Destined to Collide - Inumaki Toge

64. Chi

Hi everyone~

So I've been uploading chappies up 3 days in a row. Don't get too used to it. I can only update whenever I have completed a chapter. I'll do my best here so please be patient with me. 

And thank you all for the comments. Seems like everyone is well entertained with Inumaki's jealous thoughts XD, especially that part in the last chapter where Itadori casually commented on something naked. I have real fun writing that with how easygoing Panda is and how predictable Inumaki is becoming whenever Baby Tuna is involved. XD

Before that, please do enjoy this picture again. Look at how gorgeous Inumaki looks here. The artist has outdone themselves with this. 

Gojo smiled and amused himself with watching Maguro struggling to think what she had done wrong to merit a 'holiday'.

It was bloody entertaining. More so when it takes a while for her to realize what Panda had meant with the baby. Then she turned all shades of red then and there. That was awfully cute of her. No wonder the rest had taken such delight towards teasing her, especially more so with Panda and Maki. Inumaki – well, he takes delight towards her in a different sort of way and ideal.

And ah, he can see that Inumaki Toge had confessed to Maguro, with how attentive he was to Maguro's wellbeing. He had heard that Inumaki carried her all the way from the attack point of that plant based Cursed Spirit towards the gathering point. With Maguro's special family background up for grabs, he would have summed to himself that- Aha! Yessss.

The young heir to the Kamo clan with his spy-like eyes dead set on Maguro. Of course, that one would be drawn to her. Which prestigious sorcerer clan wouldn't?

Of course, being the brilliant genius Gojo Satoru is, the world's strongest jujutsu sorecerer had guessed what went on with Maguro's thoughts and decided to put an end to her thoughts bubble, lest she decides to frown herself to death with the reason for her being put on holiday.

"No, it wasn't anything you've done wrong, Maguro, and no Panda, it wasn't a baby. They haven't done it yet-" he added, enjoying himself immensely with the mortified look on Inumaki's face. The boy had taken to covering his ears the usual way whenever he is embarrassed. He chuckled in glee. "By the way, Maguro. I must commend you on your barrier. You did so brilliantly with the Golden Barrier and the Reverse Cursed Technique when that Special Grade Curse attacked the students. Shoko and I - we are both very proud of you, and I'm sure your friends feel so too."

Maguro promptly turned to look at Inumaki, watching him smiling at her proudly, while the rest of the Tokyo branch students smiled and nodded their heads to approve with Gojo's comment. Her heart fluttered happily at the thought that she can help out at something instead of hiding behind the curtains all the time.

She was glad everything turned out well. Eyes turning glassy, Maguro awkwardly thanked Gojo for the praise. Gojo smiled.

"You've earned it yourself. But, the holiday and the tentative cessation of your training for now concerns the using your Chi instead of your Cursed Energy as we have taught you, hence your suddenly display of an enormous appetite. I trust that you are still hungry, yes?"

The situation quickly turned serious. Even the Kyoto side had stopped their chattering's, no doubt talking about the non-existent baby.

Everyone looked alarmed. Chi? Students aren't allowed to us that by the college if it wasn't a life-or-death situation. It brings forth repercussion in the form of extreme hunger, triggered by the body's defence mechanism to replace what was lost. There used to be a joke that if you have a partner with you and you have used Chi and there's no restaurants nearby to quench that extreme hunger to replace the used Chi, you'd turned into a zombie and snack on your partner instead.

Of course, that's just a joke. But no one knows exactly how true that joke was. To nom on raw meat, maybe. To nom on your friend or partner because there was no food nearby? Yikes.

"You used your Chi, Maguro?" Panda asked in concern, all traces of friendly banter and joking manners gone at the thought that his friend, the last of the Tsukigami, used Chi, a manner of power that only the seniors would use in times of utmost danger. No wonder her appetite increased so much as of late. "We know you're a born Chi Reservoir, but you aren't supposed to use it if it's not a life-or-death situation. Don't you know?"

Kyoto side restarted their chatter when they heard that piece of news. Utahime frowned. Chi Reservoir? Not another Yuuta Okkotsu again. What? Are all the Reverse Cursed Technique users supposedly all born to be a tank?

Utahime's gaze slides up to Itadori. There's another tank there, all thanks to the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna. She can't even fathom why on earth Gojo Satoru, who prides himself in being a smartass all the time, would keep around this time bomb.

One day, when the time is ripe, Itadori Yuuji would – without a doubt – turn on them, Utahime ponders to herself.

Maguro, on the other hand, bites her lips. She got found out. That's Gojo Satoru for you. Fancy him finding out what other people have not noticed.

Akihiko snorted in a corner of Maguro's inner world. Ah, the Fire Wolf knew about that alright.

Sure. She used the shortcut way. But using Chi was so much faster, and smoother, and better, and lighter. It felt so good to use that. Maguro summed to herself now that there is indeed a reason why they aren't allowed to use Chi to replace Cursed Energy while your body still has Cursed Energy around. Though the repercussion for hunger pangs wasn't that nice of an experience, but eating so much without gaining weight by using Chi is a nice trick to have. Plus, eating is one of Maguro's favourite activity.

She glanced up at Inumaki. He blinked at her and raised his eyebrows.

Then she glanced down to his lips.

She remembered their kiss at the infirmary and pursed her lips.

For now. For now. Eating Inuma- eating is nice. Eating a lot of Inum- a lot of food is nice.

"Tuna?" (Was that true, Maguro?) Inumaki asked her, seeing her bite her lips, then purse her lips, then look down to her hands as she knotted them nervously. She nodded her head to confirm it after a while.

"Imsorry," she mumbled out an apology. She didn't know that using Chi would result in this blasted hunger pangs. Patting her still hungry stomach, Maguro continued, "I didn't know the repercussion. Just thought that it was convenient to use..."

"It's alright," Gojo said to her, pulling out a box he conjured out of nowhere and pushing it towards her. "Using Chi is dangerous if you don't know how to control it. Sure, it's easy and light to use without the weight of Cursed Energy on your body and soul, but it harms you more than Cursed Energy does if used often enough. Plus, it's addictive to use, as you have experienced it yourself at best. And lucky you – as always – you're found out at the early stage so we can curb it off earlier. Though you learn it the hard way, your senseis are glad that you are alright."

Maguro looked up apologetically for having worried her friends and senseis. Gojo raised his eyebrows rapidly and nudged his head towards the box on the table, as if telling her to open the box he passes to her. Maguro took the box gingerly and opened it.

She squealed in delight.

It was a box of chocolate almonds and chocolate dates.