Qian jogged through the courtyard with a large tote bag on her shoulder, heading straight for the cafeteria. Upon seeing her friends seated at a table by the windows, she gave a friendly wave.

"H-Hi guys! Thanks so much for waiting for me!" She was slightly out of breath as she excitedly sat down next to Nobara, who finished taking the last bite of her sandwich.

"Yeah, of course!" He grinned, slurping down the rest of his soda. "Your text seemed important, what's up?"

"I-I had some extra time on my hands and made some stuff for everyone. I-I don't know how much they'll help but…" She pulled out three beautifully wrapped presents and handed each one out to its respective recipients. "H-Here you go!"

They each inspected the box curiously. "What's this for?" Megumi asked, glancing back at the girl quizzically.

"I-I watched you guys train the other day and… an idea just came to me." Qian interlaced her fingers together nervously. "I-If you don't like them, you can just throw them away!"

Yuji was the first to rip apart the packaging, opening the box with eager glee. His eyes bulged out of his sockets in awe upon seeing its contents. "Whoa! What are these?" He held up a pair of bulky, red-clothed gloves, with long-ended cuffs going up past the forearms.

"S-So I noticed that whenever you fight, you use your hands and arms a lot and…well… I made these with extra padding over the knuckles and some foam around the arm holders to give you some more protection." The girl explained quickly, taking a quick breath. "A-And it's red…to match your uniform."

He immediately slipped his fingers inside, clenching and releasing his fingers as he got a feel of the garment. "Wow, these feel great! Thanks Qian!"

Nobara opened her box and pulled out a nylon belt, hemmed with silver thread. She quirked a brow upon seeing its sleek design. "And this is…?"

"O-Oh! It's a tactical belt, it has pouches on the side for you to store the nails you use. I'm worried that you might hurt yourself whenever you reach into your pocket to grab them, so I sewed magnet strips around the belt itself where they will magnetize and hold anything made of metal- if that's easier. Everything is removable, of course, if you don't like them." She gave a nervous laugh. "I-I don't have as good as a fashion sense as you, so I'm sorry if it looks lame-"

Nobara blinked and got to her feet, looping the belt around her hips. She reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a few nails, which instantly clung to the sides of the waistline. She smirked at the girl. "The pockets are a bit tacky, I have to admit, but kind of digging the design. I'm definitely going to use this."

Qian smiled in relief from ear-to-ear. "T-That's great! Thank you so much!"

Megumi was the last to open his gift. As he pulled out a fluffy towel with a cute black and white puppy embroidered on the corner, he furrowed his brow in confusion. "And this is supposed to help me, how?"

Qian rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "U-Um…I couldn't think of anything for you…but I felt bad just giving the others something and I had some yarn lying around so…." She clasped her hands together apologetically as she squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry, I know it's about to be summer and you won't need it at all but-"

Megumi's lips twitched in amusement. "No, this is great, honestly. Thanks."

"How did you make all of this?" Yuji asked incredulously, still admiring his new accessory. He gasped in realization. "Are you a professional seamstress?"

"O-Oh no, I just have a sewing machine at home." She rushed to explain, shaking her head adamantly. "I-I like sewing as a hobby!"

"Wow, you know how to fix wounds, sew, AND cook?!" Yuji exclaimed excitedly. He grabbed her shoulders with awestruck eyes. "Can I marry you, right now?"

Nobara smacked him over his head before quickly hooking her arm around his neck to lock him in a chokehold. "Idiot! You don't say those kinds of things to a girl!"

As the poor boy began to gag, Qian giggled and shook her head once more. "I-It's okay, Kugisaki-san! I-I'm just glad he likes it!"

"Okay, this has to stop." She immediately let him go to fold her hands together, resting them gingerly on the table. She jerked her head at Qian before staring at the two boys. "All in favor of Qian dropping the honorifics and just calling us by our names?"

As all three of them raised their hands, Qian blushed and looked down at her interlaced fingers. "B-But, it's rude if I do that-" They all gave her a pointed look and her blush deepened. "A-Are you sure…?"

"Qian, you're our friend." Yuji replied immediately, rubbing his sore neck as he gave her a wide grin with a thumbs-up. "Of course we are."

She let out a shaky breath, the corners of her eyes wet with grateful tears. Due to her awkward and shy personality, she always felt insecure and hesitant to get close to others in fear of becoming a burden or hindrance. It wasn't until that time when her life was saved, that a small flame of hope had been lit in her soul… that maybe… just maybe… she could change for the better and become stronger.

But then, with her first encounter with Satoru, she faltered.

Even after everything that happened, especially with the confrontation at Le Ciel de Nippon and the encounter with the cursed user, she still doubted herself.

Was she even helping? What if she was just making things worse after all?

Although time has passed, a seed of doubt remained in her mind as she continued doing her job.

But now… in this moment… hearing those words coming from such strong and gifted individuals who actually regarded her as an ally made her heart swell with happiness- that the struggles throughout her life, leading to this moment, had been worth it.

She may not have gotten stronger physically, but she has become strong enough to help others.

"Ooooh there's one more present in here!" Before she could react, Yuji reached in and plucked out another wrapped gift, holding it high above his head just out of the poor girl's frantic reach. "Who's this for?"

"N-No one important!" Qian cried, desperately trying to grab the present from the boy. Megumi sighed, subtly getting up from the table and walking behind their scuffle. He dropped his fist harshly onto his teammate's skull, snatching the box out of his hands. The pink-haired boy fell to the ground with a painful whine.

"Here. And before you ask, he's fine." He handed it back to Qian, who accepted the gift gratefully and thanked the student. Despite his warning, she pushed herself off her seat to kneel beside him, regarding the first-year with worry.

"I-Itadori-kun, are you alright?" She asked in concern.

"C-Can't feel…anything…" He groaned, holding a hand dramatically to his forehead. "O-Only can recover if Qian calls me by my…name…"

The girl giggled, relieved in his condition. "Y-Yuji-san."

Yuji rolled his eyes. "Fine, good enough." He hopped back to his feet, patting her back heartily. "Gojo-sensei's probably in his office, just down the hallway and take a right. You can't miss it!"

She hiccuped, pink dusting her cheeks. "H-How did you-?"

Nobara waved her away dismissively. "Just go already!"

Qian hesitated for a split second. "A-Alright, I'll head over then. P-Please let me know how you like them a-and if you don't, that's okay too!" She rushed out of the cafeteria.

Once she rounded the corner, the three of them gave each other a knowing grin.

"So, we're totally sparring now, right?" Yuji began wiggling his eyebrows as he brought his knuckles together.

Megumi smirked. "Obviously."

"Oh, for sure." Nobara immediately hopped up from the table. "Last one to the field buys ice cream!"

—-

"Satoru. Are you listening?"

The sorcerer was leaning back in his chair, his arms resting behind his head as he kicked his legs onto Masamichi's desk. He turned his nose up towards his old teacher haughtily. "Nope."

Masamichi sighed, massaging his temples in frustration. "I know that you have an issue with the administration, but there is a clear teaching plan you're supposed to follow and you've been brushing it under the rug."

Satoru simply shrugged, pushing the chair back so he rocked on the back two legs. "That's because the teaching plan is stupid and ineffective."

"You need to stand down, Satoru." Masamichi growled, folding his arms over his burly chest. "Your pugnaciousness is only going to fuel the fire between you and them. And believe me. You're not going to win."

"I can just kill them." He smirked wickedly.

The man didn't flinch. "No, you can't. And you won't." He pushed himself off his chair, towering over the sorcerer. "Because of your clear insubordination, Yoshinobu will be coming back in two days to hold a 2 hour exam for all your students to test their understanding. If they fail, he's threatening to transfer them to Kyoto."

Satoru was staggered, letting the chair fall forward to its original position. He glowered at the man. "You're kidding me. He can't do that."

"I am not." Masamichi countered with a solemn glare in his eye. "And he can. So you better get them ready for it."

—-

The girl walked down the corridor, her pulse racing violently throughout her entire body. She gulped as she reached the doorway, peering inside fearfully.

Her heart jumped into her throat as she saw him seated at his desk, filling out some paperwork. His broad shoulders were hunched over as he massaged his forehead with one hand, his other nimbly scribbling some words on the sheet in front of him.

Qian couldn't help but stare. Despite his regular uniform and masked face, she was fixating on his sharp jawline and immaculate brow, which was knitted in a deep scowl.

She immediately bit her tongue and winced in pain, shutting down any further straying thoughts. With a deep breath, she hurriedly tried to fix her hair by untying and retying her locks into her signature bun, tucking her side-swept bangs over her ear, and pushing her glasses up once more. Finally, she knocked on the door.

He snapped his gaze up to see her head appear in the doorway. "Oh, Qian. What's up?"

"U-Um…" She came into the room, swallowing thickly. "H-Here, I wanted to give you this."

He quirked a brow in surprise as she reached into his bag, taking out a beautifully wrapped box. He scrutinized it curiously. "What is this?"

She fiddled with the bow, keeping her gaze downcast as she held it out towards him with both hands. "I-I had some time and…well, the other day, when we were at the field, Principal Gakuganji mentioned that your mask wasn't protecting your eyes well… So I-."

He gave a harsh bark of laughter and she whipped her head at him in bewilderment, her eyes wide as he crossed his arms. "You've got to be shitting me."

She was completely confused. "W-What do you mean?"

He glared at her. "First, he weasels his way here, trying to take over my class, and now he's sending you to give me what- a peace offering? Whatever it is he or those old geezers told you to give me- I don't want it."

She paled, realizing he had misinterpreted her. "O-Oh no this isn't anything like that! I just-"

However, he held up his hand and she stopped, swallowing in fear. "Look, I get it. They allowed you to be a full-fledged employee, and I've been giving you a rough time because of it. But I'm sorry, bribery doesn't work with me. And frankly, it's kind of pathetic that you're doing whatever they want you to do, like some lapdog. I'm disappointed in you."

Qian shook her head violently, completely mortified by the misunderstanding. "N-No, it's nothing like that! I was watching-"

"Now, if you'll excuse me…" He took out his phone and glanced at the time. "I have a class to teach."

He made his way around her and went into the hall. As his footsteps receded, she clutched the box to her chest tightly, traitorous tears falling down her cheeks.

—-

Satoru sighed as he stretched his arms above his head, walking over to the classroom where his students were waiting. He rested his hands behind his neck, a frown marring his face. I thought she said she had nothing to do with them. Guess that was a lie.

As he entered the classroom, he was shocked to see the chairs empty.

"Oh? Sensei." He turned to see Maki heading down the corridor towards him. "Looking for your first-years?"

He nodded. "Class was supposed to start 5 minutes ago. I thought I was late but…"

Maki smirked. "Nah, they're just at the training grounds sparring. Things are getting pretty heated down there- they seemed pretty fired up. Maybe they learned a new technique or something."

As she retreated down the hall, Satoru followed her curiously. Upon reaching the training grounds, a huge explosion erupted at the center of the field.

His eyes widened slightly as he saw Yuji and Nobara in a heated brawl, the latter lithely evading and… even punching?... away the nails she shot towards him.

"Not bad, Itadori!" She shouted, nimbly plucking the metal pins off of her magnetized belt. "Good to see you're finally able to do something besides dodge!"

The boy leapt over her shot and dropped behind her. "You're much faster as well." He grinned, throwing out a punch. She yanked her head out of the way and rolled backwards, using a hand to wipe away her sweat.

"Get him, Kugisaki!" Maki yelled, as Panda and Toge cheered on the side. Megumi was standing closer to the fight, watching with amusement. Satoru strolled up next to him.

The dark-haired teen's eyes flickered up at his teacher. "Oh, sorry sensei. We're almost done."

"Oh, that's fine, I don't care but…" The man rubbed the back of his head. "Megumi, why are you wearing a scarf when it's over 70 degrees out?"

"Oh. Qian gave this to me." He replied, feeling the fabric with his fingers gently. "It's actually pretty light and great at preventing dust from getting into my mouth." He let out a soft chuckle. "Maybe I'll follow Inumaki-senpai's example."

From the distance where he stood, the second-year student jerked his thumb up in approval. Satoru faltered, lowering his hand slowly down his side. "She gave that to you?"

Megumi nodded. "Made it, actually. In fact," he nodded towards his teammates. "She made us all some random stuff that she thought could be useful. In fact, they are."

Satoru turned his gaze back to his other students, and he noticed Yuji was wearing long, red gloves that appeared to have some padding sewn underneath, raising his brows in approval as he painlessly knocked away the nails that Nobara was firing at him. The brunette herself was wearing a belt that had her tools simply hanging around her hips. When she threw her last pin, she quickly reached into her pouch to pull out another handful. But instead of clutching them in her fingers, she simply released them all along the nylon waistline, where they miraculously stayed in place. From there, she was able to easily pluck one or multiple at a time to throw them in the air.

The man was uncharacteristically flabbergasted. "How are they-"

"Magnets." Megumi answered, crossing his arms in a smirk. "Now she doesn't have to waste time constantly grabbing and holding her nails all at once. Honestly, you have to give Qian more credit. That girl is really impressive, coming up with these tools to help us."

The gears in his brain slowly clicked into place as Satoru's face fell. He thought back to Qian's visit… the gift she had held in her hands. He groaned in realization. "Fuck, I messed up."

"Oh wow, sensei, that is a bad word." Megumi chided, reveling in the chance to scold his teacher. "Anyways, we'll be done whenever one of them calls quits which, you know, won't be happening anytime soon."

"It's fine." Satoru sighed, turning back towards his office. "There's something I need to take care of anyways."