Jotaro strode toward the entrance of Jujutsu High, his hands jammed deep into his pockets. Gojo wasn't around, and even if he were, his curse technique would likely annoy Jotaro more than help him relieve his frustration.
But there was someone else Jotaro had in mind. His steps halted as he noticed a figure speaking with Principal Yaga near the courtyard.
"Woman," Jotaro called out, his deep voice cutting through Yaga's sentence.
Yuki turned her head, arching an eyebrow as her gaze met Jotaro's. A sly grin spread across her face, her brawn eyes glinting with a wish for revenge.
"Well, well," she said, crossing her arms. "I was just looking for you, you left before I got to teach you a lessen."
Her playful tone made Jotaro frown. "Then come at me. I need to blow off some steam myself."
Yuki's grin widened, clearly interested by his confidence. "Oh? That's bold of you. Don't you know who I am?"
Before she could continue, Yaga groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "If you two are going to fight, at least take it to the training grounds. I don't want to rebuild the school again."
Yuki smirked and turned to him. "Aren't you worried I'll cripple your student?" she teased.
To her surprise, Yaga didn't correct her. Instead, he sighed and said, "This guy's curse technique is powerful, I already received a report form Suguru related to his abilities. He's not officially a special grade yet, but I've got a feeling that won't last long. Just hold back enough to leave him in one piece."
Jotaro didn't react to Yaga's words, but Yuki looked impressed, her smile sharper. "Interesting. Let's see what you've got," she said, calling Jotaro to follow her toward the training area.
As they walked, she glanced over her shoulder. "Your teacher thinks highly of you. Maybe I should teach you some humility."
Jotaro didn't respond, his expression unreadable.
Once they reached the training grounds, Yuki turned to face him, raising her fist. "One warning, don't let me hit you."
Jotaro met her gaze, his voice calm. "Same goes for you."
Next moment Jotaro stepped to the side and the two began circling each other. Yuki's brown eyes gleamed with excitement as she took the first step forward.
Jotaro didn't flinch, his hands still tucked in his pockets. Star Platinum manifested behind him, its muscular body radiating power. The Stand wasted no time, throwing a powerful punch toward Yuki.
Yuki's eyes widened slightly, surprised at the speed of the attack, but she didn't back down. curse energy enchanted her fist before shooting forward, clashing with Star Platinum's.
'Strong' She noticed as she put more mass intro her fist to match the stand's strength.
"Is this your shikigami?" Yuki asked, her voice calm despite the force of the impact.
Before Jotaro could reply, a shape materialized near her—Garuda, her own shikigami. Yuki's grin widened. "But you're not that special."
Garuda didn't attack Star Platinum but instead lunged to the side, aiming directly at Jotaro, passing his Stand entirely.
Curse energy surged around Jotaro's body as he stepped back, but Garuda was faster. Jotaro had no option but to call his stand "Star Platinum!" he shouted, and his Stand instantly repositioned, intercepting the shikigami with a devastating punch.
"ORA!"
Garuda recoiled, but to Jotaro's surprise, it quickly morphed into a spinning ball, hurtling back towards Yuki.
Yuki laughed, clearly enjoying the moment, and kicked Garuda forward with even greater force. Jotaro's eyes narrowed as he weighed his options. He didn't know how much mass Yuki had imbued into her shikigami.
'Star Platinum' he thought, deciding to place his trust in his Stand.
The purple winded up a punch, its muscles bulging as it struck the incoming mass with full force.
"ORAA!"
The impact echoed through the training grounds. Jotaro gritted his teeth as the force pushed his real body back, his knuckles bleeding from the strain.
A flicker of concern crossed Yuki's face as she could swear she heard the sound of cracking from her shikigami. 'That was at least as heavy as 20 tones... ' A drop of sweat trickled down her forehead seeing how Star Platinum was not pushed back.
In the end Star Platinum won the contest, sending Garuda flying back.
Yuki's playful grin twisted into something more dangerous. "Impressive," she said, her voice sounded from behind Jotaro. Before he could react, she was already close to him.
"But you made a big mistake forgetting about me!" she yelled, driving her fist into his side.
"UGH" The blow sent Jotaro flying several meters. He landed with a grunt, Star Platinum cushioning the fall with its own body as best it could. Blood trickled from the corner of Jotaro's mouth, but instead of frustration, he felt a spark of exhilaration.
"You held back" he said, wiping the blood away with the back of his hand and rising himself on his feet.
Yuki smirked. "Of course I did. Otherwise, you'd be dead."
She crossed her arms, tilting her head curiously. "Your curse technique is strong. What's it called?"
"Star Platinum," Jotaro replied, his Stand materializing beside him.
Yuki raised an eyebrow, then smiled. "I like it. A beautiful name, fitting for your curse technique." The name reminding her of her own curse technique, Star Rage. 'Is he secretly my biggest fan?'
"Enough talking," Jotaro interrupted, taking a step forward. "The fight's not over."
Yuki laughed and shook her head. "Sorry, big guy, but my time's limited. Tell you what, I like you so I'll call you 'big brother' from now on."
Jotaro's expression didn't change. "You scared to continue?" He ignored her previous statement.
"Who knows?" Yuki teased, leaning in closer. "Let me give you some advice before I go." She slapped Jotaro's chest "Your curse energy manipulation is sloppy. When you reinforced your body earlier, it was slow and inefficient."
Jotaro frowned but didn't argue.
"And another thing," she added, tapping his chest again and again. "You overthink. You got so caught up in Garuda that you didn't notice me closing in. Work on that."
Jotaro sighed, adjusting his hat. 'Noted'
Yuki grinned and turned to leave. "Try not to die before we meet again, big brother!"
Jotaro watched her go, muttering under his breath, "What a pain...literally."
The pain in his ribs flared, making him groan. He fell to his knees, clutching his side. Despite the discomfort, his anger had faded already.
As he was about to call Star Platinum for support, a familiar voice interrupted.
"Need a hand?" Shoko asked, a cigarette dangling from her lips.
Jotaro shook his head as his Stand helped him to his feet, but he couldn't hide the wince of pain.
"Broken ribs," Shoko said calmly, inspecting his injury for a short moment. "Come on, let's get you to the infirmary."
Jotaro didn't respond, but a faint smile crossed his lips. Shoko noticed it and flashed a gentle smiled back.