Love

The mission had started simply enough—a routine sweep of a cursed spirit nest in a derelict shopping mall on the outskirts of Tokyo. But cursed spirits, as Megumi Fushiguro frequently reminded his peers, rarely adhered to the schedule. A Grade 2 spirit had lunged from a blind spot in the ceiling, and while Yumi had managed to exorcise it with a swift burst of her cursed energy, the landing had been less than graceful.

A sharp crack, a muffled yelp, and suddenly the mall’s linoleum floor felt a lot closer than it had seconds before.

"I’m fine! Really, it’s just a little twist," Yumi chirped, though her face was currently the color of a sheet of paper.

Megumi sighed, his shoulders tensing as he looked at the swelling around her ankle. He didn't look annoyed at her; he looked like a man who was watching his life expectancy drop by several decades in real-time.

"You are definitely not fine," Megumi said, his voice dropping an octave. He gingerly hooked her arm over his shoulder, hoisting her up. "It’s likely a fracture. Yuji, grab the other side."

"On it!" Yuji Itadori scooted over, offering his shoulder with a sympathetic grin. "Man, Yumi-chan, you’re tough, but you gotta watch those landings. You went down like a sack of potatoes."

"A very cute sack of potatoes, I hope," Yumi joked, wincing as her foot grazed the floor.

As they hobbled through the mall toward the exit, Megumi’s grip on her arm tightened slightly. He kept glancing over his shoulder as if a vengeful spirit were stalking them, but Yumi knew it wasn't a curse he was afraid of.

"Fushiguro, you’re shaking," Yumi pointed out, tilting her head. "Are you cold? Or is it the spirit? I thought we got them all."

Megumi let out a hollow, dry laugh. "No, the spirits are the easy part. I’m thinking about the debriefing. Specifically, the part where Okkotsu-senpai finds out his girlfriend got hurt on a mission under our supervision."

Yumi blinked her large, bright eyes. "Yuta? Why would he be upset with you? It was my own fault for not sticking the landing. Besides, Yuta is the sweetest person I know. He wouldn’t hurt a fly unless the fly was, you know, a giant monster trying to eat us."

Yuji let out a loud, barking laugh, nearly jostling Yumi’s injured leg in the process. "Sweet? Yuta-senpai? I mean, yeah, to you! But Yumi-chan, have you ever seen him when he’s actually angry? It’s like the air in the room turns into lead."

"He’s terrifying," Megumi added, his expression dead serious. "The last time someone even looked at him the wrong way during a joint exercise, the pressure of his cursed energy alone made the first-years nearly faint. If he sees you limping, he’s going to look at us like we’re the ones who pushed you."

Yumi giggled, the sound echoing through the empty corridor. "You guys are exaggerating. He’s like a big, soft teddy bear. He brings me tea and forgets where he puts his keys. How scary can a man who loses his keys be?"

"A teddy bear with a katana and a Special Grade curse attached to his shadow," Yuji muttered, shaking his head. "Good luck to us, Megumi. It was nice knowing you."

By the time they reached the school grounds, the adrenaline had worn off, and Yumi’s ankle was throbbing in earnest. They decided to take a shortcut through the courtyard garden before heading to Shoko’s infirmary. The sun was beginning to dip, casting long, golden shadows across the stone paths and meticulously manicured hedges.

"Let’s just sit for a second," Yumi requested, gesturing to a wooden bench near a cluster of cherry blossoms. "My good leg is getting tired from all the hopping."

They lowered her onto the bench. Yuji sat on her left, fanning himself with his hand, while Megumi stood to the right, his arms crossed, scanning the horizon like a sentry.

"Speak of the devil," Megumi whispered, his posture going rigid.

Coming down the path from the main dormitory was a tall, slender figure in a white high-collar uniform. Even from a distance, the sheer volume of cursed energy radiating from him was palpable—a low, humming vibration that seemed to make the very air tremble. Yuta Okkotsu was walking with a purposeful stride, his dark hair messy as usual, his katana case slung over his back.

As he got closer, his eyes locked onto the trio. More specifically, they locked onto Yumi’s swollen ankle and the way she was leaning heavily against the bench.

The atmosphere changed instantly. The birds in the trees stopped chirping. The wind seemed to die down. Yuji and Megumi both straightened their backs, looking like soldiers facing a firing squad.

"Hey, Yuta!" Yumi waved enthusiastically, her smile bright enough to light up the darkening garden.

Yuta didn't wave back. He stopped a few feet away, his gaze shifting from Yumi’s leg to Yuji, and finally to Megumi. His expression was calm—eerily calm—but his eyes were dark, and the shadows around his feet seemed to writhe and stretch unnaturally.

"Itadori-kun. Fushiguro-kun," Yuta said. His voice was quiet, but it carried a weight that made Yuji swallow hard.

"Senpai! We, uh, we just finished the mission!" Yuji said, his voice a pitch higher than normal.

"I can see that," Yuta replied. He took a step forward, and the pressure in the air increased. "I remember the mission briefing. It was a Grade 2 cleanup. A routine sweep. And yet, Yumi is sitting here with an injury that looks like it hasn't been treated yet."

"It just happened, Yuta-senpai!" Megumi interjected, though he didn't meet Yuta's eyes. "We were bringing her to the infirmary, we just stopped for a break."

Yuta’s eyes narrowed. "You stopped for a break? While she’s in pain? If the mission was properly managed, she shouldn't have been in a position to get hurt in the first place. You two were supposed to be her backup."

"It wasn't their fault!" Yumi tried to chime in, but Yuta was on a roll.

"A sorcerer’s greatest responsibility is the safety of their comrades," Yuta continued, his voice cold and clinical. "If you can’t manage a Grade 2 area without letting your teammate take a hit, then perhaps we need to revisit your fundamental training. I’d be happy to oversee some extra sparring sessions tomorrow morning. Early. Say, four a.m.?"

Yuji looked like he wanted to cry. Megumi just stared at the ground, looking defeated. The "Sweet Teddy Bear" Yumi had described was nowhere to be seen; in his place stood the strongest sorcerer of his generation, radiating a quiet, suffocating authority.

"I expect a full written report on how the perimeter was breached," Yuta added, his tone sharpening. "And don't leave out the part where you decided a bench was more important than Shoko-san’s medical attention."

"Yes, senpai," the two boys chorused in unison, looking thoroughly scolded.

Then, as if a light switch had been flipped, Yuta turned toward Yumi.

The dark, oppressive aura vanished instantly. The shadows at his feet settled back into place. His eyes softened, turning warm and soulful, and a look of genuine, frantic concern washed over his face. He dropped to one knee in front of her, his hands hovering over her ankle as if he were afraid to touch her and cause more pain.

"Oh, Yumi, I’m so sorry," he whispered, his voice dripping with honey and heartbreak. "Does it hurt a lot? I should have been there. I should have just come with you regardless of what Gojo-sensei said."

Yumi blinked, stunned by the whiplash of his personality shift. "Yuta, I’m okay, really. It’s just a little sprain."

"A little sprain is still a sprain," he murmured, gently lifting her foot to rest on his knee. He looked up at her, his bottom lip almost pouting. "You’re so brave, but you shouldn't have to be. Are you dizzy? Do you need me to carry you? I’ll carry you all the way to the infirmary. I’ll even carry you back to your room after."

He reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his touch incredibly light and tender. "I was so worried when I heard the mission ran long. I’ll make you that chamomile tea you like as soon as Shoko-san clears you, okay? And I’ll find those chocolates you liked from the station."

Yumi looked over Yuta’s shoulder at Yuji and Megumi. The two boys were staring at Yuta with expressions of pure, unadulterated disbelief. Yuji mouthed the words, "Is he serious?" while Megumi just rubbed his temples, looking like he had aged another ten years.

The contrast was so absurd—the terrifying warrior who had just threatened them with four a.m. death-sparring was now cooing over a bruised ankle like a worried mother hen—that Yumi couldn't help it.

She burst out laughing.

"What?" Yuta asked, his head tilting to the side like a confused puppy. "Is the pain making you lightheaded? Should I call Shoko-san to come here instead?"

"No, no," Yumi gasped, clutching her stomach as she laughed. "It’s just… you! You were just terrifying! Poor Yuji looks like he’s seen a ghost, and Megumi is contemplating his life choices. And then you turn around and start talking about chamomile tea!"

Yuta blinked, then glanced back at the boys. He seemed to remember their existence for the first time in three minutes. He gave them a brief, stern nod—a silent reminder that the four a.m. training was still very much on the table—before turning back to Yumi with a sheepish, lopsided grin.

"I just don't like it when you’re hurt," Yuta admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "It makes me… a bit cranky."

"Cranky?" Yuji whispered loudly to Megumi. "He nearly summoned Rika because of a twisted ankle!"

"Shut up, Itadori," Megumi hissed, though there was no real bite in it.

Yuta ignored them, sliding one arm under Yumi’s knees and the other around her back. With effortless strength, he lifted her into a bridal carry. Yumi squealed in surprise, instinctively hooking her arms around his neck.

"Hold on tight," Yuta said, his voice back to its usual sweet, calm cadence. "I’ll get you to the infirmary in no time."

"You’re ridiculous," Yumi said, leaning her forehead against his shoulder. "But you’re my favorite kind of ridiculous."

As Yuta began to walk away, he paused and looked back at the two first-years. The warmth in his eyes didn't quite reach them this time.

"The reports," Yuta reminded them. "On my desk by tonight."

"Yes, sir!" Yuji shouted, snapping a salute.

Yuta turned back to Yumi, his expression instantly melting into a doting smile. "Do you want me to sing to you while we walk? I know you like that one song from the radio."

"Only if you want Yuji and Megumi to die of cringe," Yumi laughed, burying her face in his neck.

"If it makes you feel better, I don't mind," Yuta said simply, stepping out of the garden and toward the school buildings.

Behind them, Yuji slumped onto the bench Yumi had just vacated. "I don't get it, Megumi. How does she do it? She’s not even afraid of him."

Megumi watched the couple disappear around the corner, the terrifying aura of the Special Grade sorcerer replaced by the soft glow of the evening sun.

"She’s the only one who sees the teddy bear," Megumi said, leaning back and closing his eyes. "The rest of us just have to survive the lion."

"Four a.m.," Yuji groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I’m never letting her go on a mission without a suit of armor ever again."

"Agreed," Megumi sighed. "Agreed."