"Ooooh..Gojo-sensei, huh?" Miyano chuckled mischievously, causing Qian to blush, before turning back towards the weapons user. "When's he supposed to come?"
"No idea, he may not even show…" Maki shrugged, adjusting the strap of the staff's case on her back. "...knowing him."
"WHAT? NOOOO!" The blonde wailed, collapsing on her knees dramatically. "I wanted to see Sexy-sensei!"
"Sexy who now?" Qian froze upon recognizing his voice and she begrudgingly peered over her shoulder to see the man casually walking towards them. He wore his normal Jujutsu High uniform; however, she noticed curiously that he was wearing the mask that she had made for him. Her face turned even hotter and she gulped nervously.
He had a wide smirk spread across his face as he approached, as though he had heard exactly what was said and, despite his mask, Qian could feel his amused stare burning into her. "And this is your friend I presume?"
"Y-Yes…" Qian muttered, hating herself for her own flustering. She mentally slapped herself, forcing a smile across her lips. "T-This is Kaien Miyano, she's been working here part-time for a few years, but now she's full-time since we graduated."
She turned to her friend, who remained oddly silent from her kneeling position on the ground. Seconds passed as Miyano's eyes slowly bulged out of their sockets, her jaw practically dropping to the floor as she explicitly gawked at the man. Before another word was uttered, she scrambled to her feet, gripping Qian by her wrist as she dragged the two of them behind the cart. She ducked down, pulling the girl with her. "Qi! What the FUCK."
"W-What?! What's wrong?" Qian worriedly asked, concerned about the blonde's behavior.
"That man… standing right there… is not a teacher." She hissed, jerking a finger towards him, who continued to regard them with an amused grin. "THAT MAN IS A MALE MODEL."
Qian ran a tired hand over her face. "M-Miyano-chan…please!" She hushed, her eyes imploring. "P-Please just don't say anything!"
"But Qi!" She paused, glancing back at the man before dropping her voice even quieter. "You both would be so friggin cute. With your adorableness and his oozing arrogance, your masochism and his sadism… holy god… the tension must be INSANE. Just imagine the sex between you two-"
The bespectacled girl grabbed a stray ice cream cone and shoved the biscuit into her friend's open mouth. "O-OKAY MIYANO-CHAN IT'S TIME TO OPEN RIGHT?!" She chirped, her voice three octaves higher than normal as she shot up and turned to the others. "W-We should check out other areas, let's go!"
Once she ran off, the Jujutsu sorcerers gave each other confused glances before shrugging and following the girl. Satoru gave one last wink at Miyano before following suit.
The latter swallowed the remainder of the cone. "Yep. Definitely a male model." She licked her fingers as her eyes softened in concern as she regarded her friend's retreating figure. "Damn- if only she had more confidence in herself."
She's known Qian ever since elementary school. She was always on the shy, soft-spoken side, but the low self-esteem… the unwillingness to think of herself as worthy of anything, or for anyone… everything got worse when Hayato…
Miyano sighed before hopping back to her feet. "Oh well, back to the grind- OW!"
Her forehead smacked the railing of her cart and she whimpered, rubbing the sore spot tenderly. "Stupid cart…"
"Mustard leaf?" She opened her eyes and glanced upwards to see a gray-haired teen wearing a high-collared dark uniform that matched the others.
"Oh, don't worry, I'm okay- thanks for asking!" She smiled at him before straightening her back. "What can I do for you?"
Toge paused in hesitation and she quirked a brow. Suddenly, her mouth made an 'o' shape and she dropped her fist into her palm. "Oh! I know, you're part of Qi's school right? Based on your uniform?"
He blinked before nodding. "Salmon."
"They went that way, towards Adventureland." She gestured with a finger, shortly before turning back to the boy. "But before you go, could I ask you a question?"
He held his tongue, uncertain of how to continue the conversation but she took his silence to mean affirmation.
"Okay, you gotta tell me. Is Qian the same when she's working in your school?" Miyano crossed her arms. "Like- super insecure?"
He raised his brows in confusion, unsure of the girl's relationship with the medical assistant. She smacked her cheek at her own forwardness, completely realizing she never introduced herself.
"Oh right, duh, sorry! I'm her best friend, you can tell me." She held her hand out. "Kaien Miyano, pleasure to meet you!"
He took her hand hesitantly, stunned by her immediate comprehension. She then sighed once more. "Anyways, I'm asking because- haven't you noticed the tension between her and your teacher?"
He shook his head and she rolled her eyes. "Ugh, men. You never notice anything. Anyways! I'm worried- she needs more confidence or else they're never going to get together!"
"...Bonito flakes-" He faltered, recalling that his old teacher seemed a bit more antagonistic towards her than any other Jujutsu High student. Them? Together?
But Miyano held her hands up innocently, a devilish grin spread across her face. "I'm just saying- if she would just LET me meddle…I could literally get them together in a heartbeat."
"...Tuna Mayo…" Toge stuffed his hands into his pockets, feeling uncomfortable with the topic of the so-called Strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer's romantic relationships, but the blonde was undeterred.
"Nope, I don't want to hear any doubts from you. They are totally cute together and you know it!" Miyano snickered, placing her hands on her hips in triumph.
Toge couldn't help but continue staring at her in wonder, this being the first lengthy conversation he ever really had with anyone outside of Jujutsu High. She met his expression with a confused tilt of her head. "What?"
He didn't know how to reply so he simply shrugged and followed after his classmates. But then, he felt a tug on his sleeve and looked down to see her staring up at him expectedly.
"Keep an eye on her for me, okay?" She chewed the inside of her cheek. "I worry about her a lot… and you seem really nice so- take care and I hope you have a good time here!"
She released the cloth and skipped back behind her cart, taking out utensils and getting ready for the day. The cursed speech user gazed at her for a few moments longer before shortly turning around to follow his classmates.
—-
"F-From what Miyano-chan told us…the disappearances seem to happen in a few different places." Qian opened the map and pointed to the areas in question. "O-One person missing from Adventureland, two from Westernland, and another one from Fantasyland."
"Why there?" Maki inquired, throwing a few kernels of popcorn into her mouth. They had stopped by a couple of stalls and shops along the way. She, Qian, and Megumi continued scrutinizing the map off to the side while behind them, the popcorn stall attendant stood rigid behind the machine, holding out a bag of popcorn with trembling hands. He kept staring up at Panda in a mixture of terror, awe, and bewilderment as the doll waved money in his face, trying to get his attention and pay for his food.
"W-Well, I'm not sure- my best guess is these places have a lot of rides and deal with a lot of people everyday." Qian explained, opening her notebook to inspect her notes. "M-Maybe having to handle customers all the time builds up stress?"
"Sounds reasonable." Megumi shrugged, reaching into his own bag to grab a fistful of kernels.
"So, we should split up then." They turned to see Satoru approaching, a large slushie in hand, closely followed by Toge, who gave a friendly wave. "And I found our straggler!"
"Agreed." Maki sighed, nodding in greeting to her teammate. "I'll take Panda- someone needs to be able to provide an explanation in case people get nosy. We got Adventureland." The cursed doll returned to the group, triumphantly pouring his bag straight into his mouth as he gave the girl a thumbs up. She smirked as a determined gleam reflected off her glasses. "Hopefully it lives up to its name to give some excitement."
"Alright, Inumaki-senpai?" Megumi pointed at himself. "Want to hang with me? Fantasyland?"
"Salmon." Toge trotted over to him. The first year offered his bag of popcorn and the cursed user gratefully grabbed a few kernels.
"Guess that leaves me with Westernland." Satoru took a sip from his drink. "I can handle that alone. Qian, go find Yuji and Nobara and update them."
The girl furrowed her brow, gazing up at him with a frown. "I-I can just text them. And frankly, I think it's dangerous for you to go alone, so I would like to go with you."
The others exchanged amused looks as Satoru narrowed his eyes. "I've told you before- I'll be fine."
"B-Being arrogant will get you in trouble." Qian retorted, calmly folding the map into a neat square and tucking it into the side pouch of her backpack. "I-I get you're very powerful, but what if you get caught off-guard again?"
"No, it won't. And I won't." He argued, stuffing his hand in his pocket as he chewed on his straw. "Again, I'll be fine."
"T-There's a first for everything. That's what you said last time, and Megumi-san almost died." She countered, clutching the strap of her bag tightly. Behind her, the shadow-user smirked with a shrug as if saying, She got you there.
Satoru rolled his eyes, releasing the straw with a 'pop' as he groaned. "Fine. But-"
"D-Don't get in your way, I know, you've told me that already." She then rolled HER eyes and turned her back towards him. She dipped her head politely at the students before storming off down the path.
Satoru couldn't help but gape, astounded by her uncharacteristic audacity, and Panda finally burst out laughing.
Maki crumpled the paper bag in her hands, the corners of her lips twitched as she took in her old teacher's stupefied expression. "Oh yeah, she's growing on me." She raised a hand in farewell, along with the others, as they respectively split off in different directions.
"Have fun, sensei!" Panda waved, stifling his guffawing behind his paw.
—-
A few hours later, Satoru was sitting on a nearby bench, subtly glaring at the girl. They had been walking to every booth in the area, trying to learn more about the missing employees. From what they could gather, the absentees were varied in age. The former was an older woman with two kids, and the manager of the rides. The latter was a young teenage boy, a part-timer who just turned sixteen and operated Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Usually, something sweet would always alleviate his mood. However, after downing the slushie, he still remained irritated. What was her deal? Since when was she so pugnacious and stubborn?
At one point, they passed by a Starbucks vendor, where he boldly bought a small straight-black coffee in hopes that the harsh fluid would shake him out of whatever…weirdness he was feeling. He took a long sip from the cup in his hands, scrutinizing her as she approached the next vendor with her notebook. Her hair, unusually loose today, kept falling over her eyes as she spoke, especially now as she bobbed her head up and down in response to the other employee's answers. She then scribbled down several sentences before tucking the loose strands behind her ear and asked another question, before biting her lip as she listened to his reply, jotting down more words onto the sheet of paper. Her lower lip started becoming red and plump from her insistent chewing…
He shook his head, rubbing his temples tiredly. What is wrong with me? He chugged the rest of his drink, using the sharp bitter taste in an attempt to focus himself, before he stood up to throw out the cup.
Suddenly, he heard a soft giggle and knitted his brow, snapping his gaze back over his shoulder at the girl. She seemed to be laughing at something the employee said. He turned his glare towards the speaker: a scrawny youth with dirty blond hair and bright hazel eyes. The innocent teen was bashfully rubbing the back of his neck as a boyish grin stretched across his lips, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth.
He unconsciously gripped his empty cup tightly, crushing it easily in his grasp. What were they talking about? Definitely not anything helpful to the mission, that's for sure. He scoffed as he observed the pink tint on her cheeks. Here she was, fawning over this…this loser like some lovestruck pubescent middle schooler, whereas not too long ago with him, she treated him like a belligerent toddler and had the nerve to talk down on him and give him attitude.
She finally bowed her head politely and turned away, heading directly towards him. He immediately straightened his back and fumbled with what remained of the destroyed cup, barely managing to toss it into the garbage can, before he slid himself back onto the bench. He crossed his arms, then uncrossed them, whipping his phone out of his pocket and swiping his thumb across the screen, trying to appear nonchalant.
She didn't seem to notice anything, her nose was plunged deep into the pages as she reviewed her notes. When she slowly sat beside him, his eyes were drawn again to her lips, which she had resumed nibbling once more as she ruminated her findings.
Was she doing this on purpose? He clenched his jaw, clutching his phone tightly.
—-
"S-So, Katsuragi-san over there mentioned the first person who went missing, the manager, Fugeki Yuna-san, seemed to be going through something personal." Qian pondered out loud as she scanned her writing. "H-He speculates it could be a divorce, based on noticing that she had stopped wearing her wedding ring. If so, and our hunch is right, this makes her the ideal target for that cursed user we encountered before."
She then sighed and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. "B-But then, for Samazuka Takumi-san, he doesn't make sense. He aced his finals with flying colors and apparently is going abroad with his friends to celebrate his birthday."
She opened her eyes and leaned forward, opening her notebook once more as she chewed her lip in contemplation. "T-That doesn't seem like someone who's stressed or emitting much negative energy, right? What do you-"
"Stop doing that." Qian peered up at him in confusion, shocked to see him running a hand through his hair in frustration, a scowl marred his chiseled features as he stared directly at her.
"D-Doing what?" She inspected herself, checking her clothes and belongings. Did she step on his foot? Or maybe her heavy bag was crushing his hand…or his phone?
She bit her lip worriedly before turning her chin back towards him. "D-Did I do something wrong?"
However, she was staggered to see his face suddenly in front of hers, his eyes visibly glowing in irritation through the black fabric of his mask.
"Your lip. Stop biting it." He growled. His hand was gripping the bench behind her shoulder so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
She blinked as her face burst into flames, frantically scrambling backwards to create space between them. "I-I'm sorry!"
However, she was already seated against the armrest and couldn't move any further away.
Her eyes flickered to the side and she twisted her body to stand, but his other arm shot out to grab the armrest, caging her in.
She was completely trapped. He began to lean over her, his tall physique towering over her mousey form. She stared up at him helplessly as he glared at her.
"Are you doing it on purpose?" His voice was low and dangerous. "Trying to throw off the mission?"
Her face turned even hotter as she shook her head frantically, feeling a pang in her chest from his accusation. "I-I don't know what you're talking about! I-I would never do that!" She sucked in a breath and knitted her brow. "I-I thought we were past this-"
"Then why were you doing it?" He snarled, his jaw tightly clenched.
"I-I don't know, it's a bad habit!" She protested, ducking her head in mortification and desperate to avoid being so close to his face. "W-Why do you care so much anyways?"
"Because it's distracting." He moved closer and she turned her cheek, squeezing her eyes shut. His voice was cold and angry. "You're supposed to focus on the mission and yet, all you do is just stand there and flirt with any guy who gives you a bit of attention."
Her jaw dropped and her eyes shot open as anomalous rage began to swirl in her chest. She glared up at him incredulously. "T-That's what this is about?! I was trying to gather information!"
"Does gathering info involve exchanging jokes?" He snapped, tightening his hold.
"H-He was being nice- and, you know what? Forget it." Her cheeks were now burning in anger and she raised her hands to push against his chiseled shoulders, giving enough space to rise to her feet. "L-Let go of me. This is ridiculous!"
However, she felt his large fingers grip her wrist and she felt herself being pulled down, causing her to yelp and stumble backwards. She instinctively grappled his broad chest with her other hand to steady herself, their faces now inches away from each other. He ripped his mask down so it hung around his neck as his bare eyes glared at her furiously, the ice-blue storm in his irises radiating in anger.
"We're not done talking."