Saikyō || 最強

𝙴𝚙𝚒𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚞𝚎

"That's Yume-san," Panda answered in Toge's behalf. "She's Toge's cousin's bestfriend."

Toge's cousin's bestfriend?, Yuta reiterated, his eyes darting to Toge in confusion. At the same exact moment, shivers started running through his spine, wind blowing against his cheeks.

Rika had just made her presence known.

"Yuuuta," the apparition's quavering voice spoke up, much to the other two's surprise. "Rika wants to go."

There was definitely something about those two graves that matched the menacing cursed energy Rika had been emitting, if not even stronger. The unsettling atmosphere made Yuta wonder what could have happened to the two girls for them to have such spine-chilling presence.

"I think we should really go, Maki will kill us if she realizes we sneaked out."

"Doesn't Maki-san know about this?"

"Bonito flakes," Toge answered flatly, walking back to the direction of the school gates.

"We assumed she's not interested," Panda elaborated. "The only interests Maki have are training and finding that teacher she had as a child."

Maki-san's teacher?

That person must be a great fighter.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at classes?"

"Nanami-san!," Yuta exclaimed. He had only met him a few times whenever he'd drop by Tokyo Jujutsu High, but they had never really spoken before. It was a surprise to bump into him outside the campus, especially considering how he had that no-nonsense, all business attitude on all the time. "Are you here to visit someone?"

"Please return to school already," Nanami replied instead, dodging Yuta's inquiries. "You might get into trouble for sneaking out."

Dejected, the trio walked their way back to the mountains surrounding the secluded facility. Panda couldn't stand the silence as he felt Yuta's anxiety resurface, so he started, "he's visiting Inumaki-san, too. I heard they had a good relationship once."

A good relationship?!

"Salmon," Toge confirmed.

"How come?," Yuta stammered. It didn't seem impossible for someone as well-regarded as Toge's cousin to make good relationships around the school, but with a person as serious as Nanami? Just how close were they?

"They said she was the only higher level Nanami-san considered as his senpai," Panda proudly told as if he was the one receiving the honor. "And she also trained with him a lot."

"Wow..."

I wonder what she could've been if she's still alive, Yuta pondered on the thought. "If she's Nanami-san's senior, then she should be around Gojo sensei's age by now, right?"

His statement made Toge halt. The cursed speech user looked up the skies, sighing helplessly. He softly muttered under his breath, "Yes, she should be."

──❍──

December 24th

Night Parade of a Hundred Demons

Jujutsu sorcerers were dying one by one.

Geto Suguru indeed took it seriously when he declared war against the authorities of the jujutsu world. High grade curses scattered around the streets, ripping apart anyone who came their way. The sorcerers present could only step closer to their deaths as if there was nothing that could be done anymore. Overpowered.