Chapter Text
“Okay students,” Utahime tapped on the chalkboard with her pointer to capture her class’ attention. “Welcome to Utahime-sensei’s Remedial Course of Sorcery Basics. I know some of you have experience and some of you already know each other, but let’s all introduce ourselves once again.”
No one raised their hands.
“Someone introduce yourself or I will make you repeat the first year.” Utahime flatly threatened.
A young girl with a chestnut bob and an eyepatch over her left eye raised her hand. “My name is Nobara Kugisaki. I was a first year student here until I got injured in Shibuya. Uh- Hey! Yuri, stop staring at him! I mean, It!”
“Hm…” A young woman with a dark bob stared at the toy on Nobara’s desk for a few more seconds before turning away. “I swore I saw that thing blink.”
“It’s-It’s just your imagination!” Nobara stammered and clutched her white plush cat with round sunglasses. “And he’s wearing glasses! How can you see him blink?”
“Aren’t you too old to be carrying around a toy?”
“He’s my emotional support plushie. I get to have one during class. Utahime-sensei said so!” Nobara shot back. “Besides, aren’t you too old to be a high school student?”
“I’m only here for the basic course, but otherwise, I won’t be joining any classes. I’m Yuri Ohtani by the way.” Yuri grumbled back. The idea of a grown adult going back to high school was still a sore spot.
“Nah! You’re totally a first year student!”
“No, she’s right. Yuri will take the Jujutsu Sorcerer’s Licensure Exam after completing her internships.” Utahime corrected Nobara. Yuri had already completed her GED, a form of primary school degree, while in self exile in her home country. So technically, she only needed to complete enough internships to qualify for the license exam.
“And Nobara, once you finish this course, you will be joining Yuji, Megumi, and Arata as a second year student. I hope you will work well with them.” Utahime informed her student.
“Hmph! They’re lucky they’re getting someone like me!” Nobara proudly announced, to which Utahime just sighed. Little did that girl know…
“Um… Utahime-sensei?” A meek girl with a curled blonde bob, floating halo, and angelic wings raised her only hand. “Which class will I be in?”
“Ah yes, Hana Kurusu. You will be our only first year student. That means you will be working a lot with me.” Utahime gently smiled to ease the young girl. She was one of the happy accidents of Kenjaku’s twisted experiment.
“Oh! I look forward to working with you, Utahime-sensei.”
“Okay. Now that introductions are out of the way. Let’s begin our lesson…” Utahime opened up her binder. “There will be some changes after what happened last year. Jujutsu Headquarters and Jujutsu High School have merged together in the Tokyo campus. Yoshinobu Gakuganji will serve as both Jujutsu High Principal and Jujutsu Commander.”
For now…
Utahime knew that her superior, at his age, could not hold two positions for long. There were too many issues to resolve right now; rebuilding the Shinjuku and Shibuya districts, fixing Japan’s diplomatic ties with USA after Kenjaku involved the US army in the Jujutsu merger, Tengen’s slowly weakening barrier, searching and recruiting any recently awakened sorcerers, and so on and so forth. Gakuganji had his work cut out for him. At some point, he will need to retire as a principal and become a commander full-time.
“Which also means that the Kyoto and Tokyo schools have become one school. So if you had any conflicts with my students from past Goodwill Events, it would be in your best interest to put that aside. And give my students grace. We lost a lot of good people last year…” Utahime solemnly said.
Unlike Satoru’s class, who’s students escaped last year mostly unscathed, her own students were not too lucky. Aoi Todo, Momo Nishimiya, Kasumi Miwa, and Arata Nitta were the last Kyoto students remaining. And after the merge, they were now Tokyo Jujutsu High students. Only Miwa and Arata joined the Tokyo students’ classes. Todo and Momo were now completing their sorcerer’s internships.
“Along with the school merger, there will be other changes made by Principal Gakuganji. There will be no favoritism towards the Big Three– not that it matters since two of the three no longer exist.” Utahime mumbled the last part. After the events of Shinjuku, the Kamo clan was now considered a disgrace to Jujutsu society. While her own student, Noritoshi Kamo, moved abroad to live with his family, the rest of the clan members withdrew from society. Meanwhile, the Zenin clan was composed of only Megumi, the current Clan Head, and Maki, the disgraced member of the clan. They pretty much didn’t care about the clan.
“No more preferential treatment of certain cursed techniques when enrolling students. Everyone will be treated equally. Any awakened sorcerers from the Culling Games who want to continue practicing jujutsu must enroll into the school or take the licensure exam. Principal Gakuganji is currently working on recruitment of these new sorcerers.”
Yuri stiffened a little after hearing that ruling. She was well aware of that one.
“And finally, Principal Gakuganji has decided to prioritize the safety of our students during missions. Only students ranked Special Grade may take on missions by themselves. All other students must be accompanied by a Grade One or Special Grade sorcerer– even if you’re a Grade One.” Utahime tightly fisted the paper with that statement written on. She hated this one. She couldn’t accompany her students anymore as a Semi-Grade One sorcerer.
“Those are the changes that Gakuganji has made so far. I’m sure many more will follow.” Utahime sharply closed her binder. “Let’s take a quick break.”
Nobara perked up upon hearing those magic words. “Great! Let’s go get some snacks.”
“You two go ahead. I have a meeting to attend.” Yuri conjured a golden portal and disappeared.
“Okay. More snacks for us.”
Nobara led Hana to one of the various vending machines scattered across campus. For a school disguised as a religious institution, the traditional campus was pretty updated with the latest vending machines.
“So… what happened to your arm?” Nobara gestured to Hana’s missing right arm with her chocolate bar.
“Oh… it’s kind of embarrassing…” Hana shamefully said, “I thought Megumi was in trouble. I tried to help him. I didn’t realize Sukuna was in control and well…he bit my arm off.”
“What do you mean you didn’t realize? Doesn’t Sukuna have a bunch of tattoos?”
“Umm…”
“And some people say the voice sounds different when Sukuna takes over. You couldn’t figure that out?”
“Umm…!”
“Sounds like that was quite stupid.”
“I know! It’s so embarrassing!” Hana exclaimed. And she could feel Angel rolling her eyes inside of her. “It’s just…I…well…”
“You got a big old crush on Megumi.” Nobara boredly concluded as she chomped on her chocolate bar.
“Ah you knew!?”
“Yeah it’s pretty obvious.” Nobara rolled her eyes. Hana typically turned into a shy and bumbling mess around Megumi. She didn’t really get the girl’s infatuation with Megumi. He was a little too gloomy for her tastes. And his friend, Yuji, was the polar opposite; too peppy and energetic! And they were going to become her teammates. Yuji was super ecstatic. Megumi was relieved. She dreaded it.
“So Nobara…” Hana quickly changed the subject. “Why do you bring a stuffed animal to class?”
“Oh you mean Gojo– I mean, yes, my support cat plushie! You see, I was so traumatized from having my face blown off that I really needed something for emotional support. That’s all!” Nobara awkwardly laughed.
How the hell was she going to explain that her teacher, Satoru Gojo, was currently inhabiting an adorable plushie!? He was insistent, like latching on her shoulder-insistent, once Nobara told him that she was taking summer classes taught by Utahime. Now she looked like a complete child who needed to bring a stuffed animal everywhere!
“Oh…” Hana briefly daydreamed whether she should commission a Megumi plushie.
A young woman stood in front of the sliding wooden doors as she nervously toyed with the blue diamond on her choker necklace. Yuri didn’t know why Gakuganji took such a huge interest in her–especially when he was one of the Higher-Ups who ordered her cursed user designation and subsequent bounty. Satoru was playful and lacked any sense of professionalism, which occasionally pissed Yuri off, but he was still a good teacher. Utahime was a loving and caring teacher whom Yuri always felt safe around. Gakuganji was a mystery.
Yuri slowly slid open the door. “You wanted to see me, Principal Gakuganji?”
“Yuri Ohtani.” Gakuganji paused while writing his report and gestured towards the chair in front of his desk. “Please have a seat.”
Yuri silently sat down and closely observed his office. Stacks of reports and paperwork were falling off the old man’s desk. Pens and ink brushes were strewn carelessly across the desk. Educational books as well as government books were scattered all over his office. Quite contrary to Utahime’s description of her uptight boss.
“I just wanted to say that we are truly grateful that you have decided to return as a Jujutsu sorcerer. I want you to accept this as a token of my gratitude.”
Yuri received a small envelope and opened it. “An apology letter?”
“Yes. And an official pardon. As you know, I was part of the Higher-Up circle when that bounty was placed on you. I want you to know that I actually opposed this, but I was overruled. But either way, please accept this letter and your ranking as my apology to you.”
“Ranking?” Yuri moved the letter aside to find her sorcerer’s ID also in the envelope. Her gray eyes widened in surprise once she read her rank. “What? Grade One?”
“Exactly. Utahime explained your cursed technique, specifically your domain expansion, in detail. Based on her explanation, even without completing the necessary requirements, she and I agreed that this rank is appropriate for you.”
Bullshit. He was kissing her ass. Now the question was: Why?
“Right now, we are a little short staffed. Even though many of the awakened sorcerers have decided to become official sorcerers and we have exceptional Grade One and Special Grade students, there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done. We need all the help we can get. Your Portal Technique will be vital towards our restoration efforts.”
“So you’re giving me a high rank to help rebuild?”
“It’s not just you.” Gakuganji took out a folder to reveal the profiles of Yuji Itadori, Aoi Todo, and Maki Zenin. “These three students put their lives on the line to fight Sukuna. For their efforts, I’ve upgraded their ranks to Special Grade. Satoru Gojo put me in charge as Jujutsu Commander. I know his dream was to develop strong allies through his students…and I plan to follow through in his memory.”
Even so, Grade One was too high of a promotion. If all they needed was her assistance in Jujutsu restoration efforts, Grade Two would be sufficient enough. Yuri concluded, “There’s more to this.”
“Hm… Utahime did say you were a smart one.” Gakuganji retrieved another piece of paperwork– an offer letter. “Once you complete the Jujutsu Licensure Exam, I want to extend a job offer to work at Jujutsu High. Your ability to detect curses at any distance will greatly improve the Windows department. There have been too many students lost by inaccurate cursed energy measurements. I believe you had experience with losing a classmate to a curse.”
Yuri narrowed her eyes. She knew damn well her case was not an accident.
“I know you may think differently. But the world is different now.” Gakuganji leaned back on his chair, deeply sighed, and produced a singular photo from his pocket. “Do me a favor and make us a portal here.”
Two fingers raised together– her signature hand sign for her portals. She drew a small golden circle, which bloomed into a larger, golden, sparking portal. Both sorcerers walked through this portal. Yuri kept her head on a constant swivel, observing the dark and damp corridors, candle-lit lanterns that hung every few meters, and scriptures that decorated the walls. This new location smelled of must and mold and the only sounds echoing throughout the corridors were the drips of water from the rocky ceilings.
“Principal Gakuganji, where are we?”
“The Tombs of the Star Corridor.” Gakuganji led her through a small, dark, but rather empty, town where a large tree sat at the center. He pointed towards the tori gates at the tree trunk’s entrance. “Utahime-sensei spoke highly of your ability to read cursed energy signatures. What do you see?”
Yuri closed her eyes and focused on the tori gates. “Just two souls.”
“Exactly. After the Shinjuku incident, we recovered Ryomen Sukuna’s remains and within it, we found traces of Tengen’s cursed energy. The barriers that surround Japan, Jujutsu High, and Jujutsu HQ are dependent on Tengen. While this was the best solution given our current circumstances, it’s merely a bandaid to a gushing wound. Eventually, it will fail.”
“What happens then?”
“We don’t know. Everything about this is unprecedented.” Gakuganji took Yuri’s hand to place the official pardon, offer letter, and her identification card. “Along with detecting curses, I will need you to keep an eye on Tengen. While we search for a solution, you need to alert us of any changes. Can you do that?”
Yuri kept her silence, but she pocketed the letters and ID nonetheless.
For the rest of the morning, Utahime continued her lessons without much incident. Nobara and Yuri didn’t butt heads over insignificant things. Meanwhile, Hana seemed rather distracted during the lecture as she snuck quick peeks out towards the hallway. This did not escape Utahime.
“After the events at Shinjuku, this district has become Ground Zero for sorcerers and curses. We don’t know what curses or unlicensed sorcerers are hiding in there. Only Grade One and Special Grade sorcerers are allowed inside. Of course, that goes without saying, no missions located in Ground Zero will be assigned to students. Hopefully, one day, we can reclaim Shinjuku district for the general public.” Utahime finished her lesson as the bell rang. “It’s lunch time, students. Please feel free to sit outside. It’s a beautiful day.”
“Finally!” Nobara cheered as she gathered her bento box. “Come on Hana! Yuri!”
“Oh! Um… I’ll join you later, okay!” Hana called back.
“Okay! We’ll be at the bench by the trees. Come on Yuri!”
“I’m coming. I’m coming.” Yuri followed the young girl.
Hana’s eyes nervously peeked over to Utahime, who was preparing to eat her lunch at her desk. “Umm Utahime-sensei… Do-do you think Megumi–?”
Even with one of the strongest Jujutsu sorcerers locked in her body, Hana was still a teenage girl interested in chasing boys. Except her adopted son wasn’t at the school. “Megumi should be stopping by after classes today. I suggest you take your lunch now as the afternoon lessons will be long.” Utahime sharply replied as she unboxed her bento. “Also, while my son has made an honorable promise to you, he can’t always be around to protect you. I expect you to take your education seriously here.”
“Oh yes! Utahime-sensei!”
“Now go take your lunch.” Utahime watched the girl scurry off to join her classmates.
“Huh… now I know why Megumi decided on Tokyo over Kyoto.” A male voice coolly said before entering. “Megumi probably wanted an easier time under Gojo. I never took you for a hard-on-education mother.”
“Good afternoon, Kusakabe.” Utahime politely greeted him.
“Mind if I join you?” Her trenchcoat-wearing colleague held up his own bento box.
“Please.” Utahime gestured to one of the student desks. “So what brings you back to campus? Shouldn’t you be busy with the second and third years?”
“Well there’s not much for me to do these days. I have three Special Grade sorcerers who can manage their own classes– one in the second year class and two in the third year class. Panda’s still out of commission. Nobara is taking remedial classes. And Megumi has been MIA.”
“Don’t blame me.” Utahime shot back as she took a bite of sausage.
“No! No! I’m not blaming you!” Kusakabe said with a chuckle. “I thought I was screwed by taking on two classes. But after what everyone’s been through, they’ve exceeded our curriculum. I don’t really have much work these days.”
Such a lazy man! Utahime rolled her eyes. So far, it was Kusakabe and Utahime in the running to become the next principal once Gakuganji retired from the position. However, her colleague, while an amazing teacher, was a lazy man. He practically declared his forfeit. Sometimes, she wondered if Satoru worked extra to cover for him. “Kusakabe, even if they are exceptional students, you still need to be their teacher. They’re children who need guidance. Especially Miwa– you know she can’t wield a katana anymore.”
Kusakabe nodded. “I know. I’ve been working closely with her. We’ll find a way to bypass her binding vow. It’s a shame…she was good with a katana.”
“But a fool…” Utahime sighed. She knew her student was passionate, however, she was just sadly outclassed.
“Speaking of…” Kusakabe pulled out a list of student test scores and pointed to the last name. “We need to talk about Megumi Fushiguro. His grades are at the bottom of his class and he’s skipped too many missions. I know he’s been helping you. But at some point, he will need to focus on his studies.”
“Kusakabe. I can’t control what that boy wants to do. Once he sets his mind on something, you can’t stop him. Kind of reminds us of someone we used to know…”
“I know…” Kusakabe awkwardly avoided Utahime’s gaze. After everything that happened, people generally avoided the topic of her late secret-but-not-secret boyfriend around her. Even Gakuganji gave Utahime space for her to process Satoru’s passing. But… “Utahime, having Megumi babysit is not a permanent solution. Are you able to ask someone else to help? Maybe someone from the Gojo clan?”
“No!” Utahime sharply responded while shooting her deadliest glare at Kusakabe. “There’s a reason Satoru wouldn’t let his own clan take his corpse. I won’t let them anywhere close to him !”
“Okay! Okay! It was just a suggestion.” Kusakabe backed off. Man, his colleague can be so scary sometimes. He never figured out what Satoru saw in her, (other than repeatedly mentioning that Utahime was hot). “How about Shoko? Or that young woman who was your bodyguard?”
Yuri was currently preoccupied with remedial classes. And once that was done, she was going straight to her internships. Utahime had no idea what was in store for Yuri, but she could be a possibility. Meanwhile, Shoko was a full-time doctor and her time was split between treating patients and rummaging corpse’s bodies. She barely had time to drink a beer after work these days. Utahime didn’t want to burden her best friend. Plus, she didn’t want her son playing in a morgue.
Most students knew about Kazuo once Utahime came back to Japan. They all swore, even suggested a binding vow, to keep him a secret from the Gojo clan. He must remain a secret…especially with those gifted Six Eyes inherited from his late father. Miwa, Momo, and Todo offered to babysit, but Utahime didn’t want to impede their studies. Only Megumi refused to take ‘no’ for an answer.
But it wasn’t fair to Megumi. Utahime recognized that. “I’ll speak to Megumi tonight.”
“Right… I’m sorry I have to put you in this situation…”
“That’s okay. It’s understandable.” Utahime pressed her lips together. She could work something out? Right?
For the rest of lunch, they reviewed future lesson plans, especially in regards to Nobara, so Kusakabe knew what to teach when she transitioned to his class. Utahime gave a detailed summary about Yuri so Kusakabe knew how to work with her should they ever cross paths.
And, for some odd reason, throughout their conversation, both teacher’s eyes briefly wandered over at the white sunglasses-wearing cat plushie sitting on Nobara’s desk.
Kusakabe finally broke the ice. “So… when did Nobara start bringing a toy to school? She doesn’t strike me as that type of kid.”
“Pretty recently. She asked to bring that plushie to class for support. I figured that there was no harm.”
“It's wearing round sunglasses. Reminds me of Gojo in his younger years.” Kusakabe chuckled.
“Except Satoru likes dogs more.” Utahime pointed out. “But I may ask her to take it back. That thing creeps me out sometimes.”
“How so?”
“Well…” Utahime beckoned him closer. “I swear I’ve caught it moving. And sometimes, you can see its eyes blinking behind the sunglasses.”
“Utahime…that’s… completely ridiculous!” Her colleague bellowed in laughter.
“Kusakabe!” Utahime shrieked and slammed her hand on her desk. “I’m not kidding!”
“First of all, look at this thing. Look how cute it is!” To prove his point, Kusakabe grabbed the cat plushie, swung it around, and gave the belly a good squeeze. “We deal with curses all day. They’re never this cute.”
“Stop manhandling my student’s property!” Utahime grabbed the cat plushie back and held it close to her chest.
“Second of all, the only person who has the Cursed Corpse Technique is dead.” Kusakabe shook his head. “There’s no way that toy is a cursed corpse.”
“But still…” She turned the toy around, staring deeply into the sunglasses covering the beaded blue eyes. Something about this toy just felt strangely familiar…
As if on queue, the school bell sounded out, signaling the end of the lunch hour. Kusakabe wrapped up his lunch and waved goodbye. “I’ll see you around, Utahime.”
Oh well. Utahime gently placed the plushie back onto Nobara’s desk and began cleaning the chalkboard. It was all in her head.
It was just a toy.
Much to Hana’s dismay, Megumi sent a text message that he couldn’t return to the dorms. He didn’t list the details; something about Kazuo getting fussy whenever Megumi prepared to leave. That baby was exceptionally clingy around his older brother. Her infant son really enjoyed cuddling and feeding with Utahime, but when it came to horsing around, he preferred to hang around Megumi. And that baby was a menace. Even at a young age, Utahime was already raising her voice around her reckless son.
Scratch that–both of her sons.
“Utahime-sensei…” Yuri approached her teacher. “Do you need a portal home?”
“No, I should be fine.”
However, the young woman’s grey eyes endlessly stared at the cat plushie, which did not escape Utahime’s attention.
“Is that thing blushing?” Yuri deadpanned.
“Huh?” Utahime glanced over at the toy. Since when has there been a pink hue on the cat’s cheeks?
Yuri picked up the cat plushie by the scruff of its neck, brought it up to her eyes, and stared deeply into the sunglasses. Ever since Nobara started bringing her cat plushie, Yuri started quietly observing; sometimes with curiosity, other times with suspicion.
If that cat plushie truly wasn’t a cursed corpse, then, with Yuri’s affinity in sensing and reading cursed energy, she was the best person to solve that mystery. Utahime finally asked, “Do you sense anything in that stuffed animal?”
“Sometimes…I can’t really describe it.”
“Is it a cursed corpse like Panda?”
Yuri had briefly met Panda when she encountered Yuta and his classmates after a mission. Yuta was excited to see her again, and then apologized for brutally stabbing her. Maki was quite polite and cordial, unlike how she treated Yuta, who was her personal punching bag. Yuri suspected Maki wore the pants in that relationship. Inumaki greeted her with ‘Tuna’ and ‘Salmon’, whatever that meant. And Panda was a little baby panda that hung on Yuta’s shoulder. He was exceptionally cute! However, Yuri could always sense a constant glow of faint cursed energy in Panda.
This little white cat plushie wearing round sunglasses was different. It looked just like a regular toy.
Most of the time.
Sometimes, out of the corner of her eye, for a brief second, she’d sense a flicker of bright blue cursed energy.
“I don’t know.” Yuri answered, but she walked away towards the exit with the cat plushie. “Nobara forgot this. I’m just grabbing it for her. Have a safe journey home.”
“Alright, have a good rest of the day.”
Utahime stepped out from the tori gates that hid Tokyo Jujutsu High. Hues of rose petal pink and lavender haze painted the evening sky. The sun was already setting and washing the city with a golden glow. She remembered this kind of sunset from all those years of picking up Megumi and Tsumiki after school. And the ever bumbling Satoru would detour the group off to various sweet shops en route. Tsumiki would have the time of her life– ever the daddy’s girl. Utahime and Megumi would just be pissed off at his hijinks.
These days, Utahime walked alone.
She checked the time on her phone. Megumi should stay for dinner. She could make his favorite meal tonight! So Utahime pivoted off towards the market near the school. What did she need? Onions, garlic, mirin, chicken…
“Damn you!” A hushed, but familiar, voice grumbled from the snack aisle.
Utahime covertly peeked out. It was just Nobara shopping for snacks. However, her cat plushie was now hanging off her shoulders.
“You nearly got caught. Stop moving around when we’re in class.” Nobara said and threw a set of chocolates into her basket. “It’s bad enough the bloodhound sits next to me. Now Utahime-sensei is catching on. Why the hell were you so red?”
Whack!
“Do not hit me! Or I’m throwing you in the dryer!” Nobara argued with her toy.
Utahime didn’t see the cat plushie move. Nobara was jerking her head so much that she whipped the poor toy back and forth. Did her student need a mental check?
“Okay… now what soda to get…? Melon soda? Why do you always want melon soda? You can’t drink it!” Nobara grabbed cola instead.
Yeah. Her student needed a mental check. Utahime decided to just finish her shopping at that point.
Nobara didn’t notice her teacher’s presence while she shopped for more snacks. Hana wanted popcorn, candy, and drinks for their movie night. Yuri declined to join– she said watching movies with a bunch of teenagers was weird for a grown-up like her. Oh well, more fun for them! Besides, there was nothing wrong with watching movies together. Satoru was a grown-up too and he was joining them…albeit against his will.
But still… Nobara held up the cat plushie. “You really need to stay undercover when we’re in school. Not a lot of people know you’re back.”
The cat plushie sulked in her hands.
“If only I knew what you’re saying. Damn Principal Yaga for never sewing a mouth!”
The cat plushie nodded this time.
“I mean it. I know you want to see Utahime-sensei because she’s your girlfriend and whatever. But we don’t know if this is going to work. I don’t think you’d want to see Utahime-sensei heartbroken again.”
Nevertheless, the cat plushie excitedly waved both of its little paws.
“I still don’t know what you’re saying…”
Prior to Utahime moving in, Satoru’s Tokyo apartment was a typical bachelor pad. Monochrome colors. White and grey tiled flooring. Sleek black and gold furniture. Minimal and luxurious decor. Toilet seat was always up. Utahime never cared about Satoru’s tastes in interior design. She was only here to hook up and leave immediately afterwards.
Now that Utahime moved in, she flipped this apartment completely upside down. Yuri moved most of the furniture from the overseas safehome. Utahime just spruced the place up with more pastels, florals, and aesthetic pictures to hang on the walls. The main bedroom stayed relatively the same. She wanted to keep it the same for Satoru. Whenever Megumi visited, he slept in the guest bedroom. And Satoru’s office was now the nursery. With the baby around, Utahime made sure baby gates were installed everywhere. Kazuo may be only a couple months old, but he was Satoru’s son, and therefore, a guaranteed genius. She predicted he’d start walking at six months old.
Baby toys and books were strewn around the carpet and couch of the living room. And slumped into the couch was her sleepy adoptive son, Megumi, with Kazuo napping squarely on his chest. They were both such cuties!
“Megumi.” Utahime whispered as she nudged her oldest son.
Megumi jerked awake, nearly falling off the couch, but slick and careful enough not to wake Kazuo. “Mom? You’re back already?”
Utahime smiled and held up her groceries. “I’m making curry tonight. Why don’t you put your brother to bed and help me?”
Megumi gently placed the sleeping infant in the crib. And just for extra measure, he summoned a little rabbit to keep him company.
When he returned to the kitchen, Utahime was ready with a bright blue apron and a bunch of vegetables on the cutting board. Whenever Megumi visited, she always made sure to make lunch or dinner before he returned to the dorms. And tonight’s dinner was a special one.
“You know, this recipe was the first one I made for you and Tsumiki. You devoured two plates that night. I thought you guys would starve if I didn’t cook dinner.”
Megumi scoffed. “That’s what happens when you get some rich guy to play pretend father.”
“Megumi, be nice.” Utahime warned. “Whether you like it or not, Satoru legally adopted you so he will always be your father.”
Her adopted son pouted at her nagging but kept his silence.
“Now, I had a discussion today at lunch with your teacher, Kusakabe-sensei. Your grades are dropping and you’ve been skipping missions?”
The young boy froze his knife mid-chop. “Um…”
“Megumi…” Utahime darkly said in a tone specifically used for chewing students out. “You know I only let you watch Kazuo if it didn’t impact your education. Now I’m hearing from Kusakabe-sensei that you’re failing!?”
“Mom! I-I-” Megumi stammered.
“You will return to your classes and missions. Do not argue with me about this.” Utahime strictly demanded.
Regardless, Megumi was a stubborn boy. “And what are you going to do? Who’s going to watch Kazuo?”
Utahime argued back, “I will go back on maternity leave.” And once that ran out, she needed to figure something out.
They couldn’t rely on Satoru’s black card anymore. The Gojo clan started investigating his assets once someone in the clan discovered an irregularity in the books. Utahime’s teacher and sorcerer salary, especially as a Semi-Grade One sorcerer, covered most daily necessities and general infant care– but she couldn’t exactly hire a live-in nanny since the existence of Kazuo was a secret. Utahime even gave Kazuo her last name to further hide the truth. And she’d rather not deal with a non-sorcerer nanny. What if Kazuo manifested Limitless and started Blue-ing the nanny?
Not worth the risk.
Megumi protested, “Mom! Don’t be ridiculous! I’ll take a gap year from school if anything.”
Oh he was so stubborn! Utahime wanted to smack him across the head. “No! I will not have my son forfeit his future just because I had a baby!”
“What else am I supposed to do!? It’s because of me that you’re doing this alone!”
A pregnant pause fell between them. Oh… Was that what this was really about?
Megumi quickly wiped his eyes and tore off his apron. “Forget about it.” He grumbled and marched back to his room.
“Wait! Megumi!” Utahime ran after him.
She knew Megumi was normally a reserved teenager. When around friends, he liked to be cool and mysterious. It was hilarious to watch; a doting son at home, but then pretending to not know Utahime at school. However, this was completely different from the usual. She found Megumi sitting and sulking at the edge of his bed with his face buried in his hands.
Utahime wrapped her arms around the young boy. “Megumi… Don’t blame yourself.”
“I was reckless…”
Poor guy. “You got tricked by one of the strongest sorcerer’s in history. You didn’t stand a chance.” Utahime gently reassured him, “So don’t feel guilty. I don’t blame you for what happened to Tsumiki and Satoru.”
Megumi didn’t say anything. But he did lean into Utahime’s hug.
“You know…” Utahime smirked. “Technically, this is Satoru’s fault–getting sealed like that. Not something you’d expect from the strongest sorcerer. Reminds me of the time your dogs bit him.”
A muffled snort came out of Megumi. He had learned how to summon both of his dogs at a young age. Probably even younger than when Satoru figured out Blue. They, predictably, caused so much havoc and destruction that it drove Satoru into many sleepless nights and hair pulling stress. His Infinity slipped for a split second and one of the dogs took a juicy bite out of his luxury trousers.
“Or that time he hid his porno magazines and you found it.”
The Fushiguro’s apartment needed renovations so Tsumiki and Megumi camped out at Satoru’s apartment for a week. Megumi, none the wiser, explored under Satoru’s bed and found the stash. And then, once Utahime caught word of this, she made Satoru sit down with the kids to explain the birds and bees.
This time, Megumi broke out a small chuckle.
“Or when he snooped on Tsumiki’s first date.”
For a guy with the all-seeing Six Eyes, he convinced Utahime and Megumi to trail Tsumiki under the pretense of a family outing. She was an innocent middle schooler who didn’t know better– he’d like to insist. They followed her into the movies, the cafe, and the park. And Satoru casually conjured a Blue when the boy tried to kiss her cheek goodbye.
“I know. What an idiot.” Megumi wiped one of the tears from his eyes.
And this was how Megumi and Utahime bonded as mother and son; disrespecting the man who brought them together.
Utahime ruffled his spiky mop of hair, just like Satoru used to when he was messing with Megumi. “Okay, no more crying in your room.” She stood up and held out her hand.
Megumi finally relented to her nagging.
But Utahime planted both hands on his cheeks, forcing Megumi to gaze down into her honey brown eyes. “No more kicking yourself.” Utahime sternly said, “I will never blame you for anything. Okay?”
Megumi weakly nodded. “Okay.”
“Let’s finish dinner before Kazuo wakes up.” Utahime patted his puffy cheeks and began to walk back towards the kitchen.
“Wait Mom!”
She stopped in her tracks. Megumi was staring her down, resolute, just like when he made the decision to rescue Tsumiki from the Culling Game. Once Megumi put his mind to something, he couldn’t be stopped. It was his relentless spirit; something he picked up from Satoru.
“Let me move back in with you.” Megumi suggested, “I’ll commute to school and missions. And when I have free time, I’ll watch Kazuo.” He won’t let Utahime do this alone. Not after everything she did for him.
But Utahime wasn’t going to let him get his way so easily. “Okay. But you must get good grades! You better be at the top of your class!”
Megumi gulped and rapidly nodded. Hopefully, this was enough to please his mother. Utahime sure was scary sometimes.