Chapter Text
Iori Utahime and Mei Mei tumbled into the car after an underwhelmingly easy mission in Nara.
The curse residing in an abandoned shrine was designated Special Grade. With Gojo Satoru out of commission due to a high profile mission overseas for a month, the higher ups had no choice but to assign a Grade 1 sorcerer and have Utahime boost them with her cursed technique. In the end, they decided on Mei Mei, given that she has worked closely and successfully with Utahime multiple times before the latter moved to Kyoto.
Disappointingly, the curse turned out to just be Grade 1. Utahime didn’t even need to boost Mei Mei, who exorcised the curse without a sweat in less than five minutes.
To celebrate the handsome salary they will be getting for minimal effort, Utahime invited Mei Mei for drinks after. Surprisingly, Mei Mei agreed on the condition that she has the say on the venue.
Mei Mei chose a swanky bar in an upscale area in Kyoto. Though she’d rather go to her local izakaya and guzzle her favourite beer, Utahime acquiesced. After all, it’s quite rare for Mei Mei to accept an invitation, preferring not to socialise with fellow sorcerers outside of work.
Just this once, she decided to step out of her comfort zone and indulge Mei Mei’s much more extravagant taste. It’s been a while since she has been to somewhere fancy too.
As they parted ways to freshen up, agreeing to meet at the bar later that evening, Mei Mei ordered her to dress up accordingly.
Perusing her modest closet, Utahime chooses an elegant black cocktail dress she hasn’t worn in years and pairs it with the black designer pumps and matching handbag she proudly bought with her first pay cheque. She applies some light makeup, painting her lips with uncharacteristic (for her) dark red lipstick. Scrutinising herself in the mirror, she decides to forgo her usual half-do with a bow and let her hair down for a more elegant look.
Her phone buzzes, notifying her of an incoming message. Grabbing it from the top of her dresser, she opens the flip phone to see messages from Shoko, Gojo and Mei Mei. She opens Mei Mei’s message thread first, which sits at the top of the list.
Mei-san
I need you to send me a photo of you
If you’re wearing a kimono, I’m not coming
If you’re wearing your hair in pigtails or in a bow, I’m also not coming
She rolls her eyes. She can’t believe Mei Mei doesn’t trust her fashion sense. Just because she wears her miko uniform during work, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t have anything else in her closet.
Facing her mirror, she angles the phone to take some snaps. Satisfied with the outcome, she sends the two best photos to Mei Mei, who doesn’t take long to respond.
Mei-san
Lovely, Utahime
Not as daring as I’d like but that’s good enough
See you at the bar in a while
Checking the time, Utahime notes she should be leaving soon. Glancing at herself in the mirror one last time, she finishes her preparations with a few spritzes of perfume. Grabbing a dress coat to keep her warm from the autumn chill, she steps out of her apartment and heads off for a classy ladies’ night.
They decide to sit at the round bar for convenience’s sake according to Utahime, and tactical purposes (survey people to swindle) according to Mei Mei. Utahime orders a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon whilst Mei Mei orders a martini.
Although the ritzy bar isn’t something Utahime would willingly choose to go to, she finds herself relaxing shortly after their drinks arrive. Mei Mei, with all her insistence about having only transactional relationships, is a wonderful company for a casual evening. They happily reminisce about their school days and gossip about the happenings in jujutsu society the past few months.
During their second round of the same drinks, something seems to catch Mei Mei’s attention from across the bar and an amused smirk forms on her face.
“Neh, Utahime. See that handsome gentleman in the designer navy blue suit in front of us?”
Utahime raises a brow and furtively glances at the man Mei Mei was referring to. To her mild dismay, the man meets her eyes and she immediately whips her attention back to Mei Mei. “Yeah, what about him?”
“He’s been trying to make eyes at you since we sat here.”
She did notice. Contrary to what people say about her obliviousness, she actually notices when men look at her. She just chooses to ignore them unless they also catch her attention, which rarely happens.
Utahime is aghast when Mei Mei wiggles her fingertips at handsome gentleman then winks provocatively at him once she catches his attention.
Utahime hisses, “Mei-san, what are you doing?? Stop that!”
Mei Mei faces her with a smug grin. “Getting someone to pay for our drinks and helping you get laid.”
Utahime flushes furiously while gritting out, “We can afford to pay for our drinks. I don’t need help getting laid. I’m single by choice.”
Mei Mei chooses to ignore the first sentence and rolls her eyes. “Oh honey, getting laid and being single aren’t mutually exclusive. Don’t tell me you’re that much of a stick-in-the-mud?”
“W-what? Of course I’m not! I just don’t feel ready after my last relationship.” Utahime stammers then takes a gulp from her wine glass.
Mei Mei raises a delicate brow as she asks disbelievingly, “Which was what, almost a year ago? Don’t tell me you’ve only had sex whilst in a committed relationship?”
Utahime narrows her eyes at Mei Mei’s not so subtle judgmental tone. “Yeah, and so?”
Mei Mei sighs, “As your favourite senpai, I’m terribly disappointed. If you were a civilian, I wouldn’t care. But Utahime, we’re successful sorceresses. Either we have short lives or we become designated broodmares for a boring old bat of a sorcerer from a major clan. You should be making the most before either happens!”
Utahime blanches at Mei Mei. “So practise being a whore before becoming a clan whore?”
Mei Mei shrugs while she takes a sip from her glass. “Slut-shaming is unbecoming for someone who guides the future generations of sorcerers. Anyway, what I’m saying is to loosen up and have as many partners as you can to explore your own sexuality. Life is short.”
Utahime retorts hotly, “I’ve actually had a lot of fun with my two exes.”
Mei Mei rolls her eyes. “Pleeease. They were civilians right?”
Utahime crosses her arms defensively. “O-of course! I’ll never date sorcerers long-term. The eligible ones our age aren’t great choices.”
Mei Mei looks at her in pity now. “Oh, honey. You’re practically still a virgin then.”
Utahime flushes. “W-what do you mean?”
As patiently as a mother explaining simple addition to a child, Mei Mei intones, “You’ve never known true sexual pleasure until you’ve slept with a fellow sorcerer. Civilians don’t have even half our stamina and libido.”
Utahime readies a retort to defend her previous boyfriends' performances in bed. But she can’t refute Mei Mei’s statement. She never was truly satisfied after one or maybe two or three (if it was a particularly lucky night) rounds in bed. Sure, she’d climax from time to time but it was never the earth-shattering or exhilarating ones her spicy romance novels described.
“Given you’ve only had two partners, and your type being the nice boy-next-door ones, chances are you’ve never had that much fun in bed at all. And-” Mei Mei raises a finger, wagging it before Utahime’s face, to stop her from interrupting. “Civilian men our age rarely have enough experience and technique to please a woman. So no, you haven’t lived at all and you’re definitely the biggest stick-in-the-mud sorceress I know.”
The competitive streak in her rising to the fore, Utahime challenges, “So what are you proposing I do?”
Mei Mei smirks before taking a casual sip from her glass. “Not proposing, but advising as your esteemed and favourite senpai. Offer your young, healthy and beautiful body to the gods of sexuality before it’s too late, dear miko. Maybe start by seducing that handsome and likely rich gentleman across the bar to pay for our drinks. Otherwise, you’re paying.”
And because her pride has been wounded and she wants to prove Mei Mei soooo wrong, Utahime leaps to take action. She turns her attention to the man who, at this moment, winks at her. Then, she downs her entire glass of wine, cautiously licks her painted lips, and stares haughtily at Mei Mei, whose smirk grows impossibly wider. “Advice and challenge accepted.”
Gracefully sliding off the bar stool, she grabs her fancy handbag and coat, and saunters to the poor (lucky) handsome gentleman. Even with her lack of experience with seduction the past year, it doesn’t take her ten minutes to effortlessly charm him into paying their bill and convince him to leave for his place. As he takes her by the arm and leads her to the door, she glances back at Mei Mei, who winks and mouths, “Have fun.”
Oh, she will. This handsome stranger whose name she didn’t even bother remembering is just the first of many.
Iori Utahime is definitely not a prude or a stick-in-the-mud.