Nearly four months passed in the blink of an eye.
It was the height of summer, and cursed spirits were springing up across the country like mushrooms after the rain.
Knock, knock, knock!
For once, Mukuro wasn't on a mission. He was lounging in his dorm room, enjoying the air conditioning, when an untimely knock sounded at the door.
"Is it Suguru? Or that white-haired idiot again…"
Wrapped in a blanket with the AC turned low, Mukuro grumbled as he reluctantly got up from bed.
Nanami and Haibara had just been called away by Masamichi, so they probably wouldn't be back anytime soon. Ijichi had gone along too, hoping to learn something useful from the teacher.
That meant only three of them, those considered too strong to bother with small fry missions, remained in the entire dorm.
"Huh? No one?"
He opened the door and glanced around, but there was no one.
Confused, he shut the door again.
Knock, knock, knock.
Just as he turned back toward the bed, the knocking started up once more.
"Which guy's messing around this time…"
Mukuro's eyes twitched in irritation. He teleported to the door and yanked it open, but again, no one was in sight.
"Uncle Mukuro, what are you doing?"
A soft voice came from below.
"Hm?"
Looking down, Mukuro found his young nephew, Megumi Fushiguro, staring up at him with an exasperated face.
"What are you doing here?"
"Dad dropped me off and left."
The air went still.
For a long moment, the two just stared at each other in silence.
* * *
Five minutes later.
"What?!"
Megumi was now lying comfortably on Mukuro's bed, enjoying the air conditioning, while Mukuro sat nearby checking his phone. On the screen was a new message from his older brother.
Time: Five minutes ago
Message: Going to Malaysia with Onshin for a trip. Should be back in half a month or maybe a month. Don't miss me. (Megumi's staying with you for now.)
"So… you were just dumped here?" Mukuro's eye twitched again as he looked at the boy, who was sitting on the bed idly playing with his fingers.
"They said I'm too young to go that far."
Maybe he'd inherited Toji's independence, but Megumi didn't cry or fuss like most kids would when separated from their parents. Rather, he calmly got out of bed and began wandering around the room like a little lion inspecting his territory.
"I see…" Mukuro sighed and scratched his head. If they just wanted some alone time. They could've said so instead of making up a lame excuse for the kid!
Knock, knock, knock!
"Anyone in there? Hey, you heterochromatic bastard! If you don't answer, I'm breaking the door down!"
Another round of knocking came from outside, followed by a dramatic countdown.
"What now?"
Mukuro opened the door again, only for a white-haired idiot in sunglasses to stride in with his hands in his pockets.
"Thought I'd ask if you wanted to grab lunch."
Behind Satoru, Suguru walked in with his usual smile, throwing an arm casually around Mukuro's shoulders.
"Hey, hey~ What's up with this brat? Why does he look like such a smug little punk asking for a beating?"
Satoru's face twisted into a look of discomfort. The kid's expression reminded him of a certain "surprise inspection" from the past he'd rather forget.
They were practically identical!
"This is Megumi. My brother's son."
"Ah, I see… He's a bit different from you guys, huh? I can sense cursed energy flowing through him," Suguru said, his interest instantly piqued. He released Mukuro's shoulder and crouched to get a closer look.
"Your dad abandoned you, huh?" Satoru made a face as he spoke the kind of line that would make most kids burst into tears.
"Are you stupid?" Megumi shot back without missing a beat.
"Tch, you little brat. You're just as annoying as those two idiots…"
A vein popped on Satoru's forehead, but facing a kid, he could only force a grin and ruffle Megumi's hair.
"Hahaha! Satoru, you really have no resistance when it comes to the Fushiguro family!"
Even Suguru, who rarely laughed at others, couldn't help but burst out laughing when he saw his friend getting roasted by a child.
"Weren't we going to eat?"
Seeing the two getting carried away, Mukuro had to remind them of why they came in the first place.
"Right, right! There's a new place that just opened up outside the campus. I heard their desserts are top-tier!"
Once the topic turned to food, Satoru's attention instantly shifted. What had started as a simple way to help him think better had slowly turned him into a full-fledged sweets addict.
"Let's grab some cold drinks first. It's too hot out," Suguru suggested.
* * *
A while later, the group of four stopped at a vending machine near the school building and each got a chilled bottle of cola.
"Mom said I'm not allowed to drink junk like this."
Megumi stared longingly at the bottle Mukuro handed him. After a short pause, he swallowed hard and shook his head.
"Don't worry, she won't find out. And even if she does, just say your dad said you could."
Mukuro cracked open the bottle and pushed it into his nephew's hands. If anyone was getting blamed, it'd be Toji anyway.
"Good point."
Megumi accepted it and started drinking happily.
"Yo, Fushiguro! Geto-senpai! Gojo-senpai! What are you all doing here?"
At that moment, Haibara returned from his meeting with Masamichi and spotted them by the vending machine.
"Haibara, here, catch!"
Suguru grabbed another bottle of cola and tossed it toward the cheerful underclassman.
"Thanks, Geto-senpai!" Haibara grinned, catching it easily before walking toward them and reporting, "I've got a mission tomorrow, going pretty far out. Do you guys want me to bring back anything?"
"Souvenirs? Bring something sweet," Suguru said casually. He wasn't much into snacks himself, but Satoru's sweet tooth popped into his mind.
"Got it!" Haibara saluted, a bright smile on his face.
Even after more than a year at Jujutsu High, he was still as upbeat and full of life as ever, always ready to face whatever came his way.
But no one noticed that Mukuro's expression had turned serious the moment Haibara began talking.
"Mukuro Fushiguro, Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto… quite the lineup. Is this a special grade sorcerer meeting or something?"
A teasing voice suddenly came from not far away.
A young woman stepped into view, dressed in jeans and a confident smirk. Her curvy figure drew attention as she stopped in front of them, blowing a playful kiss.
"So~ what kind of girls do you boys like?"
It was Yuki Tsukumo.
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