"I won't forgive you, Yuta Okkotsu," Nobara roared, rolling a magazine into a make-shift megaphone. Noriko raised an eyebrow to Maki, who merely shrugged.

"That's misdirected anger." Panda sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with a paw as the group of sorcerers observed their classmate's meltdown. Noriko had recalled telling Nobara at one point that it would be held at Tokyo, but now she realised that the brunette probably wasn't listening to her. Sighing, the first-year stuffed her hands into her hoodie pocket, wrinkling her nose at the outburst before glancing around the clearing. It was just them so far - and it had been for the last ten or so minutes.

"Salmon." Toge Inumaki agreed quietly.

"You don't suppose they backed-" Noriko was cut off by Maki, who nudged her to look at the set of stairs across from them, leading up to the clearing. Noriko assumed they were near a shrine? There was a whole torii* gate at the entrance of some more steps and there were a couple statues dotting the expanse. Some Shinto, some Taoist.

"Hey, they're here." Maki Zenin sighed and the groups attention followed her gesture. The Kyoto students arrived lazily up the hill - all now donned in their regular uniform (which made Noriko wince slightly as she realised she was the only one not in the official attire). 'Not that it matters,' she smirked to herself, 'the flashier I am, the easier it'll be'. The gold bangles around her wrist clinked together as she rubbed the back of her neck and pulled her lips into a smug grin. 'Intimidate them', that was all Gojo had said to her before he disappeared a few weeks ago. She figured it must have been something to do with what he said before about her beating Mai Zenin being beneficial for him?

Maki tensed next to her as Mai Zenin lead the group forward to them. Nobara and Fushiguro, however, were practically relaxed in her presence - they'd come a long way in the month or so they'd had to prepare. Especially Nobara.

"Oh, look. It's everyone from Tokyo together." Mai Zenin purred, her painted lips growing into a snarl as she stared down her nose at them. "You went out of your way to greet us? That's -"

Her dark eyes met Noriko's darker ones and her sentence trailed off. The Tokyo student's grin grew and she gave the group a once over. Aoi Todo, Mai Zenin, Kasumi Miwa, Momo Nishimiya, Chitose Saito, Ultimate Mechamaru... and Noritoshi Kamo. After hours of pouring over student records, she was confident she knew her opponents as well as her allies.

Maki eyed Noriko as she sent the Kamo heir a deliberate smirk. After spending significant time with the girl, Maki had begun to tell when she was acting and when she wasn't (something only Fushiguro had been able to do previously), and she could practically feel her discomfort despite her smug face.

"Isn't having three first-years a disadvantage?" The machine, willed by Kokichi Muta, spoke, it's dark face creaking as it did so. Nobara couldn't help but pull a face of disgust, shooting her classmates a questioning glance, only to find Fushiguro the only one really paying attention to their taunts - but he was blank as usual.

'Ahhh... that smug bastard,' Noriko mused to herself, keeping her eyes trained on the Kamo heir. 'I'm not even half as scared of you as I was back then.'

"Ah? A disadvantage?" The first-year barked out a sharp laugh, startling her classmates as she stepped forward - pushing herself to be bolder, flashier, more confrontational. She'd never normally oblige someone's request with no real information, but Gojo wasn't exactly the strongest sorcerer alive for nothing, and she supposed she'd make up for snooping around in his business. The blonde in the front, Momo Nishimiya, stepped back warily and Mai visibly tensed. "That's cute and all, but I've already proven that Mai Zenin is useless and Kasumi Miwa verbally asserts that herself. If your second years are anything to go by, I think us first years will be just fine."

The latter's mouth dropped open, glancing around to her classmates in confusion and embarrassment as her cheeks flared red. Nobara blinked, glancing to Fushiguro, who shrugged, and then along to Maki, who gave her the same look. Panda leant down to whisper something in Maki's ear and she nodded, furrowing her brows.

"H-how did you know that?" The blue-haired girl stammered, feeling her face heat feverishly, and Mai, who was stood to the side of Noritoshi bristled. Good, Noriko hummed to herself, work yourselves into a rage, please.

"That was one time, you fake Kamo brat! I won't go easy on you next time," she hissed, stepping forward till she was square with Noriko. Noritoshi clicked his tongue in disapproval as he shook his head at the two and tucked his hands into the sleeves of his shozoku*. Noriko tilted her head back slightly to stare down her nose at her opponent - and thanked all the kami and everything kind in the world that her chunky sneakers provided her with an extra inch or so of height to be now considerably taller than Mai.

"Ah! Please, calm down you two." Miwa snapped out of her own embarrassment, slowly edging towards the women.

It was futile.

"Okay! Let's not fight amongst ourselves." The thick tension was dissipated by the arrival of the Kyoto's Faculty Member, Utahime Iori, who ascended up the stairs quietly and with the poise, Noriko mused, of the shrine maidens she'd grown up with. She was donned in traditional miko robes and her feet were clad in brown boots. Deciding she'd had enough, the dark-haired girl rescinded back into line with her classmates, meeting Maki's concerned eye. They shared a few mouthed words before the girl nodded in understanding and patted her shoulder. The Kyoto students followed suite - only notably more annoyed.

[A/N: in this fanfiction we believe in Maki Zenin supremacy and I will continue to simp for her and none of you can stop me]

"So, where's the idiot?" Utahime sighed, more relaxed now the students weren't at each other's throats instantaneously, but she kept an eye on the Kamo girl. Maki Zenin, Mai Zenin... wasn't a similar thing happening with Noriko Kamo and Noritoshi Kamo? She wondered how closely related they were, but figured whatever relationship they had wasn't good as Noritoshi gave Noriko a disparaging stare.

"Satoru's late." Panda interrupted the silence gruffly.

"Mmm, as if that idiot would ever show up on time." The more favourable Zenin twin added, leaning back slightly as she stretched her arms behind her head - they were considerably more relaxed than the other students.

"No one said 'idiot' referred to Gojo-sensei." Fushiguro muttered quietly, uncharacteristically annoyed at the lack of respect.

"Hmm... I thought it was kind of obvious." Noriko retorted, leaning forward to glance over at him him. He was blank, as usual, and she really couldn't tell what he was thinking - she never could. "Sensei does-"

"Hi all~! Sorry for the wait," Gojo Satoru exclaimed, drawing the attention of the group as he appeared from a pathway off to the left... wheeling a cart? Noriko hummed to herself, tilting her head to the side as she examined the approaching figure. Utahime groaned in annoyance, ignoring the gleeful look on one of her students face. "I was on an overseas business trip, so I'll hand out some souvenirs."

Noriko watched him hand them out before tilting her head up, letting out a deep sigh as she glanced to the sky overhead. It was blue and vast... and, in that moment, it made her feel like she was drowning. She was selfish, or she had been, but at the shrine, there was no need to 'care' for anyone else - nor was there anyone who particularly cared for her on a personal level. So, what was she meant to do with these feelings? That hope... the hope she felt swell in her chest every time she caught the faint footprint of Yuji's energy on Gojo.

"Okay, everyone from Kyoto gets this protective charm from a particular tribe." Her sensei announced, sparing a quick glance over at his own students as he bustled around the clearing, handing out charms to the Kyoto Students - who received them apprehensively.

"Is everything alright?" Maki nudged Noriko, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Mhmm... all good over here."

"I just wonder why sensei asked you to-" The Zenin twin was cut off as the crate Gojo was wheeling around began to shake and the lid began to lift. The Tokyo students were silent as they watched it.

"And for the Tokyo students, your departed friend, Itadori Yuji!"