Okay, some announcements to make!

I'm updating early because tomorrow is my nephew's birthday (yes the same one that tried to mutilate me on several occasions, attempted to unalive his mom, and broke a girl's heart) so I'll be busy celebrating that! I bought him 8 presents btw :D

And then next week, we'll be going to LA for a funeral :(

AND THEN THE DAY AFTER THAT WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND, YAY 🥳🥳🥳

Updates might be slow next week because of that, but we'll see!

THE NEXT MORNING, MIZUHIME WOKE up and went another day without being pulled into Sukuna's Innate Domain. She tried not to let it get to her as she went on with her morning. She took a shower, got dressed and ate her breakfast.

She was, however, relieved to see Megumi in the common room eating breakfast. She could tell that Yuji's death was still negatively impacting him, but she was just glad that he was at least eating his meals on his own.

"Thank you for taking care of me senpai," he told her monotonously as they walked out of the building. "And I'm sorry for burdening you."

"You aren't a burden, Gumi," she told him worriedly. He looked like he was back to normal now with his usual blank expression, but Mizuhime could tell it was just a mask he was using to hide his grief.

He didn't respond to that. As they passed through the doors, Megumi made a turn in the other direction.

She called out to him, "Gumi? The school building's this way?" Don't tell her his mind was so scrambled that he forgot where he was going!

"I'll be missing the first few classes," he mumbled as he turned to her.

He was skipping? The very idea of skipping a class made her aghast, especially since Megumi wasn't the type to do so.

Megumi must have noticed what she was thinking because he rolled his eyes at her. "It's not like that. There's someone I have to visit. It's..." He trailed off, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a tiny ziploc bag with a ripped piece of fabric inside of it. She could vaguely see a name stitched on it.

"We found a body at the detention center," he explained. "Itadori​​ wanted us to bring the body back to his mother who approached us before, and I didn't agree with him. We got into an argument before everything went to hell."

She nodded in understanding. "I see... you're going to give a piece of her son to her and break the news."

Megumi looked down at the nametag in disgust. "The guy was scum, but..." A soft look crossed his face. "Itadori had a point. His mother doesn't deserve to wait around for answers forever."

Mizuhime smiled at that. She knew Megumi could be quite uncaring towards a certain group of people (usually the unsavory kind) and even hostile to them at times. Before this, Megumi never would've bothered to speak with the mother to break the news of her dead son, but Yuji's presence had taught him to be... kinder. She was glad, but also saddened since he was now gone.

"You're doing the right thing," she said gently.

He shrugged. "I guess... I'll see you around, senpai. I'll be back soon."

She waved goodbye before heading to the school building. She reached her classroom just in time for the bell to ring.

The hours droned on, but as boring as everything was, she still made sure to pay attention to the lesson and take her notes dutifully. Her friends acted none the wiser, and she had a feeling they weren't told about the recent death that occured.

Though to be fair, jujutsu sorcerers dying wasn't anything new. She remembered Megumi telling her that their population dwindled every day, with almost all of the deaths happening due to missions, murders, or executions. Yuji's death was just another number to add to the statistic—as upsetting as it was.

When all the classes ended and homeroom came next, Kusakabe came with some good news that made her light up.

"Two months from now, we will begin the 30th Annual Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event," Kusakabe drawled. He must've gotten back from his own mission the night before because there were noticeable bags under his eyes and his shoulders were drooping. "You must have heard of it last year and from what I remembered, one of your own was able to join in. Okkotsu, right?"

Mizuhime felt her back straighten up upon hearing her boyfriend's name, but then she blushed when she realized what she had done. Beside her, Maki snorted under her breath.

"Now that you're in your second year, you'll be able to participate. The event will be held on our campus thanks to Okkotsu beating them last year. Summer break's coming soon too, but make sure to train during that time. No slacking off. I expect you all to do well."

The teenagers all looked at each other excitedly. Yuta had told them all about what happened in the last event, and they were more than eager to try it out themselves.

Speaking of Yuta...

Mizuhime raised her hand.

"Uchiumi," he called on her.

"Sensei, do you know if Yuta-kun will be here to participate too?" She asked, a hopeful tone in her voice.

Please, please, please let him be here! She begged internally. She hadn't seen him in so long that it was almost agonizing. Yuta hadn't been kidding when he told her that long-distance relationships could be rough, and while she was glad that they were still going strong, she wanted to see him again and not behind a screen.

Unfortunately for her, she would have to wait a little longer.

Kusakabe shook his head, "Sorry, but no. Okkotsu will remain overseas during the event."

Her head drooped in disappointment. She could feel Maki pat her on the shoulder in pity.

"Oh by the way, I almost forgot to mention," Kusakabe added. "Okkotsu's gone and the third years got themselves suspended, so we're severely low on numbers. The first years are needed to participate to even us out. Since I wanna head home after all this is over, I'll let you guys look for them after class to ask them. Ah, well, not really ask them. They have no choice. Train together or whatever. Just make sure to tell them."

And with that, the bell rang just in time.

Kusakabe was the first out the door, muttering something about taking a long nap.

"Alright!" Maki exclaimed, a feral grin on her face as she jumped to her feet. "Let's go find those first year brats? Where are they at?"

"I'll ask," Mizuhime murmured, pulling out her phone.

Hey Gumi? Where are you at right now?

Gumi-chan 🥺:
At the morgue

Is Kugisaki-san with you?

Gumi-chan 🥺:
Yeah??? Why?

"They're at the morgue," Mizuhime told everyone as they filed out of the classroom.

"The morgue?" Maki crinkled her nose. "The hell are they doing there?"

Mizuhime blinked and exchanged a look with Panda. They seemed to be thinking the same thing, Did she not know—?

"Um," Panda spoke up to inform her about Yuji's passing. "Maki, one of the first years—"

"—I can't wait 'till it starts," Maki cut him off. "I'm sure my little sister's been wanting to see me. Hmm, I wonder how she's been doing... But forget that. Hime!"

Mizuhime jumped at the sudden call of her name. "Uh, yes?"

"Do you know how important this is for us?!" She asked, flames of determination in her eyes. "We're the only two sorcerers here stuck on Grade 4 and honestly—I have a hunch that someone's trying to hold you back the same way my old Clan's doing with me."

Mizuhime fell silent at that. Sukuna's warnings about Gojo and the way her own teacher reacted when she confronted him about it echoed in her head.

"This is our one chance to move up," Maki went on. "If we do well in this event, it'll be harder for our enemies to get in our way again! So we absolutely have to win this!"

She gasped, "No way, really?! We can actually move up?!"

Maki nodded.

"Then you're right!" Mizuhime had a similar fire dancing in her eyes now. "We're definitely winning this! All of us!"

"Salmon!" Inumaki exclaimed, bringing up a fist as if to cheer them on.

"But first we need to tell the first years about this," Panda reminded them. "We can't win this without them after all."

And so, they picked up the pace towards the morgue. Luckily for them, they didn't actually have to step inside the place since Megumi and Nobara were both sitting on the steps right in front of the building.

Megumi's face looked empty and Nobara, who sat beside him, was pointedly looking away, her lips trembling slightly.

Before Mizuhime could do anything, Maki strode forward, a disappointed scowl on her face.

"What's this?" She scoffed, hand on her hip. "You're looking more glum than usual, Megumi. This a wake or something?"

Oh my god, Mizuhime paled as she watched the disaster unfold. She really doesn't know!

"Zenin-senpai," Megumi acknowledged blankly.

"Don't call me by my last name!" Maki ordered.

"Maki! Maki!" Panda decided to step in. The three of them were hiding behind a statue of a lion.

She glanced at them, "What? I'm busy talking here."

"Y-you actually don't know why they're so down?" Panda whispered.

"What are you talking about?"

Mizuhime grimaced, "Maki, Itadori-san died yesterday."

Her mouth dropped. "The finger-eater? H-he's actually dead?!"

"Yes!"

"Salmon!"

She blanched. "You should've told me sooner! Now I look like some heartless, cold-blooded demon!"

"That's exactly how you came off," Panda agreed.

"Tuna mayo."

Nobara looked unimpressed. She pointed at the bickering group. "I already know Uchiumi-senpai, but who are those guys?"

"The rest of our second-year upperclassmen," Megumi sighed, as if he couldn't believe it either.

"You have to be kinder to your underclassmen," Panda was busy scolding Maki.

"There's more to kindness than being soft on them," Maki grumbled.

"Zenin-senpai is the best of all the students at wielding cursed tools," Megumi was telling Nobara. He pointed at Inumaki next. "That's the Cursed Speech user, Inumaki-senpai. He can only speak in rice ball ingredients. Panda-senpai. And you already know Uchiumi-senpai and her boyfriend Okkotsu-senpai."

(He actually felt his eye twitch when he said that last part, but thankfully, Nobara didn't notice it.)

"You're not adding more about the panda named Panda?" She complained.

Said panda clasped his paws together as he faced the younger pair. "Man, I'm so sorry about this. And when you're in mourning... Please forgive us for that. The truth is, we'd like you to participate in the Kyoto Sister School Exchange Event."

"Kyoto Sister School Exchange Event?" Nobara echoed. "What's that?"

"It's a get-together with the other Tech school in Kyoto," Megumi explained, before turning to them. "Though isn't that event mainly second and third years?"

"We're low on numbers," Mizuhime replied. "The third years are currently under suspension and Yuta-kun..." She trailed off with a despondent sigh.

Megumi tried not to perk up. "He won't be here for that?"

"No," she answered miserably.

Nobara, able to sense that Mizuhime was probably seconds away from moping at the absence of her boyfriend, quickly spoke up next, "So what do you do at this event? Smash Bros? I won't lose if it's the Wii version. I'll Meteor Smash so you can't come back."

The bluenette blinked. "What's Smash Bros?"

Nobara's jaw dropped.

"A-anyways," Panda added hastily. "The exchange event has the principals of the Tokyo and Kyoto schools. Each propose a form of competition to be held for an entire day over the course of two days. Though that's just how it is on paper. Every year, the first day is team battles, and the second day is individual battles."

"Salmon," Inumaki confirmed.

"Individual and team battles?" Nobara said, her eyes growing wide. "We fight?! Against other jujutsu sorcerers?!"

Maki grinned wickedly. "Yeah, it's a jujutsu battle where anything but killing goes."

"And thank god for that," Mizuhime sighed in relief. She knew how violent Maki could get sometimes. That, and she knew some sorcerers could be pretty ruthless and she certainly didn't want to be faced against them if there wasn't any 'no killing' rule.

"We'll train you up well so you won't get killed," Panda hyped them up.

"It starts in two months," Mizuhime smiled. "So we should start training right away if we want to win."

Nobara frowned, "Wait, do you have time for that? I thought we were short on jujutsu sorcerers."

"That's a good question. For now, we are," Panda said. "The glum emotions people harbor from late winter through spring cause an outburst of curses in the early summer, so that's our busy season."

"Sometimes we're busy all year long," Maki scowled. "But things should be settling down soon. So, you'll do it, right? You just had a partner die on you, after all."

Mizuhime nudged her side. "Maki!" She scolded, wide-eyed. "Don't just say that so casually!"

"Oh, whoops, my bad."

"We're in!" Nobara and Megumi announced in unison.

"But if I decide this training and exchange event is pointless, I'm quitting instantly," Nobara added.

"Same here," Megumi agreed.

"Eh? Come on guys, don't be like that..." Mizuhime pouted.

Panda patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Hime. People this cocky are all the more worthwhile to train."

"Oh, okay," she smiled. "Then let's get started!"

"Salmon cod roe," Inumaki said suddenly, stepping forward until he was in front of her.

She paused. "Hm? What's wrong, Inumaki-san?"

"Tuna tuna," he said, showing her the screen of his phone.

I actually need you to go to the subway station. Trust me, you won't regret it.

"The subway station...?" She read aloud, giving him a look of confusion.

"Uh, why do you need her to go there?" Panda scratched the back of his head, equally as confused. "Is it really that important?"

Rather than answering, Inumaki took his phone back and started typing away. Then, he showed Panda and Maki his screen. Their eyes widened and their jaws dropped. Mizuhime wondered what Inumaki had texted.

"Forget the training," Maki said, which was a surprise. "You can do that later."

"Yeah," Panda agreed, nodding his head excessively. "You should hurry over to the subway station now! And wear something nice too!"

"Um, what's going on?" Blue eyes flickered over to the first years, but they were just as lost as she was.

"Just go, go!" Panda urged, already ushering her away. "And wear something nice!"

"But—" She began to protest.

"—Go!" Maki and Panda said, while Inumaki cried out, "Tuna!"

"Okay, okay!" She laughed, still lost as to what exactly was going on. "I'll go! I'll wear something nice too, though I still have no idea why I need to look good for a trip to the subway station. I'll talk to you guys later then."

They all watched Mizuhime walk away until she was nothing but a dot on the street.

Megumi finally spoke up, "Okay, what was that? Why did you guys have her leave?"

Maki smirked, "Because there's a surprise waiting for her at the subway station."

"A surprise?" Nobara looked doubtful. "The only surprise I can think of is a train with actual breathing space. Now that would be a surprise."

"No, no," Panda chortled. "Not that. Better."

Megumi had a sinking feeling in his stomach. "What's the surprise?"

Panda grinned. "Hime's boyfriend is back in Tokyo."

And now Megumi's day was even more ruined than before.

━━━━━━･❪ 💧 ❫ ･━━━━━━

Mizuhime honestly had no idea what to expect when she headed for the subway station. While her friends' orders for her to come here were suspicious at best, she also trusted them enough to not send her down here for something malicious. So she did as she was told and dressed all nice and pretty, but she still didn't know why it was so necessary.

Since it was summer, she had opted to throw on a pale blue mini wrap dress that was soft to the touch. She had made it herself just recently so it was a good time to actually try it out. She matched it with a pair of tan wedges.

Seriously, what am I doing here...? She sighed to herself as she readjusted the little purse hanging off her shoulder. She was already at the subway station, but so far, she hadn't spotted anything special. Then again, neither of her friends even told her what to look out for. Was she even supposed to look for something? Was she supposed to board one of the trains? She wished they had provided her with more information...

She watched in disinterest as one of the trains arrived. It slowed to a stop, and as her eyes drifted over it, she froze.

Standing behind one of the doors was a figure she could see clearly through the window. He was tall with glossy black hair framing his face and familiar deep blue eyes that reminded her of the ocean water. He was adorning a white jacket that looked very similar to the one her boyfriend wore as part of his uniform.

...Yuta...? She thought hesitantly, but then shook her head. No, no, that couldn't be right. This boy looked nothing like her small-statured, sweet-faced boyfriend, even if he did wear the same jacket, had the same eyes, and carried the same sword strapped around his shoulder.

And so she pried her gaze away from him and started looking elsewhere for whatever surprise her friends wanted her to search for.

Maybe I should just text them, she thought. She had been standing around here for a while now and she was starting to grow impatient. Just as she pulled out her phone to question her friends about their plan, she was unaware of the tall figure quietly approaching her from the side.

Someone cleared their throat and she looked up to see the tall guy from before standing right next to her. His face was beaming but he didn't speak, as if he was expecting her to do something first. When all he got was a confused stare, his face fell.

"A-are you not happy to see me...?" He asked her, looking like he was about to break down into tears any second now. He was like a puppy who had just been kicked and abandoned by their owner. She would've thought he looked cute had it not been for his words clicking in her head.

Her jaw dropped. "Wait... Yuta-kun?!" She nearly shrieked.

Realization dawned on him and he laughed, "Hold on, you actually didn't recognize me?"

"Y-you look so different!" She sputtered in disbelief.

The Yuta she was staring at now barely resembled the Yuta she saw before he left for Africa. Sure she had seen him through FaceTime calls, videos, and pictures, but seeing him in real life was something else entirely.

She gawked at him as she stepped back to scan him up and down, as if she was double-checking to see if this guy before her really was her boyfriend.

Back then, there wasn't much of a height difference between them but now it was so much more obvious. She had no idea how many inches he had grown, but his new height was certainly noticeable to her now. He had gotten broader too; his shoulders were wider now and his body pretty much dwarfed hers. He wasn't as tall as Gojo, but she felt like a bunny standing before a lion.

What the heck...?! She marveled. He's only been gone for a little more than half a year and he's grown this much?! No fair!

He smiled at her reaction. "I had a bit of growth spurt, you can say. All the excessive training helped too," he explained sheepishly. "Now can I get a kiss? It's been way too long since I've touched you."

Grinning eagerly, she didn't hesitate to throw herself into his arms. He wrapped himself around her tightly, large hands delicately holding her shoulders as their lips met.

Kissing in the subway station wasn't very romantic but neither of them could hardly care about formalities. The people around them could stare all they wanted, but Mizuhime would always be his to have. He let out a light moan as he pressed against her lips tighter, wanting nothing more than to ravish her right then and there. He missed everything about her; her scent, her voice, her touch. He nearly went mad in Africa after so long of being deprived of it.

When he poked his tongue out and the tip reached her lips, her eyes flew open and with a startled gasp, she pulled away.

Her face was redder than his, which he noted with satisfaction. Usually he was the blushing mess around her, but it seems like the roles have switched now.

"Sorry," he said breathlessly, but he didn't feel sorry in the slightest. Before he left, their kisses were very sweet and innocent and he didn't dare try to use any tongue no matter how badly he wanted it. He knew she would just feel uncomfortable, but now he didn't mind pushing her boundaries a little bit.

"I-it's okay...!" She squeaked, hand placed over her mouth since she was still so shocked.

"Let's go up now, yeah?" He suggested, already leading her to the staircase. "There's some things I want to do with you."

They left the station. Yuta had one hand holding a small suitcase while his other arm was thrown over her shoulders. As they ascended the stairs, Mizuhime couldn't help but notice that Rika's ring had been moved from his ring finger to his pointer finger.

"Why didn't you tell me you were back in Japan?" Mizuhime asked once they were out in the city.

"I wanted to surprise you," he grinned. "I told Inumaki-kun though and he promised to send you over here."

"How long are you staying?" She asked, hoping he would be staying permanently and that he wouldn't be sent back to Africa.

"Only two weeks," he answered, which brought a frown to her face. "I know, I hate it too."

"I was hoping you could stay here forever..." She said sadly.

"I do as well," he agreed, but he flashed her a smile. "But I plan to make this the best two weeks ever. Come on."

Rather than heading back to Jujutsu Tech to at least put away his luggage, he went with directly taking her out on a date. He ended up taking her aboard the traditional Yakatabune houseboat for a dinner cruise along the Sumida River. It was not only expensive, but also very romantic in Mizuhime's opinion.

(She just really liked boats, okay?)

The couple sat against the wall with red zabuton cushions underneath them. There were other couples joining the cruise with them, but they were all too occupied with their own thing to bother caring about the other inhabitants.

"The food here's so good," she hummed in delight as she leaned against her boyfriend's shoulder. "This place is amazing too!"

Yuta smiled sweetly. "I'm glad you like it here."

He watched intently as she reached out with her chopsticks to grab a temaki. She put the seaweed cone into her mouth and swallowed, unaware of the eyes locked on her throat watching the small lump disappear.

Yuta felt his mouth run dry. He wanted to plant his lips on her delicate neck, to shove his tongue in her mouth, to fill up her throat with his cock and flood it with his cum. Before he knew it, he was already leaning against her, their faces close, and his hand placed on her thigh.

"You know," he began, his voice low as his hand ever-so-slowly began to trail upwards. "This boat we're on—the Yakatabune—is historically referred to as a pleasure boat."

Mizuhime nearly choked on her food at his words.

Her face, neck, and ears instantly became a violent shade of red. The way Yuta was speaking to her right now was so different from what she was used to. That, and his hand on her thigh that was slowly approaching the hem of her dress? It was a miracle her brain hadn't exploded yet.

"O-oh?" She squeaked, failing to keep cool. "Why would they call it... um, that?"

"Because..." He trailed off suggestively, his fingers now inching under the skirt of her dress. And then all of a sudden, he pulled away, a wide and innocent smile on his face. "Families and friends use them for recreational activities like fishing, wakeboarding, or simply just traveling! Cool, right?"

Her jaw dropped. "Oh...! That's... nice...!" She lied. She didn't know why, but there was a weird heat building up in her lower stomach and she felt strangely... dissatisfied. Especially when he pulled away from her like that. She chalked it up to just her missing him and resumed with dinner.

Meanwhile, Yuta was barely able to hide his wide grin. He had been gauging her reaction and the disappointment on her face when he pulled away from her was as clear as day. Though he could tell that she was confused as to why she felt like that. That was okay with him though. He knew now that she wanted him badly—maybe as badly as he wanted her.

How perfect. Things just got easier.

With some bribery from Yuta, the two teens were allowed to go out to the front deck where some folding chairs and tables were set out. They ignored it and opted to stand in front of the railing to admire the view.

Mizuhime made sure to take pictures of everything they passed by: the Tokyo Skytree, the Rainbow Bridge, and even the artificial island of Odaiba that was a little too far to see clearly.

"Hey, Hime," Yuta called out to her.

She turned to him and was met with his loving gaze. "Yeah?"

"I love you," he told her earnestly, his gaze becoming so intense almost as if he would rip his own heart out and hand it to her just to prove his words.

"I love you too," she returned just as passionately, feeling her whole body grow soft and mushy. Her heart was pounding so hard, it was like it was trying to burst from her ribcage.

His next words made it stutter to a stop:

"Enough to marry me?" He asked.

It took her by surprise. "W-what?"

"I love you so much that I want you to marry me, Hime," he told her fiercely. He pulled out something from his pocket before dropping down to one knee.

A soft gasp left her lips when he held out a small velvet box. When he opened it, she nearly had a heart attack. Sitting at the very center was a glimmering ring. It had a golden band with a silver stripe running down the middle. In the middle, shining right in front of her, was a large square-cut blue diamond adorned with smaller blue diamonds at the sides.

"I know we're still young, but I don't care," Yuta continued and she pried her eyes away from the ring to stare back at him. His expression was something that went beyond love and devotion, and it made her chest pound with an unknown emotion. "I love you, and I will love you for the rest of my life and after that. I want nothing more than to be your husband and for you, my wife."

Wife, Mizuhime echoed. As she stared down at Yuta, something in her vision glitched. For a brief second, Yuta was replaced by someone else—another man, much older and with white hair and horrifying blue eyes that looked at her with intense adoration that made her feel dizzy.

She took a step back, and the image disappeared. Yuta jumped to his feet and grabbed her, hands desperately clutching her arms as he pulled her in close.

"Mmph!" Whatever she was about to say was muffled by his lips crashing against hers. Without a second's hesitation, he pushed his tongue past her lips and she could feel him swiping at every crevice of her mouth before prodding her own tongue.

She didn't know what to do, but she moved her tongue around his anyway just the way he liked it. He pressed her tightly against his body, so close that there wasn't a centimeter of space between them. She could feel every muscle, his heart pounding away at his chest, and something hard poking her thigh.

When he pulled away, a thin trail of saliva followed. She blushed when it broke away, but he cupped the side of her face so she would focus on him.

"You would make such a perfect wife..." He panted. "You'd marry me, won't you, honey? I love you so much. I would be the best husband ever, I swear to you. I would take such good care of you, so please... please, please marry me."

"Yuta-kun," she said worriedly. "My... my father—"

"—Your father approves of this, I already have his blessing," he reassured her with a beaming smile. "He wants us to get married."

"He does?" Now that was certaining astonishing to hear. But still... if her father approved of this, if he wanted this, then she definitely couldn't object.

She didn't know much about marriage. Her old books rarely talk about them and while the books she had now were very romantic, most of the characters were still teenagers and the book never went far enough for them to get married. Was this too soon? Was this too fast? Weren't they too young? She had no clue.

But getting married to Yuta didn't sound bad. It seemed like a dream come true actually even though she had no idea what being married to him would entail. She was clueless about dating back then, and look at how well they were doing now! She would learn how marriage worked soon just as she did with dating.

"I'll marry you, Yuta," she said softly, reaching up to cup his cheeks.

His eyes widened. "You will?"

She nodded, a smile on her face. "Yes. Yes, I will marry you."

"Oh my god," he uttered, looking dazed with shock, but then a huge grin lit up his handsome face. "Oh my god. I love you! I love you so much!" He cried out, peppering her face with kisses while murmuring about how he loved her.

When he pulled away, he didn't hesitate to slide the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit (because of course he would know all her measurements).

"When we dock," Mizuhime began, beaming up at him. "Let's go to a jewelry store so I can buy your engagement ring."

His eyes widened in surprise, but slowly softened at her words.

You're going to be such an amazing wife, he thought, resting his head against the top of hers as he held her close. And soon... an amazing mother.

( BONUS! )

All that went on in the white haired man's head was an ongoing static buzz. His crystal blue eyes were plastered to the screen of his phone. It was the latest picture Yuta had taken and posted on Instagram just a few minutes ago.

Jujutsu Tech's star couple were standing on some dock, arms lovingly wrapped around one another with lovesick smiles and heart-eyes on their faces. Mizuhime had her hand lifted up where a ring was wrapped around her finger. When he swiped the screen for the second picture, it was a close-up of the ring. The engagement ring. He swiped to the next picture and saw that even Yuta had his own that she bought for him.

Just when Gojo thought he got rid of Sukuna by hiding Yuji away, this had to have happened.

He didn't get it. He did so much for her. Like that one time they went to a coffee shop and the barista was talking to her for way too long, so he killed her afterwards for wasting his precious lover's time. Or that day a guy was checking her out during one of their fun shopping trips so he gouged his eyes out in retaliation and left him for dead. Or the time a bunch of curses nearly attacked her so he demolished the whole building and left a gigantic crater on the earth just to save her life.

She was supposed to be his fiance. His wife. Not Yuta's. How could this have happened? Was this karma for what he had done to them a thousand years ago? For stealing her away from him before he could even have the chance? Did he curse him to go through this? No, that couldn't be it. He would've wanted her to end up with him and not some other man.

This was no curse. Just plain bad luck.

His hand began to shake. He pried his gaze away from that god-awful picture and tossed his phone away. He collapsed on the edge of his bed, his head falling into his hands.

He was number one... so why did he always feel like he was in second place in Mizuhime's eyes? 

— author's note —

Ngl, I was hella tempted to have Yuta propose to her in front of KFC just to flex on Gojo jasdjhafkjsh 😂

ANYWAYS, HERE'S WHAT MIZUHIME'S ENGAGEMENT RING LOOKS LIKE:

Isn't it just pretty??? 🥺 Expensive looking too but that's okay because Yuta's rich thanks to being a Special Grade 💙

And here's the engagement ring she bought for him: