Ultimate Kaisen

An Unusual Encounter

'I'm guessing she's a senior, but I can't help but wonder if Fushiguro's ever mentioned her.' Ben would look up as he began to recollect past conversations with Megumi,so as to ascertain whether the girl that stood a few feet away from him had ever been mentioned.

'Well, I'm not going to get any answers here. If I ever had to meet any of the second years or higher, I'm guessing now is a good time.' Concluded Ben before coming out from behind the tree and walking towards the trio.

"Yo. Fushiguro, Kugisaki." Greeted Ben, causing the three teens to look at his direction.

"How's it going?" Asked Ben with a smile.

"Tennyson?" Asked a surprised Megumi as his eyes were widened. The green haired girl looked at Megumi as he said Ben's name before looking back at Ben.

"What are you doing here?" Asked an equally surprised Nobara.

"Just thought I'd drop by and say hello. It's been a while since we've seen each other after all." Said Ben with a shrug.

"And it's nice to meet you too,um..." Said Ben as he looked towards the green haired girl.

"Zenin Maki. But you can call me Maki." Greeted Maki formally.

"Zenin... Zenin Senpai." Muttered Ben as his eyes widened upon saying the last sentence,as a revelation had just dawned on him.

"You must have been the girl Fushiguro was talking about. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Tennyson Ben. But you can call me Ben if you want." Said Ben slightly more ecstatic as his smile slightly widened.

"So I've heard. Fushiguro has told me quite a lot about you." Said Maki as she eyed Ben curiously. Her expression was subtle,so Ben couldn't tell when she looked at him from head to toe. Though he would try the same thing, but wouldn't achieve the same success as Maki would notice almost immediately. Despite that, she didn't seem to mind it.

"All good things I hope." Said Ben with a sly smirk.

"Hmm...he mentioned an air of mystery surrounding your background, and a stubbornness that stems from either naivety or moral obligation. Or a mix of both." Pondered Maki in a manner that suggested that it was addressed more towards herself than Ben.

"Is that right?" Asked Ben somewhat nervously. His eyes then turned towards Megumi who immediately avoided his gaze.

'Great,her first impression of me isn't exactly a positive one.' Thought Ben with a small frown.

"Why are you here, Tennyson? I thought you and Itadori would be training with Gojo Sensei for the foreseeable future." Said Megumi as he managed to reestablish eye contact with Ben.

"Oh,we we still are. I just decided to take a break to pay you guys a visit." Said Ben.

"Sounds like slacking off to me." Said Nobara as she crossed her arms and eyed Ben suspiciously.

"Trust me it isn't. Besides, both Itadori and Gojo are cool with it." Assured Ben.

"Oh?" Said Nobara as she raised a single eyebrow due to curiosity.

"How is that?" Asked Megumi who maintained his calm and collected demeanor alongside Maki.

"It's a bit of a long story, which brings me back to you." Said Ben as he turned his direction back to Maki.

"Zenin Sen...I mean Maki." Stuttered Ben slightly.

"I'd like to talk to both of them in private for a bit,if that's ok with you." Said Ben with a smile.

"There's no problem at well. I had already asked Fushiguro to run an errand for me, and Kugisaki was just about to accompany him." Said Maki casually.