The next day, at a hotel near Kyoto Jujutsu High.
"Fushiguro-sensei…"
Kokichi stood in front of Mukuro, dressed in casual clothes. He looked uneasy, like a grade schooler who had done something wrong and was waiting to be scolded.
He had once worked with cursed spirits and curse users, and that fact could never be erased. Even after his teacher gave him a chance to atone, he still failed to defeat Mahito and ultimately needed Mukuro to step in himself.
Now that everything was over, he did not dare meet his teacher's eyes.
"It's about time…"
Mukuro did not respond directly. Instead, he took out his phone, checked the time, and spoke softly.
Knock, knock.
Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, there was a knock on the door.
"Hello, this is your order…"
Mukuro stood up and opened the door. Outside was a boy who looked like an employee from a drink shop, holding a large sealed box. The moment the door opened, the boy explained his purpose.
"Thanks for the trouble."
Mukuro nodded and casually took the box from his hands with one arm. After closing the door, he turned back and saw Kokichi still standing there stiffly like a log.
"What are you waiting for? Change into your uniform. Or are you not planning to go back to the school?"
He teased the boy lightly.
"Huh? Yes! I'll change right now!"
Kokichi froze for a moment, then a smile spread across his face, one he could not suppress no matter how hard he tried. In a rush, he grabbed the neatly folded school uniform from the table.
"And this too. Your punishment is carrying it."
After Kokichi finished changing, Mukuro handed him the box.
"Yes!"
Kokichi accepted it gladly, as if he had been entrusted with something extremely important.
Now…
He could finally go see them.
* * *
Elsewhere, inside a classroom at Kyoto High.
Almost all of the students were gathered together, which was rare.
Normally, even when they were not on missions, they hardly ever met in one classroom.
Their grades were different, and their progress in jujutsu studies varied widely. Only when new students arrived or something important happened would they gather like this.
"So, did something serious happen? And at a time when Fushiguro-sensei isn't even in Kyoto?"
Todo spoke up first. With Mukuro absent, he was practically the pillar the Kyoto students relied on.
(Kusakabe often slacks off.)
"Well… it's not really that big of a deal. Fushiguro just told me to call you all here. He should be back soon…"
Utahime answered, though in her mind, two small figures appeared. Herself, and Mukuro. And her chasing that annoying man who gave instructions without explaining anything, beating him up.
"Um, sensei. Mechamaru doesn't seem to be here…"
Miwa raised her hand and pointed at Mechamaru sitting beside her, reminding Utahime, who had been lost in her fantasy.
The girl looked uneasy.
Since Mechamaru said he was going to sleep yesterday, he had seemed to vanish.
This morning, when she passed by the office, his mechanical body was still sitting there in the same position. No matter how she called him, there was no response. Even after bringing him to the classroom, with everyone already present, he was still exactly the same.
She was worried that something had happened to him.
"Mechamaru…" Utahime froze as well.
She remembered the conversation between the two schools' teachers during the exchange event. Mukuro had said he would handle it personally, but as a teacher who cared deeply for her students, she could not simply ignore it.
During her investigation, she found no suspicious outsiders. But among the students who seemed too clean, Mechamaru alone had even the slightest possibility. If there really was a traitor in Kyoto, his special Heavenly Restriction made him the only one capable of doing such things.
And if she could reach that conclusion, there was no way Mukuro could not.
"Don't worry. He'll be fine. Maybe he's just been too tired lately or something. I'll have Fushiguro check on him later."
Utahime forced a smile. She did not know what had happened to Mechamaru, but knowing Mukuro for so many years, she trusted his protective nature.
At the very least, before everything became clear, he would be watching Mechamaru closely.
"Okay…" Miwa replied softly. Her finger quietly poked Mechamaru beside her, hoping for a response.
There was none.
"It's so hot today. Sorry for calling everyone over."
Just then, Mukuro pushed the door open and walked in.
"So then, what kind of thing is important enough to gather us all like this?"
Todo felt his blood heat up.
"When I was in Tokyo, that white-haired sweets addict recommended a really good bubble tea shop. So I had it flown in for you all to try."
Mukuro leaned against a desk in the front row and snapped his fingers.
Kokichi, carrying the big box, walked in with visible excitement.
'Bubble tea…'
Miwa's eyes went blank for a moment.
She wanted to drink bubble tea. Her family was poor, and as a clumsy jujutsu sorcerer, she had to earn money to support her two younger brothers. But a mere grade 3 sorcerer did not earn much, and as a student, her income was even lower.
(For low-grade sorcerers.)
Poor.
She had heard of bubble tea before. People said it was unbelievably good. It was something she had always wanted to try but never could, given her family situation. A so-called high-end drink.
Yet now, the thing she had longed for was right in front of her, and she felt no excitement at all. Instead, she glanced worriedly at Mechamaru, who was quietly sleeping beside her.
"So cousin likes stuff like this too…" Mai blinked in surprise.
"Don't put us on a pedestal. Even special grade sorcerers are just people, same as you."
Mukuro clapped his hands as Kokichi opened the box and began handing out the still-cold drinks in an orderly way.
"So this really is just about bubble tea…"
Todo's fiery expression turned blank. He had thought their teacher was about to announce something huge.
"Not exactly. To be honest, this boy wants to properly meet everyone. I'm just here as support."
Mukuro finally got to the point.
"Miwa, this is yours."
Meanwhile, Kokichi held out a cup of bubble tea and stopped in front of the dazed girl.
"Huh? You know me?" She snapped out of it and asked in confusion.
"Wait… that uniform. Isn't that Mechamaru's?"
Noritoshi narrowed his eyes, noticing something off. The school uniforms could be customized. They looked similar, but the details and body fit gave it away.
"Don't tell me…"
Most of them already had the answer. Even Miwa, the slowest to catch on, began to realize.
"Sorry for taking so long to meet you properly. My name is Kokichi Muta. I'm also known as Mechamaru. Please take care of me."
The smile on the boy's face was like sunlight after a storm of despair.
**
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