time out

A/N: This is shorter than I would have wanted and I apologize, but as always, feedback is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading and Happy 2024!

As always, feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!

Kento doesn't pine. He struggles, trudges, flounders, and eventually falls.

AKA: Kento Nanami doesn't want a lot of things in life, but he wants her (in it).

Kento was not really the type to text. Instant messaging is convenient, but talking in person is more… effective. Efficient. He's more comfortable talking in person because things are clearer and easier to understand. And talking to her is easy. Talking to her is simple. Talking to her is better than texting her because at least he knows the sound of her voice, her tone, what she really means when she says something, but now…

[Happy New Year.]

The message he sent her was delivered at exactly midnight. She was the first person he'd greeted that year, before Satoru, before Ino, before anyone else. And he's probably the first person she has greeted too, albeit in advance. She sent her message two minutes before midnight, and there's still a part of him that thinks there's something missing in it.

[Happy New Year too, Kento.]

Her reply was sent three weeks ago, and he's heard nothing from her ever since. He hears nothing from Satoru either, but he doesn't think of the worst-case scenario. He doesn't think of the worst-case scenario because she is an onmyoji. She is an onmyoji in Hokkaido, the only part of Japan made sacred by her lineage, and maybe there's just a lot of things going on. After all, one of her cousins is marrying into the Zenin family, and he can only try to understand how complicated the politics might be.

A week later, Satoru brandishes the invitation before all of them:

"Fancy!"

Because it's a scroll, handwritten with such polished calligraphy and lined with gold leaf. It's an ostentatious show of wealth and influence, and anyone unaware of the jujutsu and onmyodo community would think it's just that. Kento sometimes forgets just how wealthy Satoru is and just how much influence he has over everything–

"Of course they'd be honored for me to be there…" Satoru scoffed and mocked the title. "I'm the head of the clan."

–because sometimes Satoru acts just like everybody else.

"I'd love to bring a plus one, but it doesn't look like they'd want it."

Because it's supposedly a secret ceremony only the most prominent of sorcery and onmyodo families should be invited to. Satoru is the only one invited from Tokyo, and no one from the Kyoto branch even received an invitation. Not even the Zenin siblings, but that's another layer of politics Kento doesn't want to get into. From what he's heard from Satoru, dealing with the traditionalist clans is always difficult, where stubbornness refuses to give in to persuasion.

Kento doesn't hear about her or from her, but he hears about her family, what she's probably doing, where she probably is. He hears about all the rituals and ceremonies involved in a marriage like this, and feels slightly thankful he isn't so deeply involved in the supernatural community. He thinks about texting her and asking how she's doing, but ultimately decides against it. After all, she's fine just where she is and whoever she's with, and he shouldn't really worry because they're friends and she'd tell him if there was anything wrong–

[How are things there?]

When he texted her that late at night, he pressed the "send" button with his eyes closed and wondered if he'd somehow reverted to his younger self. Her reply comes soon after:

[Kento! Sorry, I've been busy these past few weeks with all the preparations and all the rituals and ceremonies… It's a long story and I'd love to tell you guys all about it when I get back! How are things in Tokyo?]

So she's alive. She's alive and well and still just herself, and he feels himself blushing at the thought of her voice, at her excitement to tell stories about what happened when she was away. Yeah, he has reverted back to his younger self. But how can he tell her that nothing's really changed and nothing's really happened? Three weeks isn't too long a time, and nothing so noteworthy has happened when she's away, just… He just misses her. But can he tell her that?

He tells her something else.

[Ino's doing good work at your shop.]

He can imagine her laughing when she replies:

[I know! He sends pictures of the orders before they're delivered. I'm considering hiring him part-time.]

He considers telling her he's interested in helping her too, but– No. He swallows his nervousness and his small fears because he's an adult now. They both are. He can tell her he can help her if he wants to, if she wants him to–

[I think it's a nice break from the regular work.]

Now he thinks he's said the wrong thing, but she doesn't seem to mind it. In fact, she's even invited him:

[It is! And the door's always open for anyone interested to learn. Would you like to try it sometime?]

[I'd love to.]

He's always used the word "love" carefully, but now he thinks he's being careless. And this might be the first time he's ever used it this way towards her. Oh, no–

[I'd love to set it up when I get back.]

He can hear her smile in the reply, and decides to ask:

[When are you getting back?]

And she replies quickly:

[Hopefully right after the wedding. Things are a little too overwhelming here and I need some space! I'll be in Tokyo for about a week before something comes up again.]

What thing?

[What would?]

[It's hard to tell, but there's a lot more going on in the onmyodo community than I last heard.]

He doesn't think he should ask about it anymore, so he replies instead:

[You know we'd help you if we could.]

[I think it'd be best if the jujutsu community doesn't get involved. Dealing with gods is a lot more complicated than people realize.]

So it's got to do with… actual gods? Literal deities?

[My grandmother says something is going to happen soon.]

Is that why Satoru was the only one invited to Hokkaido?

[So keep safe back there, Kento. Give everyone my regards, and I hope to see you soon.]

She used his first name, so casually, so freely, and he feels his heart beating fast.

[I hope to see you soon too.]

Talking to her is easy, and it sometimes makes him think loving her will be easy too. If only he could actually tell her…

When the wedding date comes along, it doesn't surprise him that Satoru is still in Tokyo.

Shoko asks him, "Isn't the wedding today?"

Satoru yawns and leans even further back in his seat. "It isn't until the afternoon."

She sighs. "Don't tell me you're going dressed like that, they'll kill you."

He chuckles. "They can try."

"And they really will."

Shoko walks away, but before she leaves the faculty lounge, she turns to Kento and says:

"Can you lend him a nice suit?"

Of course, he says:

"Sure."

And of course, Satoru chimes in:

"A Western-style suit to a traditional wedding? Now they'll definitely try to kill me!"

Shoko gives up and leaves. Kento turns to Satoru then, and asks:

"You have the clothes, don't you?"

"Yeah, tailor-fitted in that ugly color they chose." Satoru laughs. "They didn't have to pander to little ol' me. With their combined power, they could be almost powerful enough to stop me."

Stop him?

"Just kidding!" Satoru laughs. "But anyway, this is all just a big formality. Wouldn't want to shame the family name."

Kento has rarely heard Satoru speak of his own family, much less seen any of them. The Gojo clan are particularly secretive, more secretive and extra careful, and it's only Satoru who seems to be… out of it all. Because he's the strongest. Because of the Six Eyes. Because of Limitless. Because he's the Satoru Gojo.

"You're the shame on your family name," Shoko scoffs. "You're going to be late."

"I'm never!" Satoru laughs. "And no souvenirs for you, party-pooper."

"Whatever," Shoko rolls her eyes. "I hope the grand matriarch humbles you there."

Satoru turns to him and smiles mischievously, "I'll be sure to say hi."

Kento pretends he doesn't understand what Satoru means, but his face and flushed and Shoko is snickering, and Kento feels like he's being picked on. This feels just like before, when they were much younger and the world was much simpler.

But the world is not simple, it never was. All the complications become visible as an adult. And the complications of the supernatural world probably outnumber the complications of the mundane world, because the next thing he hears from her is:

[Would you believe my cousin was possessed?]

Oh, he realizes, she hasn't texted anyone or talked to anyone because she was out exorcising her own cousin. But which one? He'd seen one photo of her entire family and they numbered in the dozens. It has only been a few weeks since the wedding. She didn't go back to Tokyo like she said she would, because she was travelling elsewhere with some relatives of hers. A spur-of-the-moment trip. It'd been years since they'd seen each other, anyway, and it's no business of his to meddle so much in her life.

[It's all a big problem with the higher-ups, but some of us suspect there were unsavory elements involved.]

She talks to him about it with a certain distance, a macabre sense of humor, and he understands. It's one way to cope with it, especially in a world like theirs. Yu was like that, in some way, using humor to deal with all the stress. Yu would have loved her, he thinks sadly.

[There must be some conspiracy. Someone wanted this wedding to fail. Get my family implicated or something. Make a big fuss about all this. But thankfully nothing too bad has happened.]

He doesn't fully understand the tone she's using her. She's not using any kaomoji or anything that indicates she's talking about this lightly. So he thinks she's talking about this seriously. He thinks she's talking to him about this because she trusts him about it. Is she talking to the others too? Does Satoru know about this, what's going on in Hokkaido? But Satoru's here in Tokyo, cheery and chatty as always, so Kento doesn't know. He doesn't understand, so he asks her:

[Does Satoru know about this?]

[Oh, no. Better not get him so involved. The Zenin higher-ups are already a pain to deal with.]

Are they… fighting? Not just in the political sense, but… actually fighting? Jujutsu sorcerers against onmyoji?

[If the Gojo clan were to intervene… Well, I don't know what could happen.]

Was it an actual battle? Are they actually fighting? Risking their lives? Fighting to the death? Kento doesn't want to think of anything bad. Kento doesn't want to think there might come a time when…

[But it's nothing to worry about, Kento. And it's better not to get too involved in something like this. I didn't even want to get involved in this. But family's family, at the end of the day.]

But he does worry about it. He does worry about her. And he… slightly wants to get involved. If it involves her, then he wants to… He wants to be with her. But he knows he can't. He knows he won't. Mundane politics are already so complicated, what more of the supernatural?

[I just want out of here. Get back to doing what I've been doing.]

There's a reply he wants to send back to her, but he isn't sure if there will ever be a right time for it. He isn't sure if there will be a good enough time for it. He isn't sure if she's supposed to receive it. It's a reply that could likely change everything between them. It's a reply that could even destroy everything between them. But it's already late at night and he's still typing it down, and his thumb just hovers over the "send" button, and he's having second thoughts because he wants to say it, but he wants to say it out loud–

[I'll be here for you in Tokyo.]

He doesn't throw his phone against the wall or out the window, but he flips it screen-side down and takes a cold, cold, cold shower. When he gets back, there's one message from her:

[That's extremely kind of you, Kento.]

And then a second message:

[You've always been kind.]

And a third:

[Would it be all right if I call next time?]

His entire body grows warm. His entire face goes red. He feels like he's falling in love again. He knows he's falling in love with her again.

[Of course.]

In the days that follow, no call from her comes, but she keeps texting and he keeps replying. And he can only imagine how she must be feeling. Is she falling in love with him too? Is she falling in love with him… again? And if that was the case, when was the first time? It's… unusual for him to think of her this way, but he can't help it. He misses the sound of her voice. He misses the sight of her smile. He misses her excitable presence. He misses her… a lot.

When she does call, it's one afternoon and he's only been waiting for a text from her the past few hours. When he answers her call, he keeps his breathing steady and prepares to speak– But he doesn't know what to say. Should he use her given name? Should he just say hello?

So she beats him to it, her voice low against the receiver, "Kento."

He doesn't hear anything else besides her and wonders where she is, if she's safe, if she's still in Hokkaido, if she's already in Tokyo, or if she's somewhere else, if she needs help…

He replies, "Good morning."

Oh, he feels embarrassed– It's already the afternoon!

But her laugh calms him. Her laugh grounds him. Her laugh makes him flustered. Her laughs makes him think she's in love with him too– No, she isn't!

"I just thought to call." She sounds nervous. "Is this… How are you?"

How is he? What is he supposed to say?

"Things are… as you left. Tokyo is always busy."

He doesn't know what he's supposed to say because this is all so sudden and so abrupt and he wants to tell her everything–

"Things are a lot less busy here," she replies. "I might come back soon. I'm sure I've been taking so much of Takuma's time."

He smiles. "I think you're getting a full-time employee when you come back."

She laughs. "I wouldn't want to deprive the jujutsu world of such a great sorcerer."

"He makes time. He likes the work, after all."

"He does, he does! It's really endearing, Tatsuya would've loved him– Oh."

He can't imagine what her expression is now. They haven't seen each other for a while, a long while.

And then she sputters out, "Wh– What– Have you been to the bakery recently?"

What's happening to her?

"I'm… I haven't been there since, but maybe I'll drop by."

What was he saying?

"Yeah, I've been craving their sandwiches suddenly."

What was she saying?

"How are you, Kento?"

There's the question, and here's his answer.

"Some days are busier than others, but it's nothing too difficult."

She laughs. "You're the 7:3 Sorcerer for a reason, huh?"

He stops himself from laughing, but he breaks into a smile. "It's at least more exciting than an office."

"At least more exciting than an office?" She echoes, and he can hear the humored crack in her voice. "Sometimes I'd rather take a regular job, less risky. Maybe I'll retire early and just work at the shop all day, then go home and sleep on a regular schedule."

And he's replying what the voice tells him to say before he can even think about it, "Where's the excitement in that?"

What– What are you saying?!

"Excitement?"

Now she's laughing. Now she's smiling. Now he's both terribly embarrassed and so in love, and he wants to apologize–

"So," he can hear the half-joking, half-mocking tone in her voice, "What's exciting for the 7:3 Sorcerer?"

The voice tells him to admit it.

"You."

But of course he'll never say that. He'll never ever recover from it!

So he tells her, "Risking my life."

And it's a… joke. It's a joke because suddenly she's laughing and she's laughing really loud, and against her boisterous and elated laugh, he wants to tell her he'd risk his life for her, just to see her laugh like this in person–

"That's a great joke, Kento. One of the better ones I've heard about people like us."

He can hear her smile.

"I didn't know you had a great sense of humor."

She doesn't say anything after that and he doesn't know what to say after that because he's so awestruck at himself of even saying that in one breath so easily. He's still so shocked that he'd managed to say it, that she'd accept it like that. He's so, so, so in love with her right now that he wants to tell her– But he won't. He won't. Not like this. Not over the phone. Not when he doesn't know what expression she's making.

Suddenly, she says, "This is nice."

Now she's become so quiet, so subdued, so unlike anything she was before. Was it because she's realized something? Did she realize his feelings for her? Is she rejecting him? Is she… not ready for any kind of romance now? Was what was happening in Hokkaido so… serious that she's resorted to calling him for… comfort? Is she… in love with him now too? No, why is he thinking this way? He shouldn't think about her like this, she's his friend! He's her friend!

"I can't want to be back in Tokyo."

He can hear her sigh.

"Keep safe back there."

Her tone is quiet and he understands. He understands why she is the way she is now, why she hasn't gone back to Tokyo, why she is needed where she is needed, and why she won't tell him everything. It's because they aren't… What are they now, anyway? Are they in love with each other? Are they still friends? Are they still… them?

He replies, "You too."

He tells himself it's enough that she's alive and well enough to call him like this, to joke with him like this. He understands why she keeps away from Tokyo, from Shibuya, from the jujutsu community, from Satoru, from him. He tells himself he understands it all, because he's not part of her world. He's not part of her world the same way she's part of it. If her family is fighting with the Zenin family, onmyoji against sorcerer, then there might come a time that they would… No, he won't think about it. But there's this small, nagging voice inside him that knows it can happen. No matter how he tries to avoid it or prevent it, it might happen at some point.

He adds, "Please."

Because he's a sorcerer and she's an onmyoji, and he didn't think about this as a doomed romance. They have far more things in common, anyway, and it should have… It should be easy, shouldn't it? If they are in love with each other, then… No. No, he won't think about it. He won't think about it because she isn't thinking about it. And if she is in love with him, well…

Her voice is quiet when she says, "Goodbye, Kento."

Her line goes dead and the voice tells him that's the reason she's not here in Tokyo. It's because she's in love with him and she just refuses to realize it. But he knows better than to believe it.

At some point, he hears about a literal god reawakening and a cousin going missing. She sends it to him one night, in a lengthy paragraph like it was a letter sent too many weeks too late:

[It's a long, long story, but everything's resolved for now. Call it a stalemate. No Zenin is allowed back in Hokkaido and none of my family is allowed to ever go near any of them unless it's dire circumstances. But then there's something about the reappearance of a deity and a distant cousin of mine who just… went missing one day, and]

Did her message cut on purpose?

[But it doesn't involve me, it doesn't involve me!]

Was she supposed to send it to him?

[Kento! I'm so sorry! Please ignore all that, it's for Satoru-senpai. I wasn't checking the name… New phone, you see.]

Oh.

[But don't worry. I'm headed back to Tokyo soon.]

He only has one reply for her:

[Keep safe. Please]

And her reply is a star.

[Thanks, Kento.]

The voice tells him she's absolutely in love with him, but he shakes his head.

And then she's back in Tokyo without letting anyone know. She barges in the faculty lounge of Jujutsu Tech, looking like she'd run all the way from Hokkaido to Tokyo. She's out of breath and looking like she didn't get a wick of sleep.

"Senpai!"

There's no other greeting and everyone stares at her and she stares at them right back.

"Sorry." She heaves. "It's urgent. Where is he?"

Ichiji tells her something. Nitta tells her something. Shoko tells her something. Even Kento tells her something… But it turns out, nobody knows where Satoru is.

"No!"

She groans, then she goes back out, and returns with boxes and bags of… a lot of things.

"I have gifts?"

"That's the urgent thing?" Shoko takes a particularly expensive-looking box. "You've brought gifts?"

"Straight from the most sacred land of Hokkaido." She snickers. "And that's originally for Satoru-senpai."

Shoko smiles at her. "Originally."

She smiles back. "Originally."

Still, she looks frazzled and nervous and scared, and Kento thinks to ask her–

"And this is for you, Kento."

–but she hands him a box of his own, and is walking out the door before anyone can ask.

"If any of you hear from him, let me know."

Then she's out to wherever she's in a hurry to, and nobody knows where. Nobody knows why.

Later that day, Ryomen Sukuna reawakens in the body a teenage boy.

A/N: Are things going too fast?