We were currently sitting inside the small apartment.
The apartment was very crowded; it looked like a social gathering as everyone was standing up and talking to one another.
We had spent the last hour confirming everything that had happened.
Sukuna was dead.
Kenjaku was dead.
The fights were over.
Once everyone accepted that it was all real and not some trick or cursed illusion, we finally left the apartment and started heading back to Jujutsu High.
Now we were walking through the streets of Tokyo together.
And I was smiling like an idiot.
I did it…
I thought quietly to myself as I walked.
I interfered.
Because of that, lots of people survived. People who originally would have died… didn't.
Even if they were civilians that no one in the original story ever talked about, knowing that I had probably saved thousands still made my chest feel warm.
I looked around at the group walking with me.
Gojo was chatting loudly with Yuta and Yuki ahead of us.
Yuji was walking nearby with his hands behind his head.
Megumi and Tsumiki were talking quietly together.
Choso walked calmly beside Yuji.
Ryu and Yuta were a little behind everyone; they looked like they were doing some illegal stuff.
They probably were...
But it felt… good.
Being part of this group felt good.
Yuji probably looked the most relieved out of all of us. After all, the two biggest villains in his life, Sukuna and Kenjaku, were finally gone.
Yuji noticed I was looking at him and gave me a bright smile.
Then he casually stepped closer until we were walking side by side.
"Ikuyo-san," he said, "what will you do now?"
I thought for a moment.
Well… not really.
I had actually already thought about this before.
"I'll abuse my prophet vision," I said immediately, "get rich, and live happily ever after."
Yuji blinked.
"…That's your plan?"
"Yup."
He looked like that wasn't the answer he expected, so I continued talking before he could say anything.
"Ah, and I'll attend Jujutsu High too."
Yuji turned his head toward me.
"I really don't want to be your junior," I added. "So I'll just force my way into your class and become your classmate."
I grinned at him.
Yuji stared for a second… then laughed in relief.
"That sounds like something you would do," he said.
We kept walking.
A little ahead of us, Megumi was talking with Tsumiki. The two of them were walking close together, quietly catching up after everything that had happened.
After a moment, Megumi glanced back at Yuji and me.
Then he walked toward us with his sister.
"Yo, Megumi," Yuji greeted casually.
"Yuji… Ikuyo…" Megumi muttered.
We had stopped walking by now, while the rest of the group kept moving a little ahead.
Megumi hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
"…Thank you. Both of you."
Yuji scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
I lightly punched Megumi's shoulder.
"It's fine," I muttered. "And stop thanking people so much. It's weird when you do that."
Megumi rubbed the spot where I hit him, like he was actually thinking about it.
Then he nodded quietly.
After that, Tsumiki stepped forward.
"Megumi told me a lot about you," she said kindly. "I'm really grateful that you saved me. Thank you."
She bowed slightly.
I immediately waved my hands.
"No, no, no, no need for that."
Then something she said caught my attention.
"Wait," I said quickly. "You said Megumi told you a lot about me?"
My eyes sparkled with curiosity as I pointed at my face.
"What kind of things?"
Tsumiki froze for a moment.
Then a teasing smile slowly appeared on her face.
Megumi immediately looked slightly embarrassed and started scratching the side of his hair.
Tsumiki opened her mouth.
Megumi cut her off instantly.
"Just normal things," he said quickly. "Like what you did. Anyway—we should go."
He grabbed his sister's arm and started dragging her away.
Tsumiki kept giggling while being pulled along.
I watched them go with a suspicious look.
"…Weird," I muttered.
When I turned back, I noticed Yuji staring at Megumi with a strange expression.
It looked hostile for some reason.
"Hey."
I poked Yuji's cheek.
He jumped slightly.
"Huh?"
"We're falling behind," I said. "Let's keep walking."
Yuji nodded.
"Hmph."
We caught up with the rest of the group again.
The walk back was relaxed. People talked casually, laughed, and occasionally pointed out damage from earlier battles.
For the first time in a long while, things felt peaceful.
Eventually, we reached the place where the assistants were waiting.
Megumi had called them earlier, so several vehicles were parked there already.
We climbed in, and the assistants started driving us back toward Jujutsu High.
The ride didn't take long.
Soon, the familiar gates of the school appeared.
And waiting there were several people.
Mai, Todo, Hana, Maki, and others
The moment they saw us step out of the vehicles, they rushed over.
"You idiots took long enough!" Mai called out.
Todo crossed his arms dramatically.
"My brother!" He shouted as he rushed at Yuji.
Yuji looked exhausted already.
I walked toward Mai.
"Yo," I greeted casually.
"Yo," she replied back.
We started walking further inside the school grounds.
People slowly began splitting off toward their dorms or buildings.
I was about to tell Mai what happened and how big the news was, but then.
Someone grabbed my arm.
I turned around.
It was Gojo.
He had his blindfold back on, but I could still feel him looking at me.
"Did you forget something?" he asked.
He pointed at himself dramatically.
"Your promise to your oh-so-great sensei?"
I sighed.
"We just came... Couldn't you wai..."
Gojo cut me off instantly.
"No! You cook." He sounded like a caveman.
I sighed even louder...
"Promise is a promise," I muttered to myself. Then I turned and looked towards Mai.
"Mai. I promised him I would cook something for him."
I shrugged.
"You wanna join?"
Mai immediately smiled.
"Sure."
And just like that, the three of us walked toward the kitchen.
Gojo kicked the kitchen staff out the moment we arrived.
"Private operation," he announced proudly.
Now the massive kitchen belonged to us.
A few minutes later…
All three of us were wearing aprons.
We looked ridiculous.
Gojo looked like a kid who had just been handed unlimited candy.
Mai was already leaning against the counter, watching me.
I looked around the kitchen.
"…Alright."
I tied my apron tighter.
"I suppose it's time to cook."
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End of chapter.