Chapter Text
There were two things you were really good at. One: Daydreaming. You were really good at thinking of random scenarios and drawing them out into full-on plots, so much so that you normally thought that you should be an author. Two: being a huge nerd. Not only do you watch anime and collect figurines of your favorite characters, but your dream job is just to stay home all day and watch more series.
Those were the only two things you were good at. Other people said that you were good at other things as well, but you knew that they were just saying that. You were normal at those things. Not good, not bad, just ordinary. You never had any unusual hobbies, unlike other people. Not at all. Most of the time, you were just there. Living, but not living life. Maybe that was why when you woke up in a whole new place, you thought you were being delusional. Headsup: you weren’t.
೯⠀⁺ ⠀ 𖥻 𝗢𝟭 ⠀ᰋ
There you were. Waiting. In the middle of a gymnasium in a high school that you weren’t even in. Students were surrounding you, all loud and chaotic–as much as high school students could be. You were frightened, to say the least. Your friend shook you with soft laughter. “Come on! Live a little,” she said while giggling, drawing attention from a few students who stood beside the two of you. You winced and didn’t meet their stares. “Dude, we literally snuck into this school just to see who you’re talking to! I can’t fucking live a little.” She sighed, shaking her head as if she were a mother watching her child cry in fear.
“You wanted to see him,” she responded, causing you to almost immediately straighten up and give a pointed look at her. “Don’t piss me off, Chihiro. You know what I meant! I wanted to see a photo of him, not sneak into his school!” Before she could respond, a teacher suddenly walked onto the stage. “Okay, Satozakura High School! Please settle down,” he announced, and at his words, the voices of the students quieted.
You let out a breath, whispering to your friend. “I gotta go piss.” She smirked at you. “Without me?” The deadpan look returned, and she tried to hide her chuckles. “Yes, without you.” With that, you walked off, carefully trying to avoid bumping into one of the students. It was way too crowded.
Your school back on Earth (or was this Earth? Probably not, right?) was never this loud. Or maybe that was just you. Half of the time, you were zoned out and not listening, and the other half, you were with your small group of friends or watching anime, cooped up inside your room.
Not that you’d ever see your friends again. It had been about a month since you had suddenly woken up in this world. You didn’t believe it at first–but according to your parents (your actual parents from Earth, but they now live in Japan?), you’ve been going to Mizuho Nōgei, a high school in Tokyo. Which would’ve been okay. Except that you have one major problem. A really, really, big problem. You could see curses. Not just any curses. Curses that were from Jujustu Kaisen.
When you first saw one on top of an old lady’s shoulder, it struck you right then. You were in deep trouble. But a month had passed, and nothing had happened, which meant that you were okay, right? No sightings of Yuji Itadori , the main character, or any other sorcerers, although you were a bit disappointed. No Yuji meant no Megumi. Also known as your favorite character in the anime.
You let out a long sigh. Looking back on it now, it was kind of stupid that you were disappointed. Yeah, you don’t get to see how hot Satoru Gojo is in real life–but hey, beggars can’t be choosers, especially in a world like this. Because you kept on reminding yourself of three things. Gojo was going to die, Geto and Mahito are terrifingly real, and things have to go as they were in the anime. Or, technically, the manga. The only reason why you knew that Gojo was going to die was because of spoilers, anyway.
A bump to the chest was enough to lead you out of your thoughts. You really needed to stop doing that–The person in front of you cut your thoughts short and you froze. Dark brown hair. Thin. One eye covered, the other one not. The jacket he was wearing confirmed your instincts. This boy was Junpei Yoshino. And he was wearing his mother's jacket. Which meant he was about to knock out the whole gymnasium. You used to wonder about the timeline you were in. Now, you don’t need to.
He blinked at you, and you saw that his hands were shaking. “Oh–sorry,” he muttered, glancing away. He didn’t recognize you, probably too focused on trying to find a way to get on the stage. You would be lying if you said that you didn’t support what Junpei did to his bullies. But he went too far because of Mahito. And, for a second, you almost wanted to try to save him. A stupid thought, and you knew it. He had already talked to Mahito, which meant that his mind was set on getting revenge and it would ultimately lead to his death.
But you couldn’t help but try.
“Hey. Did you see any teachers while you were passing through? I’m not supposed to be here,” you said nervously, rubbing the back of your neck while you chuckled. In your mind, you were totally panicking. Were you really trying to save Junpei? Wouldn’t it be futile? His mother was dead, and that was his last straw. You knew it. You also knew it while watching the anime.
But he was a kid. A kid who didn’t deserve what was going to happen to him. So, maybe trying a little bit would be okay. As long as you don’t interact with Yuji, it would be okay.
His eyes widened slightly–probably because he was shocked that you were actually speaking to him. Your heart pinged with sadness. You couldn’t help but feel bad. He was going through hell right now, and the only people he had were the nicest person you will ever know and see, and a monster who’s a master manipulator when he wants to be.
“O-Oh. No, it’s good. I haven’t seen anyone over there,” he said, and you noticed how he kept on glancing over your shoulder. You knew it was because he was trying to hurry up, and the way he didn’t say anything else just proved your point.
For a few moments, you just stood there awkwardly, and before he could say anything else, you just said it. “It’s not too late to stop it. You know that there’s a better person out there, someone who will handle everything better than him. Trust him.”
That was probably a bad decision to make on your part, but it was too late to try to take it back. His eyes had already widened with shock, and he froze. “I’m so sorry about your mother. But she wouldn’t want you to do something like this, trust me.” Before you could look at his face, you walked past him and didn’t look back. At least now, you know that you’ve tried to save Junpei without getting involved with the actual plot. Hopefully, that would make him rethink what he was going to do–especially if Yuji was going to be involved.
Halfway to the school's restroom, you suddenly remembered Chihiro. Your friend. Who was still in the gymnasium. Where Junpei most likely was right now. Could you sneak in and try to get her out? Can you even do that?
You’re selfish. You won’t deny the fact. A part of your mind is telling you to just forget her and run. Maybe she wouldn’t get hurt by the fighting. But maybe won’t survive in a world like this. Would you?
Your feet were moving before you could stop yourself. Back to the gymnasium. Even though you were repeatedly calling yourself stupid, your feet wouldn’t stop. You weren’t brave or selfless. You got afraid easily and never did things if they seemed dangerous or hard. Maybe that was why you were so tired of everything on Earth. You wouldn’t–couldn’t–be like that again.
Chihiro didn’t deserve that. And you knew you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself if you just stood by and did nothing.
Against your better judgment and a heavy heart, you opened the gym doors. Just like you thought. Everyone was passed out on the floor. Junpei was confronting his bully, who was floating in the air, and his arm was disintegrating. Only partially, but it was enough for your breath to get caught in the middle of your throat. Junpei hadn’t seen you yet. The bully was too afraid to even try looking for anything else. The bully tried speaking but ended up coughing, spitting out blood. A lot of blood.
Shivers trailed up your spine, and you were frozen. It felt like you couldn’t move, even though your mind was screaming at you to do something. That was why you came here. Why were you so scared? You were only human–except you weren’t. Not ever since you realized you could see curses. And right then, you truly realized how much trouble you were in.
In the corner of your eye, you saw the doors slam open. The atmosphere outside was tense and dark, courtesy of Mahito’s veil, but that wasn’t the main thing you were focusing on. It was Yuji who stood there with his arms spread out, eyes wide.
Again, you realized you were in big trouble.