Nobara Kugisaki

The plaza outside Harajuku Station buzzed with voices. Blasting pop music mingled with noisy conversations, and the air carried a mixture of perfume and sweet treats.

Feng stood on the bustling street, his deep-blue Jujutsu High uniform jacket especially conspicuous amid the colorful crowd.

He stood quietly in place, his hands resting naturally at his sides, his tall, slender frame straight and still.

The flashing electronic screens and passing pedestrians reflected in his dark-red eyes, while a few strands of his black bangs fluttered in the breeze sweeping through the street.

Occasionally, young girls walking together blushed and repeatedly glanced his way, some even stopping to stare. But he simply stood there calmly, ignoring the admiring looks around him.

So this is Harajuku? It feels pretty lively... but it's probably the sort of place you get tired of after looking around for a while.

After all, lively social scenes aren't exactly rare... Feng thought.

Less than two steps away from Feng, Yuji Itadori had already become completely absorbed in the big city's bustle.

He held a bucket of popcorn covered in colorful sprinkles in his left hand and a freshly made crepe in his right, his eyes shining as he scanned the surrounding shops.

"Ohhh! So this is Harajuku! Even the air smells sweet!"

Yuji Itadori exclaimed in genuine wonder, munching excitedly on his popcorn like a tourist through and through.

Satoru Gojo also held a generously filled strawberry-and-cream crepe. His towering frame, casual stance, and striking black blindfold made him stand out from the crowd, drawing even more strange and curious looks than Feng.

He took a huge bite of whipped cream, showing no awareness that he ought to set an example as a teacher, and cheerfully agreed with his student.

"Right? Right? People line up for the crepes here!

Yuji, there's a shop over there that sells giant cotton candy, too. Want to check it out once we've picked her up?"

Megumi Fushiguro stood off to the side with his hands shoved firmly into his uniform pockets, a vein faintly throbbing on his forehead.

He deliberately kept his distance from the two "tourists," his entire body radiating a defeated refusal to participate.

Among Harajuku's flamboyantly dressed fashion crowd, his icy face looked particularly out of place.

"...Could you two rein it in? What exactly did we come here for?"

Megumi Fushiguro took a deep breath, forcing reason back into his head. His green eyes swept impatiently down the street as he tried to steer the conversation back on track.

"Where's the last new student? If we can't find her, I'm heading back to Jujutsu High."

Satoru Gojo swallowed his mouthful of cream and casually pointed his free hand toward a nearby bank of lockers, his lips curling in anticipation of a good show.

"Ah, she's right over there. Looks like our new classmate has already fit right into the atmosphere."

Following Satoru Gojo's finger, they saw a girl with short orange hair wearing a modified Jujutsu High uniform in the open space beside the lockers. One of her hands had a death grip on the collar of a man dressed like a talent scout.

The girl was fiercely demanding something from him. Her brazen confidence stood out even on the noisy streets of Harajuku.

A breeze swept through Harajuku, carrying the city's distinctive clamor.

Feng remained where he was, the rather violent scene by the lockers reflected in his dark-red eyes, his expression faintly helpless.

"How exactly is that fitting in? That guy looks like he's about to be shaken unconscious..."

His remark reached the other three loud and clear.

Hearing it, Megumi Fushiguro felt as though he had finally found someone normal who understood him.

He closed his eyes in heartfelt agreement, then raised a hand to irritably rub his spiky, sea-urchin-like black hair.

"If we go talk to her now, they'll definitely think we're with her... Can't we pretend we didn't see anything and just go back to Jujutsu High?"

Megumi Fushiguro's voice carried profound exhaustion, and he even seemed on the verge of backing away.

For someone who preferred keeping a low profile, such a public display of humiliation was nothing short of a disaster.

Feng fully agreed and gave a small nod.

Yuji Itadori, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less about whether it was embarrassing.

He craned his neck and stuffed a large handful of colorful popcorn into his mouth. Chewing with his cheeks bulging, he watched the scene intently and let out a muffled cry.

"She's so strong! Hey, hey, that guy's eyes are rolling back! If she keeps shaking him, he's really going to die, isn't he? Should we go save him?"

Satoru Gojo, the teacher leading the group and the one responsible for bringing them here, felt not the slightest obligation to set an example.

He took the last bite of his strawberry-and-cream crepe, licked the cream from the corner of his mouth, and watched the one-sided assault with great interest from behind his black blindfold.

"Ah, youth is so full of energy! But Yuji's right. If she keeps shaking him, the police are going to come arrest her."

Satoru Gojo took a pure-white handkerchief from his uniform pocket and wiped his fingers, then crumpled the discarded wrapper into a ball.

With a casual toss, the paper traced a perfect arc through the air and landed squarely in a recycling bin three meters away.

He brought his hands together in a crisp clap, then strode toward the "crime scene" on his eye-catching long legs.

"Let's go, everyone! Let's welcome the lively rose among our first-year thorns!"

"Shouldn't that be the rose among the thorns?" Feng continued to provide the running commentary.

Just as Satoru Gojo led the three boys toward the lockers, the orange-haired girl on the verge of exploding seemed to notice their approaching gazes.

She snorted and abruptly released her tightly clenched fingers.

The poor talent scout immediately collapsed onto the concrete like a boneless heap, clutching his neck as he coughed and retched violently.

The girl turned around, one hand planted on her hip and the other holding several heavy shopping bags, and swept a sharp, critical gaze over the four people approaching her.

Utterly unconcerned by the strange looks around them, Satoru Gojo put one hand on his hip and casually raised the other, flashing an excessively radiant smile.

"Hey! You're Nobara Kugisaki, right? Sorry, sorry, sorry for the wait! We're here to pick you up."

The girl called Nobara Kugisaki dusted off her hands as though she had just thrown away a piece of germ-infested trash.

She bent down to pick up several shopping bags from the ground, straightened her back, and raked her light-brown eyes over all four of them from head to toe with undisguised criticism and scrutiny.

Her gaze first swept over Satoru Gojo's black blindfold and flippant smile, and her brows immediately knitted tightly together.

Does that one even need saying? Feng thought.

Next, her gaze shifted to Yuji Itadori, who was still stuffing popcorn into his mouth with a goofy grin on his face.

"...A country bumpkin eating popcorn."

Nobara Kugisaki delivered her first verdict without mercy.

Then her gaze slid toward Megumi Fushiguro, whose face practically said, "I want to go home," and whose entire body radiated gloom.

"An arrogant, gloomy nerd."

Finally, her gaze passed over the first three and landed squarely on Feng, who stood quietly behind them.

Her eyes lingered on his exceptionally handsome face for a second.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, sizing up his neat deep-blue uniform and the way he quietly followed along.

"A good-looking model who's only here for decoration and looks like he was kidnapped to make up the numbers."

Nobara Kugisaki sighed, covered her forehead with one hand, and tipped her head back to let out a despairing wail at the sky above Harajuku Station, loud enough to make the surrounding pedestrians turn and stare.

"Are you kidding me?! I came to Tokyo full of excitement, and this mismatched bunch is what I get for future classmates?

My life in Tokyo is over before it's even begun!"

Yuji Itadori swallowed his popcorn, clearly offended by the "country bumpkin" assessment, and pointed at himself.

"Hey! Who are you calling a country bumpkin?! I know about Harajuku crepes!"

Megumi Fushiguro closed his eyes and selectively tuned out the headache-inducing conversation. With one hand in his pocket, he spoke coldly.

Feng was already visibly embarrassed, lowering his head slightly as if to say, Please don't look at me.

"Now that we've picked her up, let's hurry back. There are too many people here."

Watching his students' "harmonious" first interaction from the sidelines, Satoru Gojo let out a string of hearty laughs.

He clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back to him.

"All right, all right! Now that all four first-years are here, to celebrate this historic moment-"

Satoru Gojo deliberately drew out his words. His gaze seemed to sweep over everyone from beneath his blindfold before he finally raised a finger and pointed toward nearby Roppongi.

"I've decided to take you on an exciting sightseeing tour of Tokyo! And while we're at it, we'll do a little practical test."

"Where's the sightseeing?"