It's the twenty-fourth of december.

Though they're capable of being at the battle field and fight, Y/N was still left behind like Gojo intended- not allowed to join the battle because of their healing injuries and they also needed to look after Okkotsu. Luckily, Maki is also at the college.

"It's boring here." they mutter, hand on the knob of their door. Y/N felt like grabbing something to eat before taking another nap. The student made their way to the kitchen, wearing a plain shirt and pajamas. Their clothes were hiding the bandages well.

'Toge and Panda are gone for now. Good luck to them.'

Y/N takes a bottle of cold water and a plastic container with their name. It contained two pieces of spam musubi- handmade by yours truly, inumaki.

They smile at this.

He made them before leaving. It warmed Y/N's heart seeing the boy focused in making their food.

As much as Inumaki wanted to leave them his words of reassurance that him and Panda will be fine, Y/N refused to block his cursed speech and let him talk. Of course, Inumaki didn't bother fighting back since he knows better than to waste his energy before the fight.

As much as Y/N adores the boy and wants him to return unscathed, they can't allow him to hurt himself. Instead of speaking, Inumaki settled with an awkward hug.

The corners of their lips tug into a small smile when they remember the moment, 'Ew.. I feel like a highschooler new to love.'

While walking back to the dorms, Y/N stops when they begin to think more about it, 'But i absolutely love the feeling.'

Maybe it's more than a small crush..

They turn back around, now planning to head over to the school's main building to check on her classmate. More specifically, the first years classroom and Okkotsu. Gojo told them that the boy would most likely be hanging around there since.

Most irritating part of this trip to the main building-Y/N has to find Okkotsu.

Much to their delight, they see no one around the classroom. As they got closer to the sliding tatami, Y/N stops when they hear voices from inside the room. It sounds like two people having a conversation.

"..Toge should be with the third and fourth years as a backup on Shinjuku."

It's Maki, and they assume she's with Okkotsu inside the room. Y/N leans on the wall beside the door. In wouldn't be bad to eavesdrop, right?

"And Panda's the directors favorite, so he should be there too." she says.

"I see." Okkotsu replies.

Maki raises a brow at the boy who obviously wanted to know more.

"You're curious, right?" she speaks, "Why he called me a failure."

Okkotsu sweatdrops, "No.. I mean, yes.."

Y/N, from outside the room, softly scoffs. They wonder if Maki would tell him what he wanted to hear. Her past and relationship with her family isn't really the best..

"My family.. The Zen'in clan. They're part of a group of elite league of jujutsu sorcerers called the three clans." Maki turns to Okkotsu.

"You. Do you know what the minimum requirement is for someone to be a sorcerer?" she ask.

Of course he doesn't know.

"Uhm.. What would it be?"

Maki then takes off her glasses, "It's seeing curses. Even a common person can see them in special conditions such as being near death, but.."

She looks at the item she's holding, gaze gentle. These are the same lenses that has been a huge help during battles. The glasses that has never failed to let her see what sorcerers could.

"..If i don't have these lame glasses, i can't see curses. My cursed tools all already have cursed energy imbued into them, so it's not like i do anything to them."

Okkotsu sat there, listening to the girl. If Maki's unable to see the creatures that she has to exorcise, then she must've had it rough when she didn't have those glasses.

"That's why i had to leave home!" she says, putting her glasses back on, "The food was bad, my room was small, some old men i didn't know loitered around."

"It was the absolute worst!"

A small smile appears on Y/N's lips. That was only part of the reason why Maki had left her clan. Though Okkotsu didn't need to know the entire story yet.

Then it clicked for the boy.

'Don't call me by my last name.'

'Don't ask me about cursed energy.'

'I don't have a resistance to curses like you.'

So that's why she's been refusing those things for the past months; it wasn't because Maki's being rude and didn't want to help him, but she doesn't know how to help him. Okkotsu then decides to ask the girl a question.

"How come you're still a jujutsu sorcerer, Maki?" he asks.

"Because my personality's bad." she smiles, "I wanna go back home as a first class jujutsu sorcerer and make everyone at home cry their faces out."

"And then i'll destroy the Zen'in clan from the inside.."

"..What?"

She stops, seeing Okkotsu attempting to stop his laughter. What even is funny about her story, huh?

For Okkotsu, that's actually admirable-Maki has a goal in mind, and though she doesn't have eyes that can see curses like the other students do, she's still capable of kicking ass. It's like lacking the basic thing a sorcerer needs to have fuels her motivation to become even more stronger.

"It's just.." Okkotsu laughs, "That's very like you, Maki."

Y/N turns their head to the sliding doors, amused. What's this? Bonus content? Some form of entertainment?

"I want.. To become like you."

Okkotsu says, not knowing the impact of his words. Maki's eyes slightly widen, now speechless.

'You shouldn't have been born.'

'Disgrace of the zen'in clan!'

'Everyone, don't become like Maki.'

All of the horrible things the clan has said to her came rushing back to her. Maki doesn't know what to say.

"I wanna live as strongly and upright as you."

Okkotsu smiles. He then raises a hand up, palm clenched into a fist.

"Tell me if there's anything i can do to help." he says, "Let's destroy the Zen'in clan!"

His sentence is followed by a few laughs.

"Moron." Maki says, "This only works if i do it myself." she explains, now turning around and away from the boy as she wanted to get out of the room. She didn't expect the boy to say anything about helping her take out her clan, if anything Maki thought he'll be weirded out, but here she is. Flustered.

"Ah.." Okkotsu says.

"I'm going to check on Y/N to see if they're awake." she informs him.

"Tell them i said hello!"

Maki slides the door open before exiting the room. Maki doesn't notice the third party as she's still surprised with Okkotsu's small speech from earlier.

"Am i an idiot..? Don't go feeling like you got accepted.."

She mutters.

"You're blushing, Maki. Look at your ears."

Maki turns her head to Y/N, who has a smirk on their face. The girl with green hair frowns, not expecting someone to be listening to their conversation.

"i'm not! And aren't you supposed to be in bed? I'm telling Toge."

Y/n huffs, "No way."

The two of them, in a way, are similar. Both are hardworking children whom efforts are overlooked by two seperate reasons. Because Maki is a nobody with not even an ounce of cursed energy, and Y/N had to fit the standards, which if not met, then they will never be enough.

Maybe this is why Maki's shocked as Okkotsu, who she assumes hasn't experienced the cruelty a toxic clan has, is understanding of her situation and even jokingly offered to help take down the Zen'in clan.

"Anyways, lets hang in my dorm. Let's share Toge's onigiri. Invite O-"

Y/n says, about to turn around until..