𝖂𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖎𝖋 𝕲𝖊𝖙𝖔 𝕴𝖘 𝖄𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝕸𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗 (𝖝 𝕱𝖊𝖒 𝕽𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖊𝖗)

7-1: 𝔅𝔦𝔯𝔱𝔥 𝔇𝔞𝔶 (𝔓𝔞𝔯𝔱 1)

❤︎ 1422 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜, 5.5 𝚖𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎
❤︎ 𝚃𝚆: 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚘𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚋𝚒𝚊

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That birthday, my 16th, was equal parts painful (literally and figuratively) and cinematic. Or perhaps it was painful and therefore movie-esque. Or vice versa.

Having left the hospital, we all headed to McDonald's.

"It's your birthday and you can choose to do whatever you want–we'll follow you!" was what Shoko said to me. I looked over at Nanami and then at Geto–I couldn't fathom how Shoko convinced them into this all-day celebration fiasco.

When I announced my wish to mark my birthday with McDonald's ("Wooohooo McDonald's!!" reacted Gojo and Haibara) and the arcade ("Oh my god arcades???" screamed both), Nanami's face was of a stoic monk's after receiving enlightenment while Geto simply smiled, the way you would when a younger sibling showed you a primitive drawing.

At the kiosk, I couldn't decide my order. The last time I remembered being at one of these, staring at overblown menus displaying burgers of dramatic proportions, was when Mom and Dad were not dead. I ordered chicken nuggets with fries and a juice box–but do I still like those?

Shoko said it was their treat so I should order anything I wanted. Who exactly counted as they in the group, I knew not.

In the end, I got a cheeseburger like Gojo. Well, I got one but he had five, plus an extra side of fries. "My Jujutsu expends energy," he explained. Geto, however, clearly wasn't buying it, as he rolled his eyes and sipped on his singular order of diet coke.

I bit into my burger and the grease welled up on my tongue as I watched Haibara and Shoko bicker over who should get the last one of Nanami's fries. "It's not even your–" Before Nanami could finish, Haibara took away his last yellow, oily stick. I swallowed my mouthful of pleasant greasiness.

As we were leaving for the arcade, Gojo stuffed the last two of his burgers into his pockets, albeit squishing and flattening them beforehand. My staring eyes met his and he gave me a big smile accompanied by a peace sign. I smiled back–how could I ever get mad at him?

The arcade was my idea but with my bad ankle, I was already beat upon arrival. Nonetheless, I volunteered to exchange our coins for tokens with Shoko.

"Neh, neh, y/n," she nudged.

"Hmm?" I furrowed my brows from the kaleidoscope of lights and music.

"You're gonna make the move tonight?"

"What move?"

Shoko jerked her head towards Geto's direction. Gojo was in the same corner as him, wafting his flattened burger into Geto's face. I chuckled at Geto's disgusted expression.

"I don't know, Ieiri Senpai. Gojo Senpai really likes him."

"So what? It's what Suguru thinks that matters, y/n," she winked. "He likes the both of you equally. Maybe even you more, now. Now after, you know, the mission,"

"Sure you don't like either of them, senpai? What about Nanami and Haibara?"

"Ew, fuck no. Kento's weird and Yu's loud. Don't you know I have a crush on someone else?"

"Who?" I thanked the clerk as he handed me a red plastic plate of tokens.

"Utahime," Shoko whispered into my ear. Utahime the second-grade sorcerer...? My eyes widened involuntarily.