This story focuses on relationships and the love of an older brother. No tears here.
I'll write more if I have a good response to this chapter, so let me know what you think.
[JUJUTSU KAISEN belongs to Gege Akutami]
[English isn't my first language so please, be kind]
CHAPTER ONE
Mooncakes
- Did you get everything? - I asked while Yuji seemed distracted by the clouds.
- I'm not sure, big bro, if you put it in my backpack, then it's all here - he lifted the blue backpack to show me and smiled.
Yuji's smile was always genuine and he never complained about anything, but I noticed how old his backpack looked compared to the other students'.
- I'll buy you a new backpack soon - I said - I promise.
- But this one's great, don't worry about me, big bro, just have a good day at work.
- But Yuji... Yuji! - I called him when he was already walking towards the school.
He had started at the new school a few months ago, but he didn't complain even though I didn't see him with any friends. He also didn't complain about having to wear some of my old clothes. Yuji never complained and that was what worried me.
- What happened now, big bro? – Frustration, finally a different reaction, he seemed really excited about going to school even though I didn't know why.
- You didn't eat your breakfast properly, so I want you to eat all your lunch, okay? And don't forget the extra lunch box I packed!
I patted his head twice, and Yuji responded with a thumbs up. I stayed at the school door watching him enter longer than I would have liked.
"They grow up so fast," I sighed as I walked to the bus stop.
I could go straight to work, but I liked walking with Yuji to school. He had just turned fifteen and was extremely influenceable, not to mention that there were days when I would receive calls saying he was late, only to discover that he had been distracted on the street helping kittens stuck in trees and elderly women with shopping bags.
Not that I was complaining about having such a good little brother, but I only had him left, so I wanted him to choose the safest path.
I ended up bumping into a student while walking, he was wearing the same uniform as Yuji, but visibly tidier. His hair was black and spiky and he walked past me like he didn't respect any adult.
- How rude! - I said it loudly so he could hear, but the student didn't even turn his face. His steps were hurried, he seemed to be running away from something or someone.
I tried not to care about what could be happening to that kid and returned to my route. I was already used to it and could see the bus stop up ahead, I just had to cross the street and...
- GET OUT OF THE WAY!
I didn't see the car that was coming, I swear I didn't, which was ridiculous because I remember teaching Yuji to always look four times and make sure no cars were coming before crossing the street. But that car was wrong, of course, the light was red and people continued to cross the street normally, I was the only one on the ground.
- Whatta hell man!
I heard the driver say some stupid things as he got out of the car, but I made sure he was in one piece before getting up. I couldn't have medical expenses now.
My toes and fingers felt fine, my shoulders too, I hadn't hit my head, I just felt discomfort in my lower back, but I could handle it.
I picked up my briefcase that was on the floor and put it on my shoulders again, then I faced the driver of the car in front of me. His hips hung to the side and he didn't have a friendly expression. He wore expensive-looking black clothes just like the car that had hit me and his hair was strangely white even though he wasn't an old man, but the worst part was when he took off his sunglasses. His eyes were two luminous and frightening blue orbs like those fish that live in the deepest places in the ocean.
- So, what are you waiting for? - He asked.
- What?
- Your apology - the guy said with such confidence that it shocked me - you hit my car.
- Did I hit your car? You almost killed me and the light was red!
I was ready to go after that snobbish, ghostly-looking guy, but then Yuji's face came to mind. If that argument went on, people would end up calling the police and I couldn't afford to get in trouble now. Yuji was growing up and I had to be a good example of a person.
- I can't believe I couldn't talk to my kid because of that - the guy said as he went back to the car. I crossed the street without delay before he started the car, suppressing all my intrusive thoughts of throwing a rock at the windshield.
"It's all for Yuji", I started to think, "You're a good father, you're a good father and good fathers don't go out fighting in the street".
Usually that thought calmed me down and I was starting to feel good again until I looked back and watched as the ghost guy lowered the windshield to give me the finger as he drove away.
- I'm going to kill this piece of shit.
I hated working, I hated having to leave Yuji, taking traffic and having to sit at a desk for six to eight hours looking at a computer. But that paid the bills and Yuji's education, so I would have to put up with that until, I don't know, the time of my death.
At least I could take short breaks to watch recipe videos on YouTube as Yuji was at an important stage of development and needed to eat well.
- What are you doing? - I heard a husky voice coming from the desk next to mine. Nanami had a towel over his face and it was so silent that I had forgotten he was there.
- Watching videos, I think I'm going to make mooncakes today.
Nanami pulled the towel away, only one of his eyes were showing.
- You need a girlfriend.
I nodded silently, but didn't pause the video. Usually Nanami encouraged my unwillingness to work, the comments came later.
- Don't have time for that - I replied.
The boss was walking down the hall, so Nanami corrected his posture and typed something quickly, but when he left, Nanami accessed a live stream of the local news.
"Notorious scammer Toji Zenin was arrested again today..."
- I think I've seen this guy somewhere - Nanami said, if you looked at him quickly you'd think he was a foreigner.
- Criminals appear on the news every day - I was more concerned with trying to imitate the movements of the kind lady who taught how to mold mooncakes into bunny shapes. - Will Yuji like this?
- He's not five anymore, Choso.
- He will always be five for me.
I paused the video to make some notes on my phone. There was no message from Yuji's school, so everything should be fine. I still had a little pain in my lower back, I think I would have to go to the pharmacy after work.
- You also seem more distracted than usual, has something happened? - Nanami hadn't given up on me yet, although his eyes were still focused on the monitor.
- I kind of got run over by a pale son of a bitch today, but I'll have my revenge.
- Oh - that was his reaction. Maybe that's why we worked well together.
My cell phone lit up, a message from Yuji appeared on the screen.
"I'm going out with Fushiguro after school"
- Who the fuck is this? - I grumbled, but Nanami heard.
-What? Who?
- Oh, Yuji is talking a lot about this Fushiguro, but I never met him, so I'm starting to think he is an imaginary friend that he created to hide from me the fact that he has no friends
Nanami closed the news tab and looked at me.
- You try really hard to imagine that Yuji thinks about you all the time.
I paid attention to the mooncakes again, anyone who doesn't have a younger brother wouldn't understand me.
- I'm sorry for the delay! - said a tall, slender figure passing through the door and occupying the third desk on the side of the room.
Suguru seemed agitated, which was rare, he was always the first to arrive among our trio and made sure that all project tasks were done on time. I think it was the first time he was late for something.
- What happened to you? - Nanami asked, even though he sounded disinterested.
Suguru took a deep breath as he sank into his chair, fixing the tie on his expensive suit.
We were a good trio, we worked well together and over time we became colleagues, although Suguru always referred to Nanami and me as friends.
- My husband was involved in a stupid accident and ended up arguing with his son.
- I also didn't have a good morning, at least I walked Yuji to school.
- Teenagers - Suguru sighed as if he knew what it was like to live with one - my stepson now lives with us, his father was arrested so we have custody of him now.
"Oh", I thought, and realized that Nanami had a similar reaction. We never saw Suguru angry with someone, he seemed stressed.
- But I didn't forget about you - I hadn't realized that he had placed two coffees on the table, one for me, the other for him. Nanami was trying to cut down on caffeine, it was his wife's advice that he followed strictly.
I took a sip of coffee to cover it up my careless reaction feeling the energy flow through my body. I used to drink coffee from the office coffee maker, which was cheap and bad, until Suguro started buying me coffee every day from a fancy coffee shop in his neighborhood.
- You need to sleep better, Choso - Suguro repeated what he said to me religiously - your dark circles make me worry.
- I'm fine - I said, more to myself than to the other two.
The coffee didn't even last twenty seconds meanwhile Suguro seemed lost in his own thoughts and I thought it would be rude to ask further.
- I have a meeting now - he said suddenly - we'll talk later.
As Yuji would be home late, I ended up having a sandwich for dinner while I separated the ingredients for the mooncakes.
I would have to make the custard filling first so I mixed milk powder, wheat starch, milk until it's smooth enough to add the eggs and sugar. Then I put some music on while I put everything in a pan to cook over low heat until the mixture turns into dough.
When the custard filling was done I put it straight in the fridge so I picked up the phone and texted Yuji:
"If you don't come home in the next two hours I'll walk you to school every day"
A little threat as an incentive always worked well. Now I needed to focus on making the snowskin and grate the beetroot to give the dough a reddish color.
I had to look up the original recipe video again to remember how to get the bunny shape and I used chopsticks for the ears.
When Yuji arrived, the mooncakes had been in the fridge for almost an hour and the sky was dark.
- Why did it take you so long to come home? - I asked without turning around, I was trying to get the kitchen clean before passing out on my bed.
I heard a clearing of the throat, so I turned around, Yuji was there, but he wasn't alone. There was a boy next to him wearing the same uniform, only visibly tidier, his hair was black and spiky and he had a sad expression on his face.
- You're the boy who bumped into me this morning before the car maniac...
I stopped before finishing the sentence. I was about to say that I had been run over, but I didn't want to worry Yuji. I had stopped by the pharmacy and the medicine was working, I was feeling as good as a broken record.
I noticed the boy was holding a suitcase in one hand, not the kind of suitcase you take to a sleepover, but a suitcase you pack when you run away from home.
- This is my friend Fushiguro - Yuji said - I told him he could spend the night here.
- If you agree... Sir - the boy said. He was staring at the ground, very different from his rude figure from this morning.
I looked at Yuji quickly, he was making desperate "please" gestures.
- He can stay in the upstairs room, there's no one there.
- I know - I replied. The upstairs bedroom was practically an independent apartment. I intended to rent it, but I didn't trust a stranger wandering around the house with Yuji here.
I didn't want to let him stay, accepting a child at home meant having to take care of them, and I was already too tired taking care of just one, but I couldn't ignore the look on Yuji's face.
He had friends. Great.
- Do you want some mooncakes?
