Hitori Gotoh is a girl with no friends and no social skills. After ending up at the wrong place at the wrong time, she's exposed to a world of curses that will change her life, and the lives of countless others, forever. But hey, at least she might make a few friends, right? Right?!
Guitar, Loneliness and Cursed Spirits [Bocchi the Rock/Jujutsu Kaisen]
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Chapter 1.1: After Hours
A/N: There are not enough obscure Bocchi crossovers in the world. I have taken it upon myself to change this. Might update at odd times. Thanks for reading!
~~~~~
"I, Hitori Gotoh, am a failure. I'm stupid. I'm terrible at sports. I can't look people in the eye and can't think of anything other than "Ah!" to say when talking to people. It's been a month since High School started and I still have no friends. The only thing I can rely on is this guitar.
I'm on the verge of becoming a hikikomori."
How had she ended up like this again…? Sitting in this closet and playing a guitar…
Oh, god, no… Please, stop the terrible, embarrassing flashback from happening!
Three years ago. Her first year of junior high, a small girl overheard an interview with a famous guitarist on T.V. "Back when I was a student, I was a gloomy person who sat in the corner of the room reading. A band is a place where even introverts like me can shine." Seeing someone so popular admit to being gloomy just like her had lit a spark inside her. A realization that maybe she could be like them too.
She immediately borrowed her father's guitar and began practicing in a desperate urge to become popular as well. With the simple question of "would someone as gloomy as me be able to shine in a band…?" driving her actions, she practiced for hours every single day.
In a vain attempt at getting anyone to talk to her, she would put CD's on her desk and bring merch from her favorite bands… Of course, nobody ever spoke to her. And then she requested a death metal song to be played over the school's radio… Nobody even made eye contact with her after that.
"Stop it! Stop it! Get these stupid memories out of my head!" She pounded her fist against the ground.
Today would be different! She glanced at the mirror, nodding to herself in an action that almost resembled confidence! She'd been spending the past hour carefully putting on every music-related bracelet she owned, as well as a t-shirt of her favorite metal band. And finally, she swung her guitar case over her shoulder.
Looking like this, surely someone would talk to her and ask if she played guitar! She looked like a real rocker chick. Hitori was confident in this plan working, and headed to school, full of bright dreams and ambitions.
~~~~~
The whole day passed by. She heard murmurs around her, felt eyes staring at her… But not a single person actually spoke to her. Over the course of every passing second, Hitori slumped over more and more until her head was pressed against the wooden desk in defeat.
The school bell rang, and everyone left, her hopes at sparking a friendship or joining a band were completely shattered. Her head had inflated with the size of her ambitions only to be promptly popped by the needle that was life.
She found herself in a random park, sitting on the swing and replaying the events of the day. "Nobody even talked to me…" The eyes that she had felt staring at her still lingered. "At least the people here are as lonely as me…" She glanced at a man sitting on a bench. He was probably divorced or alone right now, sitting in this park to escape the worries of his home life. Ah, just the thought made her feel less alone in the world.
"Sorry for being late, dear."
"Papa~!"
A woman and kid approached the man, happily smiling like a real family.
She should just die, shouldn't she? Even lonely men sitting in parks get to have wives… She's sorry for making presumptions, park-going man!
The feeling of eyes watching her only grew stronger as she stared at the happy family from the swingset. A drop of water dripped down above the daughter's head. It wasn't supposed to rain, was it…? She really didn't want her guitar to get wet. The sound of laughter carried through the wind, no doubt somebody mocking her for bringing a guitar to a park like this. Or maybe the air itself took joy in her suffering. As long as she could make somebody laugh…
She couldn't stop staring at the couple with their child. The rain above them had grown more frequent, but yet Hitori herself hadn't felt a single drop of water. Like the rain was condensed into a single spot, right above their heads. And even then, only the child seemed to notice it, frowning as her parents carried on a conversation.
It was odd. Undeniably, absolutely, certainly odd. But Hitori could see no reason for questioning it. What was she supposed to do? Go up and talk to them? As if somebody like her could interfere in the happy lives of people like that…
The laughter continued. Surely whatever this mysterious voice found so funny about her would have moved on by now. And was she just crazy, or had the sky gotten darker? No, it was definitely darker. Was it going to rain?
All her considerations stopped dead in their tracks as the little girl started backing away, trembling.
The parents looked at their child, naturally concerned. Time seemed to slow for her at that moment. The father reached out his hand towards his child and…
With a crunch, the outstretched arm had been… chewed off.
Something in her changed at that moment. Like a string of a guitar finally giving in and snapping under the pressure of being tuned. The whole world came through in clear color and she saw as…
A monster gulped down the arm of the father. It was a giant, rotund creature. Like a frog on two legs instead of one, with only one eye and a massive, engorged mouth that was twisted into a disgusting grin. It had no arms, but it didn't seem to care. Drool leaked from its mouth as it waddled closer to the panicking family. What she had thought to be rain before was actually this creature's drool, hungrily watching its meal. All of a sudden it had appeared before her eyes, but she knew in her heart it had been there the whole time.
"W-W-Whaaaaa-?!?!" She shrieked, falling face first off the swing and landing in the dirt. She scrambled, struggling to process the horrifying sight in front of her eyes. Should she just run away? Pretend she didn't see anything and bury herself in ice to catch a cold so she never has to leave her house again?
The family was running now, the man struggling to keep up while he clutched his bleeding arm. The monster, or whatever it was, waddled closer. They all ran past Hitori without a second thought, paying no mind to the pink-haired girl who was awkwardly trying to get up on her feet. Typical. Who would even want to notice her anyways?
Wait, this is a serious situation! No time for self-deprecating thoughts!
The monster's grin never left its mouth as it switched its target from the family to Hitori herself. "W-Wait! D-D-Don't eat me! I'm totally not worth it…! I-I spend all my time in a musty closet! And I haven't showered in three days! I don't even have any friends…! S-Surely I'm not worth eating, right?!?!" She spoke more in this moment of panic than she had in the past several months. Trying to stand up and run only resulted in stumbling back onto her knees. With each step the thing took, the ground shook slightly beneath it. Until it was right in front of her.
So this was how she died…? To a monster beyond her understanding? She had honestly expected to die from loneliness. Maybe this was an improvement. No! In what world was getting eaten an improvement over dying of loneliness?! In the first place, was dying of loneliness even possible…?
The one-eyed creature opened its grinning mouth and leaned close to her. About to take a bite. At that moment, the sky grew even darker. Like it was night already. And instead of the gross pain of being bitten, she was met with the loud sound of a slamming fist.
"Huh." Her face blanked, looking up at the figure of a man in front of her. He had blonde hair and was wearing a gray suit with a blue undershirt. His fist was vaguely glowing with a blue energy.
"Only thirty minutes left and I'm clocking out…" The man muttered, moreso to himself than to her. The creature had been launched all the way across the park and into a nearby tree, splitting the tree in half in the process. It made a gurgling noise and rolled its way to its feet, laughing.
"Ah." Hitori spoke lamely. What was she supposed to say in this situation? Thank you? Maybe she should bow down and apologize for taking up this man's precious time?
"Can you see that cursed spirit?" He asked, speaking with an emotionless voice and gesturing with one hand towards the creature. Hitori simply nodded her head. Having no idea what a 'cursed spirit' was, she could at least make an educated guess. He glared at her for one second, pausing to breathe a sigh. "They better give me a bonus for that…"
The creature gurgled and opened its jaw. Its tongue came flinging out towards the man like a whip. Hitori couldn't even see him move his arm before he was holding a blunt sword wrapped in cloth. The tongue split off from the monster's body with a gross gushing sound. The man then rushed forward and sliced the thing in half, a burst of blood gushing out before it dissolved into dust.
From beyond the tree line, two more beasts emerged. One resembled a snake while the other was vaguely human, although it had several eyes, no mouth, and grayish skin. "Tsk, a nuisance." In a flash, the man was gone, and the snake's head had been sliced clean off. The humanoid one turned towards the carnage with a noise that sounded like 'blurb' before it too was dead.
It had all happened so quickly, she could barely even process what happened. The existence of these 'cursed spirits' as well as the strength of the man who saved her life. She wanted to believe it was all a dream, but of course it wasn't. She wasn't a creative enough person to have a dream like this. The man put the sword into the pocket of his suit. Hitori opened her mouth to say thank you. "Ah." was all that came out.
The man walked back over to her. "My name is Kento Nanami. Tell me, that guitar on your back… Do you use it?"
It was happening! Somebody had actually spoken to her about her guitar! The veil of darkness faded to reveal a clear blue sky. "I-I… Ah! I'm Hitori Gotoh! Yes, I… I play guitar…" Her voice trailed off. But she did it! She responded and actually acknowledged his words!
"Your cursed energy…" He started to speak and shook his head. "Regardless. It is indeed good that you survived. Tell me, Hitori Gotoh, are you a sorcerer?" There was a weight behind his words she couldn't quite grasp.
"N-No…?" She shook her head. She wanted to ask what a sorcerer even was. But she figured doing so would be intrusive and decided against it.
"…Good. You will likely be approached in the future with an offer. It's not my place to tell you whether or not to accept that offer. But know that it is in fact your choice."
"Oh… Okay… Thank you…" She just nodded and went along with it, happy to be talking with someone, no matter how confusing all that he was saying was.
"Well, goodbye. My shift is almost up. Take care." He bowed and walked the other direction, leaving Hitori to collect herself and stand up. Just like that, her first social interaction in high school had ended. It wasn't even with somebody her age.
"T-That was…" There were many words to describe what had just happened in front of her. Horrific. Awful. Deeply traumatizing. Downright insane. But the one she settled on was "Weird." The family from earlier was nowhere to be seen. Did the man take them away somewhere?
It felt weird, having to take the train home after all of that. Sitting among all the people on a barreling metal object after having witnessed something she could only think of as magic.
At the end of the day, she still didn't manage to join a band. Although, she did talk to somebody. Maybe, for now, that was enough.
~~~~~~~
~~~~~
"I, Hitori Gotoh, am a failure. I'm stupid. I'm terrible at sports. I can't look people in the eye and can't think of anything other than "Ah!" to say when talking to people. It's been a month since High School started and I still have no friends. The only thing I can rely on is this guitar.
I'm on the verge of becoming a hikikomori."
How had she ended up like this again…? Sitting in this closet and playing a guitar…
Oh, god, no… Please, stop the terrible, embarrassing flashback from happening!
Three years ago. Her first year of junior high, a small girl overheard an interview with a famous guitarist on T.V. "Back when I was a student, I was a gloomy person who sat in the corner of the room reading. A band is a place where even introverts like me can shine." Seeing someone so popular admit to being gloomy just like her had lit a spark inside her. A realization that maybe she could be like them too.
She immediately borrowed her father's guitar and began practicing in a desperate urge to become popular as well. With the simple question of "would someone as gloomy as me be able to shine in a band…?" driving her actions, she practiced for hours every single day.
In a vain attempt at getting anyone to talk to her, she would put CD's on her desk and bring merch from her favorite bands… Of course, nobody ever spoke to her. And then she requested a death metal song to be played over the school's radio… Nobody even made eye contact with her after that.
"Stop it! Stop it! Get these stupid memories out of my head!" She pounded her fist against the ground.
Today would be different! She glanced at the mirror, nodding to herself in an action that almost resembled confidence! She'd been spending the past hour carefully putting on every music-related bracelet she owned, as well as a t-shirt of her favorite metal band. And finally, she swung her guitar case over her shoulder.
Looking like this, surely someone would talk to her and ask if she played guitar! She looked like a real rocker chick. Hitori was confident in this plan working, and headed to school, full of bright dreams and ambitions.
~~~~~
The whole day passed by. She heard murmurs around her, felt eyes staring at her… But not a single person actually spoke to her. Over the course of every passing second, Hitori slumped over more and more until her head was pressed against the wooden desk in defeat.
The school bell rang, and everyone left, her hopes at sparking a friendship or joining a band were completely shattered. Her head had inflated with the size of her ambitions only to be promptly popped by the needle that was life.
She found herself in a random park, sitting on the swing and replaying the events of the day. "Nobody even talked to me…" The eyes that she had felt staring at her still lingered. "At least the people here are as lonely as me…" She glanced at a man sitting on a bench. He was probably divorced or alone right now, sitting in this park to escape the worries of his home life. Ah, just the thought made her feel less alone in the world.
"Sorry for being late, dear."
"Papa~!"
A woman and kid approached the man, happily smiling like a real family.
She should just die, shouldn't she? Even lonely men sitting in parks get to have wives… She's sorry for making presumptions, park-going man!
The feeling of eyes watching her only grew stronger as she stared at the happy family from the swingset. A drop of water dripped down above the daughter's head. It wasn't supposed to rain, was it…? She really didn't want her guitar to get wet. The sound of laughter carried through the wind, no doubt somebody mocking her for bringing a guitar to a park like this. Or maybe the air itself took joy in her suffering. As long as she could make somebody laugh…
She couldn't stop staring at the couple with their child. The rain above them had grown more frequent, but yet Hitori herself hadn't felt a single drop of water. Like the rain was condensed into a single spot, right above their heads. And even then, only the child seemed to notice it, frowning as her parents carried on a conversation.
It was odd. Undeniably, absolutely, certainly odd. But Hitori could see no reason for questioning it. What was she supposed to do? Go up and talk to them? As if somebody like her could interfere in the happy lives of people like that…
The laughter continued. Surely whatever this mysterious voice found so funny about her would have moved on by now. And was she just crazy, or had the sky gotten darker? No, it was definitely darker. Was it going to rain?
All her considerations stopped dead in their tracks as the little girl started backing away, trembling.
The parents looked at their child, naturally concerned. Time seemed to slow for her at that moment. The father reached out his hand towards his child and…
With a crunch, the outstretched arm had been… chewed off.
Something in her changed at that moment. Like a string of a guitar finally giving in and snapping under the pressure of being tuned. The whole world came through in clear color and she saw as…
A monster gulped down the arm of the father. It was a giant, rotund creature. Like a frog on two legs instead of one, with only one eye and a massive, engorged mouth that was twisted into a disgusting grin. It had no arms, but it didn't seem to care. Drool leaked from its mouth as it waddled closer to the panicking family. What she had thought to be rain before was actually this creature's drool, hungrily watching its meal. All of a sudden it had appeared before her eyes, but she knew in her heart it had been there the whole time.
"W-W-Whaaaaa-?!?!" She shrieked, falling face first off the swing and landing in the dirt. She scrambled, struggling to process the horrifying sight in front of her eyes. Should she just run away? Pretend she didn't see anything and bury herself in ice to catch a cold so she never has to leave her house again?
The family was running now, the man struggling to keep up while he clutched his bleeding arm. The monster, or whatever it was, waddled closer. They all ran past Hitori without a second thought, paying no mind to the pink-haired girl who was awkwardly trying to get up on her feet. Typical. Who would even want to notice her anyways?
Wait, this is a serious situation! No time for self-deprecating thoughts!
The monster's grin never left its mouth as it switched its target from the family to Hitori herself. "W-Wait! D-D-Don't eat me! I'm totally not worth it…! I-I spend all my time in a musty closet! And I haven't showered in three days! I don't even have any friends…! S-Surely I'm not worth eating, right?!?!" She spoke more in this moment of panic than she had in the past several months. Trying to stand up and run only resulted in stumbling back onto her knees. With each step the thing took, the ground shook slightly beneath it. Until it was right in front of her.
So this was how she died…? To a monster beyond her understanding? She had honestly expected to die from loneliness. Maybe this was an improvement. No! In what world was getting eaten an improvement over dying of loneliness?! In the first place, was dying of loneliness even possible…?
The one-eyed creature opened its grinning mouth and leaned close to her. About to take a bite. At that moment, the sky grew even darker. Like it was night already. And instead of the gross pain of being bitten, she was met with the loud sound of a slamming fist.
"Huh." Her face blanked, looking up at the figure of a man in front of her. He had blonde hair and was wearing a gray suit with a blue undershirt. His fist was vaguely glowing with a blue energy.
"Only thirty minutes left and I'm clocking out…" The man muttered, moreso to himself than to her. The creature had been launched all the way across the park and into a nearby tree, splitting the tree in half in the process. It made a gurgling noise and rolled its way to its feet, laughing.
"Ah." Hitori spoke lamely. What was she supposed to say in this situation? Thank you? Maybe she should bow down and apologize for taking up this man's precious time?
"Can you see that cursed spirit?" He asked, speaking with an emotionless voice and gesturing with one hand towards the creature. Hitori simply nodded her head. Having no idea what a 'cursed spirit' was, she could at least make an educated guess. He glared at her for one second, pausing to breathe a sigh. "They better give me a bonus for that…"
The creature gurgled and opened its jaw. Its tongue came flinging out towards the man like a whip. Hitori couldn't even see him move his arm before he was holding a blunt sword wrapped in cloth. The tongue split off from the monster's body with a gross gushing sound. The man then rushed forward and sliced the thing in half, a burst of blood gushing out before it dissolved into dust.
From beyond the tree line, two more beasts emerged. One resembled a snake while the other was vaguely human, although it had several eyes, no mouth, and grayish skin. "Tsk, a nuisance." In a flash, the man was gone, and the snake's head had been sliced clean off. The humanoid one turned towards the carnage with a noise that sounded like 'blurb' before it too was dead.
It had all happened so quickly, she could barely even process what happened. The existence of these 'cursed spirits' as well as the strength of the man who saved her life. She wanted to believe it was all a dream, but of course it wasn't. She wasn't a creative enough person to have a dream like this. The man put the sword into the pocket of his suit. Hitori opened her mouth to say thank you. "Ah." was all that came out.
The man walked back over to her. "My name is Kento Nanami. Tell me, that guitar on your back… Do you use it?"
It was happening! Somebody had actually spoken to her about her guitar! The veil of darkness faded to reveal a clear blue sky. "I-I… Ah! I'm Hitori Gotoh! Yes, I… I play guitar…" Her voice trailed off. But she did it! She responded and actually acknowledged his words!
"Your cursed energy…" He started to speak and shook his head. "Regardless. It is indeed good that you survived. Tell me, Hitori Gotoh, are you a sorcerer?" There was a weight behind his words she couldn't quite grasp.
"N-No…?" She shook her head. She wanted to ask what a sorcerer even was. But she figured doing so would be intrusive and decided against it.
"…Good. You will likely be approached in the future with an offer. It's not my place to tell you whether or not to accept that offer. But know that it is in fact your choice."
"Oh… Okay… Thank you…" She just nodded and went along with it, happy to be talking with someone, no matter how confusing all that he was saying was.
"Well, goodbye. My shift is almost up. Take care." He bowed and walked the other direction, leaving Hitori to collect herself and stand up. Just like that, her first social interaction in high school had ended. It wasn't even with somebody her age.
"T-That was…" There were many words to describe what had just happened in front of her. Horrific. Awful. Deeply traumatizing. Downright insane. But the one she settled on was "Weird." The family from earlier was nowhere to be seen. Did the man take them away somewhere?
It felt weird, having to take the train home after all of that. Sitting among all the people on a barreling metal object after having witnessed something she could only think of as magic.
At the end of the day, she still didn't manage to join a band. Although, she did talk to somebody. Maybe, for now, that was enough.
~~~~~~~
Story Cover
Chapter 1.2: After Hours
"Hitori! Hitori!" A cheerful voice was what met her when she made it back to her home. There was no doubt to whom it belonged…
Futari Gotoh, a big ball of energy in a tiny package. Unlike her big sister, she had a real knack for socializing and was quick to make friends in her school. Hitori had long grown used to the pang of jealousy she felt whenever her sister was talking about how her day went. "Oh. Hey, Futari…" Hitori shrugged, kicking off her shoes and walking further inside.
"What's wrong, Sis?" Futari tilted her head and gave a pointed look to her sister. "Did you bring your guitar to look cool only for people to avoid you even more than usual?" She said it with such a bright smile that the painful words she delivered didn't really sound right.
Hitori fell to her knees and disintegrated into a small pile of dust. Even her five year old sister had higher social stats than she did… she was always talking about new friends she made or games she would play with them, meanwhile Hitori herself had a whole zero friends to call her own. Ack! Maybe she should've just let herself get eaten… "I guess…"
She walked past her sister and into her room, setting her guitar aside and flopping onto her bed, she breathed out a sigh. The memories of the day flooded back to her as she did. An embarrassingly lonely day at school, a horrible monster trying to kill her, a stoic man saving her life… When she thought about it, it didn't quite seem real, did it? Maybe when she woke up she would just return to a normal, sad and lonely life. That would be for the best.
Maybe. Maybe it would be for the best.
Laying on her bed, replaying her entire day, she passed out, too tired to even resist the call of sleep.
She dreamed of spirits.
~~~~~~
The next day started normal. She got up, and gave herself a five minute pep talk to prepare for the day. "You got this, Hitori… You're going to make friends today. You're a great guitar player and everybody likes you… You aren't totally alone with no friends and you definitely don't want to hide away in a closet for the rest of your life… Hah…" And just like usual, her motivational speech took a turn towards the depressing.
"Sis! Stop laying on the ground like a sea urchin and get up! You're gonna be late!" Her sister peeked into her room to yell before running off.
A sea urchin. The lowest form of aquatic life… Grazing off the algae from rocks. "Hah." She sighed and forced herself to her feet. She put on her jacket and pants, heading to the bathroom to quickly brush her teeth and her hair. She was ready to leave and she took a glance at the guitar case laying on the ground. Yesterday had been all-together unsuccessful but this time would be different! Surely if she brought a guitar two days in a row, people at school would have to acknowledge her as a real rocker girl and talk to her. Brilliant plan, Hitori.
She waved goodbye to her parents and set out towards the two-hour commute to school. Sometimes she regretted picking a school so far away from her house. But then she remembers all the times she embarrassed herself in middle school and it all becomes worth it just so that she doesn't have to be seen by anyone from that school again.
As usual, the morning train station was packed. Hitori got pushed around as people made it to the front of the station. She was ready to just put in headphones and ignore the noise around her when she saw something strange. She almost mistook it for a bird at first… But floating above the empty rails of the station was a drifting blue creature. It was grinning and spinning in circles, unbothered by the people in front of it.
"W-W-Wha… I-Is that…?" She remembered the man's words from yesterday. What had he called those monsters…? Cursed Spirits.
Oh, god, people were staring at her now that she was stuttering and shaking. That was even worse than the gross creature currently chittering above the rails.
"Um, are you okay, kid?" The voice of a man spoke up and she froze in place. What would she say to him? That she was currently staring at a creature she believed only existed in her nightmares? No, that would make them think she's crazy!
Luckily, she didn't need to say anything at all, as the train arrived and she practically ran in order to get on board before the people around her.
Against her wishes, that wasn't the only 'cursed spirit' she saw that day. The things were everywhere, and once she started seeing them they were impossible to ignore. Floating above people's heads or resting on the shoulder of a particularly belligerent man who she bumped into. None of them were as threatening as what she encountered the day before, but it was a constant reminder that she was either going insane or that what she saw yesterday was real.
It didn't help that every time she jumped backwards when seeing a cursed spirit, everyone around her would stare. At school, someone even saw her trip over when noticing a particularly gruesome little creature who was hiding behind the stairwell. Of course she got laughed at.
By the time the school bell rang, she was ready to take out her guitar and start swinging it at whatever spirit came close to her. Okay, maybe not… She wasn't that aggressive. But she was definitely ready to hide away in her closet and play guitar!
~~~~
It seems like life always has other plans, because when she made it inside her house, there was someone she had never seen sitting inside her living room.
"Ah, Hitori! You're finally back! This woman was just talking to us, why didn't you tell us you'd been accepted into a private academy like this?" Her mom waved her over and Hitori's brain went into overdrive. Were her parent's currently being scammed by this suspicious-looking woman in a black suit…? She had dyed blonde hair with roots of black growing through. No matter how she looked at it, this was totally suspicious!
The woman in question turned and smiled at her. "Ah, hello! You must be Hitori Gotoh." She waved. "I am Akari Nitta and I am here based on the recommendation of Kento Nanami. I am here to offer you the opportunity of enrolling in a prestigious private school which will center around your more… particular skills." She said it like she was hiding some truth in the statement, but whatever it was Hitori couldn't tell.
Kento Nanami… That was the man who saved her yesterday. He did say something about her being approached in the future with an offer… She hadn't expected it to happen the next day though. "Ah. I- Uhh…" She had no idea how to even respond. Her mom was looking at her with a smile that just screamed 'proud parent' and it was horrible.
"Oh, of course! There must be plenty of questions you're thinking about. I'm here to answer any you may have." The woman named Akari Nitta smiled and turned to her mom. "I think it'd be best to have this discussion in private with your daughter, if you understand."
"No, Mom! Don't leave me alone with this strange woman who's offering to take me away to a mysterious private school! Haven't you heard the saying 'if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!' There's no way that your complete failure of a daughter would be accepted into a school like that!" Of course, her mother didn't respond to Hitori's internal shouting and simply nodded her head, walking away.
"Of course. I'm just glad my daughter is doing so well!" With that she left the room, leaving Hitori standing awkwardly in front of the woman who had invaded the sacred grounds of her house.
"Phew, alright… Feel free to take a seat." She gestured to the couch. Hitori awkwardly stumbled her way over and sat down. "It's exceptionally rare for Nanami to recommend somebody… In fact, I think you're the first person he's ever scouted for Jujutsu High… Just what did he see in you?"
How was she supposed to know that?! "We barely even talked…" She said, looking down at her feet while she spoke. There's no way she'd be able to make eye contact with a woman like this.
She sighed. "I expected as much. Well, regardless… You have received a formal request from a Grade One sorcerer, it's not like that's something we can ignore. So, tell me… What's your cursed technique? What was it about you that made you seem so strong?"
Made her seem strong? Did she have anything like that…? Her anxious stutter definitely didn't give any indication of strength… Maybe it was the fact that she couldn't make eye contact without freezing? No! In what world was that strength?! "I don't know… Uh…" Hitori awkwardly fumbled with the hem of her shirt. "What's a cursed technique…?" She asked as quietly as she could manage.
"You don't even know that much?! Are you sure you're Hitori Gotoh?!" The woman waved her arms and Hitori bowed her head in apology. "Well, look! Most sorcerers are born with an innate cursed technique, tied to their specific mind. By channeling the cursed energy inside them through this cursed technique they're able to use that energy much more efficiently. Of course, there are some cursed techniques that aren't innate and can be mastered by anybody with enough hard work, but they're often less powerful than a sorcerer's innate cursed technique. Things like simple domains or basic shikigami jutsu, for example, can be used by any sorcerer with enough skill."
Honestly, Hitori had started blanking halfway through that explanation, but she understood the gist of it… sort of. There were so many words to remember, and yet none of it felt truly connected. She was about to ask the question 'what is a sorcerer' but she felt that was the type of question that would make her seem dumb, so she instead asked. "How do I discover my innate technique…?"
"Are you seriously asking that right now…? Look, kid." Nitta set her hands on the coffee table. "That's like asking somebody 'how did you discover you could breathe?' It's just a thing you either have or you don't. The moment you channel your first ounce of cursed energy, you'd know your cursed technique. Sometimes even sooner than that."
Hitori knew it was stupid to ask so many questions, that the things she was saying would only make her incompetence more apparent to this woman, but she couldn't stop herself from asking the words that first appeared in her mind. "What's cursed energy?"
The silence that lingered in the room was worse than any disappointment that she could have received. Glancing at Nitta's face showed that the woman had wide eyes and a slight frown, probably completely bewildered that someone as lame as Hitori could even exist… "Hahh… Cursed energy is the energy that comes from all negative emotions. Everybody has some, but sorcerers are those who can channel that energy and use it to fight spirits."
Oh, negative emotions! Finally something Hitori was actually familiar with! All the talk of techniques and sorcerers left her a bit lost, but she understood negative emotions plenty. If this woman was talking to her right now, then she probably assumed Hitori already knew how to channel this 'cursed energy.' "S-So it's just… Negative emotions…?"
The look of disappointment and bafflement coming from Nitta was more than enough to stir negative emotions. Closing her eyes, Hitori focused on that feeling. The feeling of anxiety that came with talking to somebody, the feelings of guilt and anger she would no doubt be feeling as she replayed every thing she said and pointed out how she did it wrong while trying to sleep. The feeling of loneliness… All those emotions visualized themselves in a swirl of blue and red inside her chest, and with a breath, she pushed them out to her hands.
A weak flare of blue coated her hand. Just like the man had when he saved her! Although hers looked really wobbly and pathetic in comparison… And after a few seconds it disappeared. But in those few seconds, what felt like symbols and numbers filled her mind. Filled with an understanding that must have been a cursed technique. But the energy flickered out before she could piece it all together.
"Oh, so you can use jujutsu?" For the first time, Nitta looked actually pleased. And Hitori smiled shyly at the praise.
"I-I guess…?"
"Well, I suppose it's rare enough to find someone gifted with your levels of cursed energy… Let alone being able to channel it without any prior practice. I see why Nanami recommended you." The blonde woman smiled.
She felt herself melting at the praise, becoming a pink puddle on the ground without sentient thought. "Thankuuu…" She muttered as she sloshed around.
"Well then, I see no reason to doubt Nanami's decision on this." She held out her hand expectantly. "Would you, Hitori Gotoh, like to enroll in Jujutsu High?"
Eh…? Eh? EHH?!?! After all that, they were still seriously considering sending her to this school?! Were they seriously that desperate? Wait- if she accepted, wouldn't she have to fight terrifying monsters like the ones she saw the other day? Why would anyone willingly sign up for that? No way! Say no, your life has more value than just a meal for a spirit! Reject her! If you say yes to this offer then your entire life will be at constant risk and you'll never have a moment of peace again!
"T-Thank you for having me… I'll do my best…" She shook the hand that was held out before her. Damnit! Even after all that she's seen, she couldn't say no. She wouldn't be this socially anxious if she could decline people, after all.
And so, Hitori Gotoh signed away her life to the mysteries of the Jujutsu world. No amount of internal sobbing stopped her fate.
Akari Nitta pulled her hand away. "Wonderful. Of course, we'll give you some time to prepare your things. In one week, you'll meet up with a sorcerer from Jujutsu High. Do you have a location you'd want to meet them at?"
A whole week?! They probably wouldn't even remember her by then! "U-Umm… Ginza Station would be alright, wouldn't it?" Hitori hardly went outside often enough to know any meeting spots or things like that… She slumped over at that depressing realization.
"Of course. Well, I'm sure this won't be our last meeting, Hitori. Take care." With that, she picked up her things and promptly left.
She was left stunned in her living room, an all-consuming dread eating away at her thoughts. Her mom came back in to congratulate her with a smile. Even the praise she was showered in did nothing to stop her anxiety. "I'm so proud of you, Hitori! To think, someone would recognize your guitar playing and offer you a private education!" She said, hugging her. Oh, so that's what her mother believed. That this was all some fancy music school. She supposed that's better than her mom actually knowing the truth.
But still, it felt wrong to be praised for getting into a school she desperately wanted to avoid. It was like getting a compliment on how stylish the poisonous spider crawling on your hair is. Like- obviously it's nice to have someone proud of you, but it doesn't mean much when you'll likely end up dead in a few moments.
After all was said and done, Hitori Gotoh had seven days left of a normal life before she had to go to this "Jujutsu High." Needless to say, she wanted to hide in her closet and never leave again.
Futari Gotoh, a big ball of energy in a tiny package. Unlike her big sister, she had a real knack for socializing and was quick to make friends in her school. Hitori had long grown used to the pang of jealousy she felt whenever her sister was talking about how her day went. "Oh. Hey, Futari…" Hitori shrugged, kicking off her shoes and walking further inside.
"What's wrong, Sis?" Futari tilted her head and gave a pointed look to her sister. "Did you bring your guitar to look cool only for people to avoid you even more than usual?" She said it with such a bright smile that the painful words she delivered didn't really sound right.
Hitori fell to her knees and disintegrated into a small pile of dust. Even her five year old sister had higher social stats than she did… she was always talking about new friends she made or games she would play with them, meanwhile Hitori herself had a whole zero friends to call her own. Ack! Maybe she should've just let herself get eaten… "I guess…"
She walked past her sister and into her room, setting her guitar aside and flopping onto her bed, she breathed out a sigh. The memories of the day flooded back to her as she did. An embarrassingly lonely day at school, a horrible monster trying to kill her, a stoic man saving her life… When she thought about it, it didn't quite seem real, did it? Maybe when she woke up she would just return to a normal, sad and lonely life. That would be for the best.
Maybe. Maybe it would be for the best.
Laying on her bed, replaying her entire day, she passed out, too tired to even resist the call of sleep.
She dreamed of spirits.
~~~~~~
The next day started normal. She got up, and gave herself a five minute pep talk to prepare for the day. "You got this, Hitori… You're going to make friends today. You're a great guitar player and everybody likes you… You aren't totally alone with no friends and you definitely don't want to hide away in a closet for the rest of your life… Hah…" And just like usual, her motivational speech took a turn towards the depressing.
"Sis! Stop laying on the ground like a sea urchin and get up! You're gonna be late!" Her sister peeked into her room to yell before running off.
A sea urchin. The lowest form of aquatic life… Grazing off the algae from rocks. "Hah." She sighed and forced herself to her feet. She put on her jacket and pants, heading to the bathroom to quickly brush her teeth and her hair. She was ready to leave and she took a glance at the guitar case laying on the ground. Yesterday had been all-together unsuccessful but this time would be different! Surely if she brought a guitar two days in a row, people at school would have to acknowledge her as a real rocker girl and talk to her. Brilliant plan, Hitori.
She waved goodbye to her parents and set out towards the two-hour commute to school. Sometimes she regretted picking a school so far away from her house. But then she remembers all the times she embarrassed herself in middle school and it all becomes worth it just so that she doesn't have to be seen by anyone from that school again.
As usual, the morning train station was packed. Hitori got pushed around as people made it to the front of the station. She was ready to just put in headphones and ignore the noise around her when she saw something strange. She almost mistook it for a bird at first… But floating above the empty rails of the station was a drifting blue creature. It was grinning and spinning in circles, unbothered by the people in front of it.
"W-W-Wha… I-Is that…?" She remembered the man's words from yesterday. What had he called those monsters…? Cursed Spirits.
Oh, god, people were staring at her now that she was stuttering and shaking. That was even worse than the gross creature currently chittering above the rails.
"Um, are you okay, kid?" The voice of a man spoke up and she froze in place. What would she say to him? That she was currently staring at a creature she believed only existed in her nightmares? No, that would make them think she's crazy!
Luckily, she didn't need to say anything at all, as the train arrived and she practically ran in order to get on board before the people around her.
Against her wishes, that wasn't the only 'cursed spirit' she saw that day. The things were everywhere, and once she started seeing them they were impossible to ignore. Floating above people's heads or resting on the shoulder of a particularly belligerent man who she bumped into. None of them were as threatening as what she encountered the day before, but it was a constant reminder that she was either going insane or that what she saw yesterday was real.
It didn't help that every time she jumped backwards when seeing a cursed spirit, everyone around her would stare. At school, someone even saw her trip over when noticing a particularly gruesome little creature who was hiding behind the stairwell. Of course she got laughed at.
By the time the school bell rang, she was ready to take out her guitar and start swinging it at whatever spirit came close to her. Okay, maybe not… She wasn't that aggressive. But she was definitely ready to hide away in her closet and play guitar!
~~~~
It seems like life always has other plans, because when she made it inside her house, there was someone she had never seen sitting inside her living room.
"Ah, Hitori! You're finally back! This woman was just talking to us, why didn't you tell us you'd been accepted into a private academy like this?" Her mom waved her over and Hitori's brain went into overdrive. Were her parent's currently being scammed by this suspicious-looking woman in a black suit…? She had dyed blonde hair with roots of black growing through. No matter how she looked at it, this was totally suspicious!
The woman in question turned and smiled at her. "Ah, hello! You must be Hitori Gotoh." She waved. "I am Akari Nitta and I am here based on the recommendation of Kento Nanami. I am here to offer you the opportunity of enrolling in a prestigious private school which will center around your more… particular skills." She said it like she was hiding some truth in the statement, but whatever it was Hitori couldn't tell.
Kento Nanami… That was the man who saved her yesterday. He did say something about her being approached in the future with an offer… She hadn't expected it to happen the next day though. "Ah. I- Uhh…" She had no idea how to even respond. Her mom was looking at her with a smile that just screamed 'proud parent' and it was horrible.
"Oh, of course! There must be plenty of questions you're thinking about. I'm here to answer any you may have." The woman named Akari Nitta smiled and turned to her mom. "I think it'd be best to have this discussion in private with your daughter, if you understand."
"No, Mom! Don't leave me alone with this strange woman who's offering to take me away to a mysterious private school! Haven't you heard the saying 'if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!' There's no way that your complete failure of a daughter would be accepted into a school like that!" Of course, her mother didn't respond to Hitori's internal shouting and simply nodded her head, walking away.
"Of course. I'm just glad my daughter is doing so well!" With that she left the room, leaving Hitori standing awkwardly in front of the woman who had invaded the sacred grounds of her house.
"Phew, alright… Feel free to take a seat." She gestured to the couch. Hitori awkwardly stumbled her way over and sat down. "It's exceptionally rare for Nanami to recommend somebody… In fact, I think you're the first person he's ever scouted for Jujutsu High… Just what did he see in you?"
How was she supposed to know that?! "We barely even talked…" She said, looking down at her feet while she spoke. There's no way she'd be able to make eye contact with a woman like this.
She sighed. "I expected as much. Well, regardless… You have received a formal request from a Grade One sorcerer, it's not like that's something we can ignore. So, tell me… What's your cursed technique? What was it about you that made you seem so strong?"
Made her seem strong? Did she have anything like that…? Her anxious stutter definitely didn't give any indication of strength… Maybe it was the fact that she couldn't make eye contact without freezing? No! In what world was that strength?! "I don't know… Uh…" Hitori awkwardly fumbled with the hem of her shirt. "What's a cursed technique…?" She asked as quietly as she could manage.
"You don't even know that much?! Are you sure you're Hitori Gotoh?!" The woman waved her arms and Hitori bowed her head in apology. "Well, look! Most sorcerers are born with an innate cursed technique, tied to their specific mind. By channeling the cursed energy inside them through this cursed technique they're able to use that energy much more efficiently. Of course, there are some cursed techniques that aren't innate and can be mastered by anybody with enough hard work, but they're often less powerful than a sorcerer's innate cursed technique. Things like simple domains or basic shikigami jutsu, for example, can be used by any sorcerer with enough skill."
Honestly, Hitori had started blanking halfway through that explanation, but she understood the gist of it… sort of. There were so many words to remember, and yet none of it felt truly connected. She was about to ask the question 'what is a sorcerer' but she felt that was the type of question that would make her seem dumb, so she instead asked. "How do I discover my innate technique…?"
"Are you seriously asking that right now…? Look, kid." Nitta set her hands on the coffee table. "That's like asking somebody 'how did you discover you could breathe?' It's just a thing you either have or you don't. The moment you channel your first ounce of cursed energy, you'd know your cursed technique. Sometimes even sooner than that."
Hitori knew it was stupid to ask so many questions, that the things she was saying would only make her incompetence more apparent to this woman, but she couldn't stop herself from asking the words that first appeared in her mind. "What's cursed energy?"
The silence that lingered in the room was worse than any disappointment that she could have received. Glancing at Nitta's face showed that the woman had wide eyes and a slight frown, probably completely bewildered that someone as lame as Hitori could even exist… "Hahh… Cursed energy is the energy that comes from all negative emotions. Everybody has some, but sorcerers are those who can channel that energy and use it to fight spirits."
Oh, negative emotions! Finally something Hitori was actually familiar with! All the talk of techniques and sorcerers left her a bit lost, but she understood negative emotions plenty. If this woman was talking to her right now, then she probably assumed Hitori already knew how to channel this 'cursed energy.' "S-So it's just… Negative emotions…?"
The look of disappointment and bafflement coming from Nitta was more than enough to stir negative emotions. Closing her eyes, Hitori focused on that feeling. The feeling of anxiety that came with talking to somebody, the feelings of guilt and anger she would no doubt be feeling as she replayed every thing she said and pointed out how she did it wrong while trying to sleep. The feeling of loneliness… All those emotions visualized themselves in a swirl of blue and red inside her chest, and with a breath, she pushed them out to her hands.
A weak flare of blue coated her hand. Just like the man had when he saved her! Although hers looked really wobbly and pathetic in comparison… And after a few seconds it disappeared. But in those few seconds, what felt like symbols and numbers filled her mind. Filled with an understanding that must have been a cursed technique. But the energy flickered out before she could piece it all together.
"Oh, so you can use jujutsu?" For the first time, Nitta looked actually pleased. And Hitori smiled shyly at the praise.
"I-I guess…?"
"Well, I suppose it's rare enough to find someone gifted with your levels of cursed energy… Let alone being able to channel it without any prior practice. I see why Nanami recommended you." The blonde woman smiled.
She felt herself melting at the praise, becoming a pink puddle on the ground without sentient thought. "Thankuuu…" She muttered as she sloshed around.
"Well then, I see no reason to doubt Nanami's decision on this." She held out her hand expectantly. "Would you, Hitori Gotoh, like to enroll in Jujutsu High?"
Eh…? Eh? EHH?!?! After all that, they were still seriously considering sending her to this school?! Were they seriously that desperate? Wait- if she accepted, wouldn't she have to fight terrifying monsters like the ones she saw the other day? Why would anyone willingly sign up for that? No way! Say no, your life has more value than just a meal for a spirit! Reject her! If you say yes to this offer then your entire life will be at constant risk and you'll never have a moment of peace again!
"T-Thank you for having me… I'll do my best…" She shook the hand that was held out before her. Damnit! Even after all that she's seen, she couldn't say no. She wouldn't be this socially anxious if she could decline people, after all.
And so, Hitori Gotoh signed away her life to the mysteries of the Jujutsu world. No amount of internal sobbing stopped her fate.
Akari Nitta pulled her hand away. "Wonderful. Of course, we'll give you some time to prepare your things. In one week, you'll meet up with a sorcerer from Jujutsu High. Do you have a location you'd want to meet them at?"
A whole week?! They probably wouldn't even remember her by then! "U-Umm… Ginza Station would be alright, wouldn't it?" Hitori hardly went outside often enough to know any meeting spots or things like that… She slumped over at that depressing realization.
"Of course. Well, I'm sure this won't be our last meeting, Hitori. Take care." With that, she picked up her things and promptly left.
She was left stunned in her living room, an all-consuming dread eating away at her thoughts. Her mom came back in to congratulate her with a smile. Even the praise she was showered in did nothing to stop her anxiety. "I'm so proud of you, Hitori! To think, someone would recognize your guitar playing and offer you a private education!" She said, hugging her. Oh, so that's what her mother believed. That this was all some fancy music school. She supposed that's better than her mom actually knowing the truth.
But still, it felt wrong to be praised for getting into a school she desperately wanted to avoid. It was like getting a compliment on how stylish the poisonous spider crawling on your hair is. Like- obviously it's nice to have someone proud of you, but it doesn't mean much when you'll likely end up dead in a few moments.
After all was said and done, Hitori Gotoh had seven days left of a normal life before she had to go to this "Jujutsu High." Needless to say, she wanted to hide in her closet and never leave again.
Chapter 2.1: Sunday Bloody Sunday
Six days can pass surprisingly quickly when dreading what will happen on the seventh. Hitori Gotoh has just discovered this firsthand as it was already the day of her transfer. She'd be leaving her peaceful, happy life in favor of a school focused entirely around fighting evil spirits. All because she couldn't say 'no' even when her life literally depended on it.
She didn't accomplish anything of value in those six days. In fact, she paid even less attention to classes than usual. Because what did the quadratic formula matter when there were evil spirits floating in the air? Perhaps the solution to her problems lay within algebraic notation and by neglecting it she was simply sealing herself further into this fate.
Outside of ignoring her classes and having a total of zero friends (the usual), she also continued to see signs of spirits around her (unusual). They never did anything. At worst, they'd make uncomfortable eye contact with her or make sounds like laughter from behind her whenever she looked away. But they had still become an undeniable presence in her life. It's not like she could talk to anyone about them. She didn't have any friends to talk to about anything. Let alone all the ideas about curses and energy that floated around in her head.
So, just like she usually does when she feels alone in an uncaring world, she shut herself in the closet and focused on guitar. She'd perform covers of popular songs and focus on piecing together all this talk of spirits and energy. Weirdly enough, it was far easier to accept the existence of the supernatural than it was to talk to people her age. So she found herself channeling her 'cursed energy' (as it was supposedly called) whenever she played guitar. Never for long bursts and never to any serious results, but if there was anything Hitori knew how to do, it was dedicating hours of time to something she was unfamiliar with.
By the seventh day… Well, she wasn't good at it. A useless sea urchin like her was lucky to manifest the glow of blue around her hands and guitar strings for more than a minute. But she understood it. And importantly, she now knew what Akari Nitta had meant when she said that understanding a cursed technique was as simple as breathing.
Her cursed technique…
"Sis! You have to go to the station already! You're not going to make it to your new school while stuck in there. All the people you meet today will think you smell like a sweaty old closet!" Her cursed technique was currently having its explanation interrupted by her little sister pounding on the closet door and delivering very harsh criticism.
"F-Fine…" She stumbled over herself while standing up. Putting her guitar into its case, she left the closet. "And don't joke about the way people smell, Futari… T-That kind of stuff can really hurt somebody's self-confidence and make them want to jump into a volcano…" She patted her sister's shoulder as she delivered her sagely wisdom.
"You got it, Sis! You don't smell like a musty closet at all!" For some reason, her sister's smiling face while saying those words… It hurt even more! She groaned as she packed up some clothes and band merch into her bag. "Before you go, Sis! Let me show you the new song I learned!" She ran out of the room with her arms behind her back, returning with their families acoustic guitar moments later.
"Okay, let's hear it…!" Hitori smiled weakly. She zipped her duffle bag shut and turned her full attention to her sister holding the guitar that was way too big to her.
"La~ La la la… Ka blah blah nahh…." Her sister happily sang nonsense words as she strummed a few chords back and forth, occasionally stumbling over a few notes and pausing to find her place. Once she was done, the pink-haired girl looked up to her sister expectantly.
Hitori, for all her anxiety and jealousy, loved her sister. "It was great, Futari. If you keep working like that, one day you'll be even better than me." She patted the girl's head. And she meant those words.
"Thanks! All my friends totally loved that song too when I played it earlier!" Ack! There it was, Futari effortlessly trampled on Hitori's sense of pride as a big sister by reminding her that at age five, her sister had more friends than she had at age fifteen. A total failure.
"I'm sorry you have a water flea of a sister, Futari… I have failed you…" She muttered and her sister just tilted her head at her.
"Whatever you say, Sis!"
Hitori managed to pick up the pieces of her fractured ego along with her duffle bag. "Alright, um… Guess I'm going…" She walked out her room and into the living room, where her parents met her with proud smiles. She wished the ice bath she took last night had worked and given her a cold… damn you strong immune system…!
Now that she's stuck facing these expectant looks and proud expressions, there's no way she could just stay home. "To think, my little girl, going out into the world! We're both so proud of you, Hitori!" Her father waved to her. No amount of supposed pride makes it seem less like he's just happy to see her finally leaving.
"Thanks…" She turned to the door, breathed, and left.
The last thing she saw before stepping into the world was her family's smiling faces.
~~~~~~
Hitori had definitely considered just walking around the streets of Tokyo with no clear direction and then eventually going back home with some excuse for her parents. But the thought of their disappointed faces made her want to puke, so that idea was off the table.
Maybe she could just spend the rest of her life living on the streets and sleeping in dumpsters… Hah, that would be fitting… But what if she ran into somebody who knew her from school? Oh god, they'd probably think something like 'Wow, didn't I go to school with that girl? And now she's living in a dumpster? I'm sure glad I'm not in her position.' Ugh, that'd be even worse than the garbage she'd have stuck on her from all the dumpsters she slept in! Yeah, spending her life living in alleyway dumpsters was definitely out of the picture…
Before she could come up with a suitable alternative to homelessness, she'd ended up at Ginza station. It was less busy because of the hour, but there were still plenty of people standing around. Wait… How the heck is she supposed to find the person who's waiting for her? All she was told was that a 'sorcerer' would meet up with her at Ginza station. It only now occurred to her the absurdity of the whole situation.
Maybe it was just some weird prank to make her show up alone to a subway platform like an idiot… "Hah… This is the worst…" As the words left her mouth, she looked up through the crowd of people. Standing right behind a balding businessman was someone strange. It was a woman with a striking scar across the right of her face and a bow styling her black hair. Despite the scar, she was undeniably beautiful. But weirder than the scar was the traditional miko outfit she was wearing, looking like she came straight out of a shrine... She was the exact type of intimidating presence that Hitori wanted to avoid the most…
She spent so long staring at the scarred woman that she eventually got noticed. The woman made eye contact. Oh, god, now the woman was waving at her expectantly and coming over to say something. "You're Hitori Gotoh, right?" Her smile contrasted her intimidating appearance.
"I… Uh-" She fumbled for the right words, looking anywhere but the woman's eyes. "W-Who's askin'?" What?! Don't say something cringe like that! This is real life, not an action movie!
The woman, for her part, just smirked and laughed. "I'm Utahime Iori, supervisor and teacher of first years at Kyoto Metropolitan Curse Technical College. But you can call me Utahime-sensei." She looked threatening but once she spoke she gave off the aura of a truly responsible adult.
"O-Okay… I'm Hitori Gotoh. Uh, I'm… I play guitar." Wow, talk about lame. Her self-introduction fell totally flat when compared to this woman's.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Hitori. I hope we can get along." Even worse than being a terrible person, it seemed like Utahime was actually kind. "Now, come along. It's a two hour ride to Kyoto, after all."
"W-We're going all the way to Kyoto? That's so far…" She said, following behind.
"Of course. There are only two schools for Jujutsu Sorcery in all of Japan, after all. And in an effort to even out the numbers, they decided that you would enroll with us in Kyoto." She explained as they boarded the train, entering a nearly empty train car.
"Couldn't they have at least considered the fact that I already live in Tokyo…?" She muttered quietly, not expecting to be heard.
"Hah, that's true. But the damned higher-ups seem to enjoy sewing that sense of uncertainty in my students; they always end up putting people in whatever school is farthest from their homes. Kasumi Miwa, a second year student, is from Tokyo as well. Maybe you both could bond?" She said. Hitori sighed, slumping over in the train seat.
She couldn't imagine herself bonding with a second-year, but she didn't voice that out loud. Instead she just sat with her knees pulled up. "I guess it makes sense." Maybe being far away from home was a small blessing. At least she wouldn't have to see anyone who would recognize her from school. Oh, but now that she was leaving, they'd all probably forget she even existed… "Ah, is this what it means to go off the grid…?" Her soul left her body.
"What are you talking about?" Utahime shot her a look. "Regardless, why don't I take the time to ask about you? What sort of things do you enjoy, Hitori?"
The dreaded personal question. The nemesis of any high schooler with social anxiety. On those sheets you'd get in school that ask your favorite color or what movies you enjoy, Hitori would always just put the most popular answer in order not to stand out. When asked if she had any special talents, she would always answer with some variation of 'No, I don't'. "I… I don't enjoy anything in particular." She finally answered Utahime after a whole minute of silence.
"Come on, surely there's something you enjoy." She said, her voice disbelieving.
"Well, uh… I play guitar. But that doesn't really count…" She said, staring at her feet.
A hand patted her shoulder and nearly made her jump out of her seat. "It's alright to have interests, you know? Having hobbies is important to Jujutsu Sorcerers. It helps us keep our minds away from… everything."
Hitori shuddered as she looked down. If that was supposed to be encouraging, she sure didn't feel it. Just what kind of things did Sorcerers see to talk this way?! "Ah, I guess…"
"Personally, I enjoy baseball and karaoke." Utahime managed to catch Hitori's attention with that. "There's a karaoke bar out by the school grounds. Me and some of the managers head there. Though there's always this annoying guy who shows up." She grumbled.
Hitori surprised even herself when she weakly laughed. "Hah… I wish I had friends like that." She said wistfully, leaning back into the train's seat.
There was a long pause and almost immediately Hitori thought she'd said something wrong. That with her limited social skills she had managed to conjure the exact set of wrong words to end any further conversation. But luckily, Utahime spoke after a moment. "I'm certain that at Kyoto Jujutsu High, you will meet plenty of great friends. I promise you that."
"Ah." Hitori didn't believe her, but she never voiced that opinion. Even cursed energy couldn't make her have friends. The rest of the ride passed in relative silence. Hitori found a particularly interesting spot of dirt on the floor to stare at while the train rode on.
"It looks like we've already arrived." The scarred woman spoke, breaking Hitori from a deep internal monologue that had been brewing in her head. She stood up and dusted off her dress. "Let's go."
Hitori really couldn't do anything but follow the woman, so she did.
~~~~~~
When she imagined what a school for sorcerers would look like, she'd probably think of something like a castle. Or maybe a plot of land with fire erupting from the ground… something straight from hell. She may be confusing her imagination for her nightmares.
Regardless of any expectations she had for the school, they were all immediately blown away as she walked along the pathway. Kyoto Jujutsu High was on the outskirts of the historic city, but it still carried a similar charm, with all the buildings looking like temples. The trees were all blossoming in the spring weather and made sure to cover most of the school from outside with their pink leaves.
And… It was massive. There were plenty of smaller temples all around the landscape, but the center of it all was a huge, multistory building, consisting of several sloped kirizuma roofs. It gave the impression of an incredibly old town, which felt a couple hundred years behind the rest of Kyoto.
Utahime led her along the path until they reached a fork in the road. Instead of walking forward to the massive building, they took a left turn. "H-Huh? Where are we going…?" Hitori wondered aloud.
Utahime smiled. "We're heading to meet with the principal. There's so few students who enter Jujutsu Schools that he likes to greet each one personally."
"Ehhh?!" Her eyes widened with panic. "T-The principal…?! Can't we start with somebody a little lower down on the job ladder?! L-Like an intern or a janitor?"
"And just what would talking to a janitor accomplish?" She deadpanned. "He's not as intimidating as he sounds; truthfully he's just an old geezer. Don't let him know I said that, though."
"If you say so…" They approached one of the side buildings which seemed more weathered than those around it. It was slightly more modern than everything around it, but even that wasn't saying much. And the moss growing up the side of its stone walls spoke to the fact that it's been here long before the modern day.
Utahime slid the sliding door open and walked in. "Principal Gakuganji. I have brought the newest student."
"Ah, yes… That was today, wasn't it?" An elderly voice came from inside.
Hitori took a nervous step inside the building to be greeted with a much more modern interior than the outside. It looked like a basic principal's office from any school. With a wooden desk and shelves behind it. More striking than any of the room's interior though… was the sight of the man sitting behind that desk.
A bald old man with a long beard of gray hair. A familiar old man. Her eyes widened and she was stunned into silence.
"You are… Futari?" The man spoke, his own eyes opening to look at her in shock.
The reason the elderly man, who was supposedly this place's principal, seemed so familiar… "G-Grandpa?! Wha- I'm Hitori! Not Futari! I know I'm forgettable but that still hurts…!"
Next to her, Utahime looked between them both as if she had finally lost her mind.
She didn't accomplish anything of value in those six days. In fact, she paid even less attention to classes than usual. Because what did the quadratic formula matter when there were evil spirits floating in the air? Perhaps the solution to her problems lay within algebraic notation and by neglecting it she was simply sealing herself further into this fate.
Outside of ignoring her classes and having a total of zero friends (the usual), she also continued to see signs of spirits around her (unusual). They never did anything. At worst, they'd make uncomfortable eye contact with her or make sounds like laughter from behind her whenever she looked away. But they had still become an undeniable presence in her life. It's not like she could talk to anyone about them. She didn't have any friends to talk to about anything. Let alone all the ideas about curses and energy that floated around in her head.
So, just like she usually does when she feels alone in an uncaring world, she shut herself in the closet and focused on guitar. She'd perform covers of popular songs and focus on piecing together all this talk of spirits and energy. Weirdly enough, it was far easier to accept the existence of the supernatural than it was to talk to people her age. So she found herself channeling her 'cursed energy' (as it was supposedly called) whenever she played guitar. Never for long bursts and never to any serious results, but if there was anything Hitori knew how to do, it was dedicating hours of time to something she was unfamiliar with.
By the seventh day… Well, she wasn't good at it. A useless sea urchin like her was lucky to manifest the glow of blue around her hands and guitar strings for more than a minute. But she understood it. And importantly, she now knew what Akari Nitta had meant when she said that understanding a cursed technique was as simple as breathing.
Her cursed technique…
"Sis! You have to go to the station already! You're not going to make it to your new school while stuck in there. All the people you meet today will think you smell like a sweaty old closet!" Her cursed technique was currently having its explanation interrupted by her little sister pounding on the closet door and delivering very harsh criticism.
"F-Fine…" She stumbled over herself while standing up. Putting her guitar into its case, she left the closet. "And don't joke about the way people smell, Futari… T-That kind of stuff can really hurt somebody's self-confidence and make them want to jump into a volcano…" She patted her sister's shoulder as she delivered her sagely wisdom.
"You got it, Sis! You don't smell like a musty closet at all!" For some reason, her sister's smiling face while saying those words… It hurt even more! She groaned as she packed up some clothes and band merch into her bag. "Before you go, Sis! Let me show you the new song I learned!" She ran out of the room with her arms behind her back, returning with their families acoustic guitar moments later.
"Okay, let's hear it…!" Hitori smiled weakly. She zipped her duffle bag shut and turned her full attention to her sister holding the guitar that was way too big to her.
"La~ La la la… Ka blah blah nahh…." Her sister happily sang nonsense words as she strummed a few chords back and forth, occasionally stumbling over a few notes and pausing to find her place. Once she was done, the pink-haired girl looked up to her sister expectantly.
Hitori, for all her anxiety and jealousy, loved her sister. "It was great, Futari. If you keep working like that, one day you'll be even better than me." She patted the girl's head. And she meant those words.
"Thanks! All my friends totally loved that song too when I played it earlier!" Ack! There it was, Futari effortlessly trampled on Hitori's sense of pride as a big sister by reminding her that at age five, her sister had more friends than she had at age fifteen. A total failure.
"I'm sorry you have a water flea of a sister, Futari… I have failed you…" She muttered and her sister just tilted her head at her.
"Whatever you say, Sis!"
Hitori managed to pick up the pieces of her fractured ego along with her duffle bag. "Alright, um… Guess I'm going…" She walked out her room and into the living room, where her parents met her with proud smiles. She wished the ice bath she took last night had worked and given her a cold… damn you strong immune system…!
Now that she's stuck facing these expectant looks and proud expressions, there's no way she could just stay home. "To think, my little girl, going out into the world! We're both so proud of you, Hitori!" Her father waved to her. No amount of supposed pride makes it seem less like he's just happy to see her finally leaving.
"Thanks…" She turned to the door, breathed, and left.
The last thing she saw before stepping into the world was her family's smiling faces.
~~~~~~
Hitori had definitely considered just walking around the streets of Tokyo with no clear direction and then eventually going back home with some excuse for her parents. But the thought of their disappointed faces made her want to puke, so that idea was off the table.
Maybe she could just spend the rest of her life living on the streets and sleeping in dumpsters… Hah, that would be fitting… But what if she ran into somebody who knew her from school? Oh god, they'd probably think something like 'Wow, didn't I go to school with that girl? And now she's living in a dumpster? I'm sure glad I'm not in her position.' Ugh, that'd be even worse than the garbage she'd have stuck on her from all the dumpsters she slept in! Yeah, spending her life living in alleyway dumpsters was definitely out of the picture…
Before she could come up with a suitable alternative to homelessness, she'd ended up at Ginza station. It was less busy because of the hour, but there were still plenty of people standing around. Wait… How the heck is she supposed to find the person who's waiting for her? All she was told was that a 'sorcerer' would meet up with her at Ginza station. It only now occurred to her the absurdity of the whole situation.
Maybe it was just some weird prank to make her show up alone to a subway platform like an idiot… "Hah… This is the worst…" As the words left her mouth, she looked up through the crowd of people. Standing right behind a balding businessman was someone strange. It was a woman with a striking scar across the right of her face and a bow styling her black hair. Despite the scar, she was undeniably beautiful. But weirder than the scar was the traditional miko outfit she was wearing, looking like she came straight out of a shrine... She was the exact type of intimidating presence that Hitori wanted to avoid the most…
She spent so long staring at the scarred woman that she eventually got noticed. The woman made eye contact. Oh, god, now the woman was waving at her expectantly and coming over to say something. "You're Hitori Gotoh, right?" Her smile contrasted her intimidating appearance.
"I… Uh-" She fumbled for the right words, looking anywhere but the woman's eyes. "W-Who's askin'?" What?! Don't say something cringe like that! This is real life, not an action movie!
The woman, for her part, just smirked and laughed. "I'm Utahime Iori, supervisor and teacher of first years at Kyoto Metropolitan Curse Technical College. But you can call me Utahime-sensei." She looked threatening but once she spoke she gave off the aura of a truly responsible adult.
"O-Okay… I'm Hitori Gotoh. Uh, I'm… I play guitar." Wow, talk about lame. Her self-introduction fell totally flat when compared to this woman's.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Hitori. I hope we can get along." Even worse than being a terrible person, it seemed like Utahime was actually kind. "Now, come along. It's a two hour ride to Kyoto, after all."
"W-We're going all the way to Kyoto? That's so far…" She said, following behind.
"Of course. There are only two schools for Jujutsu Sorcery in all of Japan, after all. And in an effort to even out the numbers, they decided that you would enroll with us in Kyoto." She explained as they boarded the train, entering a nearly empty train car.
"Couldn't they have at least considered the fact that I already live in Tokyo…?" She muttered quietly, not expecting to be heard.
"Hah, that's true. But the damned higher-ups seem to enjoy sewing that sense of uncertainty in my students; they always end up putting people in whatever school is farthest from their homes. Kasumi Miwa, a second year student, is from Tokyo as well. Maybe you both could bond?" She said. Hitori sighed, slumping over in the train seat.
She couldn't imagine herself bonding with a second-year, but she didn't voice that out loud. Instead she just sat with her knees pulled up. "I guess it makes sense." Maybe being far away from home was a small blessing. At least she wouldn't have to see anyone who would recognize her from school. Oh, but now that she was leaving, they'd all probably forget she even existed… "Ah, is this what it means to go off the grid…?" Her soul left her body.
"What are you talking about?" Utahime shot her a look. "Regardless, why don't I take the time to ask about you? What sort of things do you enjoy, Hitori?"
The dreaded personal question. The nemesis of any high schooler with social anxiety. On those sheets you'd get in school that ask your favorite color or what movies you enjoy, Hitori would always just put the most popular answer in order not to stand out. When asked if she had any special talents, she would always answer with some variation of 'No, I don't'. "I… I don't enjoy anything in particular." She finally answered Utahime after a whole minute of silence.
"Come on, surely there's something you enjoy." She said, her voice disbelieving.
"Well, uh… I play guitar. But that doesn't really count…" She said, staring at her feet.
A hand patted her shoulder and nearly made her jump out of her seat. "It's alright to have interests, you know? Having hobbies is important to Jujutsu Sorcerers. It helps us keep our minds away from… everything."
Hitori shuddered as she looked down. If that was supposed to be encouraging, she sure didn't feel it. Just what kind of things did Sorcerers see to talk this way?! "Ah, I guess…"
"Personally, I enjoy baseball and karaoke." Utahime managed to catch Hitori's attention with that. "There's a karaoke bar out by the school grounds. Me and some of the managers head there. Though there's always this annoying guy who shows up." She grumbled.
Hitori surprised even herself when she weakly laughed. "Hah… I wish I had friends like that." She said wistfully, leaning back into the train's seat.
There was a long pause and almost immediately Hitori thought she'd said something wrong. That with her limited social skills she had managed to conjure the exact set of wrong words to end any further conversation. But luckily, Utahime spoke after a moment. "I'm certain that at Kyoto Jujutsu High, you will meet plenty of great friends. I promise you that."
"Ah." Hitori didn't believe her, but she never voiced that opinion. Even cursed energy couldn't make her have friends. The rest of the ride passed in relative silence. Hitori found a particularly interesting spot of dirt on the floor to stare at while the train rode on.
"It looks like we've already arrived." The scarred woman spoke, breaking Hitori from a deep internal monologue that had been brewing in her head. She stood up and dusted off her dress. "Let's go."
Hitori really couldn't do anything but follow the woman, so she did.
~~~~~~
When she imagined what a school for sorcerers would look like, she'd probably think of something like a castle. Or maybe a plot of land with fire erupting from the ground… something straight from hell. She may be confusing her imagination for her nightmares.
Regardless of any expectations she had for the school, they were all immediately blown away as she walked along the pathway. Kyoto Jujutsu High was on the outskirts of the historic city, but it still carried a similar charm, with all the buildings looking like temples. The trees were all blossoming in the spring weather and made sure to cover most of the school from outside with their pink leaves.
And… It was massive. There were plenty of smaller temples all around the landscape, but the center of it all was a huge, multistory building, consisting of several sloped kirizuma roofs. It gave the impression of an incredibly old town, which felt a couple hundred years behind the rest of Kyoto.
Utahime led her along the path until they reached a fork in the road. Instead of walking forward to the massive building, they took a left turn. "H-Huh? Where are we going…?" Hitori wondered aloud.
Utahime smiled. "We're heading to meet with the principal. There's so few students who enter Jujutsu Schools that he likes to greet each one personally."
"Ehhh?!" Her eyes widened with panic. "T-The principal…?! Can't we start with somebody a little lower down on the job ladder?! L-Like an intern or a janitor?"
"And just what would talking to a janitor accomplish?" She deadpanned. "He's not as intimidating as he sounds; truthfully he's just an old geezer. Don't let him know I said that, though."
"If you say so…" They approached one of the side buildings which seemed more weathered than those around it. It was slightly more modern than everything around it, but even that wasn't saying much. And the moss growing up the side of its stone walls spoke to the fact that it's been here long before the modern day.
Utahime slid the sliding door open and walked in. "Principal Gakuganji. I have brought the newest student."
"Ah, yes… That was today, wasn't it?" An elderly voice came from inside.
Hitori took a nervous step inside the building to be greeted with a much more modern interior than the outside. It looked like a basic principal's office from any school. With a wooden desk and shelves behind it. More striking than any of the room's interior though… was the sight of the man sitting behind that desk.
A bald old man with a long beard of gray hair. A familiar old man. Her eyes widened and she was stunned into silence.
"You are… Futari?" The man spoke, his own eyes opening to look at her in shock.
The reason the elderly man, who was supposedly this place's principal, seemed so familiar… "G-Grandpa?! Wha- I'm Hitori! Not Futari! I know I'm forgettable but that still hurts…!"
Next to her, Utahime looked between them both as if she had finally lost her mind.
- Location
- Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Ah yes, the best character... FraudBocchi the Infinite.
Chapter 2.2: Sunday Bloody Sunday
Yoshinobu Gakuganji was, in most respects, a decent sorcerer. At least, he would like to think so. He's lived a long life, which was far more than many others in his field could say. In a job filled to the brim with people so ready to lay down their lives, he was one of the few to make it over the age of sixty.
He didn't end up where he was now without his share of sacrifices though. He was simply wise about when to make them and weighing the odds. He wasn't proud of the sacrifices he made, but they are the reason he's alive at all. So that must count for something.
The Gakuganji family is a name that carries with it some weight in the Jujutsu world. It wasn't as feared as the Kamo or as respected as the Zenin, but it still held weight. The issue with the Gakuganji clan has always been their ability to provide results.
Even the Gojo clan, which went nearly four hundred years without an heir to their technique, still provided some of the strongest, most capable sorcerers of their time. They weren't reliant on cursed techniques like the Gakuganji family was.
No greater failure is as representative of the Gakuganji clan than Yoshinobu's own son, Naoki Gakuganji. Or Naoki Gotoh, after he took that woman's last name in their marriage. A man born to a sorcerer family with no cursed technique and nowhere near enough cursed energy to even see spirits, let alone fight them.
Yoshinobu is not proud of how he treated his son, isolating him from the rest of their family. But he knew it was for the best. To protect him. He did not rise to where he is now without making sacrifices. His son was simply another on that long list. Perhaps that's why he hasn't spoken to him since they had their second daughter. How long ago was that now…? Certainly more than five years. He no longer bothered to visit, and when he did it was painfully awkward. He really should have checked up by now…
So when he was greeted by a head of pink hair, standing in front of him with a guitar on her back, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "You are… Futari?!" His youngest grandchild stood in front of him. He knew it had been awhile, but for her to have grown to be a highschooler already… Time certainly flies. Her hair was long and messy and she was carrying both a guitar and a duffle bag.
"G-Grandpa?! Wha- I'm Hitori! Not Futari! I know I'm forgettable but that still hurts…!" Her expression was just as baffled as his own.
Off to the side, Utahime glanced back and forth between them. "You two are… related?" She said it as if it was hard to believe.
No, the girl standing before her was… Hitori Gotoh. The firstborn daughter of his son. That shouldn't be possible. Of course he knew there was always a chance of her awakening a cursed technique, but he thought he'd made sure he shut off that possibility. "Tell me, Hitori…" He straightened his back. "What is your cursed technique?"
~~~~~~~
Hitori's eyes must have been bugging out because there was totally no way this was her grandfather… She had so many questions she wanted to ask but lacked the confidence to say! And instead of answering any questions at all, the man sitting behind that desk simply asked for her cursed technique…!
"My… cursed technique?"
Utahime sat down in a seat beside her grandfather, giving her a curious look as well. "I suppose I never did ask for your cursed technique, did I?"
Oh please whatever higher being exists… Strike her down so that this awkward silence and anticipation may end. After properly imagining getting struck by lightning, she breathed in, and then out. "My cursed technique… W-Well, I don't fully understand it yet but it's like a guitar… I've been calling it 'Six String Orchestra.'" She repeated the name of the technique that had practically named itself, and cringed. In her six days of practice, whenever she conjured cursed energy, these strings of cursed energy would form in front of her fingers…
"Six strings?!" Her grandfather breathed in. Even Utahime looked taken aback by it too.
"A-Ah, is something wrong with it? I thought the name was kind of lame too, am I allowed to change it…?" She asked.
"No, the name is fine. The issue lies in the fact that…" Principal Gakuganji struggled to find the words.
"The six strings is a cursed technique predating the existence of the classical six-stringed guitar." Utahime picked up once his words drifted off. "It's incredibly dangerous. Although, of the few users to ever have the technique, only one has ever managed to bring out its potential. The last person to have it."
"What have you done with your technique so far?" Her grandfather recovered and asked. Something hidden behind his widened eyes.
Why did this suddenly feel more and more like an interrogation?! "W-When I use my cursed energy, six strings appear in front of my fingers… They don't do anything when I pluck them besides make a sound. But if I pour cursed energy into them, the first string starts to glow…" She thought back on the string when she had imbued energy into it, filling up like a meter in a video game. "I can also use it while playing guitar. The strings glow brighter when I do." When she used the cursed technique along with her guitar, it had overlaid the strings of cursed energy with the regular guitar strings.
"There's no doubt about it. That's the six string technique." Gakuganji sighed and stroked his beard.
"Sorry, I still don't understand… A-Am I going to get executed for this in order to stop my power from taking over…? O-Or am I going to have my limbs cut off again and again to feed the village?!" She fumbled with her hands, wobbling where she stood.
"What kind of messed up manga have you been reading, kid?" Utahime tilted her head at her.
"No, nothing of the sort. It probably isn't as big of a deal as I'm making it seem." He closed his eyes and smiled. "Yes, the Six Strings are a powerful cursed technique, with each string growing stronger once you provide them with enough cursed energy. It's more apt to call it the ability to control cursed energy via music… And vice versa. But only the fifth string holds real danger. And since the cursed energy required increases exponentially with each string… Only one person has ever used the fifth string in recorded history."
Hitori tried to process all the new information filling her mind. At first she had considered her technique to just be a couple useless strings. But the way he spoke about it made it sound like something to be feared. Well- something to be feared when in the hands of somebody competent. Which she definitely wasn't. "Oh. So uh- you won't kill me?" She asked for confirmation.
"No, we are not going to kill you." Gakuganji said with a knowing smile. "If strength alone were a reason to execute somebody then Satoru Gojo would long since be dead."
"As if that bastard could get killed." Utahime glared at the air around her. Hitori had no idea who this Gojo person was, but if he managed to get people to react like this… He must be really popular.
"Haha, you're right." Gakuganji gave a pained laugh. "Alright… Utahime, guide Futari to her dorm room. It's getting late."
"U-Ummm… It's Hitori, not Futari…" She muttered.
"What was that?" He asked, holding his ear out to her. "I couldn't hear you!"
"Nevermind…" She slumped over.
"It's alright, Hitori. He doesn't remember most of the students' names either." Utahime had stood up and was gesturing for Hitori to follow along.
"I'm his granddaughter though…" She sighed and followed Utahime-sensei outside. For her part, Hitori was happy to get out of that stuffy office and breathe in some fresh air. That had been more than enough conversation for the next week at least. Her limited social battery was completely depleted.
~~~~~~
The dorm building was long and despite how thin it was, the narrow hallways inside seemed easy to get lost in, with at least a few pointless turns that led nowhere or just brought you right outside.
"This will be your room." Utahime pulled open the door to a room, and inside was a large open space, with a bed in one of the corners with a nightstand, and a desk directly in the opposite corner. It had a massive glass window, giving a view of the outside forestry. For a loner like her who spent most of her time inside a closet, it was downright spacious.
"S-Seriously?! You're letting me live here? You're not going to just hide me in a box and forget I exist?" It was hard to believe.
"What kind of people do you think Jujutsu Sorcerers are? We wouldn't give you a bad living space. There are so few students that we can afford to have large rooms like this." She explained as Hitori set down her things on the bed. "Now let me show you around."
Right as she'd started getting comfortable in the unfamiliar room, she was dragged out of it. "To the left of you is the bathroom and there's also a kitchen if you turn right and carry forward. You'll find storage closets filled with supplies for any of your needs near there, as well as food."
"So much information…" She murmured.
"You'll memorize it all pretty quickly, don't worry too much. Now let's have you meet your fellow first year." And then, she walked over to a dorm room that was right next to Hitori's and knocked on its door.
"E-Ehh…?! You seriously want me to talk to somebody?!" Her eyes widened, fearing what was on the other side of the door.
Before she could make a tactical retreat, the door opened just enough to reveal a boy's dark eyes. "What is it…?" He peeked through the crack in the door and then opened it fully. "Oh, it's just you Utahime-sensei. Do you need anything?" His attitude immediately shifted upon seeing their teacher.
"I'm here to introduce you to your fellow first year student, Hitori Gotoh." Utahime gestured to the pink haired girl… as if Hitori was worth being introduced to.
The boy stepped out and now she could get a much clearer view of him. He had straight blonde hair that went to his chin and his uniform(?) looked like it was designed to resemble a butler's outfit, with a gray vest and dark tailcoat. He was even wearing white gloves. "Oh. It's nice to meet you." He said with a weak smile. He seemed sort of familiar, actually…
Hitori took a full minute to speak. "My name is Hitori Gotoh!! N-Nice to meet you! I hope we can get along!" She bowed so deeply that her head nearly hit the ground.
"Uh- the bowing isn't really necessary, we're both first years after all. My name's Arata Nitta." He rubbed his neck. Oh! So that's why he looked familiar, he was related to the woman who went to her house and dragged her into this school against her will! Though Hitori couldn't really blame anyone other than herself for agreeing to this…
Utahime-sensei smiled. "It's important for you both to be acquainted with one another. Since you are both first years you'll likely be sent out on missions together."
"Are we the only first years…?" She asked. That would be totally nerve-wracking; only having one fellow student… What if he hated her? Wait- would that be better or worse than having a large class of people who all vaguely disliked and ignored her? She couldn't decide…
"Pretty much. Though there will be one more. You'll both come with me to greet her on monday." She explained, immediately driving Hitori's nerves up a wall. Monday… it was already Saturday so that meant in only two days she'd have to be ready to meet a new classmate?! Maybe she should spend the next 24 hours searching for a hiding spot…
Arata seemed significantly calmer than Hitori. "Okay, I'll be ready. Also, Utahime-sensei… Can you tell Todo-senpai to stop barging into my room…? A couple days ago he showed up asking weird questions. I thought our rooms were supposed to be secured." Hitori had no idea who Todo-senpai was, but she guessed that Jujutsu Sorcerers were mostly crazy people, so hearing about him invading Arata's room didn't concern her as much as it probably should have.
Utahime just sighed and smiled. "I'll try and talk to him about it when he returns from his current mission."
"Thank you. Uh, bye. Nice meeting you." He waved and walked back into his dorm room. Hitori awkwardly waved as the door shut.
"Hah, that third year… I should teach him some sense before he becomes a fully-fledged sorcerer. If that's even possible." Utahime turned her attention to Hitori. "Alright. We won't have any classes or anything tomorrow since it's Sunday, so take the time to rest and adjust to the school. Your uniform should be in your room, let me know if it doesn't fit or if you want to adjust it."
"U-Uh… Ah. Alright." Hitori spoke weakly.
Utahime turned to walk away. "Feel free to decorate your dorm room however you wish, it's yours for the next four years." She smiled and began walking, only to stop in her tracks and face her. "Oh, and Hitori. You're doing great. Try not to stress, okay?" Utahime-sensei smiled once more before walking off.
She's doing great? It sure didn't feel like it…
When she went back into her room, she didn't waste any time in passing out on the bed. That night, she did not dream.
He didn't end up where he was now without his share of sacrifices though. He was simply wise about when to make them and weighing the odds. He wasn't proud of the sacrifices he made, but they are the reason he's alive at all. So that must count for something.
The Gakuganji family is a name that carries with it some weight in the Jujutsu world. It wasn't as feared as the Kamo or as respected as the Zenin, but it still held weight. The issue with the Gakuganji clan has always been their ability to provide results.
Even the Gojo clan, which went nearly four hundred years without an heir to their technique, still provided some of the strongest, most capable sorcerers of their time. They weren't reliant on cursed techniques like the Gakuganji family was.
No greater failure is as representative of the Gakuganji clan than Yoshinobu's own son, Naoki Gakuganji. Or Naoki Gotoh, after he took that woman's last name in their marriage. A man born to a sorcerer family with no cursed technique and nowhere near enough cursed energy to even see spirits, let alone fight them.
Yoshinobu is not proud of how he treated his son, isolating him from the rest of their family. But he knew it was for the best. To protect him. He did not rise to where he is now without making sacrifices. His son was simply another on that long list. Perhaps that's why he hasn't spoken to him since they had their second daughter. How long ago was that now…? Certainly more than five years. He no longer bothered to visit, and when he did it was painfully awkward. He really should have checked up by now…
So when he was greeted by a head of pink hair, standing in front of him with a guitar on her back, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "You are… Futari?!" His youngest grandchild stood in front of him. He knew it had been awhile, but for her to have grown to be a highschooler already… Time certainly flies. Her hair was long and messy and she was carrying both a guitar and a duffle bag.
"G-Grandpa?! Wha- I'm Hitori! Not Futari! I know I'm forgettable but that still hurts…!" Her expression was just as baffled as his own.
Off to the side, Utahime glanced back and forth between them. "You two are… related?" She said it as if it was hard to believe.
No, the girl standing before her was… Hitori Gotoh. The firstborn daughter of his son. That shouldn't be possible. Of course he knew there was always a chance of her awakening a cursed technique, but he thought he'd made sure he shut off that possibility. "Tell me, Hitori…" He straightened his back. "What is your cursed technique?"
~~~~~~~
Hitori's eyes must have been bugging out because there was totally no way this was her grandfather… She had so many questions she wanted to ask but lacked the confidence to say! And instead of answering any questions at all, the man sitting behind that desk simply asked for her cursed technique…!
"My… cursed technique?"
Utahime sat down in a seat beside her grandfather, giving her a curious look as well. "I suppose I never did ask for your cursed technique, did I?"
Oh please whatever higher being exists… Strike her down so that this awkward silence and anticipation may end. After properly imagining getting struck by lightning, she breathed in, and then out. "My cursed technique… W-Well, I don't fully understand it yet but it's like a guitar… I've been calling it 'Six String Orchestra.'" She repeated the name of the technique that had practically named itself, and cringed. In her six days of practice, whenever she conjured cursed energy, these strings of cursed energy would form in front of her fingers…
"Six strings?!" Her grandfather breathed in. Even Utahime looked taken aback by it too.
"A-Ah, is something wrong with it? I thought the name was kind of lame too, am I allowed to change it…?" She asked.
"No, the name is fine. The issue lies in the fact that…" Principal Gakuganji struggled to find the words.
"The six strings is a cursed technique predating the existence of the classical six-stringed guitar." Utahime picked up once his words drifted off. "It's incredibly dangerous. Although, of the few users to ever have the technique, only one has ever managed to bring out its potential. The last person to have it."
"What have you done with your technique so far?" Her grandfather recovered and asked. Something hidden behind his widened eyes.
Why did this suddenly feel more and more like an interrogation?! "W-When I use my cursed energy, six strings appear in front of my fingers… They don't do anything when I pluck them besides make a sound. But if I pour cursed energy into them, the first string starts to glow…" She thought back on the string when she had imbued energy into it, filling up like a meter in a video game. "I can also use it while playing guitar. The strings glow brighter when I do." When she used the cursed technique along with her guitar, it had overlaid the strings of cursed energy with the regular guitar strings.
"There's no doubt about it. That's the six string technique." Gakuganji sighed and stroked his beard.
"Sorry, I still don't understand… A-Am I going to get executed for this in order to stop my power from taking over…? O-Or am I going to have my limbs cut off again and again to feed the village?!" She fumbled with her hands, wobbling where she stood.
"What kind of messed up manga have you been reading, kid?" Utahime tilted her head at her.
"No, nothing of the sort. It probably isn't as big of a deal as I'm making it seem." He closed his eyes and smiled. "Yes, the Six Strings are a powerful cursed technique, with each string growing stronger once you provide them with enough cursed energy. It's more apt to call it the ability to control cursed energy via music… And vice versa. But only the fifth string holds real danger. And since the cursed energy required increases exponentially with each string… Only one person has ever used the fifth string in recorded history."
Hitori tried to process all the new information filling her mind. At first she had considered her technique to just be a couple useless strings. But the way he spoke about it made it sound like something to be feared. Well- something to be feared when in the hands of somebody competent. Which she definitely wasn't. "Oh. So uh- you won't kill me?" She asked for confirmation.
"No, we are not going to kill you." Gakuganji said with a knowing smile. "If strength alone were a reason to execute somebody then Satoru Gojo would long since be dead."
"As if that bastard could get killed." Utahime glared at the air around her. Hitori had no idea who this Gojo person was, but if he managed to get people to react like this… He must be really popular.
"Haha, you're right." Gakuganji gave a pained laugh. "Alright… Utahime, guide Futari to her dorm room. It's getting late."
"U-Ummm… It's Hitori, not Futari…" She muttered.
"What was that?" He asked, holding his ear out to her. "I couldn't hear you!"
"Nevermind…" She slumped over.
"It's alright, Hitori. He doesn't remember most of the students' names either." Utahime had stood up and was gesturing for Hitori to follow along.
"I'm his granddaughter though…" She sighed and followed Utahime-sensei outside. For her part, Hitori was happy to get out of that stuffy office and breathe in some fresh air. That had been more than enough conversation for the next week at least. Her limited social battery was completely depleted.
~~~~~~
The dorm building was long and despite how thin it was, the narrow hallways inside seemed easy to get lost in, with at least a few pointless turns that led nowhere or just brought you right outside.
"This will be your room." Utahime pulled open the door to a room, and inside was a large open space, with a bed in one of the corners with a nightstand, and a desk directly in the opposite corner. It had a massive glass window, giving a view of the outside forestry. For a loner like her who spent most of her time inside a closet, it was downright spacious.
"S-Seriously?! You're letting me live here? You're not going to just hide me in a box and forget I exist?" It was hard to believe.
"What kind of people do you think Jujutsu Sorcerers are? We wouldn't give you a bad living space. There are so few students that we can afford to have large rooms like this." She explained as Hitori set down her things on the bed. "Now let me show you around."
Right as she'd started getting comfortable in the unfamiliar room, she was dragged out of it. "To the left of you is the bathroom and there's also a kitchen if you turn right and carry forward. You'll find storage closets filled with supplies for any of your needs near there, as well as food."
"So much information…" She murmured.
"You'll memorize it all pretty quickly, don't worry too much. Now let's have you meet your fellow first year." And then, she walked over to a dorm room that was right next to Hitori's and knocked on its door.
"E-Ehh…?! You seriously want me to talk to somebody?!" Her eyes widened, fearing what was on the other side of the door.
Before she could make a tactical retreat, the door opened just enough to reveal a boy's dark eyes. "What is it…?" He peeked through the crack in the door and then opened it fully. "Oh, it's just you Utahime-sensei. Do you need anything?" His attitude immediately shifted upon seeing their teacher.
"I'm here to introduce you to your fellow first year student, Hitori Gotoh." Utahime gestured to the pink haired girl… as if Hitori was worth being introduced to.
The boy stepped out and now she could get a much clearer view of him. He had straight blonde hair that went to his chin and his uniform(?) looked like it was designed to resemble a butler's outfit, with a gray vest and dark tailcoat. He was even wearing white gloves. "Oh. It's nice to meet you." He said with a weak smile. He seemed sort of familiar, actually…
Hitori took a full minute to speak. "My name is Hitori Gotoh!! N-Nice to meet you! I hope we can get along!" She bowed so deeply that her head nearly hit the ground.
"Uh- the bowing isn't really necessary, we're both first years after all. My name's Arata Nitta." He rubbed his neck. Oh! So that's why he looked familiar, he was related to the woman who went to her house and dragged her into this school against her will! Though Hitori couldn't really blame anyone other than herself for agreeing to this…
Utahime-sensei smiled. "It's important for you both to be acquainted with one another. Since you are both first years you'll likely be sent out on missions together."
"Are we the only first years…?" She asked. That would be totally nerve-wracking; only having one fellow student… What if he hated her? Wait- would that be better or worse than having a large class of people who all vaguely disliked and ignored her? She couldn't decide…
"Pretty much. Though there will be one more. You'll both come with me to greet her on monday." She explained, immediately driving Hitori's nerves up a wall. Monday… it was already Saturday so that meant in only two days she'd have to be ready to meet a new classmate?! Maybe she should spend the next 24 hours searching for a hiding spot…
Arata seemed significantly calmer than Hitori. "Okay, I'll be ready. Also, Utahime-sensei… Can you tell Todo-senpai to stop barging into my room…? A couple days ago he showed up asking weird questions. I thought our rooms were supposed to be secured." Hitori had no idea who Todo-senpai was, but she guessed that Jujutsu Sorcerers were mostly crazy people, so hearing about him invading Arata's room didn't concern her as much as it probably should have.
Utahime just sighed and smiled. "I'll try and talk to him about it when he returns from his current mission."
"Thank you. Uh, bye. Nice meeting you." He waved and walked back into his dorm room. Hitori awkwardly waved as the door shut.
"Hah, that third year… I should teach him some sense before he becomes a fully-fledged sorcerer. If that's even possible." Utahime turned her attention to Hitori. "Alright. We won't have any classes or anything tomorrow since it's Sunday, so take the time to rest and adjust to the school. Your uniform should be in your room, let me know if it doesn't fit or if you want to adjust it."
"U-Uh… Ah. Alright." Hitori spoke weakly.
Utahime turned to walk away. "Feel free to decorate your dorm room however you wish, it's yours for the next four years." She smiled and began walking, only to stop in her tracks and face her. "Oh, and Hitori. You're doing great. Try not to stress, okay?" Utahime-sensei smiled once more before walking off.
She's doing great? It sure didn't feel like it…
When she went back into her room, she didn't waste any time in passing out on the bed. That night, she did not dream.
einargs
Verified Spiller of the Egg Yolk
- Location
- The Egg Yolk, Outer Layer
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Todo being a third year gives us a defined time span, through I don't remember if we knew that before.
Hitori freaking out is fun. A fun transitional chapter that has me excited to get to more meat. The mention that the fifth string hasn't ever been reached, but is known to be dangerous, gives mahoraga vibes and makes me extremely excited for the sixth string. (Or maybe the sixth string has been used and they don't unlock in order? I don't know if the fifth string means something special.)
It's funny; Hitori is such an anxiety ball that I genuinely don't think fighting a cursed spirit will be any less worrying to her than talking to a stranger. Probably less worrying, once she gets used to it. She's already got a great head start on the most important part of being a powerful sorcerer: being weird.
So this is why Hitori couldn't access her cursed energy before the park. Gakuganji sealed it. That was almost certainly a kindness.
Hitori freaking out is fun. A fun transitional chapter that has me excited to get to more meat. The mention that the fifth string hasn't ever been reached, but is known to be dangerous, gives mahoraga vibes and makes me extremely excited for the sixth string. (Or maybe the sixth string has been used and they don't unlock in order? I don't know if the fifth string means something special.)
It's funny; Hitori is such an anxiety ball that I genuinely don't think fighting a cursed spirit will be any less worrying to her than talking to a stranger. Probably less worrying, once she gets used to it. She's already got a great head start on the most important part of being a powerful sorcerer: being weird.
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