fics I read

For once, it does not take long for an official statement to be delivered from the Jujutsu Headquarters: Okkotsu Yuta is to be held in the Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School, and slated to be enrolled as a new first year student in the upcoming school year. However, should any incidents arise as a result of the Tokyo school failing to properly accommodate for and contain the Special Grade threat, then the matter of Okkotsu's custody will be revisited. In the event that the Tokyo school is unable to perform the task entrusted to them, Okkotsu will be transferred to Kyoto where further preventive measures can be taken.

"As if there would be anything they'd be capable of doing better in Kyoto." Satoru-niichan is obviously amused by the thinly transparent attempt on the higher ups' part to continue controlling the situation. Even though it's abundantly obvious that the situation with Okkotsu Yuta is clearly out of their hands at this point. The higher ups had lost control ever since Satoru-niichan had seen fit to involve himself directly in the matter.

… Ever since Shiki's classmates and teacher had been sent on the mission to Sendai, if one wanted to be even more pedantic about the details. Whoever came up with that ill-fated plan to send the Tokyo group to Sendai for Okkotsu-san in the first place was surely sorely regretting their actions now.

But, that has nothing to do with Shiki or Satoru-niichan.

"The higher ups…" Satoru-niichan huffs, letting out a light 'tsk' as he clicks his tongue. "They'll be bickering among themselves for a while. Shifting blame and pointing fingers while they argue on how to proceed… there's nothing they'll be able to do about Okkotsu Yuta staying in Tokyo, but I wouldn't put it past a few of the more discontented old fossils to make some movements behind the scenes to cause trouble."

"That's par for the course for them, isn't it?" When those in positions of authority feel that they've been outmaneuvered or slighted –or both– there's usually always something else that follows as a result of their displeasure. In this case…

"I'll leave it to you to keep an eye on things in the school," Satoru-niichan reaches out and pats her on the head. Shiki waits through her cousin's affectionate gesture patiently. "Okkotsu doesn't know much about the way things work in the jujutsu world, and your classmates aren't exactly practiced in this sort of thing, either, so they'll all be easy targets. Doesn't help that your Takagi-sensei also doesn't seem all that sharp when it comes to the higher ups."

"I know." Part of it might just be unfamiliarity with the politics and maneuvering, but Shiki thinks that another reason as to why her classmates and teacher had been caught off-guard had probably been due to the fact that they simply hadn't been expecting to run into trouble from the higher ups. Not in the form of a murder attempt disguised as a mission, at the very least. Just as they had not expected that the higher ups would react the way they did to Kinji's Domain Expansion during the Kyoto exchange event.

However, they would most certainly be aware of and on guard for this sort of thing from the higher ups moving forward.

"I suspect that the higher ups are probably going to try and send me overseas for a bit again soon," Satoru-niichan continues, and lets out a slight little laugh. "As if that would change anything! … Although it would definitely be a little inconvenient for sorting things out with Okkotsu. So before I go off on another business trip, let's try and take care of everything here first, shall we?"

And with that, the white-haired young man cheerily slides open the door to an unused classroom, the wooden frames beneath his fingertips ringing with a loud clatter.

"Hello there!" Satoru-niichan chirps, then pauses with a raised brow. "Wow, a full turnout? Didn't realize I was this popular among the students already."

"You're not even a teacher," Shiki reminds her cousin, to which the sorcerer responds by playfully clasping a hand to his chest and faking a pained gasp.

"Betrayal! And from my very own cute little cousin, no less!"

Shiki ignores her ridiculous cousin's silly dramatics and ducks under his arm to peer inside the classroom herself.

Kinji and Kirara are both sitting there with Okkotsu-san –as could be inferred from her cousin's mention of a 'full turnout.' Only Okkotsu-san had been requested to be here at this time, although clearly Shiki's classmates had decided to tag along with the boy as well.

"I can't believe you were going to leave us behind," Kinji says to her.

Shiki blinks, "I was not aware that you wanted to be here for this."

"You could've asked!"

"I didn't think you would be interested." Mostly, Satoru-niichan was just here to get a proper look at Okkotsu-san and make an assessment of the boy. Which, given that Okkotsu-san was currently more of a civilian than a sorcerer, would consist of Satoru-niichan just looking at him with his Six Eyes. Hardly an interesting activity to observe.

… But even so, Kinji is correct. It's better to ask than to make any assumptions, especially since both he and Kirara had already shown themselves to be mildly invested in the hapless boy that they'd encountered on their disastrous mission.

"I will ask next time," Shiki concedes to her classmates.

Kinji and Kirara both respond with dual thumb ups in her direction, then share a quick glance and snort when they realize that they have the same reactions. Okkotsu-san, on the other hand, does not share the same light mood.

"U-um, sorry, I…" the boy surreptitiously leans back in his seat nervously when Satoru-niichan leans down directly in front of his face. "… Excuse me…?"

"Hmm," Satoru-niichan hums.

Kinji shuffles closer to Shiki, "What's your cousin doing?"

Isn't it obvious? "Taking a look at Okkotsu-san."

"That's not what I was getting at," Kinji rolls his eyes. "I can tell that he's taking a look at Okkotsu, but what is he looking for?"

"Any peculiarities in Okkotsu-san's current situation." Not just anyone is haunted by a Special Grade cursed spirit, nor do they possess such an overwhelming amount of cursed energy to use at their disposal… not that Okkotsu-san even really seems to be aware of how to use his own cursed energy at the moment. "And also the nature of the binding that appears to be in place between him and Rika."

Kinji nods in understanding. Then, a little dubiously, "… Can he actually even see anything?"

"Satoru-niichan has good eyes."

"Shiki, I don't know how to tell you this, but. Your cousin is literally wearing a blindfold."

"Satoru-niichan has good eyes," Shiki repeats the exact same answer without batting an eye. Her classmates, on the other hand, both proceed to raise their eyebrows skeptically at her response, and so she adds, "There's no need to be concerned. He can see everything that he needs to perfectly fine like this."

The Six Eyes work to take in all information from the user's surroundings, and there is a vast amount of visual and sensory input to process. Which is quite stressful on the user, and also the reason why Satoru-niichan usually goes around wearing dark sunglasses to dampen the sensitivity.

Wearing blindfolds is more of a recent development, but it's also an indication of a further layer of refinement in Satoru-niichan's Six Eyes. A blindfold blocks out more than what a pair of sunglasses does, and the fact that Satoru-niichan is starting to opt for a blindfold over his usual sunglasses means that his Six Eyes are beginning to take in even more information from the surrounding environment. In some ways, this is a good thing, as it means that his Six Eyes are becoming more perceptive. But on the other hand, if Satoru-niichan feels that it's necessary to try and obscure his senses even more, then it means that the increased stress of the additional information is–

"Something like x-ray vision, then?" Kinji's face scrunches in thought. "Is that what his eyes do?"

"Not exactly," Shiki shakes her head. 'X-ray vision' is actually an inaccurate descriptor, because the Six Eyes don't actually allow the user to see through solid objects in the material world. Rather, the Six Eyes focuses on observing minute details of all phenomena involving cursed energy in one's surroundings… which coincidentally happens to involve the silhouettes of physical objects becoming 'visible' when cursed energy in the environment 'flows' around it. Thus making it seem like the Six Eyes allows one to 'see' perfectly well even when the user's field of vision is obstructed.

"Eh?" Kirara blinks.

"He can see more than the three of us added together even when he's blindfolded," Shiki tells her classmates matter-of-factly.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Satoru-niichan interjects, continuing to examine Okkotsu-san even though it's clear that his words are directed towards Shiki. "Really, in some ways, I'd say that your eyes are even more perceptive than mine."

Shiki would disagree with that statement. But, it's not as if she can't see where her cousin is coming from. So perhaps it would be more precise to just say that their eyes simply focus on perceiving different things. Satoru-niichan's eyes take in and process a vast amount of information from the surrounding world, while Shiki's eyes visualize the death of what she specifically chooses to focus on.

"But practically speaking, yours are more useful." Because for the most part, Shiki's eyes are only useful in combat when she's killing things. Satoru-niichan's Six Eyes, however, are also very useful outside of combat for analytical purposes and the like –such as their current situation where Satoru-niichan is taking a closer look at Okkotsu-san's unusual case.

"Okay, okay, we get that both of you have special magic eyes," Kinji huffs. "Care to share with the rest of us who don't have magic eyes what you're seeing?"

Satoru-niichan lets out a small little laugh at the mention of magic eyes, and straightens upright. Okkotsu-san exhales a soft sigh of relief once Satoru-niichan takes a step away from him and is no longer staring directly into his face through the blindfold.

"Well, it's definitely an interesting curse that our little friend here is afflicted with," Satoru-niichan casually shrugs and slides his hands into his pockets. "The knots of cursed energy tying Yuta and Rika together are very complex. Undoing them all should, in theory, release the curse and fully exorcise the vengeful spirit, but it's going to be a bit of a… complicated process, shall we say."

Kirara tilts his head and raises a tentative hand into the air, a gesture that might be unconsciously influenced by the fact that they are currently sitting in one of the Tokyo school's classrooms. "Um, what do you mean by 'undoing knots of cursed energy?'"

Satoru-niichan doesn't answer the question directly, "What do you know about the process of exorcising cursed spirits?"

"Err…" Kirara scratches sheepishly at the side of his face, faltering slightly. "… Beat them up until they disappear?"

"Ah, the tried and true brute force option," Satoru-niichan nods sagely. "An exorcism is the term that's used when a sorcerer cleanses a curse. Strictly speaking, though, this can be done through several different methods. Ritualistic ceremonies, for example. But the most common method that you're all well-familiar with is the destruction of the curse through combat."

"… So you mean we don't necessarily have to fight a curse in order to exorcise it?" Kinji blinks.

"Nope!" the older sorcerer answers cheerfully. "But unfortunately for us all, most of the time it's the most practical option."

"Eh?"

"Most rituals take a long time to set up, or have very exacting requirements," Satoru-niichan splays his hands in a helpless 'what can you do' gesture. "Not very convenient, especially when there's a cursed spirit that's looming in the background and ready to rip you into tiny little pieces. So, engaging it in combat and killing it directly tends to be a far more effective method of dealing with cursed spirits."

"Huh," Kinji nods slowly. "… I'm also sensing a 'but' here."

"But this is a different story in Yuta's case!" Satoru-niichan says brightly.

Okkotsu-san startles a bit and points at himself, "D-different how?"

"It's like I said earlier. The knots of cursed energy between you and Rika are quite tangled, and while we could just kill the cursed spirit haunting you… there's a large chance that there's going to be some… negative feedback for you." Satoru-niichan pauses, and casts the dark-haired boy another thoughtful look. "I actually don't even know if 'haunting' is the right word to use here, because I've never seen a case where a haunting results in the cursed energies of the curse and the victim being so thoroughly mixed up like this."

"Is that… bad?"

"It's interesting!" Satoru-niichan laughs. Okkotsu-san does not seem particularly reassured. "You have a lot of cursed energy, and it's completely tangled up with that Special Grade cursed spirit following you around. It's not something that you see every day."

"So, about the exorcism?" Kirara prods gently. "The goal is to get Okkotsu-kun… well, un-cursed, right?"

"We have two different options." For emphasis, Satoru-niichan raises two fingers. "Option one, kill Rika. I'm going to take a wild guess in the dark and say that this is the option that Shiki already told you about."

Kinji squints suspiciously, "There's nothing wild about that guess at all, is there?"

Satoru-niichan flashes a sharp little grin and does not answer, "Option two, let Okkotsu Yuta perform his own exorcism and undo the curse binding him and his vengeful cursed spirit together."

"… What's different about the two options?" Kirara asks. "In terms of the results, I mean. The first option, you mentioned something earlier about –negative feedback, was it?"

"Negative feedback," Satoru-niichan confirms with a nod. "With all the knots in the cursed energy tying Yuta and Rika together, forcibly severing the connection would do more harm than good."

"'More harm than good?'" Kirara parrots with a frown. "What do you mean by that?"

"From what I'm seeing in the cursed energy alone, Yuta and Rika come across as more of a gestalt entity instead of two separate individuals," Satoru-niichan elaborates. "Their cursed energy right now is a complete mess, but there's a balance to it. Forcibly disrupting could have unintended consequences, such as… oh, I don't know. Yuta and Rika combining into a singular living curse, maybe?"

Shiki blinks, "That sounds like something from the Kamo Clan's experiments."

The Kamo Clan had, after all, been quite interested in researching the relation of cursed energy to the human body in the past.

"It does, doesn't it?" her cousin muses thoughtfully. "Anyways, even if we don't focus on trying to sever the connection and just kill Rika instead, the backlash of it could potentially also kill Yuta here. Or turn him into a vengeful cursed spirit too. Probably in a very painful and spectacularly bloody manner, so I wouldn't recommend it."

That meant killing Rika really wasn't a valid option, then, not unless they were also prepared to kill Okkotsu-san as well.

"… Yeah, how about we don't do that," Kinji says, and reaches over to give Okkotsu-san a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

Okkotsu-san swallows roughly, white-faced from Satoru-niichan's words.

"I think we can all agree on that," Satoru-niichan agrees easily with Kinji's conclusion. "So that brings us to option two! Gently undoing the knots of cursed energy instead of violently disrupting it."

"So what would that entail?"

"Cursing something."

The answer is simple and succinct, but it's clear from her classmates' blank expressions that the words don't really mean anything to them. Beside them, Okkotsu-san doesn't appear to be much better off, if the similar incomprehension on his face is anything to go by.

"Curses are most stable when they attach to a physical object," Satoru-niichan says, and proceeds to take a seat atop an empty desk in front of them. "So if you want to undo a complicated curse like the one that exists between Yuta and Rika here, then you need to take things one step at a time. Transfer the curse bit by bit, knot by knot, away from the two of them. Let it accumulate and stabilize in another object, preferably a cursed tool. You repeat this until the curse is fully gone –and both Yuta and Rika are freed."

Okkotsu-san nods slowly, "Then, how do I do that?"

"How else do you think?" Satoru-niichan grins, "By becoming a sorcerer, of course!"

The boy blinks.

"A sorcerer is able to manipulate their cursed energy according to their will. This means that you'll be able to untangle the web of cursed energy by undoing the knots one at a time," Satoru-niichan tells him. "It's going to be a long process and there aren't really any shortcuts that you can take with this method. Doesn't help that you have a lot of cursed energy that's all snarled up in knots here –you have even more cursed energy than me, and that's really saying something, by the way."

Almost reflexively, Okkotsu-san glances down towards himself, staring at his hands. "… I-I don't really feel anything, though?"

"Well, you've never been trained, so it makes sense that you wouldn't be aware of your own cursed energy. You've probably already grown used to the complete mess of cursed energy that you've been lugging around over the years, honestly," Satoru-niichan muses, giving the young boy another considering once-over. "Shouldn't be too hard to get you started, though, not with so much cursed energy at your disposal."

"Meditation exercises, then?" Shiki asks.

"That's the traditional method," Satoru-niichan acknowledges. Then, his lips curve upwards into a faintly mischievous smile, "But I was thinking that we could actually try to do things a little bit differently this time."

Shiki isn't entirely sure how other sorcery clans go about it, but she presumes that it's not so different from how the Gojo Clan instructs their potential sorcerers. Meditation exercises to grasp the 'flow' of cursed energy within one's body, and to maintain calmness in one's mind. Cursed energy is closely aligned with negative emotions, and so it is paramount for a sorcerer to be able to maintain a clear mindset no matter their emotional state, which meditation is intended to assist with.

But was Satoru-niichan saying that he had something different from meditation in mind?

She arches an eyebrow at her cousin.

"With a Special Grade cursed spirit attached to him, I really doubt that Yuta will be able to settle down into a meditative state," Satoru-niichan explains. "So I was thinking –how about a movie marathon instead?"

Shiki blinks. "… A what?"

Satoru-niichan's grin widens. "A movie marathon."

Shiki frowns slightly, not quite seeing what her cousin is getting at. How was watching a movie related to the meditative exercises that a sorcerer performed as part of their basic training?

"It's a good idea, isn't it?" Satoru-niichan seems all too pleased with himself, and highly entertained by her reaction besides.

Okkotsu-san slowly looks between the two of them, "… Being a sorcerer involves watching movies?"

Shiki doesn't blame the boy for the audible disbelief in his voice. But even for all his eccentricities and seemingly-unreasonable flights of fancy, Satoru-niichan isn't actually a flippant, unreliable person. And when it comes to something like this, Shiki doesn't think that Satoru-niichan would joke around for fun. Which means that somehow he really does have a plan to help Okkotsu-san learn how to control his cursed energy by… watching movies?

"I have no idea about that, but watching movies is definitely not how I learned to use cursed energy," Kirara's voice is also faintly bewildered by Satoru-niichan's suggestion of a movie marathon.

Kinji glances towards Shiki, "I'm guessing that's not how you learned to control cursed energy, either."

Shiki shakes her head in the negative, confirming her classmate's words.

"Hey, no need to look so doubtful," Satoru-niichan huffs. "In order for a sorcerer to be able to properly control their cursed energy, they'll need to be able to separate their emotions from it. Can't have your cursed energy fluctuating wildly in tandem with your emotions when you're in the middle of using a technique or when you're using it to augment your own body. You might explode a limb like a water balloon or something."

"Thank you for that lovely mental image," Kinji deadpans. "I don't think I've ever heard of that happening before, though."

"Mhm, it's not as much of a problem when the sorcerer in question doesn't have much cursed energy to begin with." It also went unsaid that Okkotsu Yuta very much did not fall under the same circumstances. Honestly, Shiki could see her cousin's point. "We don't want Yuta randomly blowing off an arm or leg now, do we?"

Shiki tilts her head, "Shoko-san could fix it, though." Probably.

Okkotsu-san squeaks.

"Shoko-san is going to be sad that you're freely adding extra work to her schedule," Satoru-niichan says dryly. "Anyways, I really wouldn't recommend starting off by using your own body as a test subject, especially when you're only just starting to wrangle some semblance of control over your cursed energy. Unless you're secretly masochistic, I guess?"

Satoru-niichan purposefully arches a teasing eyebrow towards Okkotsu-san, who rapidly shakes his head in response. The older sorcerer laughs.

"Yeah, I didn't think so," Satoru-niichan chuckles. "Which brings us back to –a movie marathon! When you're watching a movie, you'll feel all sorts of emotions, which will disrupt an untrained sorcerer's cursed energy output. I'll find a cursed tool or something for Yuta to use as a receptacle to feed a steady influx of cursed energy into while he's watching a movie. And if he messes up on it at any point… boom!"

Satoru-niichan's hands splay out in an 'exploding' gesture, causing Okkotsu-san to twitch slightly.

… Watching movies still sounds like a silly method of training to control one's cursed energy, but her cousin's reasoning is sound. It sounds like something that could theoretically work, although…

"Has anyone ever used this method to learn how to control their cursed energy?" Shiki asks curiously.

"Nope," Satoru-niichan admits easily with a wide grin. "But it should work."

Shiki… doesn't even remember the last time that she'd watched a movie. But it had probably been sometime when she'd still been living at home and Tsumiki had excitedly arranged a 'movie night.' Shiki doesn't recall what they had watched –doesn't recall if the movie had stirred any emotions in her as Satoru-niichan was saying here– but she remembers sitting on a couch together with the Fushiguro siblings, Kuro and Shiro sprawled over them like a pair of furry, heavy blankets.

"And if it doesn't?" Kinji asks.

"Well, then we'll all have learned a valuable lesson and the four of you will still have enjoyed a few movies together, right?"

Kirara startles, looking up in surprise, "All four of us?"

"Yuta here doesn't have any conscious control over his cursed energy yet, so he's going to need someone experienced to watch over him while he's attempting this," Satoru-niichan explains easily. "Who else better than you three?"

… It makes sense. Kinji and Kirara both seem to be on fairly good terms with Okkotsu-san, too, so having them around would be a good thing for the boy. It would help to provide some semblance of ease in a strange, unfamiliar environment.

As for Shiki herself… judging by their few interactions so far, it's not hard to see that Okkotsu-san is nervous around her. But it's not outright fear, which is something she can work with. Even if Okkotsu-san were deathly terrified of her, though, it still doesn't change the fact that she's the only person in the Tokyo school who is confident in their own ability to take down a Special Grade threat. Which means that it's only reasonable for Shiki to keep an extra eye out on the boy –just as she'd told her cousin that she would.

Catching sight of her staring at him, Satoru-niichan gives her a discreet wink. Shiki lets out a light huff, halfway caught between fondness and amusement by her cousin's actions.

"You mentioned that you're going to find a cursed tool for Okkotsu-san to focus his cursed energy into during his… movie training." The words 'movie training' sound a little odd, but it is what Satoru-niichan had suggested that Okkotsu-san start by attempting. "Is there something in particular that you have in mind?"

"May-be," Satoru-niichan sings-songs, dragging out the word playfully. "I mean, we could just directly break into the school's cursed tool warehouse, but I think Yaga might try to skin me alive after he finds out about it."

Because undoubtedly, for someone like Okkotsu-san who possessed a lot of cursed energy yet had no idea how to use any of it, they would destroy a lot of cursed tools using the method that Satoru-niichan was proposing.

Shiki thinks about the matter for a brief moment, "Yaga-gakucho might be inclined to show mercy if you can rope Panda into this."

It's not as if the Tokyo principal –also Satoru-niichan's old teacher during his own days as a student in the school– could actually skin him alive. After all, there weren't very many sorcerers who could pose a challenge to Satoru-niichan in combat, and Yaga Masamichi did not count among that number, much less accomplish a feat like flaying the Strongest. However, Satoru-niichan did happen to respect his old teacher, so it made sense that he wouldn't want to put the man into a difficult position.

… Such as emptying the Tokyo school's cursed tool warehouse would undoubtedly do. The other alternative to this was emptying the Gojo Clan's cursed tool warehouse, but that also came with its own issues –Okkotsu Yuta was not a member of the Gojo Clan, and the clan elders would most certainly raise a ruckus if Satoru-niichan declared such a thing.

Moreover, opening the Gojo Clan's storage of cursed tools to Okkotsu Yuta was undoubtedly an act that would see the higher ups bristling again. They didn't really need any further scrutiny on the matter from the meddlesome higher ups. If any of them realized Satoru-niichan's plan to become a teacher at the Tokyo school next year, then that would be another headache and ordeal to sort out.

Shiki takes a brief moment to patiently remind herself that killing is not an appropriate solution, and would be more trouble than it's worth in this situation.

Across from her, Satoru-niichan snaps his fingers.

"Panda! Now that is an excellent idea, actually…"

Shiki tilts her head. For some reason, the look in Satoru-niichan's eyes gives her the impression that there is another idea that just came to his mind, one that isn't quite just using Panda as an excuse to raid the Tokyo school's cursed tool warehouse.

For all that Panda is one of Yaga-gakucho's creations, an animated cursed corpse doll, Panda is also a sentient individual. One that's all but a son to the Tokyo school's principal, carefully protected and hidden away for his own protection. If it were not for Satoru-niichan introducing her to Panda when she was young, Shiki doubts she would be aware that Panda even existed, even as a student of the Tokyo school.

Case in point, "There's someone in this school called Panda?"

Kirara's expression is one of pure bewilderment, and both of Kinji's eyebrows are raised high on his forehead. Okkotsu-san's confusion is also plain to see, even if he is not the one who'd verbalized those words.

… Come to think of it, although Shiki has met up with Panda several times since becoming a first year student in the school, have either of her classmates met her friend yet? Or even glimpsed him in passing?

"How about inviting Panda to your movie marathon?" Satoru-niichan suggests.

"That's a good idea," Shiki nods.

"… Wait, so there's really someone here called Panda?" Kinji sits up straight in his seat.

"Yes, there's really a Panda in this school," Satoru-niichan tells him good-naturedly.

"Huh," Kinji folds his arms across his chest, and leans back once more. "Now I'm kind of curious."

"That's definitely a very unusual name," Okkotsu-san agrees.

Is it? Shiki tilts her head, "I think it's a very fitting one."

"… Eh?"

"Anyways!" Satoru-niichan claps his hands together. "That's it for today, I think. Shiki, I'm going to be leaving things in your hands for now –let me know if the higher ups give you any trouble, okay? Or just kill a few of them, I promise I won't mind."

Shiki ignores the chorus of choking sounds and frantic coughing that this statement incites from the other three. "Is that permission?"

"I trust your judgment," her cousin responds simply. And really, that's all that needs to be said, isn't it?

"Oh my god," Kinji says, "Decapitation really is a thing with you Gojos, isn't it."

"Only sometimes!"

It's in this cheerful, half-joking-but-not-really atmosphere that Satoru-niichan shoos them out of the classroom. Instead of following directly after her classmates and the hapless new recruit to the school, however, Shiki pauses by the doorway and glances over her shoulder back into the classroom.

Satoru-niichan is looking at her, still smiling.

"So, what do you think?" her cousin asks her, proudly puffing out his chest. "Don't I make a good teacher?"

Given his performance today in front of her classmates and Okkotsu-san… Satoru-niichan had been quite thorough in explaining things, and even though using a 'movie marathon' to teach a former civilian how to control their cursed energy was… unconventional, it did suit Okkotsu-san's situation. Too much cursed energy overwhelming him and too little control over it all, so it was better for Okkotsu-san to leap directly into controlling it in a practical way instead of attuning his senses through meditation first. It was clear that this 'movie marathon' method was something that her cousin had put considerable thought into, and not simply a random idea that came to mind.

"… I'm still not calling you 'sensei,'" she informs him petulantly, and whirls around to leave.

"Why not?! Don't be like that now, Shiki–"

.

.

…

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