Haruno

Sukuna paused mid-gulp, the can of beer halfway to his lips. He lowered it slowly, turning to Yukino with an expression of feigned innocence. "Did you say something? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

Yukino frowned, her expression filled with disapproval. "You're already indulging in alcohol? Right after leaving my body?"

"Just savoring the feeling of being alive," Sukuna replied with a smile, raising the beer can. "Want one?"

"Encouraging underage drinking? Are you planning on going to jail, Sukuna-kun?"

"It's not a crime if you don't get caught."

Sukuna finished the rest of the beer in two gulps and tossed the can into the trash. He then extended his hand towards Yukino.

"?"

Yukino looked at his outstretched hand in confusion. His palm was broad and strong, his fingers long and slender – the kind that could be used for hand modeling. "What do you mean?"

"Give me the money," he said matter-of-factly. "The reward Ijichi gave you for the last mission."

"I don't carry that kind of money around. It's at home, of course." Yukino eyed him suspiciously. "That money should rightfully be partly yours… I don't mind giving it all to you, but what are you planning to do with it?"

"Buy a house."

"That's… surprising."

Yukino blinked in surprise, her bewildered expression quite endearing.

"What else would I do with it?" Sukuna rolled his eyes playfully. "I can't keep living at your place forever, can I?"

"Wouldn't you consider renting first?"

"If I have the money, of course I'd prioritize buying."

"Even so, the reward from Ijichi-san probably isn't enough to buy a whole house, right?" Yukino asked.

"It's fine. It should be enough for a down payment. I can always borrow some from you or your sister." Sukuna said casually. "I can earn it back quickly by selling my services to Jujutsu High a few times."

"I… I see." Yukino's gaze suddenly turned evasive. "Let's put that aside for now. I'll go prepare… dinner?"

When she looked up, Sukuna was gone. The wind blew in through the open balcony door, rustling the curtains. The setting sun cast a warm glow on Yukino, as if draping her in a golden veil. A quiet loneliness filled the apartment.

The sound of a key turning in the lock broke the silence. A voice, laced with playful amusement, drifted in from the doorway.

"My, my, what have we here? A handsome young man drinking alone in my apartment? How scandalous."

Yukino whirled around to see her sister, Haruno Yukinoshita, leaning against the doorframe with a sly smile. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she took in the scene.

"Haruno-nee-san!" Yukino exclaimed, flustered. "You're back early."

"Indeed I am," Haruno purred, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. "And it seems I've stumbled upon a most intriguing situation." She sauntered over to the sofa, her gaze fixed on the empty beer can in Sukuna's hand. "Care to explain yourself, young man?"

Sukuna, unfazed by her playful interrogation, merely raised an eyebrow. "Explain what? I was thirsty."

"Thirsty for what, exactly?" Haruno pressed, her smile widening. "Surely a boy your age shouldn't be indulging in such… adult beverages."

"Age is just a number," Sukuna retorted with a smirk. "Besides, it's not like I'm driving."

Haruno chuckled, thoroughly amused by his nonchalant attitude. "Such confidence. I like it." She settled onto the sofa beside him, her eyes twinkling. "So, tell me, Sukuna-kun… What brings you to my humble abode?"

Sukuna, sensing a challenge in her tone, leaned back and met her gaze with a playful glint in his own eyes. "Just visiting a friend."

"A friend, hmm?" Haruno drawled, her voice laced with playful skepticism. "And what kind of friend would leave you alone to drink beer in their apartment while they're out?"

"The kind who trusts me not to trash the place," Sukuna countered smoothly.

Haruno laughed, a melodic sound that filled the room. "Touché. Well, in that case, I suppose I can't fault your manners." She paused, her smile turning sly. "But I am curious… What kind of friend would allow you to call them by their first name?"

Sukuna's lips curled into a knowing smirk. "The kind who doesn't mind a little informality."

Haruno's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Oh? And how informal are we talking here?"

Sukuna leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Depends on how much you're willing to play along."

Haruno's smile widened, a hint of mischief dancing in her eyes. "Now that sounds interesting…"

Haruno Yukinoshita stared at her sister, her eyes wide with surprise. The glow of the setting sun blurred her vision as memories surfaced. The carefree, smiling face of her little sister, who used to follow her around like a shadow, gradually overlapped with the determined young woman before her.

Snapping back to reality, Haruno suddenly flopped onto the sofa, abandoning any pretense of ladylike behavior. Spreading her arms dramatically like Shizuka Hiratsuka, she declared, "Ahh, I'm hungry! Yukino, make dinner for your dear sister!"

The serious atmosphere shattered. Yukino blinked, then smiled helplessly. "Alright, alright." She got up to check the refrigerator for ingredients.

After Yukino disappeared into the kitchen, Haruno stared at the ceiling, letting out a sigh only she could hear. Her beautiful face remained calm, betraying none of her inner turmoil.

Dinner was ready soon. At the table, Yukino mentioned Sukuna's plans to buy a house, hoping Haruno could help him.

"After all, Sukuna-kun isn't from this era. He must be clueless about the procedures for buying property," Yukino said.

However, whether Sukuna was truly from a thousand years ago and what his true identity was remained a mystery. She hadn't had the chance to ask before he disappeared.

"Oh my, Yukino is quite concerned about Sukuna-kun~" Haruno teased.

"I just don't want him to be scammed out of his money. After all, I was the one doing most of the work exorcising curses," the black-haired girl replied calmly, taking a sip of miso soup.

"Okay, okay, I understand." Haruno readily agreed to her sister's request. "Then give me Sukuna-kun's contact information."

"..."

Yukino froze, her expression stiffening.

"You don't have Sukuna-kun's contact information?" Haruno chuckled, amused by her sister's flustered reaction. "It seems you'll have to wait for him to contact you."

"Come to think of it, Sukuna-kun doesn't even have any identification." Yukino put down her bowl, her face troubled.

"Are you leaving already? Won't you stay the night?" Haruno asked. "Now that Sukuna-kun is gone, you can finally bathe and sleep with your sister again."

"No, I have school tomorrow," Yukino replied, changing her shoes at the entrance.

"You're actually worried about Sukuna-kun, aren't you?" Haruno leaned against the wall, teasing her sister.

"No way. That guy needs someone to worry about him?" Yukino scoffed, slipping on her shoes. "I'd be more worried about the poor souls who get on his bad side."

"That's true." Haruno chuckled, waving goodbye.

After Yukino left, the apartment fell silent again, save for the hum of the air conditioner.

Haruno enjoyed the quiet. With her wide social circle, she was always surrounded by people. This rare moment of peace was a welcome change.

After clearing the table, Haruno, feeling slightly sweaty, decided to take a bath. She had gone to see Shizuka Hiratsuka to help excuse Yukino's absence from school and had been dragged out for ramen. She needed to wash off the lingering smell of food.

As she emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a white towel, she heard a strange noise from the balcony.

"Hmm? It's just you? Yukinoshita already left?"

Sukuna glanced at the empty living room, his gaze finally settling on Haruno in the towel, her fair skin exposed. The curves that were hidden on Yukino were clearly visible on Haruno.

Haruno's mind went blank when she saw a strange boy suddenly appear in her home. Instinctively, she clutched the towel tighter until he spoke.

Although his face was unfamiliar, his voice was not.

"Sukuna-kun?" she asked tentatively.

"It's me. I suppose this is our first official meeting?" Sukuna nodded.

Haruno relaxed. It had to be Sukuna; no one else would use the balcony as an entrance.

"Please, have a seat. If you're looking for Yukino, she left a while ago," Haruno said, trying to sound casual. She retreated to her room and closed the door.

A blush crept onto her cheeks. Being seen in a towel by a boy she was meeting for the first time was flustering, even for someone as socially adept as her.

After calming herself and changing into comfortable clothes, Haruno returned to the living room.

Sukuna was already relaxing on the sofa, drinking. Seeing her, he casually tossed her a can of beer from the table.

"You're quite at home here, Sukuna-kun," Haruno said with mock reproach, catching the chilled can.

"Practice makes perfect." Sukuna smiled and raised his can in cheers.

Haruno didn't hesitate, opening the can and taking a sip. She settled into the single-seat sofa beside him, her curious gaze sweeping over the boy who seemed far too young for his accomplishments.

"I didn't expect Sukuna-kun to be so young. I thought you'd be some boring old geezer."

The system had based Sukunai's appearance on his past life, and since he had been isekai'd at a young age, his current body was naturally young as well.

Besides, he had the kind of face that didn't age easily. In his past life, even in his twenties, when he stood next to his teenage cousin, people often mistook him for the younger one.

"I have a youthful appearance," Sukuna joked, playing along.

"But Sukuna-kun has black hair."

"Just dyed it. Makes me look younger. Judging by your reaction, it seems to be working."

Haruno laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.

"I heard from Yukino that you're planning to buy a house? Do you need any help?" After her laughter subsided, she remembered her sister's request.

"It would be great to have some help. I'll leave it to you then, Haruno-nee-san."

"Even if it's to differentiate me from Yukino, you don't have to use such a strange title. Just call me Haruno, Sukuna-kun."

"Then I'll leave it to you, Haruno."

…

Yukino returned home around nine o'clock. The apartment was dark; no one was home.

She fumbled for the light switch, illuminating the living room. The white light felt cold and sterile. Switching to the softer, orange-toned chandelier made the space feel lonely.

Without the noisy presence in her head, Yukino felt strangely unaccustomed to the silence.

She retreated to her room, sat at her desk, and picked up the unfinished book she had been reading—Natsume Sōseki's I Am a Cat.

Lost in the world of the book, Yukino's thoughts gradually calmed. As bedtime approached, she followed her usual routine, showering and getting ready for bed.

Now free from a certain annoying presence who loved to disrupt her sleep with jokes and scary stories, she quickly drifted off to dreamland.

Perhaps exhausted from the intense battle her body had been through, she slept soundly. Even the sound of running water from the bathroom in the early morning only made her frown and roll over, unwilling to get up.

Her biological clock finally woke her up at 6:30 AM.

Yukino groggily got out of bed and was about to head to the bathroom when she noticed the curtains in the living room, which she had closed last night, were now wide open, along with the glass door leading to the balcony.

The morning sunlight streamed in, making her squint.

In her blurry vision, she saw a figure sitting gracefully on the bamboo lounge chair, facing the rising sun. He held a wine glass, gently swirling the red liquid, as if he were already a winner in life, basking in the world's beauty without a care in the world.

Except, the apartment wasn't his, the wine was most likely stolen, and even the towel he was wearing was probably snatched from the bathroom.

"Sukuna-kun?"

Yukino's expression went through a series of rapid changes – surprise, disbelief, and finally, utter exasperation.

She stared at Sukuna, who was shirtless, wrapped in a towel, and drinking wine on her balcony. She was speechless.

"What are you doing in my house?" she finally managed to ask.

"I'm using the first rays of sunlight to greet my new life. It's a ritual," Sukuna replied calmly, taking a sip of wine. "You know, Yukinoshita, rituals are very important."

Ignoring his nonsense, Yukino glanced at the newly opened bottle of wine on the small table. "Where did you get that wine? I don't think we have any at home."

"Your sister gave it to me," he said nonchalantly.

"Honestly, my sister..." Yukino sighed, shaking her head as she went to the bathroom to wash up.

Sukuna-kun could afford to be leisurely, but she couldn't. She had school.

After washing up, she started preparing breakfast and lunch for school. Sukuna, having finished his wine, returned to the living room and sat on the sofa.

He picked up Yukino's phone from the table and expertly entered her password.

Thanks to the open kitchen, Yukino immediately noticed his actions. "Sukuna-kun, what are you doing with my phone?"

"Calling Ijichi to get me some identification," Sukuna explained, then proceeded to call Ijichi Kiyotaka using Yukino's phone.

The phone rang three times before being answered. Ijichi's voice sounded hoarse, clearly having been woken up.

After explaining the situation, Sukuna put the phone back on the table.

"So, Sukuna-kun, you have nowhere to go now?" Yukino asked while preparing breakfast.

"Pretty much."

"I see." Yukino paused, then hesitantly offered, "Then, would you like to—"

"So, until I get my identification sorted, I'll be staying here for a few days."

Sukuna cut her off before she could finish, not bothering with pleasantries.

Yukino swallowed her words, replacing them with a playful jab. "It seems even with your own body, you've only evolved from a parasite to a hermit crab."

"You're right." Sukuna had already started playing a game on her phone.

For some reason, a subtle feeling of annoyance flickered in Yukino's heart.

After preparing breakfast and lunch, she brought two sets of breakfast to the table and began eating silently.

Finishing her portion, she gathered her things and left for school, leaving Sukuna alone on the sofa, engrossed in his game.

He deliberately let the enemies kill his character, chuckling as he watched the death animation. "Well, at least cover it with a bowl so the smell doesn't waft over."

He got up and went to the table, looking at his untouched breakfast. Yukino had even set out his chopsticks for him.

Sukuna, always tolerant of the girl's little quirks, picked up his chopsticks and started eating the breakfast Yukino had made.

…

Despite saying he would stay for a few days, Ijichi Kiyotaka delivered Sukuna's identification the very next day.

"Here's your driver's license and your teacher's license." Ijichi handed him the documents and related paperwork.

"Teacher's license? Oh, you registered me as a teacher at Jujutsu High?" Sukuna looked at his photo on the ID, nodding in satisfaction.

"Yes, please don't mind it." Ijichi bowed slightly, apologizing for their presumption.

The image of Gojo Satoru flashed through his mind: 'Don't worry, don't worry, he won't mind. Probably.'

"It's fine. Actually, it's perfect." A sly grin spread across Sukuna's face. This gave him the perfect excuse to take charge of Yuji Itadori.

After all, you've admitted it yourselves. I'm a teacher at Jujutsu High. What's wrong with me guiding my own student?