Quick thinking

Maki saw the look on Kugisaki's face and immediately understood what her junior was thinking.

Unable to contain her anger any longer, Maki glared viciously at Satoru Gojo, silently cursing him:

"It's all this jerk's fault! If he hadn't casually dumped his own missions on Yuanfang,

Yuanfang would've had time to exterminate those cursed spirits with me. Then I wouldn't be this exhausted!"

Feeling Maki's hostile, resentful glare, Satoru Gojo was baffled. He rubbed his head and muttered in confusion:

"What's gotten into my student today? Why is she staring at me like I'm her mortal enemy... I really don't get it!"

After giving them their instructions, Satoru Gojo left again. Maki and the others also invited Itadori and Junpei to take part in the Tokyo Sister Goodwill Event.

Both were intrigued and joined without hesitation.

That night.

Inside the restaurant, Kugisaki had changed out of her Jujutsu High uniform. Displeasure was written all over her face as she addressed the people in front of her.

"I distinctly remember inviting only Yuanfang. I never invited you guys!"

After training that day, Kugisaki had invited Yuanfang out that evening, saying she had discovered a restaurant with great food and wanted to try it together.

But Yuanfang hadn't even arrived yet, and these guys were already here. She was utterly speechless.

"Don't get the wrong idea. The three of us weren't following you. We just happened to run into you here!"

One look at Kugisaki told Itadori she was angry, and he immediately began explaining.

They had originally planned to have dinner together as first-years, but Kugisaki had said she was busy, so the three of them had gone out on their own.

They really hadn't expected to run into Kugisaki here. Unable to contain their curiosity, they had come over.

But judging by the situation, Kugisaki seemed to be meeting someone, and their arrival had apparently disrupted her plans.

Not wanting Kugisaki to beat him up, Itadori could only do his utmost to explain.

Junpei still wasn't very close to them, so he stood to one side with an awkward smile.

Megumi Fushiguro wore his usual poker face, as though none of this had anything to do with him.

"Fine, then get lost. If you ruin this for me, I'll never let you off!"

Kugisaki couldn't be bothered to listen to Itadori's nonsense. She warned them, hoping to make them leave quickly.

Otherwise, if Yuanfang arrived and saw them, her evening alone with him would probably go up in smoke.

"Oh, you're all here. This place must be great, then!"

Unfortunately, the very thing she feared happened. Yuanfang walked in wearing a fitted black outfit and spotted them immediately.

Kugisaki was instantly furious, itching to tear Itadori and the others in front of her to pieces.

Seeing her reaction, Itadori inwardly groaned. Kugisaki had probably marked him down for revenge. He would have to be extra careful on missions from now on.

Junpei was a little scared too, and deeply regretted coming over. This wasn't nearly as nice as Itadori had made it sound!

Megumi Fushiguro regretted it as well. He should never have accepted Itadori's invitation. With all this trouble over a simple dinner, he would have been better off staying in.

"Of course it's great! I searched street after street before finding it!"

Kugisaki's expression changed instantly as she spoke proudly to Yuanfang.

The three boys couldn't help marveling at how quickly women could change.

"Then I'll have to give it a proper try!"

With that, Yuanfang moved to sit beside Itadori and the others.

Kugisaki immediately shot Itadori a vicious glare, sending a chill down his spine.

"There's not much room here. Why don't you sit next to Kugisaki?"

Whether Itadori hadn't felt Kugisaki's threatening glare or had suddenly found a thorn under his backside, he shifted outward and took up the entire seat.

Only then did Kugisaki's gaze soften a little, and she nodded in satisfaction.

"All right!"

Yuanfang saw right through their little maneuver, but he didn't particularly care.

His stance remained the same: until he was invincible, he wouldn't think about such things.

They chatted as they ate, though most of the conversation was between Yuanfang and Kugisaki.

The other three only spoke when Yuanfang addressed them first.

"I've got something to do. You guys head back first!"

After dinner, Yuanfang said goodbye to them outside the restaurant, then turned and left.

"I did pretty well, right?"

Itadori spoke to Kugisaki with a smug look, convinced that tonight had been his cleverest performance ever.

"Get lost!"

Kugisaki shot him an annoyed glance, then headed toward the school without looking back.

In her plans, she and Yuanfang should have grown a little closer that evening.

But those three had ruined everything. No matter how quick-witted Itadori had been, she couldn't feel happy about it.

Not unless his cleverness could bring her and Yuanfang closer together.

"Junpei, what was that about?"

Itadori felt rather crestfallen. He had been so clever already. Had he still not done enough?

"She's probably forgiven you this time. Just make sure you don't run into her again next time!"

Junpei understood people well. He knew Kugisaki liked Yuanfang.

She was using their shared interests to gradually get closer to him, then looking for an opportunity to confess her feelings.

Though having the three of them tagging along hadn't made for an ideal evening, Itadori's quick thinking had gotten Yuanfang to sit beside Kugisaki, making the date a little less disastrous.

So while Kugisaki was furious, she no longer held a grudge against them.

But if they ran into her again next time, even the cleverest maneuver probably wouldn't help.

"Man, women are hard to understand!"

Itadori couldn't help sighing, silently thinking that it was a good thing Kugisaki wasn't his type.

"I'm heading back!"

Megumi Fushiguro turned and left with a disinterested expression, though his feelings about all this gossip weren't quite as simple as he let on.

After saying goodbye to them, Yuanfang's actual business was to wander around and see whether he could hit the jackpot again.

He had already developed the good habit of going out for a stroll every night.

If he didn't make a round, he felt uncomfortable all over, as though he had missed out on several Mahitos.

"I'm like a tiny, tiny little bird, but I can't fly very high..."

Yuanfang couldn't help humming as he walked, his spirits lifting. If a powerful cursed spirit showed up too, he would practically soar into the clouds.

Screech!

Just then, the sound of brakes interrupted him.

Still smiling, Yuanfang looked over, feeling a little annoyed.

A sports car had stopped to his right. Its door slowly opened, and a pair of long legs emerged.

They looked like the kind he could play with for a lifetime and never get bored.

"What are you doing here?"

When the person inside stepped out, Yuanfang was utterly puzzled.