53

There's a moniker for Kyoto that all sorcerers are aware of: The Capital of Jujutsu.

This title finds its roots in the history of the land itself. Kyoto was originally named Heian-kyo, and the city was established in the year 794 to serve as the new seat of power for Emperor Kanmu's imperial court. Thus marked the beginning of the Heian period, an era that eventually came to be regarded as the 'Golden Age of Jujutsu.' Many powerful sorcerers had freely walked the lands during those times, and it was then that many advancements in the art of sorcery had been accomplished as well.

Ashiya Sadatsuna and his creation of the Simple Domain, for example. This particular technique was originally meant to be strictly kept to Ashiya's school of thought and his disciples. Outsiders were forbidden from learning their arts –but time eroded their barriers and restrictions against countless interested parties who coveted their secrets.

Nowadays, the Ashiya school is no more. Their very last disciples had vanished into the annals of history sometime during the chaotic unrest of the Sengoku period. From what Shiki was aware of, though, there were certain techniques belonging to the modern-day Shin Kageryu that heavily incorporated the use of Simple Domains. Kusakabe-sensei had demonstrated them before a few times.

… Regardless. Kyoto.

From Heijo-kyo briefly to Nagaoka-kyo, then to Heian-kyo; Kyoto became the country's new capital in the Heian era, and gradually transformed into a center of high art and culture. Kyoto then remained as the capital for centuries afterwards, until the Meiji period when the imperial family moved to Edo. Edo was then renamed Tokyo, and henceforth became the new capital city, continuing to exist as such to this very day.

The jujutsu school that the current administration operated out of wasn't formally established as such until modern times. But it was undeniable that most sorcerers throughout the ages all had some manner of connections in Kyoto, whether it be through family or friends, teachers or prospective allies. Enemies, too –which in most cases, would cause the sorcerer in question to choose to avoid the city entirely.

The end result: It was only natural that the first jujutsu school was built and formally recognized in Kyoto.

… Which was also why the Kyoto school tended to house more conservatives and the like, as compared to its newer sister school that was eventually established in Tokyo. The official reason was to expand the school's reach and provide easier access to resources for more sorcerers from the country's capital. Unofficially, the political climate at the time suggested that the conservative faction may have been an attempt to remove dissenting elements from the heart of the jujutsu world–

"Alright, alright, so let me get this straight," Hakari-san holds up a hand in the universal gesture for 'stop.' "Basically… what you're saying is: Kyoto has a long history with sorcerers, and we can probably also expect to see lots of cranky old fogies?"

Shiki opens her mouth, and closes it. That's not exactly… wrong…?

"Okay, cool," Hakari-san nods firmly, once. "That's all I needed to know."

Hoshi-san coughs, "Er… not that what you're saying isn't interesting, Gojo-san! It's just kind of… well. Don't you think this is a little too much to dump on us like this all at once?"

"Right?" Hakari-san turns around, "Like, I can't tell if it's supposed to be a history lecture or there's also some real subtle message I gotta listen between the lines for–"

"No way," Hoshi-san shakes his head, cutting the other boy off mid-sentence. "You're thinking too much there. She's terrible when it comes to subtext."

Hakari-san pauses. "… Good point."

Shiki is fine with subtext!

… Sometimes. Admittedly, only 'sometimes.'

Depressingly enough, Shiki is probably better at reading the underlying implications in conversations relating to clan politics rather than regular conversations, the latter of which is a skill that she would greatly appreciate…

From the driver's seat, Choki makes a strange coughing sound.

"… You were the ones who told me you didn't know anything about Kyoto," is all Shiki has to offer in her own defense. She'd thought that she'd also heard a silent implication that more information about Kyoto would be appreciated from the two of them… clearly this was her mistake. Well. It wouldn't be the first time that she'd misread one of the many perplexingly convoluted, invisible cues of social conversations.

"Yeah, and your efforts to enlighten us are appreciated," Hakari-san gives her a thumbs-up. "Consider us enlightened, now."

That's probably a sign that Hakari-san doesn't care for hearing any more about the history of Kyoto relating to sorcerers and the jujutsu school that he was a student in, then. As for Hoshi-san… Hoshi-san hadn't been uninterested, exactly, but neither had he seemed to be particularly engaged by the explanation, either.

Shiki makes a mental note that neither of her classmates appear to be interested in history. To be fair, it's not as if Shiki holds any particular love of history, either. She's just happened to read a few texts about it before in her studies. Yuzuki-san was the one who held a passion for the subject. He always had so much to say about it…

"It's pretty cool that Kyoto is, like. 'The Capital of Jujutsu,'" Hoshi-san raises his hands and makes a quoting motion with his fingers. "Takagi-sensei mentioned that a lot of sorcery families can trace their roots to Kyoto somehow, but I guess I just never made that connection. Is that why we're specifically here in Kyoto for Obon?"

"Yes."

"Ah, okay," the boy lets out a sheepish laugh. "So I guess it's not just a vacation, then."

"No, it is." Both of them seem surprised by her response. Why? … She thought she'd been clear about this already? "Neither of you bear responsibilities relating to the ceremony itself. Sorcerers are not permitted to attend the festivities with regular non-sorcerers–"

"Wait, what?!"

"–but it is customary for separate arrangements to be made for the sorcerers gathering to attend the okuribi," Shiki finishes sedately. "I hope for a decent performance from the Kamo this year."

… Hopefully better than their last performance, at any rate. The last time that the Kamo Clan had been in charge of preparations for Obon was three years ago. That had been the same year when Shiki's kidnapping incident had occurred, followed by the death of the Kamo clan head. Which then plunged the clan itself headfirst into heavy internal conflict. The Kamo had been forced to hastily prepare for Obon's ceremonies while simultaneously dealing with their troubles, plagued by both their own infighting and by external adversaries circling them like vultures.

Shiki remained unsympathetic to the Kamo Clan's plight.

"Man," Hakari-san says, "Imagine getting to come all the way to Kyoto for Obon, only to be told upon arrival that we're not allowed to join the regular festivities. Think we can sneak out or something?"

An old memory flits across Shiki's mind. She recalls the first year that she'd attended Obon, and how the Fushiguro siblings had convinced her into sneaking out together to wander down to the streets filled with bright lights and countless festival stalls.

"I would advise against it," Shiki shakes her head, because it's only the appropriate response to make in the face of such a comment. "Did Takagi-sensei not explain why?"

"Uh… he just said that we're invited to come along to Kyoto with you for Obon?"

… Shiki suspects that Takagi-sensei had additionally taken the time to explain some general background knowledge on the event to his students, except the boys had probably been a little too excited by the prospect of a trip to Kyoto to listen properly. She supposes that she can't exactly blame them for their reaction, though. This would be the first proper break that either of the two of them had from lessons and training and exorcising curses since the school year started. Tsumiki had expressed dismay when she'd learned that the jujutsu school didn't allot a solid month's worth of time off for its students.

It's not like Shiki doesn't know what summer vacation is. Tsumiki and Megumi are both on summer vacation right now. But the same concept just doesn't quite apply to the endless work of sorcerers. Ken-jichan had mentioned something about wanting a vacation in Malaysia once, but regrettably there was just never time for anything like that.

There's never enough time for anything, it seems.

"We've arrived, ojou-sama," Choki's voice sounds from the front of the car, as the vehicle that they're riding in slows to a gentle stop.

"Thank you, Choki." Shiki steps outside, stretching slightly. Behind her, Hoshi-san is the first to clamber out, followed swiftly by Hakari-san.

"Whew! That was a long… ride…" Hakari-san's words trail off into silence, his expression turning slightly fixed. He turns towards Shiki, "Is this really where we're staying?"

Was that in question? Shiki glances towards the Gojo clan's Kyoto estate. Hoshi-san is also wearing a strange expression on his face, mouth dropped slightly agape. It doesn't appear as if there's anything amiss, though. There's nothing that seems to be wrong with the cluster of buildings beyond the gateway and bamboo grove planted at the edge of the property as a natural partition.

"… Right, forget what I asked," Hakari-san raises a hand and slaps his own forehead. "Your family is loaded. Why do I keep forgetting that? … I probably should've charged you more back when we first met. Man, what a missed opportunity."

Shiki glances towards Hakari-san, "You should really meet Mei-san sometime. I wonder if she'll be here at Obon this year…"

"Ojou-sama. Your return to the estate is a great honor and joy to us." One of the serving staff approaches them, a middle-aged woman who folds herself into a deep bow before Shiki. She holds the position for a moment, before straightening and offering slightly shallower bows to her classmates as well. "Esteemed guests, welcome."

"U-uh, thanks…?"

The servant dips her head towards them, then turns back towards Shiki. "The honored clan head has already arrived earlier this morning. He was accompanied by the young master and young lady Fushiguro."

Satoru-niichan had mentioned to Shiki a few days ago that he would be heading to Kyoto with the Fushiguro siblings just slightly ahead of her. It's good to hear that they've arrived safely.

Shiki nods, "Thank you for letting me know, Sato."

The woman bows deeply once more. "Your words honor me, ojou-sama. It is a pleasure to be of service."

Shiki bids Choki a brief farewell at the gates, and enters the clan's estate with her classmates trailing behind her. Both of the boys seem extremely curious about the Kyoto estate, but Shiki has learned her lesson this time. The chances of either of them being interested in the estate's history are quite vanishingly unlikely.

Shiki accompanies her classmates to the guest buildings, where a younger servant, Keiko, is the one who leads them to the rooms that have been prepared for the additional visitors.

"Out of curiosity, do you actually know everyone working here?" Hoshi-san asks her eventually, once Keiko has left to allow them time to settle into their new accommodations.

"Yes." Shiki had been about to leave as well, but she pauses obligingly by the doorway upon hearing her classmate's sudden question. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you called both Sato-san and Keiko-san by name, so I guess I was just wondering." For a brief moment, Hoshi-san is silent in thought. "… It's a lot of names to remember, isn't it?"

Perhaps.

"I have a good memory," Shiki shrugs. "… Besides, it's only natural for me to know the names of the people whose labor I directly benefit from. Their work might be unassuming, but it is essential all the same. The Gojo Clan would not be half as effective as it is without the efforts of those who help to keep everything operating smoothly."

She doesn't know the name of every single person who works as part of the Gojo Clan's staffing. But for the ones in her general orbit that she is aware of, Shiki has made a conscious effort to remember. It's not so much empathy on her part as it is just… common decency, really. Because isn't itonly the polite thing to do, to acknowledge someone when you see and recognize them for the work they do?

"Can't argue with that," is what Hakari-san has to say about it. There are many sorcerers who somehow seem to think that the ability to use cursed energy makes them greater than others. It doesn't. The only thing that the ability to use cursed energy brings is intertwining one's fate with curses, which oftentimes leads to painful, violent death.

Humans die all the same, sorcerer or not.

… Everything comes to an eventual end, one day.

But that does not mean the present is meaningless. Death does not mean inconsequential, after all. If Shiki were to reflect upon the times when–

"There you are!"

The sudden sound of a cheery voice instantly pulls Shiki from her scattered thoughts. Recognizable footsteps thud against the floorboards from behind her, and she turns around–

Bright laughter. A brief hug, warm arms wrapping around her with a feather-light touch, then letting go again just as quickly.

Tsumiki smiles at her. "Hi, Shiki!"

"Hello, Tsumiki. It's good to see you again," she responds with a small, answering smile of her own, and glances over the other girl's shoulder. "Megumi isn't with you?"

"He's taking a shower right now. There was a little, um," Tsumiki waves her hands in front of herself. "Training mishap, I guess you'd call it."

A training mishap? "Is everything alright?"

"Yes! It's fine, Satoru-san was supervising so no one was hurt or anything. Things just got a little, um. Muddy." Tsumiki's expression twitches slightly, almost as if she's doing her best to suppress an involuntary smile at the memory of the scene.

Shiki nods slowly. If Satoru-niichan had been watching over Megumi, then there probably wasn't anything to be concerned about. She doesn't really know what Tsumiki means by 'muddy,' but if she had to guess… it's probably related to an attempt to summon and subdue a new shikigami. Megumi had mentioned something about that when they'd spoken with each other last week, although it appears that he'd been unsuccessful this time.

"I'm glad you're finally here! Are you… oh." Tsumiki blinks, words trailing off into silence as she catches sight of Hoshi-san and Hakari-san, both of whom are staring from the open doors of their respective rooms. The girl brightens, "Are they your classmates, Shiki?"

"Yes." This is where Shiki introduces them, right? She gestures towards the boys first. "Hoshi Kirara, and Hakari Kinji. We're all in the same class for first years. Hoshi-san, Hakari-san, this is Fushiguro Tsumiki."

"Hello!" Tsumiki says brightly. "It's nice to finally meet you both in person. Thanks for looking out for Shiki!"

"Oh! Oh, um," Hoshi-san startles slightly, then automatically steps forward with a smile. Shiki tilts her head –is that bewilderment that she sees on her classmate's face? "Honestly, I'd say that it's the other way around. Gojo-san has been helping both of us a lot."

She has?

"Ooh, is she a friend of yours?" Hakari-san asks Shiki as he makes his way over. It's less a question and more a factual statement, though. He doesn't wait for any response from her, instead turning and raising his hand in a friendly wave towards Tsumiki. Hakari-san grins broadly, "Yo! You two seem pretty familiar with each other. Has the stabby little princess been telling stories about us?"

… The what?

Shiki side-eyes her grinning classmate, while Tsumiki coughs hastily in an attempt to hide her aborted laughter.

"You could say that," Tsumiki manages, once she catches her breath again.

The conversation that follows afterwards is… friendly. Shiki carefully observes her classmates getting along with Tsumiki, and is quietly pleased by their interactions. Tsumiki has a bright, cheerful personality, and both Hakari-san and Hoshi-san seem to respond well to that.

Her classmates also seem to be quite curious about Tsumiki. In particular, they seem to be curious about Tsumiki and Shiki.

… Is it because they're classmates? Shiki wonders if it's expected of her to be interested in Hoshi-san and Hakari-san's friends as well. Oh, should she also be asking after Tsumiki's circle of friends at school? … Is she being a bad friend by not asking about it?

"–so I was wondering, how did you meet each other?" Hoshi-san asks Tsumiki.

"Ah, we met when Satoru-san brought me and Megumi –my brother– back to the Gojo Clan with him," the other girl answers. Then, with a soft hum, "That was… almost seven years ago, I think?"

Hakari-san whistles. "Seven years?"

"Mhm!" Tsumiki's eyes curve into crescents as she smiles again, a radiant expression. "We're childhood friends."

The term is not inaccurate. Shiki encountered Tsumiki and her brother when she was nine years old, whereupon Satoru-niichan then summarily assumed the position of clan head shortly thereafter. Seven long years of acquaintanceship, of spending time in each other's company… she doesn't think about it like this very often, but they have been friends for quite some time now, haven't they?

"You've known each other since you were kids?" Hoshi-san gapes, then leans forward excitedly. "So that means you know all the best stories, right?"

Stories?

Tsumiki blinks. One hand comes up to rest at the bottom of her chin, "Well, I suppose I do have a few fun stories about Shiki to tell…"

She turns and winks playfully at Shiki. Shiki looks back placidly, not quite understanding of her friend's intentions.

Tsumiki seems to pick up on that, though; her playful expression turns fond instead. "So, what do you think? What embarrassing childhood story would you like me to share with your classmates?"

… Ah, so that was what Hoshi-san meant by 'best stories.' Shiki appreciates the tacit clarification.

"Anything is fine, Tsumiki."

"Boo. Your reaction is no fun," Tsumiki pokes her in the side. Her words are those of complaint, but her voice is filled with good-natured teasing.

Shiki shrugs.

Embarrassing childhood stories… Isao-san's death probably doesn't count. Ah, she hadn't met Tsumiki back then, either. Maybe Satoru-niichan's rise to clan head? According to Yuzuki-san, Shiki had 'railroaded half the clan' into declaring support for her cousin during that particular clan meeting, completely unintentionally. Yuzuki-san had needed to spell things out for her in the aftermath. Although… despite being very good with social nuances, Tsumiki wasn't very involved with clan politics, so that probably wouldn't be a story that she would pick to tell, either.

… Oh. Maybe she would choose to tell her classmates about the time they made mochi together? Kiyohira-sensei had given them a look when he'd returned that day, only to find the contents of the entire kitchen covered in a fine layer of rice flower. Children and Panda had both been present as well at the time, and Shiki distinctly remembers using several buckets of water to wash out the rice flour from Panda's fur.

Suddenly, she finds herself a little curious about what childhood incident her friend might pick.

"You can decide," she tells Tsumiki.

"Or, uh, it doesn't exactly have to be an embarrassing story," Hoshi-san adds, glancing briefly towards Hakari-san, before returning his gaze towards Tsumiki again. "We're both a little curious about Gojo-san, and she's not very talkative about herself, so…"

"She's not, is she?" Tsumiki giggles. "… Alright, then. Want to hear about the time we sneaked out to join the regular festivities for Obon?"

Both of her classmates' heads instantly whip towards Shiki.

"You did not," Hakari-san gasps, delighted.

Hoshi-san immediately turns back to Tsumiki, "Please, tell us everything."

.

.

"So, I heard you brought your classmates along with you this time?"

"I did," Shiki confirms. Satoru-niichan hums, leaning back on the couch that he's halfway sprawled over. Long limbs dangle from the cushions as he stretches, catlike.

"That's good," he says absently. "They're both from non-sorcerer backgrounds, so… eh. Well, you probably don't need me to remind you of anything. Have fun and keep your knives sharp, okay?"

Curious, Shiki leans over the couch to gauge her cousin's reactions. "Should I be expecting any trouble?"

Satoru-niichan waves his hand, "The Kamos would have to be insane to try and stir up trouble for us again. They've got enough on their plates between the Matoba and their own internal issues. There are a lot of interested parties gathering in Kyoto for the show this year, so it'll be good to keep an extra eye out."

"I will." Shiki knows vaguely about the Kamo Clan's situation with the Matoba Clan. But the ones in charge of the ceremony this year were still the Kamos, right? "… Do you think the Kamos will be able to regain their footing?"

Satoru-niichan lifts his head slightly and shoots her an amused look, "I thought you didn't care about the Kamos?"

"I don't," Shiki peers down towards her cousin. It's not exactly concern that has her asking this question, but she had been cautiously optimistic that there wouldn't be too much clan drama going on this year. From Satoru-niichan's words, though, that's probably a futile thing to hope for.

Well, she'll be happy as long as she doesn't get involved in anything ridiculous.

A lock of long white hair accidentally slips over her shoulder with the movement, landing on Satoru-niichan's face. Her cousin reaches up a hand to brush the hair out of his eyes, reaching up and tucking it back behind her ear in an easy motion.

"No, I didn't think so," he smiles. "Well. The Kamos definitely need to get themselves another new clan head, if they want a chance to stand straight again. It's already been three whole years now, and Kamo Einosuke still hasn't managed to accomplish anything. Another three years will only serve to worsen their situation."

Shiki nods slowly. "If the okuribi this year ends up anything like the one that the Kamos presented last time, then I think they would be better off fully relinquishing their responsibilities in this matter."

Satoru-niichan laughs, "Is that your personal opinion, or your opinion as a branch head?"

"Both." It doesn't stop her from making a small face at the mention of 'branch head,' which only makes her cousin laugh harder.

"You still have complaints about that?"

Unlike several elders that she could name, Shiki isn't someone who enjoys being responsible for other people's wellbeings. But responsibilities are responsibilities; not liking a task is one thing, and neglecting her duties is another.

"Maybe I should just make Kiyohira-sensei the branch head," she mutters with a rare touch of petulance in her voice. Her teacher has been doing a considerable share of the work pertaining to the Tobiume, after all. It wouldn't exactly be unreasonable now if…

Satoru-niichan pinches her cheek, "Does that mean I can steal you to be my clan heir after you're freed, then?"

"… On second thought, maybe being a branch head isn't such a bad thing."

Her cousin snorts, "Still not considering it? It might be a hassle, but it's not as if you wouldn't be familiar with the work involved. Plus, the position has its perks."

Having her hands full with the Tobiume was already enough for Shiki. She did not need to add the entire Gojo Clan onto her plate. Moreover, being clan heir would surely mean sinking even further into the clan's internal politics.

No thank you.

Satoru-niichan seems to read her answer directly from her expression, because he rolls over on the couch to partially prop himself up with one arm so that they're face-to-face with each other. Glittering lights refract and reflect off of each other in crystalline blue eyes.

"Just to be perfectly clear," he says. "You're my first choice for heir. I know you would do a good job of it. But if you do pick up the position, I want it to be by your own choice, and not because it's yet another responsibility that's been shoved onto you. You've already had enough of those."

Shiki huffs, "Can I consider this an apology for teaming up with Daisaku-sama to make me accept the branch head position for the Tobiume?"

"Hey, Daisaku made that particular call allll on his own," Satoru-niichan shrugs and denies. Judging by the drawn-out word and the slight smirk that twitches over his lips, though, Shiki doubts that Satoru-niichan was wholly uninvolved in the matter."But you're long past the point where I'd encourage you to be actively exposed to more of these things for experience and what not."

Shiki supposes that she can understand that. Clan politics… Shiki holds no love for it, but when one is part of a sorcery clan, being aware of such things is self-defense, at the very least.

"Do you want me to be the clan heir?" she asks.

"Have you actually been listening to what I'm saying?" Satoru-niichan pinches her cheek again. "Do what you want to."

"… Even if it doesn't align with your plans?"

"Do what you want to," her cousin repeats, faintly exasperated this time.

Shiki gets the point. A small, sudden burst of inexplicable warmth curls inside her chest, but Shiki isn't quite able to put a name to the emotion.

"Thank you, Satoru-niichan."

"… You're thanking me? Just for stating the obvious?" Satoru-niichan mock-gasps, and there is a sudden whirlwind of movement. Shiki blinks, and finds herself tossed onto the couch. Satoru-niichan also piles a cushion on top of her for good measure, pinning her in place as he reaches over to muss up her hair, hard.

Shiki automatically makes a sound of protest, batting ineffectually at her cousin's hands. Why are his arms so long?!

(Beneath her, the couch is warm.)

"Is this because you've been spending too much time around the elders again? Why are you still so impressionable?" Her cousin wails, long and drawn-out and deliberately obnoxious. He's teasing her again, isn't he? "Don't listen to any of them–"

Shiki fights her way out of the cushion atop her, although there's nothing she can really do about Satoru-niichan himself.

"Satoru-niichan, the cushion–"

"–so you should listen to me instead! Those old fossils are always–"

"–on the couch. And the hairpin is from Ken-jichan, please don't–"

"–the things that they're teaching to my sweet, adorable, cute little–"

Shiki kicks her legs uselessly into the air. "Toru-nii!"

Her cousin laughs, and finally lets her up.

.

.

Extra.

.

"What happened to your hair?"

"It's that obvious?" Gojo-san reaches up and brushes her fingers through her hair with a sigh.

… For as long as Kinji has known her, the girl was always neatly immaculate and perfectly composed, so it's a little jarring to see her like this. Her long white hair is in disarray, and even the flower hairpin looks like it's lopsided.

Considering that he's seen Gojo-san come out of a fight against vicious cursed spirits without so much as a single hair out of place, he doesn't know whether to be alarmed or amused at what he's seeing.

She's a strange girl. Kinji realized this from the first moment he laid eyes on her that day in the streets, and knew it for sure when he'd felt her cursed energy.

This was someone who could kill him, easily. Someone who didn't hesitate to kill –and Kinji relished the challenge.

She's also a bit of an odd duck, though. Or maybe a better way to describe her would be like one of those aloof cats, the ones that could sit there and watch you with wide, eerie eyes, then have the gall to seem surprised when they finally scared off their target.

But she's not a bad person. Callous, perhaps, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Kinji also knows that he is not without his own rough edges, so he doesn't really have any room to be saying things about other people here. It's also fun to tease her, sometimes. Gojo-san is the sort of person to take most things in stride, so it's all in good fun. Anyone with eyes can see that she's not exactly a very sociable person, she's also making an effort. And, well. That's all anyone could ever ask, really.

He and Hoshi could never quite understand just what it was that motivated her to act like this. Because for someone who wanted to make new friends, she honestly didn't seem to care too much for what her classmates thought of her. But if she was someone who didn't want to make friends –then why bother talking to them and spending time with them even outside of their regularly scheduled lessons?

He thinks that he has a better idea of what's going on with that after meeting Fushiguro-chan, though.

Fushiguro Tsumiki is on the opposite end of the spectrum from Gojo Shiki in terms of personality. Friendly, extroverted, cheerful… it was a little hard to imagine Gojo-san getting along well with such a person, given that she didn't like to speak much at all. The most verbose that Kinji has heard her being was when she was explaining sorcery-relevant things to them. And even then, it often sounded more like she was reciting things.

Fushiguro-chan had reached out and hugged her. Easily, her motions perfectly smooth and natural. And Gojo-san had just stood there and accepted it, equally natural.

Kinji has never seen Gojo-san like that with anyone before. She's definitely not cuddly, but it would be a lie to say that she's completely standoffish and ice-cold. Granted, it's true that the girl isn't someone easy to get close to. Most days, Kinji still can't tell what's going on in her mind.

… No one really seems to know much about Gojo-san. Not Takagi-sensei, who'd only met her a few months ago when she'd entered the Tokyo school as a new student, and not Hoshi-san, who'd admitted to meeting the girl years ago –"She saved my life"– when she'd killed a cursed spirit at his school. And most certainly not Aikawa, who really needed to check her attitude and pull that stick out of her–

"Your hair! Are you okay? What happened?"

Hey, nice to see that Hoshi's reaction is exactly the same as his. The boy might not be the strongest out of the three of them, but he's definitely the one you don't want to get on the bad side of. Because Gojo-san probably wouldn't even register it as a problem (read: Aikawa), Kinji would probably just punch the offender in the face and then promptly forget, but Hoshi? Hoshi remembers.

Also: Steal Hoshi's pudding from the fridge at your own peril. Which has absolutely nothing to do with anything whatsoever.

Gojo-san looks up towards the sky silently for a moment. "… Satoru-niichan happened."

Hoshi blinks, "Who?"

… Wait a second. Satoru. Kinji remembers him –that smiling man whose appearance was uncannily similar to that of Gojo-san's, except a lot taller. He wouldn't have been surprised if they were siblings, but they were distant cousins, apparently?

Both of them were equally terrifying.

"That would be me!" A new voice sing-songs brightly. It's also a distinctly familiar voice. Kinji turns around, and there's someone standing right behind them, when he was sure that there hadn't been anyone at all just a second ago–!

Hoshi looks at the new arrival, then whips around to look at their long-suffering classmate. He glances between them a few times, rubbing his eyes. "Gojo-san, is he your bro–"

"He's not my brother," the girl cuts Hoshi off mid-sentence, clearly used to this sort of question by this point. "Hoshi-san, Hakari-san, this is Gojo Satoru. He's my cousin. Also the current head of the Gojo Clan."

Gojo. Kinji might not be too familiar with all the nuances of the sorcery world yet, but… "… That's supposed to be a big deal, isn't it?"

The man snickers, sounding way too amused, "Yeah, you could say that I'm a 'big deal.'"

Huh. There are really people out there who just admit things like that?

"Hey, Gojo-san–" Kinji pauses when both white-haired not-siblings turn towards him. "… Okay, this is going to get really confusing really quickly."

"Call me by name, then," his classmate says without batting an eye, evidently unbothered. "Just 'Shiki' is fine."

Hoshi startles, "U-um, then just calling me 'Kirara' is fine as well!"

Huh. In that case…

"You guys should call me," Kinji says lightly, "'Kin-chan.'"

Gojo-san –Shiki– looks between the two of them, slow and assessing, while her cousin smiles from the sidelines.

"Kirara. Kinji," is what she eventually settles on.

Clearly, he's got his work cut out for him.

"… Well, it was worth a shot."

.

.

…

.