So I'm absolutely livid. I thought I had posted this final chapter and completed this fanfic before It went on hiatus. I had gone back into the fanfic and edited just to enjoy it and be productive at the same time and saw that this wasn't posted and lost my mind. I'm so sorry. I hope you all enjoy this calm chapter and all the interactions in it. I bounced around between Maki and Shohei's third person limited POVs.


"I think I'll get some Tempura," Fushiguro said.

"How spicy do you think their Curry Rice is?" Panda asked Toge from over his shoulder as they looked at the menu.

"Are we sure we are just ordering from here?" Kugisaki asked, eyeing the restaurant reviews with distaste. "I can pull out some magazines and find a better take out place."

"Yes, we're sure," Maki confirmed. "This spot is a favorite of all us second-years. And I love their pork gyoza and fresh manju."

"Wait," Shohei halted, trying to write down orders over the loud buzz of the room.

The first and second-year Tokyo students had gathered in the cafeteria the night of their baseball game and were sitting around a table, looking at the online menu for a restaurant the second-years were regulars at when they came into town. They had chosen to order out and have school faculty pick it up while they waited in the cafeteria that was half closed as well as half of its lights off in the outside corners.

"Salmon," Toge said, pointing to something on his phone.

"Oh," Panda gasped. "That would be perfect. Jumbo size bowl for only three dollars more than a large! That's new."

"Fushiguro, look," Itadori squealed, basically leaning on the black haired boy to show him his phone. "They have a deal where if you order two large bowls of udon, ramen, or soba, you can get a side of tempura for a discount."

"How big is the side?" Fushiguro asked, ignoring Itadori being in his personal space to look at the deal.

"Hey, can everyone either quiet down or just text me their final order?" Shohei attempted to yell, but was overshadowed by everyone's loud tone.

"How is their daifuku? I've been really craving some," Kugisaki asked Maki.

"I think there are better places, but if you want something sweet after eating dinner then get monaka. I think you'd like it."

Shohei gave up trying to yell over the group and sat back in his chair, going to the menu and looking over party orders so he could buy the Kyoto visitors dinner too, per Maki's request.

"What's all the ruckus?" Mai muttered, walking into the cafeteria with Kasumi and Nishimiya, all in casual lounge clothes like the others.

"I'm ordering food for all the Kyoto and Tokyo students," Shohei told her, leaving the table of students that hadn't noticed the girls' arrival.

"How sweet!" Kasumi said, looking at the boy in a kind of surprise. "I didn't peg you as the type of person to do something like that."

"Thanks. I think," Shohei murmured, his eyebrows wrinkling under his bangs. "Do you three want anything specific or know what your classmates would like?"

"Do you have a menu?" Momo asked, looking almost vertically up at Shohei; their height difference was so great.

"Yeah. I'll give you the website," Shohei said, showing the girls the page as they took a seat at a long cafeteria table, some way aways from the distracted Tokyo students.

"You never mentioned why you were flashing your money by buying us all dinner," Mai pointed out skeptically.

Shohei shrugged his shoulders, putting down his phone and looking at Mai while the other two girls either looked at the menu or texted the other students to come to the cafeteria.

"I didn't plan on buying everyone dinner, but then your sister had me rather than just us going to eat. I really didn't have a problem with it," Shohei honestly said.

Mai scoffed and looked over Shohei's shoulder at Maki at the mention of her.

"You can ask her why she had me, but I don't think it really matters," Shohei said, making Mai look back at him with a glare still lingering on her face. "Maki doesn't show thoughtful gestures like that on the regular so I didn't question why and just appreciated she thought of someone else."

"She is pretty selfish," Mai scoffed in a high giggle, putting back on her high and mighty facade.

"You know she isn't," Shohei said softly. "If you're talking about her leaving the clan rather than ordering take out, then you know you're wrong."

"Do I know I'm wrong, Sho?" Mai whispered back, bitter. "What if I don't recognize my sister left the clan to better it, but to leave me all alone like a selfish bastard."

Shohei glanced at Nishimiya and Kasumi, still invested in their phones and menus.

"Then why not open your eyes?" Shohei said. "Holding grudges and staying angry is so draining."

"What would you know about grudges?" Mai jeered. "You're more non-confrontational than a sloth on a full stomach. You never get mad."

"I was two days ago," Shohei admitted. "When I saw the special-grade about to kill Fushiguro and Maki."

Mai discounted this mention of her sister with a sigh and deflected, picking up her phone and scrolling aimlessly.

"Don't change the subject," Shohei said, stealing the girl's phone from across the table and sitting on it.

"Give it back you lump," Mai said, crossing the table and attempting to push Shohei.

"What I'm saying is I held a grudge against that spirit for basically five minutes. After that I had a pretty nice conversation with it before it forced me to go back to fighting it," Shohei said, grabbing Mai's wrists so she'd stop hitting him and take a seat.

"That's because you're weird and can't stay on task," Mai insulted childishly.

"I'm just easily distracted," Shohei said. "I even admitted that to the curse. I also admitted I like your sister."

Mai's body almost visibly stuttered from Shohei telling her that.

"So did you jerk because you don't trust me with your sister or because you like me just like back when we were kids?" Shohei asked.

He decided to lock down Mai's feelings rather than playing her game of not being able to tell her motives and being so condescending to him.

"That's ridiculous. I don't care about your business," Mai said, not blinking.

Shohei chuckled and released Mai's hands, hoping she wouldn't hit him again.

"You don't blink when lying like Maki," Shohei commented. "So were you lying about trusting me or do you still like me?"

"First, why are you telling me this," Mai said, her face going cold, semi-covered by the shadows of the half lit cafeteria. "We aren't close and never talk anymore. Are you telling me this to spite me?"

"I'm not that petty, but you have been," Shohei said, pointing out the girl's bad behavior. "I might've been a good sport about it before by not biting back, but I plan to ask out your sister and I need to get everything straight with you before. You are an important part of her life, whether you two will admit it or not, and I don't need you both to get along. I need you to not fight each other over me. You two not fighting in general would be really nice, actually."

Mai sat with the boy's words, lying in her lap, and simply said nothing, still deciding what to do with them.

"You don't have to respond now. I know you're kind of shocked from me saying something sensical and having a deep thought and feeling, but I plan to ask Maki out tonight, and burying the hatchet before you head back to Kyoto would be really nice," Shohei said, taking a gentle tone with his old friend. "I did enjoy growing up with you, Mai, and I miss the simpler times where we just enjoyed our childhoods without being so involved in the Jujutsu world. We can't go back to then, but I'd like for us to be friends like we were then."

Shohei got up from the seat and pulled a piece of paper from his notepad that he was taking orders on and handed it to Mai.

"Here's my number if you don't want to say anything to my face. It's also good if you ever want to talk," Shohei said. "Hey Nishimiya," the boy said, turning to the small girl. "Mai has my number. When you get everyone's requests, have her text me it all and I'll order it."

And Shohei rejoined his table of Tokyo students. With him joining again, Maki and the others noticed the few Kyoto students at their table.

"What're they doing here?" Maki jeered, looking between them and Shohei.

"I don't know. I didn't ask, but I let them have my number so I could get their orders," Shohei said. "You were the one who wanted me to buy them dinner, remember."

"Whatever," Maki dismissed, looking back at her phone.

"Did you all decide what you wanted?" Shohei asked, taking a seat and waving his pad and paper.

The Tokyo students all shared their requests and as Shohei jotted them down and transitioned the orders on paper to the online order form.

"Did you guys figure out what'd you like?" Shohei asked, approaching the Kyoto students after a short while.

"Yeah," Miwa replied. "Me and Nishimiya would like to try the beef Gyudon."

"And you Mai?" Shohei asked the girl, looking at her and not catching her eye.

"I guess I'll try their yakitori," she mumbled.

"Great choice man. That's my favorite and they make it especially good. The chicken's just always perfectly tender and the veggies all have a perfect crunch."

"Todo said he'd take the skirt steak and that he's on his way to the cafeteria," Nishimiya told Shohei when he was done writing on his notepad. "Kamo would like the cold soba and he's bringing a small camera that Mechamaru possessed so he can feel included."

"Okay. I'll order and send the staff driver the location," Shohei said, leaving the girls at their table.

As Shohei rejoined the Tokyo table and pulled out his wallet from his shorts and plugged in his credit card information to order, a tear could've shed from his bangs. He saw the rather large order's total and with it coupled with Mei Mei inheriting a hefty percentage of his wages for a while, Shohei would not be splurging on himself or anyone else for some time.

While the teens waited around for their food, the Tokyo students enjoyed each other's company, and celebrated Itadori's return to school and winning the exchange event.

The group was the largest it ever was with three first-years and all but one of the second-years, and the third-year students were suspended so much that the others who knew them discounted them.

The second-years remicied about the school feeling especially empty in their first year with their absente second-years and nonexistent third-years. They were glad to be upperclassmen to the first-years and the first-years appreciated the older students for training them or fighting along with them.

"Panda is the standard that an older student should be," Shohei said, clapping Panda on the back. "He was acting like my senpai even in our first-year together. He would include me in the conversation and help me focus or make sure I got the invitation to come hang out."

"How sweet," Itadori awed.

"Hey, no fair," Maki said. "You're making Toge and me out to be the bag guys."

"You know what I meant," Shohei dismissed. "You didn't care about sparing my feelings and Toge didn't know me well enough to approach me. He was a little introverted himself. How long did it take for you both to warm up to Okkotsu when he turned up?"

"Tuna mayo," Toge interjected, holding up one finger.

"One mission was the turning point, maybe, but how long before that? Maki didn't warm up to him until that attack on the school. And even then, Maki's warmth is really lukewarm," Shohei jabbed at the girl, getting physically hit in return.

"Well, if you all are anything like Nobara, Megumi, and me and we're gonna grow up like you, I hope Megumi can handle getting roughed up by me like you do with Maki, Shohei," Itadori said, trying to reach an arm around Fushiguro and slipping off his seat.

"When Maki hits you it's a term of endearment," Shohei explained. "I've got to be sure not to dislocate her wrist with a fast paced, crisscrossed Gravity Shield when she does. It keeps me on my toes and reminds me that I'm not hated yet," Shohei explained. "I'd be more worried if Maki didn't hit me."

"How cute," Nobara poked. "You two hit and get hit like grade schoolers."

"And you dress like a middle schooler who discovered her first outlet mall," Shohei taunted back.

"Spending all your birthday money on stockings and hairpins," Maki added on.

"And you two take the piss out of her like bitter old men," Panda said, pointing out the two's assault on a Kugisaki who beat Itadori on the back of the head for laughing so loud at the insults.

Todo and Kamo walked in, stuttering the conversation and laughter, and with a shout from Todo to Itadori, the energy kicked back up.

"Brother!" Todo called, striding over to the Tokyo table and hooking a beefy arm around Itadori and taking a seat by him.

"Good to see you too, Aoi," Shohei chuckled awkwardly to himself, completely ignored by his friend.

"I think we should move to a longer table," Panda said, pressed to the edge of the round table seat with the addition of Todo's wide frame.

"Good idea," Fushiguro agreed, getting up first.

"Why not all sit together?" Itadori offered, nodding his head to the long, rectangular table that Kamo joined the girls at.

"Can we come sit with you, Kamo?" Shohei asked the older boy who he viewed as the leader amongst the Kyoto students.

"Of course," Kamo said, his lips only partially restricted by the freshly reapplied bandages. "Who are we to decide where you sit when you're the one buying us dinner."

"Salmon," Toge thanked, moving over and taking a seat by Kasumi and Nishimiya.

"What?" the girls asked, not accustomed to the boy's grammar.

"Wanna play translator for the night, Fushiguro?" Shohei asked, seeing Inumaki's predicament. "You're pretty adjusted to Toge's vocabulary."

"Sure," Fushiguro agreed, taking a seat across from Toge and the girls and starting the trend of not segregating the table by school, but mixing the seating arrangement.

Maki, Nobara, and Mai all did their best at sitting in positions where they were not in one another's view. Todo did his best to sit by Itadori but was cut off by Shohei as they took the remaining seats on one side and was forced to take a seat by Miwa, who happily welcomed him unlike how many others would. Panda plopped comfortably next to Todo and down by Kamo, who held up a tripod camera with the same label of Mechamru's face on it that the pitching machine had.

The final seating arrangements were as follows. On the side with their backs to the entrance from left to right was Nishimiya, Inumaki, Miwa, Todo, Panda, and Kamo with Mechamru's camera on the table in front of him. On the side facing the door from left to right was Mai, Fushiguro, Itadori, Shohei, Maki, Kugisaki.

All seemed and felt natural as it could from going to nearly lethal competitions to your school to a shared meal, but no overbearing animosity was shared at the table as everyone sat down to share a meal together as fellow sorcerers, students, and hopefully friends by the end of the night.

Shohei's phone buzzed after he began to talk about life outside of school with Miwa and Todo. It was the driver who had gone to pick up the food. He texted Shohei he was at the closest entrance and needed help carrying in all the orders. It was the perfect opportunity for Shohei to talk to Maki.

"Hey," Shohei muttered to Maki on his right, tapping her arm. "The food is here. Come help me bring it all in."

"Sure thing," Maki agreed, getting up with Shohei and heading to the door.

"Where are you two going?" Mai asked as they neared the door.

"Foods here," Shohei said. "We're just gonna go run and grab it from the driver."

"I can help," Itadori said, ready to get out of his seat.

"No need," Fushiguro said, lightly pushing Itadori back into his seat.

"They said they've got it," Panda said, reassuring Itadori and giving Shohei a sort of knowing look.

Shohei quickly looked between Fushiguro and Panda, wondering if they knew what he was attempting to do. Shohei even saw Kugisaki starting up a conversation with Itadori after giving him a thumbs up from under the table to distract the pink haired boy. Shohei gave them all a small thankful smile and strided out the door with Maki.

The cool night air was a stark contrast to the well enclosed cafeteria and its table, warmed by everyone's body. The quiet chirp and rustle of the forest on the outskirts of all the paths and the wildlife that began settling down was enjoyable, but different from the loud and hommie chatter of all the students.

Anyone who knew the Gojo clan member would agree that Shohei wasn't a plan maker. Shohei was ready to get lost in the nice night as he walked to the school entrance rather than talk to Maki like he meant to do.

"How're you handling your recovery?" Shohei asked the girl walking by him, forcing himself to spark a conversation to help him focus.

"Fine," Maki said shortly.

Shohei kept looking at her waiting for her to elaborate. Maki was caught glancing at Shohei's turned head and sighed, continuing.

"I wasn't too beat up anyway," Maki said. "I only got cracked in the face by a root. Finding my glasses the next day was more difficult than recovering."

"That's good," Shohei said. "They were one tough cookie to beat."

"Yeah, that's an understatement when it took Satoru to wipe it out," Maki scoffed.

Shohei wanted to slap his own head. Why did he have to bring up the curse that embarrassed Maki? He knew Maki didn't like talking about her losses. Shohei had to get to his point before he made the feeling in the air any worse.

"Curses don't usually scare me," Shohei sighed. "But that special-grade was about to pull out its Domain Expansion on us right as Satoru showed up."

"Oh dang," said Maki, startled by the boy's encounter. "I didn't know that."

"In that moment before Satoru showed up, I felt real fear," Shohei continued, attempting to keep the point he was trying to make stapled to the front of his brain so he wouldn't get distracted. "Sukuna's been in front of me twice and I've fought him one of those times. It was nowhere near as scary as being threatened with a Domain Expansion by some rando special-grade."

Shohei took a deep breath and rolled his head back, staring up at the glittering stars amongst the inky black background of the sky. The familiar and favorite view filled the boy with reassurance. Shohei looked back to the ground and saw the entrance of the school and the driver with his trunk open.

The two students hurried over to him and grabbed handfuls of plastic bags, stuffed to the brim with boxed foods, radiating warmth.

"We've got it," Shohei said to the driver, taking a bag out of his hand. "Thank you."

Immediately placing the bags he had in hand on the ground and pulling out his wallet to tip the driver, Shohei bid him goodnight.

"How thoughtful," Maki chuckled.

"I try," Shohei said. "My wallets already got a dent in it but they deserve it. Let me carry those."

Shohei made all the orders float a few feet off the ground and trail behind the two sorcerers as they continued to walk back to the cafeteria.

"Sweet," Maki muttered. "I forgot how convenient Gravity Conductor can be, but it's almost like you didn't need me."

"Yeah but I still wanted to come walk with you," Shohei chuckled, looking back at the floating mass of food behind them. "It makes life a whole lot easier. But what I was getting at was that the Domain Expansion was scary because I felt helpless for the first time in a while. I haven't felt that way since I realized I could never be the second Satoru my clan wanted me to be. That was easy to overcome when I talked to Satoru about it, looking back, and I hope this experience will be."

"Yeah," Maki muttered, not meeting Shohei's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Shohei said, noticing this. "I don't mean to bring the mood down or make you uncomfortable."

"Don't apologize you head ass," Maki groweld, but not whole heartily aggressively. "I just wouldn't know anything about being afraid is all," she joked.

Shohei sighed and quickly said, "Be serious with me for a second man. I've actually got something I want to tell you."

"Oh?" Maki sounded, looking at Shohei, confused that he actually had a goal and didn't jeer back with a joke. "I'm sorry. It's just you're never serious and I thought this was like any other time."

"Darn it," Shohei groaned, dragging his hands over his face. "Now I've got you apologizing. Why is this shit so hard!"

"What? Talking to me?" Maki asked, not following what was going on.

"Yes. But no," Shohei uttered, his words and train of thought scrambling.

"What're you trying to get at then?" Maki asked, looking at the boy who was now turning his entire head to avoid her look while beating it at the same time.

Shohei's brain was tripping and stumbling over itself as it tried simply to get to the point instead of being flustered and tip-toeing around the subject.

"Give me a second," Shohei requested, deeply breathing, trying to slow himself down.


Maki POV

Maki stayed silent but watched the boy cautiously, perplexed by her friend's behavior. Shohei was always a straight shooter with Maki and she had no clue why he was acting so much more weird than normal.

It wasn't even the fact that he was acting weird that confused her, but the fact that it wasn't his normal weirdness that had become regular and familiar to her. It was a weirdness that made them both anxious at each other's next words.

Shohei gave another deep sigh and looked back, straight ahead to the cafeteria in sight again, but still not looking at her. Maki didn't like Shohei avoiding looking at her even if she did the same thing.

"I'm not fearless, but I'm not scared of curses or our line of work because I'm very confident in my own strength," Shohei said, something wrong with his face. It was a different shade than normal, but Maki couldn't tell what was fully wrong in the dark lighting.

"Being faced with possible death a few days ago made me realize I need to tell you something that I've never really felt the need to tell you before," Shohei said.

It couldn't be what she thought it was. Maki didn't believe it.

"The thing I'm most scared of is ruining our friendship after telling you how I feel and you not feeling the same way," Shohei said quickly. So quickly in fact that Maki took longer to process it than if he still muttered it slow as all hell.

"Sho-," Maki tried speaking, but didn't or couldn't continue. She was cautious, eager, and dreading the confession Shohei was going to make all at once.


Shohei POV

"If me not fearing anything but a close call with death and being rejected by you doesn't tell you how much I like you then you might be as hard headed at Todo is about people's taste in women, right?" Shohei tried joking, attempting to get some reaction out of Maki, who was stiff as stone and expression was unreadable in the poor lighting.

Neither said anything as they proceeded to walk up to the cafeteria and its outside light, scared either their words or silence did something wrong and bothered the other.

The light outside of the building illuminated both of their flushed pink faces, flustered and embarrassed at the wave of feelings they probably wouldn't feel on a typical day. Maki had an awkward quiver in her lip with red flushing her ears and cheeks, but a childish glimmer in her eye that was apprehensive and electrified. Shohei was basically vibrating in anxiety, his bangs watching Maki for any sign to reassure him that his feelings were shared.

"Uhh," Maki grunted, shuffling her feet.

"Yeah," Shohei agreed.

"H-How long have you?" Maki asked, tripping over her words.

"Have I what?" Shohei asked.

"Liked me!" Maki growled in a familiar voice rather than a shaky, anxious tone. "What else are we talking about you idiot!"

"Oh," Shohei weezed. "Since our first year at school. I saw you in a different light. You were very passionate when leading us in field missions compared to how cold and bitter I thought you were when we were kids. Not to say I didn't like you when we were kids! You just seemed more comfortable and familiar with being a leader and fighter than you ever were with Clan politics or staying quiet and looking pretty like you were asked back then," Shohei spilled, rushing to say what was on his mind and whatever immediately came to it.

"Shohei," Maki said. Shohei did not notice.

"And I know you have your sights set on changing the Zenin clan for the better since they've done you and others so wrong. I know if we were a thing you might think that'd get in the way, but I promise I wouldn't negatively interfere," Shohei still babbled. "Heck, if you asked me I'd help you with whatever you asked. I'd help you with anything even if we weren't anything more than friends."

"Shohei," Maki said, still unnoticed as Shohei ranted.

"I know I'll be forced to step deeper into clan politics at some point and if I had to take a side, then I'd immediately choose yours. I'd put all my effort into whatever you asked because I never need to with curse work. Curses don't scare me and most aren't challenging, so I could put all my energy into whatever you asked of me."

"Shohei! Stop talking!" Maki growled, gripping Shohei's arms and jostling him. "Let me talk, you babbling doof."

"Okay," Shohei squeaked, silenced by the girl's raging, pink face. They quickly separated from each other from the contact when they realized Maki was still gripping him.

Maki let go of Shohei and took a half step back and said, "I suspected you liked me for a while, and I liked the thought of it really. Satoru pointed out something you did for me in a very offhanded way and it made me start thinking. Nobara even had tried prying into what we were before and I told her we've been friends for a long time, and she gave me this look that just said 'That can't be it' and I wondered why she thought that. When you got excited when I gave you Iguana Talon just stirred up my suspicion some more. I liked seeing you so excited. You're one of my best friends, Sho, but my goals don't need you sucked into them. I like you too but you don't need my problems."

Maki was now the one watching and waiting for Shohei to react to her words. He stood stiff as stone, unmoving. His bangs hid his eye's reaction and his mouth was as lax.

His mouth crept into a smile and the boy's shoulder began to shiver. Laughter began to break the night's silence and Maki's look of anticipation turned into a glare.

"What's so funny?" Maki muttered.

"Y-Y-You," Shohei stuttered with giggles. "You think your problems can scare me away from the one thing I want the most?" Shohei asked. He sounded like he couldn't believe a word the girl just said. "I don't want anything more than to be with you, Maki. Not to sound like an obsessed creep, but I'd sell my Nat Geo magazines. I'd jump into a bottomless pit of grade-ones. I'd eat a full cup of wasabi to be with you."

"That's dramatic," Maki muttered, not expecting those examples.

"Well it's the honest truth," Shohei chortled. "You don't understand how much this school yard crush of mine has grown. You're the most bold, ambitious, headstrong, stoic, powerful female I know and I already get to be your friend. Could you imagine the visual realization I had in my scatterbrain when I realized I could possibly be your boyfriend. Literally all the passion I probably was supposed to have in life all got sucked into fun facts about space and you! Your goal in life couldn't possibly scare me off when I hang out with your scary ass everyday. I'd only stop talking to you if you asked me."

Shohei's laughter reset the mood outside the building into an odd mix of emotions. There were still notes of anxiety and panic in Shohei's mind, but he was nowhere near as panicked as he was earlier now that he got all he wanted off his chest.

Maki's pink flush had resided into just her ears and she had no dramatic facial expressions plastered on her to make Shohei question if he should jump off a cliff or not. The choppy waters of the beginning of their talk had settled into knee high waves.

"How do you feel so strongly about me?" Maki asked, resetting her tone as cautions and quiet, like a cat sniffing an outstretched hand.

"I guess crushes make people feel things they never expected to," Shohei shrugged. "I never expected to giggle and laugh when confessing my feelings to someone. I never really expected to giggle, period. But you change that. That might be a part of why I like you. You're inspiring and make me feel things I wouldn't normally, like being proactive. Sure I can feel happy around Satoru and Megumi, but it's different with you. You make me wait on the edge of my seat when I make a joke to see if you laugh at it or not. I don't expect to make Megumi laugh and Satoru laughs at his own jokes more than anyone else's. I want to see your crooked, shiny toothed, confident smirk specifically when I crack a joke."

"My smile is crooked?" Maki shuttered, reaching for her mouth.

"That's not what I meant!" Shohei spat.

"I'm joking," Maki teased, becoming relaxed again and leaning back to look at the boy with the same smirk he was just talking about.

"Perfect," Shohei muttered, staring at the smiling girl. "You're cracking jokes rather than looking like a tomato. It was weird to see us both flustered. How do you feel?"

"Good question," Maki admitted. "It would be nice to have a henchman in the upturn of my clan. It's especially good if he was already my best friend, but I don't want anything to go south with us and suddenly we aren't on good terms."

"You're right," said Shohei, smothering any thoughts of them no longer being friends. "But we can't predict that. We'd just have to work on us as we went. If you want us to be a thing that is."

Maki sighed deeply and looked at the boy, exasperated and said, "Didn't I say I want you as my henchman? Did that not queue you in? I can't just ignore your feelings that you showed me, because if I'm being honest, it's good seeing you so expressive. I would like you as a boyfriend, Shohei, but also the same best friend I have right now. We can be partners and partners in crime."

"Like we're best friends still but calling it a relationship?" Shohei asked, trying to get on the same page.

"Exactly," Maki beamed. "The same friends but now as a power couple!"

"And are you gonna be wearing the pants?" Shohei asked.

"Of course. But you can share some pocket space," Maki joked. "I don't want you to feel like I'm the head honcho. Didn't you know it takes two people to have a relationship?"

"I've never dated before, but I get it," Shohei said.

"Oh right," Maki grunted. "You were a sheltered child."

"So were you," Shohei shot back. "Until you ran away. More like stomped out really."

"Well I'll make sure we don't crash and burn," Maki said. "I do like you Shohei, and if us dating means we get to have a better time together than we did as friends, then I'll make sure we last."

"Awe," Shohei said. "Look at you! You're all in touch with your feelings now that we're alone and you don't have to play your tough act with others around!"

"Shut up!" Maki said, crossing her arms and growling. "Sharing emotions and thoughts is key so get used to it."

"Okay okay," Shohei said. "How're we gonna tell the others?"

"Most of them suspected it and won't be surprised I bet," Maki calculated. "If we act like normal with boyfriend and girlfriend stuff sprinkled in I bet it'll breeze over like nothing."

"Boyfriend and girlfriend?!" Nobara yelled. She had her head stuck out the door like she was just looking for them and happened upon their conversation. "You two finally hooked up?!"

"That's one way to let everyone know," Shohei muttered to Maki, sort of both happy and irked that everyone in the cafeteria surely knew.

Maki was in the process of attempting to clamp Nobara's mouth shut as the girl screamed with joy in the open doorway.

"You nosey little brat!" Maki raged, steam pouring out of her flaring nostrils. "Way to announce it to the entire student body!"

"It's fine," Shohei brushed off, hooking an arm around Maki's shoulder and walking into the cafeteria as the girl swung behind him at Kugisaki. "Well you heard it everyone," Shohei spoke to the whole cafeteria of students who had looked at the door. "The number one sorcerer power couple has officially been formed!"

"That's what I'm talking about!" Todo thundered, leaping up from his seat and pouncing on Shohei. He lifting him up above his head like a sack of potatoes. "You getting some action after all these years is what's been missing in your life. Now you, Itadori, and I can transcend any other group of sorcerers."

"That's funny," Shohei said, not reacting to being hauled up into the air. "You say I've never had any play, but if I remember correctly, you're the one who's obsessed with an idol who's barred from dating."

Next thing you knew, Shohei was back on his feet and Todo was on his knees, crying a river. Itadori hovered over him as the students who didn't like Todo balled with laughter, like Mai and Nishimiya.

Kasumi, Noritoshi, the camera Mechamru was in, and the Tokyo students all got up from their seats and congratulated Maki and Shohei.

"But who really didn't know that it was bound to happen?" Nobara said, looking around like the relationship was the most obvious thing.

No one answered and Shohei and Maki were perplexed that everyone thought they'd be together.

"You all thought so?" Maki growled, looking between the Tokyo students who avoided her eyes.

"Even we suspected it," Kasumi bashfully spoke up. "You two just gravitated toward each other and had a type of playful banter when you talked in public. I just figured you both knew."

"It was rather obvious," Noritoshi said.

"Very obvious," Megumi said.

"Tunamayo," Toge said.

If all three relatively stoic and quiet boys claimed to know it, then it must've been true.

"I know I'm dense, but how'd it slip past you," Shohei laughed, looking at Maki.

"That doesn't matter," Panda said, waving it off to distract the frustrated Zenin daughter. "What matters is that you two got together after all this time and the food is here. Let's eat. I'm sure everyone is hungry."

"I'm ready to eat," Itadori said, Todo hanging limpy on his arm as he heaved him up.

"Hopefully it's still warm after those two were standing in the cold with it, confessing their feelings," Mai sighed, strolling back to her seat.

Everyone took their seat and as the bags and boxes were unloaded. Everyone fended off others to make sure all got their proper orders.

Styrofoam dishes were placed in front of everyone and all that was left was to pass out the dozen small bowls or rice or miso soup that came with everyone's meals.

As the former competitors and current friends all sat together, enjoying their meals and sharing food, any animosity shared with one another, even the deep rooted and emotionally backed conflicts, was dispersed. Only for a short while, but nonetheless. The two sister school's students put aside their rivalries, hatred, bitterness, and enjoyed each other's company.

If a stranger were to have walked in and seen the delightful scene, then they were bound to have thought that all the teenagers were one well meshed clique, enjoying their time together.

Beside the typical duos and trios of good friends, Shohei and Maki stood out in particular that night in enjoying each other's company.

They were seated side by side and had some of the loudest laughs and several of the brightest smiles that night. All their emotions and feelings were amplified by being in each other's company now that much had been revealed between the two.

They felt almost more at bay and at home by each other and surrounded by the wonderful environment, and the only thing they hoped for when returning to their dorms and wishing each other good night was that every moment could be like that.

As Shohei laid down in his bed, his phone vibrated from his nightstand. He rolled over and checked it and saw that a number that wasn't saved to his contacts was who texted him.

"I'm happy for you two," was all that the text said.

Shohei thanked the Zenin daughter and rolled back over, fulfilled with his day's work and new and/or rekindled relationships.


I excited to have found a good way to finally tie the knot on Maki and Shohei with the Hanami encounter. I hope their conversation was smooth enough to understand for everyone. Comment if you have any questions for when I return to writing this because I'll be taking a hiatus. I may either begin plotting a Harry Potter fanfic or scheming s second part to my Percy Jackson fanfic. I might even revisit a my very first fanfic idea I let fade away. So if you like either of those then think about giving them a read. Thanks for reading this far. I hope you read and enjoy more of my work down the line.