"Well, aside from Hayashi and Todo Aoi, everyone's accounted for. I just got back from an overseas trip—time to hand out souvenirs," Gojo Satoru greeted the group with a wave.
Panda: "That was abrupt."
Nobara Kugisaki: "Jet lag still hitting you?"
Gojo ignored the comments, grabbing stuff and heading to the Kyoto crew, doling out gifts one by one.
"Here, talismans from some tribe—for Kyoto's finest," Gojo said, finishing up. He glanced at An Gogeji. "None for Gogeji."
"I don't want your junk!!" An roared.
"And this is for Tokyo's crew!" Gojo sidestepped to the crate, flinging his arm wide.
Nobara: "Grown man hyping up like this—gross."
Boom!
The crate popped open, revealing… something curled up inside.
What was it?
What was it?
"Hi! O-pa-pe!!!"
Yuji Itadori sprang out, striking a bizarre pose—left hand flashing a six, right hand a six, scrunching his face into a comical mess.
Oh, just Yuji Itadori. No big deal then.
Kyoto's group instantly shifted focus to the talismans Gojo had handed them.
"It's the late Yuji Itadori!!!" Gojo swept his arm grandly, syncing with Yuji's antics.
"Uh…"
"Ugh…"
Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara locked eyes on Yuji, their faces twisting like they'd swallowed flies.
"Uh—eh, eh!!!" Yuji gawked, stunned by their looks. "They don't seem happy at all."
"No way this is real…" Yuji's gaze dulled, feeling the sting.
Gojo's mouth twitched. Subtly, he nudged the cart aside. "Kyoto folks, check it out—this is 'Sukuna's vessel,' Yuji Itadori!"
Yuji held his odd pose, facing Kyoto's seniors.
"Ky-Kyoto peeps… obsessed with souvenirs!!!" Yuji's embarrassment peaked, craving a hole to crawl into. "Ugh…"
As everyone sank into their own worlds—
Two figures ascended from below.
One tall, one shorter, both with masks covering the lower half of their faces, from eyes down.
"Who's that?" Nishimiya tiptoed, blue eyes peering down.
"Todo's here," Mai said.
The air stilled. All eyes turned to the pair climbing the steps.
Todo Aoi and Hayashi stepped into view, everyone's expressions turning weird.
Noritoshi Kamo: "What's with those odd masks?"
Kasumi Miwa: "No clue, but kinda cool."
Nishimiya: "That's Tokyo's first-year, Hayashi, right?"
Mechamaru: "Something's off."
Toge Inumaki: "Tuna."
Panda: "Why's he showing up with Todo?"
Maki: "You saw them at breakfast that day—something's up with those two."
Fushiguro: "…"
Nobara: "This jerk actually came back—what's with the mask?"
Yuji: "I think I've been forgotten…"
Gojo: "Aw, my good boys are back."
An Gogeji glared at Gojo: "Disgusting!"
"Ahem, sorry, folks—got held up," Hayashi said, raising a hand in greeting. So many people—kinda awkward.
He strolled over to Tokyo's side.
"Todo, where you going?" Mai's eyes widened. Late was one thing, but joining the wrong team?
"Back off, Todo. We're rivals now," Hayashi patted Todo's shoulder.
"Don't touch me right now!" Todo snapped, eyes shut tight, storming to Kyoto's lineup.
Damn crayfish—turned him into a freak. He might catch Takada's livestream later, and looking like this? Even just watching felt like blasphemy against her.
Thinking of crayfish pissed him off more. He kept his eyes closed.
"What's with Todo? He seems tight with that first-year," Noritoshi mused, eyes shut, noting the near-identical masks.
Miwa and Mai clammed up. They knew the Hayashi-Todo bond—forged in that fight. Not romance—friendship.
The others were clueless. Todo rarely clicked with guys—most men he flat-out dismissed.
"Why don't you just ditch school? Late on a day this big?" Nobara grabbed Hayashi's collar. "And what's with the mask—matching couple's set with Todo?"
"Lemme try it—looks fun," Yuji jogged over, reaching for Hayashi's mask.
Hayashi flinched, breaking free of Nobara and swatting Yuji's hand. "Don't mess with this—lives are at stake."
"Ow, ow, ow!" Yuji blew on his hand, sulking. "Why hit so hard? Just say no—Hayashi, you've changed!"
"Don't overthink it. I haven't," Hayashi shot Yuji a look. They'd hung out plenty lately.
Gojo sauntered over, slinging an arm around Hayashi's neck, whispering, "How'd it go?"
"All good," Hayashi nodded.
"Nice! That's my boy," Gojo laughed, mood soaring.
From under a distant tree, Kyoto's principal, Gakuganji Yoshinobu, eyed the bouncing Yuji, muttering, "Sukuna's vessel… what's going on?"
"Oh?" Gojo clocked him, grinning as he waved and approached. Taller, he bent down to level with Gakuganji's face. "Principal Gakuganji! Phew, good thing you didn't croak from shock—what would we do then?"
Gakuganji's aged face stayed stone-cold, but his eyes flared. "You little brat!"
Gojo didn't flinch, still grinning at him.
Yaga Masamichi, beside Gakuganji, stayed silent, letting Gojo's attitude slide. Even if he didn't, Gojo's temperament wasn't something he could rein in.
Told him a million times not to be late—still late.
Nobara's gaze shifted from Hayashi to Yuji. She kicked his butt. "Hey!"
"Uh—I'm here!" Yuji jolted, stumbling back.
"Nothing to say?" Nobara's tone sharpened, though her eyes wavered.
"Sorry… didn't tell you guys I was alive," Yuji said, knowing she wasn't really mad.
"Alright, alright—reunion's what counts," Hayashi clapped, stepping up. It'd been a while since they'd all been together like this.
Last time… the detention center, right?