The next day.
Tokyo Jujutsu High.
The afternoon sunlight spread across the stone path outside the school gates. Dappled shadows lay beneath the trees, and cicadas chirped without pause.
Nobara Kugisaki held a can of iced coffee she had just bought from a vending machine, fanning herself with her other hand. Sweat plastered the wisps of hair over her forehead to her skin. Megumi Fushiguro stood beside her with a canned drink of his own, his gaze drifting lazily over the empty entrance.
Two figures suddenly appeared beneath the trees a short distance away and walked toward them at an unhurried pace.
A young man and woman, both in Jujutsu High uniforms, approached with easy, relaxed strides. Mai Zenin led the way with her hands in her pockets, her expression bland and unreadable. Aoi Todo followed behind her, his towering frame casting a heavy shadow in the sunlight.
"Zenin, what are you doing here?" Megumi Fushiguro tilted his head slightly, looking at Mai with a tone as flat as if he were asking about the weather.
"Oh? So you're related." Nobara Kugisaki cocked her head, her gaze lingering on Mai's face. "You look alike and have the same vibe. Are you Maki's sister?"
"We're twins," Mai Zenin cut in. Her gaze swept over Kugisaki's face before settling on Megumi Fushiguro.
"Don't call me that, Fushiguro. You won't be able to tell me apart from Maki. Call me Mai."
"So these two are the stand-ins for Okkotsu and the third-years," Aoi Todo interjected, folding his arms across his chest. His gaze moved from Megumi Fushiguro to Nobara Kugisaki and back again, as though he were inspecting two freshly delivered products.
"We were worried about you, so we came along with the principal." The corners of Mai Zenin's mouth lifted slightly.
"Normally,