𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐩, 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧

┌──── ∘°❉°∘ ────┐

𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐩, 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧

└──── °∘❉∘° ────┘

𝐒𝐈𝐗

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰ ───

--THE PRINCIPAL DEBRIEF ROOM WAS A LOT QUITER THAN THE AMUSEMENT PARK HAD BEEN, but the tension still lingered in the air. Yaga sat at the head of the table, his expression serious as he flipped through the report on the mission. Misa, Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi sat across from him, each looking varying degrees of exhausted, while Gojo leaned casually against the wall behind them, his arms crossed and his ever-present grin firmly in place.

"So," Yaga said, his tone measured as he glanced up from the report. "An abandoned amusement park haunted by a high-grade curse. And yet, you all somehow managed to turn it into what sounds like... a circus."

"We handled it!" Nobara said immediately, crossing her arms defensively. "The animatronics are gone, the curse is gone, and we didn't lose anyone. Mission accomplished."

Yaga raised an eyebrow, setting the report down on the table. "Handled it? The report says the rollercoaster came to life, almost killed you, and you spent half the mission arguing about who screamed louder."

Yuji's head snapped up, his cheeks flushing. "I didn't scream!"

Misa leaned back in her chair, her lips curling into a smug grin. "Oh, he screamed. Loudly. The whole park probably heard it."

"It was a battle cry!" Yuji protested, his voice rising. "Why does everyone keep bringing this up?!"

"Because it was hilarious," Misa said, smirking as she propped her chin on her hand. "Best part of the whole mission."

"Enough," Yaga said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We're here to talk about the mission itself, not... whatever that was."

"Agreed," Megumi muttered, shooting a tired glare at Yuji and Misa. "Can we focus, please?"

Yaga nodded, though his frown deepened as he flipped through the report again. "The cursed spirit you encountered—if Gojo hadn't intervened, it sounds like none of you were prepared to face it."

"That's not true!" Nobara snapped, sitting up straighter. "We were caught off guard, but if we'd had a little more time, we could've handled it."

"Could you?" Yaga asked, his tone sharp. "Or would you have ended up as that thing's next victims?"

The room fell silent, the weight of his words settling over them. Even Misa, who usually had a quip ready for any situation, bit her lip and stayed quiet. Yuji glanced down at the table, his fists clenching slightly.

Gojo, however, chose this moment to chime in. "Oh, come on, Yaga. Lighten up a little." He pushed off the wall, walking over to the table with an easy, relaxed stride. "They did pretty well, all things considered. The animatronics alone were a lot to handle."

"They weren't prepared for the high-grade curse," Yaga said, fixing Gojo with a pointed look. "And you let them walk into it."

"I didn't let them," Gojo said, shrugging. "I was there the whole time. I had it under control."

"Your idea of 'under control' is letting them nearly die before stepping in at the last second," Yaga shot back, his voice growing more frustrated. "This isn't a game, Gojo."

Gojo raised his hands in mock surrender, though his grin never wavered. "Relax. They learned something, didn't they?"

"Learned something?" Nobara muttered under her breath. "Yeah, learned that Gojo's idea of training is borderline sadistic."

Yaga sighed, rubbing his temples. "Look, the point is that missions like these are unpredictable. You're all talented, but you need to stay on your guard at all times. The next curse you face might not give you the luxury of making mistakes."

The group nodded, their earlier lightheartedness replaced by a more somber mood. Misa glanced sideways at Yuji, who still looked a little shaken, and nudged him lightly with her elbow.

"Hey," she said softly. "We made it out. That's what matters."

Yuji glanced at her, his expression softening slightly. "Yeah. You're right."

Gojo clapped his hands, breaking the tension. "See? They're fine! Everyone's alive, no one lost an arm, and they even got some adorable teddy bears out of it. I'd call that a win."

Yaga blinked, his brow furrowing. "Teddy bears?"

"Oh, right," Misa said, her grin returning as she leaned back in her chair. "We made them grab us some prizes from one of the game booths. Totally worth it."

Yaga stared at her for a moment before letting out a long, exasperated sigh. "I don't even want to know."

Gojo beamed. "See? That's the spirit! Focus on the positives."

Yaga shot him a glare but didn't argue further. "Alright, you're dismissed. Go rest—and try not to destroy anything else in the meantime."

The group stood, shuffling out of the room with a mix of relief and exhaustion. As they left, Gojo leaned back against the wall, his grin widening.

"Next mission's going to be even more fun," he called after them, his tone entirely too cheerful.

"God help us," Megumi muttered, earning a laugh from Misa and Nobara as they headed down the hall.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰ ───

--The hallway echoed softly with their footsteps, a relaxed rhythm after the chaos of the day. The four of them walked side by side, their exhaustion replaced with the easy banter that came naturally when they weren't dodging curses or Gojo's unpredictable teaching methods.

"So," Nobara started, stretching her arms above her head as they walked. "What's for dinner? Because I'm starving, and if someone suggests instant ramen again, I'm throwing them out the window."

"Not ramen," Yuji said quickly, raising his hands defensively. "I'll cook something."

Misa raised an eyebrow, glancing at him. "You? Cook? Is that safe?"

"Hey!" Yuji exclaimed, looking genuinely offended. "I'll have you know, I'm an amazing cook."

"Uh-huh," Nobara said, side-eyeing him with a smirk. "Sure you are. Let me guess, your specialty is burning water?"

"Why does everyone assume I'm bad at cooking?!" Yuji protested, throwing his hands up dramatically. "I'm actually really good! My grandpa taught me."

"Wait, seriously?" Misa asked, her curiosity piqued. "What can you make?"

"Pretty much anything," Yuji said with a proud grin. "Soups, stir-fries, pasta, you name it. I even make my own gyoza from scratch sometimes."

Nobara stopped walking, turning to stare at him. "You make gyoza? From scratch?"

"Yeah," Yuji said, blinking at her like it was no big deal. "It's not that hard."

"Not that hard?" Nobara echoed, her voice rising. "Do you know how many people can't even make edible rice, let alone gyoza?"

"I could make gyoza," Misa said with a shrug, though the mischievous glint in her eyes suggested she was more interested in riling Nobara up than actually cooking.

"Yeah, sure," Nobara shot back. "You'd probably freeze the filling and call it a day."

"Creative cooking," Misa replied with a grin. "It's all about the presentation."

Megumi sighed, already regretting his life choices as he walked a step ahead of them. "Can we just agree on something and eat? I don't care who cooks as long as it's edible."

"Alright, fine," Nobara said, spinning on her heel to face Yuji. "You want to prove you're some kind of culinary genius? Make us something. But if it's bad, you're never living it down."

"Deal," Yuji said confidently. "And when it's amazing, you have to admit I'm the best cook in the group."

"That's a low bar," Megumi muttered under his breath.

Yuji ignored him, his grin widening. "Okay, so what do you guys want? I'll take requests."

"Something filling," Misa said, patting her stomach. "I'm starving."

"Same," Nobara added. "And no vegetables. I'm not in the mood for anything green."

"Fine, but I'm putting something healthy in there," Yuji said firmly. "You'll thank me later."

"Doubt it," Nobara replied with a smirk.

As they rounded the corner and approached the kitchen, Misa glanced over at Yuji, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "So, what's the plan, chef? Going to wow us with some secret family recipe?"

"You'll see," Yuji said, his tone full of confidence as he pushed open the kitchen door. "Prepare to have your minds—and taste buds—blown."

"Bold words," Misa said, following him inside. "Let's see if you can back them up."

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰ ───

--The kitchen was filled with the warm, savory aroma of stir-fried vegetables, sizzling meat, and perfectly cooked rice. Yuji moved around the kitchen with surprising precision, his hands a blur as he flipped ingredients in the wok, tasted the broth for seasoning, and plated each dish with care. The rest of the group watched from the table, a mix of skepticism and growing curiosity on their faces.

Misa leaned forward, her chin resting on her hands. "Alright, I'll admit, this smells amazing. But presentation and smell don't equal taste."

"Relax," Yuji said with a grin, wiping his hands on a dish towel as he placed the final plate on the table. "You're about to experience greatness."

He stepped back, arms crossed, looking far too pleased with himself as the others stared down at the dishes in front of them. Each plate was a perfectly balanced meal—tender, golden-brown chicken glazed in a rich soy-based sauce, fluffy rice on the side, and stir-fried vegetables that somehow managed to look vibrant and inviting despite Nobara's earlier protests.

Misa was the first to grab her chopsticks, taking a tentative bite of the chicken. Her eyes widened immediately.

"Holy crap," she said, covering her mouth as she chewed. "This is... incredible."

"Wait, really?" Nobara said, already digging in. She took a bite, her expression shifting from surprise to pure bliss. "Oh my God. Yuji, this is insane. Why have you been holding out on us?"

"I wasn't holding out!" Yuji said, laughing. "You just never asked!"

Megumi, ever the skeptic, took a small bite, his usual neutral expression softening ever so slightly. "Okay... this is actually really good."

"Really good?" Nobara repeated, glaring at him. "This is better than anything I've ever had in a restaurant."

"It's definitely top-tier," Misa agreed, already halfway through her plate. "Yuji, what are you? Some kind of secret chef?"

"Maybe," Yuji said, puffing out his chest proudly. "Told you I was good."

"You're not good," Nobara said, pointing her chopsticks at him like a weapon. "You're amazing. If you don't cook for us every day from now on, we're going to riot."

"Seconded," Misa said, raising her hand without hesitation.

"Wait, wait," Yuji said, laughing as he waved his hands defensively. "I'm not your personal chef!"

"Too late," Nobara said, taking another bite with a satisfied grin. "You've set the bar too high. You're stuck with us now."

Misa leaned back in her chair, patting her stomach. "Honestly, I don't even care about the whole screaming-on-the-rollercoaster thing anymore. This meal has redeemed you."

"Wait, you're letting that go?" Yuji asked, looking genuinely surprised.

"Don't push your luck," she said with a smirk, earning a laugh from the rest of the group.

Even Megumi, who usually stayed out of their antics, couldn't hide the small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I'll admit, this was impressive. You've earned yourself a little credit, Yuji."

"See?" Yuji said, grinning from ear to ear. "I told you guys to trust me."

As they finished their plates, Nobara sighed contentedly. "Alright, Itadori. You've officially earned your place on this team."

"Wait, so I wasn't on the team before?" Yuji asked, pretending to look offended.

"Not as the cook," Nobara teased. "Now you're indispensable."

Misa raised her glass of water in a mock toast. "To Yuji, our culinary savior."

The others followed suit, clinking their glasses together with laughter. For a moment, the chaos of the day felt far away, replaced by the warmth of good food, good company, and the growing bond between teammates.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚