Chapter Text
REPORT TOKYO, NOVEMBER 2016
FOUR STUDENTS, INCLUDING THE RINGLEADER, SUFFER SEVERE INJURIES IN RESPONSE TO THEIR PERSISTENT BULLYING BEHAVIOR.
"Did you hear about the transfer student starting today? Apparently, he crammed four of his classmates into a locker." Panda’s grave voice cut through the silent air at Jujutsu High as the four first-years made their way to their classroom. His fuzzy hair shifted in all directions as the cool breeze brushed against all of them.
"He killed them?" Maki asked, shifting her naginata sheath around her shoulder to lie more comfortably.
“Tuna mayo?” Toge followed up on the question in his own language, the scarf around his neck protecting him from the gentle winds.
“Gravely injured, apparently,” Ellie responded quietly, catching up to Toge with a warm smile as she ruffled his blonde hair, much to his dismay. Her dark brown hair held back with a white cotton headband.
“Well, if he’s cocky, I’ll be sure to wring him out,” Maki stated as they all entered the school grounds and found their classroom.
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The students sat inside the big, colorless classroom, two desks in front, two desks in the back, interleaved so as not to block the board in front. Ellie hummed to herself, sitting toward the back row as her eyes glanced over the massive, bright windows, allowing sunshine into their learning space. The trees outside the windows were in the process of growing out beautiful, fresh, green leaves, cicadas buzzing loudly alongside the blooming flowers.
How beautiful…
The soft scenery outside was interrupted as the students' infamous teacher walked in; his black, shiny, and surely expensive shoes hitting against the wooden floors with a giant smile on his face. Satoru Gojo did not do things subtly, and this announcement was no different. He made a big show of presenting the new student, arms flailing, voice boisterous and sing-songy, “I’ll now…be introducing… the new transfer student! Get excited, everyone!” He clapped, trying to get the classroom hyped while the students yawned and blinked in his direction, his incessant blabbering mostly tuned out.
“I hear he’s awfully sour,” Ellie mentioned from the back of the room with a frown.
“I’m gonna give him the silent treatment,” Maki responded, clicking her teeth at the thought of her new classmate.
A sigh escaped Satoru’s lips. “Oh well. Come on in!”
DOOM.
DOOM.
DOOM.
Before the students could say more, the door slid open and a young, timid-looking first-year student with jet-black hair and prominent bags under his eyes stepped in. The pressure in the room was immeasurable; everyone's senses flooded with a terrifying aura full of cursed energy. Behind him, the silhouette of a monstrous cursed spirit turned in the direction of the students, letting out a surprised 'Huh!?', analyzing all of them and their petrified faces. As he stepped in front of the blackboard, he spoke out in a small, shaky voice.
“N-nice to meet you, my name is Okkotsu Yu-”
SCHING!
“Is this some kind of test?” Maki breathed out, her red naginata impaled inches before Yuta’s face, cracking the surface of the blackboard right beside him, inches from his skin. “Oi, don’t you know you’re cursed?”
Ellie got up right as Maki sent her weapon flying, moving to stand all the way in the back of the room. There wasn't a huge gap between her and the new student, but he'd at least have to get through a few desks to get to her. However, she didn't stare at him with hate or fear; instead, she had a look of curiosity, observing him and her classmates in their defensive stances. Her eyes washed over his frightened look, the way the bags under his eyes were so deeply ingrained they could potentially pool tears; his eyes held a hint of bloodshot red, indicating his poor sleep.
“This is no place for the cursed to be; we learn about curses here,” Maki continued, digging the weapon further into the board, face full of challenging anger.
The words of their Sensei suddenly interrupted the tense moment as he began to just now explain what curses were, their relation to unexplained deaths and mysterious disappearances in the world, and ultimately ending with what Jujutsu High is and why he’s there.
Yuta asked, frightened, “You’re telling me this now?!”
“You didn’t tell him?” Maki and Panda deadpanned at their Sensei.
“My bad!”
Ellie’s eyes met Yuta’s dark blue ones for a split second, just before he began to panic, his hands defensively going up, waving off his cursed spirit, all while their Sensei recommended the 3 students to back away, “Rika-chan! Wait!”
A pair of massive white claws began to crawl out of the blackboard behind Yuta’s head, his eyes growing concerned, his voice pleading with her to wait. The sheer size of the hands was enough to petrify Ellie, further concerning her as the curse's face never appeared, staying hidden behind the board and adding a layer of mystery. The massive hands reached for “the bullies”, easily flinging them across the room; desks splintered as she crushed them with her massive hands. Maki’s naginata was thrown across the room, landing at Ellie's feet with a loud CLANK! Toge was on the floor at the other end of the classroom, holding his head with a massive bump forming. Panda caught in between the splintered desks, blood trickling from his nose. Ellie stared, her body frozen as the dark energy-filled hands that hurt her classmates came toward her as well. But just as she braced herself for the hit, something changed. A second of hesitation before fully retreating into the board.
Did that thing just… spare me because I didn’t touch him?
Is that why Sensei is also still standing?
The classroom fell into angry silence after Rika dissipated. Yuta stared at his classmates in horror, an apology caught in his throat as frustrated tears threatened to spill over. He looked around at the four of them awkwardly. Their eyes burned holes into his body, the air tense in the room before Satoru spoke up, “So that’s all! He’s simply cursed by Rika, the girl who loves him very much!”
“You’re still bleeding, Panda,” Ellie gently approached her friend, handing over some tissue for his nose.
“Right! That brings me to introductions! This is the cursed tool user, Zen'in Maki…” Satoru began explaining each of the students one by one, “and that’s Miyazaki Ellie; she’s a light sorcerer.”
Yuta’s face showed confusion, as he wasn’t clear on each person's abilities, but there was no time to dwell on that as Satoru continued, “Now then, missions! There’s an odd number of you, so we’ll split you up into groups of 3 and 2. Toge, Panda pair! Ellie, Maki, and Yuta pair!”
Yuta’s gaze moved toward the back of the class, where he noticed Ellie looking at him blankly. His body shook, a well-known sense of anxiety kicking him in the pit of his stomach.
I guess I'll be working with her and Zenin-San for today.
The first-years cleared the room, Satoru agreeing to meet the group of 3 out front once they got their bearings. Yuta walked somewhere in between all of them; Panda and Maki in front, Toge slightly behind him, and Ellie further back behind all of them. He’d noticed she wasn’t one to be in front or take the lead, rather someone more keen to observe and then react… but he would try his best not to be swayed by first impressions. He ungracefully tried to break the silence, directing his words at Maki, “U-Um, I-I hope we can work together well.”
“You were bullied, weren't you?” Her sharp tongue answered him, eliciting a surprised gasp and nervous shake from his body. “I totally get it. I mean, even I'd bully you.”
Ellie spoke up, her tone soft yet filled with concern and mild annoyance, “Maki, knock it off..", gaining a quick look back filled with concern from Yuta’s shaky eyes.
“I wonder if it's because of your curse. I mean, it's written on your face; you act like a good person, but it feels fake. It's sickening. Why are you acting like the victim when you're being protected?” The group grew tense, her words cutting deep, evidenced by Yuta’s shaking getting worse. Ellie’s brows furrowed at the sudden “slaughter of character” toward someone they hardly knew, her steps growing closer as she now stood directly behind Yuta, next to Toge.
“I bet you’ve been passive your whole life, without any goals. Jujutsu High isn't so easy that you can get by without one.”
“That’s enough, Maki!” Panda exclaimed, annoyed by her “virtuous” words.
“Okaka!”
“Alright, alright!” She huffed, dismissing them with a half-hearted apology before disappearing around the corner.
“Sorry about her-” Panda apologized, “she can be a little harsh sometimes.” He frowned, giving him a head pat before heading off with Toge and leaving Yuta partially alone with his thoughts and feelings.
“She means well, I promise.” The kind-hearted, quiet girl said, placing her hand on his shoulder, a compassionate smile on her face.
“I know… I mean, I think I know. It-It’s fine… I think.” He paused, glancing toward where the classmates disappeared. “...She’s not wrong.”
Ellie signalled him to move forward, walking side by side with him. “I guess not... she's just not the best with her words," a small laugh, "But what I think she's getting at is... being a sorcerer is kind of like anything else in life. A job, a goal… even school." She paused for a moment, contemplating her next words, "mmm... You have to have something that makes it worth it. Not necessarily the work itself… but a reason to keep going. Something that makes you choose not to give up.” Her hand extended along with her brightly painted fingernails to meet his own soft and cold one, "I'm Ellie, by the way. Nice to officially meet you."
“Nice to meet you too,” He responded, finally donning an honest, soft smile and taking her hand in his briefly, “y-you seemed pretty calm in there… didn't even throw anything at me…” His last line made her laugh earnestly, playfully hitting his shoulder before responding, “Nothing good ever came from panicking, but if you want, I'll be sure to fling a paper or something next time.”
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Ellie sat in Satoru's all-black Mercedes AMG GT. She couldn't tell whether this was the same one he'd totaled 3 weeks ago or a new one. She'd figure it out eventually; there was one spot she always hid her initials in his car. “So," she began after a few minutes of silence, "what are you not telling us?" The road was smooth as he gripped the wheel normally, heading to the mission site while Ijichi drove the other two.
“Meeeee? Keeping seeeeecrets? Never~” he singsonged, popping a lollipop into his mouth. “Though I do wonder... what makes you think I'm hiding something?” His playful tone carried a teasing edge as his sharp blue eyes flickered briefly toward her. The afternoon seemed gloomy, a stark contrast to the bright morning, as she mentally counted how many trees they passed. She could feel her body growing weaker compared to when the sun was burning bright. A pensive hum filled the car before responding to him, “Well, a new first-year appears out of the blue; you're seemingly glued to him and his every move, who he trains with, and you even moved him into the dorms for free. What's going on?” She asked, looking over at him and crossing her arms.
Her sensei laughed heartily at Ellie's astute observation, clearly amused by her perceptiveness. “Ah, you've got a sharp eye, Ellie. And here I was thinking I was being so subtle,” he mused, twirling the saliva-coated lollipop between his fingers. “I see potential in Yuta,” he answered honestly, “Something... unique about him.”
“Something other than his curse?” She replied, eyes shifting back to the outside scenery. He paused mid-lollipop-twirl, his playful grin shifting into something more contemplative. “...His cursed energy isn't just strong, Ellie,” he said casually. “It's special. And special things…” He leaned in slightly, voice dropping to a whisper, causing her to look over at him again, her cheeks turning a soft pink hue, “...tend to attract trouble.” His usual playful demeanor snapped back instantly as he straightened up with a dramatic flourish. “But don't worry about that! Just make sure he doesn't die before he figures it out himself~” She rolled her eyes, her thoughts bouncing around in her head…
Yuta…
special curse…
What’s so special about him… and her, for that matter?
I guess the teachers would be afraid...
Or what if...
“Wait a damn minute… is Yuta in danger?” She asked in shock.
There’s no way. They wouldn’t harm another student…
...right...?
Satoru's smile wavered for a fraction of a second, the lollipop losing its place only for a moment and his carefree expression faltering, confirming Ellie's suspicion, “...Sharp as ever,” he murmured. She scoffed, feeling almost indignant at Yuta’s situation, “They didn’t have enough with me?” She grumbled, annoyed at the people in charge of the Jujutsu World and their ways of handling or manipulating situations that came up, especially those that didn't fit their carefully crafted plans. He chuckled, the cheeky smile from before finding its way back onto his face, though the white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel suggested anything but. “Unpredictability or uncontrollable variables are dangerous to some people, and Yuta is both. He could be a powerful asset or… a significant threat.”
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“Where are we?” Yuta asked his white-haired teacher as the three of them entered the grounds of a massive building right beside Satoru.
“It's just an elementary school,” Maki responded, her face looking bored.
“Where some children have gone missing.” Ellie pointed out quietly, holding a finger up to interject.
“Missing?!”
The students walked in a little bit further, stopping near some potted plants. “Curses tend to settle in spots that many people have memories of; schools, hospitals...” Maki explained, Ellie trailing behind her, watching Yuta take in the dark-haired student's words as best he could. The way he would shake at certain times reminded her of her first few years discovering her own abilities; the fear of the unknown and dread around the thought of hurting someone she loved again.
“We're here to exorcise the curse and save the children, or if they're dead, retrieve them,” Maki informed Yuta, her tone monotonous.
“Huh? Dead!?”
“Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure.” Satoru began chanting quietly.
“It's turning into night?”
“It's a veil. It's a barrier that will smoke out the curse and keep you all from being seen by those outside. It's easy to undo from the inside. Now, do be careful… not to die.” Their Sensei cheerily said as he left them to fend for themselves.
“D-Die? Sensei?!”
“New kid, don't get distracted,” Maki warned, preparing her weapon.
Ellie approached him, her hands soft on his shoulders and turning his body away from where their Sensei left to face Maki and finger-pointing at her eyes, then at Maki, “Watch and learn.”
“Remember this: the weaker the curses are, the more they group together. Ellie, now!” Maki shouted, swinging her weapon to pierce one of the white footall-esque monsters coming toward them.
Ellie grinned and unbuttoned her cropped white jacket to reveal her uniform underneath: a sleeveless dress rounded at the neckline with a frilled skirt-like bottom, her hands covered by mesh, see-through gloves up to her elbows. She quickly ran up to the 2 standing curses ganging up on Maki and shouted, “Luminance!”
A bright yellow-white light beam shot out of her eyes, the heat palpable even as Yuta stood behind her. The impact caused the curses to completely disintegrate in front of them as if they were fried by a laser.
Yuta watched in awe and bewilderment, staring at the spot where the curses once were before looking back at Ellie, his hands touching the ashes that lay on the ground before the wind took them away.“T-That was... incredible,” he managed to choke out, his jaw slightly agape, “You made it look so easy…”
“Thank you!” She smiled, her and Maki making their way into the school with Yuta hurrying after them. He glanced around warily as they stepped further into the school, his grip tightening on his weapon. The atmosphere was tense, dim lighting all around them, and curses hiding in every nook and cranny possible. Ellie stayed behind, letting Yuta walk between her and Maki, rubbing her eyes and blinking a few times. He glanced behind in her direction, noticing her consistently rubbing her eyes, concern flickering across his face. “Miyazaki–San, are you okay?! Is something wrong?!” he asked with anxious worry, hands moving forward and back as if caught between the decision of touching her or not. Ellie giggled, one of her hands coming up and signaling to him to ease up since she could feel his tension. “I’m OK, Yuta-Kun. Usually, if I attack without a warm-up, either my eyes get tired, or my hands tingle. It's kinda like a sunburn, just a minor strain.” He listened attentively as she explained her abilities and went on to explain how she was able to harness the power of the sun and light around them. His curiosity piqued the more she went on. “...Luminance, what I used with Maki, shoots from my eyes, not my hands, so it hurts sometimes.” The timid first year absorbed the information, his earlier worry for her eyesight slightly assuaged, pausing for a moment, contemplating his next question. “You said it hurts more when–”
Maki groaned, exasperated, “Can you guys do this another time?!”
“Do you always have to- Maki! Watch out!” Ellie’s mesh-covered hand shoved Yuta back, quickly gripping Maki’s collared jacket and pulling her back as well, just as a massive blue-tinted cursed monster appeared. “Get behind Maki!” She ordered Yuta in an attempt to protect him. He stumbled back as Ellie shoved him, his heart racing, adrenaline kicking in as he realized the danger they were in. He turned on his heel and sprinted behind Maki, who wasn’t far behind. His feet clumsily tripped over each other, smacking right into her, causing her grip on her weapon to loosen just for an instant as the curse approached, walls collapsing on them. The 3 students were suddenly flung into the air, the sound of the cursed tool smacking the ground, “Solar Gravity!” Ellie quickly yelled out. Yuta felt the world freeze just for a moment as his eyes found a small globe of light appearing next to the light sorcerer. The limited rays of sunlight around them shifted along with the energy, acting like a funnel and driving both Yuta and Maki toward it (and toward Ellie). She grabbed Maki’s arm and Yuta’s hand so they wouldn’t be separated. “Brace for impact!”
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Where am I?
“Shit! Shit! I dropped my cursed tool!” Maki cursed the air around her, trying to hit the walls of the curse's stomach. Ellie winced at her tone, her head pounding as she wiped away a smidge of blood from her nose.
Yuta blinked, taking a moment to catch his breath before standing up and realizing where they were. He moved around and touched the walls of the curse’s stomach, his face turning in disgust at the slimy texture. “Where are we?”
“We're in that curse's stomach!” Maki yelled out, her tone displaying her embarrassment and frustration.
“You mean it ate us?!”
“That's right! I thought you were being protected by your curse!”
“Even I don't know what makes Rika-chan come out!” He defended.
“That’s enough!” Ellie yelled out, annoyed. "Both of you shut up! Light the way," she whispered after yelling, releasing a small orb of light similar to a firefly and sending it off to see further into the stomach. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the two now-wounded children. “You’re alive,” she smiled weakly, sweating.
The children!
“Thank goodness they're alive.” Yuta smiled wide, a breath of relief leaving his body.
“No, it's not good–” Maki spoke, annoyed but still willing to educate him, “look closer. The big one's obviously been affected by the curse, too. Both of them could die at any minute.”
“Oh, no… What do we do?!” Yuta felt powerless, his hands balling up and relaxing with each second that passed by. His lips quivered as Maki scolded him, “There's nothing we can do! We can only wait for help! Not everyone has a resistance to curses like you do!” Her legs suddenly gave out, dropping sideways onto the fleshy ground in front of him.
“Zen'in-san? Zen'in-san?! What's this wound? Are you cursed?” He gasped, dropping to his knees to check on his classmate, yelping when she gripped his jacket, a final attempt to get through to him.
“Okkotsu! Seriously, why did you come to Jujutsu High?! What do you want to do?! What do you want to have?! What do you want to achieve?!”
“I... don't want anyone to get hurt anymore. I tried to lock myself away and disappear. But I was told it's lonely being all by myself, and I couldn't argue. I want to interact with someone! I want to be needed by someone! I want the confidence to say it's okay that I'm alive!”
“Then exorcise them. Exorcise curses, exorcise them, exorcise them over and over! Confidence and friends will all come to you after that! That's the kind of place Jujutsu High is!” Her grip faltered, and she finally passed out.
“Yuta…” Ellie called out weakly, sweating profusely as more blood began dripping from her nose. “You can do this…,” she said softly, before blowing an orb in his direction, the glow spreading onto his body like a protective barrier. Her last attempt at protecting him before she, too, passed out.
Rika-chan…
What?
Lend me your strength.
The full picture of Orimoto Rika, the special-grade cursed apparition, launched herself onto the cursed spirit, easily shredding it to bits and pieces from the inside out. Confetti of blood and guts covered the inside of their Sensei’s veil. Her sharp teeth and nails destroyed everything in her path, taking pleasure in bathing in the curse’s blood. Yuta quickly used her distraction, Maki’s words, and Ellie’s protective armor as a motive to keep going.
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STEP.
STEP.
STEP.
Everyone… It's just a little further! I need to get Sensei to check them all soon, while Rika-chan's distracting the curses! I can't collapse yet! Not yet! I just decided I was going to change, here and now!
You can do it, Yuta.
“Welcome back.”