Arriving in Kyoto

Inside the bullet train, just after Eiji finished eating the blueberry jam bread he bought at the convenience store before departure, an announcement echoed through the train that they were about to arrive at Kyoto station.

"We're almost in Kyoto."

Panda looked out the window eagerly.

"Are you a preschooler? Relax, you can see everything later."

Maki sighed because her classmates were peculiar individuals, one of them being not a person but a panda.

"Sorry, sorry, I got too excited."

Scratching the back of his head, Panda sat obediently in his seat.

After the bullet train stopped at the station, they gathered their belongings and got off.

As they stepped into the station, their group stood out among the pedestrians.

"Mom, there's a panda."

"Hush, don't look. That's someone in a costume."

A little boy pointed at Panda, but his mother stopped him and led him away.

As Eiji mentioned before, although Panda attracted attention, it didn't cause a commotion to the extent that someone would call the police.

On the contrary, the appearances of Eiji and Toge captivated the hearts of many young girls, especially the women from the Face Association. After all, both of them were handsome men equivalent to models.

"Now, where do we go?" Maki asked.

Panda and Toge exchanged glances, then looked at Eiji.

"..."

Feeling their gaze, Eiji took out his phone from his jacket pocket, tapped the screen, and made a call. He also activated the speaker so that Panda and the others could hear.

The call connected quickly.

"Hello, who is this?"

Satoru's casual voice was heard.

"Gojo-sensei, you don't even save your cousin's number?"

Before Eiji could answer, Maki complained about his cheeky behavior.

"Aree~ this is Maki's voice, do you miss me? No~, the romantic relationship between a teacher and a student is taboo. I know my charm is too hard for women to resist, especially young girls like you. Sorry, born to find someone else. What about Kamiki? He's handsome, rich, and your age. You two would make a perfect couple."

*💢*

In just one breath, Satoru said many things, causing veins to bulge on Maki's forehead.

She restrained herself from causing a scene at the station.

Feeling her anger, Panda and Toge stepped back a bit, only Eiji remained in his place seemingly unaffected by the atmosphere.

"Gojo-sensei, can you stop talking? Every word of yours raises my blood pressure. Also, don't be too confident. With your annoying personality, you deserve to stay single for a lifetime."

After taking a deep breath, Maki calmed down. Then, she uttered venomous words, even though the other party was her homeroom teacher.

She didn't like the feeling of rejection, even though she didn't admit it.

"Ha ha ha... Single for a lifetime? You're saying interesting things, Maki."

Satoru laughed heartily.

"Kamiki, this your cousin, I leave this matter to you."

Maki didn't want to talk to him any longer; she was afraid her emotions would explode.

"Hello, Gojo-sensei, it's me."

"Turns out it's Kamiki, what's up?"

Satisfied with teasing his student, Satoru asked.

"We've arrived at Kyoto station, where are you?"

"Have you arrived? Sorry, I can't pick you up. Right now, I'm eating mochi at the legendary shop in Kyoto. The hotel is booked; you're high school students now, don't rely too much on Sensei, try to be independent."

Between taking care of students and enjoying sweet treats, Satoru had no hesitation in choosing.

Of course, the sweet treats!

"I—"

Before Eiji could finish his sentence, the call ended.

*TUT TUT TUT*

"..."

Eiji's eyes twitched slightly, indicating that his mood wasn't as calm as it seemed.

"You're amazing, Kamiki. You've been living with weird people like that for over a decade. If it were me, I wouldn't endure it and choose to live alone." Maki sincerely said.

"I'm used to it." Eiji said indifferently.

"By the way, did Gojo-sensei tell us which hotel we'll be staying at?" Panda asked.

"Tuna mayo." Toge also expressed his uncertainty.

Reminded by the three of them, Eiji called his cousin again.

"Hello, who is this?"

The opening was the same as before.

Not wanting to beat around the bush, Eiji said firmly, "Gojo-sensei, send the hotel coordinates."

"Haven't I sent it? Sorry, sorry, it seems I forgot. Okay, I've sent it. The Goodwill Event starts tomorrow; you're free to do anything today. See you later tonight."

Satoru hung up again.

*DING*

Hearing the message notification, Eiji opened it and accessed the maps.

"The hotel is about a 20-minute walk. Do you want to take a taxi or walk?"

He asked for their opinions.

"Let's just walk! We can enjoy Kyoto's customs."

"Salmon."

"I don't mind."

Toge and Maki agreed with Panda's suggestion.

As for Eiji, he followed their decision.

Then, they dragged their belongings and began to walk.

"Look, Toge! This is a really huge station! It's no less than Tokyo!"

"Salmon!"

Panda and Toge looked excited. They pointed their fingers everywhere and commented on every sight.

Kyoto station's roof was covered by a large atrium, and there were many automatic escalators.

As a tourist destination, Kyoto station was crowded and bustling with local residents and tourists on vacation.

"This is embarrassing."

Maki held her forehead and walked beside Eiji. She didn't want to be associated with the two.

Under Eiji's leadership, they left the station and moved toward the ancient capital.

"Ah, that's Kyoto Tower!"

Hearing Panda's shout, everyone looked in that direction.

"So that's Kyoto Tower, huh... Not as big as I expected."

Maki's casual remark earned her annoyed glares from locals who happened to hear.

"Be careful with your words. We came here not to cause trouble."

"Alright, alright, I understand."

Following Eiji's advice, she restrained herself from making rude comments.

Toge quickly took out his camera to take photos and snapped pictures of Panda, Eiji, and Maki.

He even asked a pedestrian to help capture them together in front of the fountain near the station.

As they were not in a hurry, it took them a while to reach the hotel.

After almost half an hour, they arrived at the super luxurious five-star hotel. Its name was Hotel Okura Kyoto.

"Wow, are we staying in such a nice place?" Panda exclaimed in surprise.

"Caviar..." Toge also reacted similarly to Panda.

"It's only fitting for Jujutsu Sorcerers to receive the best accommodation. After all, the reasons for peace and societal order are due to the hard work and sacrifices of Jujutsu Sorcerers."

Eiji's expression remained unchanged.

"Kamiki's words might sound unpleasant, but that's the reality. Without Jujutsu Sorcerers, Cursed Spirits disasters would lead to instability in society."

On this matter, Maki agreed with him.

"Tuna?"

"What's up, Kamiki?"

As they were about to enter the hotel, Panda and Toge noticed Eiji standing still, looking in a certain direction with a bewildered expression.

"Why are you just standing there?"

Near the door, Maki turned around and saw the two men and one Panda not following inside.