Yoshi marks the last of the Tokyo students—Panda was last, and whined the whole time because he dislikes the scent of sandalwood and didn't want to ruin his coat of fur. She needs to head over to the Kyoto group to see if any of them are willing to be marked, but before she goes…
"Yuji?" she asks. "Can I speak with you outside for a minute?"
The pink-haired kid pops up from the ground, eager to get away from Nobara's death glare. "Sure thing, Sensei!" he agrees, jogging after her. "What's up?"
If only she had met him earlier. There's a lot that Yoshi wants to say to this kid in particular, but most of it will have to wait until after the exchange event is over. Yoshi looks him over, from his odd pink hair to the unnatural marks below his eyes. It's only been five days.
"It's nothing urgent," she tells him first, because Yoshi knows that students tend to assume that one-on-one conversations are bad. "And it's not about the exchange event either. But I wanted to bring it up with you before anyone else."
Yoshi wonders if she might be overextending herself. If she's made good decisions, and if she'll continue to do so or not.
Yuji's eyebrows furrow. "With me?"
She nods. "You know that I make talismans. And that talismans seal cursed energy."
"Yeah," he nods vigorously. "Wendy told me, and Nanamin tried to explain it more, but I don't think I could learn to write all that stuff," Yuji admits, looking a little rueful.
"It's very hard to learn," Yoshi murmurs. Then she adds, a bit wryly, "My mom had to hammer it into me at a young age."
"I guess it was worth it for you," Yuji remarks, scratching his ear. "You get to stay friends with Wendy, and help out on missions with cool little gadgets—like Q in the James Bond movies!"
He's a sweet kid. But they're getting off-topic now.
"Yeah, it was worth it," Yoshi sighs, "But listen, Yuji. I can do more than just seal cursed energy."
He stares at her. "Yeah, that's how your talismans work," he says, utterly oblivious. "It sorta funnels the energy into a new form, like electricity to a microwave."
Who the hell told him that was an acceptable analogy?
"Sure." Yoshi chews on her lip, deliberating over what to say next. "I also think the jujutsu council is wrong to want you dead."
Yuji is startled. His eyes look like big shiny coins. "Oh. Thanks. That's—that's nice to know."
He's a sweet kid. He's also a very dumb one. "I'll tell you the rest later," Yoshi decides, stepping back. "When there's more time. Alright? Good luck today."
"Okay," Yuji blinks at her, clearly failing to grasp what she's actually saying. "Oh! Wait, wait, Sensei, one more thing!"
Yoshi stops. "Yeah?"
His brow is furrowed again, but there's a hard edge to his gaze. "Thanks for trying to help Junpei. And… When there's more time, will you tell me about his shikigami?"
One knot tightens in her chest while another unravels completely. "Of course I will," she promises.