Yuuji stood with his arms crossed, still slightly sweating from their recent training. His eyes flicked toward his students resting nearby before returning to Megumi, who stood beside him.
"I didn't hear that wrong, did I?" Yuuji leaned in slightly, his voice half a whisper. Megumi simply stared at him, expression unreadable. "I want to be her mentor."
Silence.
Only the sound of Himari's labored breathing as she lay on the floor, Ryou massaging his shoulder, and Tetsuya hanging his head as if he had just lost half his soul filled the air.
Yuuji furrowed his brows, then let out a short laugh—not one of amusement, but disbelief. "Are you sure you didn't get cursed during training?" he muttered.
Megumi remained calm. "I'm serious." Yuuji glanced toward Reika, who sat quietly, her dark red eyes vacant, unreadable.
"Why?" Yuuji turned back to Megumi. "Of all the students, why her?" Megumi exhaled. "I don't know." Yuuji narrowed his eyes. "If you don't even know the reason, that's reason enough not to do it."
Megumi met his gaze. "That's exactly why I should." Yuuji fell silent. That answer… wasn't easy to argue against.
"You don't think it's strange?" Megumi's gaze shifted to Reika. "She's… strange," he said quietly.
Yuuji scoffed. "Oh, you're just realizing that now? I thought I made it clear that she's not a normal student."
"It's not just that," Megumi continued, his voice deeper. "I've fought a lot of people. I know what it feels like to fight someone stronger, someone weaker, someone who just got lucky… But Reika?"
He turned to Yuuji, his expression more serious than before. "I can't explain it. But she doesn't fight the way she should."
Yuuji held his breath. That… was a dangerous statement.
As someone who had fought Sukuna, Yuuji knew what it felt like to fight someone who 'didn't fight the way they should.' And Megumi had just put Reika in that category.
"She's dangerous." Yuuji finally sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "So… you feel like something's wrong, and your first solution is—"
"—to keep an eye on her up close," Megumi cut in.
Yuuji snorted. "Megumi, if you just wanted an excuse to ask her out, you could've said so." Megumi shot him a sharp look. "I'm not joking."
"And I'm not joking!" Yuuji whispered harshly. "You seriously want to train someone who might be stronger than us? You're not afraid it'll turn the other way around?"
Megumi was quiet for a moment. Then, he shrugged. "If she really is that strong, then it's even more important that I'm the one teaching her."
Yuuji stared at him. "So, you want to tame a wild lion by… walking into its cage?"
"Something like that."
"Brilliant," Yuuji muttered sarcastically. Megumi remained expressionless, but Yuuji knew how stubborn his friend could be.
Eventually, Yuuji let out a long sigh.
"Fine. Do whatever you want," he relented. "But if she eats you alive, I'm not going to bother burying your corpse."
Megumi didn't smile, but there was a small glint in his eyes. "I'll make sure I bury her first if that happens." Yuuji paused before finally clapping a hand on Megumi's shoulder.
"Be careful, Megumi." His voice dropped slightly. "Reika isn't someone you can understand so easily."
Megumi finally stepped forward toward Reika. Slowly, she turned to face him—not with any expression, but with eyes that almost knew he was coming.
He stopped in front of her.
"From now on, I'm your mentor," he said evenly. Reika didn't respond immediately. Then, slowly… her lips curved. Not into a smile. But something close.
And finally, she spoke:
"Understood, Sensei."
And for a moment… Megumi felt as if he was the one who had just walked into a trap. Himari shot to her feet, eyes wide as if she had just seen a ghost.
"W-WHAT?!"
Her outburst was loud enough that Ryou and Tetsuya turned to look. Even Yuuji, who had just started to walk away, stopped and glanced back.
Megumi stood there, expression blank. Reika? Sat quietly, unfazed. Himari pointed at Megumi. "You—you're going to personally train her? Why her?!"
Megumi sighed, clearly not in the mood to argue. "Because I want to," he answered simply. Himari gaped. "That's the dumbest reason I've ever heard!"
She turned to Ryou, as if seeking backup, but he just shrugged, looking mildly amused but uninterested.
Tetsuya, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke up. "But… isn't Himari stronger?"
Himari immediately clapped a hand on his shoulder proudly. "THANK YOU! Finally, someone sane!"
Tetsuya winced, rubbing his now sore shoulder. Megumi remained silent, but Himari couldn't.
"Sensei Megumi." Himari stepped forward, hands on her hips. "I'm stronger than Reika. Everyone knows that."
Megumi didn't react. Himari huffed. "I deserve your training more than she does."
Still no reaction.
Himari scoffed. "And besides…" She slowly ran a hand through her golden hair, flipping it back elegantly. "…I'm way more attractive than her."
Silence.
No one spoke.
Tetsuya cleared his throat. Ryou turned to the side, covering his mouth with a fist—clearly holding back laughter.
Yuuji, still lingering around the training grounds, nearly choked on the water he had just sipped.
Himari blinked, confused by everyone's reactions. Megumi finally looked at her. And his expression…
Disgust.
Genuine, visible disgust. Like he had just been forced to witness something he never wanted to see.
"…"
Himari frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Megumi finally spoke. "You think I choose students based on that?"
His voice was flat, but there was a sharpness in it. Himari flinched. "That's not what I meant! I just thought—you're a guy, so it's only natural if—"
"Stop." The word left Megumi's lips so effortlessly. Himari froze.
Tetsuya, who had been about to intervene, shut his mouth immediately. Megumi's gaze on Himari was almost terrifying.
"You said you're stronger than her," he said quietly. "But if you have to use that as an argument… then you've already lost."
Himari held her breath.
And then—Ryou couldn't hold it in anymore.
He chuckled. A quiet, restrained laugh, but one that was painful for someone's pride. Himari whipped her head toward him. "ARE YOU LAUGHING?!"
Ryou raised a hand, still smirking. "Sorry, sorry. I just didn't expect that to be your final weapon." Himari's face burned red. She shot a glare at Reika, who still sat silently, her gaze unchanged. As if she didn't care.
As if—she had known she would be chosen from the start. Himari scoffed. "Fine! Do whatever you want, Megumi-sensei! Just don't come crying to me when she turns out to be dead weight!"
She spun on her heels and stormed off, her golden hair shimmering under the sunlight. Tetsuya, not wanting to make things worse, quickly followed after her.
Ryou remained in place, looking at Megumi. "Well," he said, grinning slightly. "That was… something."
Megumi didn't respond. Yuuji, who had been silent all this time, finally walked up to him. He patted Megumi's shoulder lightly.
"You know… I'm so sure you're gonna regret this." Megumi didn't react. Yuuji just shook his head and walked away, leaving Megumi alone with his new student.
Reika slowly stood up, finally gazing at Megumi with her deep, dark eyes. "I suppose you're not so easily fooled."
Her voice was almost a whisper. Megumi met her gaze, his expression unwavering. "We'll see."