Yuji (16)

"Satoru is late," Panda said while scratching his chin.

"No way that idiot is ever on time," Maki said bluntly, she seemed to be used to this kind of habit coming from Gojo.

"She didn't even mention his name," Megumi said a tiny bit stun.

"Here I am," Gojo said appearing while pushing a cart.

Kenzo could feel something coming from that cart...something very familiar to him in a way.

Gojo then started to distribute souvenirs to everyone, spreading a cheerful atmosphere. He eventually appeared in front of Kenzo and greeted him with a sly smile, saying, "How is my favorite porter doing?"

My eyes twitched involuntarily at that comment, but I managed to control myself and remained composed.

"And for the Tokyo kids," Gojo announced, a mischievous glint in his eye as he playfully lifted the cart's lid. Out of the cart sprang Yuji, appearing not a day worse for wear despite his recent absence.

"It's the nearly departed Yuji," Gojo declared, his hand pointing directly at the astonished boy.

With a grin as wide as the horizon, Yuji quipped back, "Ha, gotcha!" The shock of his sudden reappearance was replaced by the thrill of seeing his friend once more, and it was evident that he had undergone some profound changes in his time away.

I could sense the weight of experience and the residue of newfound power emanating from him. It was clear that Yuji had taken the opportunity of his absence to hone his abilities further.

While my astonishment and relief at Yuji's return were palpable, my attention was diverted when an elderly voice rang out in the midst of the jubilation. "Sukuna vessel, what is this?" The voice belonged to Principal Gaku Ganji, a dignified figure of authority.

Gojo, who had been preoccupied with Yuji's arrival, swiveled around to face the principal. "Principal Gaku Ganji, thank goodness," he exclaimed, his charismatic charm now directed towards the man of authority.

The principal's question seemed to hint at his awareness of the significant events that had unfolded in Yuji's absence.

"Good thing the shock didn't kill you. I was worried," Gojo added, leaning in closely to the principal's face in a very disrespectful tone.

"You brat," the old man said clearly pissed.

As Principal Gaku Ganji's voice rang out with a tone of displeasure, it became clear that Gojo's cheeky demeanor had perhaps pushed the boundaries a bit too far. The elderly figure appeared frustrated with the unexpected turn of events, and his facial expressions were anything but joyful.

Gojo, still sporting a sly grin, seemed to pay little heed to the principal's irritation. In fact, he reveled in it, embracing the tension with the audacity that had become his trademark. He turned away from the elderly figure and then shifted his attention toward me. There, the surprise etched on Gojo's face couldn't have been more evident. It was as if he had stumbled upon an unexpected revelation.

"Kenzo~kun," he chimed with amusement in his voice. He reached into his attire and retrieved an object, which he extended towards me with a friendly smile.

It was the ID card he had apparently promised me two months ago but never delivered. His expression, now, was a mix of surprise and contentment, as if he had just unearthed a long-lost treasure.

Receiving the long-awaited ID card from Gojo's outstretched hand, I did so with a noticeable lack of gratitude. There was a clear air of exasperation lingering in my demeanor, a testament to my growing irritation. I refused to offer even a simple "thank you."

Gojo, ever the provocateur, seemed to relish in my response. He adopted a mockingly hurt tone, his tone dripping with facetiousness. "So mean~," he crooned, feigning the role of the injured party.

Unmoved, I maintained an icy facade. My resolve was unshaken. I wasn't about to provide him the satisfaction of knowing that he had managed to elicit any emotional reaction from me.

This bastard wouldn't get shit from me.

Time skip

Tokyo team meeting

Yuji clung to a set of oversized frames, with his head comically framed right in the center, resembling a peculiar living painting. A wave of harsh reprimand had engulfed him.

I couldn't help but privately sympathize with Yuji's predicament. As I watched the scene unfold, a thought emerged in my mind, echoing my internal sentiments: *This punishment seems somewhat excessive. After all, he did explain himself.*

Panda, ever the voice of reason, seemed to share my reservations. He openly expressed his disapproval, asserting that Yuji's initial explanation should suffice.

In response to the criticism, Yuji, stuck in his bizarre contraption, offered only a succinct, almost cryptic response: "It talks." The choice of words only deepened the oddity of the situation.

Toge's response was succinct: "Salmon." Oddly, I somehow grasped that he was in agreement with Panda's sentiment.

Yuji's brow furrowed in bewilderment, prompting Megumi to step in and provide context. "Inumaki is a curse speech user. He possesses the ability to manipulate the spiritual energy within certain words. However, to use this power, he's constrained to a limited vocabulary."

Panda chimed in to add further detail, his words revealing the complexities of Inumaki's ability. "The scope of the command matters. The larger the word's spiritual impact, the greater the strain on Inumaki. In the worst-case scenario, the word might recoil, harming him instead." The explanation helped shed light on Inumaki's unique curse technique.

Nobara expressed her frustration by saying, "Revealing the secret of someone like that..."

Maki chimed in, offering some reassurance, "It's not much of an issue for Toge. He operates on a completely different level."

Then, with a serious tone, she fixed her gaze on Yuji and said, "Give back Demon Slaughter."

Yuji's face displayed a mixture of shock and dismay, and after a moment, he spoke firmly, "Gojo-sensei has it." His words hinted at the gravity of the situation.

Somewhere else on the campus, Gojo had sneezed.

A new quest popped up, and it read:

[New quest created, Beat the Kyoto school]

[Description: The goodwill event is starting. To prove your strength and demonstrate you're not weak, defeat the Kyoto students.]

[Rewards]

[5000 exp]

[Mid-level mana recovery potions]

Do you accept this quest? [Yes] or [No]

My attention went to the floating screen in front of me as I read the quest description before I pressed "Yes."

This probably wouldn't level me up as I need like 30k exp to level up, but it should give me a much-needed boost towards that.

"Sorry about that," I said, looking at Yuji, and he seemed confused before a look of recognition appeared on his face as he said, "Don't worry about it."