[Jujutsu Kaisen] An Encounter in the Rain

Nian Yu has a stretch of hazy memories. For almost half a month, the places she went and the things she did are all a blur in her mind.

In a scene like looking through frosted glass, she can only hear someone calling her an idiot, a fool. More than anything, she remembers being held by someone, her limbs pinned down, able only to curl up in that cramped, warm space.

The first time she hugged her new boyfriend, that feeling of being held tight came rushing back. It was all too familiar. She stepped back from his embrace and looked up into the blue eyes behind his blindfold.

"Have we... met somewhere before?"

"It's a little late for such a corny line, don't you think?"

Right, her boyfriend, Satoru Gojo, was perfect in every way except his personality. Nian Yu could accept that he had "a billion" nasty traits, too. They were still within her limits. There was just one thing she didn't like about him:

Satoru Gojo was busy. Really busy. Sometimes, she couldn't find him at all.

He'd told her that his superiors were a bunch of shallow, vulgar, rotten old higher-ups. Nian Yu had been working part-time for years and understood completely. She could really relate to Satoru Gojo's "busy schedule."

Though they rarely got to see each other, Nian Yu did her best to make things work with Satoru Gojo. Just when she thought they could keep living in peace, things took a turn.

So Satoru Gojo was a Jujutsu Sorcerer... A Jujutsu Sorcerer...

Nian Yu still couldn't get past the hurdle in her heart. After all, it had shaped the first half of her life and would probably haunt her forever. She also knew Satoru Gojo had too many responsibilities to bear, and that they were on different paths. In the end, she was the one who suggested they break up.

The breakup hadn't been pretty, so Nian Yu felt a little guilty when they met again. But she was easygoing. Sure, she had been in the wrong when they broke up, but it wasn't as if Satoru Gojo had been blameless, either.

More than all the other messy stuff, she was curious about what could have turned someone who feared nothing and thought himself the greatest under heaven into a fool who could barely see or hear.

"I don't know either... It just suddenly became like this. I'm so miserable..."

Nian Yu watched him wipe at the corners of his eyes, though there wasn't a single tear there. His fake crying was so over the top that her temples throbbed.

He still seemed to have the same personality.

Nian Yu poured almost all of her energy into taking care of someone who, she heard, had spent his whole life being chased after and pampered by a crowd of people.

Mainly because she had no choice.

She even had to get up in the middle of the night to make this young master a midnight snack. His excuse was that he usually didn't go to sleep until after four, and couldn't fall asleep before then.

That part was manageable. She could accept it. But when she found herself holding a children's storybook labeled "For Ages Four to Eight" at four in the morning, she began to question herself.

"Go on, read it. I'm ready."

Okay, I'm fine.

Taking advantage of being a "patient," he made Nian Yu do almost everything for him, until she finally asked:

"Aren't you a Jujutsu Sorcerer? Won't you lose your powers if you keep this up?"

"Then I'll teach you how to exorcise cursed spirits. You can go take care of them. Your physique is pretty incredible, anyway..."

Fine, fine. So that's how we're playing it?

One day, she really did run into a cursed spirit whose appearance defied description. It clearly meant her harm and came straight for her life.

But before any of the cursed spirits could hit her, they had already turned to dust.

"Hey, Satoru Gojo, is this what you meant when you said you couldn't even lift your chopsticks or get dressed by yourself?"

Satoru Gojo leisurely dusted off his hands. His eyes still weren't focused, but he replied:

"Even with one hand out of commission, I'm still the strongest. All right, I'm hungry. Let's go home."

Nian Yu resigned herself to being his guide stick.

"What's for dinner?"

"Chilled bitter melon, bitter melon and eggs, bitter melon stuffed with meat, and bitter melon soup."

"That doesn't sound good at all."

"Just close your eyes and eat."

A mostly lighthearted, comedic slice-of-life story.

There's a little angst in the middle, but the whole story has a sweet ending.

The characters being out of character is on me. This isn't canon-compliant.

Theme: Pursue a better life.