"U-Um…will Gojo-sensei be alright?" Qian asked nervously, peering out the window to look back down the road.

A few minutes have passed since they started driving. Utahime crossed her arms with a huff, leaning back in her seat as she sat across the aisle from the girl.

"Don't worry, nothing can touch that jerk. Plus, he can fly. He's probably already there by now." She grumbled, slouching down in her chair.

"Gojo-san's cursed technique allows him to travel long distances in short amounts of time." Ijichi added, glancing into his rearview mirror as he kept his eyes on the road.

"O-Oh, I see." Qian replied, also resting in her seat. She propped her elbow up on the armrest, staring at the passing view.

"So, your name's Qian?"

Qian jumped in her seat and looked behind her, locking eyes with the blue-haired girl, who gave a friendly wave.

The medical assistant nodded, bowing her head politely. "Y-Yes, I am."

"I'm Miwa Kasumi, nice to meet you!" She greeted before pointing at the doll, who was resting in the chest pocket of her vest. "And this is Mechamaru, another Kyoto student and second-year like me. Though when he's in this form, I call him Mini-maru"

"Kasumi, do you really have to degrade me like that?" Mechamaru sighed, shaking his little head.

"N-Nice to meet you both!" Qian replied, grateful for a friendly conversation. She noted the cute gingham-patterned romper she was wearing. "I-I also have to say, your romper is super cute!"

"Thanks! I bought it just for this trip…" She giggled shyly as she scratched her cheek. She straightened her back. "OH! I was wondering, so…I overheard you're not a sorcerer?"

Qian nodded with a nervous smile. "T-That's correct. I work with Ieiri-sensei in her office and lab, and I try to help Gojo-sensei's team whenever I can if they go out on missions as a field medic."

"OH MY GOSH, are you serious?!" Kasumi gushed, her navy-blue eyes sparkling with sheer joy. "So you get to work with THE Gojo Satoru?! I'm SO SO jealous!"

Mechamaru tapped a little hand on her ear. "Calm down Kasumi, you're going to scare her."

Qian gave a soft laugh. "O-Oh no it's fine! D-Do you also get to work with him?"

"Psh, I WISH!" Kasumi huffed, followed by a suppressed squeal. "It would be a DREAM of mine but alas, I'm only able to afford living in Kyoto…UGH you have to tell me what it's like to work with him! Isn't he super cool and strong?!"

Qian paused for a moment, thinking of the renowned sorcerer. "U-Um, I suppose he is, yes!" She nodded her head in agreement. "H-He's very powerful and protective of his students."

"RIGHT?! He's so charismatic and kind to all of us at Jujutsu High, his students especially!" The girl exclaimed, knitting her fingers together across her chest as she sighed dreamily. "And he's SUPER handsome, isn't he?!"

Qian immediately blushed, looking down as she coughed uncomfortably. "I-I guess he is-"

"See Mechamaru?! I knew I'm not the only Gojo-fan in this school!" The doll simply shook his head in response as Kasumi immediately clasped Qian's hands together. "We're gonna be amazing friends! You have to hang out with us once we get to the beach!"

"O-Oh I'm sure you have your other friends-" The bespectacled girl protested, not wanting to intrude on their class outing.

"But none of them appreciate Gojo-sensei as much as we do! It's gonna be amazing! I can share with you all the pictures I took of him during the Exchange Event last year, the missions I got to briefly see him on…" She continued to ramble on and Qian helplessly allowed her to pull out her phone, showing her the numerous pictures in her photo library.

"Okay and today's mission…we HAVE to get a picture of him with his shirt off!" Kasumi finally asserted, glaring at Qian with determination, much to the latter's horror.

"W-W-W-Why?!" Qian yelped in mortification, the redness in her cheeks darkening. "T-That's so inappropriate!"

"Because we're Gojo-fans that's why!" Kasumi asserted, clenching her hands into fists as she shot her arms up with enthusiasm. "It's a must-have picture for our fan club."

Mechamaru sighed, palming his tiny hand against his minute forehead. "What fan club?"

Kasumi faltered, sitting back in her seat as she chuckled sheepishly. "Okay, okay, I admit. We don't officially have a club yet- well, we're not allowed to have clubs- BUT. That photo will give us SO much money if we sell it online on our school's internal website! I promise I'll split the profit with you!"

Qian gaped as she vehemently shook her head. "N-No that's okay! U-Um you can take a picture of him if you want-"

"Oh my gosh Qian, PLEASEEE? I can't do this alone!" Kasumi whined, clapping her heads together in desperation. "I-I'm begging you!"

"I-I…" The girl gulped as she regarded the Kyoto student's wide, puppy-dog eyes. Finally, she sighed in defeat. "I-I'll keep an eye out for him and…let you know if he ever goes swimming…"

"DEAL. Here, give me your phone and I'll put in my number!" Kasumi wailed in relief, crushing the girl in a hug. "THANK YOU, THANK YOU!"

Soon, the bus rolled to a stop and Utahime stood up in her seat. "Alright, we're here!" She yelled over her shoulder, being the first to hop off the steps.

Everyone immediately followed suit. "Okay, I just need to report to Iori-sensei, then I'll meet you at the vending machines!" Kasumi waved as she trailed behind her classmates.

Qian nodded in response, waited patiently in her seat until she was the last one remaining. Once the others left, she approached the driver.

"Kiyotaka-san, thank you for the ride!" She bowed her head as she walked past him.

"No problem, have fun!" The older man replied with a smile. She bowed once more when she reached the ground.

She turned behind her and gasped in awe upon seeing the vast ocean before her. Large boulders towered over the crystal-clear water, its blue waves gently splashing along the white sands. All across the coast were thin, feathery trees that fluttered like butterflies in the breeze.

She jogged forward, taking off her sneakers to sink her toes into the cool sand. She took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp ocean air as she peered up at the sky, sprinkled with numerous puffy clouds. How long has it been since I came to the ocean? She thought back to her parents and felt a bit nostalgic, thinking about the last time she had come with her family.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Nobara standing by a nearby park bench, rummaging through her bag somewhat frantically, her brows furrowed in concern.

"W-What's wrong, Nobara-san?" Qian asked, walking over to the brunette.

"Ugh my towel…I can't believe I forgot it at home!" Nobara bemoaned, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "I knew I shouldn't have washed it the night before- it's probably still sitting in my dryer."

"O-Oh, would you like to borrow mine?" Qian offered, shaking off her own backpack to pull out the cloth. "I-I don't plan to swim so-"

"Really? Are you sure?" Nobara asked with uncertainty.

Qian smiled and nodded. "Absolutely! Please, go ahead!"

"Ugh, you're a lifesaver, thank you Qian!" Nobara accepted the towel gratefully as she tucked the cloth under her arm, jerking her head towards the others. "Come on, looks like Todo's challenging Itadori to a swimming contest and God knows they're going to hurt themselves somehow. We're definitely going to need you close by in case anything happens."

Qian giggled. "O-Okay, let's go!"

—-

Satoru happily sipped his pineapple juice as he sat back in a folded beach chair, merrily observing his students play along the shore. Currently, he was seated on the far east side of the beach where there was a nice grove of trees, providing a pleasantly cool shade given the unusually hot May weather. Plus, it was far away from the crowd, a perfect spot of peace and quiet.

Yuji and Todo seemed to be engaged in some sort of swimming contest while Panda, Maki, Nobara, and Megumi were playing volleyball further down the shore. Noritoshi and Toge were resting under an umbrella, each quietly reading a novel. Utahime, Mai and Momo laid on their towels sunbathing, while Kasumi and Qian seemed to be happily building a sand castle (with Mechamaru's help) near the water.

The man couldn't help but stare at the dark-haired girl. While all the other females were wearing their bathing suits (even Maki, who was wearing a one-piece gray suit and jean shorts), Qian seemed content wearing her oversized jacket and black leggings. It was over 95 degrees Fahrenheit; even he felt the need to take off his shirt at some point if he stayed out any longer. But despite the sweat building on her face, she didn't seem to mind the heat with her extra clothing at all.

Suddenly, a particularly large wave seemed to come up from behind the duo and the girl instinctively dove forward, covering to protect the sand castle-

…And now she's completely soaked. He observed with raised brows. Why bother protecting a stupid thing like a sand castle at all?

But the two girls simply laughed and she continued piling more sand on top of the miraculously intact structure. He blinked.

…Despite that, she's still not taking off her jacket?!

Satoru shook his head, confused by her antics and continued to sip his drink. Just then, a busty, tan brunette sauntered in front of him, giving him a flirtatious wink as she boldly sat on the edge of his chair.

"Mind if I sit next to you?" She crossed her long legs with a sultry grin.

He smirked with a shrug, choosing to answer her query.

—-

"I'll be right back!" Kasumi pushed herself to her feet, popping Mechamaru on her bare shoulder. "I'm gonna get something to drink- do you want anything?"

Qian shook her head. "N-No I'm okay, thank you though!"

Kasumi nodded, jogging to the vending machines a few feet behind them by the gazebo. Qian took off her backpack and unzipped the top to check on her belongings inside. She internally sighed in relief.

Thank god it's waterproof. She placed it back on her shoulders and tightened the straps before raising her arms to stretch her limbs, glancing around her surroundings with a happy sigh. Thank goodness I was allowed to come. This is so relaxing… Her eyes unconsciously locked onto a familiar head of silver in the distance. She recognized Satoru, who was at the far edge of the shore, seemingly in an engaging conversation with a beautiful woman clad in a strapless bikini seated beside him.

Once again, she felt a pain in her chest and she unconsciously rubbed her arms, suddenly feeling cold in her soaked jacket. She vigorously shook her head and smacked her cheeks once more. Stop it. Stop acting like a little girl.

Suddenly, she heard a loud bark and a fluffy golden retriever leapt over her head, its loose leash flying wildly in the air.

"Coco! Come back!" She looked behind her to see an old man completely winded, staggering as he struggled to catch up to the vivacious animal.

"I-I'll get her!" Qian cried, scrambling to her feet as she rushed after the dog.

—-

"So you're a teacher?" The woman tilted her head, exposing her bare neck as she flipped her hair. "That's adorable, what do you teach?"

Satoru took a long slurp of his drink before he chuckled. "I guess you can call it, martial arts?"

"Ohhh, maybe you can teach me a few moves?" The woman leaned over, rubbing her hand affectionately on his arm.

Wow, she's desperate. Satoru internally sighed, feeling bored by the conversation, and he looked around absentmindedly. Upon seeing his blatant disinterest, the woman huffed and sauntered off, peeved at his nonchalance.

Satoru barely noticed her departure before hearing a series of excited yips and howls, turning his gaze to see a large golden retriever leaping into the water, and a familiar dark-haired girl following closely.

Without hesitation, she dove into the waves after the puppy. Satoru watched amusedly as she nimbly raised her arms above her head to quickly swim towards the animal, frantically reaching out to grab the leash. After a few blinded grapples, she managed to secure a hold on the line and broke the surface of the water, gasping for breath.

"Oh! My Coco!" From the corner of his eye, he saw a feeble man stumbling towards the water as Qian returned back to shore, gently tugging the still-excited puppy behind her.

—-

"H-Here you go!" Qian smiled kindly as she carefully handed the leash over.

The man clutched her outstretched hand in both of his own as he bowed his head gratefully. "Oh my dear, how could I ever thank you?"

"D-Don't worry about it!" She brushed back her wet locks, trying to make herself more presentable. "I-I needed the exercise anyways!"

"You are a hero, you know that, dear?" The man shook her hand rigorously. "Seriously, thank you so much! I'll be sure to be more careful from now on!"

The girl gave a soft laugh, dipping her head down bashfully. "I-It's really no trouble! And s-she's adorable but you may need to keep a stronger grip on her!"

"Absolutely." He nodded once more before walking away with a friendly wave. "Take care now!"

Qian waved after his retreating figure. Suddenly, there was a clap of thunder and she looked up to see that the cloudy sky had darkened considerably. She felt a few drops hit her face and before she could blink, a flood of rain bombarded the beach.

She let out a quiet yelp and searched around desperately, unsure of where she ended up, before squinting her eyes in the rain to find her schoolmates. However, the downpour was too dense. She dove under a nearby tree, struggling to take cover under the foliage. She wiped her bangs off her face before her eyes locked on a nearby pavilion and she quickly rushed over, ducking under the overhang and leaning on one of the tables in exhaustion.

Chills were racking her entire body as she caught her breath, peering fearfully at the storm outside. She sighed dejectedly. So much for the nice weather. Shivering violently, she gulped and anxiously looked around. The pavilion was very spacious, spanning about twenty feet wide, with a high-raised hinoki wooden roof and picnic tables scattered about. Fortunately, it was also miraculously empty and she sighed in relief.

Taking another deep breath, she shrugged off her bag, propping it on the bench. She slowly unzipped the front of her jacket and peeled off her leggings, nervously whirling her head around once more to ensure her privacy. She laid them flat over the railings, hoping that they would somewhat dry given some time. Unable to fight the cold wind any longer, she opened her backpack, rummaging through her belongings to search for her towel-

She hung her head…Damn it. I lent it to Nobara-san. She slapped a hand to her forehead at her own stupidity, taking out her drenched ponytail to somewhat try fluffing out her hair. She rubbed her bare arms frantically. Another violent shiver racked her body and she absentmindedly began jogging in place, desperately attempting to warm herself. However, she had to stop, bending over her knees to catch her breath.

She groaned, angry at her own weakness and low stamina. I need to keep moving but… Suddenly, she had an idea. Pulling out her phone, she pressed the music app to open her playlist.

—-

Satoru scrambled out of his chair, quickly ducking underneath the trees behind him. He flung his arms out, trying to shake off the water that had unfortunately already soaked his clothes. He sighed in annoyance, wringing out the hem of his shirt.

"If only I activated Infinity half a second earlier." He grumbled, twisting the cloth once more, causing water to splatter onto the sand. Taking off his sunglasses, he attempted to wipe off the droplets with his drenched sleeve, but to no avail. He sighed once more and placed them back on his face before studying his surroundings.

The shore was now completely empty with a few stragglers running around to find shelter.. He glared at the sky, knowing the foliage of his little paradise wasn't nearly thick enough to block the downpour. I could activate it now but… He joggled his hands in front of him in another vain attempt to shake off more water, clenching his jaw. It would just be a waste of energy at this point. I'm already soaked.

His gaze fell upon a tall structure not too far away. Narrowing his eyes, he was able to discern it as some sort of pavilion with decently large roofing.

That'll work. He quickly raced towards the building.