Under the dark night sky, dimly lit by the faintest of light reflected on the moon, the strongest sorcerer navigated his way through the school compounds. Trailing him were his three other students, Itadori, Fushiguro and Nobara. They walked in a comfortable silence, cautious to avoid startling the girl with (h/c)-coloured hair awake. She rested her head on Gojo's shoulder and light snores can be heard leaving her lips. The said teacher had carried her on his back, piggyback, as she slept. Her luggage bag was being dragged by Fushiguro as well.
When they finally arrived in front of the dormitory building, it was Gojo who first broke the eerie quietness of the night.
"Alright then, we part ways here, I've got to introduce (Y/n) to the principal before she can rest here. Megumi, I'm assigning you to assist Nobara to her dorm room and you can leave (Y/n)'s bag in the main hall. Okay then, sleep well, kids!"
They bid their farewells to eachother and proceeded to head towards their own rooms for their much needed rest. Finally alone, Gojo sighed aloud and turned on his heels, heading towards a separate direction. He trudged along his route as the girl's cursed spirit companion walks by his side.
"Now that we have some privacy, I'd like to hear it directly from you. It's Sukuna you're after, isn't it?"
Gojo asked.
Kuro eyed the man from the corner of his eyes.
"Hm...Yeah, I guess you could say that. Though, I'm more keen on just observing him for now, nothing else. Hunting him down or taking away the vessel would create too much of a mess, which I'm not a fan of."
"Oh, is that so? How can we be sure that you won't cause any problems for us in the future?"
Kuro merely scoffed at the man's statement,
"You can distinguish my strength, can't you? It's not superior or anything special, butting in Sukuna's business would just get me killed. The only uncertainty is, it's either killed by you, or that demon himself."
The response Gojo recieved made him laugh lightly, atleast the small cat knew his own place. For now, he knew it was beneficial for his student if the feline accompanied her throughout her journey. However, if the cursed spirit ever stepped across the boundaries, he'd be sure to clean up after any predicament he'll make.
"Very well, I permit your stay here to remain by (Y/n)'s side." The man's two feet stopped in their tracks. They came face to face with the door to the principal's room.
"I'll take her inside, you can just stay here."
Nodding his head, Kuro lowered his body to the ground, opting to kill the time by getting some shut eye. Gojo took a deep breath and slowly pushed the giant doors open with his front leg.
Inside, Gojo was greeted by a fairly buff man, bespectacled in dark shades. He had a daring stubble which showed off his masculinity.
"Satoru, I thought I told you to never disturb me this late at night." The principal, Yaga Masamichi, cursed him from under his breath. His fingers were busy knitting the furry coats of a doll into one piece, creating another haunted doll to add into his growing collection.
"Who in the world did you kidnap, this time?"
Gojo chuckled as he turned to the side, giving access for Yaga to analyse the sleeping figure on his back. She had her eyes firmly closed, sleeping peacefully and oblivious to the attention she's receiving.
"This is the girl that I mentioned, three days ago, from that school Yuji attended." Gojo started.
"(L/n) (Y/n), wasn't it?" Yaga moved to lean his body further in his seat, eyes still observing the female.
"Aren't you the one that didn't want to get her involved in the first place? Why the sudden change of heart, Satoru?"
Gojo tilted his head to the side as he thought for a brief moment. He contemplated his words, searching for the best way to approach the situation.
"Hm, she made a pact with a cursed spirit, and confronted me on her own."
"I guess now that the cat's out of the bag, I can't just ignore her existence anymore." Gojo took another step forward towards the principal.
"Now that we can't prevent the interference of an anomaly, we've got to resort to training her instead."
Yaga sighed in frustration, rubbing his temples. He complained,
"The higher-ups won't shut up about this, you know?"
"Yeah, I'm prepared for that." Gojo smirked.
"Even so, now that you've brought her here, I finally understood what you meant."
Yaga stated in full seriousness, his voice wary,
"I can clearly sense her spiritual energy from this close distance, Satoru."
"...It's highly unstable."
= = = = = =
"Wake up, (Y/n)! You already missed breakfast, you can't skip lunch too!"
Jolted from your peaceful form, you were met eye to eye with your pretty girl crush, Nobara. In response to her close proximity in your personal space, your cheeks sported a bright red hue and your hands reached out to push her away by the shoulders.
She watched you curiously as you sat your body up by the elbows, face pale, as if you had seen a ghost. Upon observing your bashful antics, she instantly caught up to your interest in her.
"What? Am I too attractive for you?" Nobara teased, a sly smirk gracing her pink lips.
Overwhelmed with embarrassment, you hung your head down, afraid to meet her sharp stare. The bed sheets crinkled as you gripped on them harshly, knuckles turning white.
'Oh, God...I'd rather die than survive this awkward tension...' You cursed internally, too far lost in your sea of anxiety to notice the young girl taking a seat on the bed beside you. When the bed dipped slightly due to her weight, you finally realised her presence once again.
You were contemplating on playing dead or faking amnesia, all to disregard the embarrassing situation you put yourself in. To your surprise, Nobara suddenly engulfed you in a tight hug. She wrapped her hands around your body and reached to ruffle your hair from behind your head.
"Huh-?" A little dumbfounded, your cheeks started heating up yet again.
You heard the beauty next to you chuckle slightly, before she said her words of reassurance,
"You're a cute one, aren't you, (Y/n)?"
The compliment came out of nowhere, multiplying the sheepishness you felt. Shortly after flashing you a wide smile, she resumed her sentence.
"You're the first person to ever recognize my beauty," She stood up and landed her hands on her hips, striking a confident pose with her nose pointing upwards.
"Don't feel belittled, we're friends, aren't we?"
Nobara finished with a closed eye smile and you couldn't bring yourself to fight the stretch of your own lips.
'What a contagious smile you have...'
When she held a hand out to you, you immediately accepted the kind gesture, feeling a little relieved. As soon as you grabbed her hands, she hurriedly dragged you out of the room.
"C'mon then! Lunch is calling!"
You sweatdropped slightly as you struggled against her pulling force,
"H-Hold on a sec-! I haven't brushed my teeth!"
= = = = = =
By the time you arrived at the school canteen with your newly acquired friend, you were already sweating and breathing heavily. To have a full blown fight with Nobara regarding the importance of washing up before eating, right after you wake up is exhausting.
Fushiguro and Itadori were already seated together by a table, and there were two empty seats that they saved for the both of you.
"(Y/n), Kugisaki! Over here!" The cheerful boy waved his hands around to gain your attention.
"Hah! How nice of you boys to finally acknowledge the power of women," Nobara held her chin up high, taking large strides as she dragged you to their table.
Fushiguro merely sighed and rubbed his temples, low-key resenting the idea of eating lunch together. It all died down the moment you sat in your seat though, directly in front of him. His head lifted to meet your (e/c) orbs with his own fiery light green ones.
"Hey, Fushiguro. How are you feeling?" You asked the boy in a kindly manner, fearful of making him feel uncomfortable. From the short period you've been in his acquaintance, you can already tell that he isn't much of a talkative person. You respected him and his boundaries, thus you made a mental note to let him set his own pace in your friendship.
He shrugged his shoulders and used a fork to pick at his food.
"Shouldn't I be the one to ask you that? Besides, after the short celebration with Gojo-sensei over your acceptance yesterday, your body shut down out of nowhere. Knowing how Gojo-sensei didn't really pull his punches on you, it's no wonder you fell asleep from exhaustion."
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that!" You grinned sheepishly, before asking, "What happened after that though?"
Itadori, the boy next to you, took his chance to butt in the conversation and answer the question for you.
"Gojo-Sensei brought you to see Principal Yaga, carried you to your assigned dorm room and tadaa! You're here with us!"
"Hmm, I see..." You recollected your thoughts. You couldn't really recall any memory of meeting the principal though. Thus, concluding that Gojo-sensei had brought it upon himself to see the principal while you were busy drifting in dreamland.
'Should I apologize and thank Gojo-sensei for yesterday? I suppose I need to meet the Principal too, as to not come off as rude...'
Whilst resting your chin on one hand, you asked the male friend in front of you.
"Hey, where can I find Gojo-sensei? I wanna thank him for yesterday,"
"Oh, he isn't in the compounds today. He got called in for business."
"Ah, is that so..." Your expression deflated in disappointment, but it was not for long. A tray of food suddenly crash landed right in front of you, to which you looked up to see Nobara holding up a tray of her own.
"So you're just gonna sit here and chat without taking your portion first?" She smirked and slid the additional food tray towards you with a free hand. Observing the rice omelette with a side of curry, your mouth started to water.
"You owe me, okay? I took it for you this time."
Your eyes sparkled in delight and you clasped your hands together, giving her a full blown smile.
"Thank you, Nobara-san!"
Nobara took the empty seat across you, right next to Fushiguro. She sent you a grin and held her cutlery in both hands, eager to start eating away.
"Itadakimasu! (Thanks for the food!)"
You took a spoonful of the curry and plopped it in your mouth.
Oh, how you regretted doing so.
Immediately throwing a coughing fit, your hands gripped the edge of the table to stabilize yourself.
'Why is it so damn salty?'
"You okay?" Itadori asked in worry as he lightly patted your back a few times to help ease the food down your throat. You nodded in a rush, still a little baffled by the food's peculiar taste. A bad combination of salty, bitter and spice, the small sip of curry was enough to make you gag.
Trying to compose yourself, you didn't want to seem rude to everyone else on the table.
"I'm sorry, guys." You tried to dismiss the bitterness on the tip of your tongue by clicking it against the roof of your mouth a few times. Sneaking a glance to Nobara, you noticed that her own spoonful of curry was stopped right in front of her lips, her eyes looking at you in worry.
Not wanting her to experience the same thing as you, you reached out to gently pull her wrist away and place the spoon back on the tray.
"Nobara-san...I swear to God, it's hella salty..."
Before Nobara can interrogate you further, Fushiguro took the initiative to explain.
"Yeah, I guess the two of would have to get used to this if you're staying here. There aren't a lot of people in the public who would willingly work here as a chef, so this is the best the school has to offer."
"I totally understand how you feel, (Y/n)! I had the same reaction the other day when Gojo-sensei first brought me here for brunch, but trust me, give it a few days and your tastebuds will naturally learn to accept it!" Itadori joked, trying to lift your spirits up.
Nobara chuckled in disbelief,
"Is it really that bad?"
She ignored your protests and finally took a big sip of the curry. There was a sudden pause in her expression before she forcefully gulped it down and flashed her tongue out in disgust. Her body cringed as she hugged her own figure.
"You're damn right, it's awful!" She complained, eyebrows crinkled in frustration.
Sighing, if there was a time you'd miss your own cooking, it would be right now. You slammed your head on the table in defeat, trying to accept the reality of the school you now attend.
"Well, why don't you just head in there and show them what you're capable of?"
Kuro climbed atop Fushiguro's lap and peeked his head up to meet your startled face across the table.
"Ah, Kuro! I've been wondering where you went!"
The sight of the small black cat surprisingly helped dissipate your sour mood.
"Oh, so that's his name?" Itadori whispered, voice only heard by Nobara.
"Pretty typical and boring honestly," She replied, glaring at the feline.
"How did the both of them get close though?"
"Why don't you go ask them yourself, potato boy?"
They continued to argue with eachother in the background as Fushiguro sighed in exasperation.
"Hey, dull kid, you're not gonna finish this, right?" Kuro asked the poor spiky-haired boy.
Fushiguro nodded to the spirit's question in slight annoyance to the nickname he had been given. Kuro then used his paw to dip into the leftover curry in the tray. His small tongue took kitten licks on his paw, tasting it. He hummed in disapproval before fixing his stare at you.
"Just head into the kitchen and show the chefs' how it's done."
"If I do that, I might get in the way of their line of work..." You protested, but the conversation sparked up your two friends' interest. Itadori gripped your shoulder in excitement.
"You can cook?!"
Nobara's expression lighted up upon hearing the news, curious to know more about your specialties. They brought their faces close to yours, and you couldn't stop the pink flush that rushed up to your cheeks.
"I-It's nothing special, honestly..." You turned your head to the side, avoiding meeting eye to eye with your gorgeous friend and the other one who's as cute as a Shiba Inu. Any more closer and you were sure your heart would burst in admiration for the two.
Fushiguro noticed your discomfort and helped you by pulling the two friends away by the collar.
"Don't invade her personal space, you idiots."
He grumbled under his breath, trying to restrain the two adolescents who were acting like animals.
You chuckled at their antics, silently thankful for his help. Finally getting the time to think, you considered the idea Kuro came up with.
'You know what?' You eyed Kuro from the corner of your eyes, just to see him patiently waiting for your next action. 'It's worth the shot, I guess.'
"Hey, Fushiguro, can I visit the chefs in the kitchen?"
= = = = = =
Smiling in triumph, you looked at the newly improved large pot of curry. You had used your cooking instincts and talent to fix the curry they made by adding some additional spices and herbs. Behind you were the rows of chefs responsible for the initial bitter curry you tasted and their eyes were trained on your accomplishment as well.
"Go on and have a taste!" You moved to the side to give them more room.
Each of them used their own spoons to take a sip of it. As soon as the delicacy reached their tastebuds, they all became emotionally teary-eyed and started cheering you on. Their head chef went as far as to shake your hand with his own, thanking you for your effort.
"It's been too long since I've tasted food as good as yours, where did you learn this?"
Touched by his compliment, you gave him a closed eye smile.
"I've been living alone for about four years now, I guess cooking independently just came naturally as I continued to grow."
You should teach us more of your recipes, (L/n)!" Another chef perked up, eyes glimmering with hope. You couldn't find the heart to turn down their enthusiasm when they were treating you so nicely.
"Sure, I'll be sure to swing by anytime I can and help all of you in the kitchen!" You unwrapped the red strings of the apron you wore and returned it to the head chef. Using the ladle placed next to the large pot, you poured some of the curry into five separate bowls smaller in size.
"I'm gonna bring this to my friends, okay? You can have the rest, or offer it to any students who haven't had their lunches yet too."
They agreed and you proceeded to place the bowls on a serving tray. Walking over to your group of friends, you saw how Nobara and Itadori stared at you in awe. The pink-haired boy rushed to your side and took the tray from your hands, sending you a playful wink.
"You must be tired cooking up a cuisine, ma'am," He teased, "Let me be the waiter now,"
Unable to contain your laughter at how childish he was acting at the moment, you brought a hand up to cover your mouth and muffle the sounds of joy.
"So now you want to help me? You should have been my errand boy to fetch the ingredients instead!"
"Hey! You're speaking as if I'm an unreliable friend though," He pouted.
"Stop it Yuji, you're just trying to guilt trip me, aren't you?" You chuckled, melting inwardly as you admired his adorable facade.
When you guys finally arrived at the table, Nobara wasted no time to grab a spoon and dipped it into one of the bowls. She took the liquid into her mouth, immediately humming in delight whilst relishing the taste.
"Holy heavens, this is good!"
Fushiguro was next to try, taking a small spoonful of the curry. He smiled to himself in content and complimented your skills. Itadori wasted no time either as he had a taste, freaking out over how talented you are in the cooking field. You also presented a bowl to your cursed spirit companion, to which he gladly accepted and started enjoying the curry.
"It's great that you guys are enjoying it!" You nervously say, overwhelmed by all the compliments you were recieving. Humming a tune under your breath, you readjusted the cutlery in between your fingers to finally dig in too. Before you were able take a sip, a familiar husky voice interrupted you.
"Oh? You can cook?" A teasing tone laced in their words, the said person continued, "A pretty useless skill, if you ask me."
You snapped to face Itadori's side profile, glaring slightly at the foreign mouth that appeared on his cheek. Itadori almost choked on his food upon Sukuna's sudden entrance, reaching up to slap his cheek. You stopped him by the wrist though, slighty irritated by the snarky remark you recieved from the curse.
'You're not getting away with mocking my dish, Sukuna.'
"(Y-Y/n)?! What are you doing? I'll shut him up-"
Itadori was cut short when he noticed you used a free hand to take a spoonful of the curry in your bowl and brought it up to his cheek.
"Shut it Sukuna, you don't get a say in this unless you try it for yourself."
Truth be told, Itadori couldn't believe his eyes seeing your usually kind attitude change into one of a serious type, fiesty and sharp. He could only give a sidelong glance as you forced the curry into the mouth on his cheek.
Too focused in your mission, you hadn't noticed Fushiguro and Nobara had their mouths gaped open, observing the scene before them. You used two fingers to pinch Sukuna's mouth shut, making sure he swallows.
"How'd you like that, huh?" You boldly challenged the curse, before letting go of Itadori's wrist and resuming your meal.
"Did she just...shut Sukuna up?" Fushiguro whispered under his breath.
"Holy shit..." Nobara stared at you in disbelief and respect.
You raised an eyebrow at their shocked expressions,
"What? Is there something on my face or something?"
"Nope! Just...That's hella badass, (Y/n)!" Nobara cheered, fistbumping you.
Grinning, you felt a little proud of yourself. There's nothing wrong with teasing the special grade curse a teeny-weeny bit, right?
= = = = = =
Wrong.
A big mistake, that's what you did.
Sukuna rested on top of the pile of bones in his conscious territory which resided inside Itadori's body. Laughing to himself, he layed flat on the bones, arms acting as a pillow supporting his head. When the snickers finally died down his throat, he let out a sigh of content.
You'll be an amusing entertainment for me.
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this is twenty pages gosh, you better appreciate it, im wrecking my sleep schedule for yalls hahaha
btw, im seeing some harsh comments about Kuro and tbh, im getting a little bit concerned. yeah, i know hes not even a character in the manga//anime franchise but i need him for plot reasons. if you hate him so much, then just stop reading this book instead, easy as that. i'm not gonna be taking him off my plotline anytime soon because he's essential for the mc's backstory in the future.
even so, those of you who stay, who really appreciate this small work of mine, im gonna say it again. thank you, im really touched.
here's a clarification to your relationship with nobara too, you have a huge girl crush on her (cuz shes badass and queen as hecc) but i doubt its gonna bloom into anything romantic hehe sorry! after all, sukuna's the man yooooooo
Fushiguro and Itadori on the other hand? i might make them Sukuna's love rivals but it's still unconfirmed :p
bUT remember, FOCUS ON THE BLOOD THIRSTY DEMON.
okay thas all, my fellow simps,
see you next week! (btw next week is following ep4 of jujutsu kaisen and sooooo things are gonna get intense———). ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
-tobiosuna