For Sukuna, now it was nighttime;

For some strange reason, the boy was unable to sleep. He was restless and kept turning over in his futon. A small sigh would escape his lips as he lifted his head from the sheets and looked out the window. As he looks around, he recognizes it is quite late at night. Despite how restless Sukuna is, he is finding it difficult to get good sleep for the past few days.

As he looked over at Taiyou, he could see that the dork was exhausted. As he could see his body was strewn everywhere, he snored slightly. His eyes rolling, he got up from his spot and dressed in a warm Haori and lit a small lantern. The moment he opened the sliding doors, he began to roam the halls of the school.

The large tatemono creaked under his feet with each step he took as he strolled through it. Due to other students and teachers also being asleep, he tried to be as quiet as he could. His last wish was to wake anyone up, especially Marin-sensei.

During his stroll through the halls of the school, Sukuna has to admit he has seen a lot over the last few months. At first, Sukuna was involved in the Nuribotoke incident, and ever since then, he has pledged to himself never to act in such a reckless manner again. The extra training he undertook as part of his efforts to avoid being that weak again in the future.

Another notable character that also entered his life was Hikari Bushida.

Since he faced off against the girl a few weeks ago, Sukuna's school life hasn't been easy for him. Whenever we were in the classroom, it was just one more moment spent with Hikari. He was proud to say that he was at the top of his class in terms of grades and other subjects. However, he also has to contend with the new girl. Aside from studying harder, he intensified his training sessions with Marin-sensei. Despite the fact that he had been diligently training, he felt like he had not achieved the results he wanted.

It was all because Hikari was always right behind him.

In lectures, Hikari always put her hand up and answered the questions necessary, and she aced many of her tests. She demonstrates intelligence and uses her skills to gain information to improve her fighting abilities. In addition to gathering information, it also shows great skill in hand-to-hand combat and archery. The fact that she keeps surprising him is extremely irritating to Sukuna since he hates surprises.

Aside from her skills, the battle they had that day also culminated at the beginning of their tumultuous relationship. Although he knew she was going to be his new rival, he did not anticipate that it would trigger him to no end. Taiyou sometimes had to make sure that he kept him level-headed and sane. On other occasions, he would get a good smack over the head for being a complete jerk towards the girl. His habit was always to press her buttons repeatedly to elicit a reaction from her. In the end, she somehow always remains calm just as she was about to burst. Then he felt even more compelled to bother the girl to no end.

No matter how many insults she received, she would always respond with kindness. He doesn't understand why she puts up this kind front all the time, why she never does anything mean to him. Slowly, he began to believe that this girl is a masochist of some sort.

Challenges present themselves every day. It's a constant battle between them to find out who will become the most skillful sorcerer at the school. Because both parties constantly go at it with one another, there were never any dull moments. It has been a fierce rivalry between them for the rest of the first year of school.

Even though he tries to get the image of this girl off of his mind, it always comes back to him in some form.

Due to the constant fights and competition between the two pairs. No matter how much Taiyou tries to be the middle ground for both parties, there is always a bolt of electricity between them. Sukuna struggled constantly because he was hoping his time at this school would be a breeze.

With Hikari in the way, his plan has been disrupted.

Sadly, it doesn't end there for Sukuna. As the end of his first year at school approached, the dark voice in his head became louder and louder. This kept feeding him dark thoughts and prompted him to be cruel towards the Bushida girl as it kept feeding him dark thoughts. It was as though there was a dark side of him just waiting to be released, but he had to keep it in check.

In an effort to find some relief from his irritation, Sukuna decided to go to the library for a few scrolls to read. He thought that, since he is wide awake, it might be the perfect place for him to de-stress and perhaps do some studying. Upon reaching the library, he noticed that a small light source had been lit. He sees that someone has already beaten him to it.

"Who would be awake at this hour?" Sukuna thought as he was making his way towards the Library.

Taking a peek inside, he reached out his hand and opened the door. His eyes widen when he sees that the one person he wanted to avoid is sitting at a kotatsu with a cup of tea on the table and a clay teapot nearby. While she read the contents, small spirits flew around the library, glowing a bit as they surrounded the navy-haired girl and her familiar fox.

"Oi, pest!" Sukuna responded, walking towards her, "what the hell are you doing up at this hour?"

Blinking a few times, she lifted her scroll and gazed at the boy. Her eyes narrowed a bit towards him as she raised an eyebrow at him. She sipped her tea and stared at the pink-haired boy while sipping her tea.

"I should also ask you the same question," she replied, laying the cup on the table.

As Sukuna glared at the girl, he said, "I asked you first."

Upon hearing Hikari's sighs, she rubbed her temples. Already becoming irritated by the boy's behaviour. Despite the late hour, Sukuna was surprised to hear her answer her question without fighting him.

The girl replied, "I tried going back to sleep, but I couldn't sleep. At that point, I was wide awake, so I decided to study to pass some time."

Trying to absorb her words, Sukuna blinked several times. He could not help but chuckle as her words finally sunk in. Which caused the girl to go bright red from embarrassment.

"Wait, what's so funny?" Hikari cried out.

"You are such a nerd," The boy replied, "Who the hell comes into the library to study to pass time? In the middle of the night, especially?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, she narrowed her eyes. "So tell me then, Mr. Know-it-all; what brings you here late at night?"

As soon as Sukuna heard her response, he stopped chuckling and paused. While trying to find an answer to the question, he was sweating nervously. When he tried to generate a response, he was unable to do so. His eyes would dart away as he mumbled under his breath.

He muttered, "This is none of your business..."

Sukuna's words were somehow perceived by Hikari, who laughed softly. In an effort to be a good teammate, she notices that her teammate has taken the stubborn approach. As she stood up, she would walk towards a shelf and pick up the clay cup. Then she walked back to where she sat and bore a cup of tea in her hand.

Watching her movements, Sukuna felt suspicious about her actions. When he looked towards her, his eyes narrowed as if he thought she had a purpose.

"What are you up to?" He asked.

"Since you are awake, you might as well join me and keep me company," She offered, pushing the cup towards him.

"Why do you believe that I want to sit near you?" He replied, glaring at her slightly.

"Unless you have something better to do late at night," she replied nonchalantly, "just sit down and stop talking."

Sukuna was shocked by Hikari's aggressive response. Until now, she had never told him to shut up. His response was almost immediate, but instead, he shook his head in defeat. At that hour, it was too late to argue with someone, especially against Hikari. Since she was kind enough to make him tea, he felt that he should not refuse her hospitality.

Regardless of her status as his rival.

"Fine," he muttered from the other end of the table, "but I'm not going to enjoy your company."

"I never expected that," she said, looking at the scroll and the content on it. "Just sit down and relax. You're starting to become a distraction."

With a murmur of a few words, Sukuna cautiously approached the table that Hikari was seated at and sat on the opposite end. Infusing the warm liquid into his hands, he would cover the lower half of his body with the fabric. Sipping on the tea she made for him.

Unexpectedly, it was good.

With a couple of tips, everything was silent between the boy and the girl. Her soft breathing was all he could hear. A couple of ruffle sounds are heard every once in a while after Hikari has finished reading a part of the scroll. With his chin resting on the palm of his hand, he just stared at her.

As the moon was placed high in the sky, it was a perfect match for her features. Those dark locks and bright eyes. Although he despised the woman for being a huge pain in the ass for him for the past few months, there is something about her looks that always gets to him. He couldn't help but be captivated by her looks, regardless of how much he hated her.

"Paint a picture, it will last longer."

His eyes widened once more. When did she suddenly become sassy?

"I didn't expect you to have such a sassy attitude," Sukuna teased

Hikari rolled her eyes, "Maybe if you spent some time getting to know me, you'd discover more about me."

His eyes twitched in annoyance.

What do you mean, exactly? It should be the other way around!"

Her eyes stared at Sukuna as she slammed the scroll onto the table. Her expression clearly shows irritation and annoyance. While he couldn't resist the temptation to twitch his lips, he was happy to finally see this girl's response he had been waiting for.

"Please, I have always been nice to you since I came here," She replied, glaring at him slightly, "however, only Kami knows why but for some strange reason, no matter what I do...you seem to hate my existence."

"What if I do?" the boy said, sipping his tea, "Is it important whether I like you or not? Everyone seems to adore you from what I can tell. Therefore, my approval shouldn't matter."

But that's the thing," Hikari said, now standing up, "I want your approval. You and I have much to learn from each other."

There was no longer a look of irritation or irritation on the girl's face. As a replacement, an expression of pain was used. The sudden change in her face made his heart race. This was not the reaction he expected, and this is not the side of her he wanted to see.

"You're the only one who doesn't treat me differently at this school." She started, "I will admit, dislike the name-calling and treating me lowly because I'm a girl. Still, I keep trying. There's only one person who challenges me without hesitation, and that's you. You look past my family status and follow what your heart tells you. You're different from everyone else, and that's what I like about you...that's why I wanted to be your friend."

"But what about Taiyou?" Now standing up, Sukuna asked, "He's been nothing but nice to you since you started here. How does he differ from other people?"

"Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate Taiyou-kun." Hikari responded, "However, due to his family position as well, he has to be nice to me as well, and that annoys me. Even though he is a bright, kind person, I know that he treats me differently because of my nobility."

At that moment, Sukuna saw her eyes becoming dull because of that sad look in her eyes. Her eyes no longer sparkle as though the clouds were covering them up. After another sigh escaped her lips, she looked away for a moment. Her words sank in as if they were painful.

Her look isn't appealing at all. He doesn't understand why seeing her life makes his heartache one bit. The unexpected thing was that he understood all the different aspects of how she was feeling. The only difference is the effect is the treatment is far different from how he gets treated by the rest of the school.

"But isn't that a good thing?" Sukuna asked slowly, swirling the contents in his cup.

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Getting treated differently. Apparently, your clan is a devout one and well respected." He retorted, savouring his drink, "At least it doesn't treat you negatively. They are kissing your ass out of fear of getting on your bad side."

"B-but I don't want that!" Hikari exclaimed, "I wanted to be treated equally. I find it offensive that they are doing that because of my name. I want people to like me for who I am. Not because of my powers."

"Well, what makes you think that I will like you? I hate your guts if anything," Sukuna replied, raising his eyebrows, "I can't tell you how fortunate you are to be treated with such respect. You'd be lucky if they even acted nice towards you at all. As a mere outsider, I am not from a noble family, nor am I descended from any noble lines. I wish these people looked at me the same way they do at you."

She narrowed her eyes toward Sukuna, saying, "I would rather someone be cruel to me than treating me with fake kindness..." Her eyes suddenly flashed brightly, "At least when someone is mean to me such as yourself, they are being honest with their true selves. I despise the way the others look at me, how I'm just another weapon. Because finding out someone's kindness is a lie hurts more..."

The two stared at one another as they then fell into silence. Sukuna wasn't sure exactly how to reply back to the girl. He began to feel guilty over being mean to her this whole time he had known her. He felt a bit more at ease with the girl now that he understood her better.

Oddly enough, they're the same, just living different lives.

"...I'm sorry."

She no longer had glowing eyes, instead, they had returned to their normal state. As her eyes grew softer towards the boy. Her expression had changed to that of someone who was taken aback, shocked by what the speaker had just said.

'W-What did you say to me?" It seemed as though Hikari had lost her breath when she asked that.

"You heard me! I won't repeat myself." The boy replied, blushing softly, "I-Idiot..."

Hikari opened her mouth to speak, but decided not to. Despite closing her mouth, she couldn't help but smile ever so slightly. Adding even more blush to the boy's face. As a newcomer to this kind of emotion, he still believes he has a long way to go to understand the warm fuzzy sensation inside of him.

The boy's surprise was sparked by her words, "I'm sorry."

"What are you talking about?" Sukuna asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl. "What the hell are you apologizing for?"

"For not understanding your feelings sooner," Hikari said, "I should have understood your anger and frustration better. Because I was stuck in my own little world, I let myself be swayed by my selfish emotions. The important things in front of me slipped from my sight."

Sukuna observed her delicate fingers trace the rim of her cup, staring deeply into the tea in thought. He sensed no malice or ill-intent, but instead pure genuinity and honesty. An expression of guilt could be seen at the edge of her lips as a sad smile formed.

"It was just my desire to earn your respect and hopefully become good friends with you. That was all I wanted between us. The last thing I wanted was to cause you any trouble because of my social status. I am truly sorry I did not realize this sooner."

Despite knowing absolutely nothing about this, the boy could not help but sigh, thus rubbing the back of his neck. In spite of feeling his cheeks grow hot again, he tried to take her words in without clicking his tongue in irritation.

In his mind, Sukuna reflected on how there was nobody who would listen to him like this. His teacher Marin, as well as Taiyou, may have been willing to understand where he comes from, but no one else with whom he interacts is willing to. Thus, to have someone like Hikari try her damnedest to understand him is something he is not used to at all.

What is she trying to accomplish? It's hard to believe why she is so motivated since he has treated her so badly throughout her time at the Jujutsu school of sorcerers. His poor mind just couldn't comprehend why someone like her would want to be friends with an outsider like him. The reason she thinks he is special eludes him.

"You're so annoying..." said Sukuna, looking away from Hikari.

Letting out one last sigh, he would adjust himself in his seat as he was now properly facing the girl. As he coughed awkwardly, he would reach his hand out towards her. Still looking away from her as he tried his best to conceal his flushed cheeks. Hikari's sincerity and devotion to her feelings are admirable. Although they were rivals, his hatred for the girl began to fade gradually. Even though he still dislikes her, at least he was willing to be a little lenient towards her. He knows he has a long way to go before he grows fond of her;

But it was a start.

"What are you doing?" She asked, confused by his gesture.

"I'd like to introduce myself," he muttered, loud enough for her to hear.

Looking back at the girl, whose eyes are widening, she was surprised to see what he was trying to accomplish. It wasn't easy for him to help blushing more in embarrassment after watching her stare into those star-filled eyes like that. It may not have been much, but for him;

He took a huge step by doing this.

"I am Sukuna, known as the outsider of our school," he said, "and I am not a part of any clan. Even so, I am also known among my peers as a top student in this school. You and I will be teammates with Taiyou until graduation, so feel honoured to be in the same squad as me."

As much as Sukuna tried, he really tried to introduce himself without seeming like a total jerk to Hikari. Her facial expression once again changed, but there was no longer any surprise or shock. The enigmatic expression on her face turned soft instead of her normal one. As she extended her hand to him, she would gladly accept it. Grasping it firmly in her hands, she shakes it. The moment they made contact, he felt some sort of electricity coursing through his body. He was unsure what it was;

Yet it sent his heart racing.

"It's finally a pleasure to meet you, Sukuna," her voice said ever so softly, "My name is Hikari from the Bushida Clan. But please, call me Hikari. As a new member of your team, you cannot imagine how delighted I am to be working alongside you. Let's make the rest of our time together exciting!"

[END OF CHAPTER SEVEN]

Translations:

Tatemono - building
Kotatsu - Alow table with a special futon (or shitagake) placed over it with a heart source in the middle of the bottom table.