Corpse Flowers [Jujutsu Kaisen]

🥀 Chapter Fifteen 🥀

Yuta had taken Satoru's words to heart and was following Seiran's advice, attempting to gain some control over Rika by channeling her through mediums like his ring and the katana. But his training with the katana was proving far from smooth. He had been placed under Maki's guidance, and she was utterly relentless, determined to drill into him not just the technique, but his place – and she made sure he felt it with every strike.

Over the past few month, Shion had been coming by the school to assist with Yuta's training alongside Maki. While she wasn't handling the weapons, she had been assigned to guide him in hand-to-hand combat. Yuta had always thought Shion was beautiful and sweet... until he found himself standing across from her on the training field.

Shion moved in ways utterly incomprehensible to him. She had a lively bounce in her steps whenever she would come to greet them excitedly, and while that been very endearing to see at that time... it was very different on the field. She moved with a speed and lightness that made her seem like one of the butterfly pins in her hair. And when she would land a hit on him, the breath would be knocked out his chest like a person seeing her smile for the first time.

Ever since her last visit to the school, Seiran would accompany Shion whenever such a day would arise for Yuta. It had been over three months since they had begun this training. And the more that Seiran visited, the more she had an inkling that Satoru had deliberately made this arrangement so that Seiran would be subjected to his nonsense.

"Oh, come on, Sei-Chan!" complained Satoru in his whiny voice as he pouted in her direction upon her accusation. "Doesn't it feel good to visit these new budding flowers and get the chance to re-experience childhood?"

"The only one enjoying this is you, Satoru-Kun," Seiran retorted as she walked toward the training fields. "And frankly, one-time experience was enough for me with that sort of childhood,"

"Hey, Shion-Chan's having fun too," Satoru said, sidestepping her remark. "So technically, that makes two of us enjoying it so you're wrong – that calls for a kiss, don't you think?"

"When a student gets something wrong, they get admonished for it," Seiran commented. "But getting a kiss from you is a corporal punishment, and I deem them illegal,"

For a moment, Satoru could only stare at her in amazement before letting out a laugh, "You really know how to strike me right through the heart, Sei-Chan! And in ways more than one~!"

"You should hope the next time it is not an actual dagger," Seiran shot back.

"Even in death, I shall fall at your feet, my love!" Satoru replied cheekily.

Satoru was being insufferable as always and Seiran shook her head at him, her pink eyes turning away from him as she looked at the distant training fields. She could see Yuta sparring with Maki, and while Yuta showed considerable improvement in his skills for a newbie sorcerer, he was no match for Maki.

"Yuta-Kun looks to be improving tremendously," Seiran commented, but there was frown on her lips as she eyed his condition. "However, he looks utterly beat-up,"

"We can credit the two girls for that, especially Shion-Chan," Satoru responded, nodding in the direction of the violet-haired girl. "She really did a number on him. You have taught her well, Sei-Chan,"

Although the compliment was from Satoru, there was still a rush of pride and relief in Seiran's chest on the thought of Shion's capabilities. Her eyes traced their way to the stairs where Shion sat, along with Toge and Panda, as they watched Yuta and Maki sparr.

"Hey, hey, everyone!" called out Satoru as they reached closer to the fields, and his yell seemed to distract Yuta. "How's it going?"

"Oh, uh..." Yuta replied, or attempted to reply before he was struck across the face by Maki, reducing him to his feet.