Call My Name | 𝘕𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘪

- 10 -

*

𝓟𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓟𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓽

*

Maki was going to try her absolute hardest to prevent Nobara from meeting her dysfunctional 'family.' She figured that Nobara meeting Megumi might be unavoidable considering they're in the same school and everything, but she was still going to at least try.

Her guardian had this sort of sixth sense, and would definitely pick up something between them because even Maki knew something was...there. But Gojo would know for sure. If not that, then he'd definitely embarrass her somehow by saying something weird or even worse telling Nobara something she definitely doesn't want her to know.

The whole time directly after Maki tried to understand why she beat the fuck out of that kid, she had to ask herself at some point, was this what crushes felt like? She felt so protective of Nobara then and even now. There really is no other word for it. She sees the hateful glances Nobara is probably used to and it gets her unreasonably enraged. Even more so than she would be if those gazes were leveled toward her. She doesn't even really know the girl. They've just shared some words and tons of glances. But at the same time, the tension between them radiates in a room she can't help but not think about if everyone else in the vicinity can feel it too. It's a strange feeling, and Gojo (and probably Megumi if he gets a golden opportunity) would ridicule her before she even had the chance to figure it out.

She thought maybe they could do the entirety of this stupid project in Nobara's house, but she seems just as opposed as Maki is about hosting as well. So they were going to be at a standstill unless one of them caved.

On top of all this, Megumi seemed unusually interested in her affairs lately, so if he hasn't figured out the not-friendship between her and Nobara, she'd be surprised. Just the other day he caught her in the hallway to ask if she really did beat someone so bad she broke their nose, and she was basically coerced to admit it.

"Maki," Megumi never yells to grab her attention, which would have been helpful, but the bustle of the hallway died down a bit by the time he calls out to her anyway. "Are you the one that broke that kid Junpei's nose?"

"Who the fuck is Junpei?" She answers automatically. However, she vaguely remembers in the office where she was questioned and Gojo had to fucking show up they mentioned this kid had a broken nose after someone beat him up. She also vaguely remembers saying something along the lines of "How unfortunate," and moving on. The only reason she was able to get away with it is because Gojo is not only a smooth talker, he got rid of her previous records so the school had no prior reason to believe she was a violent person at all. Their views of women must have played a factor because someone like her certainly could never do something as insubordinate as that.

"It doesn't matter," Megumi waves off, "I just wanted to know if it was you."

"No." She answers plainly to Megumi as if she isn't bothered by the fact the kid she punched went around telling people as well as staff. What part about 'don't tell anyone' didn't get through his thick skull? It wasn't like she damaged that too.

"Last person I hit was you." She doesn't remember it that clearly, but Megumi definitely does.

That punch to the face hit him so hard, that his head went swimming. Impacted by vertigo he thought for a moment he just might pass out. It was the most brutal anyone had ever hit him, causing a large bruise to show on the left side of his face. Gojo was actually mad at Maki for that, and he doesn't know what was said to her, but she actually apologized for that. He isn't very happy about being reminded of that memory. That only happened because of his poor judgment before he knew how Maki acts. He underestimated how angry she could get over something and he said the wrong thing to make her upset because he was angry too and it worked a little too well. He learned a very important lesson that day. Never bring up Mai Zenin.