Jujutsu Kaisen: The Forgotten Clan

Chapter 28- Sister-Exchange Event, Day 2 Part 2

(I need to escape this school and get to Kyoto now!)

"Simon, eyes on your paper."

(For now, I have to get through this Chemistry exam...and shake this idiot who threw Simon's body against the locker. Hehehe.)

"Hey, pizza face, what is the answer to number eight?"

"None of your business, thick head."

While Katsukei bares his teeth, I smirk in return knowing full well my actions could get me out of school early.

Back in Kyoto: Last Minute Team Meeting; Tokyo

"I say we leave her out. Something is bothering her and it will be a pain for us to babysit her."

"Must you be so critical, Gojo? I vote for keeping Miss Santa-Clara in the event. We can have her stay in a designated area...away from the spirits."

"Piff, you are going soft on her too, Nanami?"

"We need her, Satoru. Think about it; her technique can sense out the Kyoto students well before they come into view and will allow the rest of us to hunt the spirits."

"Hi everyone, sorry I am late. I thought our meeting started in an hour."

The looks on everyone's faces range from stoic to bugged-eyed and red-faced.

"Oh, newbie...um, we have been thinking..."

"We do apologize for starting early. Since you were resting up, Nanami, Haibara, Gojo, and I decided to give you space out in the field today. Space to eliminate any threats while we hunt for curses."

Simon nods in agreement. His energy levels are high for the time being.

"That sounds like a splendid plan everyone. I take it we will be heading out for this event soon?"

While Nanami and Haibara walk out of the room first, Gojo and Geto stay behind. Gojo scratches his head and looks over his glasses towards Geto. Geto puts his hands in his pockets and scrunches his face. A chill runs through Simon's spine.

"Spill your guts kid. Why are you behaving this way?"

"Whatever do you mean behaving this way? I am behaving quite normally. Thank you very much."

"Seriously? I have called you kid several times today, and you have not chewed my head off! Geto told you we had another meeting, and you showed up late. And look at yourself now!"

Simon's eyes stare at the ground while his right thumb kneads the back of his left hand. The slightest tint of pink covers his face. Gojo continues his rant.

"And the way you have been talking...you sound like a forty-year-old woman! Care to say anything in defense of yourself?"

Furrowing his brow, rummaging his mind for a non-defensive response and gentle exit from Gojo's furry, Simon responds with, "yes, I wish you luck today, and I don't plan on spoiling whatever plan you have concocted. Good day to you both!"

With that, Simon turns on his heels and walks into the closed classroom door. Now, his face is bathed in a crimson glow. No amount of fridged air or ice water can calm the inferno resting in his chest. The door closes silently, leaving the two sorcerers with each other.

"You call that taking someone's feelings into consideration, Satoru?"

"Don't lecture me, Suguru. Besides, she handles criticism and confrontation like a pro. Now we should get going before Yaga comes for us."

Meanwhile:

"Simon."

...

"Simon, will you please look at me when I am talking with you."

Jerking my head out of the locker, I stare into the eyes of Rimo, Kazuo.

"Why are you giving me a puppy eye look again?"

Words escape my mind, I blink ten miles a second, and my books jump onto the floor. While distracting myself from Kazuo's presence, he gets on my level. Our hands gravitate towards each other, but don't touch. My heart rate remains steady and, a sense of peace dispels the darkness lurking inside my chest. Talk about receiving mixed signals. I return to Earth when Kazu's sultry voice hovers in the air.

"We have study hall. Want to grab a coffee and discuss what happened during Chemistry class?"

All I can do is look at my books and admire the dimples forming on my face.

11:00 am: Kyoto Technical College, an Hour Before Show Time

Deciding it's better to stay on good terms with Gojo, Simon waits outside. Walking around in circles while snapping his fingers offers temporary relief from the butterflies in his stomach. Onlookers, students, and supervisors from both campuses walk past Simon without a second thought. He starts thinking out loud.

"There's no need to go off on Gojo. We experienced a breakdown in communication resulting in my tardiness. I will bring this up after the event. "

Right on cue, the remaining Tokyo students show up.

11:30 am: A Coffee Shop Near Simon's High School

I know it is a free period for Simon and his partner, and I am learning how much they care about each other. After a two-minute back-and-forth regarding who would pay for the date, I find myself sitting in a booth waiting for Kazue to return. It is growing hard for me to fight back to the damn water building up behind my eyes.

"Here you go, one black coffee without sugar. I also got you a blueberry scone."

"Oh, thank you, Katzu."

Dang! Katzue's appearance is a gift from the heavens: there is a natural sparkle to his deep brown eyes, a roundish appearance in his cheeks, making him look like a dimpled peach, and his curly locks are out of this world. Oh no, he is smiling with his teeth.

"I take it you enjoy what you are looking at, eh? Now tell me, what happened in Chemistry class today?"

I need to get myself together.

"Katsukei started pestering me to no end during our exam, and I decided to give him the wrong answers to the questions."

"What else happened? He seemed more worked up than usual during the passing period. He was mumbling a threat regarding you...and you are fidgeting. And did you think I would not notice the bruise on your knuckles?"

I take a sip of coffee while cocking an eyebrow towards Simon's boyfriend. He mirrors my expression.

"I kicked him in the shin and punched his smug face...in retaliation for punching me this morning."

Clap, clap, clap. Katzue closes his eyes and starts giving me a subtle congratulations. If I were back on Abitha's campus, my butt would be sent to the principal's office for a scolding.

"Before transferring high schools, I was in a similar boat as you: experiencing bullying, not knowing how to defend myself, and feeling out of place. At least you have found your ability to fight."

I put my coffee cup on the table, turn my head towards my right-hand side, and look Katzue in the eyes. He gets the hint and continues his story.

"There was another student...I don't remember their name, but, they helped me out. Whenever I came to school feeling sorry for myself or spent a few minutes before class with a cry session, they listened to me. Eventually, I found a group of five other students: two from the women's high school next door and three from my former high school. Turns out, we were all experiencing the same harassment from the same groups of bullies.

The six of us would look out for each other and realized the same student brought us together. Unfortunately, the student who brought us together started being a target for the bullies as well. We weren't too surprised when their well-being started to decline. Heck, at one point I saw the student having a yelling match with their principal. What did surprise us was hearing that they ditched school altogether.

My understanding is, they stopped coming to school one day: no goodbye or heads-up. Eventually, I transferred out...and so did four of the other targeted students. I hope to meet the person I just described again. I owe them my gratitude."

Meanwhile In Kyoto...

"The rules for the team event are straightforward: exorcise a curse, get a point for your team. Whichever team exercises the Grade-1 curse first wins. If neither team exercises the Grade-1 curse, points will be tallied up and used to determine a winner.

Killing is strictly prohibited! Causing mischief, outwitting the opposing team, or incapacitating other players is allowed...now..."

Why are there so many rules? Who is that green-eyed person with the snarky look on his face? If I am not careful, he will rip me to shreds! I am going to pass out from this stomach ache and...crud, here comes Sir Grumpy Pants. I will ignore him.

"I am not talking with you for the rest of today, so leave."

"Oh really? What do you think you are doing now, kid?"

Simon folds his arms across his chest, turns his back towards Satoru, and holds his nose towards the sky.

"What do you want then? We had a minor breakdown in communication earlier and I take full responsibility for being late for the meeting. I would appreciate moving on, thank you."

"I just want you to be safe out there in the forest. It is highly dangerous and you have been acting off all day long. Just stay in place with Geto and let the rest of the team exorcise curses. Oh, and you dropped this after your match yesterday."

An exasperated exhale leaves Simon's mouth but, he does not protest. He looks at the silver dagger resting in Gojo's exposed palm, looks at Geto, and reluctantly takes the weapon from the annoying seventeen-year-old. The Kyoto and Tokyo teams split up and head to their respective starting positions. After the start signal goes off, Gojo and the remainder of the Tokyo students start hunting down curses.

On the Walk Back to Campus

I glance at Simon's watch and nearly pee myself.

"Relax dude, we have an hour before our last class. Or have you forgotten about today's schedule?"

"You don't understand, I have to get to Kyoto for an important event."

"If you are suggesting we skip school, I am not participating. And what event are you attending?"

(Sugar...at this point, I should just wait out the rest of the day and then head off to Kyoto. Buzz.)

"Simon?"

"Hold on a minute Katzue. I want to send a message to my parents first, then I will answer your question."

Katzue walks ahead of me while mumbling under his breath. I notice a low-level curse out the corner of my left eye.

Text Message to Dad and Mom: Hey dad and mom, I would like to spend a few hours in Kyoto after school today. Is this alright with the two of you? I will ask Katzue if he is able/wants to join me. I love you both, have a nice day.

"Hey Katzue, wait up!"

Spectator Gallary of the Exchange Event

"I must say, Zen'In, Naoya healed up fairly nicely."

"Cut it out Gojo. I am not in the mood to fight with you."

"That is a first coming from you. And Cyril, I am glad you could make it today."

"Thank you for the warm welcome, Sir Gojo. And Sir Zen'In, it is my pleasure seeing you again. I hear things have been especially busy with Jujutsu Technical College since the newest student made her debut?"

"Yes. Not more than usual."

The Zen'In and Gojo head respond at the same time. Their conflicting answers do not bother Cyril as he smiles to himself and thinks:

That is exactly what I wanted to hear. Now, to meet her face-to-face before returning to France. I nearly had the chance of doing so last night in the infirmary. But alas, the little brat was under the weather and unfit to hold a conversation. This time, I will make sure she gets my message.

"Good morning Fabrice and Aldric. I decided to join you all today!"

And Now We Return to the Forest: Warning, there will be mentions of violence & blood

Oh no, someone is following us. And...

Crack. Simon flies headfirst into a tree after a wave of cursed energy catches him off guard.

"Blaze!"

"Thank you for helping me up, watch out!"

Simon pushes Geto away and receives another direct hit. This time, he is thrown through two trees, five bushes, and a bed of roses. His final landing place is the riverbed.

"Compared to yesterday, you seem less intimidating. Just like Naoya stated before the event. It should be easy to take you down now that you are separated from that idiot with the ear piercings."

My red-headed, Canadian counterpart picks himself up from the river bed, brushes off dust particles, and reorients himself. He comes face-to-face with two Kyoto students: both presumed female.

"That is a rude thing to say about someone! He has a name and so do I. Now, who are you two?"

Searing pain pulsates through his body as if someone replaced his bones with piles of fiery coal. Trying his best to regroup, Simon falls flat on his back; piles of rocks encapsulate his body. Labored breathing, unsteady heart rhythms, and dilated pupils beckon Simon into slumber.

Text Message Response to/from the parents:

Dad: Simon, why the sudden urge to visit Kyoto? It is the middle of the week, you have school tomorrow, and it is a two-hour train ride from Tokyo.

Mom: Honey, our son is responsible enough to make his own decision and it would be a good experience for him to learn the way of the land. Are you going to spend the evening in Kyoto? Do you need anything from your father or me? Are you meeting someone else in Kyoto?

Simon: Dad, I understand where you are coming from in regards to school; I can do my homework on the train. Mom, I was not planning to spend the evening and I am hoping to grab dinner with Lithuila. I also have some pocket change. May I go or not?

Mom: Call us when you arrive at your destination. We love you.

Simon: Thank you and will do that.