Someone asked me for a Stat sheet for our MC.
If I were to make one, it would probably be in R'Lyehian and Minecraft Table Enchantment
But well, I will see what I can do
Without any further to do, enjoy!
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(Thousands of Years Ago)
(?'s POV)
The sun over Cocoyasi Village was warm and kind, the way it always should have been.
She remembered when her life on her hometown was filled with fear. Fear that one day those Fishman oppressors would be bored and decide to commit genocide on them. But now, she finally can enjoy herself, seeing the world in a completely different light.
Now, she can hope for a future, a bright future for her hometown
She sat on the porch of her home, her family home, her hands resting on the vast, swollen curve of her belly. A little kick fluttered against her palm, a tiny, insistent reminder of the future growing within her.
And in her grove, her lovely husband tended to the trees.
Akira moved between the neat rows of tangerine trees, picking some of the fruit in a basket on his back
His hands, which could, and had, effortlessly snapped the iron-like bones of Fish-men, now gently tested the give of a ripe fruit before carefully twisting it from the branch.
He'd repaired the irrigation channels easily, and under his care, the entire grove had become impossibly lush, each tree heavy with perfect, sun-golden fruit.
He was a puzzle she still hadn't fully solved.
He'd arrived one day with a small boat full of food and goods, apparently he was a traveler, looking for a place to stay.
Arlong saw that, and instantly stole everything from him and destroyed his boat. Leaving stranded in the island. And of course, since now he had to stay in the island, Arlong told him he needed to pay the toll for living there
Every other islander turned a blind eye to his suffering, but she didn't. She took pity on his and decided to help him by hiring as a helping hand for her farm. Even though she didn't make a lot, she managed to scrap by to pay him. Even lent him a place for him stay, she had enough savings to help her a lot.
Maybe it was the close contact with him, but something sparked between the two during that time, and that's when they started their relationship. It was her who declared, just entering his room at night and talking about their situation.
He promised to protect her and help her, which she took to heart.
Then, Arlong's crew had a fit, and decided to take female islanders for.... their desires. She was supposed to protected, after all, she was Nami's sister. But some of Arlong's crew either were too drunk or didn't get the memo, so they tried to take her away.
That was the first time she saw Akira angry. He completely devastated Arlong's men. Sending them back with the fins and spirits broken.
Arlong, even though he punished them for messing with someone they shouldn't have, was still angry that his men were beaten, specially by a human.
So he went personally with his men to dealt with Akira.
She was scared for him, and told him to escape the island. But he didn't. Instead, he stayed and fought Arlong's men.
And it was a one-sided beating. Akira beat every single Fishman that followed Arlong, and then beat Arlong himself.
One moment, Arlong was sneering, his crew laughing. The next, they were all simply… defeated. Broken, unconscious, and piled unceremoniously in the town square like discarded trash.
Akira had done it all by himself. Then after that, he threw then to the sea, telling the one he left most uninjured, Hachi, to take them away, or else he would tell Jimbei and Rayleigh about everything they've done here
Who was Jimbei or Rayleigh?
She didn't know, and she didn't care, Arlong was done for. And her island was free. They celebrated of course, a party with smiles they haven't shown in a long time
And Akira.... He'd stayed. He'd helped rebuild
And somehow, in the quiet tranquility that followed, she ended up pregnant. She could remember Genzo's face when he discovered. Then his face of shock when Akira proposed to her.
Genzo himself gave the ceremony with tears.
She smiled, a soft, private thing. She looked from her husband's placid, focused face to the winding path that led to the village
"She'll be coming home soon, you know," she said, her voice carrying easily in the peaceful air.
Akira paused, placing a perfect tangerine into his basket. He looked up, his crimson eyes meeting hers.
"Nami will have quite the surprise waiting for her," She continued, her smile widening. "No more Arlong Park. She won't have to draw any more maps for that bastard. She will arrive to see her home, finally free"
She patted her belly gently. "She's going to get the welcome of a lifetime. Her big sister is married… to the man who saved everyone." She chuckled. "And she's about to be an aunt to the most adorable nephew in all the East Blue."
Akira's expression didn't change dramatically. But she had learned to read the subtle shifts. The slight softening around his eyes was his version of a beaming smile.
"It will be quite the surprise," he said, his voice as calm and level as ever. But she heard the warmth in it
He turned back to the trees, but his posture was lighter.
He continued his work, tending to the grove that had been a symbol of resistance and was now simply a symbol of home.
She leaned back, content, watching her mysterious, impossibly strong farmer husband prepare for the day their family would finally be whole.
The sea breeze rustled the leaves, and for the first time in so very long, it carried nothing but hope
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(Present)
(Hiratsuka Shizuka's POV)
The staff room felt a few degrees cooler. Mafuyu Kirisu sat across from Shizuka, her posture ramrod straight, a faint line of frustration between her brows. She wasn't yelling or sighing but she still expressed her displeasure but the slight twitch of her green gem-like eyes
"I just don't get it, how can they be so stubborn?" Kirisu said, her voice level and cool yet carrying a lot of irritation "They have a gift. A real one. And they're choosing to ignore it for a passing fancy. It's... utter nonsense"
Shizuka leaned on her hand. "Still on about Ogata and Furuhashi?"
"Ogata could be a brilliant researcher. Instead, she wants to study literature" Kirisu stated, her tone making it clear she found this as sensible as trying to nail jelly to a wall "And Furuhashi has a real gift for writing. But she's conviced herself she wants to study astronomy. It's not that they're not trying. They just... don't have any affinity with those subject"
Shizuka was about to offer a weak platitude about kids finding their way when the door opened. Akira walked in. He moved to his desk with that quiet, unruffled calm that seemed to settle over the room like a blanket.
Shizuka saw an opportunity. "Hey," she said, nudging Kirisu's arm. "Maybe a new perspective will help. Yoshioka-san's got a way of getting through the minds of his students"
Kirisu looked over at Akira, her expression sceptical but considering. She gave a short, curt nod. "It couldn't hurt."
Shizuka didn't wait. "Yoshioka-san! Got a sec? We need some help over here"
Akira turned. His gaze swept over them, lingering on Kirisu's tense posture for a half-second before he walked over. "Something wrong?"
"Mafuyu-san's got a couple of students who are... marching to the beat of their own drum, so to say" Shizuka explained "Brilliant in one area, but dead-set on studying something else. She's thinking of throwing in the towel."
Kirisu's mouth tightened slightly at the phrasing, but she elaborated, her voice still clinical. "They're talented. Exceptionally so. But they're pursuing paths where they have no aptitude at all. I've tried to guide them towards their more suitable subjects but they're not listening" She folded her arms. "I was wondering if you might have time to tutor them. Perhaps you could give them a different approach"
Akira listened, his hands in his pockets. He was quiet for a moment, then replied
"It might not be about the subject," he said finally, his voice quieter than hers, but just as calm. "It might be about the door they're trying to use to get in"
Kirisu's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Ogata-san thinks in systems. In patterns. She's not trying to feel the book; she's trying to solve it. She tries to understand human feelings like they are calculations to be made"
He shifted his weight slightly. "And Furuhashi... she is probably the contrary. She is probably trying to apply her own knowledge of literature to math, trying to understand it instead of apply it."
He looked at Kirisu, and for a moment, he didn't seem like an alien intelligence, just a very perceptive teacher. "Tutoring them to be better at what they're already good at is one thing. But tutoring them to find their own way into the things they love? That might actually work"
The cold frustration on Kirisu's face thawed into something more thoughtful. She hadn't considered that. She'd been trying to steer them back to the highway, and he was suggesting they just need a better way to try and learn their interest
"You're saying... don't change their destination. Change how they travel" She said, the words slow as she turned the idea over in her mind.
Akira gave a small, almost imperceptible shrug. "Sometimes the scenic route teaches you more than the normal one" Then decided to add a middle point "And if they don't become as good as they want, even with all the tools given to them, that would make them give up and follow the path they are more capable of following"
Kirisu was silent for a long moment. Then she nodded, once, a decision made. "Alright. I can work with that." She gathered her papers, her movements less stiff than before. She looked at Akira. "But I want you to first try and make them realise their own faults. Would you still be willing to meet with them? With that in mind?"
"I can try," he said simply "Tell them to meet me after club activities"
"Thank you, Yoshioka-san. And I will" Her thanks were short, professional, but genuine. She left the staff room, already mentally reorganizing her approach.
Shizuka let out a low whistle the moment the door closed, a wide grin spreading on her face. "The scenic route, huh? Look at you, being all wise and folksy."
Akira's expression didn't change. "I am just helping a fellow teacher, there is nothing wrong with that" He turned and went back to his desk, leaving Shizuka chuckling to herself.
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(Third Person's POV)
The school library, as always, was quiet, filled with students doing homework or studying for upcoming test, some even joined in couple or study groups.The silence sometimes being broken by a small fit of laughter or the sound of pages being turned
It was close to the afternoon, so most sounds around the library were also coming from the PE classes outside.
Yoshioka Akira moved through the aisles looking around each and every book, looking to see if there is something new he could spend his time with.
His path, however, took him past a study table near the back.
And there, he saw to a curious scene
Perched on the edge of a large reading table, legs swinging gently over the side, was Mai Sakurajima. She was fully dressed in a sleek, black bunny girl outfit, the fishnet stockings, the cuffs, the ears.
She sat perfectly still, in the table were she was seating, was a student writing in a notebook, oblivious to the women sitting right in from of him, she waved her hand slightly trying to call his attention, but she was completely ignored.
Her expression turned into one of resignation as she stood up, walking around the place, standing in front of the students that surrounded her, only for the students to completely ignore her existence entirely
It was an image of such a surreal situation that it would have given anyone pause and wondered if their were working
Akira simply stopped and stared at her for a second
He approached her, his footsteps silent on the carpet. Stopping just close enough of her he spoke, his voice low and even, meant only for her.
"Sakurajima-san"
Mai started slightly, pulled from her thoughts. She turned her head, her blue-purplish eyes widening a fraction in surprise at being addressed so directly, and by a teacher no less. A faint blush touched her cheeks, as the adult watched her form, but realised something else entirely
"You can see me?"
Akira's gaze swept over the outfit once, not with judgment, but with a simple, factual assessment. "I was unaware the school had instituted a new dress code," he remarked, his tone dry but not unkind. "Is there a particular reason you've chosen to wear this specific....scandalous attire for school today?"
Mai's shoulders stiffened slightly. She expected a lecture, a demand to go change, to be sent to the principal's office. She suddenly realized what she was wearing, and where she was wearing it. So she slightly covered herself with her ams
"It's... complicated" She said, her voice barely above a whisper. She looked away, back out the window. "You wouldn't understand, Sensei"
His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
It was then that he saw it, not just the bizarre choice of clothing, but the faint, shimmering aura of energy clinging to her. It covered her like a shroud, giving her an invisible aura only visible to those that could sense it
The dry humour vanished from his expression "Try me," he said, his voice now dropping to a near-inaudible murmur "You will come to realise, I have a passing familiarity with this type of situations"
There was a long silence. Mai seemed to be wrestling with something internally.
The library's quiet felt oppressive now, focused on their little bubble
Finally, she spoke, the words coming out in a tired, defeated rush. "Well, if you have figured it out, people can seem to see me" She stood up and waved her hand in front of someone "People don't notice me. I'm invisible to anyone. It's like I don't exist. And this..." she gestured vaguely at the outfit, a gesture of utter self-consciousness, "...I wanted to make sure that people weren't able to see me. And I was proven right, at least until now"
She stared at the teacher, now noticing how red his eyes were. How his hair seemed to shine with the light that entered the room
Akira was silent for a moment, but not out of confusion. He crossed his arms and touched his chins "It seems that you have developed your technique, a type of percetion altering one" he stated, his voice utterly flat and certain "One that influences the way other perceive you, and you can't control it. And for what I am seeing, the more it is active, the more it effects increases, it becomes more powerful, eliminating every bit of you from existence itself, possibly until you became completely erased from this world's perpective"
Mai stared, her breath catching in her throat. He had defined her reality with terrifying precision.
"Meet me at the classroom 2-B at the final bell," he instructed, his tone leaving no room for debate. It was not a suggestion. "Once the students has dispersed for club activities. Do not be late."
Her eyes widened. "W-why? What are you going to do?"
"I will help you," he said "It is just a matter of your energy and technique going out of control. Only disrupt the energy generated by it and you will be back to normal. You will not need to resort to this again. In fact, I might help you control it even"
"Technique? What do you mean?"
"I will explain everything in the class room" He turned to leave, but paused for a half-second, glancing back at her. "Endure it until then. And try to change to normal clothes please, you will have a partner to train your ability on the afternoon, and would not want the first impression to be a bunny girl outfit"
And with that, he continued his path toward the book section, leaving Mai sitting on the table, her heart hammering against her ribs.
For the first time in a long time, someone managed to see her, and she is lucky enough that the one that actually saw her is someone that can actually help her. Though it was quite surprising that it was a teacher
For the first time in a long time, the weight of the bunny suit felt a little bit embarrassing
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Meanwhile, outside the library, as Akira left with a new book under his arms, he was greeted by a couple of students that were going inside the library
"Oh, Yoshioka-sensei, good morning!" an animated voice called out.
"Morning!" a more playful one added.
Akira focused on the two students approaching the library doors. Yuiga Nariyuki, his face etched with the particular strain of someone who studied through sheer force of will, and Takemoto Uruka, who offered a gentle, slightly playful smile.
"Yuiga-san, Takemoto-san," he nodded towards both of them, his face never faltering from his calm and contained expression.
"We were just going to the library to study," Nariyuki explained, hefting his bag full of textbooks.
"How are you doing, sensei?"
"I am doing good Takemoto-san, thank you for asking" Akira replied. His crimson eyes flicked between them, noting the determined set of Nariyuki's jaw and the subtle, intelligent curiosity in Fumino's gaze. "I was just looking for a new book to read, but I could guess the library's internal order made me take much more time than needed. The librarian's categorization system is a complete mess"
It was a perfectly normal, teacherly thing to say. It also happened to be true. He had, in fact, seen the way the library books are organized, and he can guess if the library comitee spent less time flirting with each other and more time organizing the books, it would be easier for him to get the books he wants
But well, they are teenagers, what can you do?
Uruka's eyes lit up slightly at the mention of the book "Oh? Is it good? I don't like complicated books…"
"It depends on what mentality you used to start reading, if you doubt your abilities from the start, that mentality will only slow your progress of improving" Akira stated, his tone neutral. He saw her blink, processing the blunt analysis of something she found difficult. He turned his gaze to Nariyuki. "And you, Yuiga-san? I trust your own studies are progressing?"
Nariyuki straightened up, a look of fierce determination on his face. "Yes, sensei! I've got a practice test to review. I'll give it my all!"
"That is a commendable attitude. Consistent effort is the most reliable variable for success," Akira said. His words were a standard encouragement "The library should provide a sufficient environment for studying, that is of course, if you do not spend your time in there just flirting with each other"
The both of them blushed brightly at their teacher's words
He gave them another slight nod, a clear but polite end to the conversation. "Do not let me keep you."
"Right! Thank you, sensei!" Nariyuki said with a quick bow.
"Have a good day, Yoshioka-sensei," Uruka added, her smile a little more cheerful now.
Akira watched them for a brief moment as they pushed through the library doors—the hardworking struggler and the genius fighting her own nature, heading directly toward the girl in the bunny suit trapped by hers. The threads of the school's strange tapestry were undeniably intertwining.
He continued down the hall, the brief interaction already filed away.
'I'm thankful for sensei' Uruka thought as she saw Nariyuki sitting beside her and pulling out a pair of books 'He was the one that told Nariyuki to tutor me'
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(Later in the Afternoon)
The final bell's drone had faded, replaced by the distant, bustling sounds of club activities beginning. Classroom 2-B was empty save for one occupant. Yoshioka Akira stood by the window, watching the students scatter across the grounds, each going to their own activities. His expression was, as ever, unreadable.
The door slid open with a soft rumble. Yotsuya Miko peered inside, her new glasses on her face. She looked nervous, clutching her bag strap like a lifeline.
"Yoshioka-sensei?" she said, her voice small in the empty room. "You... wanted to see me?"
"Come in, Yotsuya-san" Akira said without turning around. "Take a seat. We are waiting for one more. And remove your glasses."
Miko hesitated, then shuffled in, choosing a desk in the middle of the room. With a trembling hand, she took off the glasses, folding them carefully and putting them in her case. She braced herself for the horrifying clarity of the world.
But the room was… quiet. Just an empty, sunlit classroom. A profound sense of relief washed over her.
Even though she knew the school was empty of all…. apparitions, she still used the glasses as a new lifeline to maintain a stable and normal life
"Look at the desk in front of you" Akira instructed, his back still to her.
Confused, Miko looked down at the surface of the teacher's desk. And she gasped.
There, on the scratched wooden surface, were one of the small, gnarled, miniature old man spirit she knew all too well.
But they were different. They weren't screeching or menacing her. They were trapped.
Trapped in a crystal container that they were scratching trying to escape. They shuffled around their tiny prison, pushing against the walls silently, their usually horrifying face now just confused and pathetic.
"They've been there all day," Akira stated calmly, finally turning from the window. "I've been… collecting them. I need you to see the baseline to understand the lesson"
Miko could only stare, her mind reeling. He could trap them? He was collecting pests like bugs. Since she could see those things she's been fearing them and scared to open her eyes at night on fear of seeing them. But Yoshioka-sensei can seemingly trap them in a simple crystal container
The door slid open again. Sakurajima Mai stood there, now clad in her school uniform, her expression a complex mix of scepticism, hope, and deep wariness. Her eyes found Akira, then flicked to Miko.
And then Mai froze. Her eyes widened in pure, unadulterated shock. The girl was looking directly at her.
Not through her.
Not past her.
At her. At least she wasn't wearing a bunny suit now, it would have been embarrassing for another classmate to see her
"You're late, Sakurajima-san" Akira stated, his tone merely factual.
"Sorry sensei, I couldn't find the classroom" Mai replied automatically, but her voice was distant, her attention completely locked on Miko "She… she can see me, right?" The question was whispered, filled with a confusion that bordered on awe
Miko, for her part, was just as confused. "O-of course I can see you? Why wouldn't I?" She glanced at the trapped spirits on the teacher's desk, then back at the beautiful, stunned upperclassman in the doorway. Was she also…?
"This is Yotsuya Miko from class 1-B," Akira said, answering the unspoken questions hanging thick in the air. "She shares a similar... affliction, albeit of a different nature. She sees what others cannot. And, Sakurajima-san, she can see you too. Your conditions, while distinct, are rooted in the same source of energy"
The two girls stared at each other, a silent, profound understanding passing between them. Akira watched them for a moment from the front of the room, a piece of chalk held loosely in his fingers
"Before we begin" He said, his voice cutting through the quiet. Both Mai and Miko jumped slightly, turning their attention to him. His crimson eyes behind his glasses locked onto Mai. "Sakurajima-san. Your condition is limiting your perspective of the world. To understand the lesson, you must first see its most basic components, so put this glasses"
He reached into the breast pocket of his shirt and withdrew a pair of glasses. He produced some new, with thin, black metal frames and lenses that seemed to absorb the light differently from the ones Miko carried
"These will help you see" he stated, offering them to her.
Mai, her wariness being surpasses by a burning curiosity, slowly took the glasses and put them on. The world sharpened, but not in the way she expected. The classroom was the same, yet...
Her breath caught in her throat.
She saw them. The small, gnarled old men, trapped on the teacher's desk. She saw the faint, shimmering aura that clung to certain spots of her body.
Her hand flew to her mouth, her violet eyes wide with a fresh, staggering shock.
Akira observed her reaction, his expression unchanging. "Now you can see what the world really looks like. This was what Miko has seen for quite some time" He said, his voice flat. "This is environment you have been inhabiting. Let's begin."
He turned to the board and picked up the chalk, ready to define the terrifying new reality she could now never unsee. The lesson had truly begun.
Akira walked to the front of the classroom.
He turned to the pristine blackboard, beginning the lesson that would change everything. Mai took a seat beside Miko
"The world most people perceive is a surface layer of a more intrinsic one " he began, his voice taking on the calm, measured tone of a lecturer. "Beneath it exists a certain type of energy, a residue of negative human emotions they exude everyday. Fear, regret, anxiety, hatred. All this emotions are generated by humans, at every moment, and its name is"
He drew a large circle on the board. Inside it, he began writing a single word:
'呪力 (Juryoku - Cursed Energy)'
"Cursed Energy. This energy is the source of what you see, Yotsuya-san." He glanced at her, then at the trapped spirits on her desk. "And this is what also causes you condition, Sakurajima-san. When this energy accumulates and develops a stable form, it creates what are known as Cursed Spirits or simply, Curses"
He tapped the top of the glass where the cursed spirits were trapped, making them shake inside the container
He tapped the circle back in the board "They are not exactly ghosts of the dead. Some are new entities, born from negativity of the people that died, manifesting in a physical form, emotions like regret, anger, and many more, could make someone dying become a cursed spirit. This cursed spirits have their own classification as well" He turned back to the board and began writing a list, his chalk moving with swift, precise strokes.
"Grade 4, the weakest form of cursed spirit, barely nuisances. The small entities you see everywhere, Yotsuya-san. Grade 3, a tangible threat to an average person. Usually requires a more hands-on attention. Grade 2, dangerous to small groups. Can possess defined abilities. Grade 1, capable of destruction and killing people unabated. Highly intelligent, with powerful techniques. And then, there is Special Grade, those are the most dangerous ones. Capable of destroying cities and challenging nations. Their abilities usually capable of mass destruction and mass genocide"
He let the list sink in. Miko paled, thinking of the horrors she'd seen that must have been Grade 2 or higher. Mai listened in rapt attention. Akira turned the container and grabbed one of the old men in between his fingers, pinching it from the back
"These for example, are Grade 4 Curses, known as "The old men" inoffensive really, but in large quantities, they could pose a threat to small animals and children if they decide. To combat these things....." Akira continued, playing with the spirit on his hand "There exists individuals who can manipulate this cursed energy" He wrote another word on the board with his free hand
'呪術師 (Jujutsushi - Jujutsu Sorcerers)'
He now turned fully to face them, holding up the trapped spirit. "A Jujutsu Sorcerer does what we call as an "Exorcism". Sorcerers are trained to fight against Cursed Spirits, by manipulated the "
He closed his fingers around the tiny spirit
"That's how Cursed Spirits are dealt with"
One moment the spirit was there, the tiny old man spirit struggling inside in his hand. The next, the space between his fingers was empty. It was simply erased, utterly and completely, as if it had never existed at all
Miko gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. Mai's eyes went wide, her breath catching in her throat.
He looked at both of them, his crimson eyes holding theirs, the lesson now horrifically, undeniably real.
"Sorcerers are born with the innate ability to control Cursed Energy, which they use to perform Jujutsu (Cursed Techniques) these are specific, often unique abilities to exorcise Curses. Like Sakurajima-san's ability to disappear from everyone's perception"
He looked at both of them, his crimson eyes holding theirs.
"As both of you are right now, you have the potential to become Sorcerers, with enough practice and training of course. You can perceive the energy but are still not experienced enough to manipulate it. Yet you still have cursed energy in you, making you a magnet for those things" He said, with a glance at Miko "And Sakurajima is the opposite, she can not see them, but she is actively using Cursed energy alongside her Cursed Technique" He ended turning to Mai
"You are wondering why you could be the source of a Cursed Technique yet remain blind to the energy that fuels it" He stated "The answer lies in the nature of innate techniques. They are not a choice. They are a fundamental part of a sorcerer's biology, inscribed in the frontal lobe of the brain. Some are born with it, some are not. And you were born with it, but it controls you instead of you controlling it"
He used the chalk again and drew two overlapping circles on the board.
"Think of it as a specialized tool. A heart that constantly beats without your conscious command. Your technique was similar, an autonomic function of your soul, operating independently from your will or perception. It was a pump, running non-stop, fueled by your own subconscious anxiety. It consumed the Cursed Energy you passively produced without ever requiring you to see the fuel itself"
He tapped one circle. "Awareness, the Sight, the ability to perceive Cursed Energy" He tapped the other. "Application, the innate technique, the ability to use it."
"The two are not intrinsically linked. One can possess a powerful technique without ever developing the ability to sense or see Cursed Energy, meaning there are many people that could have a powerful Cursed Technique, but are not born with the ability to use it. You were born with a Cursed Technique and it went haywire due to the not knowing what Cursed Energy was, and your emotions going haywire"
He erased the board
"Your technique was a part of you, but it was not yours to command. Like a barrel with a hole on the bottom, your Cursed Energy fills the barrel, but your Cursed Technique is the hole that keeps leaking that Cursed Energt"
He turned halfway to the two of them, his expression as impassive as always
"You might believe your condition are curses, but they are not. You are part of the diminutive population that can actually interact with that hidden part of the world. But to truly be part of it, you need to understand it"
He put the chalk down and faced them fully
"This is the chance for either of you to leave. I can still help both of you, but if you both want to be part of this, then you can stay"
Mai and Miko turned to each other, thinking for a second before both nodded
"I will stay, Sensei" Mai said
"Me too" Miko said
"Very well then" He nodded "From now on, I will teach you anything you need to know to be capable Sorcerers. You will attend when I schedule it. You will not speak of it to others unless I tell you to. Am I understood?"
The question hung in the air, not as a request, but as a simple ultimatum from the most powerful force either of them had ever encountered.
Miko nodded quickly, her eyes wide. Mai held his gaze for a longer moment, the wariness still there, but now underpinned by a dawning, grim acceptance.
After a beat, she gave a single, sharp nod.
"Good," Akira said. "The lesson is concluded for today. The next one will be practical. Sakurajima-san, a moment."
Miko stood for a moment longer, the words Cursed Spirits and Jujutsu Sorcerers echoing in her mind as she walked out of the classroom into a world that had suddenly become infinitely larger and more terrifying.
Mai stayed behind.
Akira reached into the pocket of his trousers and withdrew a simple, finely braided leather bracelet. There was no clasp. Woven into its centre was a single, smooth, grey stone that seemed to absorb the classroom light rather than reflect it.
"Your process will not be about erasing your ability. It is about helping you control it. This will act as a filter" He explained. "It will continuously negate the specific wavelength of Cursed Energy that interacts with your unique technique. With this, you will no longer fade away, as you once feared"
Mai stared at the simple band, her wariness warring with a desperate hope. It seemed too mundane for such it to do such a thing
"How... how do you know it will work?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"Because I designed it" He replied, as if that were the only answer that could ever be necessary. "Put it on"
He turned and began erasing the board, wiping away the evidence of everything that had just transpired in the classroom
Hesitantly, Mai took the bracelet. The leather was soft, the stone cool against her skin. As she slipped it over her hand, she felt a faint, almost imperceptible hum, like a tuning fork vibrating at a frequency too low to hear but which she could feel in her bones.
The moment she put it, something changed
The constant, low-grade static of anxiety in the back of her mind, the ever-present fear of fading that had been her unwanted companion for so long, simply quieted.
A small static sound that she didn't even notice until it was gone.
She stared at her wrist, then up at Akira, her violet eyes wide with a stunned, disbelief painted in her expression.
The relief was so profound it was almost dizzying
"It is always active, feeding on your own Cursed Energy, in small amounts of course, enough to be negligible" He stated, observing her reaction "With this, you Curse Technique will no longer activate, keep it until you learn to control your Cursed Energy, and subsequently your Cursed Technique . You are free to go"
Mai stood there for a long moment, speechless, her fingers tracing the smooth, cool stone on the bracelet.
For the first time in a long time, she felt solid, real, and utterly, blessedly normal.
She didn't thank him. She didn't know how to
She just turned and walked out of the classroom, her steps lighter than they had been in a very, very long time.
Without a backward glance, her cheeks now tinged with pink, Sakurajima Mai walked out of the classroom, leaving the quiet, the chalk dust, and the most terrifying (And handsome) man she had ever met behind her.
She stepped into the hallway, the late afternoon sun warm on her skin, and merged with the sounds of a normal school finishing its day.
The door behind her clicked shut. The hallway was empty, save for the small thumping of her traitorous heart
--------------------------------
The designated classroom after school was silent, save for the tense, expectant breathing of its two occupants
Ogata Rizu sat perfectly upright, her hands folded on the desk, her blue eyes fixed on the door expecting their supposed new teacher to appear from it
Furuhashi Fumino fidgeted beside her, her expression a mix of anxiety and a slight bit of hope
The door slid open.
Akira entered, carrying a couple of books and a pair of sheets. His presence seemed to immediately cool the room's anxious energy, replacing it with a placid, almost sterile calm.
"Ogata-san. Furuhashi-san," he acknowledged, moving to the front of the room. He picked up a piece of chalk. "I am Yoshioka-sensei, Kirisu-sensei informs me you are both pursuing subjects outside your primary aptitudes. And that even if you are no quite as adept as your other subject, you are still trying to pursue a career out of them, correct?"
Both Rizu and Fumino nodded.
Akira turned to the blackboard and wrote two words in neat, unhurried strokes
'Mathematics
Literature'
He tapped the chalk once beneath each.
"These are not separate languages," he said. "They are different ways of describing the same thing: patterns. Mathematics seeks patterns in quantity, structure, space. Literature seeks patterns in human behaviour, emotion, time. Both require the same fundamental skill: learning how to think clearly about something that does not immediately make sense"
He set the chalk down and faced them fully.
"Most students fail at these subjects not because they lack intelligence, but because they lack the correct methods to understand it. They try to memorise instead of understand. They chase answers instead of questions. Today we begin correcting that"
Both Rizu and Fumino were now paying attention
"I am sure many other teacher had told you that it is an useless endeavour, but as the verse goes "If the fool would persist in his folly, he would become wise". If you try and keep trying, even if you commit error after error, you would gain something, and in the end, learn"
He moved closer to them
"If you continue pursuing you goals, even after so many mistakes and error, maybe one day, you will learn" He nodded to then "Now, let us continue"
----------------------------
(Night)
(Geto Suguru's POV)
The air on the rooftop of the office building across from Soubu High was cold and still.
Under the cloak of night, the empty school grounds were a silent, geometric shape etched in shadow and pale moonlight.
Geto Suguru looked down at the deserted campus, a faint, disdainful smile touching his lips.
"As always, school tend to be a breeding ground for negativity" he murmured to himself, a faint, disdainful smile touching his lips. "So much fear, anxiety, and petty jealousy. So many monkeys. The perfect cover"
He raised a hand, a dark, swirling orb of Cursed Energy coalescing above his palm. Within it, a form took shape, a hulking, monstrous thing with too many limbs and a single, weeping eye that leaked a corrosive miasma.
A Grade 1 Cursed Spirit, born from concentrated despair. Its purpose was simple: to be planted deep within the school's foundation. To fester, and tomorrow, to bloom into a beautiful, devastating tragedy that would finally draw out the mysterious "cleaner. Or if nothing else, cause his favourite Monkey Genocide
"Go," Geto commanded, his voice a soft whisper in the dark. "Dig your roots deep. Make this place your own"
The spirit let out a silent, psychic shriek of malice and dropped from the roof, becoming a blur of shadows as it shot across the deserted street towards the school's outer wall. Geto watched, his smile widening.
The spirit reached the school's perimeter.
And ceased to exist.
There was no sound. No flash of light.
It was just... gone. The connection in Geto's mind was not severed; it was erased.
Geto's smile vanished. His hand slowly lowered. 'What...?'
His cold, sharp curiosity overriding his caution, Geto descended from the rooftop. He had to see. He crossed the empty street and slipped through the main gate, his long robes making him a ghost in the moonlit courtyard.
The moment he stepped onto the school grounds, he stopped dead.
It was wrong. The air was... clean.
It was void of Cursed Energy altogether.
He should have been wading through a swamp of residual negativity. This being a school and all.
But there was nothing. It was as if the very concept of Cursed Energy had been surgically removed.
The silence in his mind was absolute. Deeply, profoundly unnerving.
He stood in the deserted courtyard, utterly bewildered by the sheer nothingness, trying to sense even a drop of the energy that was as fundamental to him as oxygen.
"Do you have any business here?"
The voice was calm, clear, and came from directly behind him.
It held no aggression, only a flat, polite inquiry.
But it shouldn't have been possible for anyone to get that close without him sensing them.
Geto turned, his expression carefully neutral, his mind already spinning a cover story about being a visiting historian, a lost architect, anything.
The words died in his throat.
The man standing before him was tall, with hair the colour of polished platinum that seemed to glow in the moonlight.
His features were sharp, impossibly perfect, and utterly composed. But it was his eyes that were most striking, a deep crimson that held no emotion, only a placid, bottomless stillness.
And he had... nothing.
No Cursed Energy.
Not a hint.
Not a spark. It wasn't that he was hiding it or controlling it. It was a complete and total absence, an emptiness more absolute than any Geto had ever encountered. This man wasn't a sorcerer. He wasn't a non-sorcerer. He was... something else.
A memory, sharp and visceral, flashed behind Geto's eyes. A man in a dark t-shirt, moving with impossible speed. A man who also possessed no Cursed Energy at all. A man who had shattered his reality, his ideal, alongside Satoru all those years ago.
'Fushiguro Toji'
The shock must have shown on his face for a fraction of a second before his practiced composure slammed back into place.
But the echo of that memory, the ghost of that specific, terrifying brand of presence that man had, left a cold knot in his stomach
How bad is his luck, that he meets another one just like that monkey here?