76 Playing Together in Kyoto
As if unaware of his classmates' calls, Eiji's gaze was fixed on an ordinary hotel located 500 meters away.
In his eyes, he saw a group of second-year high school students lined up neatly in front of the hotel, listening to the teacher's instructions.
Although he couldn't hear what the teacher was saying due to the distance, he had learned to read lips. So, he understood the other party's words through lip movements.
In short, the teacher reminded the students not to cause trouble during the school excursion and not to tarnish the school's reputation.
"School trip, huh..."
Watching the joy and excitement on the faces of the students, Eiji felt a little envious of those who could go through their youth without any burdens. Meanwhile, he was filled with many life-threatening problems if he didn't grow strong.
"Oi, Kamiki, what's up with you? Why are you daydreaming?"
Feeling someone tapping his shoulder, Eiji looked at Maki's impatient expression.
"Nothing. Everything's fine; let's go inside."
With a flat expression, no one could read his emotional state.
"If you need someone to talk to, I can listen."
Walking beside him, Maki volunteered.
...
Eiji remained silent and entered the hotel after showing their student cards at the entrance. They were given detailed explanations in the lobby.
Panda and Maki were amazed at the luxurious decor of the hotel.
"Amazing... Is it okay for us to stay in a hotel like this?"
Panda showed a highly astonished expression. As a Cursed Corpse who rarely left the area of Jujutsu High School in Tokyo, this was his first time visiting such a place.
On the other hand, Maki had never received good accommodations from the Zenin Family and had to live frugally due to her limited funds.
Toge and Eiji had the best backgrounds among them, so the luxury of the hotel didn't surprise them.
"Thank you."
Eiji received the key from the lobby entrance employee. Then, he handed keys to the others.
Dragging their suitcases, they entered the elevator, reached the sixth floor, and entered their respective rooms.
Standing in front of the door, Eiji looked at room number 202. After making sure it was the right room, he inserted the key into the hole, turned the knob, and opened the door.
"Not bad." he commented while looking at the room.
It was a Western-style single bedroom, with many expensive-looking furnishings and an amazing view of Kyoto from the window.
After quickly getting bored of the view, Eiji threw himself onto the bed, intending to take a nap.
However, a knock on the door disrupted his restful plans.
Before opening the door, he already knew who was behind it. Besides, for someone with Six Eyes, Cursed Energy was as clear as a torch at night.
Getting up from the bed, he walked to the door and opened it.
"What's up?"
"Kamiki, want to hang out with us?"
Panda invited him.
"Salmon."
Toge also wanted everyone to play together.
"Although a bit different, let's consider it a school trip." Maki said without much enthusiasm.
"... Fine. I also want to try Kyoto's specialties."
Rather than just taking a nap, Eiji chose to spend time with them.
"Great, let's go!"
Seeing him agree, Panda was very happy. After all, considering Eiji's introverted personality, he was ready to be rejected.
"You're too enthusiastic, Panda." Maki shook her head, with a thin smile on her lips.
"Salmon roe!" Toge raised his hand, expressing his excited mood.
Then, the four of them left the hotel.
...
Since this outing was proposed by Panda, they agreed to go wherever he wanted to go.
As Panda mentioned earlier, he really wanted to visit famous temples in Kyoto. So, their first stop was the nearest temple, Inari Shrine.
Upon arrival, there were many fox-themed items sold in shops or street stalls.
"Wow, all these cute foxes. Do I have enough leftover money to buy souvenirs here?"
"Mustard greens!"
Among the four of them, Panda and Toge were the most excited, behaving like children on a trip.
"I don't know why so many people like stuff like this."
Watching their ridiculous behavior, Maki felt out of place.
She was a bit different from the average girl; she didn't really like cute and funny things.
"Let it be. In this profession, we may die anytime and can be killed anytime. It's good to enjoy life every moment."
"For someone as strong as you, your thoughts are quite pessimistic, Kamiki."
"..."
Eiji didn't explain anything to her.
As someone who knew the future, he always carried the burden of anxiety and restlessness. Knowing too much was not a good thing.
"Enough already, you're a hard person to understand."
Maki didn't want to talk to this quiet guy, and she went to Panda's side to choose souvenirs for her younger sister.
"Hmm..."
Seeing them all choosing souvenirs, Eiji just watched from the side.
He didn't have someone he wanted to give a gift to.
Considering his eccentric cousin's personality, he might not appreciate cute items like this.
(When will I find someone valuable to me? Someone precious enough that I dare to defy the whole world to protect her?)
In his heart, besides longing for school life, he also wanted to experience the feeling of falling in love with a woman.
...
Passing through the last torii gate, there was a large gate. On each side were stone fox statues resembling lions.
"No wonder Kyoto is called the sacred land of Jujutsu. There are many statues that serve to ward off Cursed Spirits."
Eiji looked at fox-like lion stone statues while saying that.
"Really? I don't feel anything."
Hearing his opinion, Maki pushed up her glasses, but she didn't feel anything special from the statues around the shrine.
"What Kamiki says is true. I can feel it."
"Salmon."
"Oh. That might be my shortcoming."
Maki no longer hesitated after getting confirmation from Panda and Toge. However, she couldn't see the Cursed Spirits without using her glasses. So, it's no wonder she can't feel the uniqueness of the statues here.
"Tuna mayo."
Taking out his camera, Toge signaled to take a photo.
They took pictures as they walked forward, starting the next challenge, which was climbing the mountain path through thousands of torii gates.
Although called a challenge, it only applied to ordinary people. They were Jujutsu Sorcerers; their basic physical endurance exceeded that of normal people, especially Eiji and Maki, who were born with Heavenly Restrictions, granting them superhuman physical blessings.
They checked out some small shops along the halfway point while continuing to challenge the Inari mountain.
Eiji also tasted sweets like dango, yatsuhashi, daifuku, yokan, etc.
He had to admit that the sweets in Kyoto were a bit tastier than those in Tokyo.
"Oh, the view is amazing."
"Salmon."
"Then take a photo."
Panda and Toge were fascinated by the scenery of Fushimi Inari on the mountain path, and Maki appreciated it.
Only Eiji didn't understand what was so interesting about looking at the scenery. However, to not spoil the atmosphere, he didn't voice his thoughts.
Then they continued walking to the mountain's summit.
At the mountain's peak, there was an ancient temple, and many other tourists were wandering around.
"Do you want to buy an amulet?" Panda asked.
"Salmon." Toge nodded.
"There's no harm in buying a few." Maki didn't refuse.
"I don't need one." Eiji shook his head and declined.
Maki and the others were already accustomed to his rejections. After paying respects at the temple, the three of them bought the amulets being sold.
Next, they wandered around while taking photos together.
The day was spent just playing and visiting historical places in Kyoto. Only at 9:10 in the evening, they returned to the hotel and rested.
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[Note: The author would like to clarify some things. In the Jujutsu Kaisen story, Okkutsu Yuta participated in the Goodwill Event. Well, because I miscalculated the timeline, Eiji became a high school student too early, in 2016. He should have enrolled in 2017 when Maki and the others had just become first-year high school students. But don't worry, this mistake will be corrected in the next chapters with some events to align with the actual timeline 🙏🏻]
