JUJUTSU KAISEN: the lost chapters (english version)

CHAPTER 9 ◇ The prodigal son

Location:

Tokyo, Jujutsu High School

Acting persons:

Suguru Geto (Jujuzist 3rd rank 1st year)

Satoru Gojo (Jujuzist 3rd rank 1st year)

Shoko Ieiri (Jujuzist 3rd rank 1st year)

Unknown teacher

Sayuri (Curse Spirit)

Time:

31.12.20XX, morning

"Maaan, two more hours..." Satoru moaned, glancing impatiently at the clock as he tilted his chair. Shoko gave him a angry look in return. Unlike Satoru, she was seriously planning to find out what the lecturer wanted to teach them about anatomy. Lots of diagrams of muscles and joints had been drawn on the blackboard at the front of the classroom and the young jujuzi was eagerly copying them into her notebook. Suguru, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice Satoru's whining or anything about the lesson. Lost in thought, he stared out of the window and rolled his pencil back and forth on the table between his index finger and thumb. "Two more hours..." he thought, unwittingly repeating his friend's words. Two more hours and he would be travelling home to his parents. Of course - he had planned to anyway, so the academy's rule of spending New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with the family (unless you had a mission) actually fitted quite well, but...his resolution hadn't been a tangible date.
He could have continued to put off the visit, but still had the good intention. But now he had to go home. He hadn't been there or even checked in with his parents since he started his training.

Schnick. Schnick. The pencil rolled back and forth. Back and forth. Only the ringing of the bell announcing the end of the school day tore him from his liturgy. Yawning, he packed up his things and shuffled out of the room after Satoru. Shoko was already up and away. She couldn't wait to get home and had been in the boys' ears for the last few days with nothing else. However, she hadn't noticed how quiet her friends became as soon as the subject of 'home' came up. Sayuri, on the other hand, had excitedly asked her questions and had Shoko explain all the traditions of New Year's Eve to her. "And have you packed yet?" Satoru enquired. "Halfway," came the mumbled reply, muffled by a thick scarf. It had got really cold again after Christmas and there was a hint of snow in the frosty air. The boys shuffled towards their dormitory. "Don't you fancy going home either?". Suguru looked up for the first time. "Well. Not keen would be the wrong word. On the one hand, I'm looking forward to it, but... let's put it this way, there are one or two differences of opinion." Satoru's mouth twisted. "Yes...going home isn't a problem for me either. But there's just no one there. Good. There are Heinis (twerps) who manage the Gojos' family estate but...I don't have anything to do with them. So I'll just sit there and gamble as usual." Suguru looked down again. "Maybe that's not the worst thing you can do...". Satoru gave him a sideways glance. "You know what? Fuck family! Suuure, this year you've announced your arrival, but next year you can just come to my place. We'll gamble, eat junk food, watch the clichéd shit on the telly and at midnight we'll go out and watch the fireworks. You can see it very well at my house. A whole estate just for us and...", he paused briefly in his enthusiastic gesticulation, "...and Sayuri, of course.". Finally Suguru looked up again and Satoru thought he recognised a hint of a smile under the scarf. "Sounds good. Let's do it like this.". He held out his fist to his best friend and he bumped it with his own. With slightly lighter steps now, they reached the dormitory, tried to shake off the cold as best they could at the entrance and hurried to their rooms to throw the last of their clothes into their bags. They didn't have to pack much. After all, it was only one night.