The day, when Maki arrived at Jujutsu High, she looked noticeably different—calm, posed, yet radiating a rare happiness.

  "Yo!"

  As she stepped onto the training grounds, her entrance didn't go unnoticed. The first thing she saw was her cssmates hard at work, including Gojo, who was lounging nearby, their progress.

  In the past, most of her time eher exorg cursed spirits or traveling to exorcise them.

  But even sorcerers 't work 24/7, and occasionally, they needed a day or two off. Of course, a "break" here usually meant training at the school instead of going on missions.

  "How's it going? How's it going?"

  Before anyone else could speak, Gojo strode up to Maki with a grin on his face.

  "I heard from Yuji that you and Kugisaki came back with Ryuji?"

  Though his tone was casual, Gojo's words carried a deeper meaning.

  Despite his usual nont demeanojo genuinely cared about his students. He wasn't asking because of gossip, but because he was worried that Ryuji might've tried to take advantage of them.

  If Ryuji had dared to do anything inappropriate to his students, Gojo wouldn't sit idly by, even if he couldn't beat him.

  "..."

  Maki didn't reply immediately but g Yuji, who was currently sparring on the field.

  "Hiss!"

  A sudden chill ran down Yuji Itadori's neck, causing him to flinch. At that exaent, Panda, who was his training partner, nded a solid pun Yuji's face, sending him flying.

  "Why are you spag out now?" Panda asked, not particurly ed about whether Yuji would be hurt by the punch, given his physical resilience.

  Still, Panda was fused. Usually, Yuji didn't zo at such random moments.

  "I don't know what happened!" Yuji scratched his neck as he stood back up, looking puzzled.

  "I just felt this chill, like someone was staring at me."

  He kept scratg his neck, trying to make sense of the strange sensation. But as he spoke, he turned his head and locked eyes with Maki, atg him with a cold, expressionless gaze from not too far away.

  Oh no. That look… am I going to die? Please don't kill me!

  Thankfully, Maki didn't gre at him for too long.

  After all, she knew Yuji's carefree personality. He probably didn't mean anything by what he said.

  Turnitention back to Gojo Satoru, Maki replied curtly, "It's nothing. Ryuji was o me."

  "Oh, really now?"

  Gojo's grin widehough he often acted pyful and unserious, he wasn't oblivious.

  "o you? No way. Don't tell me something actually happened betweewo of you?"

  "..."

  Before Maki could expin, Gojo's mind had already started running wild.

  "Now that I think about it, given Ryuji's strength, it'd be a piece of cake for him to crush the Zenin family."

  Gojo knew how difficult Maki's life had been growing up in the Zenin . Her main driving force all these years—the thing that pushed her to train so hard, was her desire to one day take revenge on the that had oppressed her.

  "I've always…"

  Maki frowned as Gojo's words trailed off.

  She had never sidered using Ryuji's strength to exact revenge on the Zenin family. Yes, she had been drawn to his power at first, but her e with him had grown out of admiration not as a means to an end.

  Before she could expin further, however, Gojo Satoru suddenly called out loudly:

  "Mina-san!"

  That single shout immediately caught everyone's attention.

  Inumaki and Panda—Maki's cssmates—along with Fushiguro Megumi, Yuji, Nobara, and others all stopped what they were doing and turoward them.

  Yuta Okkotsu was still overseas training and rec his strength, so he wasn't present.

  "Maki's in love!"

  Realizing what Gojo was about to do, Maki tried to stop him—but it was too te.

  "!!!"

  For a moment, the entire field fell into silence.

  Then, in the sed, figures rushed toward them at lightning speed.

  "No way! Someoually likes Maki?"

  "Who is it? Tell us!"

  "This is unbelievable!"

  Maki shot a deadly gre at Gojo, her frustration evident.

  Everyone was clearly just excited to stir up drama. After all, their days were usually speher training or battling cursed spirits, opportunities fossip were few and far between. Now that they'd heard something iing, how could they let it slide?

  "No way…"

  Among them, Nobara seemed to have an inkling of the truth.

  She had been there when it happened and had almost bee involved herself. She truly couldn't believe Maki had mao pull something like that off.

  Looking at Maki in disbelief, Nobara muttered, "..."

  Maki didn't say a word but looked visibly embarrassed.

  Whatever. If it's out, it's out. It's not like Maki was the type to shy away from trouble.

  "Anyway, if you have any questions, e to me. Don't bother Ryuji. Got it?"

  At the end of her warning, Maki ched her fist, making her meaning abundantly clear.

  "Oh~"

  Everyone nodded obediently, though their expressions made it clear they weren't takihreat all that seriously.

  Still, hearing Ryuji's name, everyone looked surprised—except for Nobara and Yuji, who already knew.

  No one else had expected Maki to have any sort of e with someone like Ryuji.

  "Hmph."

  Sn lightly, Maki igheir teasing looks and turo Gojo.

  "For the record, even if I want to take revenge on the Zenin family, I've hought of relying on Ryuji's strength. I'll do it with my own power."

  "Really? Hahahaha!"

  Gojo's ughter echoed across the field.

  ***

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