"He WHAT?!"

Qian clasped her friend's shoulders across the table, pushing Miyano back into her seat. "S-Shhhh! M-Miyano-chan, you're too loud!"

Fortunately, the burger joint they were dining in was teeming with customers. Between the chatter and sizzling of patties being cooked in the back, no one appeared to notice the girl's emotional outburst.

"I don't care!" Miyano slapped her hands away as she plopped back down in the chair with a huff. "He said that to you?!"

Qian nodded her head solemnly, her eyes downcast as she recalled the disheartening memory. "I-I dont know what he's talking about. B-But I feel like no matter what I say, he just gets annoyed with me."

"I don't get it…aren't you just helping out in a school's medical facility? Why is this one teacher treating you like shit?" Miyano growled, grabbing a fistful of french fries and shoving it in her mouth furiously.

Qian sighed dejectedly, unable to fully respond. She never told Miyano the entire truth about her job since she was a normal human and… It would just be too overwhelming to explain.

"I-Im not sure… I just feel guilty and I don't know what to do." She mourned, miserably twirling the straw in her chocolate milkshake.

Miyano regarded her friend with sympathetic eyes. "Qiqi… don't let this guy get to you. You are the smartest, most diligent person I know. That school made the right decision to hire you full-time. And honestly, I know this may not be much but…" She gave her friend a thumbs-up and a wide grin. "I'm really proud of you."

Qian blushed in embarrassment. "W-Why? I haven't done anything…"

"Are you kidding? Look how far you've come in just a few weeks!" Miyano praised, raising her hands dramatically in front of her. "Ever since Hayato… passed… you've always been too scared to move forward and seize new opportunities. It felt like you were stuck in the same place, just trying to keep your head above water. But now look at you!" She pointed directly at her friend, giving her a gentle nudge on her shoulder with her finger. "You could've just moved on to work at your brother's company like you originally planned but instead, you took on this random job and are flourishing from it! Scratch that, you actually enjoy it! Dont let this stupid-ass teacher ruin it for you."

Qian held her milkshake in two hands, her eyes still despondent but shimmering with a glimmer of hope. "D-Do you mean that?"

"Of course!" The blond angrily ripped a bite out of her burger, jousting another finger straight into her friend's face. "And fuck what he says- you are stronger than you think. You just need to believe in yourself!"

Qian finally gave a small smile, shoulders slumped in relief. "T-Thank you Miyano-chan…I really needed to hear that…"

The girl waved her hand dismissively, taking a noisy slurp from her strawberry milkshake. "It's the truth, I'm not saying it to make you feel better." She took another bite of her burger. "I still can't believe this asshole was the same guy who rescued you from that grocery store incident that time…you sure it was him?"

Qian cradled her cheek in one hand and knitted her brows, closing her eyes as she thought back to that day. "I-I think so. He had the exact same unique hair color and height."

Miyano shrugged flippantly. "Damn, guess sometime within the past two years he shoved a stick so far up his ass that he could never get it out."

"M-Miyano-chan…!" Qian scolded meekly, biting back a giggle at the image that popped in her mind.

"What? I'm just sayin'." Her friend grumbled, her cheeks stuffed with food. "Can't believe just because he's an old man he can treat you like that."

"H-He's actually not old." Qian corrected, tilting her head slightly as she recalled the sorcerer. "I-I think he's in his late twenties?"

"EHHH?! SERIOUSLY?!" Miyano shot to her feet, slamming her hands on the table as she towered over her friend's intimidated form. "Qiqi, that changes everything!"

The poor girl stared up at her in confusion with wide, fearful eyes. "W-What do you mean?"

Miyano collapsed in her seat, rubbing her face with one hand with a loud sigh. Qian took a sip of water, regarding her friend with raised brows before the blond suddenly leaned forward, folding her arms on the table. "Now. I need to ask: is he hot?"

Qian immediately choked and coughed, the water she had just swallowed now splattered all over the table. Miyano managed to grab and raise her tray of food out of the way in time.

"W-WHAT SORT OF QUESTION IS THAT?!" The poor girl yelped, gasping for much needed air.

"I have to know! Is. He. Hot?" Miyano repeated, placing her tray back down carefully. "With an attitude like that, he's gotta be drop-dead sexy. A narcissist maybe- but sexy!"

"M-M-Miyano-chan that's so inappropriate!" Qian cried, shaking her head fervently as her cheeks burned in mortification.

"What? I was just wondering!" Her friend defended, a smug grin forming on her face as she slowly sat back down. "I'm gonna guess 'yes' based on your reaction…"

Her face grew even hotter. "N-N-No, no, no! That's not it at all!"

"Oh? So he's not?" Miyano quipped, popping a fry in her mouth.

"H-H-H-" Qian spluttered, hiding her face in her hands. "H-He's very respectable!" However, she couldn't help but recall his chiseled features, his sharp jawline… his broad back…

She slapped her own cheeks as she planted her forehead down on the table in a vain attempt to halt her straying thoughts.

Miyano chuckled upon observing her friend, almost being able to discern imaginary smoke rising out of her head as she struggled with her inner turmoil.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" She swallowed the last of her burger and licked her fingers. "Just trying to lighten you up!"

Qian laughed nervously, but her face remained heated as her mind still wandered back to the Jujutsu sorcerer.

I wonder what his eyes look like…

—-

"Make sure you keep me posted on how you're doing, okay?" Zeng reminded once more in concern, handing his sister a very stuffed duffel bag as she finished tying her shoes.

Qian slung the bag over her shoulder before shrugging on a heavy hiking backpack, puffing her cheeks in annoyance. "I-I told you I will! I'm not a little kid anymore!"

Zeng sighed, regarding the girl with worried eyes. "Just be careful, alright? I know you'll be with other people but-"

"N-Nii-san, don't worry!" She assured, heaving another large drawstring bag over her shoulder. "T-They're all really strong a-and, even so, I don't need protection!"

"If you say so…" Her brother then examined her gear with an amused twinkle in his eye. "Are you sure you need all this stuff?"

"Y-Yes! This is going to be a super important mission and I need to be prepared!" Qian assured as she grabbed the handle of her wheeling luggage.

Zeng shook his head in defeat. "I don't know how you do it. You've always been bad with running and yet, you're able to lift our groceries and all this heavy stuff without a problem."

"T-That's because one is aerobic and the other is anaerobic…there's a difference, N-Nii-san!" The girl chided, puffing her cheeks angrily. "A-And I'm not THAT bad with the former…I'm just a bit out of shape…"

He let out a soft grin and ruffled her hair affectionately. "Sure, sure. Whatever you say- just take it easy okay? I know you stayed up really late last night and didn't get much sleep."

She gave her brother a pout as she hurriedly tried to fix her hair with one hand while opening the door. "I-I'll be okay! I'm going now!"