Yuta lay on a soft bed and looked at the ceiling. He was gradually getting used to his new life and he liked his completely new life. He felt that he needed a good rest after what he had been through. Fortunately, he was excused from school for a few days.
"School," he muttered quietly with a chuckle, turning over on his side. "It's even a rest compared to my previous life."
He smiled weakly. Once upon a time, he had struggled through the difficulties of university, worked nights and barely made ends meet. And now, an ordinary school seemed like a resort to him.
He looked around the room. Spacious, neat, with bright light coming through the large windows. The table by the wall was littered with school supplies, and there were plasticines of different colors nearby, as well as figurines made of it - clearly Yuta's former hobbies. Books were displayed on one of the shelves, and photographs on the other. One of them especially caught his attention: there was him, still a child, with a joyful smile on his face. His parents and younger sister stood nearby.
Memories of his old life stirred in him again, but before he could get too lost in his thoughts, a soft female voice rang out.
"Yuta! Dinner is ready!" Yumiko, his "new" mother, called out.
Yuta stood up, stretched slightly, and headed towards the kitchen.
--
The kitchen was filled with a warm, homely atmosphere. Yumiko, a beautiful woman with a kind smile, was setting plates on the table. She was wearing a simple apron, and her hair was tied up in a neat bun. Next to him sat his younger sister Yui, a girl of about eight, with big eyes and an infectious smile.
"Oh, Yuta!" She called out cheerfully, waving her hand.
"I'm already here, Yui," he smiled, sitting down at the table.
"I made your favorite dish today," Yumiko said proudly, placing a plate of cabbage seasoned with salt and sesame oil in front of him.
Yuta froze for a second, looking at the dish. To be honest, it wasn't his favorite dish, and he rarely ate cabbage anyway. But showing dissatisfaction would be wrong. So, trying to show his joy, he smiled.
"Thank you, Mom," he said with a smile, taking his chopsticks and starting to eat.
He chewed the cabbage carefully, looking like he was enjoying every bite.
"Mom, Yuta is so funny," Yui suddenly said, laughing.
"Why funny?" Yuta asked with a smile, squinting his eyes a little.
- The way you eat looks really funny!
Yumiko also laughed quietly, covering her mouth with her hand, but quickly switched her attention:
- Okay, stop teasing your brother. Better tell me how your day went.
"School was fun!" Yui began excitedly. "We were drawing autumn leaves in art class, and then our teacher left during gym class and told us to choose what to play. So we decided to have a class vote: the girls suggested dodgeball, and the boys suggested Kancho. Kancho* got more votes because there are more boys than girls in our class. So we decided that it was unfair and decided to play separately from the boys."
Yuta choked on his food, trying not to laugh out loud, and Yumiko just giggled softly.
She laughed and continued, "And also..." She thought for a moment and said more quietly, "I miss Rika."
Yuta froze for a second. The name 'Rika' gave him a strange feeling. His mother and sister continued talking, but he was already deep in thought.
"Rika..." he repeated to himself.
At first, he didn't understand who Rika was. But he remembered that in the anime, Yuta called his shikigami Rika, and so he came to the conclusion that the girl who died in the accident that sent him to the hospital was that same Rika. And Okkotsu probably named his shikigami that way to honor the memory of his old friend.
He glanced at Yumiko. She also tensed up for a second when she heard the name, but, noticing that he didn't show it, she quickly calmed down.
"It seems that it really is," Yuta thought.
---
The next few days flew by quickly. Yuta enjoyed the quiet life and decided to not only continue the hobby of the previous Yuta, but also start a new one. He spent his days playing with clay and sketching on sketchbooks. Being in a family where he was surrounded by care and love was a new but pleasant experience.
But the day of returning to school arrived.
On his way there, he walked down a quiet street, thinking about his new life, when he noticed a white-haired boy standing by a fence.
"Hey, you're Okkotsu, right?" the boy waved his hand lazily.
Yuta stopped. The boy looked familiar. Tall, confident, with an arrogant smile. It was Satoru Gojo, then still young and carefree, as he appeared in Jujutsu Kaisen.
"Yeah... and you?" Yuta asked cautiously.
"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself. Gojo Satoru. And it looks like we're going to have a long conversation."
Yuta frowned.
"Hmm, let's start with you going somewhere with me after school," Gojo said, winking. "In the meantime, go ahead, don't be late."
Yuta looked after him, confused, as he walked away, humming to himself.
Yuta sighed quietly and thought to himself, 'It looks like I'm about to get to know another new world.'