Jujutsu Kaisen: I Have A Gardevoir

Mai Zen'in faced an intense interrogation from her close friends, but Akira wasn't in a much better position.

No, perhaps it was even worse for him.

Just after leaving the girl's side, as he pondered how to use the two opportunities to relay messages, he suddenly felt a strong wind above him.

A long-bladed weapon with white tassels, resembling Satoru Gojo's hair by about ninety percent, came hurtling down from the sky.

Akira quickly stepped back to avoid it and said to the person who had attacked, "What are you doing? That was dangerous."

"Who said jujutsu sorcerers live in a dangerous world and should be alert at all times?"

The ponytailed girl pulled the blade out from the shattered ground and twirled it skillfully, raising an eyebrow as she spoke.

"I also said that trust between teammates is important. Attacking a teammate suddenly is a big no-no."

While glaring at Maki, Akira stole a glance at the Gardevoir behind him, noticing that she had turned her gaze away, avoiding looking at him.

Is she sulking?

"I trust my teammates—so long as they don't betray me," Maki retorted, refusing to back down. "Now, what exactly did you do to someone else's little sister?"

"Sister? Oh, you mean Mai."

He got it. She must have seen him talking with Mai, though it was unclear how much she had witnessed.

"Mai, huh? Just a moment, and you're already calling her by her first name."

Maki's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and Gardevoir pouted, looking upset as well.

But Akira, with his seasoned demeanor, remained unfazed. Calmly, he responded:

"If you have an issue with it, take it up with your sister. She asked me to call her that. Surely, as her older sister, you understand why."

Maki clicked her tongue. "That idiot... And you too. Just because she told you to call her that, you did? What about your standards?"

"You all corrupted me. Isn't calling each other by our first names a tradition around here?"

One sentence shut down all of Maki's retorts.

Tokyo Jujutsu High had plenty of friendly types.

Gojo, Panda, and even Maki herself were like that.

Of course, Gojo and Panda were genuinely friendly, while Maki did it because of her surname, preferring people to call her by her first name and reciprocating in kind. But that didn't change the overall vibe at Tokyo Jujutsu High.

Knowing she couldn't win on this point, Maki focused on one issue. "You still haven't answered my question. What exactly did you do to Mai?"

"Oh? You're unwilling to open up to your sister but have no problem coming to me? You're quite contradictory."

"Mind your own business and just answer me."

"It's nothing serious. We just chatted, and I gave her some emotional support."

"Are you having a case of 'assistant syndrome'? I told you not to meddle."

By "assistant syndrome," Maki referred to Akira's habit from his part-time job as a teaching assistant.

"But your sister came to me on her own, and she clearly had something weighing on her. I couldn't just leave her like that, especially since she's your sister. Or are you saying I should have ignored her and let her condition worsen?"

Maki clicked her tongue again. "I can never win an argument with you. You mentioned that Mai had some mental issues—what were they, exactly?"

"Now you don't think I'm meddling anymore?"

Having known Maki for quite some time, Akira had learned one thing—when dealing with this sharp-tongued fighter, you could never back down. Tit for tat was the way to go.

"But it's something you need to ask her yourself. It's a matter of personal privacy. I don't want to speak ill of a younger sister to her older sister."

"Does that mean a younger sister can't speak ill of her older sister?"

"Which is why I called her out on it. I can't very well break my own rule right after, now can I? How could I teach like that?"

'Other kids can do it, so why can't you?'

—A phrase that most kids in traditional households hate to hear.

As children, many of us didn't know how to respond, and some even believed the adults who said, "You'll understand when you're older."

When we did grow up, we understood that parents want the best for their children, but that doesn't mean it should be done this way.

Before criticizing kids, have you looked at yourself first?

Sure, comparing children to others is common, but comparing yourself to other adults like Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk? That's different.

Before you advise others, maybe reflect on yourself first.

It's not that having double standards is entirely wrong—human nature is hard to avoid. But in education, Akira believed one should lead by example.

Maki was left speechless.

Whether it was with the older or younger sister, Akira always managed to come out on top.

"I got your sister's contact info, don't worry—it's for other matters. There are two people in Kyoto that I'm interested in. But I wouldn't mind being a messenger for you both. I'm honestly curious—how far will you two sisters take this? It'll definitely be more entertaining than those so-called special grade sorcerers."

Maki still said nothing.

Gardevoir glanced between the stubborn Maki and the outwardly gentle but equally firm Akira, showing her concern with a soft murmur.

"It's fine," Akira reassured her, gently ruffling her head.

"Yeah." Maki held her hand as well.

The telepathic connection between the two psychic powers linked them, and Gardevoir reached out to hold the hands of both the young man and the young woman.

Akira gave Maki a knowing smile, while Maki wore a helpless expression, as if dealing with Akira's family always left her without options.

"Garde... Garde..." Gardevoir began to float slowly.

Akira knew she wanted to take everyone out to have fun, so he nodded. "If we're going to have fun, let's make it big. Now that I think about it, we've been scouting terrain and preparing for the competition ever since we arrived in Kyoto. We haven't had a chance to properly explore. Where should we go? Kyoto has too many attractions, which makes it hard to choose."

As he pondered, he noticed two figures, one tall and one short, waving from a distance.

It was Tokyo Jujutsu High's top two powerhouses, Satoru Gojo and Yuta Okkotsu, and they seemed to be heading out as well.

"Where are you two headed?"

"We're going to buy clothes. Yuta's clothes couldn't handle it anymore. He does have a spare uniform, but since there's still the individual competition tomorrow, it's better not to have him going around half-naked."

Hearing Gojo's explanation, Yuta lowered his head in embarrassment.

"I'm still not skilled enough at controlling my cursed energy."

Fun fact: every object has a limit to how much cursed energy it can withstand. Once that limit is exceeded, the object breaks.

Most sorcerers can keep their cursed energy flowing internally, without affecting their clothing.

But Yuta, with his massive reserves, would leak energy unconsciously whenever he powered up. Even if he didn't intentionally channel it into his clothes, over time, the fabric couldn't handle it.

"Perfect, we'll join you," Akira suddenly had an idea. "Sensei, didn't you mention that you bought a clothing chain recently, mainly for eye patches and sunglasses?"

"Ah, yeah, that did happen. Mostly for the eye patches and sunglasses, but the clothing designs weren't bad either." Gojo spoke about it as casually as if he were talking about picking up a soda from the convenience store.

"Is there a branch in Kyoto?"

"I think there is." Gojo said as he checked his phone. "Found it—just opened recently. I don't usually keep track of these things. Why do you ask—?"

"I have a fun idea. Let's shoot a music video to promote the new store or use it as a recruitment ad for the high school."

"All right, let's do it!"

Everyone else: "..."

You two are unbelievable—one of you comes up with it, and the other just agrees right away.