Noriko Kamo had given herself two days of recovery - which was mainly spending time going through all of Shikishi's poetry that she could get her hands on... and encountering the ever-silent priestess in her dreams. The only time she'd ever heard her speak was through her own mouth (and the time they'd first met) - and even then she couldn't truly give a distinction between whether it was Shikishi or her. She didn't leave her room in the mornings for breakfast when Nobara knocked, or when Megumi slid various sheets of homework under her door. The only one she saw was Gojo, who appeared at odd intervals to talk about the battle or give her various tips on how to improve.

None of which so far had helped her become more in-control of her energy... however, she had found the closer she grew to her counterpart, the more in touch with it she was. She could taste it now.

On the third day, however, she was up at the crack of dawn, pulling on her uniform (which really was starting to break the regulations) and a large white hoodie with various cutesy designs that she'd purchased in Akihabara. She wrapped her ponytails in bandages, applied some make up and accessories, prepped her bag and headed over to Kugisaki's room.

Ieiri, the school doctor, had given her a four day ban on physical activity and any use of her cursed energy - but she was beginning to feel restless. She strode down the hallway and rapped her knuckles against the door. A tired-eyed Nobara answered, giving her a quiet 'morning', but jumping when Noriko gave her a sheepish smile.

The dark-haired girl was prepared for her to yell, or scream at her... maybe even throw a few nails at her. But she didn't.

She clasped her hands over her mouth as she teared up and began to sniffle.

"A-ah? Kugisaki, are you - " The shorter girl threw herself at Noriko, wrapping her arms tightly around her and crying into her hoodie. She blinked in shock, her arms awkwardly freezing. What was she meant to do in this situation? This was absolutely not her forte. A few moments passed and Noriko decided the best idea was to hug her back and so gently brought her arms around Nobara.

"I thought you were seriously hurt!" She scolded through tears, pulling out of the hug and holding Noriko at arms length. "And... we left you two there! I couldn't even do anything - I was so worried... that I killed you."

"Eh? O-oh, no. Kugisaki, I thought you were mad at me!" Noriko exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"Huh? Why would I be mad at you?" She queried, rubbing her eyes dry as she finally stopped crying. Noriko could see the trashcan in her room over her shoulder; it was overflowing with tissues.

"Well... because Yuji... didn't come back," she didn't say 'dead'. She wasn't sure. Surely, Sukuna wouldn't let his vessel die after almost a thousand years into a mummified state. But since Yuji'd been put in the morgue a few days ago, no news had come, so she was beginning to doubt herself.

"You couldn't of helped that." Fushiguro interrupted, coming out of his own, locking the door behind him. He had bags under his eyes, but otherwise looked like the same moody sorcerer. "It's good to see you alive, Noriko."

"Oh, you too." Noriko gave him an awkward smile. "As much as I love this cute, little reunion, can we go eat now?"

The three first-years ate their breakfasts in mild chatter - it wasn't their usual level of energy - and their lessons followed the same way. Noriko was half-there (more interested in spending every waking moment into practicing her energy control), Fushiguro was quiet with guilt, and Nobara was generally unhappy.

"Ah! A cicada," Noriko exclaimed, pointing to large black bug that flew over them as she sipped her milkshake carton. They were set on the steps outside one of the buildings, taking in the sun. None of them really wanted to go back to the cafeteria and have to handle the guilty silence again. Noriko was slightly more chirper (since she wasn't particularly sure Yuji was dead) as she'd seen some energy footprint while passing through the grounds that bore resemblance to Yuji's. It was accompanied by Gojo's which was more oppressive than usual - possibly to mask his companion. Either way, if Gojo wasn't saying anything, then she wouldn't voice her theory either.

"Ah, Megumi! You look more glum than usual." Noriko moved her head at the noise: footsteps and metal. A tall, uniformed girl made her way towards them. Her eyes flickered to the case on her back - cursed weapons, mostly likely the source of the uncomfortable metallic noise. "This a wake or something?"

Noriko blinked, frowning as she sipped her milkshake. Poor taste, she noted. Nobara was just as confused, raising an eye at the girl.

"Zenin-senpai." Fushiguro sighed, brushing of the legs of his pants as he got up. He didn't particularly look happy to see her. Most be an upper classman, the dark-haired girl mused, turning her attention back to the cicada that had landed on a nearby tree. She ignored their chatter, deciding it wasn't really interesting. Zenin was a sorcerer clan, she thought, not on par with the Kamo - but noticable.

"Someone really did die a few days ago! One of the first-year boys!" Her attention was draw back to the conversation as she eyed a couple of people hiding behind a tree. Her eyes went wide. A panda? She pushed herself up, milkshake in hand as she stepped towards the group.

"Who exactly are these guys?" She heard Nobara muttered bitterly, not appreciating their comment about the wake.

"Our second-year upperclassmen. Zenin-senpai is the best of all the students at wielding cursed tools. That's the Cursed Speech user, Inumaki-senpai. He can only speak in ingredients of rice balls. And - "

"Eh?!" Noriko exclaimed, startling Maki as she peered out from behind the girl. The Second Year spun around in shock, taking a step away from her.

"Fushiguro! You didn't mentioned we had a panda as an upperclassman!"