𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 [𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢]

• Chapter 3 •

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❝Boys are really into rose perfume, you know❞
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After the icebreaker meeting, things started to become awkward between the two of you. More so than before. Neither of you had interacted with the other since, and you always made sure to leave after him for breakfast. It made you a little sad, not being able to see him as much, but you figured it was for the better in the long run.

You do find it a little funny though: you thought Inumaki was a calm, monotone person, but in reality he's shy and quiet. But in that one moment, he was confident, maybe a little teasing to you. Maybe it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing.

You decide to start bonding with the other students until things are back to normal with you two. Inumaki and Panda are close, so that wouldn't work. You already knew Maki-san, so she wouldn't do either. Maybe you could hang out with a first-year? Itadori seems a little strange for your first friend here, and Megumi is just... sad. So that leaves Nobara Kugisaki.

Leaving the building while being careful not to run into Inumaki, you walk quickly to the first-year building. When you enter, you realize it's identical to the other building, except for the few broken floorboards. Making your way down the hall, you spot a door with the nameplate "Kugisaki" on it. You knock on the door, and the girl opens it.

"Hey Kugisaki-san!" She looks at you with a surprised and slightly disgusted face. It makes you feel inferior to her, even though you're older. "Hey, what do you need?" she answers, a little annoyed.

"Would you want to go to the mall near here today? I haven't been yet, and I heard there's a super cute clothing shop inside!" She scans your face, looking to see if you're being genuine or not. Apparently you pass, because her expression immediately lights up.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun! What time?"

"Does 1:30 work for you?"

"Sounds good! I'll do a little research on the mall too so that we don't waste any time wandering around."

"Alright, see you then!"

"Yep! Bye L/n-senpai!"

You feel powerful when she finishes that last sentence. 'L/n-senpai.' It has a nice ring to it. You wonder if all the first-years here will call you that.

Walking off feeling guiltily happy, you make your way to your room in a rush. You close the door, grab your phone, and put in your earbuds. Turning on your go-to playlist, you start researching malls nearby. You had no idea what you were saying when you were talking to her, you just wanted to get on her good side.

After a good ten minutes of mouthing lyrics and researching all kinds of malls, you found one that seemed pretty good nearby. You copy the link to the website, and just as you're about to send it, you realize you don't have her number. You don't have anyone's number here (excluding Maki)! You sigh and decide you'd just show her the website when you meet up.

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At 1:20, you exit the second-year building and start walking over to the one Kugisaki's in. You make it to her door, and knock gently so you don't startle her. In a heartbeat, she opens the door with a wide smile on her face. "This is the mall I was thinking of going to; what do you think?" You show her the website and she scrolls through it for a few seconds. "I was thinking of the same one! Here, let's get outside: I already called a car." Surprised, you leave the building, following closely behind her.

She leads you to a slim, black car, with a driver in the front. It's too fancy to be an Uber, so naturally you're curious. As you're entering the car you ask, "How did you manage to get so nice of a ride?"

"Oh, Ijichi-san is faculty here."

"Really? I've only ever seen Gojo-sensei and Yaga-san around here."

"He's usually locked up in his office doing paperwork. We also have a doctor that works here: her name is Ieiri-san." Ijichi sits up straighter at the sound of her name. You notice, and laugh silently to yourself.

"Here we are; I hope you enjoy your trip. Call me when you'd like to be picked up." This guy was more of a chauffeur than an assistant director. You and Kugisaki had talked quite a bit in the car ride; about how you became a jujutsu sorcerer, your clan, and many other things. Somewhere along the lines you'd gotten her number, and that felt like somewhat of an accomplishment to you.

As soon as you enter the spacious mall, Kugisaki leads you towards the nearest clothing store. You weren't that into fashion, but you had to admit this place was cool. There are all kinds of unique shirts and sweaters, along with some cute jewelry. Some crystal tables are scattered around with perfume displayed neatly on them.

While Kugisaki is seeing if a jacket will fit, you walk over to one of the tables, and a certain perfume catches your eye. "Heart-Stopper." You pick it up, and by reading the label you can tell it's a floral perfume with a touch of vanilla. You spray a bit on your wrist and bring it to your nose. The amount of floral notes catches you off guard, but after a few seconds it's actually quite a pleasant smell. The vanilla stops it from giving grandma vibes, and also adds a comforting nature to the smell.

Kugisaki notices you taking an interest in the perfumes and walks over to you, hand full of hangers. Peering over your shoulder, she spots the label. "So, you have a crush?" she says with a smirk on her face. You try not to blush. "It's fine, everyone has one at one point. I just didn't think it'd be someone here. I personally don't think any of them are that attractive." "N- no. I don't like anyone, I just liked the smell of it," you lie. "Hm. Boys are really into rose perfumes, you know. You're on the right track." This girl really couldn't take a hint, could she?

Exiting the store, Kugisaki leaves with three bags full of clothes, while you leave with nothing. "Did you really not get anything in that store? It was so cute!" "Yeah, I was just kind of indecisive," you say, hiding your blush better this time. She swings her bags around playfully, already on her way to the next store.

In your pocket, you fidget with the rose perfume you bought when she wasn't looking.