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Itadori Yuuji was still surprised that he got into Night Raven College, if he was being honest. Sure, he knew some magic, but it was really nothing impressive. But here he was though! His Gramps wouldn’t possibly let him not go to one of the top high schools in the world, even though it was a boarding school a long way from home, and Yuuji was admittedly very excited at the prospect. Magic was a cool thing to learn, and a school geared to that sounded way more interesting than others.
It was all a bit overwhelming, sure, but Night Raven was even cooler than he imagined! That said, Yuuji had no idea where to begin choosing a club. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that that would be a choice he would have to make before it was suddenly club orientation day.
But! Fortunately, Yuuji didn’t have to think too hard about it. Not by himself, at least. Because one of the other amazing things about going to Night Raven was the fact that his childhood friend was here too.
“There’s the Board Game Club,” Junpei pointed out with a note of interest. Yuuji followed his gaze to the table, where… a ghost was hovering, garnering the attention of a dark-haired boy in a Diasomnia uniform, and a white-haired girl from Octavinelle ignored them effortlessly while picking at her fingernails. Yuuji was still surprised by the abundance of ghosts around Night Raven, though they were all really friendly. Admittedly this ghost-girl looked really gnarly, with way more teeth and sharp edges than the ghosts in the cafeteria. A guard ghost maybe? Not that it really mattered. Instinctual apprehension aside, Yuuji was sure she was nice, if she was one of the NRC ghosts.
“It’s been forever since I’ve played anything more than cards,” he admitted. That was all Gramps would be up for, most days, and even then, he was never much for games. Yuuji was pretty sure poker and Old Maid were just the most he could stomach when it came to amusing him as a kid. “We can check it out though.”
“No, that’s okay,” Junpei dismissed. “We’ll keep it in mind and keep looking.”
Yuuji shrugged. “Sounds good to me.”
He followed Junpei’s lead as they ambled around the floor, looking at club tables but never getting too close. Junpei had always been the less social of the two, and that didn’t seem to have changed since their time apart in middle school, when Yuuji and Gramps moved closer to Yorknew City for better access to the hospital, just in case. He wondered if he should take the lead, since exploring clubs involved a lot of talking to people, but then again, Junpei was the one who was putting more thought into the decision. Honestly, Yuuji believed he would be fine with anything Junpei was interested in. While they weren’t in the same dorm or homeroom class, with Yuuji being placed in Heartslaybul and Junpei in Scarabia, it would be nice to be in the same club, now that they were finally reunited.
“Are you sure you don’t want to join a sport?” Junpei suddenly asked, not for the first time. Sports, Yuuji knew, were the last thing Junpei would ever pick.
“I’m sure!” Yuuji insisted. “I already told you—I don’t really care about competing, and that’s mostly what school sports are about.” Heck, Night Raven’s spelldrive team was legendary—it was televised and everything! Yuuji wasn’t lying when he said he wasn’t interested in competing. It would be a lot of time at this level, and while it could be cool, he simply wasn’t dedicated to any particular sport enough to warrant any serious thought. And, even if there was a non-competitive sport or club at Night Raven, he still would rather find something he could enjoy with Junpei.
Junpei pursed his lips like he didn’t immediately believe him, for some reason, but then he accepted Yuuji’s answer. “Okay then, if you’re sure.”
It wasn’t long after that when they turned a corner and Junpei spotted something else of interest. Something really interesting, because his eyes lit up and everything. “Yuuji! Look!” he laughed. “They actually have a movie club at a place like Night Raven!”
Yuuji read the sign off the neat table: movie analysis club. He wasn’t sure what ‘analysis’ would entail, and his historically poor grades in literature classes weren’t keen on finding out, but Yuuji did enjoy a wide array of movies. “Didn’t you start a movie club in your middle school?” he asked, remembering a comment from one of their phone calls.
Junpei briefly looked away, his smile turning bitter. “Didn’t work out.”
“Aw, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.” He must have forgotten somehow. Or, typical to Junpei, he made sure not to bring it up when his plan didn’t work out. Maybe he didn’t have enough people interested, or the principal said no.
“Don’t worry about it. There’s already one here anyway.”
“Let’s check it out then!” Yuuji said, making sure they were actually going to approach the table.
There was a single girl manning the table, rather than the usual two or three, but considering that there wasn’t anybody else talking to her, the table must not be that busy. Which was weird, because a movie watching club seemed really cool! Unless most students went for more magical stuff, which made sense, considering the student population. Eh, whatever. It didn’t matter anyway.
“Hello,” the girl with the neat brown ponytail and kind brown eyes greeted politely. She was wearing a light blue uniform… was that Pomefiore or Ignihyde? It was as confusing as Heartslaybul and Scarabia both being red. Yuuji glanced at the pin on her armband and spotted the dog: that must be Ignihyde, then. Oh, they were supposed to be tech-y right? Maybe they had really cool movie projectors. “Are you two interested in the Movie Analysis Club?”
“Uh… yes,” Junpei said, his confidence in the decision floundering a bit. Before he could question it, because it was weird that Junpei wouldn’t be interested in anything regarding movie or analysis, he straightened his shoulders and smiled politely back, a questioning gleam in his eye. Yeah, while Junpei was the shyer of the two, he was also better at thinking things through. “What kind of movies do you watch?”
“All kinds and genres,” she answered. “Our members take turns choosing ones to watch, or we’ll vote on it.”
“Popular releases?” Junpei guessed, a wrinkle in his nose.
“Not really. We tend to gravitate towards classics and traditionally classified B-grade movies, if I’m being honest. I think they make for better group-watches, but I understand it’s not for everyone.”
He and Junpei shared a look. Yuuji may not be as quick-witted or bright as most, but even he knew what kind of promise that statement held. Most of the movies he and Junpei watched were the kind that didn’t even get proper theatrical releases, and usually that meant they weren’t popular. But just because a film didn’t have a high budget didn’t mean it wasn’t good!
“Got any examples?” Junpei asked quickly.
She tapped her chin. “The last movie we watched at the end of last semester was The Chrysalis Case of Benjamin Butterfly, if I recall correctly.”
“I loved that movie!” Yuuji gasped, excited. “I totally didn’t expect that he would come out a caterpillar at the end, when he accepted that he was going to die. Sure, the special effects weren’t the best but the voice acting totally made up for it.” He even cried a little bit, at that one. Tragic characters who got a second chance at life got to him, okay?
“The implication that he’s caught in an endless cycle of rebirth and regression was really haunting too,” the girl added, still pleasantly smiling despite her really depressing interpretation. Yuuji was confident that Junpei would do fantastically in a club like this. As long as Yuuji wasn’t expected to be able to, well, analyze the movies that well, it sounded like a good time for him as well.
Sure enough, Junpei smiled. “Is there anything required for sign-up?”
“Nope.” She pushed a sheet of paper to the front, only a few names on it so far. “Just write your names and student emails here, and show up for the first meeting.”
“What are the meetings like? The analysis isn’t, like, a test right?” Yuuji asked. Had to make sure. Gramps would totally laugh at him if he flunked out of a club; the classes were already promising to be hard.
Junpei looked at him sideways. “It’s probably just named that to seem more academic,” he speculated with that deadpan certainty of his.
The girl’s smile widened slightly, taking a sharper edge. Just a smidge. Night Raven students sure were scary, huh? “We do plenty of analysis,” she said, but somehow, he got the impression she was agreeing with Junpei despite saying the opposite. “After all, what’s the point of watching a movie if you don’t talk about it?”
Junpei laughed as he wrote down his name on the form. Yuuji still lacked an answer to his question that he understood, but he wrote his name down too. He was mostly sure it wouldn’t be hard, and movie watching really did seem like a good, chill club to have on top of a harsher academic regime than he was built for, as cool as the magic was.
“I’m Fushiguro Tsumiki,” she introduced with a polite bow of her head. “It was nice to meet the both of you.”
“Likewise!” Yuuji returned. “And I’m Itadori Yuuji! It was nice to meet you too, senpai!”
“Yoshino Junpei,” Junpei added belated. “Ah, Fushiguro-senpai? If I may ask, how large is the club? Disregarding new members, of course.”
She laughed a little. “Ah, not that many. Not everyone attends every movie, either. We’re a very lax club, in that regard. So realistically? Only a handful.”
Yuuji wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing to Junpei, since he didn’t react all that much beyond a “thank you” as they walked away. If he was still shy, then probably a good thing.
Either way, Yuuji was rather excited. He and Junpei hadn’t been able to watch movies together since he moved away, so now not only did they have a chance to do that, but with new people too! First admission into NRC, and now the prospect of a great club he could enjoy with his friend. It was another net-win in his books.
—o0o—
Junpei would admit that he was still bitter over his failure to establish a film club back in middle school, between the long time it took to convince the faculty that it was ‘cultural enrichment’ and the utter disdain the general populace met it with. Whether it was their lack of taste or their baseless hatred of him, Junpei didn’t know and he didn’t care. At least, he didn’t care anymore. Much.
There was still a part of him that wasn’t sure if he should be grateful or slighted that such a thing was accomplished in a prestigious academy such as Night Raven. Sure, Headmage Tengen was an infamously eccentric individual that was known to not always adhere to usual academic standards, but the institution was still a matter of importance. For someone to achieve carving out utterly inconsequential clubs such a movie watching or ‘pop music appreciation’ or things of the like, either meant that there were more successful and influential individuals out there, or Junpei had just been in the wrong environment.
A week into his new school, and Junpei still wasn’t sure. Being among other mages was admittedly a stark improvement, and knowing that he had one person within a stone’s throw that would vouch for him and not look down upon him helped tremendously, but Junpei still had his wits about him. He knew he was among many people that would not hesitate to step on him for their own gain or enjoyment. He could recognize the shrewd and scheming gazes of people with selfish intent. Perhaps Junpei himself was not much better. Even still, his own culpability didn’t preclude his understanding that people were awful by default. Purehearted individuals like Yuuji, with rock-hard morals or no particular goals, were rare and therefore an exception.
It was a crass way to view the world, but Junpei liked to think he was simply realistic. He had spent far too much time being pushed down by others to be unaware of the danger that they posed.
His instinct had grown to be rather sharp, for these matters. It was for this reason he was kicking himself when he realized, too late, that there might be a reason such a low-stakes club might be so vacant, aside from movie selection opinions and the overabundance of people who had a sense of excellency and ambition and the privilege to pursue it. (And/or athletic prowess, which Junpei begrudgingly did not have, ample magic talent aside.) He thought he had a good grasp on the world, and this school by extension, so really, he absolutely wasn’t expecting to arrive to the first Movie Analysis Club meeting and come face to face with one of the few rumored beings in this school that Junpei had pegged as too dangerous and thus to be avoided at all costs, for the sake of his continued survival and his goals.
Fae were high up the food chain and they tended to act like it. Most avoided the majority of society, too good for it, and it was honestly for the best. Their inherent talent for magic was unfortunately not exaggerated, and there was enough competition for scrawny guys like himself already without adding in the precociously gifted. The tiny fairies that lived on campus aside, Junpei was aware that there were a few fae who would exit their communities and participate in the world at large, and Night Raven was one such institution. There was even a rumor that Tengen was a fae, though they famously avoided any direct confirmation or denial.
That was fine, so long as Junpei was never in a position to be trodden upon because of it. That was why, with the well-known rumors of two infamously powerful fae that attended NRC, Junpei had resolved to stay out of their way to better his own chances. Coming face to face with one of them in a movie club was not the plan.
“Yo! Welcome, freshies!” the fae greeted, too cheerful with a grin full of sharp teeth.
There were two fae of note, who were said to be among the top ten mages in the world, despite being in high school. One was, rather predictably, the sole heir to the throne of Briar Valley—a nation of fae steeped in power and history. The other was less known, said to be affiliated with the government of the Kingdom of Heroes, or maybe the tech empire that is Olympus Inc. Mysterious origins aside, it was undeniable that last year’s televised spelldrive game broke the internet because those two clashed with magic so spectacular, barriers had to be put up to protect the live audience.
It was the mysterious white-haired one here now, with the Fushiguro girl from the booth and another dark-haired girl with multiple piercings in an Octavinelle uniform. He was over a head taller than everyone else in the room, Yuuji included, and that was before the ivory antler-like horns came into the equation. Run, his instincts told him. Head down. Get away.
“Hi!” Yuuji greeted back, ever the oblivious one. Junpei wanted to melt into the floor. “This is the Movie Club, right?”
“Right-o,” the fae confirmed, with finger guns of all things. They were indoors but he was wearing dark round sunglasses anyways. When he leaned forward with all the grace of a predator, unnaturally blue eyes peeked over the rims. “Think you boys can handle it?”
Yeah, nope. Junpei knew which fights he could not even hope to win. This was a bad idea and he had too much self-preservation to entertain potentially clashing with and making an enemy of someone of this caliber. Bless Yuuji’s heart, he probably didn’t realize who this was yet, nor the importance of being associated with highly contested individuals, but hopefully Junpei could explain it to him after he figured out how to calmly remove themselves from this situation.
Before Junpei could craft the words, Fushiguro-senpai made the next move: she yanked the fae sideways by the horns.
“Satoru!” she chided, as if she were the one in charge. “Stop scaring the freshmen!”
“I’m not,” he all but whined. Junpei blinked, and he blinked again. The magical presence of the teen was crushing and unmistakable, but like this… he really didn’t seem all that remarkable.
She released his horn with a flick of her wrist. “You chased away all of the others already. You need to be more careful with first impressions.”
“I think Satoru-chan makes great first impressions,” the Octavinelle girl giggled, far too amused.
Despite himself, Junpei was starting to get curious. He was still cautious, of course, but maybe he had been too quick to assume that it would be impossible to get along with even the most ridiculously strong upperclassmen. Most of the strong were vile and selfish, yes, but there were Yuujis in this world too. Good, easy-going people.
Fushiguro sighed. “Please, don’t be alarmed,” she said, aiming the sentiment at Junpei more than Yuuji. Shit, maybe he had been too obvious in his fear. “I know there must be a lot of hearsay out there, but most of it isn’t true. And this really is just a movie club.” She leaned forward, voice dropping into a faux whisper as she jabbed a thumb in the fae’s direction. “The only thing you have to worry about is him spoiling a movie.”
“Mikiiiiiii,” he pouted, looking more like a dramatic cat than a force of nature. “I know what you’re trying to do, but now they’ll just think I’m lame.”
He had thought he had caught a whiff of something vicious within Fushiguro at the table, and Junpei was proven right when she smiled in put-upon serenity at the white-haired fae. “Whyever would you think that?”
“You’re as mean as Megumi. Who raised you to be so savage?”
“You don’t want me answering that, ‘Toru.”
The Octavinelle student rolled out of her chair, still snickering at the two Ignihyde students. “If you ask me, watching them is more interesting than the movies, half the time,” she whispered conspiratorially. “Miki-chan has more fever in her than she gives herself credit for.” She straightened and struck a pose, hand poised into a peace-sign. “I’m Hoshi Kirara. The cute Ignihyde siblings over there are Gojo Satoru and Fushiguro Tsumiki.”
Yuuji beat him to processing the latter bit of information. “Siblings? Whoa, they look nothing alike…”
Hoshi-senpai giggled yet again. He wasn’t sure if her amusement was on account of her being easy to get along with or from taking pleasure in chaos. Either way, Junpei couldn’t say that he disliked her for it. “Not literally, of course. Don’t question it, because they’ll never answer, but we all know. Anyway, welcome to the movie club! If you two stick around, you’ll be in luck, because Miki-chan makes the best snacks.”
Against Junpei’s initial judgement, he stayed. Yuuji, of course, was unbothered by it all, and as the introductory meeting continued—with just the five of them, because none of the other freshmen were brave enough to stay, and the handful of other members weren’t that active; apparently, they took advantage of the fact that Gojo would sign off on their club involvement, even if it was absolutely minimal—Junpei found himself increasingly unbothered as well. Hopeful, even.
“So yeah, that’s pretty much it,” Gojo wrapped up, giving the same ‘we vote on it’ spiel that Fushiguro had given more succinctly at the club orientation, with the added addendum that sometimes he just brought movies that he had ‘lying around’ among his personal collection. “Any questions?”
Hoshi’s hand shot up first, though she didn’t wait before asking. It probably wasn’t necessary anyway, with so few of them. “Can we finally watch Spooky Romance and can Miki-chan make those churros again?”
“Oh! I think I’ve heard of that one,” Yuuji piped up. “It’s about the, uh… the centipedes, right?”
Junpei had seen that film once before. He could stomach his share of horror, but even he would admit that the gore was a little much for him in that one; there was a reason he kindly chose not to subject Yuuji to it, though evidently, he stumbled across it haphazardly on his own.
“Yup! That’s the one!” Hoshi slung an arm around his shoulders. “See, Yuuji-kun gets it.”
Meanwhile Gojo tilted his head towards the ceiling, exasperation pooling in his features. It was a warning sign to Junpei, who was too used to frustration being used as an excuse for abuse, but there remained to be a lack of malice in the fae. If anything, the over-emphasized reaction only served to make him appear harmless. Unless… Was he doing that on purpose…?
“I’ve seen the insides of organs too many times,” he muttered, before sighing loudly. “Kirara-chan, I’m starting to think you’re bullying me.”
She grinned a cheshire grin. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” the Octavinelle student dismissed without bothering to hide that she was lying, batting her eyelashes just to add insult to injury.
Fushiguro smiled behind her hand. “I can make the churros again sometime,” she promised, “but maybe for a film more people would want to see. Or for the festival, even.”
“Festival?” Junpei couldn’t help but to question, reflexively opening his mouth before he was ready. Festivals were not what he signed up for, however, and while he wasn’t surprised, the notion brought a hint of anxiety. Every school, especially prestigious ones, would have their public festivals, but that didn’t mean that Junpei wanted to be involved.
“It’s NRC’s turn to host the arts festival this year,” Gojo answered. “Which meansssss that every club has a chance to participate! Yay!” He punctuated the chore with a clap, to the excitement of precisely nobody. Not even Gojo could pretend to carry the sentiment for long, it seemed. “Unfortunately, I think Gakuganji-sensei will bust a nut if we try to get out of it, as hilarious as that would be, so we’ll have to come up with something. It’s not until spring though, so don’t worry about it for now.”
The answer was mollifying enough, Junpei supposed. All in all, the quaint club seemed to be a dream made true for Junpei—unloved films, a lack of crowds, and no expectation to be more spirited than he was. However, he didn’t believe it could be that easy. Not when this was an institution of power and might.
“I have a question,” Junpei started, properly this time. Prepared. Call him irrational, or perhaps ‘overly concerned’ as his mom would gently hedge, but Junpei would not rest easy without knowing the true motive behind this all. He wouldn’t be caught unawares in a fight he could not win, and this at least provided him the opportunity to back out should the red flag be raised. It was unfortunate that he had dragged Yuuji into this, but that was the price Yuuji paid for choosing to stick around someone like him.
“Why did you start this club?” he asked Gojo, because it was obvious that he was the reason it was here at all. While he didn’t outright say it, it was clear in his language that this was his brainchild. Otherwise, the introduction would have been more general: a legacy, rather than a new thing.
Gojo blinked several times, his long lashes making the motion noticeable even behind his ridiculous sunglasses. “Why not?” he deflected, and Junpei bristled.
“You could have done anything at all, I’m sure, but you chose to do this. Why?” It was not in Junpei’s best interest to be openly accusatory or antagonistic, but damnit, this was such a stupid, inconsequential matter, but amidst all of Junpei’s failings, he needed to know how badly the universe was mocking him. If this world-shakingly-powerful fae managed the task of his middle school dreams for nothing more than a whim, Junpei might lose his mind.
When Gojo broke the tension with a laugh, Junpei initially felt some hidden part of himself crack. He really wasn’t expecting it when Gojo’s answer was actually genuine, in-between the layers of nonchalance.
“Movies are better with friends,” he said, some untouchable emotion buried underneath his smile. Junpei was good at reading people because he had to be, but even he had his limits. “And what better opportunity than high school to do that, yeah?”
It was a deceptively simple answer, but as Junpei thought it over, that was really all there was to it. Junpei had tried to start the club because it would be better than watching films alone, with his mother inevitably falling asleep part way through. Because when Yuuji had moved away, he sorely missed the company, even with their attempts to stream movies and shows on voice call.
He studied Gojo’s response, as well as his casual tone and averted gaze, and Junpei stumbled upon a startling realization. It was too similar because it was. Gojo, for all his power and stasis, might have been just as lonely. Even considering Junpei’s initial instinct to avoid him as a matter of common-sense self-preservation… Huh. Maybe the top of the food chain was as isolating as the bottom, in its own way.
It all startled a laugh out of Junpei. Maybe this was truly a blessing after all. Maybe that really was possible.
“Yeah,” he breathed out, finally relaxing and even effortlessly smiling as he watched Hoshi start to show Yuuji pictures (likely of the centipedes) on her phone and as Fushiguro slid a knowing look Gojo’s way, nudging his foot with hers. Better with friends. Perhaps better to have them, too. “They really are.”