A few weeks later, Kiyotaka walked towards his dorm room as he reached for the door, but heard people breathing inside his room as he thought, 'Hm? There are people in there.'
He opened the door as everyone jumped out, shouting, "Happy Birthday!"
The First Years were all there, as well as Todo and Mai.
Kiyotaka stood there and said, "Thank you, guys."
Nobara sighed, saying, "There's that same monotone expression."
Junpei nodded, saying, "Smile a little more!"
Kiyotaka deadpanned, saying, "Sorry, I'm just not very expressive."
Nobara looked to him, asking, "Why is that, though?"
"It's just my upbringing. I'd rather not talk about it further."
Nobara sighed, saying, "You're as bad as Fushiguro."
Megumi looked offended, saying, "Even I'm not that bad."
Nobara snickered at this as Gojo sighed, saying, "Sorry, but the second years and Nanami are out on missions"
"It's fine."
Kiyotaka said this as Nobara sighed and said, "19 though. It's still so hard to believe you're two years older than us."
Kiyotaka thought about it and said, "Sure. I'm two years older than you two, but Megumi is still 16, so he's actually 3 years younger than me."
Megumi blushed as Nobara laughed, saying, "Megumi-Chan. Aren't you tall for a little kid?"
Megumi gets pissed as Gojo begins laughing, and Megumi shouts, "What the hell are you laughing at, Gojo?!!"
Gojo pretends to be scared before saying, "Oh, scary! I was just thinking that you'll always be a little kid."
Megumi looked annoyed as Todo walked over, saying, "Happy Birthday, my Besto Friendo."
Kiyotaka nodded, saying, "Thank you."
Todo held out tickets to Takada's concert, saying, "Here's your present."
Kiyotaka looked at them, thinking, 'Well... it couldn't hurt to try it out one time.'
Nobara pointed at Todo, shouting, "Hey! Ayanokoji obviously wouldn't want any useless presents."
Kiyotaka thought, 'Well, she's right. I wouldn't want any presents that aren't useful.'
Todo looked to her, saying, "My Besto Friendo accepted it, so he obviously wanted it."
Nobara deadpanned at this man's delusions as Kiyotaka thought, 'I never said I wanted these tickets once in my life.'
Junpei passed him a deck of tarot cards, saying, "Happy Birthday."
Kiyotaka's eyes widened at seeing the theme of the tarot cards being Lord of the Mysteries. Since gaining his freedom at Jujutsu Tech, he and Junpei had started reading the series together.
Kiyotaka smiled, saying, "Thanks."
Junpei pulled out his own saying, "I got myself a matching set."
Megumi offered him a Shogi Set as Kiyotaka took it, saying, "The craftsmanship is incredible. Very high quality. How did you afford this?"
"I stole Gojo's money."
Kiyotaka deadpanned at this as Gojo shouted, "Huh?!"
Kiyotaka turned to face Nobara, not wanting to deal with what was about to occur between Gojo and Megumi.
Nobara pulled out a box, saying, "I spent a lot of my allowance on it, so be grateful."
Kiyotaka opened it to see a wristwatch. He put it on, saying, "It fits nicely. Thank you."
Gojo presented a shirt that had [I'm with Stupid] on it as Kiyotaka awkwardly took it, saying, "Um... thank you?"
Nobara held in a laugh before not being able to hold it in, saying, "That expression is hilarious."
Kiyotaka felt his own face thinking, 'Am I really becoming more expressive?'
Gojo handed Kiyotaka a card saying, "This gives you access to the Jujutsu Archives. Usually, a student wouldn't be given one of these, let alone in a first year, but... I pulled some strings."
Kiyotaka took it, thinking, 'Now this is useful.'
Mai walked up to him next as Kiyotaka looked at her, seeing that her Cursed Energy was more refined as he smiled, saying, "You've made some improvement. Not bad."
Mai blushed, saying, "Well, um..."
Mai sighed before saying, "Close your eyes for your present."
Kiyotaka closed his eyes, thinking, 'What exactly is she plotting?'
Then he felt something wet touch his cheek before pulling away. He opened his eyes to see everyone's jaws hanging low and Gojo in the midst of taking a picture while laughing.
Kiyotaka looked to see Mai with her back turned, thinking, 'Well... I did know about her feelings, but her boldness is... quite impressive.'
Mai was blushing as Nobara said, "Thinks her kisses are worth anything."
Mai glared at Nobara, shouting, "What did you say?!!"
The two glared at each other as Gojo showed Kiyotaka the picture, as Kiyotaka thought, 'Well... I didn't expect to become popular.'
Gojo brought out the cake, doing a spin as Nobara shouted, "You're gonna drop the cake, idiot!"
Mai snickered, saying, "What's wrong? Not taking in enough calories already?"
Nobara gave her a death glare, shouting, "You bitch!" and jumped at her as they rolled on the floor fighting.
Kiyotaka deadpanned, thinking, 'Is this how birthdays are supposed to be celebrated?'
Junpei put a party hat on Kiyotaka's head as Gojo pulled a party popper, and the confetti hit Kiyotaka in the face as he sat there thinking, 'Well... it is better than a physical examination followed by a day just like every other day.'
Kiyotaka smiled slightly as Nobara and Mai stopped staring at him, thinking, 'You can't be serious. Why is that smile so... Damn it!'
Gojo shouted, "Make a wish, Kiyotaka!"
Kiyotaka blew out the candles, thinking, 'A wish, huh? I wish to be able to experience being human more.'
Mai took a slice as Nobara took a smaller slice. They proceeded to take pieces off their plate as they glared at each other. Megumi took a smaller slice as Junpei took a normal-sized slice.
Todo sliced out a piece, saying, "This is the best piece! Take it, my Besto Friendo!"
Kiyotaka deadpanned as he took the plate, saying, "Thank you?" while thinking, 'This piece is probably exactly the same as all the other pieces.'
Still, he took a bite as he sat there thinking, 'This is... actually quite nice.'
The party eventually ended as Utahime walked in, asking, "What did you call me here for?" only to see the decorations.
She looked at the scene and then at Gojo, shouting, "If you were going to invite me, then why call me here so late?!!"
Gojo chuckled, saying, "Sorry, Utahime, but there's no cake left for you."
"Gojo, you bastard!"
Gojo smiled and asked, "Mind taking your students home?"
"I'm not an errand girl!
She paused for a second as she let out an annoyed sigh and said, "Let's go, kids."
Mai stood there eating her cake and said, "I'm not leaving until I finish this."
Nobara smiled, saying, "Of course, you want to take in as many calories as possible, right?"
Mai glared at her, shouting, "Shut up!"
Utahime sighed as she said, "I'll be waiting outside", as she stepped outside.
Kiyotaka walked out as Utahime turned to him and said, "Happy Birthday. I feel bad for you having to deal with Gojo every day."
"It's shocking that he's actually one of the only responsible adults I've met in regards to how they treat me."
Utahime looked at him with pity, saying, "You poor child."
Kiyotaka looked at her and said, "Gojo does this kind of thing to rile you up, but have you ever wondered why?"
"Because he's an asshole."
Kiyotaka shook his head, saying, "He's always seeking a reaction from you. He really does care about you."
Utahime looked shocked, saying, "What are you..."
"He's the strongest, and there's a loneliness that comes with that. That's something I had a taste of for such a very long time. He's likely tired of the expectations put on him sometimes. Someone who doesn't see him as the strongest but as some annoying guy. That's who you are to him and to him... that's probably a precious thing."
Utahime's eyes widened at this, asking, "Why are you telling me this?"
"The more people who understand him, the better for him."
Utahime's eyes softened, saying, "I see."
"He saved my life. This is the least I can do, right?"
Utahime sighed, saying, "I suppose so."
Kiyotaka stretched his hands, saying, "Now we're even, so I can tell you this. If you really want to get back at him instead of reacting, why don't you go on the offensive?"
Utahime looked at him, asking, "Offensive?"
Kiyotaka nodded, saying, "Turn the tables and tease him back."
Utahime smiled, thinking, 'Hehe, I'll turn everything back on you, Gojo!' and heading back inside.
Gojo smiled, saying, "Oh, look, everyone, the errand princess Utahime is back."
Utahime felt anger boil in her, but she walked up saying, "Trying to get my attention, are you, Satoru? It's a bit adorable to see you so desperate."
Everyone froze as Gojo looked shocked, thinking, 'What the?'
He blushed for a second, making Utahime think, 'Wait... what's with that kind of reaction?'
Gojo smiled, saying, "Oh wow. Are you fighting back? I'm impressed, Utahime-Senpai."
Utahime froze, thinking, 'Did he... just call me Senpai? What? He's never been so respectful. What is he plannn...'
He grabbed her wrist, saying, "Maybe we should have a little back-and-forth romance?"
Utahime blushed, saying, "Wait! this wasn't how it was supposed to..."
Gojo smiled, saying, "A bit too late for that, princess Utahime. Hehe."
Utahime held out her hand, trying to push Gojo away, shouting, "Let go of me, Gojo!!!"
Mai and Nobara deadpanned, thinking, 'What the hell am I looking at?'
Megumi sighed, thinking, 'Idiot.'
Junpei looked awkward, thinking, 'That's Gojo-Sensei for you.'
Gojo chuckled, saying, "You're even more fun today, Utahime."
"Get off me, Gojo!"
Gojo smirked, saying, "You're kinda cute right now, U-ta-hi-me."
Utahime blushed, backing off quickly.
Kiyotaka leaned against the wall outside, thinking, 'You owe me one, Gojo.'
He heard a "This... this isn't what you think, Gojo!" followed by a "Heh heh".
Kiyotaka sighed.
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Kiyotaka walked with Megumi, Junpei and Nobara as Junpei said, "We should go watch..."
Nobara pointed to him, shouting, "Not a chance! I'm not watching that crap again! I'm gonna go shopping."
Kiyotaka then said, "I'm going to go to an ice cream parlour. It's been a while since I had some."
Megumi sighed and said, "You all have so much energy. I'm going home, then"
Megumi got into the back seat of the car a few minutes later and left. Junpei sighed as he went off to watch the movie on his own.
Nobara began walking off as someone walked up behind her, saying, "Hi".
Nobara turned around to see a girl with blonde hair standing behind her, who asked, "You were with Kiyotaka just now, right?"
Nobara sweated thinking, 'First name basis?'
They went to a restaurant as Nobara asked, "How do you know Ayanokoji anyway?"
The girl sweated and said, "We... how can I say this... grew up together?"
Nobara looked shocked, saying, "Wait, are you his little sister or something?"
She shook her head, saying, "Um, no! Not at all."
Nobara sighed, asking, "So, um... what did you want to ask, Yuki-san?"
"Well... we were only little kids when we last saw each other. I wanted to be closer to him, but... he always put up walls. I never got the chance to stay in contact with him either."
Nobara looked shocked, asking, "Wait... Yuki, do you mean... It's like that, right?"
Yuki tilted her head, asking, "Like that?"
Nobara sighed, thinking, 'These two definitely were raised the same way.'
"I mean like... you're interested, right? Romantically?"
Nobara asked this as Yuki blushed, saying, "Well... yes. I am."
Nobara called Ijichi, saying, "Hey, Ijichi-San. Is Fushiguro still riding with you? I sent you the URL for the restaurant I'm at. Could you turn around and bring him here? Thanks! See ya soon!"
She then made another call as Junpei answered, saying, "The movie is about to start. Call me later."
"Something important is happening. Get over here."
Nobara said this as Junpei complained, saying, "But... the movie."
"I'll watch it with you later if you come over here."
"Deal."
Junpei agreed in under 0.299 seconds.
Nobara looked to Yuki and said, "Two people who know Ayanokoji well are on their way here now. We'll talk to them about it first."
Megumi arrived with an annoyed expression, asking, "Yo, what's the big idea?"
Nobara raised her hand, saying, "Hey, Fushiguro! Does Ayanokoji have a girlfriend?"
"Huh?"
Nobara gestured to Yuki, saying, "This is Sakurako Yuki. She's actually blah, blah, blah."
Megumi looked shocked, asking, "So it's like that?!"
"Yeah, it's like that."
She said this with a serious expression.
Junpei arrived asking, "What's so important that you made me leave the movie theatre?"
Megumi looked to him, saying, "This girl and Ayanokoji. It's like that."
Junpei looked shocked, asking, "Like that?!"
Both Nobara and Megumi nodded as Yuki again tilted her head in confusion, thinking, 'People not from the White Room are so strange.'
Junpei and Megumi sat down as Megumi said, "He doesn't share a lot about himself, so I'm not really sure about his relationship status."
Junpei shook his head, saying, "He doesn't have a girlfriend."
Megumi looked at him, asking, "How do you know that?"
"Because he would have politely rejected Mai-Sempai."
Megumi nodded, saying, "You're probably right about that", as he drank some black coffee.
Yuki internally sighed in relief at this as Nobara looked to Megumi and asked, "Are you the type to drink coffee black only when women are around so you can show off? Stop it, okay?"
Megumi looked annoyed, saying, "You called me out here to ask me about this, right? And I always drink it black."
Yuki then asked, "Have you... Ever asked him about what kind of girls he likes?"
Nobara deadpanned at that question as Megumi said, "He likes girls with... modesty."
Yuki's eyes widened as she said, "Well... okay," while thinking, 'Why is he sugar coating it? Did Kiyotaka say something perverted?'
Nobara sighed, thinking, 'Well... that's not wrong' before taking out her phone and saying, "I'll summon him here. Is that okay with you, Yuki?"
Yuki smiled, saying, "It is."
Nobara texted Kiyotaka, who arrived shortly after and walked over to the table, asking, "Fushiguro? You're here too? And Junpei? Weren't you going to watch Human Earthworm 4?"
Kiyotaka's eyes then turned to Yuki as he asked, "What are you doing here, Yuki?"
The trio, sitting down, looked stunned, thinking, 'He remembers her?!'
Kiyotaka gave her a serious look, saying, "Let's talk outside. Just the two of us."
Yuki got up, saying, "Thank you guys" as they walked out together.
Nobara looked to Megumi and Junpei, asking, "Do you think he'd mind if I eavesdropped?"
"Obviously."
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Kiyotaka turned to Yuki, asking, "What are you doing out here? Even if you're no longer participating, they wouldn't let you go so easily."
Yuki looked to Kiyotaka, asking, "Are you able to see those things?"
Kiyotaka's eyes widened as he asked, "You can now?"
Yuki nodded, saying, "One night, I was suddenly able to. Wasn't it the same for you or... could you see them this entire time?"
Kiyotaka sighed, saying, "I was able to see them after eating a Cursed Object. What about you?"
Yuki shook her head, saying, "I haven't eaten anything different from usual, and I know I wasn't sedated and fed anything like that since there aren't any gaps in my memories. I don't feel strange either."
Kiyotaka looked up to the sky, thinking, 'Then how? What exactly is going on? Was Sukuna's finger not the trigger for me gaining sight and access to Cursed Energy?'
Kiyotaka sighed and asked, "They let you go?"
Yuki nodded, saying, "That's right. They just let me go."
Kiyotaka contemplated it, thinking, 'Why? What is that man planning?'
Kiyotaka looked to her and said, "Don't do anything reckless. Try to live peacefully."
Yuki nodded, saying, "You... should be careful too. Something feels off."
Kiyotaka nods, saying, "I feel the same way. Have you heard from Shiro? There's a chance he could be involved in these strange circumstances that we both noticed."
Yuki shook her head, saying, "I have no clue where he is. He might not even be in Japan anymore."
Kiyotaka then asked, "Do you feel a Cursed technique engraved in you?"
Yuki shook her head, saying, "Cursed Technique? That's that?"
Kiyotaka looked confused, thinking, 'What? Why are her circumstances so different? What exactly is going on?'
Kiyotaka sighed and asked, "Apart from being able to see Cursed Spirits now, is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"
Yuki looked shy, saying, "Um, well... my feelings haven't exactly changed from back then... no... that would be a lie, but I..."
"I see. I'm sorry, but for now, things are too complicated to think about romance. I won't be deciding on a life partner any time soon."
Yuki nodded, saying, "It's fine, but... can we exchange contact information?"
Kiyotaka took out his phone as they exchanged information.
—————————————————————————————————————
Kiyotaka stepped back into the restaurant as the trio looked at him as if asking, "How did it go?"
Kiyotaka sighed, saying, "Now isn't the time for romantic relationships, so I'll have to pass on any that you all throw my way."
Nobara sighed, saying, "You're no fun."
Kiyotaka sat down, ordering some food as he looked out the window, thinking, 'It feels like something big is going to happen soon. This is a calm before the storm.'
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To Be Continued
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Rating Out Of 10 For This Chapter?
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