See you tomorrow (4k)

Mashiro tapped the pink tiger avatar to see what Yuji had sent her.

"Yuji": Kujou! I heard some weird noises from the hill behind school during training today, but when I went to look, there was nothing there. Grandpa said I should tell you if anything happened. Hope I'm not bothering you? (・ω・｀)

The message had been sent two hours ago, right when she had been clearing out the shrine.

Mashiro stared at the emoticon, her expression turning a little odd.

An emoticon? Who? That Yuji Itadori?

"Does he go for the cute look on LINE?" Mashiro rubbed her chin with her fair little hand. "That's quite a contrast, Yuji."

"Mashiro": You're not bothering me. Where on the hill? What kind of noise?

As soon as she hit send, she picked up the glass on the table and took a sip. Before she could swallow the warm water, the phone in her hand began vibrating fiercely, its buzzing unusually distinct in the quiet room.

"Cough, cough... an instant reply?" Mashiro choked, covering her mouth as she coughed a few times. The water nearly spilled onto her hoodie. She patted her flat chest to catch her breath, a faint flush rising to her pale cheeks.

"Yuji": Oh, you're done being busy! By the Old Shrine. There was a sound like metal clashing, but when I got there, there really wasn't anything.

Mashiro looked out the window. She had only just returned from the Old Shrine, so the metallic sounds Yuji Itadori mentioned were probably from her fight with the cursed spirit.

She fell silent for a few seconds, considering how to reply.

"Mashiro": The Old Shrine is pretty run-down. Some metal part probably fell off. Stay away from there for now. It could collapse.

"Yuji": Okay! Got it! By the way, do you know Sendai well? I can recommend some really good places! The Sendai beef tongue and matcha lattes are amazing! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

That was a quick change of subject. One moment he was talking about strange noises on the hill, and the next he had jumped to food.

"Mashiro": No need. Stay safe and get home on time. Your grandpa will worry.

Still, she had to admit that Yuji's message had whetted her appetite.

"Now I kind of want dessert."

After sending the message, she stared at the words "matcha latte" for two seconds, then rolled onto her stomach on the couch, gently swinging her lower legs in the air.

Her silver hair slipped off her shoulders. She brushed it aside, her fingertips hovering above the screen for a few seconds before she continued typing.

"Mashiro": Actually, tell me.

"Mashiro": Where can I get good desserts?

Mashiro thought for a moment, then added another line.

"Mashiro": No beef tongue.

After sending the messages, she buried her face in a couch cushion, her silver hair hiding the red tips of her ears.

It was a little embarrassing. She had just said there was no need, only to turn around and ask where the good food was.

But desserts were a different matter. She had loved them in both her previous life and this one.

"Yuji": Oh, oh! I know desserts! There's a place called Sweet Treats Komachi on the shopping street near school. Their edamame milkshake and red bean soup with mochi are both really good! I've eaten there before. (´▽`)

Mashiro checked the time. Four in the afternoon. There was still a while before the cursed spirits became active at night, so she had time to try some desserts.

"Mashiro": Okay, send me the address. I'll head over myself.

"Yuji": Sure! I'll be there in about twenty minutes, then! Get there safely! (•̀ω•́)✧

So he meant eating together?

Mashiro rubbed her forehead. She had thought she was only asking for an address, but Itadori had taken it as an agreement to go together. Well, that was fine too.

"I can ask Yuji about the occult club while I'm at it," she murmured, sitting up on the couch.

The Occult Research Club incident was where everything began. Its members removed the talisman sealing Sukuna's Finger, causing the cursed spirits to run wild.

To save them, Itadori swallowed the finger, becoming Sukuna's vessel and changing his fate forever.

The address arrived soon afterward. Mashiro got up and changed into a simple light-colored hoodie and skirt, tied her silver hair into twin ponytails, put on a baseball cap, and secured Murasame on her back.

Before leaving, she stood by the window and looked toward the school.

The fluctuations in cursed energy were a little more noticeable than they had been that morning, but they were still fairly stable. After getting a rough feel for them, Mashiro figured nothing would happen tonight.

The tree-lined path from her apartment to the shopping street took only four or five minutes on foot. The April breeze carried a chill, but the sunshine felt warm.

"You are my special~"

Humming to herself, Mashiro strolled along for four or five minutes until Sweet Treats Komachi came into view.

It was a small shop with a wooden sign that looked rather old. Warm yellow light shone through the glass windows, and a few delicately crafted, adorable dessert models sat in the display window.

The wind chime tinkled when Mashiro pushed open the door.

There weren't many people inside, only two or three occupied tables. She immediately spotted the pink-haired tiger by the window, looking down at his phone. Two drinks were already on the table.

"Itadori." Mashiro walked over and greeted him.

"Ah! Kujou!" Itadori immediately looked up with a brilliant smile. "Sit down, sit down."

Mashiro sat across from him and removed her cap. Her twin ponytails swayed gently with the movement, their ends brushing her shoulders.

Itadori looked at the girl across from him, whose beauty was beyond anything ordinary, then at the Dharma Wheel above her head. He froze for a moment before quickly recovering.

Does she wear that every time she goes out?

Right, that whole chuunibyou thing. I've heard of it. I can't ruin this kid's worldview. Better not say anything.

"I already ordered! This one's an edamame milkshake, and this one's a matcha latte. Which would you like? I ordered red bean soup with mochi too. It'll be ready soon," Itadori explained enthusiastically.

It was only April, and there was even a chill outside the window, yet sitting here, Mashiro somehow felt as though the temperature had risen.

That kind of innocent enthusiasm was a little much for her.

Mashiro looked at the two drinks in front of her.

The edamame milkshake was a pale green, piled high with whipped cream and sprinkled with fine soybean powder. The matcha latte was a deep green, its fresh tea fragrance mingling with the rich aroma of the latte in the air.

"I'll have the matcha." After considering for a moment, Mashiro chose the matcha after all and pushed the edamame milkshake back toward Itadori. "This one's yours."

"Okay." Itadori didn't stand on ceremony. He poked in a straw and took a long, satisfied drink. "It's just a bit too sweet for me. You girls would probably like it more."

"I don't like things too sweet either," Mashiro said, taking a small sip of her matcha latte.

The warm liquid slid over her little tongue. The sweetness was just right, with the matcha's distinctive slight bitterness perfectly balanced against the milky flavor.

"It's good," she said honestly.

"Right?" Itadori's smile grew even brighter. "The owner specially orders their matcha from Kyoto. Apparently it comes straight from a tea plantation in Uji. It's really authentic!"

The two bowls of red bean soup with mochi soon arrived as well. The white mochi was soft and chewy, and the red bean soup had been simmered until thick and smooth, steam rising from it.

Mashiro ate slowly with her spoon. She scooped up a piece of mochi, blew on it, and put it into her mouth. The soft mochi melted on her tongue, the sweetness of the red beans enveloping her taste buds.

She ate in small bites, occasionally glancing at Itadori across from her.

Unlike Mashiro, the boy ate heartily. He scooped up a heaping spoonful, blew on it twice, then shoved it into his mouth and chewed in big mouthfuls, occasionally letting out a satisfied sigh. Somehow, though, he didn't seem rude.

"Itadori." Mashiro set down her spoon and smiled faintly.

"Hmm?" Itadori looked up from his milkshake with a ring of cream around his mouth. He instinctively wiped it with the back of his hand, but didn't get it all. A little white cream remained at the corner of his lips.

Seeing him like that, Mashiro's smile grew more pronounced.

"Have you joined any clubs at school?"

"I have! The Occult Research Club!" Itadori answered immediately, his eyes lighting up. "Why do you ask?"

So he's joined. Then Megumi Fushiguro should already be in Sendai, searching for Sukuna's Finger. And Itadori's grandpa will soon...

Sighing softly to herself, Mashiro stirred her red bean soup and asked casually, "The Occult Research Club? What do you research? School ghost stories?"

"Yeah! Our school's been around for a while, so there are tons of ghost stories!" Itadori grew excited and leaned forward slightly. "Like the piano that plays by itself at midnight, the portrait in the art room that blinks, and the footsteps in the old school building..."

"Why did you join?" Mashiro looked at him. "You don't seem like the type to be particularly interested in the occult."

"Well..." Itadori scratched his head and smiled a little sheepishly. "Actually, Sasaki and Iguchi were the ones who got me to join in the first place. They said I was strong, so if anything dangerous happened during an investigation, I could help. I figured I could help people, so I joined."

He paused, his smile fading a little. "And club activities aren't mandatory, so I can take care of Grandpa whenever I have time. Besides, he's always told me that if you have the ability to help someone, you should, even if you won't get thanked for it. I think he's right."

Mashiro's fingers gently rubbed the handle of her spoon. That was the kind of person Itadori was. He cared more about others than himself.

"Any activities lately?" she asked indistinctly after taking a bite of mochi.

"Lately..." Itadori thought for a moment, then lowered his voice. "Actually, the other two have been really excited lately. They want to study that box."

"Box?"

"Yeah! I found it a while ago, and they seemed interested, so I gave it to them." Itadori finished the last of his milkshake and licked his lips, looking a little helpless. "A pretty old wooden box with weird paper talismans stuck to it, sealed up tight. They said they'd study it at night, but it's probably just the same fake stuff as always."

That should be Sukuna's Finger. Should I take it?

No, I can't. Itadori needs to get into danger and swallow the finger, then meet Satoru Gojo and join Jujutsu High. Taking it away would change too much.

After thinking for a while, Mashiro abandoned the idea of taking it. "Study it at night? Don't you think that's dangerous?"

"It's a little dangerous," Itadori said with a smile, though his eyes were serious. "That's all the more reason for me to go. Grandpa said there are some things you can't pretend you haven't seen once you've seen them. And I think a lot of things are just people scaring themselves. Once you figure them out, it's fine."

"What if..." Mashiro set down her spoon and leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice as she tried to sound scary. "What if you're not just scaring yourselves? What if there really are ghosts?"

Itadori froze for a moment, then broke into a sunny smile. "I can't just leave them alone, can I?"

He said it as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Thinking of the suffering Yuji Itadori would endure later, Mashiro couldn't help feeling sorry for him.

Mashiro lowered her head and ate the last piece of mochi. The sweetness of the red bean soup spread across her tongue, yet there was a faint bitterness when she swallowed.

She wiped her mouth and said softly, "You really are his grandson."

"Hehe, right?" A little embarrassed by the praise, Itadori rubbed the back of his head.

They chatted about other things for a while. Itadori told her funny stories about the club, about how easily the other two got worked up, and about how his grandfather was still in good spirits despite his poor health.

For the most part, Mashiro simply listened with a smile, occasionally offering a few words in response.

In all that time, Itadori never once asked about her background, why she had come to Sendai, or why his grandfather had told him to turn to her if anything happened.

He simply accepted her presence here, accepted her identity as "the granddaughter of Grandpa's friend," and treated her with kindness.

Her spoon unconsciously traced circles along the bottom of the bowl. Although this was exactly what she had wanted, such unguarded trust left Mashiro with mixed feelings.

"Kujou," Itadori suddenly said.

"Hmm?"

"Is something on your mind?" Itadori looked at her with frank eyes. "It feels like you've been worrying about something."

Mashiro raised her eyes to meet his gaze. Silence hung between them for a few seconds.

His eyes reflected her own image: a silver-haired girl with an ever-calm expression, yet with heaviness and exhaustion always lingering in her red eyes.

"No." She looked away and lifted her cup for a sip. The matcha had cooled a little. "I was just thinking."

"Oh." Itadori nodded without pressing her and gave her a bright smile. "Well, if anything's bothering you, you can tell me. I might not be able to help, but I can at least listen!"

"...Thank you."

When it was time to pay, Mashiro tried to cover the bill, but Itadori firmly refused.

"I'm the one who invited you! Besides, I'm a guy. How could I let a girl pay?" He pulled out his wallet so quickly that Mashiro didn't even have time to react.

I definitely wasn't trying to freeload. Definitely not.

It was already growing dark when they stepped outside, and the streetlights were coming on one by one.

"Should I walk you home?" Itadori asked.

"No need. It's close." Mashiro shook her head. "Be careful on your way home."

"Okay! You get home safely too!" Itadori waved at her and turned to head in the other direction.

"Itadori," Mashiro called after him.

"Hmm?" Itadori stopped, looking a little puzzled.

Mashiro looked at him, opened her mouth, then closed it again.

She had wanted to say, "Your grandpa doesn't have much time left," to say, "In a couple of days, someone named Megumi Fushiguro will come looking for you," to say, "You're going to face monsters you can't even imagine."

But those words caught in her throat. In the end, all she managed was a vague warning.

"Someone might come looking for you in the next couple of days. Listen carefully to what he says." Mashiro looked into his eyes. After a moment's hesitation, she still left his grandfather unmentioned. "And stay safe."

Itadori blinked, then nodded seriously. "Got it. You stay safe too."

He smiled, turned, and broke into a run, his pink hair even more conspicuous beneath the dim streetlights. "See you tomorrow!"

After running a few steps, Itadori instinctively glanced back.

Beneath the streetlight, the silver-haired girl still stood where she was, watching him leave, her shadow hidden in the shade of the trees.

Her usually expressionless face was now shrouded in deep worry, her brows slightly furrowed and her lips pressed into a straight line.

But the dim yellow light blurred her features, keeping Yuji Itadori from seeing them clearly.

As though she had noticed his gaze, the expression quickly faded from Mashiro's face, returning to its usual calm.

"See you tomorrow."

She gently pressed down the brim of her cap as she spoke softly, then turned and headed in the opposite direction. Her retreating figure soon disappeared from sight.