time and again | jujutsu kaisen

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『CALBAYOG CITY AIRPORT, PHILIPPINES』

It was no doubt that Toji Zenin looked handsome; his brood and figure enough to make any teenager drool over him.
This was the case for Ma-I Malaya, who tried her best to keep her eyes off him as the elders of both family greeted each other; her eyes looking down to the ground, fumbling with the beads of her dress.

"Well, I assume you must be famished!" The bashful girl looks up at the mention of food, now suddenly aware of the hunger she had.
Her eyes scan for the boy and as soon as she met his gaze, she offered him a warm smile.

The boy looked away, scoffing, taking Ma-I aback. Of course he was an asshole.
It had to come with the looks, right?
Much to her dismay, he left her standing in the air, smiling to no one.

The entire family bursted into laughter as the head of the Zenin family made a joke, snapping Ma-I out of her thoughts(and assumptions) about her future husband.

Maybe he was just tired from the flight? Maybe he didn't like smiling?

Or maybe...

He thought she was ugly.

Without realising her legs were walking with her family towards the transport, she found herself in between her mom and great aunt, Mama Rosa just walking in front while talking with the Zenin Elder, leading the way.
She stayed quiet till they reached the transport, a black van the family had just recently purchased for the sale of today's meeting.

The Malayas didn't use a car as much as their relatives from the City do, only using the vintage Cadillac the men in the family collected, and the SUV only big enough to carry four people without breaking down.

They needed a car— two cars, specifically, so they bought one. Simple.

As soon as the Zenin family's luggage were placed inside the other car made for transport, Diwa, Amihan, and Ulan stayed behind and decided to ride along the transport made for luggage, as to avoid painfully awkward conversations.

Ma-I also wanted desperately to tag along with them, embarrassed from the smile that nobody returned to her.
She didn't have the guts to face the boy with jet-black hair and a frame unrealistic for a teenager.
Well, she did; she just didn't want to beat him up in case things go sideways.

Her begging didn't do anything, and now here she was, sitting in the car with her future husband next to her.

So her attempt of distancing herself from the driver's seat as far away as possible didn't work.
So sitting in the second seat didn't work.

Okay, if I sit on the second row, I leave just enough space for the first, third, and fourth rows, leaving plenty of choices for him.
Sometimes my genius— it's frightening.

The clan elders sat in front of them, still conversing about the latest news in the sorcery world, both in Japan and Philippines.
Ma-I sighed softly as she leaned towards the window as the car drove away, looking at the airport they were departing.
The journey home was not too long anyways, might as well put up with it.

｡･:*˚:✧｡

Toji Zenin had no idea why he chose to sit in the same row as her, after giving her the cold shoulder earlier.
Maybe it was because he was curious to see her reaction to him, to see her uncomfortably squirm around and fiddle with the hem of her dress.
She was radiating such an energy, one that said—in big bold letters:

I DON'T WANNA BE HERE.

After successfully taking in the face and figure of his future wife, he came to the conclusion that she was tolerable.
Not a skinny body, skin a bit too brown to his liking, and a height he could easily tower over any day of the week.

Toji didn't lay attention to the conversation of the two family heads in the car, instead just looking out the window, curious about his surroundings, specifically in a new country.

Palm trees and small houses lined the side of the highway, sometimes chickens and water buffalos are spotted crossing around, and Filipinos living their daily lives in the province.
Life was simple here.

Suddenly, a feeling of warmth took over him, one that felt familiar and foreign at the same time— something like Deja Vu; he felt the emotion of a simple and happy life, living quietly with a family by the seaside, perfectly happy with the simplicity of their happiness.
He could almost smell the setting sun as he gazes towards the horizon, cradling his son in his arms with his wife right beside him, never letting him go.
She stayed beside him and accepted him for what he was, happily cooing over the baby in his arms. He smiled in contentment as he admires the untouched land of the province and breathes in the misty air of the sea. This was enough to make him happy.

He snapped out of the peculiar moment and sucked in a breath. A head turned his way and asked:

"Are you okay?"

He shot back at her with a glare, intense enough to put her in her place, but low enough as to not garner attention from Naobito.

"I'm fine." He adjusted himself in his seat, ignoring the girl beside him.

Toji felt her sink back into her seat, as she continued staring out the window.

What was that feeling? That emotion?
He wanted to chase after it, to make it last a bit longer— he wanted to feel it in real time.
But what was it? And why was it strong enough to almost convince him to drop his prejudices against his family and just live simply; live a life without great success and fame, a life with happiness and warmth?

What did he feel? Was that how it felt if one had a true family?

If he had his own family, would he feel happy?