Panda talks! . パンダが喋った!

"Bonito flakes."

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The hot afternoon air brushed against Naomi's skin as she sat on the stone steps outside Jujutsu High, knees pulled up to her chest. The sky was a dull gray, the sun visible through the thick clouds, mirroring the heavy weight settling in her chest.

Megumi sat beside her, arms resting on his knees, his usual scowl ever-present. Nobara was on her other side, silent, which was unusual for her. None of them had spoken for a while.

Her entire body felt sore, as if she had been through a battlefield—except she couldn't remember what had happened.

She turned her head slightly, noticing Megumi sitting beside her, arms crossed, his usual scowl in place. He looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes, his uniform slightly drenched from sweat from the sun.

"Megumi...?" Her voice came out hoarse.

At the sound of her voice, Megumi straightened slightly, his sharp blue eyes studying her. For a moment, he didn't say anything.

"...Yes?," he finally said.

Naomi frowned. "What... happened? You guys have been siting like this from the time i woke up"

Megumi's eyes flickered with something—hesitation. He was watching her carefully, almost as if he were expecting something.

"You don't remember?" he asked slowly.

Naomi shook her head. "I... remember the mission. The detention center. The Special Grade..." She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push past the fog in her mind. "I was running. You told me to find Nobara. After that..." Her words trailed off as she rubbed her temples, frustration bubbling. "I don't know. It's blank."

Megumi didn't respond right away, his fingers tapping against his arm as he processed her words. She really didn't remember.

Naomi turned to see Nobara  arms crossed, an attempt at her usual smug expression on her face—but her eyes betrayed her.

"Nobara..." Naomi sat up slightly, but the moment she met her friend's gaze, a horrible weight settled in her chest. Something was wrong.

"...Where's Yuji?"

The place fell silent.

Naomi's heart pounded in her chest as her gaze darted between Megumi and Nobara. Neither of them spoke.

"Where's Yuji?" she asked again, more urgently this time.

Nobara looked away, her hands tightening into fists. Megumi kept his gaze steady but said nothing. Naomi's breath hitched.

"...No." She shook her head. "No, that's—he's—"

Megumi's silence was confirmation enough. Naomi froze.

And then, it hit her.

The memories of Yuji laughing.His stupid jokes.The way he always charged in without thinking.His determination.His kindness.

Her vision blurred as tears welled in her eyes. Yuji was gone.

"No... No, no, no..." Her hands clenched her uniform as her shoulders trembled. "He—he was just—he was right there! He was fighting with us! How could he—"

The dam broke. Tears poured down her face, her chest tightening as sobs wracked her body. Nobara bit her lip, her arms stiff at her sides. She was trying so hard to stay composed—but Naomi could see it.

The faint quiver in her lips. The way her shoulders tensed. The way she refused to look up.

"...Damn it," Nobara muttered, her voice cracking.

She quickly wiped at her face, turning away slightly, but Megumi caught the glimpse of tears forming in her eyes. They were all feeling it—the loss, the grief. Even though they knew Yuji only for a few weeks , they grew fond of him, they were his friend and they all took care of each other.

Megumi sighed, moving closer to Naomi. He placed a firm hand on her head, ruffling her hair just enough to make her stop crying for a second.

"Oi, stop crying. It's annoying," he muttered.

Naomi sniffled, glaring up at him through teary eyes. "You're the annoying one."

Megumi huffed. "Exactly. So stop crying."

His words were blunt, but Naomi could feel the way he was trying to pull her back—trying to ground her before she completely fell apart. Nobara took a deep breath before smirking slightly, though her voice still wavered. "Yuji wouldn't want us moping around like this."

Naomi wiped at her tears, nodding. But the ache in her chest didn't go away. Yuji was gone.

And she wasn't sure how to move forward without him.

Naomi wiped at her tear-streaked face, taking deep breaths to calm herself. The heaviness in her chest remained, but she forced herself to focus as footsteps approached.

Maki stood at the top of the stairs, arms crossed, her sharp gaze settling on them. "What the hell is with this depressing mood?"

Naomi flinched slightly at the bluntness, but it was Megumi who responded first.

"Tch. Can you not read the room?" He shot her a glare, clearly annoyed.

Maki scoffed, stepping down toward them. "I heard what happened. But sitting around crying won't bring him back."

Nobara bristled. "Excuse me?"

Naomi's fingers clenched into fists. She knew Maki didn't mean it cruelly, but the words still cut deep.

Maki sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "Look, I get it, alright? But you're sorcerers. You knew this kind of thing would happen eventually."

Naomi looked away. Did she? She had never wanted to be a Jujutsu sorcerer. She hadn't even known about curses until recently. Now, she was being thrown into life-or-death battles without a choice.

She wasn't like the others. She wasn't strong.

"Besides," Maki continued, narrowing her eyes at Megumi, "aren't you guys supposed to be training right now?"

Megumi scoffed, leaning back against the steps. "Training for what? Another mission where we all die?"

A vein popped on Maki's forehead. "You little—"

Before she could smack him with her staff, a rustling sound came from behind the tree near them. Naomi blinked in confusion as Maki turned, eyes narrowing.

"Oi, you two," she snapped, "you can come out now."

Panda and Toge peeked from behind the tree, whispering among themselves.

"So, that's her?" Panda muttered.

"Salmon," Toge responded.

Maki let out an annoyed sigh. "You're not exactly being subtle." Naomi looked between them, confused. "What... are you guys talking about?"

Panda stepped out fully, arms crossed. "So you're Gojo's sister."

Naomi flinched at the way he said it. "Uh... yeah?"

Toge gave a thoughtful nod. "Bonito flakes."

Panda sighed. "I guess it makes sense. The higher-ups have been keeping an eye on you. But man, tough luck. First Yuji, and now this."

Naomi tensed. "...What do you mean?" 

Maki's expression darkened. "They're going to focus on you now."

Naomi's heart pounded. First, they took Yuji. Now, she was next.

Megumi let out a long sigh, rubbing his temple as he gestured toward the new arrivals. "Naomi, Nobara... these are second-years, Zenin Maki, Panda, and Inumaki Toge. They're our seniors."

Nobara crossed her arms, giving them an appraising look. "So, these are the famous second-years? Huh. Thought you'd be taller."

Maki's eye twitched. "You wanna say that again, brat?"

But Naomi wasn't paying attention. Her wide eyes were locked onto Panda, her jaw slightly open in shock now remembering something.

"...You're a talking panda."

Panda smirked, crossing his arms proudly. "Damn right, I am!"

Naomi gasped. "Oh my god. You actually speak!" Toge tilted his head. "Salmon."

Naomi whirled toward Megumi, grabbing his sleeve in a panic. "Megumi, he's a literal panda that talks! Why is no one freaking out about this?!"

Megumi exhaled through his nose, looking like he wanted to throw himself down the stairs. "Because he's always been like this."

"But—" Naomi pointed at Panda, completely ignoring the others now. "—this isn't normal, right?!"

Panda rolled his shoulders. "It's rude to call me 'not normal,' y'know. I have feelings, too."

Naomi blinked. "...You have emotions??"

Panda placed a paw on his chest, feigning offense. "Wow. Just because I'm a panda, I can't have a heart? That's cold, Naomi. Real cold."

Naomi opened her mouth, then closed it, looking genuinely torn. "No— I mean— You're a panda! You're not even supposed to be here! You're supposed to be in a forest eating bamboo or something!"

Panda gasped dramatically. "You think I belong in a zoo?!"

Toge nodded sagely. "Bonito flakes."

Nobara let out a loud snort, covering her mouth as she tried to contain her laughter. Even Megumi, despite his growing headache, looked vaguely amused. Megumi sighed, already regretting everything. "We're never getting through this conversation, are we?"

Naomi's head was already spinning from the fact that a talking panda was casually standing in front of her, but then her attention turned to Toge.

She blinked as she processed his words. "Wait... bonito flakes?"

Toge gave her a thumbs-up. "Salmon." Naomi tilted her head. "Uh... what?"

Toge nodded sagely. "Kelp." Naomi looked at Megumi, utterly lost. "Is he... okay?"

Megumi sighed. "That's just how he talks."

Nobara squinted. "Wait, what do you mean? He just says random food names?"

Maki crossed her arms, nodding. "Yeah. He's got a Cursed Speech technique. If he speaks normally, his words force people to obey, so he limits his speech to food names to avoid accidentally cursing anyone."

Naomi stared at Toge, then back at the others. "...So if he told someone to, like, 'sit down and shut up,' they'd have to do it?"

Panda nodded. "Yep. It's pretty badass."

Naomi leaned forward, fascinated. "That's so cool! Can you say something now?"

Toge put a finger to his chin, considering. Then, in a calm voice, he simply said, "Sleep."

Immediately, Naomi's eyelids grew heavy, and she swayed slightly. "Wha—hey—why do I suddenly feel—?"

Megumi caught her before she could fall over. "Toge senpai!"

Toge gave an apologetic wave. "Salmon."

Panda chuckled. "You walked right into that one."

Naomi shook her head quickly, snapping herself out of it. "Okay, note to self—don't ask Toge to demonstrate."

Maki rolled her eyes before clapping her hands together to get their attention. "Alright, enough screwing around. We actually have a reason for coming here."

Megumi straightened. "What is it?"

Maki rested her hands on her hips. "We need your help with the Sister School Exchange Event."

Nobara blinked. "The... what now?"

Megumi raised a suspicious brow. "And why exactly do you need us?"

Panda grinned. "Because the third years are suspended and we need your help."

Toge nodded. "Bonito flakes."

"Don't worry we'll help you train, just so they wouldn't kill you." Maki said smirking and pointing her weapon towards Naomi making her gulp. She slowly takes a step and hides behind Megumi. 

Naomi gulped, already sensing that this was going to be trouble. Megumi clenched his fists. The higher-ups are watching her now. That much was obvious. Gojo had all but confirmed it after Yuji's death. They had sent first-years to a Special Grade domain, knowing full well that the probability of survival was almost zero. And now, with Naomi unknowingly awakening something during the fight...

He exhaled through his nose. She's not safe.

Naomi didn't know. She didn't remember a thing from the moment she transformed. But Megumi did.  She was powerful. But she was also a target now.

Megumi wasn't an idiot. The higher-ups wouldn't just sit back and ignore that kind of strength.  Yuji was dead and Naomi was next on their list.

His jaw tightened. I won't let them use her.

"Megumi?"

Naomi's voice pulled him back. She was looking at him with a curious tilt of her head. "You okay?"

He blinked, shaking off his thoughts. "Yeah. Just... thinking."

Her brows furrowed, but she didn't press him. Instead, she turned her attention back to Maki, who was explaining the details of the Exchange Event.

Megumi inhaled deeply. She's involved now, whether she likes it or not. The Kyoto students wouldn't go easy on her, especially if they knew she was Gojo's sister. And if the higher-ups were already after her, the Exchange Event was the perfect stage to test her abilities.

Naomi didn't even want to be a sorcerer. She had never wanted this life. And yet, here she was—being thrown into a world that wouldn't let her go.

His grip on his knee tightened. If no one else will protect her from them, then I will.

Steam rose from the sizzling plates of food spread across the table, the dim lighting of the restaurant barely cutting through the thick tension in the air. The place was nearly empty, the only sounds being the clinking of dishes and the quiet hum of conversation from the far end of the room.

Jogo sat with his arms crossed, impatience practically radiating from him. "How long are we going to keep talking about this? Sealing Satoru Gojo is the priority. The longer we wait, the more unpredictable he becomes." His single eye burned with frustration.

Across from him, Hanami sat calmly, along with Dagon. "Rushing in without preparation would be foolish. Gojo is not someone we can afford to underestimate."

Dagon, seated beside Hanami, let out a low grumble. "I agree. Even with our combined strength, taking him head-on is suicide."

Jogo scoffed. "Then what? We just sit here and wait for an opportunity to magically appear?"

A low chuckle filled the space, drawing their attention to the one who had yet to speak much—Suguru Geto. He rested his chin on his palm, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

"Opportunities don't appear," Geto said smoothly, lifting his glass to his lips before taking a slow sip. "They're created."

Jogo narrowed his eye. "And? Do you have something in mind, or are you just talking in circles?"

Geto's smirk didn't waver. He placed his glass down with a soft clink. "You're all focused on Gojo himself, but you're forgetting something—Gojo isn't just the strongest. He's also a teacher."

Hanami tilted their head slightly. "You mean his students?"

Geto nodded. "Exactly. Gojo Satoru values his students, but there's one in particular that's caught my interest." He leaned back in his seat, watching their reactions carefully before he continued.

"Naomi Gojo."

Silence fell over the table.

Jogo let out an incredulous scoff. "The girl? The sister? What about her?"

Geto chuckled. "She's not just his sister. She's someone Gojo has been keeping an eye on for a reason. I don't believe even he fully understands why yet."

Dagon grunted. "She's untrained, isn't she? Barely a sorcerer. What use would she be?"

Geto's smirk grew. "That's what makes it interesting. She wasn't supposed to be here. And yet, in that prison, she came out alive. All the higher ups still believe that she is just weak. The power she displayed—" He tapped a finger on the table. "—was not something ordinary."

Jogo's expression darkened. "You're saying she's a threat?"

"I'm saying she's a potential key." Geto's voice was light, almost casual, but the intent behind his words was anything but. "If we play our cards right, she could be useful. Either as a pawn in our game... or a weakness to exploit."

Hanami hummed thoughtfully. "And if she refuses to cooperate?"

Geto swirled the liquid in his glass, watching the way it moved under the light. His smirk deepened.

"Then we'll force her to."

Is it only me buy i want people like Toge and panda to be with me..eventhough toge wouldn't talk he will listen. Rt? what u think? And Maki as my sister, pretty badass.

Any ways hope u liked this story..and i have enough drafts to feed u guyss dw. Love u have a nice day!

Sukuna only respects the strong. Not voting and commenting? Weak behavior.