Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Yuuji is visiting an abandoned hospital looking for curses and he is having so much fun.

It is so bad that he still has to go to school even with the extra, and very irregular, window training he receives from a lot of different windows whenever they can. –Yuuji hadn’t realised how big the shaman world really was until he was taught by the twelfth different teather, all so different from each other (names, jods, razes, personalities, teaching styles…)–. Normal classes are much less interesting, and he has changed schools to have a window as his tutor so his strange schedule of spontaneous classes and missions doesn’t affect his marks.

Yuuji does have his senpais’ numbers, but he still misses them greatly, not being able to spend almost no time texting them, and when he does he always feels the pressure of having to hide the jujutsu world from them. That’s why he hasn’t seen them since a few months ago, they tried to meet up, but it just felt so awkward all the time. And now they are just texting friends.

Yuuji really enjoys going on missions to look at the curses before sorcerers do. He is strong and fast enough that he can always get out safely and he feels like he is gaining Ijichi’s favour in the many times the elder has had to take him to those buildings, which means he is nearer to being a driver.

Because even if he likes his life now, and the sense of helping others, of helping the system work so less sorcerers go against badly measured curses, not that Yuuji doesn’t mess up a lot –but people know he is just learning so they always send someone a bit stronger than necessary–, but there is a weird feeling of range and mourning in his chest everytime he does so.

At first it mixed with the excitement of the new job and so he couldn’t decipher it, but now it’s clear that it is an echo of a future hate for and fear of curses. Yuuji doesn’t want those feelings to come to be, and driver really sounds better anyway.

The abandoned hospital was not too bad. Even from outside Yuuji could feel the cursed energy, but that wasn’t too uncommon from these types of easy buildings, with more cursed energy covering it, from small bad feelings, than fully formed curses, from bigger feelings or energy that had time to condense.

It meant that unless they could make people stop fearing the building the sorcerers would have to be cleaned every few years to make sure a curse big enough to be really dangerous wasn’t formed.

And that’s when windows came in, making sure this buildings had normal levels of energy.

In this case, Yuuji didn’t feel anything that screamed DANGER, but there was still two forms that he could feel while he walked around the building, which meant they were from grade three too grade two curses –Yuuji still couldn’t really feel grade four, and more than a grade one would have been felt from the outside–. Enough so someone could come to exorcise them in a few days.

Ijichi was outside waiting for Yuuji, signing different papers while in the driver's seat. He nodded towards the teen when he entered the car and started it.

“I think it was a grade three or four.”

“Mmmm, you are right.” Ijichi answered after a minute, starting to drive away.

He was accompanying Yuuji today because of the location of the building, but Yuuji still felt a warm feeling bloom when he knew about it and at Ijichi’s sign of approval. Yuuji was so happy to be getting better than this and that Ijichi –who had given him only one class, but a great one– who was much better thought he was right.

And, maybe he could be like the others in the future, living in the institute and driving everywhere. Itadori was fast and strong enough not to be in more danger than Ijichi normally was in. 

Before he could voice those opinions though, Ijichi seemed to read his mind. “I told you. Being a chofer is difficult and we will have to see after you finish your training at the soonest. Stop trying to bring it up.”

Yuuji pouted.

A phone call came in, it was Satoru –Gojo-san for Yuuuji, when it should have been -sensei–. He was saying something about bringing the new first year to this building to ‘see how crazy she is’.

Something seemed wrong about that, the building had felt familiar, but no more so than normal, still, it just seemed like this was happening wrongly, and not in the sense of how everything always felt wrong now, with Yuuji going to new places and known ones at random and with all his actions having a base level sense of wrongness because he should have been a sorcerer.

It was a different kind of wrong, not that one he had already learned to ignore, but one that had always been with Yuuji, but in such small bursts that he never could really get used to it. It was the feeling of something happening too early.

-Like when he met Fushigiro, or when he asked his grandpa for an icecream the moment he had the vision because he knew then in a few hours he would say yes, and Yuuji was not patient enough to wait…–

Without Yuuji’s notice the call ended and Ijichi left him out of the car so ‘it doesn’t get too full’ calling out: “I will meet you in the hospital in ten!”

Megui won’t ever admit it to Gojo, but he feels lonely being the only first year –not counting the one in Kyoko because with the rivalry they haven’t even met each other yet. Even if he has known the second years for a lot longer than almost anyone else, they are so much closer to each other than to Megumi, and he feels bad when he interrupts their precious free time.

They all say –in their own ways– that he is not a bother, but that doesn't change how he feels.

Because of that, when Gojo announces that they are going to pick up another first year sorcerer, he is so excited even if he doesn't seem like it.

On one hand, his social anxiety exists and he usually tries to avoid it but just not thinking about something at all, which means, also not thinking about all the good things. And on the other hand, he doesn’t want to let Gojo the satisfaction of winning the oldest game they have, which involves that he is never excited to meet someone his sensei presents him.

Megumi’s first impression of Nobara Kugisaki is not good. Not at all. And he can already feel the dread covering him while he sees her yell at a guy. He can’t make out what she is yelling about, but in Megumi’s opinion, there is much more of a possibility that he has a dramatic and exaggerated classmate than one who was angered by a good reason. 

There are just very few valid reasons for Megumi in which the glances and glares everyone sends you if you act like that in public are good enough.

He just wanted a normal classmate. And it was his fault to hope so. No sorcerer was normal. At least he got an obviously weird one, the ones that didn’t appear so, were the weirdest ones in the end.

The first words that Nobara said to Megumi made him sure that he was going to take a while to warm up to her. She was just too loud and too bold for him to take in. Maybe in a few weeks, being constantly together with only each other as constant company, he could get used to her specific brand of brassiness. But for now, Nobara gave Megumi a headache.

The car ride was loud too. Gojo had lied –even if Gojo would never admit that he was a liar– and said something about visiting somewhere which made Nobara happy, but in the end it really didn’t matter because it was not true and they were probably going on a mission.

Sorcerers have little free time. There is just so much to do –training, exorcising curses, travelling, learning theory that would be mostly useless during real danger, trying not to die…– too go and have a tourist day.

And Gojo is a liar.

Gojo had a scheme. He had his scheming smirk on while he announced “Ijichi has just told me that he is with a mentee window just of your age.” And with those words Megumi knew he was referring to Itadori, the teen who just gave him Sukuna’s finger when he asked. “And he will come with us and we will work together! Isn’t that great!” 

It wasn’t bad, but it was very much one of Gojo’s schemes. The windows and sorcerers have very specific schedules not to mix with each other more than necessary, windows being sometimes considered somewhat ‘lesser’ or ‘not enough sorcerer to be That involved’ by some higher ups.

This had one in a billion chance of happening, Itadori in himself was weird because of the treatment he received as a window, who were not usually able to spend time in school grounds –probably because his connection to the finger, whatever may that be–, just the concept of a window in training meeting sorcerers and the fact Gojo was involved.

Ijichi stopped the car in front of Gojo, Fushiguro and the new student –Nobara wasn’t it?–. “Get in!” He shouted.

Gojo immediately did so, knowing Ijichi’s hate for parking in the city and how irritated he could get if someone made him pay a fine for ‘obstructing traffic’. Nobara and Fushiguro followed fast, looking a bit stunned and completely calm respectively.

The car was a bit too cramped for Ijichi, he had chosen a small car today –with only two seats in the back and two in the front and a very small thin trunk– because he thought he would only have to drive Itadori, who preferred smaller vehicles. Now he was regretting it a bit, he was a person with a very big personal bubble, and even if Ijichi didn’t mind hugs, he did mind long rides near others.

(Maybe he did drive a bit over the speed limit, but it is not like Gojo would mind paying his fines.)

The whole ride was stressful for Ijichi, and in the back of his mind he couldn’t help but pity the new student who was so sure they were going to be going shopping or to visit some or other monument.

She was rantin very loudly about it, which didn’t let Fushiguro the opportunity to mention something he seemed to want to talk about. And he seemed to get angstier everytime he started to open his mouth only so that Gojo would encourage Nobara’s rants and she would interrupt him again.

Ijichi would have done something if he wasn’t so concentrated on driving fast and safely. Or if he thought he had any real possibility to stop Gojo from avoiding whatever Fushiguro was gonna say.

Kugisaki was annoyed. She was promised a tour! And it was all a lie! 

Really, it was bad enough that she can already see how weird her new classmate is, all broody and serious, eerily reminiscent of how everyone in the village acted towards Fumi. Someone who’s like that is egocentric and annoying.

And the teacher was eccentric, at least . But more importantly, a liar!

Kugisaki had opinions and she had no qualms about them being heard the moment they arrived at the abandoned building.

But, the moment she exited the car, rude words in her mind, she realised there was someone else there, the kid Gojo-sensei said they would meet! Nobara wasn’t sure how he forgot about it till this very moment.

She sent a glare to Gojo-sensei, hoping he would understand how much she hated him right now –seeing the car leaving in the distance–, and instead of shouting at Gojo like she wanted to, she went to greet the other teen.

“Itadori Yuuji, from Sendai, I am a window in training.” He said. In that moment Nobara realised she really wasn't lucky with her company, with an egocentric looking kid for a classmate and having to work with an unsophisticated teen who picked at his nose.

“Itadori, why don’t you report what you felt inside?” Gojo asked.

“Oh, well, I am new at this, but there were two curses, grade three I think? One in the upper levels and another in the first floor. And no hostages. But I haven’t gone inside since before, and I am new…” 

Nobara didn’t have patience for his ramblings. “And so I have to exorcise them, no?”

“Yes, you alone.” Gojo-sensei answered a bit too happily for Nobara.

 “Ugh, fine…”

It wasn't five minutes later when Itadori suddenly runned up the building swearing along the way.

Chapter Text

Yuuji tried to relax when Nobara entered the building, he knew she was strong. 

But . Something told him she needed help.

Yuuji tried to look for his memories of this event, he never had tried to force himself to view something, it just came. And, he discovered at that moment, it gave him a headache.

It was difficult to see but worth it.

Yuuji is feeling pretty good. He took care of one curse already, and it was easier this time with no one in danger.

"Nobara?" He calls out -a bit worried about her, even if she seems much more experienced and confident than him-, he receives no response.

He calls her name out, again and again, while going up the stairs. Until he hears something, a gutural unnatural and disgusting sound. A curse. He can feel it in his bones.

Yuuji, very carefully goes towards the direction of the sound. He doesn't want to alert any curse of his presence, he just wants to go and asses the situation. Probably Nobara can take care of it, but it doesn't hurt to make sure.

Accidentally, Yuuji ends up in a empty room. He probably took the wrong turn somewhere, he didn't have good enough hearing to really be able to follow it somewhere.

He resigns himself to having to find wherever he went wrong when he realizes the curse is just at the other side of this walls, and he can hear the sound of a child crying.

He doesn't think it twice, just punches through the concrete wall -a really easy fit compared to the many other walls Yuuji has punched through during his life, be it in fights or by accident- where he thinks the think is.

"Huh, I missed?"

Not that it matters, because in the end he saved the kid and Nobara could take her weapons again and deal with the curse.

A happy ending.

Yuuji runned .

(Yuuji forgot that the kid shouldn’t be inside the building yet. In his panic, he forgot about his cheek of the building and the fact that when he found the child he was physically fine, a sign of someone being captive for a short time.)

Kusikagi was terrified. Curses were supposed to be dumb.

Kusigaki’s weapons were on the floor, she knew she was not fast enough –not normally and not after fighting several curses already (there should have only been to)– to save the unconscious preteen (who Itadori didn’t mention). 

Kusigaki was afraid. Curses could think, but she will learn from this.

Kusigaki had been tricked and now she is between the sword and the wall. Too surprised by the hostage, she was tricked to trust a curse. Tricked to leave her weapons.

Kusigaki was nervous. The curse was going to attack her.

Kusigaki would take too much time to pick her weapons, but she could still get out of the gay and then take them.

Kusigaki saw something move in front of her. It was pink hair.

She freezed in place – wha…?– something that was happening more than what she liked, she would have to work to get used to the city, and fast .

She just watched as Itadori took her maze and bashed the curse’s head in, so fast that the only reason Kusigaki was sure that was what would happen was the fact that the curse had disappeared and Itadori was picking up the preteen from the floor.

Nobara was impressed. But that didn’t make her any less angry. There shouldn’t have been hostagues here, nor so many curses. Itadori should have done a better job. And she wasn’t afraid of making that clear.

Megumi was confused. Itadori had just run inside the building with no warning, and Gojo was planning something, not letting Megumi go and see what was up, something about ‘this being the perfect opportunity to see how crazy Nobara really was’. Megumi called bullshit.

The fact was that the weird teen was even weirder, Gojo wouldn’t let him move, and Megumi had never been a good enough sensor to be able to even try to decipher what was happening inside.

And so he waited, no matter how much he hated to.

It was not much later when Itadori and Nobara left the building, both of them unhurt but covered in rubble, and Itadori was carrying someone behind his back. Itadori must have been bad at his job not to notice they were hostages, it was the first thing to look for.

“Ohhh, who is that?” Gojo appeared near the stranger, poking at their face. “There was not supposed to be a hostage inside, no?” Megumi could imagine Gojo’s predatory smile, even if the angle of his head hid it.

“That’s what I was saying! There were also a lot more curses than what they should have been! I would prefer no information than incorrect one. It was just confusing. You should just bring people who know how to do their job!”

Megumi was very confused by what Nobara was saying, not knowing there was a hostage was dangerous, but if a window couldn’t identify the number of curses right, then they wouldn’t be left to work on the field.

“They weren’t there before. I just noticed them now, that’s why I went in. I am so sorry for this. I will do better next time.” Itadri bowed.

It was a bit too much for Megumi, and it seemed it also was like that for Nobara, who awkwardly patted the window in the back once.

And, really, wasn’t this situation strange?

“And so Nobara took care of all the curses?” There was something in Gojo’s tone that said he already knew the answer, it was a bit teasing and eerily reminiscent of parents in movies waiting for their kids to admit that they had done something wrong.

“Itadori exorcised the last one.” She grunted. “But that was only because the hostage took me by surprise because I didn’t know there was one.” Nobara enunciated the last part specially, making Itadori smile awkwardly. “He just took my hammer and hit it. You sure he doesn’t have cursed energy?”

“Ah, no.” Itadori interrupted Fushiguro’s explanation. “You have just used it so much and used it to flow cursed energy through it that you made it a low-level cursed weapon. And I could use the power in it.”

“You know… Maki Zenin does exactly that too, and she is such a strong sorcerer. And we are always in need of new sorcerers. More windows are not really necessary now…” And that was the last clue for Megumi to see what Gojo was planning, but only because he was not trying to be subtle anymore.

“You mean I can be a sorcerer?” Itadori’s face lit up, his eyes shining –were those tears in his eyes?– and his body inclined forward towards Gojo, tensed in expectation.

“That’s exactly it!”

Nobara and Megumi send a look to one another.

Yuuji was ecstatic at the prospect of the end of this feeling of wrong, and all in all without risking his friends lives.

He did really like the idea of a driver. But it was just to be in the institute more, to have more opportunities to be around sorcerers. This was just so much better.

Yuuji could feel the memories and feelings of the rest of the students, or the ideas of them. There was awkwardness there, but also a sense of belonging, loyalty and sacrifice. He liked it –even the sacrifice part, if only a little, but he would never admit it.

He was still confused with his grandfather’s words. He wanted to help people, but the more he thought about it, he didn’t understand being asked to put himself first. Everyone else was much more important than him.

Even if he had not eaten the finger, a future part of him had already accepted his death as a necessary payment for the common good.

Stil, he wanted to make his grandfather proud, and so he decided to try to do things he liked. For example, suppressing the memories of Nobara until this night. He had gotten used to it and even liked the feeling of new, of meeting someone for the first time, for real. And he would wait for his memories to arrive tonight, even if it could be dangerous to do so.

The preteen was left in a hospital by Ijichi, Yuuji made sure of it. She also had been taken by her guardians a little after arriving and hadn’t sustained any injuries except a mild contussion, which Ijichi happily informed him.

Yuuji was already feeling better after helping someone.

(Even if it was because he felt like he was repaying a very very small portion of the harm he (did) will do to this world. It still counted, he still felt better. And he refused to think of the implications of that.)

Satoru had to bite the insides of his lips to keep from smiling, but if Fushiguro’s annoyed expression was any indication, he was failing a bit.

He just felt so amazing, his plan had gone perfectly, more than perfectly even. It seemed like luck was on his side and Itadori had a chance to show off sooner than what he expected. 

That was so good for two things, one, Satoru had to wait less, and two –and more importantly–, people had less of a chance of getting suspicious if –or will more willingly ignore– Satoru only altering the schedule one time. He really thought he would have to play the long gave so people wouldn’t look too hard towards his students.

Now that was all solved, the only thing left was manipulating the higher ups to do what he wanted, something that always brightened his day. Really, he was waiting –very much impatiently– for the day they would finally die, by Satoru’s hands if possible, he would make it possible.

The higher ups weren’t happy at all –not that they were ever happy with Satoru's decisions, though, a window sorcerer was a thing they would have never liked, no matter who proposed it–, but they were really desperate for sorcerers and Itadori did save one of them. So, after an hour of a very specific kind of sweet-talking-and-threats Satoru had perfected over time, and increasingly stupider reasoning from the higher ups to oppose, they finally promised that they will ‘look at it’.

And, maybe, if Satoru hadn’t been Gojo, those words would have meant ‘no’. But Satoru was Gojo, and he had contacts, a solid case and a whole lot of influence, so it meant ‘we will try to look for something to be able to fight you, because we have nothing now’. 

Satoru left the meeting room exhausted and so very happy.

Nanako and Mimiko didn’t like the new Getou, the Not-Getou.

It was planning something. And it didn’t tell them, not like Getou did.

It had used them for one of its plans. In the sense of making them do it, and not suggesting it in a quiet voice explaining why it was important, but why it was fine for them to not do it anyway, like Getou did.

It was nothing like Getou .

But they could not just make Not-Getou give them Getou back. They were not strong enough. And everyone else who could help had been casted aside or were in agreement with Not-Getou.

That was the worst betrayal they had ever felt. Even worse than being starved and imprisoned by the people they knew all their life. There was just a special flavour of hurt that came with the people you choose for your family dismissing you and betraying everything Getou ever preached.

They could do nothing . And so they got used by Not-Getou to complete its plans, which they didn’t even understand nor care about. They hated it.

They hated having to pretend to be unconscious, defeated by a stupid weak curse. They hated having to spend days hunting curses just to free them in a random building. They hated having to spy the sorcerers without knowing what was happening.

They hated it.

They did it anyway.

Chapter Text

Panda, Maki and Toge were on a mission together, all three of them. Even if it as not really needed and they could take care of these curses easily enough, it seemed like it was a slow day for the higher ups to have let them all go just to fight this.

So Panda, appointed caretaker of weapons, phones and other varied things, was making sure no one texted them for something urgent. And the three second years took care of the curses slowly, catching and teasing each other.

A phone vibrated. And so Panda went aside to go see what it was and not to bother Toge and Maki during their fight.

When Panda took it, he saw a text from Fushiguro appear on the screen, ‘what do you know about Itadori? ’ it said. Another one came ‘(the window kid) ’.

“Hey Maki!” Panda called out to give her the phone. Even if Toge and Maki did usually text each other, Panda’s paws didn’t get along well with tactile screens.

“What’s up?”

“Fudhiguro is texting you. Take your phone!”

“Don’t you see I’m busy?” And she was, but fighting a weak grade 1 curse, already debilitated, wasn't something Panda or Toge couldn’t take care of. Not that he would call her out on it, knowing she was enjoying the fight. “IIf it’s important, give it to Toge.”

“Salmon!” Toge agreed, voice a bit scratchy. He had been trying to get closer to Fushiguro, and it seemed to be going alright, even with how busy they were.

“It’s just him asking about the window kid, Itadori.”

“Eh, so not important–.” As if in disagreement, the phone started to vibrate again, distracting Panda with the flurry of texts that came through.

Megumi:

‘Maki.’

‘Answer me.’

‘It’s important.’

‘It’s because of Gojo.’

‘I think he did something to make the kid a sorcerer.’

“–n Toge. Try that kick again, this time with the leg more flexed.”

“The text  is important!” Panda shouted, Maki and Toge only giving him a bit of their attention while they prepared to finish the last curse. “He is saying that Gojo has made Itadori a sorcerer!”

Toge and Maki froze in their stance, after having given the final hits to the curse.

Silence covered the battlefield.

Expressions of surprise were the first time in a few fun minutes to Panda who was laughing internally at their shocked expressions.

“It is what it says.” He threw Maki the phone, who immediately started to text someone, probably interrogating Fushiguro, and with Toge over her shoulder looking intently at the screen.

Panda just calmly walked towards them, mildly interested, a bit surprised, but mostly not understanding why sorcerers make such a big deal out of everything. A Panda –a ‘doll’ Panda, at that– sorcerer was seen as less weird than Maki, or a window becoming a sorcerer. Even if those two things happened in the past and Panda was completely unique.

Sorcerers put weird value in weird things.

And, yes.

It did seem Itadori had become a sorcerer. He was physically exceptional but didn’t have cursed energy. He was to become the weapon’s expert of the first years.

Maki was trying to hide how excited and worried she was about that.

Toge didn’t try to hide at all his nervousness and happiness of meeting new people, there was another new first year apart from Itadori.

And, no.

Fushiguro had no idea how Gojo convinced the higher ups.

Maki didn’t get to convince Fushiguro to tell her what happened, him saying it would be ‘a violation of privacy’ –a weird sorcerer thing too–. 

Panda didn’t understand why it made her so annoyed, Gojo would probably tell them when they came back.

And, so.

The second years decided to go back to the school instead of lazing the day away.

Kugisaki thinks sorcerer school is bullshit, she knows some stuff about curses already, having asked about them to the window who discovered her going around and exhoscising curses, but if she hadn’t. Well. She would have been very lost. 

It has only been the first day, but she can already imagine how similar all of them will be.

Gojo didn’t explain anything at all, in any useful way, at least. He mostly ranted about any and all subjects –including shopping, weird locations in Tokyo and some myths– Gojo decided he wanted to talk about.

It was fun at the start of the class, but then he started talking about very complex philosophies and cursed energy terminology, and she realised this was going to be horrible.

But he left early and left them to fight each other, in the clearing they are now, currently not fighting each other, but just chatting.

Nobara doesn’t like the boys too much. But after talking for a while –mostly Itadori and her, with Fushiguro chiming in at times– she realised that they were better than what she originally thought.

Still, stupid and broody. But better.

Not that she will ever admit it.

“What are you doing?” Kugisaki asks Fushiguro.

He is with his phone –texting someone?– and Kugisaki is very bored. Itadori is practising throwing some –cursed energy imbued– knives he found around somewhere. And Kusigaki has always been very curious.

Fushiguro looks at her with a frown in his face and goes back to looking at his phone. She doesn’t give up, instead, Kugisaki goes behind Fushiguro and starts looking over his shoulder to his phone.

Before she gets to read anything of substance, apart from the part that he is texting someone, he turns around and hides his phone from her view. “I am texting a second year, asking her about Itadori, she was the one who brought him here. Happy?” He fillay grunts out with a small frown in his face.

She isn’t, she is still bored though.

“Fight me.” She decided to say after a while, deciding there is nothing better to do while waiting for Gojo to come back for whatever mission he was on.

Kugisaki didn’t expect the small smirk that slowly grew in Fuhsiguro’s the more she fought back, the more she resisted to lose against someone stronger than her. The smirk which disappeared the moment the fight ended. Kugisaki’s back hitting the floor making all the air in her lungs leave her body at once.

Kugisaki didn’t expect the adrenaline flowing in his veins, and her mirroring smirk, only that bigger. She didn’t expect to enjoy so much the fight, nor the desire she got at the end of it to become better. 

She runs up to Yuuji the moment she catches her breath again, wanting to practise her aim too.

Fushiguro follows behind, slow in his steps, but with a decisiveness he didn’t have before.

Itadori smiles at them when he sees them come. His face opens and his smile only grows when Fushiguro yells that his posture is all wrong.

Kugisaki could learn to enjoy this.

Toge is mentally jumping with happiness and nervousness.

He hadn’t liked meeting people before. It was always so hard trying to get people to like him and make an effort to understand him. But that all changed when he got into jujutsu high. Even before meeting Yuuta, Toge had the chance to get so much closer to Maki and Panda. And he loved it.

So, now, he was always so excited to meet new sorcerers, and it was even better if they hadn’t been influenced by shaman politics yet. Not having all the prejudices that came from being born into such a complex system.

They finally arrive at school after a very long walk. They could have asked Ijichi to come and pick them up, but they wanted to waste time and be around each other some more. And it’s not like a few hours walking will tire them out too bad. 

Even if Toge did make Panda carry him some of the way. He always feels so tired after using his technique, and his throat always hurts, which makes doing anything else more difficult. And the throat medicine is very much a drug, which also makes him tired and leaves him feeling sluggish.

Not that Toge didn’t enjoy the walk. By the second half, he was already feeling much better, having recuperated enough cursed energy to use a bit of reversed cursed technique to cure his throat and get rid of all the medicine’s effects.

And it’s always fun being with his friends.

There is no one in the classes. But that isn’t really a surprise, so they go look for the first years to the courtyard.

There they are, in the space last year’s third years usually made use of, all of them practising their throwing skills. Toge can’t judge how well they are doing, having always focussed on a more evasive fighting style which would only be slowed down by carrying throwing weapons. And the only thrower he knew was Maki, who didn’t use that skill of hers almost at all.

But, by Maki’s face and how she decidedly went walking towards them, leaving the group behind, someone is doing something well.

“Who showed you to throw?” Maki asks with her usual dry tone, the one even Toge already knows is a bad social skill. 

The new first years turn around, surprise in their faces.

“Me?” The girl, Nobara –if Toge remembers correctly– asks.

“Yes. Who taught you?”

“I thought myself, with help from some videos.” Toge whistles impressed, he knew how hard it was to learn things when you have no one to teach you. And if Panda’s and Maki’s nods at that are any indication, they think so too.

“You should grip the handle like this instead.” Maki takes the hammer from her hand and shows her a grip which Daphne sees it’s no different from the one Nobara had, but Toge is not the expert.

Panda goes to Itadori to offer him some ‘landing training’ –Panda loves throwing people–, which Itadori accepts with a smile and a laugh. Itadori doesn’t know what he agreed to.

Toge decides that the best he can do is talk to Fushiguro again –he is a bit nervous still, and he already knows Fushiguro, so it will be fine. Toge doesn’t really know how, but they end up having a small hand to hand combat fight, only interrupted by Toge’s laughing every time he sees anything funny happening around them –like Nobara throwing herself over Maki for a hug, or Itadori trying to throw Panda himself, and achieving it.

A while after, Toge and Fushiguro start to get used to each other, and the fight is not as fun anymore. Toge can see Itadori and Panda resting. And so he decides to go there and do something else with them –and Fushiguro, who follows him.

They end up teaching each other how to punch in different situations. It was fun for a while. Until Fuhiguro and Itadori get distracted talking about his shinigami and Panda and Toge are left alone.

They don’t know as much about punching, so they meditate for a while, trying to control their cursed energy.

Toge gets distracted and notices Itadori approaching Maki, and her giving him some weapons to try with Fushiguro and Nobara as an audience. Not that they were a very good one, because they start to talk very loudly about weapon maintenance, not that any of them seem very knowledgeable in the subject if Maki’s constant input is to be trusted.

It gets to a point in loudness where Toge just gives up on meditation, leaving Panda there –who is probably glad to not have to interact with people anymore, his social battery probably completely empty–, Toge goes towards them and volunteers himself to fight Itadori so Maki can see how he uses the weapons better.

Fushiguro and Nobara leave to fight, with Fushiguro acting as ‘moving target practice’ for her.

Maki decides that Itadori is not bad with weapons and has potential. But he would be better with just some knuckles-things –which Panda uses but Toge doesn’t know the name of. And they wake Panda up to help Itadori.

Maki and Toge go to buy some food, and get their well deserved rest.

The day continues like this. It is a good day.