DISCLAIMER:

I do NOT own the Oregairu and Jujutsu Kaisen series as they are respectfully owned by the creators and studios.


4 Days Later, September 10

"Welcome to Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical High School! Part 2!" Satoru said with enthusiasm as he pulled two fingers from his right hand.

"It's been about two months since I left here..." Hachiman mumbled while staring at the buildings. He wore a sleeveless denim jacket over a plain white T-shirt, a pair of dark green cargo pants, and canvas shoes with red and white design. "Wait, did the name of the school just changed?"

"English Translation varies from source to source." (1)

"What the hell are you on about?"

"Anyway~ If you recall what I told you during our first encounter, this is our base of operation. It's one of only two jujutsu educational facilities and operates the same way as any other schools."

"I didn't ask when we first met, but is this a private or public school?"

"On the surface? A private religious one." Satoru then tried to hold back his laughter. "Just imagining you looking like a priest or a monk is too funny."

"Enlightenment sounds cool if it wasn't for the 'shaving the head' part." Hachiman sighed as he and the teacher walked beside each other up on the sloping path. "And the routine isn't good for my lazy, introverted heart."

"Lazy? Not really. Introvert? You're still calling yourself that? I wonder how many times did people bark at you for that."

"A lot... How's Nanami-san?"

"Still recovering. We may have to give him another 8 days until the cursed technique is fully gone. But he can walk freely now!" After going through the entrance and walking past the traditional Japanese-style buildings, they climbed the tall stairs to reach three minkas with the middle being the largest. "So, first thing's first: you're gonna meet the principal for the admission test via an interview. Fail... Well, I don't know what comes next for you after if you did, so give it your best!"

"I'm pretty sure you can do something if I fail." The young sorcerer spoke with shrugged shoulders.

"Uh... right..." Satoru turned away from him while whistling.

"Oi, you really have a plan in case that happens, right? Right?!" Hachiman thought with widened eyes while staring at the teacher. "Because I don't want to come all this way just to get kicked out!"

"And in here..." Satoru pushed the large double door open, and they entered the house. The inside was a wide room with wooden pillars that had candles inside as light.

At the far end of the room was a man with black, undercut hair, a mustache and goatee combination, and dark sunglasses that covered his eyes. He wore a zipped-up, long-sleeve, black jacket, matching pants, and shoes. The man was surrounded by plushies while sewing one that appeared to be a green bear with strangely long limbs.

"You're 10 minutes late, Satoru." The man spoke. "There is no excuse for tardiness."

"It's not like you're busy right now, and ten minutes isn't that bad." Satoru complained and turned to his student. "That's Principal Yaga Masamichi. Good luck."

"So, that's him?" The man gazed at the young sorcerer.

"Hikigaya Hachiman. It's a pleasure to be in your care." He bowed while introducing himself. "So that's the principal? And those cursed corpses... he was the one who made Kangaroo-san for my training?"

"Hikigaya, why do you want to enroll here?" The principal named Masamichi asked.

"To become a jujutsu sorcerer."

"Why? What drives you to wander the hellish landscape that is the jujutsu society? Even after experiencing it?"

"... Because I admire the way they work. When I first came here, I was tied up to a chair, not knowing anything, nor did I want to. I was desperate to just get away from here, from all this nightmarish reality... but Gojo-san, Kusakabe-san, and Nanami-san taught me so much about this world. I understand being a jujutsu sorcerer is hard... even life-threatening, which is why I respect you people even more. Even though Gojo-san said you aren't heroes, you still save lives by doing this. I can't just turn a blind eye after seeing so much. Let me be a sorcerer so I can help."

"I see... what a noble cause. But..." Masamichi stood up, and the green bear plushy shook on its own until it stood up and glared at Hachiman. "I have doubts."

"So the test involves combat. Typical." Hachiman released a sigh as the cursed corpse pounced at him fast. He dodged by tilting to the left, and sensing its cursed energy, he tilted to the other side to dodge a punch at the back of his head. The cursed corpse's eye twitch in annoyance, and suddenly three other plushies came to life.

One was a blue monkey with its right arm slightly larger than the left.

The other was a giraffe with red spots and its limbs were almost human-like.

And the last was a yellow kangaroo that slouched with lumps of the spine visible on its back.

They, along with the green bear plushy, rushed towards the young sorcerer in coordination.

Hachiman just casually blocked a punch from the bear with his right palm and then jumped to evade a sweeping kick from the monkey. The giraffe elastically stretched its neck and attempted to wrap around him to restrain his movements. Unfortunately for the cursed corpse, Hachiman grabbed its stretched neck and ripped its head off while tilting his own head to dodge the blue monkey's large right hook. The kangaroo rolled towards him at blurring speed, and he just bent backward to avoid its attack, only for him to notice it ricocheting everywhere while slightly cracking the wood. While Hachiman was evading its ricochet, the blue monkey threw a left jab to his right and the green bear threw a right uppercut to his chin at the same time.

The young sorcerer caught both fists in time, but the kangaroo ricocheted through the back of his head, and then the blue monkey quickly hit his liver with a right straight punch. The force of the punch was so strong, it sent him flying out of the house as he tumbled close to the stairs he and Satoru climbed up. Hachiman recovered from the tumble to deflect a left punch from the green bear aiming for his stomach and caught a right haymaker to his temple. Grabbing its right fist, he slammed the cursed corpse to the ground, which created a crater, and stomped its head with such force the cracks on the ground grew.

"Hikigaya." Masamichi called out his name while standing between the two remaining cursed corpses that glared at him. The young sorcerer noticed they grew as tall as the principal, with veins popping out of the blue monkey's right arm and the lumps grew sharper like spikes. "You said you were so inspired by our jujutsu sorcerer's lessons and work, you want to be one, correct?"

"Yes." Hachiman answered while caressing the place where his liver was. "Shit, the pain keeps getting worse. Am I still not fully recovered?"

"That is a lie." The principal argued, as the two cursed corpses rushed towards the young sorcerer. "If that's how you think, then why didn't you enroll sooner? Why did you agree to Satoru's idea to work undercover from us instead of becoming a student here?"

"Because I was scared of you people trying to kill me!" Hachiman answered while throwing a right punch to the blue monkey, only for the latter to hit his face with a right cross-counter, which caused him to be knocked away and crashed into a smaller minka.

"But you shouldn't be after some time. You only chose to enroll now because of an unlucky encounter. While you were inspired, the thought of coming here didn't cross your mind. Am I wrong?" The principal said while walking.

"He's not..." The young sorcerer thought while standing up and went out of the house. While glaring at the two cursed corpses taunting him, he blocked one nostril and blew his nose to get rid of the blood that blocked the other. "It's one of my reasons. The other one is to find out what I really am."

"What you are?" Masamichi asked as the blue monkey charged first, followed by the kangaroo behind. Hachiman just stood still and ducked to evade a right straight from the blue monkey and grabbed its arm to perform a shoulder throw into the house as the cursed corpse crashed through the walls. Then, he started blocking and deflecting a flurry of punches from the yellow kangaroo that had foam in its mouth. He bent backwards to dodge a left uppercut and caught a left punch going for his chest. While grabbing the fist and standing straight, the young sorcerer kicked its left shin, putting the cursed corpse off balance, and twisted its arm to follow up with a left knee strike to the face.

Before he could finish it, the blue monkey jumped out of the house and dashed towards them. Hachiman sensed danger from behind, and so he pulled the yellow kangaroo to use it as a shield against a massive right punch. The blue monkey's punch destroyed the kangaroo's face, along with its neck and chest area, and sent Hachiman flying towards the white-haired sorcerer. Satoru just ducked to evade his flying student as the latter crashed into the last undamaged minka.

"I bumped into a giant cursed spirit that looked like a fly; being suspected of causing a flood of curses in Chiba; and then people are out to kill me." Hachiman walked out of the house while wiping the blood off his mouth. "All I did was living my life as normally as I could in my third year of high school, and all this shit just happened. Am I really the cause of this? How do I have such large cursed energy in me? What kind of abnormality am I? I need to know why I have this, what it really means to me and know where I truly belong in the world. It felt like destiny is telling me something. So I grabbed the rope... because I can't stand just wandering around in the dark any longer."

"So you want to be a jujutsu sorcerer because you think the world demands it?!" Masamichi commanded the last remaining cursed corpse to attack.

"Yes, I did!" The young sorcerer shouted while tilting his head to dodge the dangerous right punch and countered it with his own to its face.

"Which means you didn't choose the course of this life out of free will!" The principal argued loudly. "Destiny? You believe in something like that?! Are you that hopeless to have that rope pull you around?!"

"He isn't holding back at all." Satoru thought while staring at the principal and then looked back at his student, whose expression was full of resolve. "I guess it's our fault for expressing our expectations on him. I mean... Look at him!"

"Nanami Kento, Gojo Satoru, and surprisingly Kusakabe Atsuya..." Masamichi listed the names of three professional sorcerers. "Those three are one of our best sorcerers in the world, with Satoru obviously on top. They praised you and told me so much about your capabilities. But from what I gather in this interview, those praises don't suit you. What I'm looking at right now is a child who clings to the world's demands, valuing so low of himself that he could even accept the lowest position in life."

"What's wrong with that?" Hachiman asked in a low and calm voice.

The blue monkey swung its right arm to scrape the ground, with debris flying towards the young sorcerer. Hachiman just lifted his left arm to cover his face while ignoring the rocks hitting his body. Sensing the cursed corpse coming to him at blinding speed, he deflected its left downward punch with his left hand and elbowed away a right hook from his face. Hachiman grabbed the blue monkey's face, jumped forward to slam it into the ground, and pushed the right arm down with his left knee and the other with his right foot, restraining the cursed corpse down while still pushing its face.

"Aren't we all being pulled by something that's out of our control? Destiny is no different. What you're mistaken is I'm not letting myself be pulled by that rope all the time. I'm pulling it back to get to my next course faster and drag whatever is tied at the end of the rope to wherever I want... Destiny is just another road for me. Everything else is mine to do as I want."

"And what about your soul searching?" The principal asked as he and Satoru watched the young sorcerer tightening his grip on the cursed corpse's face. "What if the result isn't the one you're hoping for?"

"I don't know..." Hachiman ended the curse corpse by crushing its head. "But it's better to find out than just living ignorantly while people are dying. I HAVE to become a jujutsu sorcerer."

"I see... Satoru!" Masamichi called out the white-haired sorcerer's name. "Show him to the dorm. Explain the security here, as well as the rules and regulations to him."

"Yes, sir." Satoru saluted with a grin.

"Welcome to Jujutsu Tech. Hikigaya Hachiman."


The Shell And The Slug: Part 2

A Third Year In A Different School

Next day

September 11, 6:30 AM

"Hikigaya-kuuuun~" Satoru whispered to Hachiman's ear, who was still sleeping on his bed. "Wake uuup~."

"5 more minutes... No, one more hour..." Hachiman mumbled while covering himself in the blanket tighter.

"I see..." Satoru pouted, but then grinned as he pulled out a white feather and started tickling his nose. Hachiman scratched his own nose and waved his hand to get whatever it tickled off of him. The white-haired sorcerer then pulled out a spray can of whipped cream and sprayed it on the boy's palm. Satoru tickled his nose again with the feather until the latter scratched it, which caused to accidentally cover his own face with the cream. It was so cold and soft, Hachiman opened his eyes wide.

"What the hell?" The young sorcerer said in shock.

"Pfft! HAHAHAAHHA! I got you good!" Satoru laughed while recording the prank on his phone.

"Are you a kid?!" Hachiman threw a pillow, which Satoru dodged.

"Now get up. I haven't given you a real tour of the school yet." The white-haired sorcerer clapped his hands twice.

"Ugh.." The boy grunted and sat up while scratching his eyes. After stretching his arms, he stood from the bed and went to the washroom.

"You're gonna be real busy on your first day here, Hikigaya. You better be in top shape so you can go on missions and being educated by the one and only." Satoru pointed at himself.

"Uhuh..." Hachiman responded while still being half-awake, asked before brushing his teeth. "Why are the third years suspended, by the way?"

"One student is suspended for butting heads with the higher-ups while the other just skips school just to follow him." The white-haired sorcerer answered. "If you're wondering what he did, he assaulted a conservative member and then did what he wants, even breaking some regulations. The reason is they don't like him for having a 'modern' cursed technique'. He's a wild one, but he's one of the strongest students here and has the potential to surpass me."

"What do you mean by 'modern'?" Hachiman pulled the toothbrush off his mouth to ask before brushing again.

"Cursed techniques and jujutsu in general are evolving." Satoru stood and leaned in the doorway to the washroom, watching the boy gurgling. "What we considered traditional and old-fashioned are techniques such as cursing someone with a straw doll or techniques that clans inherited for generations. Modern curses are things like Sadako, who pops out of a TV to kill her victims or... use cellphones? Something like that."

"So basically, those traditionalists are a bunch of chuunibyos with mindsets that caused our declining birth rate." The young sorcerer said before washing his face and then putting on the hearing aids.

"Hahahaha! That's a really good way to describe those old geezers! Hey, mind if I use that the next time I talk to one of them? I won't sell you out."

"That student is one of the strongest, and they just treat him like trash because he's a threat to tradition? How come you aren't a leader of this place?"

"Who knows? One of life's greatest mysteries." Satoru shrugged his shoulders.

"Is it really that hard? Even for you?" Hachiman asked while putting on a white buttoned-up shirt with a black jacket and then matching pants.

"I chose to be a teacher."

"Why?"

"To guide the next generation directly." Satoru's answer caused the boy to pause and stare at him for a moment until he continued wearing the tie.

"How very noble of you." Hachiman commented and grabbed the long briefcase that had his katana inside.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah..."

"Ready to die, huh?" An old lady's voice spoke into Hachiman's left ear.

"Well, this is him we're talking about." A voice of a different woman commented.

"Good luck, Hachi-nii! Don't forget to die painfully!" The voice of a little boy said excitedly.

"I hope..."


The teacher and student walked around the campus. Satoru explained every location with a cheerful tone while Hachiman just listened and looked around every corner of the place. Even though it was early morning, there were still people walking around doing tasks. Some noticed the pair and averted their gaze, while others just stared at them in awe or other emotions Hachiman couldn't specify.

After one and a half hours of walking, the white-haired sorcerer finally showed him the classrooms, which most of them were empty.

"When you said there are only a few who can be sorcerers, I didn't think it'd be at the level of an endangered species." The young sorcerer commented while walking beside the teacher in the empty hallway.

"Yeah, you are doomed." Shina's voice spoke.

"Not much you can do with your lack of skills."Chisa's voice commented. "Might as well quit and regret your choices?"

"You get used to it. We always have to make do with our current students." Satoru responded. "There's no room for being petty."

"Tell that to those old men at the top." Hachiman rolled his eyes.

"Tell that to yourself a hundred times. Stupid Hachi-nii." Yoshimi's voice said with a chuckle. "You're kinda petty too!"

"Sorry, I think their old age got them all deaf in the ears. Ah, here we are." Satoru stopped, followed by Hachiman, in front of a classroom door. "Excited to meet your classmates?"

"No." He answered quickly and in a deadpan tone.

"You have to." Yoshimi's voice spoke once again.

"Yeah, they're going to be the people who'll die because of you, y'know?" Shina's voice scolded him.

"That's the spirit!" Satoru grinned and entered the classroom. "Good morning~! How are you two?"

"Can you cut to the chase already?" A female voice asked in irritation. "I need to train with Maki-senpai."

"I need to buy some cursed tools, so please make it quick." A male voice said in a polite tone.

"You guys are so mean~. We have a new classmate today, so be nice." Satoru then signalled Hachiman to come in, and the latter complied. When he entered, he saw his two new classmates.

One was a girl with mid-length brown hair that reached her neck that was styled with bangs to cover the left side of her forehead. Her attire consisted of a dark blue gakuran-style top, a long matching skirt that reached to just above her knees, a pair of black stockings and brown shoes.

The other was a boy with black spiky hair and wore the standard Jujutsu Tech uniform.

"Okaaay~, introduce yourself!" Satoru said cheerfully.

"Hikigaya Hachiman. Nice to meet you." Hachiman bowed.

"This guy is..." The boy with spiky haired mumbled, which reached the white-haired sorcerer's ears.

"That's right! He's the one who killed two douchebags and your uncle!" Satoru said with a grin.

"Uncle? Then that means he's a member of the Zenin Clan?" Hachiman thought in bewilderment and tried his best not to express it on his face.

"Uh oh." Yoshimi's voice uttered in worry.

"Does he look mad? Or just dead inside?" Chisa's voice asked.

"That doesn't matter. He probably hates you now." Shina's voice spoke. "You should probably kill him too, since that's your only redeeming quality in situations like these, Mr. Serial Killer."

"Now, I need to go for a sec to handle some stuff. I'll be back in a few minutes, so I hope you all get along!" The white-haired sorcerer walked out of the classroom and slid the door closed. After a few seconds of silence, Hachiman approached the seat next to the spiky-haired classmate and sat down.

"... He's outside of the door, isn't he?" The spiky-haired classmate asked.

"Definitely." The girl answered nonchalantly and in a deadpan tone. "It makes me wonder if he stalks his own students. Really creepy."

"Has there ever been times when he was reported of stalking?" Hachiman asked casually.

"Who knows? Gojo-san is good at sneaking up on people." The spiky-haired shrugged his shoulders in response.

"There goes my privacy." Hachiman said in a low tone.

"I mean, he definitely acts like the type to do that." The girl commented. "We're lucky he isn't, but still... fuck you, Gojo-sensei!"

"What if that's what he wants you to think?" Hachiman asked.

"Don't worry, he's really not THAT kind of guy." The spiky-haired boy responded. "Despite his annoying behavior, he still has decency... Probably."

"I can feel it. That guy is wearing that smug face right now from listening to your compliments like a loser who didn't get any praise from his parents." The girl stood and shouted. "WE KNOW YOU'RE THERE! I WANNA TRAIN AND GO SHOPPING RIGHT NOW! AND FUCK YOU!"

"... He's not here~." Satoru's voice came outside of the room, sounding like he was imitating a ghost. That earned a popped vein on each of the three students' head.

"How long are we going to be in here?" Hachiman asked.

"Until you two became friends~... friends~." Satoru's answer grew their irritation every second.

"We're already getting along just by talking about you, Gojo-san. So it's done." The spiky-haired boy argued.

"Aren't you forgetting something~?... something~?"

"Ah... that's right. I'm Fushiguro Megumi." The boy named Megumi introduced himself to Hachiman. "Nice to meet you."

"Kugisaki Nobara." The girl named Nobara did the same, though with an annoyed expression. "THERE! ME AND THE YAKUZA-LOOKING CREEP ARE FRIENDS! LET ME GO NOW! AND FUCK YOU FOR WASTING MY TIME!"

"I'm right here, you know." Hachiman thought with a twitched eyebrow. "And how many times are you going to swear at him?"

"Pfft, yakuza." Chisa's voice chuckled.

"Farfetched, but a close enough description of you." Shina's voice sounded as if she was thinking about it.

"Not yet~... yet~... yet." Satoru responded.

"What else is missing?" The dead fish-eyed sorcerer wondered until he figured it out and nervously asked Megumi. "Hey... uh... do you... sort of hate me for what I did-"

"I'm not affiliated with the Zenin Clan." Megumi answered before he could finish the question. "I didn't train as a sorcerer for them, but for my own reasons. So I don't really feel anything when you killed someone from the Zenin Clan."

"That clan really knows how to piss off others, huh?" Hachiman said in a deadpan tone.

"As well as other clans." Megumi added his statement.

"Mhm... Are we done now?!" Hachiman asked Satoru.

"... Nooo~... Nooo~... Nooo~..." The white-haired sorcerer answered.

"You said something about buying cursed tools, right?" Hachiman asked Megumi while sliding the window open, intending to escape. The rest followed him behind. "Is it alright if I come with you? I want to take a look."

"Sure." Megumi answered.

"Ugh, I forgot that Panda-senpai's training comes first." Nobara spoke while placing a palm on her own forehead. "I hate how my hair looks after he spun me."

"Panda? There's a panda as a sorcerer?" Hachiman's curiosity piqued when he heard her complaining.

"Yes, he's-" Before Megumi could answer, Satoru slammed the door opened to see them attempting to escape.

"HEY! DON'T JUST GO JUMPING OUT OF WINDOWS!" The white-haired sorcerer scolded and pointed his index finger at Hachiman. "AND YOU! I HAVE A MISSION FOR YOU SO COME WITH ME!"

"Can I at least take a look at the cursed tools for a minute?" Hachiman asked with a sigh.

"You don't need cursed tools when you're strong enough with the katana. Now get over here!"


Meanwhile, In a certain household.

"Good morning!" Komachi shouted while tying the red bow around the collar of her summer uniform. She rushed towards the dining table, said her respect to the food, and grabbed chopsticks to eat her breakfast.

"You still have time, so don't rush." Her mother spoke while putting down her own plate on the table and sat next to her husband.

"Mom, have you heard anything from Onii-chan?" Komachi asked after swallowing the contents in her mouth. "He's been absent at school for days. And we couldn't contact him on the phone. We tried visiting his apartment yesterday and... someone else owned the room instead..."

"It's..." Her mother hesitated and shifted her gaze towards her father, who just finished his mug of coffee. He nodded, which earned a sigh from her. "Your brother transferred to another school."

"Eh...?" Komachi froze in shock. The egg roll she picked up with the chopsticks dropped into the bowl, but that wasn't her concern. "Transfer? What do you mean 'transfer'?"

"It's exactly as it sounds, Komachi." Her mother answered with a look of anger without gazing at her daughter's reaction. "Right now, he's living in an apartment in Tokyo. His school is-"

"Y-you're joking, right? I mean, right in the middle of the second semester?" Komachi started denying what she heard from her own mother. She then pulled out her phone to try contacting Hachiman for the umpteenth time. "This is too sudden. What is wrong with him?"

"If it's what he wants, we have nothing to say about it." The mother said before continuing to eat breakfast. "Now finish your food so you can get to school in time."

"But isn't this whole thing weird? He went missing and then-" Komachi wanted to complain, but her mother spoke in a calm anger.

"That's enough. You're about to be late." That was all she said before staring at her daughter in silence.

The two women of the household stayed that way for seconds with Komachi's expression of confusion changed into anger that grew more apparent. Their eye contact prevented any tranquility in the silent living room. Komachi lost by looking down in sadness, and just stood up to leave with her schoolbag in hand. Her parents listened to their daughter's footsteps and then heard the door slamming, but the silence still didn't end the tense and serious atmosphere. While the mother carried all the dishes to the sink and started washing them, the father just watched her for a moment to collect his thoughts.

"This is not how our day off is supposed to be..." The father commented, and there was no response from her as she just continued washing. "Why did you let him if you're so against it? Look, it's just as you said. If that's what he want-"

"Let me ask you a question." The mother dropped the plates on the sink and glared at her husband with arms crossed together. "Why did YOU take his side?"

"I thought that's what's best for him." He argued calmly.

"Best for him? BEST FOR HIM?! There are maniacs still on the loose. He suddenly went missing for days and came back home saying he wanted to transfer? How can I- God! This is hurting my head..." She stopped herself from complaining any further, fearing the argument would escalate dangerously. While rubbing her temple, her mind went back to a memory that still infuriated her till now.

...

4 days ago... September 7

She was just sitting on a chair at the dining table. The light was on, and the only sound she could hear in that living room was the clock's ticking. With a hot coffee on the table, she stayed awake after receiving a text message from her son, waiting for him to come home. However, the reunion would not be a cheerful and heartwarming one. Still, she closed her eyes and kept her mind calm, imagining every scenario she could possibly think of once they talked. That proved to be a mistake as the drowsiness began affecting her consciousness.

Fortunately, the sound of the door opening caused her to wake up and rubbed her eyes. She leaned her back onto the chair with so many emotions such as worry, anger, and relief mixed together.

"Mom?" Her son's voice called out to her, but she didn't respond. She then heard footsteps until they stopped, meaning he came into the living room and saw her.

There was silence...

... Along with a tense atmosphere both mother and son wished to escape from.

But that was impossible because the matter at hand was too serious to just ignore.

Hearing the sound of him taking a deep breath, the mother kept her eyes closed to wait for Hachiman to sit. The sound of footsteps grew closer until the creaking of the wooden chair reached her ears. She opened her eyes and saw Hachiman sitting in front of him with uneasiness clearly visible on his face. He wore a green turtleneck, a dark brown peacoat that he just removed, and a pair of jeans. His attire was for the unusually cold weather that night, even though it was still summer. Both of them had trouble uttering a single word, and so the mother took action instead. Seeing his mother standing up caused him to flinch and looked down in guilt. After feeling her person within his proximity, he closed his eyes for a second before looking up to face her.

What he saw was tears falling down his mother's eyes, and before he could speak, she pulled him quickly for an embrace.

"I'm so glad you're safe." She said while hugging him tighter. After a few seconds, she noticed there was no response from him.

Her son was conflicted about something.

She didn't know what, but that was the feeling he gave.

Seconds passed further, and Hachiman finally hugged her back. It was a moment of relief, but that only lasted short. They departed from each other, and the mother was the first to talk.

"Where have you been...?" She asked while wiping a tear off her eye.

"It's... a long story." Hachiman answered nervously.

"It doesn't matter how long. Just tell me." His mother responded with anger clearly in her voice while clutching both of his shoulders. He opened his mouth and then closed it again as if he was thinking what the right words to say to her were. The look of anxiety on his face caused her glare to crumble, but she quickly fixed it to maintain dominance in the conversation. When they made eye contact, Hachiman looked away and bit his lower lip.

"I was... in Tokyo. Sleeping at a friend's house." He answered.

"Why are you in Tokyo?"

"I just need some time off... to recollect my thoughts."

"Are you stressed? You should get some rest when you need it the most."

"It's-... uhm, yeah. T-the stress is actually building up." Hachiman said, and his mother's worries grew. "Stuff happened at school, and.. I, uh- Getting help from my friends isn't going well for me... and..."

"It's okay... just stay calm." His mother interrupted him and gave him time to relax. She clearly noticed his anxiety, and so she stopped acting angry and attended to his need by giving him a glass of water. "Drink this."

"Thanks..."

.

.

.

"God, this is going to be one busy month." He said while twirling his shoulder to stretch. When he reached the house, he noticed through the window that the light in the living room was still on. He unlocked the door with his keys, and the moment he opened it, the loud voice of his wife reached his ears.

"-believe?! Do you really think I would just say yes?!" Her tone was angry, and he could guess who she was scolding as he noticed the shoes on the floor. He quickly entered the household and went to the living room to see his wife angry at the boy she was scolding.

"Hachiman?" The father spoke, and his son turned around to see his downcast expression. He then turned to his wife, who kept glaring at the boy. "Calm down. He clearly is tired."

"He's tired? So am I!" She argued. "Do you know what he just said?! He wants to transfer to a school in Tokyo!"

"... That's..." He then turned to his son, who just averted his gaze from both parents. Despite that, the father tossed his bag on the couch and approached him with a hand on his son's shoulder. "Why? Did something happen?"

"It's just... me, Dad." Hachiman answered with his head down. "I just need to some space while not neglecting my studies."

"I don't understand." His father was confused by that answer. "If you're getting stressed then-"

"Hachiman, look at us when we're talking." His mother demanded.

"Let him breathe, dear." Her husband argued with a whisper, but Hachiman complied anyway. Their son had that depressed look on his face, which caused them to worry even more. "Why Tokyo?"

"My first choice in college is The University Of Tokyo. Gojo-san actually offered me a sponsor for my tuition if I transfer to a high school there."

"That is... a good offer but-"

". If you want to get to that university, you need to study hard while getting proper rest." The mother interrupted.

"I won't get any 'proper rest' as long as I'm here." Hachiman argued nervously.

"Why?! You haven't explained that to me!" She leaned closer while slamming the table in frustration.

"Son, if you won't help us understand, we can't be sure if any choices we'd make are right or wrong." Compared to his mother, his father was surprisingly more forbearing in the conversation. After seconds of silence, Hachiman suddenly flinched and grabbed the left side of his own head. "Are you alright?!"

"I'M FINE!" Their son suddenly shouted. "I... REALLY NEED TO BE AWAY FROM HERE!"

"You need help." The mother argued. "We're here for you. There's no need to transfer-"

"YOU DON'T GET IT!"

"GET WHAT?!" She shouted back. "I DIDN'T GET ANYTHING EVER SINCE YOU DISAPPEARED ON US WHEN THERE ARE STILL DERANGED CRIMINALS RUNNING FREELY!"

"That's enough!" The father tried to ease the tension, but failed when Hachiman stood up.

"I'M JUST TIRED OF EVERYTHING, ALRIGHT?!" Their son shouted as he slammed his hand on the table. He then sat back down to calm himself while the parents just stood in silence. They let him calm down for a few seconds until he spoke while holding the left side of his head. "I can't-... every time I did something right, it just... came crashing down right after without me expecting it. It's like it's telling me I haven't done enough or...it's-... I just don't want to fuck everything around you."

"... Language..." His mother said while both she and her husband sat next to him. "... No one is telling you to do what they're expecting you to do. Whatever you do should be from your own choice. That's where you can be happy."

"... That's right." Hachiman mumbled with a look of realisation. "No one did... they're just giving me more choices."

"What's that?" She wondered what he meant after hearing his mumbling.

"... which is why it's really better to transfer to Tokyo." He looked at his parents with determination and stood up to prostrate. "I'm sorry, but I can't accomplish my goal if I stay here. Please."

"Dear..." The mother turned to his father and waited for him to decide. The father crossed his own arms together in thought while looking down. It was a difficult decision for him to make, and it seemed the decision he made would be final. "Entrance exam is coming, right? Wouldn't shift schools at a time like this hinder your studies instead of helping? Not to mention, University Of Tokyo is a pretty hard place to get in."

"That school actually is the perfect place to study for the exam." Hachiman argued while lifting his own head to face his parents. "Their lectures are more or less tied to the exam, and Gojo-san will tutor me since he was an alumnus there and still studying at the university. I can pay for the tuition. I didn't tell you about this until now, but I started working part-time and earned a lot of money, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Finance is the least of our worries. What about you?" His father asked in worry. "What about your friends? And your girlfriend? Didn't they make high school fun for you, at least?"

"It is... I'm grateful to meet every single one of them, including the most annoying bunch." Hachiman chuckled and then stared at him with a frown. "But... scars don't go away."

"... Oh." His father realised what he meant, at least from his own understanding, and leaned back in the chair for more contemplation. "Are you sure you don't need our help?"

"I don't need medication or anything." Hachiman answered. "This is the only option I could think of..."

"After all this time? How long have you been-... Alright, where's the application form?"

"Are you serious?" The mother asked in bewilderment while Hachiman pulled out the folded paper in the peacoat. Her husband read the application form and released a sigh.

"... Okay. But you may have to wait weeks to get accepted-"

"That's already taken care of." Their son interrupted. "Once I submit it, I'll be studying in that school in four days."

"That's... great. I hope you work hard." The father encouraged him.

...

"You heard what he said." Her husband argued. "He's been holding that stress from us for so long now. Let him have a breath of fresh air."

"Isn't that all the more reason we should be by his side?" The mother asked with anger slowly became more clear in her expression once again.

"The fact that he wants to be far from Chiba means he wants to be far away from us too... We didn't pay much attention to him back then... especially when he needed it the most. This is the price we pay." After finishing his statement, she tried to respond, but couldn't find an argument.

"I love our boy... He doesn't realise it..."

"Or he just sees that you don't love him as much as you want him to think..."

"But we didn't neglect him, did we? We just accept his wishes and-"

"Sometimes words don't match a person's real thoughts. Maybe we're just ignorant..."

"I don't believe it." She denied and walked out of the living room quickly. The husband stood from his chair and finished washing the dishes for her.

"Me neither..."


8:45 AM

Somewhere, In Jujutsu Tech

Hachiman sat on a staircase while waiting for Satoru to arrive with someone. He was in a room that looked like the inside of a cave with a shrine building that had stairs in front, which he was sitting on. Recalling the memories of his argument with his parents made him release a sigh while scratching the back of his head.

"You're so scary... Hachi-nii." The voice of the little boy commented. "You're so good at lying."

"Was everything you said to your parents a lie, though?" Shina's voice asked.

"There are probably some truths to it..." Hachiman responded in a quiet tone.

"Maybe it's all true." Chisa argued in wonder. "You're probably tired of your parents not giving you enough attention..."

"I don't need their attention. I'm already past that phase."

"Tired of Tobe and your junior annoying you.."

"Well... that's a maybe."

"Probably tired of your sister, honestly."

"That's wrong." Hachiman argued in a serious tone.

"Really, now? Has there never been a time when you're annoyed with your sister? Or even hated her for doing something?"

"The former, yes. The latter, impossible at all levels. I don't hate her. All of my problems came from youth's stupid standards and my silly attempts to follow them. I was ashamed at how pathetic I was."

"... Oh, right. How could we forget. Shame." Chisa's voice sounded as if she had realised something. "Then right now, you should be ashamed you grow tired of your friends and family."

"That's not what I-" Hachiman stood to argue.

"You're too good at lying, Hachi-nii..." Yoshimi's voice interrupted him. "Don't you hate Haruno-san for sticking her nose on your business? Even now, with all this jujutsu stuff, she's still prying on that matter too."

"It's annoying, but I don't hate her." He started walking in circles. "Whether I like it or not, that's her way of showing worry."

"Then you should be tired of constantly calming your girlfriend every time something happened to you." Chisa's voice argued.

"Can you guys stop? That's not how I really feel about them."

"Then why do you feel shame now?" Shina's voice asked.

"I'm always ashamed of myself. Do you know how many times I rewrite the list of what I'm most ashamed of?"

"Now, now. It's not you joking about shaming yourself." Chisa's voice slowly grew louder with each word, but it wasn't as if she was shouting. It was like the volume was raised higher and higher. "This time, you're actually feeling shame."

"And how do you know that?"

"I mean... we come from your own mind, Hachi-nii." Yoshimi's voice answered.

"Which means we know what you love and hate." Shina's voice grew louder as well.

"What you choose in every circumstance." Chisa followed after with her voice too loud for him to not flinch.

"And what you really feel every time you lie to yourself." Yoshimi came last with the loudest voice of the three. That caused Hachiman to cover his left ear as a reaction and fell to his knees.

"YOU WANT US SO WE COULD STOP YOU FROM LYING. WE MANIFEST AS THE TRUTHS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND AND TRUTHS YOU DENY."

"WE ARE THE GENUINE THING AT ITS PUREST FORM."

.

.

"I GET IT SO SHUT UP!" Hachiman shouted and clutched his head with both hands until he sensed people approaching this room from outside. He stood up before the door slid open behind him.

"Hikigaya?" The voice of a man sounded familiar to him, and so he turned around and saw the boy with pink spiky hair. He was wearing a Jujutsu Tech uniform that was customized with a red hoodie as the collar of his black long-sleeve shirt, matching pants, and red shoes.

"Itadori?" Hachiman spoke in bewilderment.

"Dude, it's been a while!" Itadori Yuji ran towards him with a grin and raised his own hand for a high-five, which Hachiman responded in kind. "How've you been!"

"Not so good, but still kicking." Hachiman answered with a smirk. "Huh. is that uniform allowed?"

"Pretty stylish, right?" Yuji posed in a weird manner as he raised a right hand next to his face, and a left hand lower to his chin.

"Don't pose as Josuke from Jojo."

"This is the pose of a badass delinquent."

"You mean a stylish delinquent."

"I customized that! My eyes really have infinite uses such as fashion!" Satoru boasted while posing next to Yuji, with the former's right hand raised right into his forehead and his left hand on waist.

"And stop posing as Dio." Hachiman said with a stoic expression.

"Dio? Ha! Ha! I'm even better than him. This pose is now mine!"

"You're trademarking a pose?"

"Hey! Hey! Do you think they heard him shouting through the door?" Yoshimi's voice spoke.

"I hope so. That would make them think he's a lunatic... Well, he already is." Shina answered with a chuckle.

"And how come you didn't customize mine?" Hachiman asked.

"I mean... suits are perfect the way they are." Satoru answered while tilting his own head.

"Suits are divine." Yuji agreed.

"Well... that's true." As well as Hachiman. "So, what's the mission?"

"You're going to show Itadori the ropes in working as a jujutsu sorcerer." Satoru repeatedly tapped the pink-haired boy's back. "I was supposed to give this job to Nanami, but with how he's still recovering... Weeeelll~, whip him up in good shape, alright. Senpai?"

"Glad to be working with you, senpai!" Itadori saluted enthusiastically.

"So it's like me and Nanami-san, huh?" Hachiman said while scratching the back of his head. "I'm a first year like you, so don't call me that."

"What are you talking about?" Satoru asked in confusion. "You're a third year."

"What? But you said I'm going to be a first year."

"No, I swear you asked me if this is going to be your first year here, remember?"

...

"So what year am I going to enroll as? First year?"

"Yup! Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for a novice to be a third year or even a professional sorcerer in just two months! Hahaha!" Satoru laughed. "Besides, the third years are suspended, so you're gonna spend your time alone in the classroom if I put you there."

...

"..." Hachiman just stared at the strongest sorcerer with his deadpan eyes. "That meant I'm going to be a first-year student."

"Oh, I thought you meant this is your first year as a student... Like, your first time studying here?"

"Is your grammar and wording really that stupid or are you just messing with me?"

"Probably both. Tee-hee!" Satoru knocked his own head while sticking his tongue out.

"Don't 'tee-hee' me, you stupid man-child!" The dead fish-eyed sorcerer gritted his teeth with his eye twitching. "So... I'm a third year."

"Uhuh."

"Studying with first years?"

"Yeah, Jujutsu Tech is just like any ordinary school, remember? The only difference is we teach students about curses. You can take certain subjects with the first years and go with them on missions since you're still a rookie."

"So I'm still a third year..." Hachiman released a sigh with a facepalm. "Why did you trick me?"

"We always lie." The strongest sorcerer suddenly spoke in a serious tone and did a Dio pose again. "It is human instinct to hide the truth from others-"

"Alright, let's go." Hachiman walked away.

"Okay!" Yuji followed behind him while cracking his own knuckles.

"Hey, I'm not finished!" Satoru shouted.


Two hours later, 10:45 AM

The two young sorcerers rode a black car driven by their auxiliary manager. She was a woman with neck-length blonde hair, and wore a black jacket over a white button-down shirt and red tie, black pants and matching shoes. While the sorcerers behind them were talking, she looked at them through the rear-view mirror while tapping the steering wheel with her finger.

"How did I get into this situation?" The blonde manager asked to herself in her mind. "I just got back from working with the second years, then I was assigned to work with two more sorcerers and who did I meet? Sukuna's vessel who was supposed to be dead, and the kid who murdered a big shot from the Zenin Clan. Hikigaya Hachiman, suspected to be responsible for spiking curse activity in Chiba, but he was cleared after killing two curse users and the Zenin family member. The real culprits are a group of sorcerers known as the Dhamini's Troupe. They were also the ones that caused the Chiba Port Tower Massacre. So far, their purpose for doing all that is still unknown and-"

"STOP!" Yuji shouted, and on instinct, the blonde manager kicked the brakes after realising the traffic lights were red and saw three children walking on the road.

"What the hell?" Hachiman spoke while leaning forward to see what happened. "Are you okay... uh, what's your name again?"

"Nitta Akari... Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry." The woman named Akari saw the green light, and so she drove the car forward in silence while the two boys shrugged their shoulders and went back to their conversation. With an exhausted sigh, Akari returned to her thoughts with dramatic tears running on her cheeks. "Ijichi-san can't do this job because they suspect he might do some shady business with Hikigaya since they already worked together with Nanami-san for a while... and everyone else is busy so I... I'm the only one left..."

"So like, this western show called Game Of Thrones is super sick." Yuji spoke excitedly. "I binge watched through season 3 and slept at 4 AM. Gojo-sensei chewed me out for staying up so late, but damn, that show is good!"

"Isn't that the one with the little guy in it?" Hachiman asked.

"You mean Tyrion?! Dude, he is my best character so far." Yuji leaned closer to him, which the latter backed away. "You should watch it! It's an awesome fantasy drama."

"Binging through three seasons doesn't sound so bad..."

"Oh, the show has 8 seasons, and I'm about to start watching season 4 after this. But if you make it through three seasons, let's watch it together!"

"I'll think about it. There's a lot on my plate right now so..."

"Well... They're still young boys..." Akari thought while looking at the road with content. "This won't be so bad. Plus, Gojo-san bribed me with a billion yen to keep Sukuna's vessel a secret and report only Hikigaya's work in exorcising curses. Yeah, we can do this."

"Looks like we're here." The dead fish-eyed sorcerer looked out through the window and noticed they had reached their destination. Akari parked the car on the spot next to the sidewalk and the two sorcerers exit the vehicle. "So, what are we dealing with here?"

"There have been reports of people's backs aching whenever they walk past this bathhouse." The blonde manager answered while getting out of the car. "And the people closest to the entrance broke their backs for a mysterious reason."

"What made the building attract so much negative emotion?"

"Apparently, this place used to be a police station long ago until an arsonist burned it and killed several officers in the process, along with himself." She explained while opening the trunk. "By early 2000s, they rebuild it into a bathhouse which is now owned by an old man working for 15 years. The customer said they'd always hear him complaining about his back problems and kept mentioning the 'old times'."

"Who would've thought an old man's whining would cause this much trouble? Although, from hearing that story, this could be the work of a vengeful spirit." Hachiman spoke as he opened the long briefcase in the trunk and took the sheathed katana out of it. "Looks like there are residuals on the wall."

"A what?" The spiky pink-haired sorcerer asked while narrowing his eyes at the building.

"Just focus. Residuals are harder to see than cursed spirits." The dead fish-eyed sorcerer instructed him and the latter complied, as Yuji saw large handprints on the wall and roof.

"I see them! They look like big handprints!" Yuji said loudly.

"Residuals around the area mean the cursed spirit can use jujutsu. Based on how noticeable they are, this cursed spirit won't be much of a problem unless we screw up." Hachiman lifted two fingers of his right hand to his own face and whispered. "Emerge from the darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure."

"So you can do that, too."

"And you can't? It's really easy."

"Oh, it's just it never crossed my mind to learn that, since the veil doesn't seem to do much other than hiding what we're about to do. Why did you learn it?"

"There's an interesting theory I made about a certain technique. I just learn this as a reference point. Now, let's go." Hachiman walked inside the empty bathhouse, followed by Yuji from behind. The two young sorcerers looked high and low, and saw even more residuals on the floor, walls, and even the ceiling.

"Senpai, there are two different residuals." Yuji noticed.

"Don't let your guard down... and don't call me 'senpai'."

"But you are my senior."

"Just call me Hikigaya or whatever. It's just strange when we were casual months ago." Hachiman saw the cursed residuals leading towards both the men's and women's bath. "We'll split up. You take the men's while I check the women's."

"Senpai, why do you want to go to the women's bath?" Yuji asked with an accusing stare.

"There's no hidden meaning behind it. Just go." The dead fish-eyed sorcerer ordered him as the former just went inside the women's bath. "And stopping calling me that!"

The bath was empty, with only the sound of water dripping from the faucet as the only sound he could hear in the silence. With his left hand holding the sheathed katana, he pushed the round guard with a thumb to draw the blade slightly, preparing for any danger to come. The silence stretched unusually until Yuji spoke.

"I don't see anything weird aside from the residuals."

"Me neither... wait, you feel that?"

"Yeah, it's- WAH?!"

"Itadori?" Hachiman called out to him and the only response was more grunts and the sounds of glass, tiles, and concrete shattering. He jumped high to go over the wall that separated the men and women's room, but a tail fin larger than him swung to his left, and he just cut it with Quick Draw. As he landed on top of the wall, Hachiman got a good look at his enemy.

The cursed spirit was a green, serpent-like creature large enough to occupy the room. It had a human scorched skull for a head with massive fins around the neck area, and a pair of green arms that looked burnt with sparks spewing out of their holes and gaps. The lower half of its body was that of a koi fish with two tail fins that had the right one cut off by the dead fish-eyed sorcerer.

"Huh, well, this one will be easy." He mumbled and turned around to check on his junior. Fortunately, Yuji could hold on his own against several cursed spirits as they tried their best to attack him at long range, only for him to close the distance instantly. Feeling content at his junior's capabilities, Hachiman faced the serpent curse that shot a massive fireball from its mouth, and he casually swung his katana to cut it in half. The divided fireball exploded on the ceiling. "I'm having a distaste for powers related to fire recently, so I don't like you..."

"Eh?" The serpent cursed spirit gasped at the animosity the sorcerer expressed. It sensed his cursed energy and realised how outmatched it was in this battle. Meanwhile, Hachiman did nothing but look down at the cursed spirit with contempt. The latter shook in fear, and so its strategy was to escape by phasing through the ceiling. However, the dead fish-eyed sorcerer was already behind it on the floor with his katana sheathed. As he walked out of the room, the curse was cut into pieces and exorcised.

"Now, if my eyes didn't deceive me, I saw a holy relic in the vending machine when we walked past it." Hachiman approached the vending machine and saw the drink he desired so much. After inserting the bill and pressed the button, he grabbed the can in the pick-up box and opened it to drink. "Oh, yeah... MAX Coffee... I'm forever grateful for blessing me with sweetness and energy."

"SENPAI, I THINK I NEED A LITTLE HELP!" Yuji shouted, and Hachiman just walked casually while texting his phone with the coffee can. He entered the room to see his junior struggling against six cursed spirits that were different from what he previously saw.

One was the largest, with the left side of its body was flabby and burnt, while the right side was red and skinny. It was floating in the air because it had no legs, and its arms were long enough to touch the floor with the elbows had cracks. The curse's face was also red and appeared to be melting, its mouth was sewn shut and the pair of eyes looked like it was cut in half as the pieces float around the face. The curse was so large, it occupied the largest bathtub in the room.

The rest of the cursed spirits appeared red with large and fat bodies, only had one leg, and their faces expressed agony with tears in their eyes. They were as tall as Yuji.

"They just suddenly appeared from that bathtub after I- BLAUGH!" The pink-haired sorcerer tried to explain his situation, but one chubby cursed spirit kicked his face.

The others hopped towards him as he crashed into another mirror. Yuji stood quickly and deflected a left punch from one of them. Then he butted heads with another one, which he won as it tumbled away with its head bleeding purple, but not exorcised. He ducked a left haymaker from the previous cursed spirit and struck its leg with a sweeping kick. When it fell, Yuji exorcised the curse by landing a right punch to the face as the floor cracked.

The largest cursed spirit made its move by just touching the floor with an index finger, creating a green glowing crack that was trailing towards him. Yuji accidentally stepped on that crack, and his back suddenly ached so painfully he couldn't move well. A fat cursed spirit hopped and kick his right temple, and another one kicked the back of his left knee at the same time. The pink-haired sorcerer fell, and all the chubby cursed spirits rushed towards him. However, he stood with only his hands and spun himself to kick the two curses. He then ducked from another fat cursed spirit hopping towards him, and hit its stomach with a right uppercut, exorcising the curse. Two more came, and he just jumped away to evade. Yuji breathed heavily while wiping the blood dripping off his temple and turned around to see Hachiman just texting and drinking a can of coffee.

"SENPAI?!" Yuji shouted.

"Yeah, I heard you." Hachiman spoke before sipping his coffee. "But I'm busy, so good luck."

"EEEEEHHHH!" The pink-haired sorcerer wanted to complain, but he suddenly felt his back aching again because of the red cursed spirit's technique. While the junior was being pummeled by the fat curses, Hachiman answered a call.

"Hello?" Hachiman spoke on his phone. "Yeah, I'm just drinking MAX Coffee. Oh, that? Just my junior. I told you about Itadori, right?"


In Sobu High School

"Yes, I do remember." Yukino answered on the phone while sitting on a chair at a table outdoors. "You kept calling him the 'Super Soldier Of Japan', or something along the lines... Why does he sound like he's being hurt?"

"Well... he is getting beaten up by cursed spirits." Hachiman responded.

"Then... why won't you help him?"

"Gojo-san assigned me to work with him to exorcise curses while training him. Right now, I'm just evaluating his current skills."

"Haven't you seen enough!? Help! Please!" The cries of the struggling Yuji reached through the phone.

"You're fine! On your six!" Hachiman shouted.

"From the sound of his cries, you are giving him quite a difficult test, Hachiman." Yukino commented while listening further.

"Is that Hikki?" Yui asked while approaching her, and the latter nodded in response. The peach-haired girl leaned closer to the phone and spoke loudly. "Hikki! How's it going?!"

"You don't need to shout, Yuigahama." Hachiman complained with a click of his tongue.

"We missed you! You really have us worried, y'know?!" Yui said with pouty cheeks, and then displayed a worried expression. "But... you are okay, right?"

"Of course I am. This is me you are talking about."

"Uh, no. It's because it's you we're talking about that we're worried, Senpai." Iroha arrived while carrying small white boxes of food.

"Well, your worries are now gone because I'm saying right now that I'm-"

"SENPAI!"

"Doing good, Itadori!" Hachiman finished his sentence, but it was directed at someone else other than them.

"Eh? Who was that?" Yui asked in confusion.

"He sounds like he's about to die." Iroha commented.

"Hachiman, will you please help him? I'll call you later." Yukino scolded him after releasing a sigh.

"Fine, fine." The dead fish-eyed sorcerer complied. His girlfriend was about to end the call, but then he immediately spoke. "Done."

"Eh? Done?" Yukino asked in confusion. "That quickly?"

"Yeah, he already beat most of them, so I just finished the job for him."

"DO IT SOONER!" Itadori shouted at him.

"You're literally good enough to do it alone."

"I'm hurting all over! At least back me up!"

"Uh... what exactly are you guys doing?" Yui asked with a nervous chuckle.

"Oh, uh... helping him out in baseball practice." Hachiman lied.

"You do baseball?" Yui asked in bewilderment. Meanwhile, Iroha expressed the same emotion, and Yukino just placed a palm on her own forehead.

"No, which is why it doesn't make sense for me to help him, because I'm like a kid wandering around the field."

"That doesn't mean you should just watch me get hurt!" Itadori complained angrily while playing along with the lie. "You're the worst senpai I've ever had!"

"You're really sadistic to your juniors." Iroha said while embracing herself with a disgusted expression. "Do you also find joy in my suffering? I know you're a pervert, but this one really takes the cake, Senpai. What kind of thoughts did you have when you saw me struggling to do student council work-"

"Oi, I'm not sadistic. I'm only watching him to-"

"Senpai's girlfriend~! This man is so cruel, he might've broken a hundred human right laws!" Yuji shouted.

"I already saved you, so shut up." Hachiman argued in a deadpan tone.

"Do you see these bruises?! Have you-"

"One more word, and I'm going to spoil the entire story of Game Of Thrones."

"W-What? But you said you haven't watched it yet."

"I lied. I was only playing innocent because I don't want to express my despair to you whenever I think about the show's decline."

"D-Decline?! What do you- NO! DON'T SPOIL IT!"

"Then shut up and go." The dead fish-eyed sorcerer ordered, and his pink-haired partner reluctantly complied after mocking the former by sticking his tongue out and pulled the bottom lid of his eye.

"Isn't that a western show? I didn't know you watch that kind of stuff." Iroha commented.

"That was also a lie to shut him up." Hachiman responded.

"It seems you truly are doing well over there." Yukino spoke.

"Well, it's still my first day here, so I wouldn't say things so soon." Hachiman responded as the girls heard the crushing of a can that was then thrown somewhere. "How is Komachi?"

"She is doing fine." Yui answered. "She's really going all out at the cultural festival."

"She's singing in a band, right? Would you guys.. uh."

"Yeah, yeah. We'll record her live performance on a video and send it to you." Iroha said as she guessed what his request would be.

"You have my eternal gratitude."

"Does it have to be eternal when it's about your sister?" Yui asked.

"Siscon." And Iroha said in a low tone.

"Mhm, so how are you three doing?"

"Our cafe is doing well." His girlfriend answered.

"I see... wait, 'our' cafe?"

"Yukinon-senpai..." The brown-haired junior whispered to Yukino with a mischievous smirk. "Let's send him a picture."

"... Okay." Yukino complied with a smile and all three leaned close to each other to fit into the camera with her in the middle, Yui on her left, and Iroha on her right. Their attires were all maid outfits, but they differed from one another.

Yukino's maid outfit was a black short-sleeved dress with white frilly designs, and a skirt short enough to reach above her knees and highlight her curves. She also had a white apron, frilly headwear, black stockings and also a pair of white gloves.

Yui's was similar, but showed more skin and highlighted more of her figure. Her maid outfit was sleeveless, had frilly shoulder straps, a white apron, black stockings, and the chest area of the dress was also white and showed her cleavage.

Iroha's outfit showed the most exposure out of the three, as her maid costume was shoulderless with white flare sleeve, an apron, and a short skirt that exposed her legs.

After they took a picture, Yukino hesitated for a moment because of her embarrassment until she finally sent the picture to him. Seconds passed, and the silence actually caused her heart to beat faster. It felt difficult for her to even just wait for his response.

"... Thank you for the trea- I mean, yes, it's... uh, a wonderful picture." Hachiman's nervous response caused all three girls to laugh.

"What do you think, Senpai?" Iroha asked in anticipation of a compliment.

"I'm surprised they allowed you to wear that... But you all look great." He answered, and they could all imagine the blush on his face. "So your classes went for a maid cafe?"

"It was pure coincidence, but right now, we're competing!" Yui said with a determined smile. "We have more customers than them, so my class is winning!"

"I disagree. My class gained more profit despite the number of customers." Yukino argued.

"Eeeh~? But my class had more on both of them!" Iroha joined in.

"Uhuh... Hm? Oh, looks like I need to go. I'm kinda busy." Hachiman spoke. "Sorry for not coming to the festival."

"It's alright, Hikki! As long as you're having fun over there, we'll have fun too!" Yui said cheerfully.

"And be kinder to your juniors!" Iroha demanded.

"No promises." Hachiman answered. "I'll call you later, Yukino."

"Okay, I'll wait." Yukino responded and ended the call.

"I guess we don't need to worry about Senpai." The brown-haired girl commented. "It was really weird he just transferred to another school at this time."

"He's probably have issues he didn't tell us about." Yui said with a concerned look. "I wish he's more honest with us."

"He's happy right now, and that is all we need to know." Yukino stood from her chair after finishing her lunch. "Now... we should go to our respective classes."

"But we lied to him about Rice-chan... He doesn't know." Iroha spoke while standing up as well.

"She is here and looks more determined than ever." Yukino argued. "I'm sure Hachiman will talk to Komachi. You know how much he cares for his sister."

"That's true..." Yui agreed, but she and the junior were still worried about him and his sister.

"It'll be fine... Everything will be fine..." The black-haired girl thought. "He's strong... and I will do what I can here."


1) Seriously, like I just read two or three different translations to the school's name. And then some people told me it's actually this or that and it left me confused...

Also, the principal's cursed corpses growing in sizes is an original thing and not shown in the source material.

As requested, Hachiman is still a third year. Thank you for clearing up about Jujutsu Tech. I kinda forgot it still works like an actual school since... well, you know, they barely show the school stuff.

So, what did you guys think?

8man substituted Nanami as Itadori's partner and so far, it's... kinda alright? Though, Itadori might disagree to that.

We'll get to Yukino's side of the story after 8man's assassination next chapter so look forward to that.

And DON'T WORRY, we'll get to the Junpei stuff soon... probably next chapter if I get the pacing right.

As always, thank you for reading this fic. Please leave a review to share your opinions to help me make this story better.