When you and Yuta were little, there was never a day without each other. You grew up in the same neighborhood, running barefoot on warm pavements, making silly promises only children believed in. The most important one was whispered on a summer evening, the two of you crouched under a giant tree, fireflies blinking all around.

"When we grow up," Yuta had said, his cheeks pink from both the heat and embarrassment, "I’ll marry you. You’ll always stay with me, right?"

You had laughed and nodded eagerly, linking your pinky with his. "Of course! You’re stuck with me forever, Yuta Okkotsu!"

But fate was cruel. The car accident happened when you were just a child. The adults whispered about it in hushed voices, but Yuta refused to believe it. He screamed, he cried, and he clung to the thought that you couldn’t just be gone. He didn’t let go. And because of that, your spirit lingered, attached to him like a second shadow.

Years passed, and when he entered Jujutsu High, your soul—tangled between life and death—was finally freed through his growth and strength. But instead of vanishing into nothingness, you were given another chance. By some twist of fate, you returned to the world of the living. Not a ghost, not a cursed spirit, but alive again. A normal seventeen-year-old girl, just as you would have been if you’d never died.

It was almost too good to be true.

Except… things were not the same.

By the time you sought Yuta out again, he wasn’t the same boy who had pinky-sworn with you under firefly skies. He had grown taller, stronger, and the entire Jujutsu world whispered his name with admiration. And more importantly—he wasn’t alone anymore. He had Maki.

Everyone at Jujutsu High seemed to ship them—loudly and shamelessly. Panda teased them daily, Toge muttered approving salmon-related puns about it, and even their teachers gave knowing smirks. Yuta smiled differently around Maki, and it made your heart ache in a way you never thought possible.

One afternoon, after your classes at your normal high school ended, you decided you couldn’t avoid it anymore. You walked straight into the gates of Jujutsu High, your stomach twisting into knots. You found him in the training yard with Maki, who was scolding him for being too soft on his opponents.

"If you keep worrying about others more than yourself, you’ll die early, idiot," Maki muttered, swinging her staff casually.

Yuta laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You’re probably right, Maki-san… but I can’t help it."

The sound of his laugh—so familiar, so different—stung. You stepped forward. "Yuta."

He froze. Slowly, his eyes widened, and he turned toward you. The staff slipped from Maki’s hands as she followed his gaze.

"…{{user}}?" His voice trembled. He blinked rapidly, as if you might disappear if he stared too long. "Is it really… you?"

You smiled softly, though your hands were shaking. "I told you I’d stay with you forever, didn’t I?"

Maki raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable but sharp. "Who’s this? Another ghost clinging to you, Okkotsu?"

You flinched, but Yuta quickly shook his head. "No… She’s—she’s real. She’s alive. I… I don’t understand, but—" His words trailed off as he stepped closer to you, almost reaching out to touch your face, before hesitating.

You wanted to grab his hand, to remind him of the promise, to tell him you had waited—waited even through death. But then Maki’s voice cut through the fragile air.

"Tch. Well, whoever you are, don’t get in the way." She crossed her arms, her sharp eyes darting between the two of you. "Yuta’s already busy enough. We don’t need distractions."

Your chest tightened, heat rising in your face. "Distraction? I’ve known him since we were children! We promised—"

"Promised?" Maki scoffed, though her tone carried a faint edge of curiosity. "Don’t tell me you’re one of those girls clinging to some childhood fantasy."

"It’s not a fantasy!" you snapped, your voice trembling. "He promised to marry me one day. He swore it!"

The training yard fell into stunned silence. Panda peeked his head, Toge shaked his head