WARNING : I am not a native speaker. One of my reasons to re-write this fict is because I want to practice my English even just a little. So, read it with a grain of salt and please enjoy yourself.
—OoOoO—
Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akutami
Oregairu by Wataru Watari & Ponkan8
Genre : Supernatural, Action, Freindship, Slice of Life, and Little Bit Romance
Summary : Not the romantic comedy of youth that he experienced, not the quiet and normal life of youth he had. He never missed his day-to-day cursing his strange and annoying life. He is Hikigaya Hachiman and this is all his complaints as a jujutsu sorcerer.
Chapter 7 : On that day, his soul and mind will never forget the scene before him.
—OoOoO—
Saturday, 16th June 2018
Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Tokyo Bay is simply referred to as LaLaport Tokyo Bay. Even though it is named LaLaport Tokyo Bay, this mall is actually not located in Tokyo. Giving the name 'Tokyo Bay' is just a trick by the developers to make this mall more popular in society. However, some residents of Chiba Prefecture are reluctant to call it LaLaport Tokyo Bay, instead call it LaLaport Chiba or LaLaport Funabashi because it is located in Funabashi City.
Most Chiba people feel a lot of discontent with the developers and the Japanese government for being reluctant to clarify this misunderstanding. In fact, many of the icons in Chiba are actually claimed as belonging to Tokyo. Besides LaLaport Chiba, there are also Disneyland, Makuhari Messe, Narita Airport, Chiba Harbor, and such. People from outside the Kanto region, especially outside Japan, always say that those icons are in Tokyo.
As a Chiba citizen, my ears often feel itchy whenever I hear that Disneyland was in Tokyo or when someone mentions that Narita Airport belongs to Tokyo. Even the biggest publisher companies in Japan, Shueisha, will say "Makuhari Messe, Tokyo" on their posters every time they hold Jump Festa. Moreover, the Port of Chiba, which is supposed to be the largest and busiest port in Japan, is often misunderstood that the Port of Chiba and the Port of Tokyo are the same.
Suppose I become a member of parliament at the prefectural or national level. In that case, I will immediately clear up this misunderstanding and make Chiba's name much more known in the world. Ironically, many Japanese people are unaware that Chiba is the second most visited prefecture by foreign tourists after Tokyo.
"Onii-chan, you weren't being tricked, were you? It is already five minutes past the appointment time, you know."
Hearing Komachi's words brought me back to my senses of thoughts that others might consider unimportant.
I looked at my adorable sister. Whether it's because she is an incarnation of an angel or something, Komachi always gets cute and cuter every time I see her. The clothes she is wearing now seem to emphasize how pretty she is.
Komachi wore a long-sleeved blue cotton shirt with a white striped pattern, the bottom of her shirt she tucked into her pink skirt. The skirt she wears is only a few centimetres above the knee. As for the footwear, my little sister wore flat black shoes with cream-colored socks.
Clearly, her simple style actually looks so sweet and elegant. The black sling bag with golden yellow grooves that she carried also made her look trendy.
As for me, well, the clothes I wear are just a grey t-shirt with the words "I Love Myself" on the front and black jeans as bottoms. In addition, I also wear navy blue Nike Tanjun shoes.
The difference between my outfit and Komachi's is like earth and sky. The bag that Komachi was carrying was a fairly well-known brand, while the bag I was wearing was just a black waist bag that I bought online, and it only cost 700 Yen.
"I don't know, but I can't imagine that an honorable student like Yukinoshita would trick me," I replied to Komachi's question.
Right now, Komachi and I were waiting for Yukinoshita. We, or actually, Yukinoshita, asked for my help choosing Yuigahama's birthday present. Since Yuigahama joined the volunteer club two months ago, Yukinoshita decided to buy a gift for her birthday and a welcome to the club.
Very silly.
Actually, I was reluctant to come here. But, seeing that the haughty Yukinoshita asked for my help, I couldn't help but help her. However, since I am also bad at choosing goods myself, I took Komachi. And because Komachi here, if someone from Sobu High saw us, they wouldn't misunderstand and think I was dating Yukinoshita.
"Well, it is perfectly normal for someone to trick you because your existence is a natural enemy of many people," Komachi replied nonchalantly, "Besides, Komachi can't imagine this Onii-chan of mine going a date with a girl."
"I told you, didn't I? It is not a date, she just asked me to help her choose her friend's birthday present."
"Rather than that, Komachi was more surprised that you could join the club with a Yukinoshita. Is she really from that Yukinoshita family?"
"Yep," I answered simply.
In the Japanese jujutsu society, Yukinoshita's name is indeed well known because the head of the Yukinoshita family is one of the few members of the national parliament who knows the existence of the jujutsu. Even Komachi, who was currently still not officially registered as a sorcerer under the association, knew it.
"They can live in peace as members of a conglomerate family. Meanwhile, their father is tormented by holding the worst secret that could threaten him and his family without his wife and children know," said Komachi in a low voice.
"You are not usually this moody, did something happen?"
Hearing my question, Komachi shook her head slowly while revealing a wry smile.
"No. It just, it must be very hard for the father, because he is forced to interact with our world without having the strength to take care of himself and his family."
I stared at my little sister intently with my usual flat expression. However, deep in my mind, I can't stop thinking and praising Komachi's sincerity in caring for other people, especially those trapped in our world without any support.
People trapped in the world of jujutsu without the strength to survive can only depend on their lives under the protection of other sorcerers. However, the jujutsu society is a world much crueller than the wild. Therefore, it would not be surprising if people like them went crazy due to being mentally disturbed.
"If you feel worried, be stronger quickly. Isn't protecting people like that your goal?" I said while gently stroking Komachi's hair.
If I am being honest, rather than worrying other people, I'd prefer Komachi put herself above everyone else. However, I couldn't force my words and ideology on her. Because these things could just curse Komachi in the future.
While Komachi and I were talking, a familiar voice interrupted us both.
"Good afternoon. Sorry, I was late for some reason."
Automatically, Komachi and I turned our heads to where the voice came from. Sure enough, there was Yukinoshita who had approached us.
She was wearing a white one-piece dress with a navy blue ribbon tied at the front and cladded with a light blue cardigan. Unlike usual, Yukinoshita before me was now tying her hair in a twintail using red ribbons. Honestly, it looks very fresh quite cute. It made me realize that Yukinoshita Yukino wasn't called the prettiest girl in school for no reason.
"No problem," I replied.
My gaze then shifted from Yukinoshita to a woman behind her. The woman had short shoulder-length hair and looked several years older than Yukinoshita.
As my eyes focused on her, I felt something like a strange sensation that made me unable to take my eyes off her. Her friendly smile was enough to draw all my attention to her luscious lips. I couldn't help but stunned when I saw her existence. Her presence makes all my senses and brain feel relaxed. My ears feel like hearing an illusion of beautiful music playing every time my eyes see her smile.
Her short hair, which fluttered slowly following the wind that happened to be blowing, seemed to tell that even nature wanted to show how special this woman was. Her overwhelming presence naturally made all the people around her just a background that was not so important to pay attention to.
The outfit she wore was simple, just a sleeveless red sweater with a high collar and a flower-patterned skirt, and white high heels as her footwear. The black handbag she was carrying and the silver watch wrapped around her left wrist gave her an adult yet elegant impression.
Even though she only wore a relatively simple suit, her charm could overpower all the luxuries around her. In fact, Yukinoshita Yukino, who became the prima donna of Sobu High School, doesn't seem like someone who can stand on an equal footing in the same league as the woman beside her.
I can't count how many seconds I have held my breath since my eyes stared at the figure who somehow looked so special. I also can't remember whether my eyelids had blinked or not when my eyes met hers.
"This is my older sister, Yukinoshita Haruno," Yukinoshita said, "Onee-san, he is Hikigaya Hachiman and … his sister, I guess?"
Yukinoshita's voice that reached my ears made me got consciousness again after being distracted by the presence of the woman I finally recognized as Yukinoshita's older sister.
"Yahallo! You can call me Haruno Onee-san," she said while waving her right hand that wasn't holding a handbag at Komachi and me.
'Yahallo'? Is that annoying-sounding greeting really trendy? In some ways, the Chiba people sometimes have strange tastes compared to the Tokyo. The greeting still sounded annoying to my ears, but strangely, it didn't sound as stupid as when Yuigahama said it.
"Uhhh …I am Hikigaya Hachiman and the girl beside me is my sister, Hikigaya Komachi," I replied while introducing Komachi.
"Hallo-Hallo! I am Hikigaya Komachi, nice to meet you," said Komachi with a greeting that also sounded stupid.
"By the way, I didn't know you were going to take your sister, Yukinoshita?"
Yukinoshita closed her eyes with a sigh and replied, "I am sorry. My sister suddenly came to my apartment and … she insisted on coming with me when she found out I was going shopping with someone."
"Hmmm … are you disappointed because this Onee-san has interrupted your date?" Yukinoshita Haruno replied and then looked at me, "You too, Hikigaya-kun. You shouldn't take your sister with you when a girl asks you to go shopping."
"You heard what Haruno-san said, Onii-chan? It is rude to ask other people to come on your date," added Komachi, who joined in as well.
"We were just looking for a birthday present for our club member," Yukinoshita said quickly.
"If you think that I shouldn't have brought my sister, why did you force to come here, Yukinoshita-san? Aren't what you said completely at odds with what you were doing?"
Yukinoshita-san smiled widely when she heard my words. I don't know what she is thinking, but that smile reminds me of someone who was m source of bad luck.
"Of course, I have to come, haven't I? I have to see firsthand, what kind of guy is going to date with Yukino-chan," she replied as she walked closer to me and slightly tilted her head to look at me intently.
I don't know how high her high heels are. However, even though she was already wearing those high heels, she still had to look up to meet my eyes. I have a height of 177 centimetres. So, I guess, Yukinoshita-san's height is probably around 166 or 167 centimetres.
Rather than that, she, who is now a few centimetres in front of me, again makes me have to hold my breath. In that case, I just hope that this flat expression that I am trying so hard to maintain doesn't look strange to her eyes.
"This is not a date, Yukinoshita-san. Your sister already said it, right?" I replied.
Yukinoshita-san narrowed her eyes at me and replied, "Didn't I tell you earlier, you can call me Haruno Onee-san?"
"Sorry, I am not used to calling people's first names I just met."
"Oh, come on, don't be shy. Instead, what if Onee-san also calls you 'Hachiman-kun'?"
"We are not even that close to calling each other by first names."
Before Yukinoshita-san replied back to me, Yukinoshita had cut her off first.
"Nee-san, stop it. Please don't embarrass me."
Yukinoshita-san, who heard that, instead of brooding, smiled mischievously and walked back to Yukinoshita's side.
"Hmm … don't worry, Onee-san won't take the guy you like, Yukino-chan."
"I don't like him," Yukino objected with a sigh.
"Is that true? Then, no problem, right? I just want Hikigaya-kun to call my first name. It is a little awkward, you know, when he calls 'Yukinoshita' while there are two 'Yukinoshita' here," she replied in a smug tone.
"Komachi-chan can just call my first name right away, though," she added again while looking at Komachi.
Komachi was slightly surprised when her name was suddenly called. However, she didn't mind it and replied to Yukinoshita-san with a big smile.
"I think there is nothing wrong with calling people's first names as long as the person concerned doesn't mind," said Komachi.
Now I can clearly remember why I felt there was something uncomfortable behind her charming smile.
That woman, Yukinoshita Haruno-san. I could say that she was the female version of Gojou Satoru. They both are good looking. Their presences are overwhelming that it makes people around them look like potatoes. To put it simply, the two of them were people who were destined to be victors from the moment they were born.
However, above all, Yukinoshita Haruno and Gojou Satoru both possessed traits that made those around them find it difficult to deal with. I wouldn't say that is their true nature. Because I know people who stand at the top like Yukinoshita-san and Gojou-sensei always have so many masks to hoard and hide their true nature from others.
That is an irony. When the victors and the strongest have to try hard to cover their weaknesses from people that ready to draw knives whenever they let their guard down.
Based on the years of experience dealing with Gojou-sensei's behaviour, this talk will continue to revolve around pointless things if I don't budge.
"I will call you 'Haruno-san'. Still, please don't just call me by my first name."
Yuki—I mean, Haruno-san, who heard my answer, finally smiled broadly at me.
"Onee-san is still a little disappointed, you know? However, I will let it be since Yukino-chan finally wants to go shopping with her friend."
With those words filled with cheerful and seductive tones from Haruno-san, it was a sign that the search for a birthday present for Yuigahama had finally officially begun.
—OoOoO—
Hunt for birthday present together, exchange ideas and give each other advice. That is our plan. At least, that is how it started before someone screwed up and had nowhere to go now.
Just a moment ago, Yukinoshita said she wanted to go to the bedroom furniture and accessories place, and Komachi went to follow her. Meanwhile, I went to the toilet for a while, and Haruno-san chatted with an acquaintance she happened to meet. However, after waiting for more than ten minutes, there was no sign of Yukinoshita returning. I didn't know what was going on until Komachi texted me that it turned out that Yukinoshita left Haruno-san and me on purpose. Or rather, she had wanted to run away from Haruno-san from the start.
Actually, I could have asked Komachi about the location of the two of them. However, Yukinoshita might try to run away from Haruno-san again. This pattern will keep repeating itself and will be very troublesome. Hence, Komachi and I decided to gather at the food court on the 1st floor in an hour.
"Is it really okay to you? Your own sister is trying to run away from you, you know?"
After taking a good look, Haruno-san indeed was the cursed Yukinoshita I met a few months ago. Even though I am pretty bad at remembering people's names and faces, I can't possibly forget such a beautiful lady.
"Hmm … what is this? Do you feel sorry for Onee-san?" she replied while bowing slightly and turning her head towards me.
For some reason, I was not surprised to see her reply to me in such a seductive tone. I shouldn't have wasted my energy asking her. I mean, she didn't even take it seriously at all.
"You are ignoring Onee-san again, Hikigaya-kun. That is not good, you know?" she added in a contrived tone.
"Seeing you like this, no wonder Yukinoshita would rather run away from you."
Right now, all the two of us did was wander aimlessly and occasionally look at the items on display in shop windows. As for Yuigahama's gift, although I didn't intend to give her anything at first, I bought her something.
"Yukino-chan is currently in a rebellion state. So, it didn't matter if she wanted to run away once in a while. After all, doesn't that make her look like a cute little sister?"
If cute, you mean a girl with a mouth like a devil, I probably wouldn't argue with that. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any cuteness in her sadistic nature. If Yukinoshita turned out to be a tsundere, it would probably be a rare cuteness. I have seen the gap moe that Miura has shown quite a few times accidentally. However, it was hard to imagine the gap moe that Yukinoshita had since she was the type that was quite similar to Maki.
No, forget about gap moe. The one Haruno-san talked about earlier was a cute little sister, wasn't it?
"Well, I am sorry. But, Komachi is a cuter little sister than Yukinoshita."
"Pfftt … ahahahaa …"
I was a little surprised when Haruno-san suddenly stopped walking and laughed. Her right hand grabbed my left shoulder while her left hand covered her eyes and forehead.
Wherever you looked, it was not the conglomerate princess you imagined. Generally, people like them will be very guarded about her attitude. In fact, Haruno-san has always displayed a graceful and seductive demeanour in her character. However, you wouldn't expect an elegant woman like this to burst out laughing in a such public area.
The people passing by around us also gave each other strange looks at us.
I am a little curious. What do we look like to them? Do we look like lovers throwing jokes at each other? Do we maybe look like a brother and sister? Or do we just look like a couple starting their first date?
"Eh, did I say something weird?" I asked.
Haruno-san didn't answer my question right away. She was still busy trying to stop her laughter.
"Not really. It's just, I didn't expect that you would suddenly compare Komachi-chan to Yukino-chan," she replied while wiping a few tears from her eyes using the back of her finger.
After confirming that she had rearranged herself, Haruno-san started walking again. Witnessing that, I automatically stepped my feet and walked by her side.
"Really? It is normal, right? There is no big brother who doesn't think his little sister is the cutest in the world," I replied while continuing to walk side by side with Haruno-san.
"From a normal person's point of view, it actually looks like you are saying that you have a siscon fetish you know, Hikigaya-kun."
"Wait, how? Besides, since when did siscon become a fetish?"
"Hmmm… you are not denying that you are a siscon, are you?" Haruno-san replied with a mischievous look.
"What? No, it's not like that. I mean, of course I am not a siscon. After all, if I am a siscon, doesn't that mean you are also a siscon for clinging to your sister, Haruno-san?"
"You can't cover up your ugliness by exposing other people's ugliness you know. If the person you are talking to isn't someone like Onee-san, maybe they will be offended."
What the hell is that? So, she is not even trying to deny that she is a siscon, is she? Apart from that, her way of diverting the conversation was really smooth. It almost looked like she was already very good at diverting the conversation. Did she learn from the experience? For example, changing the conversation when she got confessed by a guy, but she does not want to accept or reject it.
I am talking about Yukinoshita Haruno after all. The eldest child of an accomplished politician and businessman from the Yukinoshita family.
"Oh, there is a boba shop. Did they just open? I don't remember there was a boba shop around here the last time I came to LaLaport."
As if she was talking to herself, Haruno-san just slipped away without bothering to wait for my reply. Haruno-san has relatively fast footsteps for a person who is not very tall. Because in just seconds, she had arrived in front of the boba shop cashier.
I snorted in resignation and followed where the girl had gone. To be honest, I really don't know where else to spend time until we get together with Komachi and Yukinoshita later. So, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try to pass the time drinking boba while looking for a place to sit.
"Do you want it? My treat," Haruno-san offered after I reached her side.
"Serious? I am not the type to be shy and refuse free food, you know?"
"Hey, you should be more careful, you know. Otherwise, you might get food poisoning or worse, you will be easily kidnapped."
"Japan has many doctors and hospitals that can cure food poisoning," I replied and then glanced at Haruno-san, "Besides, if I am easily kidnapped, does that mean you will kidnap me now, Haruno-san?"
There are many things I can be ashamed of in this world, one of which is the stupid words that may come out of my mouth. Therefore, I am cautious in choosing every word I will say. However, in the last sentence I said to Haruno-san that my brain couldn't filter it first.
Those words sounded so strange and disgusting that I regretted having said them. On top of that, another regret arose in me when I saw the sly smirk on Haruno-san's mouth.
The girl pulled my right arm down, causing me to reflexively follow Haruno-san's tug. It made my posture lean slightly to the side and brought my height to the same level as Haruno-san. As a result, the distance between my head and Haruno-san was also drastically reduced.
Haruno-san turned her face to the side of my head and whispered something.
"How dare you tease Onee-san. You really are naughty, Hikigaya-kun."
At a glance, I can see her expression is very sensual and looks sexy. Her seductive grin looked like a fox demon trying to attract and trap its prey. I found it very difficult just to swallow my own saliva in that short period.
Seeing one of the masks displayed by a Yukinoshita Haruno made me realize that you can't lower your guard around a woman who looks soft on the outside.
Haruno-san quickly returned to her usual expression. She then turned her gaze to the cashier, who looked at us with an awkward smile.
"One matcha milk tea, please," she said to the cashier while raising her right index finger, "How about you, Hikigaya-kun?"
I cleared my throat slowly, which had been off guarded due to Haruno-san's behaviour earlier.
"I am the classic one."
"Classic? How boring," Haruno-san commented.
"Said woman who ordered matcha."
The cashier smile awkward and nodded to us and said, "One matcha milk tea with boba topping and one classic milk tea with boba topping. Are there any other additions?"
Haruno-san shook her head slowly while smiling at the female cashier. She took out her phone and pointed the back of her phone at the NFC scanner to make a cashless transaction.
"Thank you for the order and please enjoy," said one employee while handing us our drinks.
Haruno-san and I grabbed each of our orders and walked away from the boba shop. I glanced briefly at Haruno-san, who had put a straw into her drink and sipped its contents silently. My eyes inadvertently focused on the movement of her mouth that was slowly chewing the boba beads inside.
I don't know what spell she had, but every move she made looked like nothing was wasted. Every little change she made always blended in with her natural beauty. This will make you think that Yukinoshita Haruno is a woman who can bring out all the aura of beauty in her every move.
Realizing that my eyes were a little out of focus, I immediately averted and started sticking a straw into my own drink.
"How about we sit there?" I said, pointing to a bench not far from where we were.
Haruno-san, who was still chewing the boba, nodded at my question. Getting an answer from her, I immediately walked ahead of her without even looking back. I quickly sat down and checked my phone for a while when I got to the bench I was going to. Haruno-san followed me and immediately sat beside me, about 30 centimetres away.
Come to think of it, what I just said sounded like I was trying to take the initiative while dating. I know and am 100% aware that this is not a date. However, I couldn't deny that the atmosphere around us had become like a date.
I, Hikigaya Hachiman, hate many things in this world. However, one of the things I hate the most is a misunderstanding.
I hate the atmosphere that can make me misunderstood like this. I also hate myself for misunderstanding and thinking that this atmosphere is similar to dating people. Of the many failures that humans can cause, 80% occur because you fail to read the situation and the atmosphere correctly.
Once you fail to read the atmosphere, other failures will continue to hit you like a domino effect. Because of that, I immediately erased and threw away my thoughts that thought the atmosphere between Haruno-san and me was like a young couple on a date.
—OoOoO—
"See? I was right. It is Senpai."
"Even though I saw it with my own eyes, it is hard to believed that he is the same Hachiman-san I have known all along."
My ears picked up two different voices that sounded very familiar to me. Each of the two voices is a female and a male voice. Actually, there was no need for me to look in the direction the voices came from to find out who it belonged to. However, my head automatically looked up to where the two voices were.
And there, I found two figures, a boy and a girl, standing about three meters from where Haruno-san and I were sitting.
"Isshiki? Megumi?"
"You know them, Hikigaya-kun?" replied Haruno-san, who heard my muttering.
Technically, Isshiki and Megumi are my juniors in the jujutsu society. So, of course, I know them quite well, especially Megumi. Megumi and I are the same people who have the protection of Gojou Satoru. So, I—and Komachi—had met him several times even before I enrolled Tokyo Jujutsu High.
However, I can't say that to Haruno-san. I could probably easily tell that Isshiki was my junior at Sobu High. However, I couldn't make the same excuse for Megumi. Moreover, Haruno-san had heard for herself that Megumi called me by my first name, not my surname. After all, Haruno-san knows that I am the type who doesn't really like my first name being called by just anyone.
So, I can't tell Haruno-san that Megumi is just my junior or something.
"The girl over there is Isshiki Iroha, she is my junior at Sobu High. Whereas that gloomy stiff boy is Fushiguro Megumi, he is my relative."
Two of them walked closer to us.
"I don't want to be called gloomy by someone like you," Megumi replied.
Haruno-san, who heard my answer looked at Megumi and me in turn.
"You two are relatives?" she asked.
"Well, just distant relatives."
One of the abilities you must possess to become a jujutsu sorcerer is the ability to fabricate lies. After all, we live by tricking other people into blending in with normal society.
"The junior you knew at Sobu High also know relative of yours? Isn't that a very cliched plot in dramas?"
Saying that my reasoning sounds like a clichéd plot in dramas is like saying that my reason sounds quite suspicious and tends to have an element of lies. I know that Haruno-san is an intelligent person. I mean, she is the perfectionist Yukinoshita's older sister. So, it made sense that Haruno-san would also has the same or even higher specs than Yukinoshita. It's just that I didn't think that she would immediately smell my lies.
"Actually, Fushiguro-kun and I are from the same middle school. Fushiguro-kun told me that one of his relatives attended Sobu High and said that I could ask him for help whenever I wanted. That is how I got to know Senpai."
Wow, what's with that 'ask him to help whenever you want', Isshiki? Don't people generally say something like asking for help only when they are in a pinch or something, do they? Do you think you will bother me with all your petty matters?
Seriously. This is the reason I won't be able to get along with Isshiki even though we are both under Hiratsuka-sensei's wing now.
"Well, whatever. Rather than that, did you say earlier that this Hikigaya-kun is different from the Hikigaya-kun you know, Fushiguro-kun?" asked Haruno-san, and Megumi replied with a nod, "Tell me what is the usual Hikigaya-kun like? Does he have an embarrassing side or something?"
"Wait, why are you suddenly asking that?"
Haruno-san ignored my protest and stared at Megumi with an enthusiastic look. I am thankful that she doesn't mind my lying about my kinship with Megumi anymore, though. It's just she suddenly asking about something so embarrassing. Isn't that a little too straightforward?
I looked at Megumi intensely to tell him to keep quiet. And yet, the spiky-haired bastard seemed to have completely ignored me.
"Rather than embarrassing moments, Hachiman-san is more like a shameless person. I don't remember much. I mean, there are more important things for me to think about than him."
What do you mean by shameless person? I am a person who always acts calculatingly out of shame, you know? After all, I am sure the only thing on your mind is that Tsumiki, you bastard siscon!
"I guess you think that you have never done anything shameful, right, Hachiman-san?" Megumi asked, looking straight into my eyes.
What? Are you still sure that I am a that kind of person?
Wait, could Megumi ever catch me doing something embarrassing? Which one? Has he seen me when I secretly go to Comiket and Jump Festa every year? Or maybe he saw Inumaki, and I cosplay Levi Ackerman at Comiket last year? Or did Megumi know that Hakari-sanI, Okkotsu, and I had secretly entered one of the cabaret clubs in Kabukichou?
Which one, damn it?
"By the way, what were you doing in Chiba, Megumi?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
Megumi, who was dissatisfied, looked at me with a look that seemed to say I-know-all-your-stupid-secrets.
"I have some business here."
"And I am here to accompany Fushiguro-kun," snapped Isshiki suddenly
In short, Megumi is working on a mission in Chiba and Isshiki was sent to be his teammate, huh?
Although Isshiki is currently a Sobu High School student and has a special sponsorship from the association, her status as a jujutsu sorcerer is still under the auspices of Tokyo Jujutsu High. From what I heard, Isshiki also going to Tokyo once a week to report on her activities under Hiratsuka-sensei's tutelage. So, it wouldn't be strange if Isshiki and Megumi were occasionally involved in the same mission.
"By the way, seeing you go on a date with girl on the weekend, is this your main purpose for moving to Chiba?" Megumi asked in an even tone, "Maki-san will probably be the first to laugh at you because you licked your own spit."
"This is not a date, idiot. Besides, who care about what that Maki thinks."
Wait. come to think of it, I think I'd be a bit annoyed if Maki found some other material to mock me.
"Do we look like people on a date?" asked Haruno-san in a coquettish tone, "By the way, who is Maki? Is she Hikigaya-kun's friend? Or maybe someone Hikigaya-kun likes?"
"She is just lice who usually makes your head uncomfortable. It would be unreasonable if I liked such lice."
"Doesn't it sound like you two are tsundere, Senpai? Could it be that you two are actually trying to attract each other's by pretending to be enemies?" said Isshiki.
Has Isshiki never met Maki before? If she had, she should have known that Maki and I were like compounds of ammonia and bleach. Both are useful if used properly but will become explosive and toxic if the dose is not balanced.
In essence, Maki and I were able to calm down at one time at less than 50 percent.
"Just so you know, Maki is not my type at all. I prefer women whose minds tend to be unpredictable and certainly not rude like Maki."
About two seconds after hearing my perfunctory answer, Isshiki's eyes suddenly widened, and she stepped back slightly as if in shock.
"C- Could it be that Senpai likes me? I- It did surprise me a bit, but I still want to focus on my career, and Senpai is not my type. I am sorry," replied Isshiki while bowing.
Wait a minute, why are you rejecting me? And why do my words about my ideal type of girl that I said without thinking mean that you are my type? In other people's eyes, you may look like a manipulative asshole, but in my eyes, you're just a little girl whose thoughts are easy enough to read.
Haruno-san, who was sitting beside me, laughed at Isshiki's refusal. Meanwhile, Megumi, who was basically quiet, just stared at us with his eyes rolling in boredom.
As I was about to reply to Isshiki, Haruno-san suddenly stood up and stared at me.
"Ah, sorry, I want to go to toilet for a bit."
"Should I go with you?"
Hearing my offer, Haruno-san was pensive for a while and occasionally blinked her eyes. Then, a giggling sound escaped her mouth.
"Are you worried that Onee-san will be seduced by other men, Hikigaya-kun?"
"Forget it then," I replied with a snort and avoided eye contact with Haruno-san.
Haruno-san giggled watching my reaction, and then she walked away, leaving her boba on the bench where the two of us were sitting.
Seeing that the space next to me was empty, Isshiki immediately rushed over there and shifted Haruno-san's drink.
"Ah, finally sitting down," she said with a long sigh, "By the way Senpai, who is that woman? Are you guys on a date?"
After hearing the word "date" for the umpteenth time, I snorted tiredly.
"She is Yukinoshita Haruno, Yukinoshita Yukino's older sister. We have business here, and it is s not a date."
"That Yukinoshita Yukino from your club?"
"who else?"
Megumi, standing still for a while, opened his voice, "Yukinoshita …, are you on an escort mission?"
"No. Actually, we came to look for something here together. Haruno-san's sister is here too, but she is with Komachi right now."
Before any of them could go back to discussing Haruno-san, I first continued my speech.
"So, what mission are you guys working on?"
The two of them were silent for a moment until Megumi finally replied.
"We are looking for Sukuna's finger."
"Whose finger?" I repeat again.
"Sukuna."
"That Sukuna? Why are you looking for his finger?"
This time, Megumi and Isshiki both looked at me with strange looks.
"Don't you know, Senpai, the Sukuna's seal has weakened and the association send many sorcerers to looking those fingers?" Isshiki asked, tilting her head.
So, the massive search that I have always avoided getting information about is the looking for Sukuna's fingers? Wait, then, wouldn't my efforts not to want to get involved in this bullshit go to waste because you guys told me?
"I knew, but I didn't know what they were looking for was Sukuna's fingers."
"Somehow, I feel like I can guess why you don't know," Megumi commented sarcastically.
We- well, please stop looking at me like that or I will really feel guilty.
To be honest, I don't really care about Sukuna's fingers. However, seeing people lower in rank than me having to go all the way here and there looking for those obscure fingers while I am just casually taking it easy without caring about anything made me uncomfortable.
"Are you really sure to accept this mission, Isshiki?" I asked Isshiki to distract myself, "Finding Sukuna's finger is not easy, you know. Not only is his whereabouts unknown, but there must also be many powerful cursed spirits gathered around it."
"Senpai …, are you worried about me?" she responded while putting on made-up puppy eyes, "If you are really worried, take the responsibility and go on this mission."
This asshole. She knew that what I said earlier was just a small talk about avoiding Megumi's cynical gaze, and now she is pushing me to join the mission? You devil!
Before I could answer, my cell phone, which I held in my left hand, suddenly rang. I looked at my phone screen and saw someone was calling me. The name listed is very familiar to me. I knew that if there was not something urgent, this person couldn't possibly contact me personally.
Thinking of the reason behind it, makes me feel like my peaceful weekend is over.
"It's Nanami-san. Sorry, I have to pick up the phone."
"Then the two of us will also take our leave," Megumi replied with a slight bow and then left.
Seeing Isshiki standing up from the bench she was sitting on and waving her hands to me before walking away following Megumi, I tap the green icon on my phone screen.
"Yah—I mean, Hello, Nanami-san?"
Fuck, I almost said that stupid 'yahallo' earlier.
"I won't mince words. Hikigaya-kun, come to my apartment in Edogawa, I have a mission for you."
"Now?"
"Yes. Come quickly."
I hesitated when I heard Nanami-san ask me to come quickly. The predominant reluctance within me made me feel very lazy to take on this mission.
"It is not that I refuse, but I am now under Hiratsuka-sensei's supervision. So, I need to get permission from her to accept the mission."
It is not true. Right now, my status is already a professional sorcerer. Even though Hiratsuka-sensei is my supervisor, I don't need her permission if I want to take on a mission from the association.
However, since I was lazy to do mission on weekend, I had no other choice but to lie.
"This mission is also related to Hiratsuka. She is on her way here too."
Damn it, why did Hiratsuka-sensei have to get involved too? Didn't she say she wouldn't take on missions outside Chiba Prefecture unless there was a big case? Wait, could this be a big case? Makes sense. Nanami-san and Hiratsuka-sensei are first grade sorcerers, while I am a semi-first grade recognized as being equal in strength to first grade.
If the association decided to send at least three people equivalent in strength to first grade, it would at least to perform an exorcise of a special grade curse spirit. Or, in the worst case, there could be a group of illegal sorcerers operating in Japan.
Logically, illegal sorcerers who were originally from Japan would have known how horrified Gojou Satoru was. So, there was no way this had anything to do with Japan's illegal sorcerers. However, there could be illegal sorcerers from other countries infiltrating Japan.
Damn, either way, I really don't want to sacrifice my precious weekend.
"Well, Nanami-san. This morning, someone fainted from exhaustion at my house. So, I guess I can't accept the mission," I replied, giving the most compelling reason possible.
"Faint? Who? Is that your mother or Komachi-kun?" asked Nanami-san.
"It was me. The one who fainted was me."
There was silence for a few seconds between Nanami-san and me. Until finally heard a tired sigh from the other side of the phone.
"Hikigaya-kun, instead of telling lies like that, wouldn't it be better if you told Komachi-kun to tell me? Or you could just say Komachi-chan is fainted."
"How could I tell my angel-like sister to lie? Besides, I won't tell a bad thing like Komachi fainted either. I mean, what if it happened for real?"
Nanami-san snorted again tiredly after hearing my excuse.
"Come to my apartment in Edogawa before three o'clock in the afternoon," replied Nanami-san, trying to ignore me.
"Uuugghh … You look more and more like Principal Yaga, Nanami-san. Please don't be offended, I am not saying you look like a pushy old man or something."
For the third time, Nanami-san snorted tiredly at my response. I don't think snorting too much is good for your body. Many old people say that grunting too much can shorten your life.
Nanami-san, you should pay attention to the fundamental thoughts of our ancestors like this. I mean, who knew that you snorting too much would actually shorten your life, right?
"If you don't have anything to ask, I will hang up. I will explain the details of the mission here along with Hirtasuka and the others."
Besides Hiratsuka-sensei and me, are there other sorcerers involved? Doesn't the scale of this mission seem to be getting bigger than what I previously imagined?
When I was about to ask further, Nanami-san had already hung up the phone. With mixed feelings, the more dominant will be feelings of irritation.
I snorted tiredly from having to work on the weekend. In that case, I really want to become a special grade sorcerer who can freely refuse a mission but still get a big paycheck every month. However, becoming a special grade felt like picking the moon in the sky. Even though Gojou-sensei said I have potential, strength and potential alone are not enough to make a sorcerer be a special grade.
"Sorry for the long wait," said Haruno-san, who had just returned from the toilet, "Did something happen? Your face looks more tired than before."
"No. It's just, I seem to have to go first. My part-time boss asked me to fill the vacant shift today."
"I didn't expect you to work part time," Haruno-san commented.
"Well, you wouldn't be able to live a leisurely life in a country like Japan without having money, would you?"
"Oh, your words are like a boss trying to cheer up his employee who has no motivation at all."
"That is not wrong. In this case, I am the one who has no motivation to work on weekend." I said with sighed, "For now, let's go to where Komachi and your sister are."
Haruno-san nodded and stood up from her seat. She smoothed back her skirt, which was a little wrinkled.
I typed something on my phone and explained my current situation to Komachi. Maybe, I won't be going home tonight either, considering the possibility that the mission I have received is a high-level mission. So, I also had to think of words so that my mother wouldn't worry too much.
For some reason, something felt so heavy on my neck. This unpleasant burden made me feel so reluctant to carry out the mission the association gave me. I always complained every time I went on a mission, but I never felt a feeling that gave me a stern warning not to get involved in this mission.
No. This feeling was very similar to when second grade sorcerers and above were sent to fight against the cursed spirits released by Geto Suguru in the Hyakki Yakou incident. At that time, I ignored orders and made excuses so that I could stay at Tokyo Jujutsu High, the place I thought would be the safest place. However, even though I managed to stay, I faced Geto Suguru, and of course, I lost quickly.
I snorted tiredly and tried to think positively. Maybe, if I don't lie and go on this mission, I won't be the butt of a powerful sorcerer like when I fought Geto Suguru.
—To Be Continued—
Author's Notes: Hello, how are you guys? Keep healthy.
This chapter is still light chapter because it's still early in the arc. I'm glad that I can finally write Haruno even though I find it very difficult to write Haruno well.
In this chapter, in the canon story, Yukino and Hachiman were supposed to be alone when looking for Yui's gift. However, I changed that and made it to Haruno's debut. Here, Megumi also hadn't gone to Sendai to look for a finger there. So, this arc still doesn't run parallel to the main jujutsu timeline.
Even though I chose not to write some original events on Oregairu, that doesn't mean they never happened. Events such as the tennis match against Miura, review Zaimokuza's novel, and so on, all still happened as it was stated. However, event that Hachiman indirectly rejects Yui or the "nice girl" monologue scene at the industry visit, never happened in this fic because Yui was not tied to the car accident scene with Hachiman in this fic. As such, this chapter only or pure about hunting gifts for Yui, not to make her rejoining the club.
Last but not least, I wrote a new fic entitled "The Villain Does Not Want to Repent" in the Jujutsu Kaisen x BNHA fandom. If you have some spare time, please stop by the story and try to read it.
Ok, that's all from me. How do you feel about this chapter? And thank you to everyone who has read and reviewedr. Please leave your review for this chapter because your review is my encouragement. See you in the next chapter and stay safe.