Chapter 1.3: Wandering Around During a Day Off

“Masters, thank you for waiting—these are the honoured set meals that you ordered – Emo Emo set A—”

They were unable to figure out what was in the honoured set based on what was on the menu but it turned out to be just omurice.

There was even an image of a panda drawn on the plate using ketchup—it should just be a coincidence but the image was too much like Panda-senpai, causing Fushiguro to feel apologetic about it.

On the empty space of the plate were the lines “My heart is fatigued…because of honour….!” But the one whose heart was really fatigued was Fushiguro.

However, Fushiguro had completely grown used to this place.

“Now, I would like to invite out guests to add Emotions—”

“How are we going to add Emotions?”

“Dear guests, among the anime that you like, please choose a scene that makes you feel emotional, honoured and tugged at your heart strings! If you can make me feel emo without telling me the title of the work, then you pass—”

“Uh….oh crap, that’s hard to choose….then, I choose the one where the main character is that little boy who idolises heroes.”

“I watched that one, I recommend that one~”

“I remember in that show, there’s this guy who will have low self-esteem in front of his dad. I love the part when this guy remembered the initial reason why he wanted to become a hero and then use the “left hand” which he never used before.”

“Ah~ That’s a really classic scene~ but that scene is too ordinary, choose another one!”

“Ah, then another anime. That scene where the main character was discriminated in the ninja village and then after he grew stronger and was able to stand up for himself, people were tossing him into the air.”

“Ah! It’s so emo~”

“And the part where his teacher who was the only person on his side got teary eyed after seeing the main character being tossed into the air by his companions was really touching too.”

“Ah~~ The most touching line also showed up here~~”

“”Right now, the hero is before me.””

“I get it, I get it~~~~It’s so full of emotions. Since I have received a deep sense of Emo, I’m going to add a side dish.”

“Ah, your store actually operates like this?”

“I’m going to add the “Emo potato” from the potato dishes which costs four hundred yen—”

“Wah, that’s great–! But anyway, this meal is full of carbs already!”

“Then please shout with me, emo emo ~~~~!”

“Emo emo—–!”

The staff placed the additional potato dish onto the plate in a slightly careless manner.

It seemed like it cost four hundred yen for this potato that looked like frozen food. Of course, one would not care about an item’s price if they could feel this happy eating here, but Fushiguro was very concerned about it. In fact, he was extremely concerned about various things in this store.

Unexpectedly, this staff member turned the target of her conversation to Fushiguro.

“Dear guest, please shout with us as well!”

“Quickly, Fushiguro, then you can get the side dish too.”

“Say it with me, Emo emo~~~”

“Emo emo——–”

“……..”

Fushiguro did not make any response but the activity still persisted.

“Since we have the side dish then let’s use an instant camera to take a photo with the dish. Alright, come closer, closer~”

“Eh, so this store actually has photo taking service.”

“Because both of you ordered the honoured meal.

“Oh—I only just ordered without much thought. So it actually includes this!”

“It feels like heaven, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t know, does it? It does feel a bit like that.”

“…….”

“Then I’m going to sit next to you, excuse me.”

“Eh? Aren’t you too close? It’s a bit embarrassing.”

“You must go through such embarrassing feelings so you can become an adult!”

“Is it like that?”

“It is~ Alright, we’re going to go clicky «”

“C, clicky!”

“……………….”

“It’s done, thank you very much~”

“Ah,–so embarrassing, it’s super embarrassing taking a photo like that! Wah, my face is so hot! It feels weird like I just offered up something important! Is it really alright, I’m still underaged!”

“Ara~ You’re really innocent, that’s so cute~ Then, this nii-chan here, let’s take a photo together too.”

“Fushiguro, you have to be careful. This kind of close contact is not like a folk dance*, it’s really super duper embarrassing. Super duper embarrassing without any compare!”

(T/N: You see students dancing around a fire in some Japanese anime. That’s the dance Itadori was referring to.)

“Alright, please prepare to do clicky!”

“Fushiguro, they’re going to clicky.”

“…………………………no.”

A voice that was extremely, extremely soft, like the sound of a duck before its death could be heard.

“…………….I…………don’t need it………”

Fushiguro still had a look like he reached his breaking point.

“Ah—I never thought we would eat so much but the flavour is just so-so.”

“….The potato makes my mouth dry.”

After about thirty minutes.

Fushiguro and Itadori managed to safely –the entrance fee was five hundred yen- leave Heaven.

“Fishiguro, I have the instant photos, do you want them?”

“If you make fun of me again like just now, I will shove an entire bell pepper up your nose.”

“That’s because you don’t like that kind of place! Alright, I get it, just now that was the most extreme you could endure!”

“There is a shrine around the Kanda area, let’s burn the photos there.”

“You actually want to specially make a trip to a shrine to burn them?!”

“A cursed photo can only be exorcised by burning it to ashes in a shrine.”

“It’s my fault! I really didn’t know it was that hard for you to stay in that store.”

From Itadori’s point of view, Fushiguro always seems to be in a bad mood no matter the time or place but today, he had truly witnessed a “Really furious Fushiguro”.

Now that things have come to this state, Itadori was unable to grin and laugh off the issue like he always did.

He scratched his face awkwardly, thinking of what to talk about with Fushiguro, but in the end, he decided to pull the topic back to what started it all.

“An, anyway, it seems like we lost Gojou-sensei.”

“Yeah, not like it’s a problem.”

“Ev, even so, I wonder where he went off to….”

“What are you two saying about me?”

“Wahhhhhhhh?!”

Gojou appeared behind them at a completely unexpected time point and roughly dispelled the slightly stiff tension that had originally stirred up between the two.

Furthermore—

“Go, gojou-sensei! When did you appear behind us….wait, that’s weird, why is Kugisaki here as well?”

“It’s not a why question, you bastards.”

Kugisaki used eyes full of displeasure, one might even say it was full of loathing, to glare at Itadori as she appeared from behind Gojou.

To Itadori, another classmate who was in a foul mood had appeared.

“Ah, anyway, Gojou-sensei, are you actually off today?”

“Hey, don’t ignore me!”

Itadori had the feeling that in contrast to Fushiguro, Kugisaki would use more physical actions to lay out his crimes in front of their teacher so he decided to change the topic directly.

But, in the end, it was about the same matter.

“Nope, I’m working as per usually today.”

“Eh? But I saw that you wandering around the streets and eating crepe……”

“If you worked to my position, you would be swarmed with work. If it’s not because of my job, would it even be possible for both of you to see me loitering around the streets. Even though I look like this, I’m actually working seriously.”

“What kind of job are you talking about?”

“I’m looking for a dungeon.”

“….A dungeon?”

“To put it another way, I’m looking for a cursed spot to serve as a training grounds for the first years to gain experience.

“……what?”

The memory of an incident that happened just after he transferred to Jujutsu high crossed Itadori’s mind.

That day, they originally planned to tour around Tokyo but suddenly it became an activity where he was forced to eliminate a cursed spirit in an abandoned building.

Gojou then continued nonchalantly.

“That tall building that was next to the maid café seems to be a commercial building that’s abandoned. And lately, some strange rumours popped up on this supernatural forum over the internet. And since that building had a record shop with a rather long history, it made that rumour about a curse ever more believable.”

“Ah, so that’s why you sat at that window and looked outside even though all you can see was a building.

“And I actually only wanted to handle it after setting a date but who knew all you three first years happened to be here. So rather than choose a date, why not just go with the coincidental timing. You all can challenge it today!”

“Eh….eh?!”

“It’ll be fine. I already activated the tube amplifier that was in the building and followed the contents of the rumours and put a record in to provoke the spirit. You all will be able to face a lively and active spirit.”

“……I see.”

Itadori immediately turned to look at Kugisaki.

Now he knew why Kugisaki had a face of such loathing.

Yet, Fushiguro’s attitude was completely different and he looked like he was ready for action anytime.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Wait, why are you so enthusiastic about it!”

“Compared to the time at the arcade and maid café, your mood is too good isn’t it?”

“What? You guys went to a maid café? Never mind Itadori, but even Fushiguro went? Even if a man looks prim and proper, his bones still conceal a silent pervert.”

“There were unavoidable factors.”

“What do you mean never mind me?!”

“Alright, you two, let’s go.”

“Like I said, Fushiguro, why are you completely in battle mode already!”

“Because Megumi didn’t get the chance to show off his abilities in the previous abandoned building, he’s all sulky about it.”

“I am not sulky.”

“What do you mean you’re not, aren’t you being all sulky now?”

“You’re really the type to remember grudges.”

“Then, the three of you, be careful on the way. I’m still eating sweet buns so I won’t be seeing you all there.”

“Sensei! You still can eat?!”

“Let’s go already.”

“Stop rushing me! Damn, goodbye, my off day—!”

“Goodbye my Ameyoko-cho—-!”

Fushiguro’s rest day which had a change in tone suddenly returned to a Jujutsu sorcerer’s “Normal day” and coming into contact with a familiar atmosphere, he more or less regained his spirit.

However, Itadori’s fulfilling day off was brutally cut short and Kugisaki did not get to eat the Ameyoko-cho signature product –The cut fruits from Hyakkaen.

Gojou sensei only watched with a faint smile, as per usual, as the three noisily went off to eliminate a cursed spirit.

“Hm?”

Something seemed to have drifted out of Itadori’s pocket.

Gojou tilted his head in puzzlement as he picked it up to check.

And in the next second, he burst out laughing.

“Ahhahahahaha.”

Looking at the contents of the photo through his blindfold, Gojou could not stop laughing.

“Ah, ku ku ku, teenagers are teenagers after all ,how youthful.”

Eighty percent of his laughter came from how comical it looked.

Twenty percent came from the relief he felt.

Gojou held the group photo of Itadori and Fushiguro with angel wings that they took with a maid and laughed on the spot for quite a while.

[T/N: The group photo had the message: Megumi-sama ❤ ❤ , please come back soon!!”