Don't Fuck with the White Mage (Jujutsu Kaisen - Utahime Iori SI Chapter 8)
One Month Later
Gakuganji Yoshinobu was sitting in his office. It was a quiet day for the principal of Kyoto Jujutsu High and nothing was disturbing his peace.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.
And someone was running in the hallways very loudly and very eagerly toward his location.
Yoshinobu blinked.
From the feel of that Cursed Energy, it's-
His sliding door slammed opened.
"Principal! I'm ready!" Utahime cried out, an excited, hyped up open smile on her face. One hand was holding the door, the other, a pair of drumsticks.
It's only been a month and a half. Is she really that confident? Yoshinobu thought. He really didn't want to sit through someone messing up the beats, or barely getting the rhythms right. Well... It was getting boring anyways.
"Very well then." Yoshinobu stood up, a small grin coming to his face. "The auditorium should be free now. ...Technically it's always free." He said thoughtfully to himself.
"Yeah, it's not like one person solely got it, to play for themselves." Utahime smiled, saying under her breath.
"And here I was going to go easy on you, brat." Yoshinobu chuckled.
"Bring it on! Besides, the vow wouldn't work otherwise." Utahime said, her excitement getting to her.
"Picked a song?"
"Jimi Hendrix, 'Message to Love'!"
The principal raised an eyebrow, and didn't correct her that, that wasn't the original title of the song.
"Good choice." He nodded.
"Thanks!" Utahime cheerfully grinned.
"Good choice to lose to." He said with a small, well hidden smile.
"Don't try too hard and break a bone, Gakuganji-sama." Utahime bantered back with a sly smile.
"I'll try to keep your damage manageable to your healing." The principal easily said back.
"...Old traditionalist Sorcerer my ass. He sure as hell doesn't sass like it." Utahime said under her breath.
Heh, these brats. Yoshinobu didn't look back and smirked. Still got it.
The wide auditorium stage was taken by the two challengers, Gakuganji Yoshinobu and Iori Utahime, each standing with their equipment at one end of the stage facing each other.
News of the challenge was known for a while, but due to the two immediately heading out to face each other, it was too much short notice for people to come.
Those present were the assistant director, Yoshinobu's grandson, Gakuganji Katana. Some of the other students, either those from other years, or from Utahime's year.
Of course also Utahime's teammates, Mana and... Mei Mei who was setting up a streaming camera.
"...Why?" Utahime dreaded yet asked.
"For the betting pool, of course." Mei Mei grinned.
"This is literally my first battle with the principal. I'm not expecting to..." Utahime cut herself off and took a deep breath. "Whatever. Have fun."
"With the money I'm going to make? Definitely."
Utahime shook her head and focused back on her opponent.
Each challenger finished checking and preparing their instrument.
"Alright, Utahime-kun." Yoshinobu spoke. "You know this song, so you know we start at the same time. Whenever you're ready." He confidently grinned, his Cursed Energy rising up and preparing for action. "I'll be right there with you."
Okay, this is it. Utahime thought. Band Battle for Control is active, now it's just time to carry it out. Remember, defense is fine at all time, but attacks only when playing, because that's how his Cursed Technique works.
Gakuganji's Cursed Technique, Hype Amp, makes his body amplifies the sound he plays on his electric guitar, then launches that sound in waves of Cursed Energy.
For this Cursed Music Battle, the fight lasts one song, and continues as long as both parties are able to, till the end of the song. It's why playing the notes and the beats was so important, because it's in those moments that one can attack.
Something occurred to Utahime right this moment as she slowly raised her drumsticks to begin playing, while Yoshinobu mirrored her by raising his pick, ready to fall on the strings.
What happens if he has his guitar connected to an amp? Utahime thought as she brought her arms down, since they did set up things on stage for that.
Then had another thought came mid-swing.
Wait. If the sound carries the Cursed Energy... Drumsticks millimeters from drums and cymbals. Doesn't that mean his attacks are at the speed of sound?
Drums banged at the same time as the guitar rang out.
At that very instant, as Utahime tried to set up a Simple Domain to start a counter to waves that would be launched at-
Utahime cried out, as her ears were blasted by Yoshinobu first string notes hitting her.
Her body was tough enough to just keep going. So through sheer practice she carried out the drum beats, while giving more focus to continue her Simple Domain, and use Reverse Cursed Technique to heal herself.
"You got the rhythm and beat down that well, huh? Not bad. Should have kept yourself deaf though." And then Yoshinobu made his point by launching another Cursed Energy wave at her head.
Her Simple Domain barely acted as a barrier, but it was enough to warn her of where the attacks were coming from. Thus instantly between beats, Utahime would cover one of her drumsticks with her Curse Reversal and slash Yoshinobu's attack into nothing.
Yoshinobu's raised an amused eyebrow, as he kept playing taking things a bit easy. Well, easy for him. The continuous guitar playing meant he was constantly launching attacks at Utahime that she was forced to react to.
The worst part for Utahime was sound didn't just come from one direction. It could echo and bounce off the walls. Thus sometime Yoshinobu would mix things up by letting the sound act normal while carrying his Cursed Energy, before having it then move to attack Utahime when it was to the side of her, or behind her.
For a few seconds things continued at that pace, then the principal smirked and launched an attack... at the drum set.
Utahime's eyes widened. Quickly she threw shimenawa ropes that was part of her outfit at this point, making a circle around the drum set.
The Cursed Energy waves slammed into strengthen zone filled with Cursed Technique Reversal, Gathering Hallowed Belt running through the sacred ropes making the weakening and the purifying effect more potent. Then Utahime started foucing on reinforcing her equipment with Cursed Energy incase they are targeted again.
"Good job, this is a Cursed Music Battle, and targeting the opponent's weapons is natural." Yoshinobu said.
"And since it's a music battle, our instruments are our weapons." Utahime panted.
"Correct." The old Sorcerer smirked.
Wait, why am I panting? It's only been two minutes and twenty one seconds. Utahime thought. The song is only five minutes and twenty four seconds, I should easily keep channeling Cursed Energy that much without even thinking about it.
Then she realized the big problem. The Binding Vow.
Utahime starts the match at 1% of Cursed Energy control and works her way up based on how well she's doing against old man Gakuganji, and how close she comes to defeating him.
I need! I need something! An attack! How much energy am I wasting? What's my control now? 50%? Utahime tried to focus but it was frustrating.
Between running her Cursed Reversal in the shimenawa, and the zone inside the sacred rope circle, and reinforcing her sticks and drums, and the Simple Domain to act as a radar, she was wasting her Cursed Energy reserves fast.
Thus it would be even more agonizing and long seconds later when she realized how much energy control she did have.
11%? Of fuck!
That's how much she was doing. How close she was getting to beating the Kyoto Jujutsu High principal.
For now she kept going on sheer endurance, as she tried to think up a solution. Every second felt like a challenge with the only thought in her head being to keep going. Just one more second.
Yoshinobu smirked as she saw his student begin to realize the situation she landed herself in. Yes, the song she chose was good in that it had roughly equal parts of guitar and drums. Plus, song from my favorite singer is a cool extra.
But you can't win a Jujutsu battle by only defending. The only thing in Utahime's favor is that since this was a music battle her opponent was limited by the notes and beats of the song they had to play. Thus making when he would attack predictable.
Then came the dreaded three minute and twenty four minute mark. The guitar solo.
For the next few seconds where nothing but a bombardment of waves.
The Simple Domain was cracking. It was taking too much energy to maintain.
How much control!? Utahime cried out in her head. 23%? Fuck it. Good enough!
Utahime dropped the Simple Domain and poured the left over energy into Gathering Hallowed Belt within the zone of the scared ropes.
Normally this would be enough. Far more than enough that she could just focus on playing the drums.
But her energy reserves were getting low. She was in the red.
The guitar solo thankfully ended after a few seconds. Drums were back, she could try to attack again. Wait, when did I attack? Did I prepare anything to attack?
What the fuck do I to do? The frantic thought ran over and over in her mind.
What to do?! There was only one thought in her head. Maybe it was the exhaustion. Maybe it was something else or her brain frying from overusing her Technique and the Reversal of it. Wait, isn't that for Domain Expansions?
BAM!
Utahime felt the wave of Cursed Energy reach and slam into her and her drums. But it only rattled her and her equipment due to Gathering Hallowed Belt, it only felt like a shake. Some of the drums were a little misplaced, but she could still reach them.
The final minute and a half were the crescendo of the song, where the music heats up.
But how to survive it? Sacrifice the instruments for a last ditch chance to attack? HOW? Throw a drum I don't need?
She had to keep playing. To figure something out.
Just keep playing. Keep playing.
She was on her last leg in terms of Cursed Energy. She couldn't protect the drums and herself, but she hand to keep playing.
Utahime dropped all the Techniques, making Yoshinobu raise an eyebrow.
"Domain Amplification." She said under her breath. Then applied it to the drum set.
The principal just looked amused and perplex. Before realizing she applied a Domain to something other than herself. Yes, something inches in front of her, but still.
That bafflement bought Utahime a few seconds as the song was picking up and Jimi Hendrix's voice came on the speaker as he sang out.
Remembering where he was, Yoshinobu started targeting the vulnerable Utahime. Only for her to duck under the drum set, letting them absorb Gakuganji's Cursed Technique, and stand harmlessly before her.
The song neared it's ending, and Yoshinobu played not faster, but rather harder, matching the song's ending tempo, while sending vastly stronger waves of Cursed Energy.
Utahime kept playing. One hit knocked her off her chair, but she just pushed herself back up to standing and kept playing. Her posture was crouching forward, eyes the Cursed Energy waves coming at her.
She had to keep playing, since she wasn't sure if Gakuganji noticed that she was only able to apply her Domain Aplification to her drum set, by hitting the drumstick on the drums and applying it in that single moment. Except for the bass drum and the hi-hat cymbal since her feet was always on those.
It's only because the beats came rapidly that the process wasn't noticed yet.
The final fourteen seconds of the song.
Utahime was exhausted. Sweat dripped down her face. Her arms ached as she moved them, She had to take to dodging with her upper body some of the waves coming at her. Yet she couldn't always dodge them fast enough, as even if her instincts were sharp enough to move before the attack was launched, sometime she was just too tired and too slow to manage that now.
Cursed Energy waves came from behind.
Slash with a Domain Amplification drumstick, then switch back to keep play. Utahime kept going until came the last four seconds.
Where the drums die out with one last beat as the guitar let out a continuous echoing note.
There was no attack coming from behind or the side. The Cursed Energy didn't travel along the sound waves bouncing off the walls. They came from one large wave up front.
Utahime didn't smirk, didn't have time to wonder if Gakuganji was trying to overwhelm her Technique. Since this was the last note of the song, she just placed her hands on the drum set, fully let Domain Amplification cover them, and hit under them.
Then to the utter unexpected bullshit that Utahime couldn't prepare for, the Cursed Waves curved over the drum set, missing them completely, and slammed into her body.
Utahime let out a cough filled with blood, her ears popping out and now bleeding.
But the show was over, and Gakuganji stopped playing.
Utahime stayed lying on the floor, just catching her breath while feeling pain emanate from her chest and head. She was technically critically injured if one wanted to be pedantic, but it wasn't a big deal for her.
Mei Mei and Mana stood over her, one nonchalantly saying something, while the other panicking. Utahime pointed to her bleeding ears as she couldn't hear anything. That made them pipe down.
A few moments passed, her energy reserves refilled enough, and she healed herself up back to full health, and sound returned again to her.
"Utahime-sama! Are you okay!?" Mana cried out.
"Not bad, you actually kept going till the song was completed. Got your ass thoroughly though. Like a complete amateur. It honestly looked like bullying toward the end." Mei Mei added her lovely commentary.
"Mei Mei-san!" Mana cried out, scandalize. "That's not helpful! And you didn't have to say it like that! Utahime-sama did admirably keeping up against Lord Gakuganji-sama for so long."
"No, not really." Utahime spoke up such down the argument. "If the principal wanted to end the fight, he would have focused even more intensely on not just that drum set in general, but on my drumsticks. Without them I wouldn't be able to play. Also that move at the end, I'm pretty sure he could have done it at anytime. Only reason he didn't was to indulge and to enjoy playing the song till the end."
"So you noticed that. Good." The principal said as he walked over to Utahime, who only bothered to sit up to face him. Slightly disrespectful, but more on the childish side, but she was feeling bummed out right now. "Do you know what you did wrong?" He asked with that grandfatherly smile.
Honestly, one month and a half, yet she's already playing well enough to play from muscle memory alone. If nothing else Gakuganji was impressed by that alone. And that she had the will to keep going just to finish the song? He hadn't had such an enjoyable battle in a long time.
Utahime looked down to the wooden floor, deep in thought.
After a few moments of silence, her scratched her head, then looked up with a fierce look of determination, that had old Gakuganji look intrigued.
"I came at this with the wrong mindset." She said, then began to pull herself to stand up.
"Oh?"
"Yes," she said, nodding. "I already accepted I wasn't going to win this bout, that I should treat it as a learning experience. I didn't have the correct resolve from the get go." She narrowed her eyes. "That's why, excuse me if I'm being rude headmaster, but from here on out every bout isn't gonna be about learning something from you, it's gonna be about beating you. I'll solely focus on that."
Yoshinobu had to fight the amused, excited smile coming to him. He was losing.
That... is definitely not what I was gonna say. But look at the cheek of this one. Beating me in Cursed Music. Yet... He smiled. That is the right mindset like she said. This one, her instincts for being a Sorcerer might just be her strongest aspect.
"You also forget to add a method of attack." He finally said. "Defending alone isn't gonna make you win. Outlasting me, or enduring playing with me isn't gonna be something I'll consider a loss. Come up with a ranged option and try again. Also send me the song or songs you want us to play a week in advance so I can practice the notes."
"Yes sir!"
Thus the first music battle had come to a close.
Mei Mei naturally made a killing by hyping Utahime up to others, then betting against her.
Mana lost her allowance for the month by betting on Utahime, and Utahime subtly replaced it for her.
The video of the music players battle made the round around the internet. Most laughed at Utahime's performance. Some enjoyed the music as no note or beat were missed or messed up.
And some were enthralled by what they saw.
"Holy shit, you can apply Domain Amplification to other stuff? No wait, if you cover yourself in it and thus your clothes, then wouldn't it be normal that you can apply it to things you're touching." Gojo Satoru said, watching the video.
"Wow." Geto Suguru nodded. "Feeling threatened by Miss Fiancée?" He asked with a smirk.
"Pfft, please." Satoru went to put the phone away, but his third teammate took it from him to keep watching. "She's an entertaining time waster to look at but nothing like us, Suguru."
"Eh, her Cursed Reversal is pretty scary. It might even be a problem for your Limitless." Suguru noted.
"Haaa, what is this?" Satoru grinned mischievously. "Are you feeling scared, Suguru?"
"Well, she is Suguru-kun's natural enemy." Noted Ieiri Shoko.
"Oh yeah, that's right!" Satoru said with a grin.
"Huuuuh!?" Suguru's jaw dropped in exaggerated disbelief. "Natural enemy, my ass! A few Cursed Spirits with long range and she's toast."
"Watch out, Suguru! There's a miko behind you." Satoru said dramatically.
"Shut up, Satoru!" Suguru said back.
"Well, she is a miko with a shotgun." Shoko said as she rewound the video to play the song again.
Satoru took that title to tease his friend some more, and Suguru berated Satoru back.
And Suguru definitely didn't look behind him to check if the 'miko with a shotgun' was there, much to his friends teasing.
AN: Let's see. Music battle one more chapter, then Goodwill Event in three chapters.
