vena jugularis: hi! this is the first time i've received this kind of rude question. as i've said, i didn't have any betareader at the beginning of this fanfic and i just posted this on ffnet because some people asked. as for the dates, i'm japanese so yes, i know that school starts in april and yes, this was applied here too. by "five months of waiting" this includes the first three months of their arrival from early december to late february. add two more months (march and april) because the sports festival, their goal, is actually in may. i appreciate corrections and questions but i would also appreciate more if they were asked in a polite way. like i said, i'm japanese as well so i definitely appreciate politeness. canonically: the entrance exam is in late february and the sports festival, through thorough calculations, is in may. thank you!
i apologize if it was too vague and if i was lacking in explaining it but "five months" refer to the three months the two months.
"So much for first place," comments Megumi, watching the results of the Quirk Apprehension Test become summarized. His name ends up in the sixth place right under a certain Tokoyami Fumikage—he notes: bird-face, has a Quirk related to shadow just like Megumi's Cursed Technique but his is anchored solely to his shadow; Megumi divides his class to those he can defeat and those he cannot, and this one, he most definitely can—with his so-called 'duo' lagging below the Practical Exam's third placer, Kirishima Eijirou, standing behind the boy's eighth place and above Ashido Mina's tenth place. Judging by the look on Kugisaki's face, she is obviously not pleased with the results but nothing less is really to be expected from this.
Between the two of them, while sorcerers have higher physical capabilities than a normal person, they are still significantly weaker in terms of physical strength compred to their new classmates whose Quirk centers around specific qualities that appease the exams, similar to how Kugisaki suited the Entrance Exams very much. There is no doubt that Kugisaki can carry Megumi and Itadori, respectively, with ease due to her enhanced strength as a sorcerer and Megumi can do the same with both her and Itadori. But it is no lie that they pale in comparison to their classmates like Bakugō Katsuki, ranked second in the Entrance Exams (note: Banshō can so easily put out nitroglycerin in his hands and Megumi's skill in hand-to-hand combat triumphs everyone in this class with the exception of Aizawa Shōta whose skill is still vague and Ojiro Mashirao seems to have experience in formal training but that much is still unclear, and of course, Todoroki Shōto from the recommendation students) whose Quirk was meant to enhance every aspect of himself, and Megumi hears from Kugisaki that apparently, he also aced the Written Tests.
With a sharp glare sent to him, Kugisaki kicks his back. "I doubt this matters. After all, out of all of these guys," she leans against Megumi a little, the both of them watching from the back of their group as they watch their new homeroom teacher give the dead last, Midoriya Izuku, a slip for the nurse office, "we're the ones with actual experiences." Life threatening ones. Actual battles where they put their lives on the line and where death is the norm. They were already lucky enough to survive going against not one but three Special Grade Curses.
In the midst of their five months espionage, Megumi and Kugisaki gained a much better grasp on the culture surrounding heroes and unsurprisingly, what Kugisaki became disgusted of the most was arranged marriage between certain Quirk users or intercourse for the sake of an offspring with a much better Quirk. Human trafficking for Quirks is frighteningly common, even more so in certain areas of the cities and the countryside where people are most vulnerable. "It's like we never left," Megumi remembers their Inumaki-senpai's Clan being massacred and purged by the higher-ups because of their dangerous technique, Itadori's situation, and the ostracism towards their Maki-senpai. Even their Panda-senpai's situation is complicated as it is. Another point they observed after watching the previous Sports Festival of UA is that all of them are civilians. They may have powerful Quirks to boast, but at the end, their fighting experience is next to nothing and they may as well be non-Curse Users with how they interact in the one-on-one battles.
Standing out wouldn't be hard but justifying why they have this enough skill is different. Kugisaki had suggested they go with the delinquent route (because, "Aren't you one already?") and since they are not really planning to become actual Pro-Heroes, their delinquent record would mean nothing. But at the same time, even delinquents do not have as much experience as them. For now, they settle with survival-obsessed relatives which is technically true since their Gojō-sensei can substitute as a relative. Technically. And Megumi was, in a way, raised by Gojō along with his sister, Tsumiki.
The walk back to the classroom from the locker rooms is annoyingly long. Megumi makes sure to keep quiet, his head lowered a little as the other boys remain boisterous. We should probably work on this, he thinks of his and Kugisaki's over-dependency with one another, and the anxiety shared between the two of them whenever they are apart. (Itadori's hand. A portal. Kugisaki slapping him awake, drenched from head-to-toe. Unfamiliar world. Curse-like Quirks. His hands itch to summon his Ten Shadows. Kugisaki's reassuring stare.) He sighs. The past five months were... a lot worse than they had originally planned but it was better than nothing, and definitely the best choice they had ever made. Megumi feels the world weight heavily on his shoulders. He wants nothing more than to leave this place.
He quickly returns to Kugisaki's side in the classroom, his anxiety reducing when he spots her hair. Before he can fully approach her, he freezes, catching the sight of a blond putting both hands on her desk. Bakugō Katsuki. Second Place in the Entrance Exams. Top Five in the Written Exams. Third Place in the Quirk Apprehension Test. Quirk: Explosion. And apparently, his Quirk extends to his personality as well. Said Bakugō Katsuki is clutching on the edges of Kugisaki's table, his palms summoning small explosions while Kugisaki remains seated, though Megumi doubts she will stay calm with the rate of what is going on. He sighs. This reminds him of Kugisaki and Itadori in Tokyo all over again, shamelessly loud and in need of a reign to keep them from embarrassing themselves. "Noba—"
"Oi! Pachinko Nail! Fight me!"
The class becomes silent and even Megumi lets his mouth open in surprise. Pachinko—Kugisaki suddenly stands up, pulling on the sleeves of her blazer to expose her arms. (Megumi pretends that he does not see the circular marks caused by how she pierced herself with her nails from the fight against the Cursed Brothers.) She glares at Bakugō with almost equal ferocity. Her lips twitch. "What did you just call me, you small-time yankee?" She hisses back. "You think those baggy pants are still in? What are you? A middle school delinquent from the eighties?"
Bakugō's eyebrows furrow even more. He lifts his hands, the explosions in his palms growing and growing with each second that ticks by. "I'm gon'na destroy you, you little shi—" Kirishima Eijirō who Megumi shared a rank with in the Entrance Exam, quickly pulls Bakugō away, arms tugging the explosive boy away. Megumi takes this opportunity to get close to Kugisaki . "Don't pick fights. You're taking in unnecessary attention," he grunts to her ear, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Just let him be."
Kugisaki scoffs. "He called me Pachinko Nail—as if I get my nails from the Pachinko of all places. He needs to be toned down a little—" Bakugō's wild antics end up with him kicking on Kugisaki's bag. Just as Kugisaki was about to throw her hands at their shared classmate, her open bag falls. Something elongated and white peeks from the zipper. Megumi's eyes widen. He quickly scrambles to pick it up but stops when the dead last from the previous exam picks up the bag for him, his movements a little sluggish due to his return from the nurse's office.
"Here," Midoriya says, passing it to Megumi. (Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. His heart pounds wildly against his chest. It's just the first day and yet, yet, yet.) The boy sheepishly smiles at him. "Kacchan... Kacchan is always like that. I'm sorry about him." His eyes go down a little, glancing at Megumi's shadow. Megumi bites the inside of his cheek, trying to calm himself. He focuses on something else: Kacchan. Who is Kacchan? Kacchan as in... Bakugō 'Katsu'ki? Did they go to the same middle school? Do they know each other? No wonder Bakugō had acted aggressively towards him in particular. (Calm down. Calm down.) "Fushiguro-kun and Kugisaki-san were the ones from the beach, right?" Midoriya is obviously hesitant. Megumi thinks he should have hesitated even more.
Megumi clutches on the bag tightly, the throb of Cursed Energy so painfully loud that he itches for a fight. "Midoriya-san passed," he comments, unsure of what to say and Midoriya only beams back. Somehow, from the corner of his eyes, both Bakugō and Kugisaki are being held back by their classmates. Kugisaki is already holding a hammer and Bakugō's hands are consumed with his small explosions. His sudden rush of anxiety ceases. He sighs again for who-knows how many times now. He glances at Midoriya apologetically before heading towards Kugisaki again. Their pink classmate, Ashido Mina (threat: dangerous—who knows how strong those acids can get?) was kind enough to hold back Kugisaki while Kaminari (threat: high—Elemental Quirks are RARE, in uppercases because of how people stress on how amazing Elemental Quirks are) and Kirishima hold back Bakugō.
He grabs Kugisaki, this time more aggressive than usual, and whispers to her ear again: "Kugisaki. You know better," because they have no time to play with these civilians. They have no time to pretend to be classmates, as if their words actually hurt, as if their opinions actually mean something to them. Megumi knows better. Kugisaki should know better. Their goal is clear. They should know better than to make unnecessary relationships and they cannot afford a rivalry between someone who appears to have the brightest future here: both the smarts, the looks, and the talent, and with a proper attitude coach, Bakugō Katsuki will be even more than he currently is. They cannot afford getting close to him.
This seems to snap Kugisaki from her anger. She slouches, gritting her teeth. She snatches her arms away from Ashido and turns her glare to Megumi. "Don't try me," she grabs the bag in Megumi's arms, "He was just pissing me off."
"Haa?! You're backing down from a fight, Pachinko?!" Bakugō screeches from the other side of the room. Kirishima whispers something to him in attempts to pacify him but this only spurs his anger more. "Hey! Pachinko!"
Kugisaki exhales. She returns her bag to Megumi, pushing it to him with enough force that makes him stumble. "I'm going to wash my face," she announces and walks out of the room. Just as she does, Present Mic enters, looking at the class unsurely before bursting into action: "Good morning!" And Megumi really, really wants to get this day over and done with.
...
UA continues its façade of a normal school; though highly privileged with its over-the-top facilities, UA is obnoxiouslymore normal than it looks. The classes are the same, only with an annoyingly eccentric English Teacher and with even more strange-looking teachers that Megumi cannot get used to. Surprisingly, even the lunch is cheaper than other schools, fully emphasizing how UA is officially a public school rather than a private school. With one shared glance to one another, they conclude even further: corruption for a good but unnecessary cause? Nobody really needs doors as tall as the ones they have and they do not need so much of the buildings in UA. The campus is too much. Way too much. Even their Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu High School is more humble than theirs even though they come from money older than their history of Quirks, and even when they are surrounded by the extravagant oriental architecture.
Megumi places down his tray of food, a simple oyakodon while Kugisaki settles with a tendon, both for a price cheaper than they are in other restaurants and izakaya, but Megumi still finds himself comparing the taste to that of the Sugiyama couple's. Theirs are much better than the Pro-Hero Lunch Rush's, whose Quirk is still confusing to Megumi. "This place is way too good to be true," Kugisaki voices out his thoughts right after her first bite, "Cheap and this delicious? This is absurd. Jujutsu Kōtō has been around since during the Heian Era. Heian. And you're telling me our stuff isn't as good as this?" She takes another bite. "Too good!"
Megumi nods in agreement. He takes a bite, ignoring how Kugisaki brought her back together with her even though she could just leave it in the classroom. Well, it was their shared decision that they should bring that everywhere they go. It was safer than leaving it back in the house with the Sugiyama Couple, or even leaving it in the classroom. It is just their second day in UA and neither of them really expected to have someone like Bakugō yelling at them, specifically Kugisaki, first thing in the morning and demanding a fight. Kugisaki, however, stopped returning his energy and only deadpans at him since the incident yesterday. "You should continue to avoid Bakugō. He's trouble," Megumi says through bites.
"I guess being Number One has its ups and downs," Kugisaki dramatically says, a hand on her forehead, "It's hard to be the best."
"You were ninth in the Quirk Apprehension Tests."
"Nobody asked you, Fushiguro."
Megumi scowls. "As I was saying, Bakugō is trouble. It's easy to avoid the others. They know manners well enough and everyone's forming their own groups now—" He nods to Īda Tenya (brother to a Pro-Hero, threat level: low), Uraraka Ochako (threat level: low), and Midoriya Izuku. His scowl deepens. He dislikes wildcards. One moment, Midoriya is a dead last and the next, he punches down gigantic Zero-Pointer Robots, something that Megumi doubts even Itadori can do without the assistance of his Black Flash. Next, he points to Sero Hanta (threat level: low) along with Kirishima, Kaminari, Ashido, and a fuming Bakugō. "Those two are the most prominent ones."
"But the ones who we should really be paying attention to are the recommended students. Both of them seem to be quiet enough and withdrawn that they're not going to actively approach us but you never know. Both of them are from well-known families. Todoroki Shōto?" Kugisaki glances at the boy at end of the lunch area, silently eating his soba. "Son of the Number Two Pro-Hero, the one with no commercials or sponsorships."
Megumi hums. "He has the highest solved cases, right?"
"Yup," Kugisaki puts both of her hands together before putting down her chopsticks. She mumbles a short gratitude for the food before continuing: "He's the best and most efficient Pro-Hero out there. All Might, however... he's still the best hero according to the public. Endeavor's pretty popular because of that. Honestly, Yaoyorozu is more dangerous. She's smart."
"But doesn't have the initiative. She's too demure."
"So basically, Bakugō is the most dangerous in the class."
"Excluding the teachers, he is."
Teachers, Megumi shifts on his seat uncomfortably. He had seen the way their new Aizawa-sensei looked at them earlier. It was not 'suspicion'—that much Megumi is sure of but it was definitely something. He knows they chose to take the spotlight for a reason but they do not have to maintain that radiance. All they are aiming for is the consistent publicity, not the internal affairs within this class but they cannot always avoid their classmates throughout their stay. It wouldn't hurt to try though. He has too many things to worry about anyway. He sighs against his palm, his appetite fading the more he thinks about their situation. Their actions are already contradicting one another and it is just the second day. This would not have happened if that Bakugō did not pick a fight with Kugisaki, pulling in attention out of nowhere. He crosses his arms. "And you. Stop falling for Bakugō's taunts. It's not worth it," he reminds again.
Kugisaki rolls her eyes. "That was just a one-time thing. I know better now. I was just caught off-guard, okay? Nobody's called me 'Pachinko Nails' in my entire life. And he just has a really punchable face," she grumbles. She finally stands up and picks up her tray of food. With a surprising casualness, she slings her bag on her shoulder. She bumps on Megumi's side as she begins walking back to where Lunch Rush is. "And 'shiguro, calm down. It's just the second day."
Megumi tilts his head downwards. "I am calm."
"Sure you are."
...
The difference between Class 1-A and Megumi and Kugisaki is large. They are mingling among civilians who have never gotten a taste of life threatening experiences, or even minor battles. Megumi dislikes the idea of 'Pro-Heroes'—most of them are just celebrities, destroying more property than saving people like the one who debuted around the time they first arrived to this world, Mt. Lady, and that term too. 'Debut', referring to their first appearances as Pro-Heroes as something an idol would have done. Why do they even need Pro-Heroes when they have cops? Can they not see how disgusting adding the world 'professional' is to the title of a 'hero'? Why are Police Officers forbidden to use their Quirks while Pro-Heroes advocate the usage of it? Why is the world made to be painted in black and white, divided into nothing but two sides: villains and heroes? This is not a comic book to be gushed over. They are not one-dimensional characters to be simply judged and commented upon. They are actual people.
Megumi dislikes the idea of Pro-Heroes even more than Kugisaki does. There is something about this society that rubs him in a different way, that infuriates him. Especially the so-called Symbol of Peace of Japan, All Might who wears the colors of another country, whose powerful attacks are named after states, who claims to be the greatest Pro-Hero of Japan but walks around as if he is from a whole different country. And for what? Why is Japan letting their Symbol of Peace roam around clad in the marks of the United States of America of all places? Just thinking about it annoys Megumi. Why are they letting the Symbol of Peace act like he will not prioritize the country he is supposedly ruling? Why are they giving so much freedom to a man resembling America more than he does Japan, his birth place? Won't that ruin the nationalistic view that they have to instill to children in order to encourage more people to become Pro-Heroes like their beloved All Might? Which is why, the moment Megumi sees All Might entering the classroom in all of his upbeat and sun-like glory, his mood turns even more sour. His day already started badly and his day becomes worse with the arrival of All Might.
He leans back to his chair, arms crossed and eyebrows twitching uncomfortably. He recognizes the costume easily from his hours and hours of research with Kugisaki in random internet cafés. People address that costume as 'the Silver Age', referring to the much older version of Pro-Hero costumes but most easily recognizable with the flashy cape, the epitome of a true hero from comic books but now deemed as 'out-of-date' and 'not trendy'. He struggles forming the right words to describe why exactly he dislikes All Might. Maybe it is the hypocrisy. Maybe it is the colors he uses. Maybe it is the fact that this society has basically treated this man as a god and what happens if god dies? What happens if god disappears? It reminds him of one of the movies Itadori dragged him and Kugisaki for a movie marathon to 'improve their control over their Cursed Energy according to Gojō-sensei's suggestion', about a superhero whose identity is personified to become that of a god's, whose death sent the whole world into a tragedy.
Megumi dislikes All Might. There is nothing he hates more than hypocrisy.
"It's me! Walking through the door... like a normal person!" And Megumi's annoyance only grows. He taps his finger uncomfortably on his table. His eyebrows furrow when he hears the cheers of his classmates, absolutely excited at the appearance of their dear Symbol of Peace. "Foundational Hero Studies! We'll be building up your hero foundation through various trials! You'll get tons of credits for it—" He glides across the room, whipping out a card from his cape. "—Let's jump up right in with this: the Battle Trials!" Megumi chokes on his own spit, turning his head to the other end of the room where Kugisaki does the same. A battle? This early? He tightens his clenched fists. "And to go with your first battle, we've prepared the gear we had you send in through requests to match with your Quirks!"
"Our battle gear! Awesome!"
Megumi picks up his own battle gear, labeled with the number eighteen, right between 'Ba'kugō Katsuki and 'Mi'doriya Izuku while Kugisaki's is labeled the nineteenth. He moves quickly to the locker room, unsure about how their so-called costume would turn out. He clicks open the case and almost sighs in relief when he sees the familiar appearance of his uniform, though trimmed with dark spiral patterns for his top, dark enough one can only see the markings when reflected by light. Neither him nor Kugisaki had any plans for their costumes and decided that something similar to their old uniforms would be the best, especially since they wanted to be recognized the moment they stepped in the screens. The Support Department who made the costumes clearly added some artistic license for the costume they probably thought was too plain for a Pro-Hero, but Megumi is at least pleased that they barely added anything.
Just as he was about to slip on his pants, he hears a low whistle from one of his classmates. Suddenly, a face is right beside him. He resisted every bit of himself that screamed for him to punch the boy in the face. Kaminari Denki with an Elemental Quirk, stands by him, looking at him in awe. "Woah! Those scars are sick, man!" Megumi deadpans at him. Kaminari points at the scar right below his chest, the same one he got when Sukuna and the Cursed Spirit practically threw them across the room with Megumi's ribs poking out of his flesh. Just thinking about how painful that had been makes Megumi want to throw up. "How'd you get that?"
Megumi thinks of an excuse: "Childhood accident. Fell of a tree," he answers and if someone asks for more information about his orher scars, some the ones that look like fresh scars from months ago against the Cursed Brothers, he will answer something vague like being part of a martial arts club and fooled around with his teammates too much. That would be a good excuse for his battle experience too.
"And these?"
"Dojo back in my hometown," he finally finishes wearing his clothes, the familiarity making him less tense than he was. He fingers the spiral-patterned button. It looks a little different from the engraving in his original uniform but it is better than nothing.
Kaminari continues to beam. "Wait, isn't Fushiguro the one who was in third place with you, Kirishima? Back in the Entrance Exams?" Megumi resists a sigh. He sits on the bench and proceeds to tie the shoelaces of his shoe. "The shadow guy? Shōji mentioned something like that." Shōji Mezō, quirk: can transform his tentacles into other parts of the body. Threat level is low unless he can magically produce another brain then his threat level will be undecided.
Shōji, thankfully, is the silent type and only nods when Kaminari addresses them. Kirishima, however, is the contrast to this. When he realizes that Megumi is the same Fushiguro from the exams, he quickly runs up to him. Megumi tries his best to not look at the redhead's costume: completely unpractical and screams 'I wan'na be a Pro-Hero' no matter where you look at it. He does not think he can ever get used to this place. He is not a social and as adaptable as Kugisaki, after all. "Fushiguro! I completely didn't notice you even though Shōji said you were so manly back in the exams! But wait—didn't you stop Kugisaki and Bakugō from fighting too? Nobody could talk anybody of them down!" So many things happen at once and Megumi can barely sink in their words.
Kaminari grins, nudging Megumi at his side as if they are close friends. "We all saw you just go up to Kugisaki and somehow, that was enough to calm her down. Are you two—" He wiggles his eyebrows. "You know."
"We're childhood friends," Megumi answers shortly, "I'll be going ahead now."
Megumi leaves before anyone can call him out. Surprisingly, Kugisaki is already waiting right outside the locker room, wearing the exact same clothes she usually wears back in their original world. The only difference is the faint spiral patterns that mirror his but aside from that, Megumi finds comfort in the appearance of their uniforms. "Sure took your time," Kugisaki comments.
"Kaminari and the others held me up. Let's go." Megumi pauses. "By the way, my scars came from a dojo in Hiroshima, and the scar by my ribs was from a childhood accident."
Kugisaki scoffs. "And they bought that?"
"Why wouldn't they?" Megumi pushes both of his hands in his pockets. "Where did you put it? Is it still in your bag?"
The discomfort on Kugisaki arrives the moment he asked his question. Megumi would have been guilty but Kugisaki quickly recovers. She runs a hand on her face. "It's with me. In my pocket," she admits, her voice quieter than it usually is.
Megumi unconsciously grabs her shoulder, but the throbbing sensation of Cursed Energy makes him let go of her just as fast. He lowers his voice, looking around to make sure no one is around in the hallways. He ignores the fact that all he can hear right now is the rush of his heartbeat and how tight his chest has become. Kugisaki's face contorts further, rubbing her skirt where the pockets are supposed to be. "You think I want to bring this everywhere? Do you know how uncomfortable being so close to this thing is? If you have a better idea, then suggest it," she pushes Megumi's chest, "Don't worry. I'll move it with my nails so it'll be more secure but if you're going to complain, then give me another option."
Eyebrows creased, Megumi exhales uncertainly. "We can't just leave it in our bag."
"It's better if we have it on us all the time. If someone just—" Kugisaki threads her fingers through her hair, messing it up in the process. She gathers them in a fluid motion, tying it in a low ponytail. Megumi still cannot get used to her longer hair. "I know it's dangerous but—but I can't just let go of it, Fushiguro. This is—this—" Kugisaki stammers uncharacteristically.
Megumi knows. Megumi knows so well. The elation and the despair he had felt when they first found it. So many things happened in the past five months, everything get worse but better at the same time. Itadori. Itadori, where are you? He must be alive. He has to be. Then, they will go home. And then, everything will be alright. Kugisaki can cut her hair again and they can go back to fighting Curses, seek comfort in exorcising them.
So he finishes for her: "—Sukuna's finger is our only lead."
・ pachinko is really popular in japan and the pachinko nails are the ones embedded in it. you can usually adjust it with a pachinko nail adjuster set with a hammer, etc. it's funnier if you know the context i swear. my uncle works in a pachinko place in japan so that was the first thing i thought of when i was thinking of a nickname or nobara. we're settling with pachinko.
・ yankee are basically delinquents or gangsters. back in the 80s they were really popular in japan. they usuall wore baggy pants like bakugou and i suppose that was the point of his character: to portray your typical delinquent or yankee.
・ corrections and questions are welcomed though, i appreciate it if you would do so in a polite way. the first 25-ish chapters are completely unbeta'd. while i don't promise to edit them out as ffnet is more complex than, say, ao3, i'll do my best to respond to all the polite questions.
water won't go back to its tray