"Hey. I'm Kaede."
The black-haired boy tilted his head slightly.
His deep blue uniform coat sat neatly on his frame, and with that small motion, a few longer strands of black hair slid along the line of his cheek, partly shadowing the edges of those dark red eyes.
The corner of his mouth lifted just a little, forming a faint but vivid smile.
Kaede raised his arm. The sleeve slipped down slightly, revealing a pale, cool wrist as he reached forward and clasped the hand still waiting in midair.
"Nice to meet you."
The contrast between their hands was striking the moment they met.
Yuji Itadori's hand was broad, the palm roughened by the thin calluses of someone who had spent years training in sports, his body heat intense like a small furnace burning at full strength. Kaede's fingers, by comparison, were long and pale, and when they touched, they carried an unusual coolness.
Not the lifeless cold of death, but something more like jade left in deep autumn well water, clear and faintly chilled, almost soothing to the nerves.
"Whoa. Your hand's really cold, but honestly, it feels kind of nice!"
Feeling that temperature in his palm, Yuji did not recoil at all. If anything, he tightened his grip a little more and gave their handshake two cheerful shakes.
At close range, the pink-haired boy's eyes landed on Kaede's face, and they widened slightly with open amazement.
"You're seriously good-looking too. Like, you look like an idol who just walked off TV. Right, Fushiguro?"
As he spoke, he turned toward Megumi for confirmation.
Sunlight fell across Yuji's lively face, making his smile seem even brighter and more sincere. There was not a trace of flattery in it, just a completely straightforward expression of exactly what he thought.
Megumi Fushiguro, suddenly dragged into it, had no intention of joining in on that kind of meaningless praise.
He walked to an empty seat in the middle row and pulled back the chair with a short creak.
"Don't make stupid comparisons."
Megumi slid both hands back into the pockets of his dark uniform, green eyes passing over the two of them still standing by the door.
His gaze paused on Kaede's admittedly striking face for half a second before shifting away as if nothing had happened, changing the subject at once.
"Now that you're here, just take whichever empty seat you want.
The second half of the delinquent teacher's message was that we're supposed to wait here for him."
There was already a trace of tired resignation in Megumi's voice, like he had a pretty good idea what was coming next.
"With Kaede included, that makes three of us. But he also mentioned Harajuku.
If I had to guess, that whole story about going out for limited-edition daifuku was only a side trip.
The real problem is that he's planning to make the three of us go pick up the last first-year, who just got to Tokyo today."
The moment Yuji heard that, he let go of Kaede's hand. The excitement from meeting a new classmate immediately shifted into curiosity.
He took a few quick steps back toward his desk.
"The last first-year? So once we pick this person up, that means our first-year class is full?"
"In theory, yeah. But is Harajuku far from here?"
Kaede sounded curious. His remaining memories did not include much useful detail about the country itself.
At the question, Megumi braced one hand lightly against the edge of a desk and raised his green eyes across the aisle.
"Not exactly close. Jujutsu High is out in the mountains on the outskirts of Tokyo. We'd have to go down the mountain and transfer to a train, so counting the walking, it'd take close to an hour."
Megumi's tone stayed flat, as though he were reciting a train schedule no one cared about.
"But considering how that delinquent teacher operates, he probably told Ijichi to wait with the car at the bottom of the mountain.
That should make it faster."
The instant Yuji heard the name Harajuku, it was as if someone had flipped a switch.
He had been leaning casually against his desk, but now his eyes lit up in an instant.
Both hands slammed down on the desktop as he leaned forward hard, pink hair bouncing with the movement.
"Harajuku? You mean the Harajuku? The place that's supposed to be full of crepes, talent scouts, and insanely stylish people? I've wanted to see it forever!"
There was a completely pure excitement in Yuji's voice, the kind only a country kid could bring to the thought of the big city. He turned to Kaede at once, eyes sparkling.
"Have you ever been to Harajuku, Kaede? I heard they sell those giant ice creams that smoke like crazy!"
"Either one is possible. That's the answer."
Before the classroom could drift any deeper into a serious discussion of sweets, a set of footsteps suddenly rang out in the hallway, far too cheerful for the mood.
Then the wooden sliding door was yanked open with a sharp shhkt, the panel slamming hard against the end of its track with a loud bang.
"Ta-da. Sorry to keep my adorable students waiting!"
A tall figure swept into the room trailing a wave of sugary fragrance. Gojo Satoru wore his signature black blindfold, the collar of his uniform slightly open.
In his right hand was an elegant paper bag stamped with the Kikusuian logo, while his left hand was raised high in a bright, energetic wave.
Gojo swept his gaze across the three boys in the classroom through the blindfold, a bold grin already spreading across his face.
"Looks like everyone's already gotten acquainted on this beautiful morning.
So, no time to waste. Your final first-year companion is out there in the seductive chaos of Tokyo right now, waiting in confusion for us to rescue her."
He turned on the spot and strode right back out of the room, the dessert bag swinging back and forth in his hand.
"Let's go. Destination: Harajuku. By the way, Ijichi's been waiting with the car at the bottom of the mountain for ten whole minutes already, so if we don't hurry, he might actually cry."
Watching that completely un-teacher-like figure head off without a shred of dignity, Megumi let out a long sigh, rubbed at his aching temple, and rose from his chair, hooking his bag up onto one shoulder in one motion.
"Come on. If we keep him waiting too long, who knows what kind of fresh disaster he'll cause next."