds when it clearly wasn't the case. For her, it was simply exhilarating to have him around again, and he might have found her facial expression amusing.

"What makes you so happy, Keiko?" he asked.

"You like my cookies," she replied, still giggling.

"Obviously." He had another one again. "Is it your mother's recipe?"

"No. It's from a book that I got from the library. My very first try."

"Your first try? You're talented, then! How lucky am I to be here before anyone else!"

She enthusiastically nodded. "I had so much fun making them."

"If that's the case, will you bake me cookies every time I come home from my missions?"

"Oh… Are you going away again?" She sounded dejected, and she couldn't hide it.

"Not for a while." He folded one hand near the tray and used the other to pick the cookies again. "I'm sorry, but I have to eat all of them."

"Please do! I'll bake more for the others!" she insisted.

"Another thing." He fiddled with the remaining cookies on the tray. They should be hot, but he didn't seem to mind it. "I've been calling you Keiko since the first time we met. Will you call me Satoru from now on?"

Her body heated up in the funniest way—back then, she had never experienced the sensation before. "…Satoru-senpai?" she tried it out.

"Yes, Keiko," he softly spoke her name and showed her another smile. At that moment, young Keiko thought that she had fallen in love at first sight, but it didn't last for long because she told her father, who said that she might only be entranced by Satoru's appearance. Like many other girls, how could she not get flustered when he was that tall and handsome? Someone even mentioned that heaven wasn't fair when they shaped him.

Some people might have noticed it earlier, but the very first time they all agreed about the change in him was during her first summer break as a high school student, roughly two months after she started baking more treats for him. They made a small plan in Odaiba Beach. Upon arrival, Satoru flirtatiously greeted everyone by pinching their cheeks or jabbing their sides. His lack of manner and unnecessary approach was vexing, but when it was Keiko's turn to come by, he only mumbled out his name and fled the coastline.

"Please ignore Satoru's behavior. He's just plain dumb," Suguru had said to Keiko by the end of the day, confusing the girl even more. Shouko was also with them as they hung about the souvenirs' corner while enjoying a can of soda.

"I don't understand it. Did I do something?" Keiko worriedly asked. "He's been avoiding me lately."

"You're good, Shiraishi. He just realized something about himself. Give him some time to get over it," Suguru replied before chuckling to the point that it became difficult for him to gulp down his drink. The laughter infected Shouko, who sealed her lips tightly when she also got interrogated about what was going on.

Keiko was clueless but decided to focus on her schoolwork. As weeks passed by and Satoru went back to being even sweeter around her, she suddenly understood what went wrong before. He just realized something about himself. Give him some time to get over it. He must have acknowledged his feelings toward her, only to be constantly teased by Suguru and Shouko. Accepting humiliation wasn't within his capabilities, so the way he coped was by trying to treat his attraction as a childish crush and nothing more.

Her theory was only proven right when Suguru and Shouko weren't ashamed to call Satoru out in the middle of their meetings. In a matter of days, what started with "Satoru, are you sure you don't want to sit next to Keiko?" escalated to "Satoru, do you think the Gojou family will have an undefeatable heir if they have both Six Eyes and Heavenly Eyes?". Now that Keiko thought of it, the combination could be why those higher-ups wanted to know if she would marry into the renowned clan.

"Sensei, I've been waiting for you!"

Nobara's voice brought Keiko back to the present time. She didn't even realize that she had walked into the cafeteria, so she looked around the place to find four shabu-shabu pots being set on top of portable gas stoves on four different tables. Not only that, but there was also a beautiful black-haired girl who wore glasses, a handsome young man with a high-collar jacket that covered his mouth, and a giant panda who sat around the same table with Nobara. The three of them must be the second-year students, but there was a giant panda. She almost forgot how eccentric the jujutsu world could become.

"I heard from Kusakabe-sensei that we would have a new teacher," the glasses-wearing girl left her chair and stepped forward first. "Nice to meet you, Sensei. I'm Zenin Maki."

"Oh." Keiko was a little taken aback by the surname. Zenin. One of the most prominent sorcerer households, just like the Gojou family. She never thought that she would hear the word again so soon. When was her last meeting with some of the people from the Zenin family? Wasn't it at grade one sorcerers' annual gathering? One thing for sure, she didn't remember hearing Maki's name mentioned anywhere.

"I'm Panda. Nice to meet you, Sensei," the panda announced.

Keiko snickered at the comical introduction. "Panda. Who's your guardian?"

"Principal Yaga."

"I see," Keiko said before glancing at the sweet-looking boy beside Panda. "How about you?"

"Kelp," the boy flatly responded.

Keiko lifted her brows. "I'm sorry?"

"He's Inumaki Toge. He has cursed speech, so he can't speak freely without cursing us," Maki explained on Toge's behalf. "There's another one of us, Sensei. His name is Okkotsu Yuuta, but he's currently overseas—"

"Yes. I've been told about his situation. I can't wait to meet him soon." Keiko smiled once again. "Gojou-sensei is getting the shabu-shabu ingredients for us with Megumi and Yuuji. Did you guys take out the pots?"

"Only me and Maki-senpai. Panda-senpai said his fingers are too fat, while Inumaki-senpai ran to the restroom and never came back," Nobara revealed.

"Fish flakes," Toge said.

"You came back ten seconds ago when we were all done!" Nobara shouted.

She understood that? Keiko's eyelids fluttered, feeling quite amazed at the weird yet lovely interaction. "Haha, it's fine. Thank you so much for helping," Keiko said afterward. "In the meantime, what if we sit down and get to know each other?"

"Are you Satoru's girlfriend?" They hadn't moved their feet when Panda asked, surprising Keiko for more than one concerning reason.

"Oh, I heard about the rumors. Are you Satoru's girlfriend, Sensei?" Maki added.

"Hold on." A look of shock crossed Keiko's face. "Why do you call him by his first name? He's your teach—"

"We don't care about that idiot, but you must be a strong woman to be able to stand someone like him. I must applaud you for that," Maki stated, Panda nodded too many times, while Toge said "salmon". Nobara was the only person who didn't give a strong reaction besides a soft smile.

"Eh…?" Keiko was bewildered. The next forty or fifty minutes would definitely be chaotic.

I'm running out of chapters… :'D

I'll still try to update twice a week. Thank you for reading until this far!