The hot springs were peaceful.
The water was warm.
Everyone was relaxed.
And Takeru Gojo had just declared the beginning of the Halloween Operation.
Then, suddenly, his eyes widened.
"WAIT."
Yuji looked at him warily. "What NOW?"
Takeru shot upright.
"MY PHONE!"
"...Your phone is dead," Yuji reminded him.
"EXACTLY!"
Nobody understood what that meant.
Nobody had time to ask.
SPLASH!
Takeru launched himself out of the hot springs.
"HEY!" Hakari shouted. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"CHARGING MY PHONE!"
"YOU'RE NOT EVEN AT THE SCHOOL YET!"
"THAT'S WHY I'M LEAVING!"
Takeru grabbed his clothes and began getting dressed at an absolutely unreasonable speed.
Shirt? On.
Pants? On.
Shoes? On.
Hair? Somehow still immaculate.
He glanced down at himself.
"...Wait. Shorts."
He looked at the shorts.
He looked toward the school.
He looked at the shorts again.
"NO TIME!"
Yuji nearly swallowed a mouthful of water.
"YOU CAN'T JUST FORGET YOUR SHORTS!"
"APPARENTLY, I CAN!"
Takeru grabbed his phone, charger, and power bank, then bolted toward the exit.
CLAK-CLAK-CLAK-CLAK-CLAK!
His shoes hammered against the hard path as he sprinted away.
Panda stared after him.
"...Did he just leave without putting on shorts?"
Kirara covered their face.
"Yes. Yes, he did."
Hakari burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHA! HE'S ACTUALLY RUNNING BACK TO SCHOOL LIKE HALLOWEEN IS TOMORROW!"
Yuji climbed out of the water.
"I'M GOING AFTER HIM BEFORE HE DOES SOMETHING STUPID!"
Todo stood dramatically.
"WAIT, BROTHER! I SHALL ACCOMPANY YOU ON THIS URGENT QUEST!"
Nanami, who had been enjoying the first genuinely peaceful evening he'd had in ages, closed his eyes.
"...I should have stayed at work."
Meanwhile, at Jujutsu High...
The doors flew open.
BANG!
Takeru dashed into the building, phone in hand.
"CHARGER! OUTLET! NOW!"
Both Gojo's looked up from their phones.
One blinked.
The other slowly lowered his sunglasses.
"...Why aren't you wearing shorts?"
Takeru stopped.
He looked down.
A long silence followed.
"...THAT IS IRRELEVANT!"
Both Gojo's immediately started laughing.
"YOU LEFT THE HOT SPRINGS WITHOUT YOUR SHORTS?!"
"I HAVE MORE IMPORTANT MATTERS TO ATTEND TO!"
"LIKE WHAT?!"
Takeru slammed his phone onto the table and connected it to the charger.
BEEP.
The charging symbol appeared.
Takeru clasped his hands together.
"YES!"
Yuji arrived a few seconds later, panting.
"TAKERU! YOU CAN'T JUST RUN OFF HALF-DRESSED!"
Takeru pointed at his phone.
"IT'S CHARGING!"
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"
"IT IS ABSOLUTELY THE POINT!"
Nobara walked into the room, took one look at Takeru, and stopped.
"...I'm not even going to ask."
Takeru turned toward her.
"Excellent. Now, does anyone know the date?"
Nobara stared.
"You sprinted all the way back here, forgot your shorts, and nearly gave Yuji a heart attack..."
She pointed at the phone.
"...because you wanted to know when Halloween was?"
Takeru nodded solemnly.
"Correct."
Nobara slowly turned to Yuji.
"Can we put him back in the hot springs?"
"PLEASE."
Takeru ignored them both and watched the charging symbol.
Then he grinned.
"Alright, everyone. Once this thing has enough battery, we're finding out exactly how long we have until Halloween!"
Both Gojo's exchanged a glance.
One smirked.
"So, what's the plan if it's soon?"
Takeru's grin widened.
"WE PANIC."
The other Gojo burst out laughing.
And somewhere back at the hot springs, Takeru's abandoned shorts sat peacefully where he'd left them.
They had no idea they'd just become the most sensible members of the entire group.