Bloody turquoise eyes | JJK x OC

Canto XXIII - Bloody Turquoise Eyes

Merry Christmas everybody and happy new year!

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Mai couldn't rest easy the moment she boarded the train for Shibuya, uncomfortably shifting the strap of her rifle bag on her shoulder as she stepped into the empty carriage. It was late into the night, and hardly anyone was present at the station by the time they arrived, she and her classmates were scheduled for a mission south of Kyoto that kept them busy all evening, well, almost all of her classmates, Todou and the freshman Nitta were sent elsewhere, Shibuya of all places to be precise. This choice raised a few questions amongst the students on the reason why they were sent alone, almost as if whoever assigned them the mission knew in advance the tragedy unfolding in the district, something that neither Utahime knew about. Looking around, the gunslinger observed the expression on each of her classmates and instructor's faces, dread and tension wore heavy on their aspects like a black veil, but none of them were as in shambles as Kasumi was. She took Mechamaru's betrayal and death worse than anyone, the bags under her eyes told her so, even here at the station she came clutching a medallion between her thin fingers, a memory perhaps of gone times.

Mai moved her gaze away, at first she read the flashing writings that appeared on the LEDs above the windows, a notice regarding the temporary suppression of Shibuya station. Then she brought her attention to her bag, zipping it open, she took out her sniper rifle and put it on the table in front of her, then the revolver from the holster deep inside the case. The trip will take two and a half hours to get to Tokyo's famous district, might as well kill time by making sure her weapons are in peak condition for what's to come. So she began inspecting her firearms, cleaning the barrels and chambers, screwing parts apart, and reassembling them with a meticulous method, ingrained in muscle memory. It made her laugh in a sense, she thought back to when she was only a child, not even in her wildest imagination would she have ever pictured herself taking apart a gun, let alone handling it with such nonchalance and candor, as if her hands were made specifically to accomplish such tasks.

"You're stronger than you give yourself credit, Mai. No one survives a year by pure luck in this crusade." Idiot, is this what you saw in me?

"Mai." her teacher called, as her gaze went up, she crossed sights with Utahime hinting at the girl to come closer with a small gesture of her hand. Putting the revolver back in its holster, the gunslinger got up from her seat and walked down the aisle till she was side by side with the older woman. Utahime suggested moving to the next carriage as she wanted to have a private conversation with her: "What's with this secrecy, sensei?" she promptly asked.

"It's a personal matter. You may not want the others to hear about it." The teacher answered, puzzling the girl even more, but she followed the adult nonetheless.

Together they passed through the doors dividing the two wagons, and soon after they took the seats by the window facing one another. Once they sat comfortably, it was Mai who was the first to speak: "What is it about?" she talked, unsure of which tone to assume. Utahime had her stare steady on her eyes as if wanting to catch the slightest dilatation of the girl's pupils."I want to be certain that everyone is up and ready for what's to come. From what has transpired from the on-field reports we got at the moment, this sounds like a situation even worse than what we had faced almost a year ago in Kyoto. We must take every precaution necessary." She spoke in all seriousness, which put a bit of pressure on Mai but still couldn't connect on what was the personal part of this issue.

"Nothing new, I presume."

"I'm not finished." She continued, "Amongst the squads stationed in Shibuya, there's also a small contingency of three high-ranking exorcists who lent aid in our time of need. There's a good probability if not certain that Esposito is fighting at this very moment." Utahime noticed a small hint, a little twitch in the corner of her eye that betrayed the veiled attempt at indifference. The young girl tried to play innocent, rambling about how this had nothing to do with the situation ahead and didn't concern her, all while hiding her obvious flush behind the collar of her uniform, but the woman was quick to cut her short.