Work Text:
It was a typical afternoon at Satozakura High School. Classes came to an end, so the students were heading home. Well, except for those who were affiliated with clubs. One such boy was Junpei Yoshino, who was looking forward to the next Film Appreciation Club meeting. With Human Earthworm 3 having a special rerelease screening, he was thinking about having that be the next club activity. It would be a good time to discuss how impactful the horror trilogy has been on pop culture media.
"There you are, Yoshino."
Turning around, Junpei saw Mr. Sotomura approaching him. "Can I help you, sir?" the student asked.
"Did you hear about those theater murders?" Mr. Sotomura recalled. "It's all over the news. Sayama, Nishimura, and Honda are all dead."
"Yes, I did hear about it," Junpei answered. He looked a little dishearten. "Ito was affected the most, since they were on the soccer team."
"So you knew all three of those boys," Mr. Sotomura continued.
"Sort of," Junpei admitted. "Ito's been trying to get me to join the team, so I only knew about them in passing."
"Why didn't you attend their funerals?" Mr. Sotomura suddenly asked. "If you knew them, you should have paid respects."
This was starting to get a little uncomfortable for Junpei. Why was Mr. Sotomura insistent on talking to him about a murder? Sure it was tragic that three of his classmates were suddenly dead, but it wasn't like he personally knew them. They were part of Ito's group as he kept on pushing for him to ditch the Film Appreciation Club to become a soccer player.
So then why was this oversized teacher continuously questioning him?
"What's wrong?" Mr. Sotomura suddenly asked. "You look a little tense."
This was it. The opening Junpei needed. He clenched his fist and opened his mouth to-
"STOP!!!"
Without warning, a pink-haired boy wearing a white shirt, black pants, and red sneakers ran into the school holding some kind of weird creature with wings and bulging eyes. That little creature caught Junpei's attention.
"...What the hell is that?" the brunette boy wondered.
The pink-haired boy's panicked expression turned to awe as time seemed to slow down. Then all of a sudden, he stumbled around and crashed into the lockers head-first. He groaned in discomfort as he grasped his head.
"Ow!" the pink-haired boy shouted. "That...freakin' hurt!" He took a deep breath. "That was close..."
"What's this?" Mr. Sotomura wondered. "Where did you come from?"
Then without warning, the pink-haired boy noticed Junpei and slowly walked over to him. Upon closer expression, Junpei could tell this unfamiliar boy was covered in bruises. He looked a little nervous, which made him stop in his tracks. Feeling a little frustrated, Junpei moved first, walking closer to him without hesitation.
"Are you okay?" Junpei asked, getting right up in the pink-haired boy's face.
The stranger looked a little dazed, but he soon snapped out of it. "Right!" he shouted. Then he held up the creature he was still holding. "Can you see this?"
Junpei's gaze switched towards the creature. "I can," he confirmed.
"Oh, good," the pink-haired boy sighed. Then without warning, it was sliced into tiny pieces like it never existed. "I need you to come with me for a sec."
"Hold on!" Mr. Sotomura shouted. "Junpei and I were having a conversa-"
Suddenly, the pink-haired boy turned around and punched Mr. Sotomura in the face, knocking him unconscious. Junpei's eyes widened in alarm as he gasped. And the next thing he knew, he was grabbed by the wrist and forcefully dragged outside of school at high speed. He didn't even have time to change shoes.
Once the two boys were outside the school, the pink-haired boy released his grasp. "Okay, let's talk," he said.
"Can you make this quick?" Junpei asked, feeling impatient. "I got a club meeting with friends."
"Yeah, sure," the pink-haired boy dismissed with a hand wave. "First of all, what's with the long hair? It's kinda distracting."
"Oh, this?" Junpei asked in response. He gently tugged on his bangs. "School's been pretty busy for me, so I haven't had time to visit a stylist-"
whoosh
As soon as the pink-haired boy lifted his hand and swiped his index finger midair, a good among of Junpei's hair suddenly fell from his head and dropped onto the ground. Thankfully too much wasn't removed. A quick scratch of his scalp indicated it was the usual length he preferred. Short with his bangs right above his brow.
"...Thanks," Junpei said as he lowered his hand.
"Now then, I'm Yuji Itadori," the pink-haired boy greeted. "You went to the same school as those three guys who got killed. Did you happen to see anything weird beforehand, like that Flyhead from earlier?"
"No. Afraid not," Junpei answered. "I haven't seen those things until just now."
"Gotcha," Yuji replied. "So you didn't sic a curse on them."
"Why would you think that?" Junpei asked. "It's not like I hated them. They were just friends with a guy who wanted me to join a sports team."
"Well that geezer of a sorcerer thought you were involved," Yuji explained. "You went to the same school as the victims, so he must've assumed you killed them. But if you really weren't involved, then my work here is done." He took out his phone and typed something into it. "You said you had a club, right? Get going."
"...Sure," Junpei agreed. He headed back to the school, but just as he was close to the door, he turned around to see Yuji leaving with his phone still in hand. He never saw a boy like him before. A little rude and very cold. And yet, there was something about him that felt intriguing. The brunette couldn't help but blush.
And then, he felt his feet move on their own.
"Wait!" Junpei called out, catching Yuji's attention. He took out his phone and held it out. "Can I get your number?"
This sudden offer surprised Yuji and he stared at the phone in confusion. Then in an abrupt gesture, he snatched the phone, typed his contact info into it, and handed it back.
"There," Yuji sighed. "Happy?"
Junpei quickly nodded in response. "I'll text you," he said. "Then you'll have my number as well."
"Sure, sounds great," Yuji responded. "See ya, I guess."
As Yuji finally walked past the school gates, Junpei couldn't help but let out a giddy laugh. But now wasn't the time to think about that. He had a club to get to. Besides, he can see him again some other time. It wasn't like the two were never going to cross paths some time in the future.
...Right?