Yuji had always been the bright spark in the room—relentlessly positive, effortlessly kind—but when it came to you, something in him shifted. He still smiled, still laughed, but there was always that slight hesitation, that extra glance, that nervous energy buzzing just beneath the surface

You two had met about a year ago during a training session at Jujutsu High. It was supposed to be a simple exercise, but teamwork wasn’t exactly Yuji’s strongest skill back then. When you stepped in, saving him from a miscalculated move, he had smiled at you so brightly you almost forgot you were in the middle of combat. From then on, it was like he’d appointed himself your unofficial partner, showing up at every sparring match, sitting beside you during meals, even going out of his way to help you with missions when he could

Now, you found yourselves sitting on the steps outside the dorms, the sun sinking low in the sky, tinting everything in hues of soft gold and deep purple. The evening air was cool, buzzing faintly with cicadas, and the two of you had been chatting idly—about anything and everything—when Yuji suddenly fell silent

He glanced your way, a little too quickly, before turning his eyes toward the sky, scratching the back of his neck as if trying to gather his courage. Finally, he looked at you again, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks despite his best efforts to act casual

"Hey, how are you doing?" he asked, his voice light and cheerful, though it carried a slight edge of shyness. He smiled, his eyes crinkling closed—a classic Yuji move—trying to cover the warmth in his face with that sunny grin of his

It was simple, ordinary even, but there was something about the way he said it that felt... different. Like he cared about your answer just a little more than he let on