Wall Slam.
The act of slamming a wall can be interpreted in many ways, it could be a fitness exercise, an act of violence.
But in the context of anime, it was usually associated with romance.
It is usually done by making one person stand against the wall while another blocks their way and slams the wall beside them.
This like.
Smack…
A loud sound of flesh hitting something hard resonated beside me as a strong hand of inhuman strength slammed right next to my head on the wall behind me, where I was dragged against.
"Alright, start talking." Said one Maki Zenin who looked half pissed and half annoyed regarding what I probably think was me withholding details from what happened back in Shibuya.
And that's okay, I understand that I should have come clean myself when she actively went ahead and kept my technique a secret from everyone, and I'm very sorry for that and all, but does the girl really not realize what she is doing?
"Can't we go inside first?" I asked with a half smile, as her face was a little too close for comfort. I could smell her, feel her breath, and that was doing things to me I didn't need when she could notice them.
"No… we're speaking here." Maki ruthlessly denied the plea.
My lips thinned at the compromising situation I found myself in, and my eyes wandered between her eyes and lips, not sure where exactly to look at her.
"You sure?" I smiled and turned my head sideways. Maki of course followed only to find a group of heads sticking out from the corner of the wall, stacked on each other.
"Shu… she saw us…" with a yelp they vanished behind the wall.
But with Maki's superhuman hearing she could hear them as clearly as Gojo's narcissism.
"I told you, they're a thing."
"Is that the infamous wall slam from novels and games?"
"No, it's anime and manga where you get to see that."
"I knew she is an Otaku in secret."
"Well, at least we know who's wearing the pants in this relationship…"
"Salmon…"
Maki heard voices which suspiciously sounded like Panda, Nobara, Yuji, Megumi, and Toge.
A wave of embarrassment slammed onto her, she really didn't know anything regarding the infamous wall slam, it just happened.
"Tsk… noisy." With her cheeks dusted pink, she grabbed hold onto my hand tightly as if I would have bolted at any leeway she had shown and dragged me into her room.
"Woh… they are going to Maki's room."
"Follow, follow…"
"Tuna Mayo."
And so the group followed while Maki slammed the door shut after both of us went inside.
It wasn't just the usual gossip which interested them, not that Panda helped in this case after spreading rumors regarding both Maki and me, but it was curiosity which drove them more regarding my cursed technique which let me kill three special grade cursed spirits and which I refused to tell anyone.
And suddenly I was telling that to Maki.
Of course they wished to know.
"Okay, start speaking." She said once we were inside and the door was secured.
"Yeah, yeah… sure." I nodded.
Making certain that there was no one eavesdropping, or at least any ear close enough which could listen to their conversation, I started explaining everything which took place back in Shibuya.
To explain everything, I started from the absolute beginning. From having my mind break inside Gojo's domain to the very end of how I was able to tank Sukuna's Domain.
Strange how that entire wild ride started with one of the two strongest and most lethal domains of this world and ended at the hand of the other strongest in that list.
Maki listened with rapt attention, most of it felt like a story out of a fantasy. If she hadn't seen it by herself, she wouldn't have believed it.
"As for how I did it, it has everything to do with my technique. Same reason why I refused to explain what it is in the first place." I said, a little tired from the long-winded storytelling and explanations.
"Is your technique related to trade?" Maki frowned, she heard the entire story, it sounded too good to be true, even if he was lucky and a literal genius in Jujutsu, there was still a big power gap which he had to overcome to prove what he claimed to have done.
"It is, you already saw how I traded with your cursed energy back then." I nodded.
"But that was the external use of my technique, as you know my technique is mostly domain-based. Its real power exists only inside the domain." I said.
Maki did recall at that how back in Shibuya against Dagon, I was able to at the end finalize my domain and use my technique for the first time.
'No cursed technique….'
And everyone no longer could use their cursed techniques.
That at least explained the general working of my domain to her and until now she had expected that to be the entire technique.
"I can put trades inside my domain, if you recall." I asked and she nodded.
"Well, all those trades are secondary in nature. Something I may or may not apply depending on want or an equivalent exchange in value or condition."
Maki's brow furrowed, why did it feel more complicated to her than it was supposed to be?
"My real technique, or at least its real functionality, is achieved when someone dies inside my domain." I slowly said, to which Maki looked lost.
It didn't make sense to her at first, wasn't that the entire purpose of a domain, to kill the opponent?
But then her mind recalled something she had almost buried in her memories from back then in Shibuya when they fought against Jogo.
She remembered Yami suddenly using water out of nowhere to counter that volcano head's fire attack.
And as she pieced two plus two together, her eyes started to widen beyond anything I felt comfortable seeing on an otherwise stoic Maki Zenin.
She didn't say anything though, instead just sat there in that state as if wanting confirmation from me regarding the wild theory she cooked up inside her head.
I didn't leave her hanging for long, I came out and said clearly, "Upon the death of any person inside my domain, the other will get everything of value from their opponent."
For the first time I saw Maki really lose her composure at my answer.
"Anything?" She asked, as if still not believing it.
"Yeah… anything. Cursed energy, cursed technique, skills, memories, you name it. The winner gets it all. And it's not just me who gets it, if I die, the enemy gets my powers as well. Given they die inside my domain."
Her mouth opened up, her hand going over it in a very feminine way which was hardly expected from a tomboy like her.
"Gods Akindo…, which Jujutsu deity have you pleased to gain something this broken?" She looked outright stunned.
Maki really couldn't say anything, what sort of absurd technique was this? Something carved by heaven specially for him or something?
Her eyes roamed over the boy's serious yet tired expression, he didn't seem to be lying.
And suddenly everything made sense, why he was guarding the technique like his life depended on it, because it absolutely would.
"And here I thought Okkotsu was blessed." She murmured to herself.
"Pardon…" I blinked, not quite hearing her right.
Maki's disbelieving eyes turned sharp, almost annoyed when she noticed the lost look on the boy's face.
"Don't pardon me…" She hissed.
"Do you know what will happen when others know what your technique is? The entire Jujutsu society will be in an uproar, one even bigger than Yuta's case last year. Hell, at least that idiot Gojo was here to handle the uproar, you on the other hand, you have no backing currently." She grumbled, hands going to her hair with an irritated expression.
"Then good thing they will not know, ever." I added in.
Her eyes darted toward me, locking onto mine.
"Did you tell anyone else?"
"Only you." I said sincerely.
Maki's lips shut tight at that. Meaning if the secret leaked, it would be either from him directly or by her.
"You understand the situation you will be in if others learn of your technique right? Especially the higher-ups and the three major clans.
You will either be hunted or driven mad by marriage proposals for your blood." She grumbled again, it almost reminded her of that old man Naobito almost fixing their marriage while they were facing the special grade.
That shot her irritation through the roof.
"Of course I understand, why else would I be trying to hide the technique so devotedly? I know the consequences." I replied with complete confidence that showed that I knew what I was doing.
"Then why tell me? If you knew what kind of landmine you would step on if others learned of your technique, why tell anyone, let alone me?" She asked, now almost feeling regret that she pushed so much to know the technique.
"Well…" I said, stretching my line of thought.
"You're different." I added at last when I too was uncertain how to explain it.
"Different?" She raised her brow.
"I mean you never told anyone my technique even when I never asked you to do that." I replied.
"But I can do it now you idiot, what's stopping me from telling it to others?" She retorted.
"You won't."
"How do you know that?"
"I…I just know." I said, rather defensively in fact.
Did I really know?
Nope.
But I had a feeling she would keep it a secret. That was the kind of girl she was. At least if I hadn't misjudged her.
Maki didn't reply for a while, giving me a chance to actually explain and put my feelings into words.
"You took that blade which was directed at me back when we fought that volcano head…" I said.
She blinked as if she needed a second or two to even remember that happened.
"You didn't know me, nor had any vested interest in me, still you took that attack on yourself to protect me. I doubt a girl like that would tell my secret to others.
That's why I told you…" I lingered off.
Maki looked tired, of all things, she wasn't expecting something so basic. Yes she did that in Shibuya, but to say she had no vested interest would be wrong, she needed him to counter Jogo's domain, otherwise she herself would have died.
Yes, she acted at that time solely to save him, but there was definitely a vested interest.
Then her eyes slightly shook, recalling how the idiot then dragged that volcano head away from her to fight it alone.
'So that's why he did it.'
'Idiot.' She almost muttered to herself.
"You're a fool…" she finally sighed and told him, catching him almost off guard.
"To put your life on the line like this for someone you barely know, for something so childish, it will get you killed sooner or later." Maki chided, honestly looking angry for once.
What can I say, I got nothing.
She went on a little more about being a fool and idiot for trusting others so easily, I could only listen in silence.
Now that I think about it, it indeed looked a little too naive on my part. To base my life decision on that small action from back then. And back then I didn't even recall much from the anime.
"But that's not it…" I muttered out before even I knew it, catching her completely off guard.
"I… it's not just anyone I put my belief in. It's you." I added in, making her purse her lips and retort about me being naive again but I didn't let her speak.
"I didn't remember anything back then…" I said, shutting her mouth again.
"Not my name, where I was from, any family, or whether I was alone, whether I even had a home. I couldn't remember anything." I replied and my voice hitched at the emotion which welled up from inside me.
Damn it was pathetic and embarrassing to be losing my shit right in front of her again, but I can't help it.
"The kind of despair I felt back then, to not know anything and being chased by those monsters, I…I can't explain it Maki." I said with everything I had to keep my composure from breaking.
Even Maki's face which looked ready to retort eased up at that.
"I honestly thought I would die back then, alone, unknown and wouldn't even remember who I was, whether there would be someone waiting for me at home, or whether I had a home in the first place."
Maki shifted from her position slightly, clearly not used to this emotional stuff.
"When I saw you guys at the station entrance back in Shibuya, I finally felt a relief I can't explain. Like I wasn't alone anymore.
And then I saw all of you getting hurt, one by one until you took a hit for me.
I didn't do it for anyone anymore Maki. I did it back then because you were worth it." I said with a tired tone.
"I don't know you for long, but for however long I have known you, I have only seen a trustworthy person. You may not correspond to my feelings and that's fine, but for me you're an important person, I hardly know or trust anyone here like I do you." I shrugged, letting it out as I felt.
"So… I guess what I'm trying to say is that…" I stumbled, if only I knew what I wished to say. I ruffled my hair with both irritation and confusion in the heat of the moment and said what came to my mind first.
"I really like you."
Silence…
She didn't respond anything, just stayed there staring at me.
"I mean…" I fumbled… I knew the signs, this was me chickening out.
"What I mean is that, that kiss we had, and that hug, I have no real reason why but I just trusted you, gut feeling let's say, but…arggg." I shut my mouth and buried my face into my hands with a groan.
That was still a better option than doing more damage.
Silence continued for a while, until it was finally broken by a loud grumbling originating from our stomachs.
It was already late night, we hadn't had anything since we met Tengen today.
"I'll get something for us from the cafeteria." That was her first response as she tried to move and got up.
But I grabbed her by the arm, stopping her midway…
She turned back, our eyes locking with each other…
"It's too late. I'll make something."
There was a pause, both thinking what to say next until Maki's brow rose up in the most Maki-like fashion.
"You know how to cook?"
I replied, with hardly a delay.
"Hey now… I might not be a professional but I'm somewhat of a cook myself ya know." I sent a challenging look at her.
That kind of piqued her interest, and honestly, neither of us felt comfortable addressing that half-assed confession for now so she took the bait.
"You sure? I have some leftovers in the fridge." She looked at the refrigerator which most likely was empty, but for the sake of riling me up, she brought it up nonetheless.
"That's it. I'm making something which would leave you licking your fingers. Not that they are not tasty on their own…" I left the cheesy line just there to see her reaction, and watched her chuckle just a bit with a roll of her eyes.
I let out a chuckle of my own and then announced, "Alright,"
"Stand aside and watch me cook."
xXx
A/N : Hmm... I'm not so confident in this chapter, emotional things are not my strong suit, tell me how it worked out. Could I have made it better or improve it somehow.
Would appreciate stones if you can spare any. Thank you.
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