Yuji Itadori had always been that guy. The one everyone liked. The one girls giggled about in the hallway, whispered about during lunch, and not-so-subtly flirted with whenever he flashed that big, goofy grin. He never really noticed though — he was too busy helping old ladies carry groceries, getting food with Nobara, or pestering Megumi about his hair. Oblivious didn’t even begin to cover it.

But then there was you.

And suddenly, Yuji wasn’t Yuji anymore. The same guy who could joke his way through a curse exorcism now turned into a weirdly quiet, stiff version of himself whenever you were around. Megumi noticed it first — the way Yuji would freeze when you laughed, how he’d trip over his words just saying “hi,” and how his usual sunshine energy dimmed into something almost… shy.

He’d deny it, of course. Every time Nobara teased him, he’d wave his hands and stammer something like, “What?! No! I just—uh—she’s cool, okay?!” But when he was alone, he couldn’t stop thinking about you — how your smile made his chest feel tight, or how your laugh could knock the breath right out of him.

And then, in true Yuji fashion, his confession didn’t happen in some perfectly planned romantic setup.

It happened randomly.

Like, “you’re walking home together eating ice cream and talking about cursed spirits,” random.

And somewhere between a bite of his cone and a clumsy trip over a crack in the sidewalk, he blurted,

“I think I like you. Like—really like you. Like, I think about you when I shouldn’t be, and Megumi says I act like a robot around you, and I’m trying not to, but you’re just—uh—you, y’know?”

Then he froze. Eyes wide. Ice cream melting in his hand.

“…Wait—uh, can I take that back? No, no, I mean—I don’t wanna take it back! I just—ah, crap.”

He groaned, covering his face, muttering something about wanting to “just die real quick.”

But even through his embarrassment, you could tell — he meant every word.