Vacation

By late March, the air in Tokyo already held the warmth of spring.

The cherry blossoms had yet to bloom fully, but pink-and-white buds already covered the branches, trembling gently in the breeze as though gathering strength for a grand announcement.

Madara stood on the stone path outside Jujutsu High, holding a crumpled vacation schedule, his gaze a little unfocused.

Principal Yaga had handed out the schedule that morning. The handwriting was neat and clear: spring break, March 25 to 29, four days in total.

Four days.

Four whole days without training, missions, or fighting.

Madara stared at those few lines for a long time. Only when Yuta Okkotsu came up beside him and lightly patted his shoulder did he snap out of it.

"You haven't really taken much time off, have you, Madara?" Okkotsu's voice was gentle, tinged with concern. "You should get some proper rest while you can. Balancing work and rest is important."

Maki came up from behind, a simple sports backpack slung over her shoulder, and pushed up her glasses. "Your body's your greatest asset. Push yourself too hard, and sooner or later you'll break down. I'm speaking from experience. I've seen too many jujutsu sorcerers ruin themselves through overexertion."

Inumaki stood to one side, his collar pulled so high that only his calm eyes showed.

He nodded. "Salmon, salmon~"

Madara fell silent for a few seconds, then smiled.

"Yeah, I understand," he said.

He really did understand now.

Lately, he had been like a machine following a program: wake up, train, go on missions, train, sleep. Over and over.

But that wouldn't do.

He didn't want to rush toward that destined ending without ever having tasted what "everyday life" was like.

Madara folded the schedule and tucked it into his uniform pocket.

He raised his head and looked at his companions, who were already waiting by the gate-Okkotsu wore casual clothes, a simple beige sweater and dark trousers.

Maki had changed into a T-shirt and sweatpants, looking brisk and practical.

Inumaki still wore his trademark high-collared uniform, only with a dark blue jacket over it.

Then he noticed who was missing.

"Speaking of which, Panda still hasn't come out?"

Okkotsu gave a somewhat helpless smile. "Ahaha... well, he is a panda."

Maki chimed in. "Yeah, he's a panda."

Inumaki tugged at his collar. "Spicy cod roe." ("Nothing we can do.")

Madara froze for a moment, then understood.

Right.

No matter how human Panda was, how he could speak, think, communicate with humans, train with everyone at Jujutsu High, eat, and joke around-from the outside, he was entirely a panda.

Black-and-white fur, round ears, those distinctive dark eye patches, and a chubby body.

Someone like him walking through Tokyo would cause a commotion within five minutes. Ten minutes later, police cars and reporters would have the street completely blocked.

"A panda spotted on the streets of Tokyo!" would instantly trend on social media, the zoo and police would send people to "retrieve" him, and endless trouble would follow.

So Panda couldn't go out.

At least in the world of ordinary people, he could only stay at Jujutsu High or visit remote mountain forests while carrying out missions.

Madara suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

"Let's bring him back some gifts," he said.

Okkotsu nodded. "Actually, he's been going on about wanting gifts, too. Last time I went to Shibuya on a mission, he gave me a list: limited-edition cream puffs from a cake shop, a panda plush from an anime merchandise store, and curry bread from a really famous place... unfortunately, the mission was urgent, so I didn't have time to buy them."

Maki snorted. "That guy. Last time, I brought him ten boxes of cream puffs, and he finished them in a day, then complained it wasn't enough. Said something like, 'Panda's stomach is a bottomless pit~'"

Inumaki took a neatly folded sheet of paper from his pocket and carefully unfolded it-the edges had already frayed, clearly from being opened and folded again many times.

It was covered in crooked, elementary-school-like handwriting listing things to buy, from snacks to game discs to strange hair accessories, a densely packed assortment of all kinds of things.

Madara leaned over to read:

Panda's shopping list (updated anytime)

1. Strawberry cream pancakes from Sweet Time in Shinjuku ×3

2. Limited-edition panda plush from Panda House in Harajuku (the biggest one!)

3. Curry bread from Explosive Curry in Shibuya ×10

4. The latest Jujutsu Fighter game disc

5. Panda-ear headband from the Cute Things Shop in Akihabara

6. ...

The list was long. Madara looked away after reading only the first few items.

"Then today's goal is to get a few things on this list first," he said.

Maki swung her backpack over her shoulder. "It's a way of making it up to him, I guess. He won't say it, but he really envies us being able to go out."

She paused and looked down the mountain. "Let's go. Keep dragging our feet, and it'll be dark. We finally have a day off. Don't waste it."

The group headed down the mountain along the stone path.

The March sunshine was lovely, warm without being scorching, filtering through the not-yet-dense leaves in dappled spots of light.

The air carried the scent of soil and young grass, occasionally mingled with a faint sweetness from early cherry blossoms.

In the distance, Tokyo's skyline stood clear beneath the bright spring sky.

The glass curtain walls of its high-rises reflected the sunlight like a forest shimmering with a metallic sheen.

Railway tracks wound around the foot of the mountain, and occasional passing trains made rhythmic, distant sounds.

They first waited ten minutes at the station below Jujutsu High, then boarded a train bound for the city.

There weren't many passengers on the train. It was neither the morning rush nor the time school let out.

Madara sat by the window, watching the scenery race backward outside-from the wooded hills of the suburbs to increasingly dense residential neighborhoods, then bustling shopping streets.

He remembered taking a train like this when he first arrived in this world, traveling from the apartment complex attacked by cursed spirits to Jujutsu High.

Back then, he had still been a bewildered transmigrator, finding everything unfamiliar and unsettling.

And now...

Madara turned to look at his companions in the carriage.

Okkotsu was looking down at his phone, probably checking the route.

Maki rested with her arms folded and eyes closed, but Madara knew she wasn't asleep.

Inumaki quietly watched the view outside, his high collar hiding the lower half of his face and leaving only his calm eyes visible.

A peculiar warmth slowly spread from his chest.

A sense of belonging.

The term had once felt unfamiliar, but now it had taken on a concrete shape-this moment, the four of them sitting on a train, about to spend a vacation that couldn't have been more ordinary.

The train stopped at Shinjuku Station.

Streams of people flowed past.

Office workers in suits and polished shoes, students carrying schoolbags, fashionably dressed young people, tourists holding shopping bags-Tokyo's pulse beat strongest here.

Inumaki was the first through the ticket gates, then pointed toward the east exit. "Salmon roe, spicy cod roe, mayonnaise."

Madara paused, then understood.

By now, he could roughly understand what Inumaki was saying.

It was like hearing a familiar melody: even without knowing the lyrics, you could feel the emotion in it.

What Inumaki had just said meant, "That shop's strawberry cream pancakes and limited-edition Mont Blanc are delicious. Let's go have some together."

He didn't know why, but somehow he could vaguely understand.

Perhaps they had spent so much time training together, or perhaps... it was simply because they were companions.

Okkotsu smiled and nodded. "Then let's go together and pick up some gifts while we're there. I remember that shop has takeaway gift boxes, too."

Maki rolled her shoulders. "It's been ages since I had anything sweet. The last time was... last month? No, the month before?"

Madara said, "Speaking of which, Yuta, are you going overseas again after the break?"

Okkotsu scratched his head. "Ah... that seems to be the plan. Window's observation report has already come in, and the Association wants me to handle it."

His tone was calm, without any complaint about these things.

Madara, on the other hand, felt deeply exasperated about it. "Being a Special Grade Sorcerer is a pain. Maybe I really should stay at Grade 2?"

His tone was half joking, half serious.

Okkotsu glanced at him, then gave a gentle smile. "Well-it comes down to personal choice. I think that if you have the ability, you should try to give a little more. Protecting more people, making this world a little better... that's what jujutsu sorcerers exist for, isn't it?"

Maki glanced at Okkotsu. "You're as much of a soft touch as ever. Still... you're not wrong."

Her voice grew a little quieter. "Being a jujutsu sorcerer is a rotten job, but someone has to do it."

Okkotsu laughed, a little embarrassed. "Ahahaha... don't tease me, Maki."

Watching them, Madara's lips curved upward without him realizing.

"Enough of that," he said, turning in the direction Inumaki had pointed. "Let's head for the dessert shop."

Inumaki hurried after him. "Salmon!" ("Let's go!")

The spring afternoon sunlight fell over Tokyo's busy streets.

Their steps were light, their faces wearing smiles befitting their age for the first time in a long while.

In this world of jujutsu and curses, everyday moments like these were so precious.