Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“Yo,” I say as I walk through the front gates of the school.

I’m met by a blank stare from a black-haired boy who stands there as well. His hair is practically defying gravity.

I cough awkwardly.

「よっ」“Yo.”

「ここって、その……呪術師のための場所？」“Is this the place for, uh… Jujutsu sorcerers?”

「はい……」“Yes…” he responds.

His eyebrows furrow, and he scans me from head to toe.

Sheesh, he’s kind of judgy, isn’t he?

I can’t really say anything, though, considering I signed up for this.

Hey, it’s a really cool-looking ARG-type camp!

I’m really excited because apparently it’s like D&D. I think. Just with uglier monsters!

I first found it by accidentally coding my way onto a locked website during CompSci class. We were all just testing who could code the best website random-picker (as in, it generates the link to a random website) and thus find the coolest website, me and the gang. Somehow, I managed to land my way into .Cent!

At first glance, I thought it was basically Pinterest or Tumblr, but specialized.

Boy, was it better.

It’s full of cosplayers showing off their weapons, armor, and even traditional clothing! For a Japanese weeaboo like me, it was heaven. Just as I was trying to find a cool new hyperfixation to motivate me to practice my Japanese, this plate of pure gold gets dropped into my lap!

I made a lot of friends and figured out their ranking system really fast. Obviously, since I didn’t want to feel excluded, I kind of hid the stuff I didn’t know and only participated when I was confident I wouldn’t sound like a noob.

For now, I’ve made an account. I registered as a Grade Three, but I haven’t decided what “Cursed Technique” I want to have.

One person, WolfOfJade, was really nice about it. They were pretty vague about their Cursed Technique, which was strange, but maybe they were saving it for a big reveal.

I also got commissioned a lot to draw out curses or effects.

In-game—well, in the ARG—“curses” and “cursed energy” can’t be captured by camera. Unless your special technique allows you to do so. But it’s still a game, so nobody actually can anyway, haha.

Often, “Grade Twos,” “Grade Threes,” or “Windows” give me descriptions and a BUCKET load of cash.

I mean, I always knew furry art was a booming industry, but I didn’t realize Japan was this big on it too.

Not that curses counted as furries or anything.

They were, on average, far worse.

Even worse than Chuck E. Cheese, and that’s saying a lot.

Anyways, to get back on track.

Sorry, I’m unmedicated and undiagnosed, haha. I tend to run off track a lot.

I do end up talking to the black-haired boy. He looks pretty menacing, to be honest, but he also looks like the kind of person who—

I shove my hands into my jacket.

Yes, I shouldn’t fiddle around. Such actions make me look a lot less confident, as my mother tells me. It signifies disrespect, blah blah blah.

But this kid is scary!

His glare could freeze Hell twice over.

「はは……まあ。こんにちは、初めまして。俺は……」“Haha… well. Hi, nice to meet you, I’m…”

I blank.

While waving.

My hand remains awkwardly in the air.

I haven’t given myself a Japanese name yet.

Duck.

Is my Chinese name close enough? Can Japanese people pronounce my Chinese name?

I should have thought of this before!!!!

The black-haired boy looks very unimpressed with me.

If I were him, I’d be unimpressed too.

I put my hand down.

「ごめん。まだ日本語の名前を決めてなくて。中国語の名前なら、子茗（ズーミン）なんだけど？」“Sorry. I haven’t given myself a Japanese name yet. My Chinese name is Zǐmíng, though?”

The black-haired boy blinks.

「ああ、日本人の呪術師じゃないのか。こういう仕事で外国人に会うことはあまりない」“Oh, you’re not a Japanese sorcerer? I don’t meet many foreigners in this line of work.”

Oh, wow.

I guess this place is really dedicated to the bit.

He continues.

「悪い。ズ……ミン？」“Sorry. Zu… Min?”

At least the poor boy’s trying.

「どんな漢字を使う？」“What kanji do you use?”

「えっと。ほら。子どもの『子』。それから……えっと、日本語に訳すのは無理だと思う。たぶん」“Uh. You know. Like, ko for kid. And… you know, I don’t think there’s a Japanese translation for it? Maybe.”

「説明してくれ」“Describe it?”

「ほら、あの『名前』の『名』に……上に草のマークがあるやつ？」“Like, you know the one for ‘name,’ and then the grass symbol on top?”

「肉って意味の字か？！」“The word that means meat?!”

「えっ――待って、君の名前は？　君だってまだ教えてくれてないじゃん」“What—wait, what’s your name? You haven’t told me yet, either.”

「でも、まだ君の名前を知らない……」“But I don’t know your name…”

He sighs.

「……分かった。初めまして。伏黒恵だ」“Fine. Nice to meet you. I’m Fushiguro Megumi.”

「初めまして、伏黒さん」“Nice to meet you, Fushiguro-san.”

We dilly-dally around the front gates. Behind me is my singular suitcase. It’s a nice teal green with swirls, but sadly, it’s small.

I should have brought a bigger, better suitcase, but I was lazy.

Also, my mom was nagging me again.

It was mostly out of spite.

Luckily, we get a stipend at Jujutsu High! So I can buy new clothes.

What fun.

「えっと……俺、新入生なんだ。えーと……三級」“So… I’m the new student. I’m, uh… Grade Three.”

He blinks.

「……意外と高いな。非術師の家系じゃないのか？」“That’s surprisingly high. Aren’t you from a non-sorcerer family?”

「うん。中国系アメリカ人。あ、それと、母語が日本語じゃないから、間違ってたら許して」“Yeah. I’m Chinese American. Oh, yeah, my mother tongue isn’t Japanese, so forgive me for any mistakes I make.”

「分かってる」“I could tell.”

Ouch.

Perhaps satisfied with my answer, his curiosity quelled, he led me past amazing structures of architecture, old wooden buildings, KOI PONDS, and so many other cool things, toward the boys’ dorms.

Male dorms?

Guy dorms?

Whatever.

I’m vibrating the whole time because I’m a city guy through and through. I literally lived in the Mall District. Even my grandparents lived in a different city.

This would be the first time I’m staying in a rural area!

I’m chattering the whole time, talking about how excited I am, plus a million other things.

I think Fushiguro-san might be getting fed up with me, but I can’t help it.

「そういえば、伏黒さんって.Centのアカウント持ってる？　追加してもいい？」“By the way, do you have a .Cent account? Can I add you?”

He side-eyes me.

「……呪術師は全員、.Centのアカウントを持つことが義務付けられてる。上層部が電子的に任務を割り当てたり、窓が出先でも情報を更新したりするためだ。任務に行ったことはあるか？」“…It’s mandatory for all sorcerers to have a .Cent account, so that higher-ups can assign missions digitally, and Windows can update you on the go. Have you ever been on a mission?”

「ないよ！」“Nope!” I chirp.

Gosh, this sounds so exciting.

I wonder what they do on missions.

Is it like going to CosCon and fulfilling checklists?

「任務って、どうやって割り当てられるの？　その……ゲームをやった回数とか？　それとも、プレイした期間とか？」“How do you get assigned missions? Is it, like, based on how often you play? How long you’ve played?” I ask.

His mood immediately sours. Jeez louise, my bad.

「これが何かのゲームだと思ってるのか？！」“Do you think this is a game of something?!” he asks. Well, yeah?

「俺たち呪術師は、命令に従って、人を救うべきなんだ」“We, as jujutsu sorcerers, should follow our orders and save people.”

He mutters the last part, almost as though he’s saying it more to himself than to me.

Right. Great. Apparently, I’ve stepped on another conversational landmine.

「でも、どうやって割り当てられるの？」“But how do we get assigned them?” I ask anyway.

He glares at me, slightly.

「等級と専門に応じて割り当てられる」“You get matched based on your grade. And specialty.”

「ああ。じゃあ、俺は三級だから……三級の呪霊を祓う任務に回されるってこと？」“Ah. So I, being Grade Three, would be matched to… exorcize Grade Three curses?”

「まあ、普通はな。二級みたいな、もっと強い術師が足りない場合は、お前も駆り出される」“Well, usually. If there’s a shortage of stronger sorcerers, like Grade Two, you’ll be sent.”

「それって、結構バランス悪くない？　等級の間にはかなり大きな実力差があるんじゃないの？」“Isn’t that kind of imbalanced? I thought there was a huge power gap between grades.”

「はあ？　お前、今までどこに住んでたんだ？！　なんでそんなことも知らないんだ？」“Oh my god, where did you live?! Why don’t you know any of this?”

「だから、海外に住んでたって言ったじゃん」“I literally just told you, I lived overseas.”

「……分かった」“Fine.”

He huffs.

Abruptly, he stops.

「ここがお前の部屋だ」“This is your room.”

I’d been so enamored by our conversation, though not my conversational partner, that I hadn’t noticed us getting to the dorms. My guide also was not doing a great job of introducing the places.

I side eye him, but walk in. It’s a very nice room, with [insert description].

I turn back to talk to Fushiguro again, only to find nobody. He’s already gone. Call him Hagakure the way he disappears.

I grunt.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

I spend the rest of the day—well, evening—unpacking. Might as well make this place feel a little less like a hotel room, a bit more me, aye?

My tour guide unfortunately did not instruct me on where dinner is or anything, and I was too late to ask him anything important.

I take out my phone, and take a picture of my new room to send to my mom. Then, comes the decorating.

First, I heave my pathetic thirteen kilogram suitcase onto the bare bed, and unzip it. Immediately comes tumbling out loads of random knickknacks. Only at the bottom are clothes.

Hmm.

I’m going to have to visit an Ikea, aren’t I.

I really want posters as well, but I was always too scared of leaving glue residue on my walls to hang them up. I’ll buy those later, as well.

I scrounge the rest of the clothes out of the suitcase, hanging the jackets and folding the rest. Socks and private clothes get chucked into the drawer of the closet. Which is one of the three pieces of furniture in the room. Joy.

I put my fiction books on the desk, and chuck the rest of my drawing materials there as well.

I also move the desk to the other wall, so that it looks nicer.

As I take out my phone again to take another photo, I realise: my room looks really ugly.

I put my phone back.

Maybe I’ll take a picture to upload online after I hit some stores.

I post onto .Cent. Luckily, I found a button which translates the whole thing to english, and whatever I post into Japanese. It's cheating, yes, but I don't have the effort.

[Heyyyyyy guess who finally got to school lmao]

Immediately are some replies. What can I say, I’m famous.

WolfOfJade immediately responds. This guy has no life, but he’s sweet.

[That’s great!] he replies under my post. [I just met a really annoying classmate today. We’re going to be stuck together for three years. Kill me now.]

[No way, it can’t be that bad yet.]

[It is that bad.]

[Lmao]

I put my phone back, and swing along.