Jujutsu Kaisen: I Have A Gardevoir

After sending Naoya Zen'in running, Akira rubbed his cheeks, returning to his usual gentle demeanor. He walked back to Hayami and softly asked:

"Are you okay?"

Though Akira was covered in blood and injuries, it didn't detract from his image in Hayami's eyes. If anything, it made him seem even more imposing.

That was Naoya Zen'in—the most arrogant and confrontational person in the Zen'in family.

Between her sister's rebellion and Hayami's own enduring of abuse, this man's influence—alongside that of their inhumane parents—was the source of much of the psychological shadow cast over the twin sisters.

Now, that shadow had been obliterated by the boy in front of her with overwhelming force.

With a strength and dominance she had never seen before, Akira made her think, for the first time, that being assertive, domineering, and unyielding was actually a good thing.

In short: Why is this man so handsome? How can someone be this handsome?

Seeing Hayami silent, Akira reached out a hand to her. "Can you stand?"

The girl finally snapped out of it, a blush spreading across the unharmed side of her face. She took Akira's hand and stood up. "I-I can. I'm fine."

"What happened?"

Now that Naoya Zen'in, the second-generation rich kid, was gone, Akira had no more reservations and asked openly.

Before, Hayami might have secretly griped—You beat someone up first, and now you're asking questions? How indiscriminate can you be?

But now, she felt no such complaint. She only thought Akira had done well—had done it perfectly—and it was incredibly satisfying.

Take that, you arrogant jerk. Thinking you're above everyone, bullying whoever you want!

Placing a hand on her chest to steady her heartbeat, Hayami recounted the events as the only person who had witnessed everything from the start.

Her account didn't differ much from what Akira had anticipated.

At the beginning, one person, one snake, and one curse spirit were waiting in a public park, peacefully coexisting.

Hayami had considered calling for help, but the snake's giant head would lean in whenever she made a move. She had no choice but to stay still and wait.

About 15 minutes later, Naoya Zen'in appeared.

"Oh my, isn't this Hayami? What are you doing out here so late? That bird in your hands looks interesting—let me see it."

If it had been her own possession, Hayami might have handed it over. But this was Akira's Pokémon; how could she make that decision? She was just about to explain when Naoya, accustomed to getting his way, instantly "teleported" to her.

This action angered the snake curse spirit guarding them.

Pokémon were something Suguru Geto was interested in, and he hadn't intended to harm Hayami. That intention was directly reflected in the snake's behavior—it wouldn't tolerate harm, whether it came from or was directed at Hayami.

Unfortunately, the snake was only a Grade 1-level curse spirit, whereas Naoya Zen'in was a particularly strong Special Grade 1 sorcerer.

In just a few moves, Naoya had completely dominated the snake with his speed advantage, easily exorcising it.

Perhaps caught up in the thrill of his combo, or maybe displeased with Hayami's attitude, he capped it off by slapping her across the face.

This was when Swablu got mad.

Over the past few days, it had fought alongside Hayami and already considered her a friend. It charged at Naoya headfirst.

Though well-intentioned, it was no match for him. Naoya swatted it away with a slap and then stomped on its wing, ready to claim it.

At this critical moment, the old butler intervened, saving Swablu in the nick of time.

But all he could do was save it. On one side stood the butler, and on the other, the heir apparent of the Zen'in family—a figure more deeply rooted and influential than Kamo Noritoshi.

While he could offer some token resistance, he couldn't truly stand against Naoya. And with Hayami being a Zen'in, Naoya could argue: The bird belongs to my family; the butler had no real grounds to protest.

Luckily, this verbal sparring bought enough time.

When Naoya was at his most smug, the roar of an engine filled the air, and a classic "Nordic Goddess" motorcycle sped into the scene.

Its rider was a dashing older woman in a sleeveless top who greeted them with a single question:

"What kind of women do you like?"

Because she had spent much of her time abroad, Yuki Tsukumo's fame hadn't been accompanied by widespread recognition of her appearance. Naoya, accustomed to showing off, didn't immediately realize who she was and flippantly called her an "old hag."

And then, he was punished.

He was first entangled by Yuki's skeletal serpent dragon, then had her identity revealed by the butler.

At that moment, Naoya's heart sank. After much pleading, Yuki's mood improved, and she transitioned from violence to lecturing.

That was the scene Akira and Suguru Geto had arrived to witness.

Having already suffered a loss, Naoya planned to keep his head down and play nice, but Akira didn't even give him a chance to speak. Before the eyes of two Special Grades and two Grade 1s, Akira beat him down, crippling half his body.

As Hayami finished recounting the events, she couldn't help but smile. Despite the presence of another butler from the Three Great Families, she found it impossible to hide her delight.

Akira was a little exasperated.

Yuki rarely returned to Japan and still managed to get involved. Add to that Swablu being attacked—it was clear today was Naoya's day of reckoning.

And honestly? It was immensely satisfying.

But Hayami's happiness was short-lived as Akira's next move soured her mood.

He took out his phone and dialed Maki Zen'in.

"Calling this late—what is it?" came Maki's perpetually impatient voice.

"Something happened. I need to apologize." Akira got straight to the point.

"What happened? Don't tell me you and Hayami... You, you—how could you do this to Gardevoir?!"

"It's not about that. Well, not entirely unrelated."

"Do you want me to beat you up?!"

Hearing this, Akira glanced at Hayami, making her grind her teeth in frustration.

We're fine as we are—why drag her into this?

Not that it's any of your business to meddle in our sisterly affairs... though, okay, maybe I'm a little happy about it.

Hayami wasn't entirely sure what she was feeling.

Having gotten the reaction he wanted, Akira wrapped it up. "Don't get worked up. I just beat up Naoya Zen'in."

"You did what?!"

"Naoya Zen'in. The one you can't stand the most. I might have gone a little too far—don't know if there'll be long-term effects. I'm sorry for stealing your prey, but he started it."

"What exactly happened?" Even Hayami, slow on the uptake, realized something big had gone down.

"It's a bit complicated. Is Gojo-sensei around? If so, let's set up a video call. If not, have him get here as soon as possible... Oh, and call Principal Yaga, Yuta Okkotsu, and Shoko Ieiri. There's someone they need to meet."

As Akira spoke, he glanced at Suguru Geto and Yuki Tsukumo.

The former wore a conflicted expression similar to Hayami's.

The latter, however, couldn't suppress her laughter.

When Geto looked her way, Yuki deliberately puffed out her chest and taunted, "Afraid, are you?"

Yuki Tsukumo, Gojo Satoru, Suguru Geto, Yuta Okkotsu, and with Principal Yaga and Akira included—an era of "Special Grade" powerhouses gathered.