Chapter Text
August 2022
With slightly narrowed eyes and thoughtfully puckered lips, Yuji finally said slowly, “I think I like tall women with nice bums. Like Jennifer Lawrence.” A wry grin spread across his face. He didn't seem a bit surprised by the rather unusual question. Meanwhile, Megumi's heart contracted uncomfortably at his statement. He couldn't compete with Jennifer Lawrence in the slightest.
What rubbish, he scolded himself inwardly. He should finally concentrate on getting rid of these stupid feelings for his best friend so that he would stop thinking such things.
“I'm sure Todo would have liked that answer,” Mimiko giggled.
“He definitely would,” Nanako nodded eagerly. “Your friend isn't as boring as you, little brother,” she teased and winked at Megumi. The latter pressed his lips together into a thin line.
“Why boring?” Yuji frowned in surprise. He couldn't understand the statement for the life of him. Since Megumi joined he had enjoyed the taido training more, for example. Their trip to Mount Takao and the night-time stroll around campus had also been quite amusing. Even studying for biochemistry had become bearable with him. He always looked forward to dinner together every Thursday. So no, Megumi was certainly a lot of things, but not boring.
“Oh,” Nanako made a dismissive gesture, “Todo Aoi, a jujutsu sorcerer from Kyoto, always asks this question to find out if someone is interesting. Unfortunately, he didn't like Megumi's answer about what kind of women or men he is into. He thought it was lame.”
Now the pink-haired boy turned to his fellow student, who was sitting next to him and doggedly pestering the rice in the bowl in front of him with his chopsticks. “What was your answer?” Yuji enquired.
Megumi poked at the contents of his bowl for a moment, then gave his friend a quick sideways glance. The latter looked at him unconcernedly, almost innocently and curiously out of wide eyes. He didn't seem to give a second thought to the fact that Todo had also asked about Megumi's taste in men. The black-haired student could literally feel the heat creeping up the back of his neck. One thing was for sure, he would take revenge on Nanako for this action as soon as the opportunity arose.
“I said that I don't have a type and that what matters to me is a person's character,” he finally grumbled, crushing a grain of rice on the edge of the bowl with the tip of his chopstick.
“Which, by the way, is a very good answer,” Tsumiki emphasised emphatically and gave the twins a warning look out of narrow eyes. They acted innocent. Suguru shook his head and rubbed his temple, knowing all too well what it was like to be asked this question, even if in his case it had been Todo's mentor and Special Grade sorcerer Tsukumo Yuki. Gojo watched the proceedings with an interested little smile on his lips.
“You're right,” Yuji agreed with him and now it was Megumi who looked at the other in surprise. Hadn't he just been raving about women with nice bums?
“Well, I certainly wasn't with Yuko because she looked like Jennifer Lawrence,” he began to explain, thinking back to his ex-girlfriend. “Quite the opposite. She was rather short in junior high and the others were always calling her fat. But she was so nice and smart and elegant. I mean, have you ever seen anyone eat fish elegantly? I kind of liked her and at the graduation party she even dared to ask me if we could take a photo together. That really impressed me because she was usually very shy. That must have taken a lot out of her.”
“And what else?” Mimiko asked curiously when Yuji paused for a moment and seemed to be lost in his school days again.
“We went to the same high school. It took me a while, but eventually I invited her for a lemonade in the shopping centre. Really creative,” he laughed at himself. “But it was a nice afternoon. We wandered around the shops a bit and chatted. Well, somehow one thing led to another.”
“Isn't that romantic? Oh, young love is so beautiful,” Satoru grinned broadly and wiggled his eyebrows. Megumi bit his tongue and decided to ignore his foster father. He wouldn't let himself be provoked on the first evening and would do his best to not come out to Yuji by accident.
“Are you sure you don't have a brother?” Nanako asked with a wink. “Ouch!” she suddenly exclaimed and rubbed her leg under the table. She glared at Megumi. “Did you just kick me?”
“I don't do childish things like that,” he claimed deadly serious. He would kick her again without hesitation, harder if he had to. So much for not being provoked. It was going very well.
Tsumiki decided to intervene. She knew that the twins loved Megumi and that her brother was just as fond of them, even if he didn't always show it on the outside. However, she knew just as well how much Megumi and Nanako in particular could get into each other's hair.
“What subjects did you chose for next semester?” she steered the conversation into more innocuous territory and received a grateful but barely perceptible nod from Suguru. He had feared that he would have to save the mood once again.
---
It was late and the quiet, continuous hum of the AC filled Megumi's bedroom. The appliance was running on a low setting so as not to cool the room down too much - he could thankfully do without a cold. It had taken three years, but Satoru had finally got his way and had the house air-conditioned. Megumi didn't even want to know what other requests his foster father had to make to get on the nerves of the higher-ups. A considerable number of the special requests were probably not only due to Gojo's eccentricity, but also to Megumi and his sisters. After all, Jujutsu High was not designed for families. The fact that the four of them had lived here since they were children was probably one of the biggest exceptions of all.
Megumi was leaning against the headboard of his bed with a book in his hand and had stretched out on the blanket. The curtains in front of his windows were only half drawn, so that the pale full moon could be seen through the gaps. In the light of his bedside lamp, his alarm clock read 00:23. Still a fairly humane time by his standards.
Instead of continuing to read, his eyes wandered to the guest futon next to his bed. Yuji had already been asleep for a while. The fact that he was here was another exception that Satoru had been forced to make, and Megumi was more than grateful to him for it. He couldn't bear the thought of leaving his friend behind in the dormitory over the holidays. Not only because he didn't want Yuji to be alone and he also wanted for someone to check what was going on with him - even if that were the main reasons. But if he was honest with himself, there was another, selfish reason: Megumi wanted to be near him. Over the past four and a half months, he had become accustomed to the other's almost permanent presence and he enjoyed it. Far too much.
He put the open book down on his chest and looked at his friend. His best friend. The corner of his mouth twitched upwards briefly at the thought. Megumi wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about Yuji that really captured him. Normally, he didn't let other people get close to him that easily. Yes, Yuji was sometimes a terrible pain in the arse, but by now Megumi knew that he was so much more. Cheerful, positive, lovable, determined, reliable, honest and... The former sorcerer pulled his lower lip between his teeth, feeling a slight warmth creep over his cheeks. He was so attractive. It was as if he was glowing from the inside out. Especially when Yuji laughed, it felt like he shone even brighter. God, how cheesy. That wasn't usually his style, but he couldn't describe it any other way. Yuji was like sunshine and he was like a cat following the warm rays.
A cosy feeling made itself felt just below his belly button and slowly spread.
Yuji lay half on his stomach with his back facing Megumi. He had pulled the blanket, which was not really necessary despite the air conditioning, down to his hips. He pressed the pillow against him and wrapped his arms around it. His upper body moved up and down evenly in time with his breathing. He looked calm and relaxed. His sleeveless shirt stretched over his shoulder blades. The yellowish light from the bedside lamp traced the contours of his trained upper arms and lay on the strands of muscle that pressed lightly through the fabric of the slipped top.
Megumi couldn't stop his eyes from travelling from the tousled mop of hair, down his neck to Yuji's back.
Megumi swallowed involuntarily as his gaze lingered on the piece of skin that lay exposed between the hem of the shirt and the waistband of the retro shorts that came out from under the blanket.
He wanted to run his fingertips gently over it. Warm, soft and firm at the same time. He imagined this was what it would feel like to stroke Yuji's skin. He would have loved to get up and lie down next to him. He wanted to cuddle up to him from behind, bury his face in his neck and spread tender little kisses on his skin. Wrap his arms around him and gently slide his fingers under Yuji's top, running them over his abs. He wanted to...
A tingling sensation ran through his loins. Damn! Megumi turned away abruptly. The book skidded off his chest and landed on the mattress with a thud. He rolled onto his side, burying his face in his hands. His cheeks suddenly glowed as if they were on fire as he tried to ignore the tingling sensation in his crotch. Perhaps he should have thought about the fact that his invitation meant that Yuji would be spending the nights in his room.
He had almost got used to his heart going crazy, but the fact that his body was now reacting like this was downright cheating. How was he going to get through the next few nights?
---
Yuji blinked a few times and took a moment to orientate himself. The morning light crept through the gaps in the curtains and illuminated the strange room in a diffuse glow. Slowly, Yuji turned onto his back and looked around sleepily.
Megumi was lying on his stomach on the bed next to him, still fast asleep. His face was relaxed and turned towards Yuji. His right arm hung halfway over the edge of the bed.
A smile twitched around the pink-haired young man's mouth. He sat up and simply watched the other in silence for a while.
He was at Megumi's house. This thought gave him a cosy feeling that he hadn't had for a long time. He was glad to be here. His family had welcomed Yuji openly and warmly as their guest yesterday and it was nice to be in Megumi's immediate vicinity. He felt like he was on the roof of the library again. He had seen a very similar sight there. So peaceful.
Lost in thought, Yuji reached out and gently stroked a stray strand of hair from Megumi's forehead. His hair was velvety. A little timidly, Yuji gently ran his fingertips through Megumi's dark mop of hair a few times. It felt nice and...
What the hell was he doing?
Yuji frantically pulled his hand back and stared at his sleeping fellow student and his fingers alternately with wide eyes. Megumi, meanwhile, let out a soft, sighing sound. His nose twitched briefly and then he pulled his right arm back onto the mattress. He slept on. Fortunately. He probably would have scolded Yuji if he had noticed. After all, the pink-haired boy knew that Megumi was usually distant and didn't seek much physical contact on his own. He had become more open towards him, but Yuji didn't want to put Fortuna to the test.
He shook his head and squinted, rubbed his face and finally stood up as silently as possible. After collecting some fresh clothes, he disappeared into the bathroom.
---
In fact, Yuji was not the first to wake up. When he came out of the bathroom again, he heard noises in the living room as he entered. Geto was sitting at the low dining table drinking a cup of tea. He greeted Yuji with a friendly smile and also offered him a green tea. He gratefully accepted and took a seat.
After a full cup was placed in front of him, Suguru explained that he liked to get up early to enjoy a little peace and quiet before the house filled with life. According to Geto, their mornings were usually going in such a way that he and Tsumiki were often up early, which was probably due to her work in the bakery. A little later, Gojo and the twins also got out of bed. With Megumi, however, you never knew exactly when he would get up, which is why the family didn't usually wait for him to have breakfast. Especially as the black-haired young man normally didn't eat much more than a bowl of rice with egg and the obligatory cup of coffee in the morning. Or two.
Geto's prediction had proved surprisingly accurate. In the order announced, the family members had stumbled into the dining area while Yuji helped his host set the table.
They were almost finished eating when the sliding door opened again and Megumi came in.
“There's our precious boy. Good morning,” Gojo greeted him, beaming, but got nothing more than an annoyed grumble in reply. The rest didn't even try.
Without a word, Megumi went into the kitchen and came back to the table with a mug of black coffee, where he sat down, still stubbornly silent, and slowly ate his rice in small bites. It took a while, but little by little - in proportion to the caffeine he had ingested - his spirits finally awoke. Yuji felt reminded of the morning of their trip to Mount Takao and he saw his impression from back then confirmed: without caffeine, Megumi was like a grumpy kitten.
When it was finally safe to speak to him, Suguru suggested to the two students, “You could go to Shoko's later. She already knows that Itadori is here.”
“I also managed to get Utahime to scan the documents from back then and send them by email yesterday,” Satoru said happily, clapping his hands.
“You were definitely very successful in annoying Iori,” Geto replied, rolling his eyes, causing his partner to grimace in offence.
---
After breakfast, preparations for the Bon festival began that was to start in the evening, which led to more or less hectic activity on the school grounds. Gojo and Geto hung up the chochin together with a not particularly pleased Nanami. Tsumiki conscientiously set up the house altar and prepared the food for the family dinner. The twins had promised Kiyotaka, who was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, that together with Panda and Takuma they would sweep the main paths leading to the memorial - there was no real cemetery on the grounds, as the ashes of the deceased jujutsu sorcerers were usually given to their bereaved families. Maki had a few frightened first and second-year students, who were not travelling home for personal reasons, in tow to clean that very memorial. Yaga kept a wary eye on the hustle and bustle and occasionally glanced at his wristwatch. Yuta was due back from his mission today and he would like to get the debriefing over with before the festivities started.
So while the school was being prepared for the possibility that the souls of deceased sorcerers might make a detour to Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School on their way to their families, Megumi accompanied Yuji to the hospital wing.
The latter seemed nervous and chewed on his lower lip.
“Don't worry, Shoko is really nice,” Megumi reassured him as they stopped in front of a plain brown door in an empty corridor. “Nothing bad will happen.”
Yuji gave a pained grin. “I get it. You're not leading me to the executioner here, but still, I'm a bit... ehm... scared.” After all, he had no idea how such a check-up worked and he was also a little afraid of the results because he had no clue what the outcome might be.
Megumi knocked and promised, “I'll wait here for you.” He nodded to the three wooden chairs opposite.
When the door swung open, a slender woman with long brown hair stood in front of them. Her eyes, also brown with shadows underneath, were mild, but at the same time sharp and a little tired. She had a birthmark on her right cheekbone. A serene aura surrounded her, which calmed Yuji's nerves considerably.
“Megumi, good to see you,” she greeted the black-haired boy and then turned to Yuji, “And you must be Itadori Yuji. Ieiri Shoko.”
The one addressed bowed politely. Before Shoko invited him in, she asked Megumi, “Would you like me to have a look at your...?”
“No.” Megumi shook his head decisively and unconsciously ran his hands over his left chest. “No, everything is fine. I... have no complaints.” He ignored Yuji's puzzled expression.
---
After Yuji had followed Shoko into the treatment room, Megumi sat down on one of the chairs to wait as promised. Surely nothing bad would come out of the check-up. At least Megumi couldn't think of a reason why. His friend saw curses and was unusually strong, but had obviously not been a risk to himself or others in the past 14 years. With that, Megumi reassured himself. He hadn't shown it in front of Yuji because he was already nervous enough, but it didn't leave him cold either. Yuji was important to him, and of course his discomfort didn't just pass Megumi by.
He exhaled audibly through his nose, closed his eyes and leant his head back. Shoko wouldn't find anything disturbing, he repeated in his mind. He almost didn't even hear the footsteps approaching him quietly. Megumi lifted his eyelids and looked in the direction of the occasional creaking of the floorboards.
“Kelp!” a young man with blond hair greeted him. Inumaki Toge raised his right hand. The cursed speech user came closer and sat down on the vacant chair next to his old schoolmate without hesitation.
“Hello Toge,” Megumi said and straightened up fully, sitting in a way so that he could look at his interlocutor comfortably.
“Salmon roe.” Interested, Toge tilted his head to one side and scrutinised the other.
“I'm here for the holidays,” explained the younger one. “The first semester went quite well. The exam results should be here soon too.”
Toge gave both thumbs up, then nodded towards the door. “Mustard leaf?”
“Oh no, everything's fine with me.” Megumi barely stopped himself from rubbing his left chest again. “I brought a fellow student with me who's been seeing curses since an accident. He hasn't been in long. It might take a while. Do you need to see Shoko?”
The blond young man nodded and pulled a pack of cards out of his trouser pocket, holding it up questioningly. Megumi agreed and Toge slid onto the second free chair so that they could use the seat between them as a gaming table.
Toge was shuffling the cards when Megumi asked, “Are you still having problems with your eye?”
“Salmon,” confirmed the other. “Caviar.”
The student nodded understandingly and watched as the cursed speech user dealt the cards. The disastrous mission last spring had left Toge badly scarred. Today he was only wearing a t-shirt and you could see his left arm, which was covered in scars from the wrist upwards. The burn had also affected the left side of his face in a wide stripe. His eye had not been spared. Since the incident, he had worn an eye patch and had to go to Shoko from time to time to get drops, as the injured organ tended to become unpleasantly dry.
Toge had been lucky in his misfortune. Shoko had said that he should be glad that he was able to use his arm again without any problems. It could have turned out much worse than losing the sight in one eye and retaining scarred tissue.
Satoru, Suguru and even Yaga had been on the higher-ups' back for the catastrophic miscalculation of the curse.
Megumi picked up the cards he had been dealt - he didn't want to think about it now - and they began to play.
---
When the door finally opened again after quite a while and Yuji stepped into the corridor with a folder in his hand, it was a draw between Toge and Megumi. Both had won the same number of rounds.
“Toge, you've come for the eye drops?” Shoko appeared behind Yuji and scrutinised the blonde knowingly.
He nodded and confirmed, “Salmon.”
“Good, then come in. Itadori,” she turned to Yuji, “you can give the results to Satoru or Suguru. If there's anything unclear, I'm sure they can clear it up, otherwise I'm still here, of course.”
Yuji thanked him and then looked at Megumi and the other sorcerer. Toge was putting the pack of cards back in his pocket.
“Kelp,” Toge greeted friendly and nodded to Yuji. The latter furrowed his brows in irritation and replied somewhat hesitantly, “Hi.”
“This is Inumaki Toge. Our cursed speech user,” Megumi jumped in to explain and then turned to his former classmate, “Itadori Yuji is a friend from university.”
“Tuna,” Toge grinned visibly behind the collar that covered the lower half of his face, and Megumi rolled his eyes. As cheeky as ever and with far too keen a sense of observation, even though Megumi was sure Toge was only joking.
“Don't talk rubbish like that,” he grumbled. “Let's go, Yuji.”
After saying goodbye to Toge and Shoko, they walked back in silence at first. At least until they had left the building. Then the black-haired young man pointed to the document folder in Yuji's hand.
“What did Shoko say?” he enquired. At the same time, Yuji asked, “What did Inumaki say and how did you understand him?” He seemed to be more interested in this question, at least he obviously wanted to talk about it. Megumi went into it. Toge was anything but ordinary. Although that was true of many, in fact almost all, members of the jujutsu society. Yuji didn't ask about the scars and the eye patch, though. He was afraid of putting his foot in his mouth again.
“It's a matter of practice. With a little time and attention, it's very easy to understand Toge.” The blonde sorcerer was usually very clear, you just had to know how to read him.
“Ohhhhkay,” Yuji said stretching, not satisfied with the answer. Panda was one thing, but someone who spoke in... ocean language (?) was another thing.
“Cursed speech is complicated,” Megumi began. “Well, in theory, it's simple. Toge can charge his words with cursed energy and thus influence his opponent. For example, if he tells you to sleep, you'll fall asleep. He speaks in onigiri ingredients to avoid accidentally cursing someone.”
“Oh, that's amazing!” the pink-haired young man exclaimed excitedly. “Is that also a cursed technique? Like your shikigami? If he told someone to die, would they really drop dead?”
“In theory, yes,” Megumi admitted. “But there are some factors involved that make the cursed speech not entirely harmless, even for Toge himself.” So he explained to Yuji what he knew about the Inumakis and their inherited technique until they met Kiyotaka, who was visibly struggling with two boxes.
Yuji didn't hesitate for a second, pressed the notebook into Megumi's hand and took the burden from the assistant manager before he could drop it after all. Surprised to have been relieved of the extra weight so abruptly, Kiyotaka adjusted his glasses, while Yuji smiled kindly at him and held the boxes as if they were filled with cotton wool.
“Where do they have to go?” Megumi enquired, stepping up next to his fellow student.
“Oh, hello, you two. They have to go back to the storage space,” replied Kiyotaka, dabbing the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
“That one too?” Megumi asked, pointing to a small crate a few steps behind the adult man. He replied in the affirmative, whereupon the former sorcerer grabbed the box and made a detour to the storage space with Yuji. They left a relieved assistant manager behind, who immediately scurried off in the direction of the headmaster's office. Kiyotaka's to-do list was presumably endless.
---
Once they had packed away the boxes, they finally entered the house again. After the heat outside, the air-conditioned living room was a real relief. Not just for the two of them. Satoru was already stretched out on the couch.
“Why does Obon always have to take place at the hottest time of the year?” the white-haired man complained when he noticed the two students and straightened up with a flourish. He grinned at them over the backrest.
“Where are the others?” Megumi asked, ignoring Gojo's comment.
“Suguru is in the shower, the twins are in their room and Tsumiki went out again, but is not back yet.” Now Satoru held out his hand promptly for the examination folder. “How did it go with Shoko?”
“Quite well, I think,” Yuji replied and sat down on the sofa with Megumi. “I'm not entirely sure I got it all, though. It sounded a bit scary when she said that something had probably changed my brain structure during the accident, which was apparently a curse incident. But there was no reason to worry according to Ieiri.” Yuji still looked sceptical and Megumi, who knew how badly the healer could explain, was not surprised that his fellow student had hardly understood anything.
Fortunately, Satoru didn't seem to be in a joking mood in this matter. He studied the documents with Shoko's notes and the events of that time seriously for a few minutes.
“I see,” he finally mumbled, taking off his sunglasses and scrutinising Yuji intently. “It was a damn bad curse that got you and your parents back then,” he explained and added, despite all the seriousness, far too enthusiastically, “It was pure luck that the colleagues from Kyoto were there in time to save you at least.”
“What kind of curse was that?” Megumi asked firmly. He briefly scanned Yuji from the side. The pink-haired boy looked slightly tense and curious at the same time.
“One that sucks the life force out of its victims,” Gojo explained without further ado. “Like a leech.” His index finger tapped in a regular rhythm on the open folder he had placed on his lap.
Yuji's facial features slipped. This idea was... It turned his stomach all at once as images appeared in his head of a disgusting, slimy monster wrapped around his unconscious mother. Like a leech that had grown too big. He was very sure it was his imagination at work here, because he had little memory of the accident itself. There was only a loud crash, the unpleasant feeling of being shaken hard and finally a violent blow to his head. After that, everything was black.
“Maybe a little less figurative, Satoru,” Megumi admonished, noticing how the colour had drained from Yuji's face. Sometimes his foster father's directness when it came to curses and everything to do with them was a little too harsh for outsiders.
Fortunately, the white-haired man immediately rowed back. “Sorry, Itadori.”
The sports student dismissed Satoru's apology with a brief nod and tried to keep his imagination in check. He swallowed hard, waited a moment for his fantasy and stomach to settle again and asked, “What did Ieiri mean by my brain structure being altered? That sounds... not good.”
Gojo quickly flicked through Shoko's notes. Meanwhile, Yuji felt a warm hand on his that gave it a brief squeeze. When he turned around, he looked into Megumi's dark blue eyes. There was an unusually mild look in them. Yuji understood immediately. Whatever was in that report, whatever conclusions the files from back then and the check-up today would lead to, his friend was there for him. A reassuring feeling. At the same time, his heart pounded heavily against his ribs a few times.
“Well, if I'm interpreting this correctly, the curse was stopped just as he had established a connection with you. Shoko assumes that this connection changed structures in your brain through cursed enery so that it resembles that of a jujutsu sorcerer.” Gojo closed the notebook and pretended not to have seen Megumi pull his hand away abruptly when his foster father looked up from the documents. “It hasn't been conclusively researched yet, but the brains of jujutsu sorcerers differ from those of normal humans. Among other things, this enables them to become sorcerers. However, the changes don't go that far in your case. But that will be the reason why you have been able to see curses since the accident. A side effect of contact with cursed energy. Just like your physical strength. Instead of draining your life force, you got a power-up, so to speak.’
“Okay,” Yuji said slowly. His fingers stroked restlessly over the fabric of the sofa. “But this has... no other negative effects?”
“No. The influence of the curse has caused a one-time change. I'll have Suguru read through everything again later, but I'm pretty sure he won't come to any other conclusions. There's no danger from you, Itadori. You don't need to worry,” Gojo assured him.
Suguru confirmed this a little later, which eased Yuji and Megumi was also relieved. After all, three very capable sorcerers had now confirmed that Yuji was not a ticking time bomb or anything similar.
---
Yuji was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. The evening had been very nice and he hoped that the spirits of his grandfather and parents would forgive him for not visiting the family grave on Obon. As soon as he got back to the university, he would make up for it.
The school grounds had been bathed in the cosy, orange light of the lanterns that marked the way to the memorial after sunset. It was different from the Bon fests he'd spent with his grandad, but somehow that wasn't surprising. Apart from the fact that there was no cemetery to visit, people gathered here who seemed to have either no connection or at least no particular connection to their families. It was teachers, students and colleagues who gathered at Jujutsu High, not parents, siblings and other relatives. With the exception of the small patchwork family, but even that, as Yuji already knew, did not correspond to the usual social norm.
Amongst all these people, most of whom he had only just met, Yuji didn't feel out of place at all - he wasn't the freak who saw ghosts or who had to be regularly tested for drugs.
Inumaki was absent. He was one of the few who had gone to his family after his visit to the hospital wing. Instead, Okkotsu was back from his mission and Yuji thought he was standing conspicuously close to Maki. There had also been a very stoic-looking blond sorcerer called Nanami and a young man with a black beanie - Ino Takuma, as Mimiko whispered to him. The stern-looking man with a beard and sunglasses must have been the headmaster.
Yuji had stayed in the background while the members of Jujutsu High paid their respects to their slain comrades and paused in front of various polished name plaques. Even though it was only a memorial, it had features of a graveyard, including a handful of Jizo statues with red bibs. At first, Yuji had been surprised, as the little stone figures were mainly considered to be protective deities of deceased children. But then he remembered that this was a high school. There were certainly some names on the memorial plaques that, at worst, belonged to 15-year-old first-year pupils. Basically almost still children.
Megumi had been standing in front of one particular panel for a remarkably long time: Kugisaki Nobara. Yuji had never heard her name before, but judging by Megumi's look and behaviour, she must have meant a lot to him. When he had finally turned away, Tsumiki had stepped close behind her brother and interlaced her fingers with his, resting her head on his shoulder. As if she was trying to comfort him. Megumi's expression had become stoic and opaque.
The atmosphere of the memorial had been quiet and reverent. During dinner - Tsumiki had prepared yakisoba, kushiyaki and jaga bata - the mood was relaxed, cheerful and loud thanks to the twins and Gojo, even if Geto intervened from time to time to prevent the chaos from getting out of hand. Megumi remained reserved, but not to an unusual degree. Tsumiki, however, glanced at him from time to time, as if to reassure herself that everything was really okay with her younger brother.
After Yuji had finished in the bathroom, he went over to the bedroom. There, Megumi was lying on his side on his bed, facing away from the guest futon. As soon as he heard the door open, he turned his head a little further to hide his face. Yuji frowned and closed the door behind him without a word. He sat down on the futon and changed into his sleeping clothes. Megumi also remained silent, his face still hidden in the pillow. Unlike at dinner, he now looked noticeably sad, but obviously didn't want to show it. Perhaps he had already covered it up at the table, Yuji mused, remembering Tsumiki's glances.
At first, he pretended that he hadn't noticed anything. After all, he knew how secretive and unwilling to talk the other was sometimes, but there was a nagging feeling of worry that was making its way to the surface. By now, he had experienced one or two of Megumi's moods, but this was different. It was as if an invisible weight had settled over the room. Oppressive.
Finally, the sports student moved to the edge of the bed, folded his arms on the mattress and rested his chin on them.
“Megumi, are you okay?” he asked calmly after a brief hesitation. Nothing happened for a moment, but then the black-haired young man turned onto his back. After another second, he finally faced Yuji. It was only a sad little spark that glowed deep in Megumi's dark eyes, but it did not escape Yuji's notice.
“Shouldn't I be asking if everything is all right with you?” Megumi replied softly. “After all, you learnt today that a curse has changed your brain structure.”
“Well, I've been living with this brain for 14 years. I've done some crap, but I think it can be labelled as ordinary childish and pubescent nonsense. I'm just wondering,” Yuji tilted his head and smiled slightly, “is it considered doping if this incident has had the side effect of increasing my physical abilities excessively?”
The corner of Megumi's mouth twitched briefly. “I don't think so, but maybe you shouldn't tell your professors anyway.”
Yuji grinned broadly and joked, “If I'll do I'll probably be lent to the neuroscientists as a test subject.” Then he became serious again and scrutinised his friend insistently, “But honestly, Megumi, are you all right?”
The vet student straightened up a little, leant against the headboard and averted his eyes. “Yeah, I'm fine.”
Yuji was not convinced. He thought about it and decided that he would give it a try. Slowly, he got up and sat on the mattress, keeping a little distance from Megumi. “You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, but I'm a bit worried. First Maki's violent greeting and earlier at the memorial, you didn't look like everything was fine. This morning...” The pink-haired boy took a deep breath and continued, “I know the scar on your chest. Is that why Ieiri wanted to know if you needed anything? Do you have some kind of heart condition? You're my best friend. I... I'm just worried,” he repeated. He didn't mean to be pushy, but it was obvious that something was bothering Megumi, that something was wrong, and Yuji couldn't put his finger on it.
“I don't have heart problems.” As hard as Megumi tried, he couldn't completely banish the slight tremor in his voice.
Shit, why did Yuji always do that? How did he always manage to hit the emotional buttons with him? Why did he cringe so easily when those big light brown eyes were on him? He noticed exactly how hectic red spots formed on his cheeks and felt the mattress move. Yuji had come closer to him. He could feel the warmth radiating from his body on his skin. He rubbed his face, but that didn't make the marks disappear. An oppressive feeling grew in his chest.
He flinched as a pair of strong arms wrapped around him carefully and slowly, holding him gently. Yuji said nothing, just held him. Megumi's first impulse was to squirm out of the embrace, to shake him off. He tensed instantly, but... He bit so hard on his lower lip that it hurt. There was an unpleasant throbbing behind his eyes. Yuji wasn't the first to enquire if he was alright, wasn't the first to try and comfort him. Still, it was different. Perhaps because he was asking completely unsuspectingly. Maybe because his touch felt so different to Megumi and triggered a flood of emotions on its own. Perhaps he hadn't taken the encounter with Maki as well as he had tried to make himself believe. Perhaps it was because the sight of Toge and Nobara's name had stirred him up inside. Perhaps it was a mixture of everything that made Megumi's hands tremble and etched a heavy, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. That just wanted him to stay in this embrace.
“It's my fault,” he whispered, barely audible, as if he was choking on the words.
“What's your fault?” Yuji's voice, calm and low, right next to his ear. His arms wrapped protectively around him. An invitation to open up. A promise that he could trust him.
“Nobara's death... is my fault,” Megumi sobbed. The first tears flowed down his reddened cheeks and then the wall he had built, behind which he had kept all these feelings locked away for a year and a half, broke.