TO LOVE A MONSTER ❪ jujutsu kaisen ❫

xxii: the declaration of a war.

TOKYO JUJUTSU HIGH, DECEMBER 2016.

"Tuna?" Inumaki questions, making Kaori glance back at him with a small smile.

"I'm fine, Inumaki-kun. Just, something about today feels odd," there's been an itch in her body since the morning they returned after their mission, nerves lit with worry. Maki looks at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Assassin intuition?" she teases and the First Years laugh as Kaori flushes with embarrassment. With the passing and resolution of the situation has brought the need for them to constantly joke about her situation. From Panda pleading 'please don't murder me' after he had eaten the last slice of meat to even Inumaki exaggeratedly raising his hands in surrender after Kaori pinned him down during training, the jokes were numerous and dramatic. She was almost sick with happiness at it. Yuuta, hiding his smile in his scarf at the way Kaori scowls, stares at the blue sky with something close to trepidation.

"What's wrong, Yuuta?"

"Well, I just think I got a bad premonition," they stare at him blankly before turning around, dismissing him entirely.

"You're imagining it,"

"Yup, definitely overthinking things,"

"Bonito flakes,"

"Wait- guys! Wait up," he's pouting when he runs to catch up to him and Kaori huffs at the way his scarf is undoing itself around his neck. She stills him with her hand and has to stand on her tiptoes to carefully wrap the scarf properly. It's the scarf she got him earlier when she had noticed how hard he had been shivering on the way back from a mission in Osaka. He had smiled brightly at her gift and had hugged her in a rare show of braveness that left the two of them flushed for the rest of the day. Yuuta smiles now at her, muttering a soft 'thank you' and she returns his smile before walking alongside him.

"I hate to tell you this Yuuta, but your ability to sense cursed energy sucks," the boy pouts at Panda's words and Kaori huffs out a laugh. They slow down when they hear the fluttering of wings, staring up at the sky to see a monstrous creature moving towards them quickly. "Maybe you were right, Yuuta," it's a Curse and a Special one at the case, its spindly wings flapping powerfully as it lands and sends the wind flying at them. They shield their faces to avoid the sharp gust of wind batting at their faces, narrowing their eyes at the creature in front of them. 

"Sorry, birdbrain, but you're in the wrong nest," Maki drawls, drawing out her tool with a flick of her wrist.

"I've never seen that kind of Curse before," Panda comments, and Kaori stares at the people who come out of the bird's beak when it opens its mouth obediently. A tall man stands, gazing over at the school with scrutinizing eyes. He's handsome, half of his dark hair rolled up into a bun and the rest flowing around his black robes, but something about him is unsettling in the way only Curses themselves are.

"Wow, this place hasn't changed at all," his voice is condescending, eyes roaming over the school compound with familiarity. A girl lets out a noise of disgust, her brown eyes narrowed as she looks around at the school.

"Yuck. Geto-san, please tell me this isn't what Tokyo looks like. It's like we're out in the sticks,"

"Nanako, that's rude," someone — her sister most likely since they share the same almond eyes and pursed lips — scolds and Nanako scoffs.

"You were thinking it too, Minako," she refutes quickly before her bored eyes settle on Panda, going wide. "Woah, it's a panda!" she hurriedly takes out her phone, snapping pictures  repeatedly.

"And who are you supposed to be? Get off the school grounds before Yuuta makes you!" the boy whips around to face his friends with a trembling expression.