It was a day off, so leaving campus wasn't an issue for anyone. Besides, they'd already trained all morning—it wasn't like they were slacking off. And since Amber, the exchange student, wasn't eligible to compete in this year's goodwill event, Maki and Panda naturally had no objections.
Though, if they were having cake, they'd have to make up for those extra calories with double the training later.
Unaware that their senior was already planning extra drills for them, Amber and Kugisaki were already chatting and laughing as they headed toward the only spot on campus with a vending machine.
"Oh, Seele-chan's here too? You've been working hard."
Noticing Amber and Kugisaki approaching, Yuji, who had been sitting in the shade, stood up and greeted them with a can of cola in hand. "What would you like to drink, Seele-chan? It's on me."
"Trying to pretend you don't see me?"
Kugisaki's expression instantly turned icy.
"Ah, no—" Yuji quickly added, "What about you, Kugisaki?"
"No need! A clueless guy like you has no business buying drinks for me or Seele-chan."
Scowling, Kugisaki brushed past him and planted herself in front of the vending machine. "Seele-chan, my treat."
"Um… I'll have…"
Amber had no intention of refusing such kindness—after all, accepting someone's goodwill was a way of showing your own.
But before she could finish, the clunk of a falling drink sounded beside them. Fushiguro pulled out a sports drink and handed it to Amber with a calm expression. "Gatorade."
"Thank you."
Amber accepted the drink. "How did you know I wanted this, Fushiguro-senpai?"
"Aside from mineral water, this is the only drink you've had these past few days."
Fushiguro's expression was as plain as if to say, 'How could I not know?'
Kugisaki zipped over to him, glaring with exaggerated theatrics. "Didn't I say I'm treating?"
"Does it really matter who does it…?"
Fushiguro, not great at handling sudden confrontations, replied helplessly.
"Then how about I treat Seele-chan to a snack tonight?" Yuji popped up again.
"I said, we don't need a guy at your level!"
Truth be told, Kugisaki's savings were meager—she was probably the poorest among them—but treating someone to a meal or a drink was still within her means.
Watching the two of them bicker, with Fushiguro caught in the middle, Amber couldn't help but reflect on her own school life.
In her previous life, she'd only made it through elementary school, so she never got to experience what people called "youth"—going out with friends, joking around, and squabbling. At least now she had a chance to see what it was like.
Not that anyone would really bicker with her, though.
As a precious healer with a likable personality and strong combat skills, the three seniors had already come to see this underclassman as a little sister.
Kugisaki, who had sisters of her own, especially knew how to interact with her.
And this girl with her unique healing abilities wasn't just any ordinary support—she could even assist everyone in their training.
Reverse Cursed Technique couldn't be used during physical training. Building muscle came with all sorts of side effects—lactic acid buildup, muscle strains, fasciitis. Using Reverse Cursed Technique to heal those would just undo all the training.
But the technique the girl called "Creation and Withering" was completely different. It didn't restore what was there—it created something new.
Though, that also meant they were plunged into an even more brutal training hell.
But how could they blame their kind and adorable underclassman for that? It was clearly the second-years who were the real demons!
"Speaking of which, where's Inumaki-senpai?"
Seeing the three still going at it, Amber asked curiously.
"He ran out of throat lozenges during our spar earlier, so he went back to restock," Yuji explained. "He probably left just before you got here, Seele-chan."
"I see…"
Amber nodded in understanding, then asked, "Seele and Nobara-senpai were planning to go out for some sweets. Would you and Fushiguro-senpai like to join us, Itadori-senpai?"
"We were just about to take a break ourselves. Even though our bodies can handle the training, our minds need some rest too."
Surprisingly, it was Fushiguro who spoke up.
Yuji was taken aback for a second, then realized what he meant—Fushiguro must have noticed the state of mind he'd been in lately. No, maybe it wasn't just Fushiguro. Maybe that was why Seele had suddenly suggested going out to relax…
Though he seemed aloof, Fushiguro was actually quite perceptive. And Seele? She always thought things through carefully… The two of them had really helped him a lot.
Thinking that, Yuji smiled and nodded. "Sure, but should we grab lunch before having sweets?"
"Of course we're eating lunch first. And not just that—we're making a proper outing of it."
Kugisaki shot Yuji a look. Did he not get that when a girl said "sweets," she also meant going out and about?
"Alright, I'll send a message to the others and see if they want to come."
Yuji didn't mind—he was used to Kugisaki's personality by now.
Just as they were about to set off, two figures blocked their path a short distance ahead.
"Todo-senpai?"
Life had been so hectic lately that Amber had almost forgotten about this. Mostly because this particular plot point wasn't all that important, and there wasn't a clear timeline for it, so she hadn't expected them to show up now.
"Yo, Seele."
Todo gave a nod of acknowledgement.
"So you're the little girl Miwa mentioned?" A short-haired girl in a Jujutsu High uniform looked Amber over with a scrutinizing, almost disdainful expression. "You don't look like a sorcerer at all."
"And you are?"
Hearing that, Kugisaki's face instantly darkened. At first, she'd thought the girl looked somewhat familiar and had a halfway decent impression of her.
"She's Zenin-senpai's twin sister," Fushiguro, the only one who knew the situation, explained. "Zenin-senpai, what brings you here?"
"Hah? True sister's sister?"
Hearing that, Kugisaki's urge to teach the girl a lesson suddenly fizzled. She had a lot of respect for Maki—not only was she cool and strong, but she'd also taught them everything she knew about hand-to-hand combat.
"Really now, Fushiguro, if you call us both that, how will anyone tell us apart?" Zenin Mai smiled. "Just call me Mai."
"So, what are you two here for, senpai?" Fushiguro didn't commit to using her first name, continuing with his question.
Todo stepped forward. "Just paying a visit. And to see what you're made of."
"But really, there's someone here who's an eyesore." Mai turned her gaze to Yuji. "They call you a vessel, but aren't you really just a half-curse monster? I'm amazed you can stand being around him."
"Enough of that boring talk." Todo frowned, then took two more steps forward and tossed his jacket to the ground.
"What I care about is whether these first-years can stand in for Okkotsu—and give me the kind of passion that'll set my soul on fire for my final goodwill exchange!"
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.