"Oh! Hey Sensei. I didn't know you guys were coming."

Yuuji stood shirtless at the doorway with a towel over his head, drying his hair after a shower. The faded scars over his shoulders were the first thing Nanami noticed before he told the teen to put on a shirt. Being inside one's home doesn't excuse lack of decency (although their visit was impromptu thanks to Gojo).

"You sure gotten comfortable living here," Gojo said teasingly, though a part of him felt a little bad, since he would have to help his students with the move out.

Yuuji welcomed the sorcerers in. Since their last visit, there was a massive shift in the décor within the studio apartment, holding a variety of accessories and interests of its occupants. The kitchen, where the smell of bread and Ciel still lingered, was dressed in an assortment of cooking utensils and cookbooks under the cabinets. On the bar counter, green cylinder cups carrying fresh brew sat on top of paw-print coasters, with a puppy and baby tiger figurine next to them (which was surprising considering Ciel's aversion to anything cat-like).

At the center of the room, a curry-scented candle lit on top of the glass table, with a vase full of blue and pink flowers in the middle, and a few or so mangas neatly placed at the edge. The TV was at its usual spot at the corner of the room. The study desk, however, was replaced with a proper TV stand that holds a collection of movie cases in its shelves, along with a DVD player.

On the walls, there were posters showcasing several movies, most notably those beside Ciel's bed: a large poster of Vampire Hunter D with the titular character riding on his robotic horse, and a large poster of the movie Red Sparrow starring Jennifer Lawrence. The cursed dolls rested on top of the pillows, sitting against the headrest and having been asleep for a long while now.

There was a lot more personal touches to this place. All the mementos and pieces of aesthetics. Everything that showed just how much this apartment was lived in. It was rather a shame that they'll have to take it all down. Because by tomorrow, Yuuji will be officially reinstated into Jujutsu High, with Ciel coming along as a new student under Gojo's tutelage.

Ciel in casual attire and glasses (perhaps she just liked the style of it) brought a bread basket to where the shamans sat, placing it on top of the glass table. "I suppose Ijichi-san is awaiting downstairs?"

"Yup. Got the moving truck ready and everything," Gojo answered, helping himself with a warm slice of bread. "Sorry to say, but today's the last day you two get to play house."

"That's okay," Yuuji said as he puts on an orange shirt he pulled out from the closet. Although he'll miss this place and the memories they've made here, it'll be fine as long as he and Ciel were together. "We could always hang out at our dorms and have sleep overs. (Nanami: "No you won't.") (Gojo: "Wow. You're not even trying to hide it. I'm proud of you, Itadori.") ...You're such a stickler, Nanami-san."

Ciel cleared her throat, expertly unreactive to Yuuji's words. "Before we should begin our move, I would like for us to go over the details one last time, in case there may not be a chance tomorrow. If we are to meet with Kyoto class, then we should prepare every possible scenario. For instance, their immediate reaction to our arrival, and how we should respond to it."

"I wouldn't worry about that. It's true that we can't just let you guys walk right through the front door (Yuuji: Huh?! We can't?), but while you're able to sneak in just fine, for Yuuji, I've got the perfect solution," Gojo said with a confident grin as he turned to Yuuji. "It'll be great. Your classmates will be both awestruck and driven to tears the moment you pop out. It'll be a reunion of a lifetime!"

"Ohhh." Yuuji's eyes sparkled with excitement, imagining the faces of Megumi and Nobara, handkerchiefs in hand and joyous expressions worn. "Gah! I can't wait anymore! Let's get going! (Waku waku~)"

He bumped fists with Ciel as she responded with a smile, matching his eagerness. "Yes! But let's not get carried away. We wouldn't want to give anyone a heart attack if we show up too soon (Gojo: "Maybe Gakuganji but I see your point.") (Yuuji: "Who dat?"). They might just attack us outright, but after your training, I'm sure we'll be able to handle them."

"Yeah," Yuuji rubbed his knee that still felt the brunt of his latest workout yesterday. "It wasn't easy in the slightest, but I feel like I can take on an elephant now. I came close crying a little, though."

"Geez. What did she put you through?" Gojo asked curiously (Nanami: "You're asking that now?"). Even though two months have passed, this was the first time Gojo decided to finally inquire what sort of training regime Ciel had Yuuji under. "Was it a "swallow hot rocks until you pass out or die" kind of training?"

"It wasn't that extreme," Yuuji said, not noticing Ciel stiffening beside him. "Half of the time, it was actually pretty stress relieving-"

"AHEM!" Ciel loudly coughed so to cut off Yuuji's answer, earning curious looks from the men. "Mm. Let's not get into the specifics, Yuuji-kun. Discretion is our most valuable weapon, after all."

She then casualty added, "And if that doesn't work out, we can always use their family as leverage. Although, from what I learned, the Zenin clan don't particularly have a tight familial bond aside from obligations."

"...You know, you can be really scary sometimes," Gojo said and pointed at her. "I respect that competitive side of yours."

"Um. I'm not really comfortable with that..." Yuuji dampened at that suggestion, especially when Ciel said it so upbeat. "That's definitely going too far."

"I agree. We're not trying to make more enemies here," Nanami said as he took two slices of bread from the basket, adding a little jam that was included. "If they do decide to act on assassinating Itadori-kun, it would be out of duty as sorcerers. Making it personal would only complicate matters further."

"It became personal when their superiors chose to endanger all of Tokyo and treat students of their craft as expendables," Ciel's eyes sharpened as she delivered this counter, crossing her arms. "I cannot abide such arrogance that risks the lives of others by taking the law into their own hands. If these students intend to deliver judicial punishment prematurely, then I'll personally answer to it, and make my own judgement towards them."

How cool... Yuuji and Gojo had the same thought. Yuuji leaned over and wrapped Ciel in a hug, resting his head over her shoulder. "You're really taking this seriously... It'll be okay, Ciel. I'll be fine, I promise." (Ciel: "Of course you will. I'll make sure of that.")

Hearing that expressed righteousness in her words, veiling the anger at the recklessness of the elders - not to mention harming someone she liked, Yuuji would have to work even harder to make sure Ciel had nothing to worry about. He couldn't let her do too much for his sake again, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

As the cute couple held each other reassuringly, Gojo finished his bread. Barring Ciel getting registered and keeping her on school grounds, I wonder if she'll even be allowed to enter the event...

That geezer will probably pull something to keep Ciel off the field while keeping Yuuji into the line of fire. Gojo wasn't sure just how far Gakuganji was willing to go, but now that Ciel had put the idea into their heads, he couldn't stop considering it.

This was probably something he should have discussed with everyone sooner, but knowing Ciel, he had a feeling she already made preparations in case that happened. Guess I was wrong to worry about them.

Their love might just be what it took to overcome this.

"I've been meaning to say this," Gojo said as he and Ciel stopped at the back of the truck. Ciel hoisted the case of the Seventh Holy Scripture inside before looking back at Gojo.

"I want to thank you for cheering up Yuuji after everything." Gojo expressed his sincerity through his dark lenses. "You've definitely kept your promise, and done more than just look after my students. Now that you're officially in the same class, though, you're gonna have to learn to share the work."

"...Isn't that a contradiction?" Ciel asked, not actually trying to be difficult this time. "I thought sorcerers were supposed to be 'selfish' in their fighting."

"Sure, but in your case, it hasn't been working out, has it?" Gojo stuck his tongue out as Ciel glared at him. He straightened his back, "You'll also find that we don't always have the luxury of taking our sweet time unlike the Church, preparing ourselves for every battle, whether we see them coming or not. When your back's against the wall, it's better to fight dirty, and utilize the tools you already have to keep the lead. There's no shame in running away. It's actually one of the first things they teach you in Jujutsu. But when you have the ability to turn those odds around in your favor, you don't necessarily have to run back for those big, hefty weapons you'll need time to gather. You're already a big gun if you put your mind to it."

"Then there wouldn't be any need for me to work with others if I simply do that," Ciel argued. While she had worked with Noel and held no objections of fighting alongside Yuuji, extending that towards everyone else will be... an adjustment.

"True, but you won't. Not unless they're the "exceptions" like Sukuna, and you'll still be stubborn about it. Which is why instead of going overboard, or relying on something you hate, keep practicing on what you and I have been working on, and polish that blade until it shines."

His black specs lowered, revealing the shimmering blue crystal of his eyes. "You've already covered the basics, and enhanced them in just one week. Now it's time for you to apply them in one go. Make that deadly weapon your own, and surpass even the likes of me."

Ciel locked eyes with the Six-Eyes user for a moment, and then turned away to pick up the remaining boxes of her things. "...I'm not interested in your challenge, Gojo-sensei. You're better off fighting Sukuna if you want someone to meet your might with."

"Hey. I'm trying to give you a compliment here! Most people would feel honored!" It's not everyday one would be acknowledged by the Honored One himself, and there were only a handful of people like that as is in this era (at least those he's met).

Ciel simply puts the box inside the truck. She looked over to where Yuuji was at the far front of the vehicle, carefully setting down the last piece of furniture outside the apartment complex.

"All I care about is Roa, and to help Yuuji-kun find a steady path in life, make sure he avoids the same road I took. Whether I may successfully eliminate the main vampire here or not..."

She watched as Yuuji lifted the folded futon mattress to carry over. He saw Ciel staring at him and smiled widely, waving at her.

"As long as he's around others and is happy, I'll be satisfied."

"Have you heard from Haruta?" Geto asked Mahito as they walked through the underground, dark tunnel.

"Nope. Not a single call," Mahito answered, stretching his arms up. He was fully healed now, perfect timing for tomorrow's plan of action. "Guess he decided to bail on us after fighting that Executor and Sorcerer."

"Hmm. I wonder about that... But it doesn't matter. I sent those two knowing there's a chance they wouldn't return. And knowing Juzo, he won't expose our plan. He's a little too hard-headed for that." Geto held up the lantern to show the path, avoiding the splinter rocks in the way. "But just in case, I never told him your part in all this, or that he was never going to fight Gojo. To keep the element of surprise, we'll have to shake things up a little more if we want to make sure their agent stays off your trail."

"You know, I really don't like it when you're blatantly saying I've no chance against her," Mahito pouted before changing the subject. "If Juzo does end up telling those guys, won't they just cancel the event?"

"It's already too late. And with the situation in Tokyo being delicate as it is, cancelling the event would only cause more panic. They'll be inciting criminals and curses to come out of hiding and take advantage of the chaos," Geto stated as he motioned a bull-like curse behind them to move forward. "It's far more important to keep the illusion of control than admit to your enemies you're outmatched. It'll risk giving more power to the Church, and they'd rather let their sorcerers – even those monkeys - die than lose this province."

"Must have been one bloody war if the shamans are that worried."

"It was a stalemate that lasted 350 years. Christianity was banned until 1873, but even after the ban was lifted, it wasn't as if shamans and priests were going to be friends. That's when the cold war started until Japan established a Constitution, allowing freedom of religion, and that was more of a peace treaty between Jujutsu Society and the Church, letting Church representatives settle here but remained separate from the state – I wrote a thesis covering it back when I was a student. I can tell you all about it if you like."

"No thanks. Something tells me that I'd rather be burned by that girl's black keys than sit through that."

"That's hurtful…" Geto then stopped, and Mahito stopped with him. "…In the end, the shaman leaders at the time agreed to the treaty because there weren't as many sorcerers around, and our pact with Mages from the West could only get us so far when they're more interested in our leylines than fighting a common enemy – never mind that they don't usually help us in other matters. Living in peaceful times might have a part in it…"

The stitched headed sorcerer gestured his summoned curses to lower the large, rectangular box, and it dropped onto the ground with a thud.

"But the fact is, the number of sorcerers today being so little was the result of our war with the Church. The residue of that massacre lingering still."

And in the blood of thousands whose ancestors fought in that war. Not that Kenjaku personally cared, as much as Geto did anyway. Although, it would have made things harder had the Church fully established themselves here. At least they're slow in their responses when it came to emergencies.

"Our long feud could benefit us when the date arrives to imprison Gojo. And if not…" He swatted off the cobwebs over his shoulder. "…Then we'll use other means to distract them. In the meantime…"

They looked at the sealed coffin in front of them. Mahito leaned over it, curiously noting the bits of frostbite at its edges.

"This will keep that vampire slayer busy."

"-It's the dearly departed Yuuji Itadori!"

"Hah! Gotcha!"

Wearing his familiar uniform, with the holy shroud stitched underneath his hood, and a purple long bag strapped around his back, Yuuji popped out from the metal box with rock-n-roll hand signs, smiling an "I fooled you!" smile like he did a silly little prank two-months in the making.

A group of sorcerers (and a panda) stood outside on Tokyo Jujutsu School grounds, preparing to begin the Goodwill Event with the arrival of Kyoto. As a way to slyly incorporate Yuuji into the mix, Gojo decided to have him jump out of this box the teacher rolled in and give an awe-inspiring reveal to their classmates.

"..."

The reaction, however, was not at all what Yuuji expected.

Megumi and Nobara stood speechless as the classmate they've believed to be dead, having spent weeks grieving over before finally reaching the stage of acceptance sometime ago, was now here and alive in front of them. It was like an out of body experience, desensitized.

"EHHHHHHHHHHH?!" A jarring response from Yuuji, as neither of his classmates looked happy to see him (he was also wondering why they were standing in front of a panda). W-What about Kyoto?

Surely they were about ready to tackle him, or be relatively surprised. Looking over, he found all of Kyoto's attention were focused on the dolls Gojo had given them earlier, mixed reactions to the strange gifts in their hands. They don't care at all!

Yuuji hated to admit it. This took a hit to his ego. Was he even missed after all this time?

"Sukuna's vessel?"

The only one who was shocked at all was the elderly man walking up to the group with Yaga following behind. Gakuganji stared wide-eyed at the pink-haired boy, clutching the top of his cane tightly. "Impossible-!"

"Hey you old turtle! You finally made it!" Gojo happily greeted the principal of Kyoto, hunching over to meet the old man face to face. "I was afraid you'd up and died on me before getting to see my surprise."

"You-!" If looks could kill, Gakuganji would have done it a thousand times over.

Another voice cuts in before anymore words were exchanged, "Honestly sensei... If I had known you were going to do it this way, I would have just been as dumbfounded."

Calmly walking up the steps, Ciel in her jujutsu uniform appeared. Her knee-length skirt lightly swayed as she made her way towards the class of Gojo, seeing Yuuji still in his pose as if he didn't know what to do with himself. She sighed. I probably shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. Although this set up was Gojo's fault.

Nobara snapped out of her stupor, hit with yet another surprise visit. "Ah-! Ciel-san! You're here too?!"

"Senpai?" Megumi looked at what Ciel wore, and his eyes widened further. "That uniform... You're-?"

Ciel looked at the first years and smiled kindly at them. "Hello Fushiguro-san. Kugisaki-san. It's good to see you two again."

"You know her?" Maki asked Megumi (Yuuji: "Everyone's ignoring me now..."). At this point, Maki wasn't surprised anymore with what her annoying teacher pulled.

"Hm?" Noritoshi looked up from his souvenir, finally acknowledging the new addition to the class of Gojo. "Another first year?"

"Oh yeah! Let me introduce a new student of mine!" Gojo announced before zooming back to his class, stopping by Ciel who had her arms folded at her back. "Since we're having some troubles here in Tokyo lately. You know, with all the vampires and zombies and stuff, I figured it'd be best if we recruited someone who's an expert in those areas. And who better than a member of the Burial Agency!"

His jazz hands presented Ciel with exuberance.

"...HUUUUUUUUHHHH?!"

All looked away from their classmates and souvenirs, and the reaction was immediate.

The souvenirs were dropped, and weapons were drawn. Most of Kyoto's class armed themselves. The Third Years of Gojo's class stepped into a fighting position. All eyes were on the blue-haired student, who remained emotionless at the face of such hostility.

Megumi cursed, seeing everyone on high alert. How could his teacher be this careless? Bringing Ciel here. What was that idiot thinking?!

"Eh-? Eh?!" Yuuji dropped his goofy pose. That got a reaction?! They're acting like she's a bigger threat than Sukuna!

He didn't realize shamans hated the Church that much. His teacher might have underplayed it a little...

Nobara was just as confused, her head darting back and forth at everyone. "What's with you guys?! Is the event starting already?!"

"Gojo..." There was a straining creak of wood under Gakuganji's grip. The old man gritted his teeth. "You've gone too far this time!"

"No way! No way! An executor?! Here?!" Miwa gripped the handle of her sheathed sword, ready to unleash Simple Domain as she stepped back (several times) for room. Noritoshi prepared his bow and technique while Mechamaru stood in front of them, a slow charge of energy at the center of his wooden palms.

"And from the Burial Agency...?" Momo gulped, clutching her broom as she stood behind Mai who had her pistol out. The barrel of her gun pointed directly at Ciel.

"Hmmm..." The only one amongst them who was not as on edge was Todo, clasping his chin as he observed the female executor with curious interest.

Utahime stood in front of the Kyoto students. Her arms spread out as a shield despite knowing nothing of use would come out of it. She side-eyed Gojo while a nervous sweat dripped from the side of her scarred face. "What's the meaning of this?"

"I told you. She's my new student," Gojo answered nonchalant, still holding his smile. "And she's here to help us with our vampire problem."

Utahime made no response, but the way she was looking at him, it was to say that the strongest sorcerer had completely lost his mind.

"You guys act more concerned over her than the freak that brat's carrying." Today was full of surprises as one more was added to the group. From a nearby tree, Mario sat casually at its branch, looking down on all the staff and their students. "You sure your priorities' in the right place?"

"Now who's this?! Did someone lose a child?!" Nobara shouted. This was getting too much now. Were they getting punk'ed? What the actual hell was going on here?

Yuuji's head jerked up to the tree. "Ah-! Bestino?!"

"Vestido? But he's not wearing a dress. (Also, I'm Panda. Nice to meet you)."

"…Did that panda just talked? There's too much happening here!" Even Yuuji's getting a little overwhelmed.

"How's this many people sneaking in?" Utahime demanded, wondering who left the "front door" open.

"Don't look at me. He invited himself," Gojo shrugged. Completely unbothered by this seemingly evident security breach.

Keeping her cool, Ciel responded to Yuuji and Nobara, "Bestino thought it best to formally introduce himself as a representative of the Church to both Yaga-sensei and Kyoto."

Nobara nearly tripped where she stood. "The Church-? That kid?! (Mario: "Got a problem with that, bitch?") What'd you say?!"

Ciel resumed even as Nobara stopped listening to march up to the boy in the tree. "I warned him, though, that I wouldn't be protecting him if these people decided to attack-"

"Say that to my face again, you little shit!"

"-Like Kugisaki-san, for instance."

Megumi had his hands subtly clasped together. "I think he's the least of everyone's worries right now, Senpai…"

Apart from Nobara anyway. Megumi gave a cue to his upperclassmen that Ciel was not an enemy, surprising Maki, Toge, and Panda. 'She's with you? Seriously?' clearly on their expressions.

Yuuji looked back at the students of Kyoto. Almost every one of them were tensed, ready to lunge at a moment's notice. The sharp intensity in their stance and glare while only a few of them held a nervous air to them. Whoa. Hold on…

They looked like they were actually ready to kill Ciel, right here and now.

Yuuji hopped out of the box with ease. He hurried over to Ciel's side and caught the executor off guard when he held her in a protective embrace.

"Y-Yuuji-kun!"

Yuuji gave a disapproving look to Kyoto. "I don't appreciate how you're treating my girlfriend like this."

…

…

…

…

"eh?"

Dumbfounded stare from all, even Nobara halted her irate towards Mario to register Yuuji's words. The only ones who didn't look absolutely stunned were Gojo, Yaga, Mario who let out an annoyed "tsk!", and Todo, who for some reason, nodded in approval.

"Let's go." Yuuji clasped Ciel's hand and guided her away from the crowd. "There's too much negativity around here. I want to show you where my dorm is anyway."

Although, he should probably make sure his teacher did put away that poster of Jennifer Lawrence in a bikini, before letting Ciel in.

"Y-You shouldn't say that so loud! People might get the wrong idea…" Ciel had no way to recover from this spontaneousness. She could only keep her chin down to hide her embarrassment. This was not how she wanted it get out, though a part of her did feel a little happy at how proud Yuuji was to say it.

"…Girlfriend?" Most eventually muttered out, and the absurdity of such a title was enough to kill whatever killing intent they had towards the executor.

Nobara slowly curled her trembling hand into a fist. She broke into a sprint and jumped kicked straight into Yuuji's back, forcing him to let go of Ciel's hand. "Don't just leave without explaining anything, dumbass!"

Yuuji was slammed face front against the ground. "Oof-! What the heck?! Is this how you say hello to people-?!"

He stopped when he noticed something shimmer in Nobara's eyes, her lips quivering and tightly pressed. The girl was doing everything in her power to hold back her tears at the sight of Yuuji, firmly pressing her foot against his back as if to punish him for putting her through this.

Huh. Maybe showing up like it was all some dumb prank was a little too far. Yuuji felt guilty now.

"…I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys I was alive."

Ciel looked at Nobara's face, understanding at once, and gave a slight smile, mentally answering to Yuuji's previous wonder. They really did miss you, Yuuji-kun.

[Yuuji Itadori and Ciel has joined the party!]

Author's Note:

We. Are. Back!

So good to start writing again, although it was tough. I had to work myself out of my writer's block because I ended up waiting too long on my hiatus/break. Let's hope that doesn't happen again.

I've been trying to work on the next chapter for Red Rainbow, but it's a lot harder to do so hoping that I don't make any more mistakes. This is why I prefer this story more despite its many flaws and inconsistent timeline, I just write however I want and go in without a clear plan lol, but I also rely on criticisms so that I can see what I did wrong and do better and/or fix them (which I constantly do, and will keep doing).

I'm sorry for all the notifications of me updating my chapters. It won't be the last time, either. I hope you'll stick around but I'll try not to update so much. EDIT: I think I'll limit updates three times for today. And that's it!

SNlikano: I'm glad this story helped cheer you up! I agree that there are repetitive moments and will do my best to fix them! I tend to forget easily so I end up repeating the same discussion over and over. Thank you for the review!

For any questions, send me a PM! Thank y'all for reading! I'll see you next time!