Altair: "I, for one, like Megumi and Adam's relationship, it's weird and awkward, yes, but I find it rather fitting. The both of them didn't have a family, or rather, they only had one person that they could call family and could get the idea of family, of how a family should be. Megumi has his sister. Adam, his mother.
How I see this is just two boys forming a brotherly bond and are doing their best to emulate what they think family behavior should be based on their role models in the matter. And their doting on one another, knowing how the other is like, their favorites and whatnot, even Megumi's parental like behavior on Adam's neglect of self-care, feels like siblings who are living without parents. Cause they'd both have to look out for one another when no one else would. Adam and Megumi's would just be amped up due to their occupation as Jujutsu Sorcerers, even if they're just students, having a high risk for casualties. (Original series literally making Megumi watch Itadori die in front of him very early on, I wonder how that whole shebang would be played out here with Adam in the mix) Nearly dying is traumatic enough. Actually dying is a whole different level. Multiple times because of your so called 'family' is just a cocktail of messed up. Now finding out that a friend that you now see as family have experienced death multiple times, to the point of losing count btw, will make you act more protective of them, so Megumi and Adam being weird and awkward with one another just makes sense.. at least to me.
I'll cut myself short, cuz I'm apparently on my third paragraph already, but that's just how I see their relationship. Awkward, cuz it's being navigated by two awkward boys doing their best while handling their shit baggage and I likes it... who knows, tired might just be messin with us but I still lieks the story anyway"
I'm glad a vocal reader gets it! Fushigoro, being the more mature of them, has unintentionally mimicked the doting his sister used with him when he was younger with Adam.
For now, I'll keep this response short so I don't clog up the chapter; I definitely agree with pretty much everything you're saying, and I hope I don't disappoint with the whole Itadori situation or any other similar situation that may occur in the future.
Discipline01: "Binged the last five or so chapters, sorry for being quiet man, stuff happens and didnt have much to add. Im loving the developments.
Ita gotta be terrifying for Adam. The deaths are appearantly not free."
Don't worry about communicating every chapter, I'm more than happy to simply see the numbers rise or receive a single review from anyone; what you, melone, wondertainment, and every other consistent reviewer has replied to me with has been incredibly special and I hope you know your support keeps this story moving.
For the last part, I can certainly say those deaths aren't free of their fair share of pain; mental or otherwise.
That's all for the reviews this chapter, I hope you enjoy a chapter full of just characters getting to know each other and icebreaker games!
The news reported the accident just hours after the boys returned from their patrol. As if one gruesome murder wasn't enough, it was announced that a second one had occurred that same morning. A woman, one who had worked hard to provide for her family, was brutally murdered and thrown into a dumpster with her head caved in by a boot.
Nishimiya had quickly turned off the news after seeing the boys' guilty expressions. She'd heard from Miwa earlier about the events of their patrol. "Hey, have you two ever played Uno?" The blonde girl asked.
"No," Adam replied boredly. "I'm guessing it's a game of some kind?" He'd had enough of being thrashed in video games for one day, so he was not so subtly hoping it was something else.
"It's a card game," Fushigoro answered. "You start with seven cards and try to get rid of them all." The boy explained.
"That's a gross understatement of the rules, but you'll learn as you go." Nishimiya pulled out her phone and sent a message to the rest of the Kyoto students. "Everyone else will be here soon, so you better grab a chair before they get snatched."
Now that he knew it wasn't a video game, Adam was all too happy to race from the couch to the dining room table. Fushigoro trailed behind him, much to Nishimiya's satisfaction.
"We're going to need two decks." The girl mumbled as she reached into one of the drawers under the coffee table and retrieved a pair of red boxes. "Pendragon, you can read the rules page while I shuffle." She reached into one of the boxes and retrieved a grey piece of paper before she flicked it at Adam.
The corner hit the back of the boy's head and made him jump in place. "Couldn't you have warned me a bit?!" He screeched.
Fushigoro picked the square off the ground and unfolded it in front of his friend on the table. "Are we playing with any house rules?" He asked.
"Stacking plus 2s and 4s," Nishimiya replied with a grin as she sat across from them. With practised ease, she executed a perfect riffle shuffle between the decks before transitioning into an overhand one.
"Wow, you're pretty good at that," Adam commented.
"I used to deal for my dad's poker games." The girl replied with a smile. "It's not that hard after you do it once, though."
Adam huffed in amusement before turning his attention back to the rules sheet. "I'll take your word for it." He scanned the page several more times before folding it back up and flicking it in Nishimiya's direction.
Unlike the white-haired boy, Nishimiya caught it between two fingers before placing it to the side. "You're a hundred years too young to try that stuff on me."
"Sure I am, you hag." Adam turned towards Fushigoro to speak, but one of the corners of the rule sheet hit him in the eye before he could open his mouth.
His screeching covered the sounds of several pairs of footsteps entering the room. "What happened to him?" Mechamaru asked as the Kyoto students took their seats.
"Justice." Fushigoro and Nishimiya replied simultaneously.
"Aren't you on a mission right now?" Fushigoro asked.
"Yes, but there are several of me around. My other puppet is currently making its way through the sewer systems using an automated protocol. I should have enough time to play a few games while it travels." The doll replied.
"But you have to take control to make your report, right?" Adam asked, having recovered from the assassination attempt.
"Correct." The doll answered simply.
Nishimiya quickly finished her shuffling and began handing out the cards en mass in an anti-clockwise fashion. First, on her right, sat Miwa, who was next to Mechamaru at the end of the table. On his right sat Kamo, who had decided to take a break from studying to play. Fushigoro and Adam sat to his right, with Zenin sitting opposite Adam and to Nishimiya's left to leave the other end of the table open.
"Since you dealt anti-clockwise, does that mean it's my go?" Zenin asked with a smirk. Nishimiya flicked a card from the top of the deck and placed it in the middle.
"Yes?" She replied carefully. "But go easy on Adam; it's his first time." The blonde girl quickly added.
"Hell nah, do your worst, Zenin, I can take it!" Completely disregarding the red five that had been placed in the middle, Zenin smirked and threw down a black plus 4. Adam grumbled in annoyance as he reached to pick up the four cards to add to his collection. "Bloody cheaters, the lot of you." He tried to place down a card, but Fushigoro coughed to remind him that his turn had been skipped because of the plus 4. "Annoying cheaters."
"What colour is it?" The black-haired boy asked.
"Hmmm, blue." Zenin decided immediately. She glanced at Adam with a predatory grin, and the boy felt just the slightest urge to switch places with Fushigoro. Said boy placed down a blue three and gestured for Kamo to take his turn.
"I always love to play this game." The boy began with a smile. "It allows me to settle my grudges without resorting to violence or petty pranks." He placed down a blue plus two as he spoke.
Mechamaru growled robotically at the subtle remark. "I don't remember ever incurring your wrath." He placed a green plus two on top of the boy's blue one.
"You didn't. Kasumi stole my pudding last week." The blue-haired girl whimpered as she was forced to pick up four cards.
"Hey, twinsies!" Adam said jokingly as he waved around his 11 cards.
"Yeah…twinsies," Miwa replied sadly. Nishimiya snickered as she placed down a green skip.
"Ha! Deserved!" Adam placed down a green zero as he spoke. Fushigoro shook his head at the boy's childishness before placing a yellow 0.
Kamo clicked his tongue in annoyance as he was forced to pick up a card. "No luck with yellows, huh?" Mechamaru asked as he placed down a wild card. "I'll change the colour to red."
"Aww, why'd you have to do that?" Miwa whined as she was forced to pick up a card.
"How do you not have a red in that library in your hand?" Zenin asked with a chuckle.
"The heart of the cards betrayed me," Miwa replied sadly as Nishimiya placed down a red reverse. "Come on! Why's everyone bullying me today?" The blue-haired girl exclaimed as she was forced to pick up another card.
"It's karma for stealing my dessert," Kamo replied simply as Mechamaru forced him to pick up two cards.
Fushigoro placed down a red two while Adam surveyed his cards. "Nishimiya, are you sure you shuffled these cards correctly?"
"Yes?" The girl replied tentatively. "Why? Do you only have number cards?" Adam smirked as he slapped down a plus-four on the pile.
"Maybe." He said with a laugh. "The colour is…uhh…Megumi, what's your favourite colour?"
"Hey! No teaming at the table!" Miwa exclaimed.
"Right now, it's looking to me like red," Fushigoro replied, ignoring the blue-haired girl's yelling.
"Alright, the colour is yellow," Adam announced. Zenin picked up her cards while Nishimiya tried to stop herself from laughing at Fushigoro's annoyed expression. She placed down a yellow skip, which caused Miwa to whimper once again.
"It's alright, Miwa, I'll help you," Mechamaru said as he placed down a yellow reverse. The blue-haired girl stared up at her saviour with tear-filled eyes.
"Thank you Mechamaru…" She began as tears spilt from her eyes. "But I don't have any yellows." Miwa picked up another card and continued to cry.
"Isn't this getting way too dramatic?" Fushigoro asked as Nishimiya placed down a yellow 3.
"God has abandoned her," Kamo replied when Zenin placed a yellow eight on the pile. Adam threw down a yellow plus 2, which Fushigoro added with a green version. Kamo sighed tiredly as he was forced to use the blue plus two he planned to save, bringing the number of cards to be picked up to 6.
"Miwa, do you have a plus 2?" Mechamaru asked.
"Hey! What happened to no teaming at the table?!" Adam squawked.
"Is it really a team-up if one person has nothing to offer?" Mechamaru countered. Miwa punched him in the arm as a smirk grew on her face.
"I actually have something better." The girl said confidently. Mechamaru nodded and placed down a red plus 2. "Ha! Take this, Momo!" Miwa confidently slapped down a plus-four on the pile.
She was immediately swarmed by looks of pity.
"You can't stack those," Nishimiya explained politely. Miwa looked down at the pile and then at the blonde girl.
"Can't we make an exception?" She begged.
"Hmph, and ruin the sanctity of this wonderful game? Absolutely not!" Fushigoro slapped his friend over the head for kicking a girl while she was down.
Miwa broke into sobs as she was forced to pick up eight cards, bringing her total to 22. "This is so unfair!" She complained. Nishimiya shook her head with a smirk.
"Mai, pick up 4; the colour is red." The green-haired girl groaned in annoyance before picking up her due.
"You didn't even change the colour, you just did that to be an ass," Zenin grumbled.
"Well, she couldn't exactly aim it at Miwa; it'd probably be considered a breach of the Geneva Convention." Adam countered as he placed down a wild card. "The colour is yellow."
"I don't think torturing someone with Uno cards would be considered a war crime," Fushigoro replied. He placed a yellow skip on the pile, which caused Kamo to sigh. Mechamaru mimicked the expression after being forced to draw a card.
Miwa added to the pile with her plus 4. "Eat the rich, I say!"
"Fuck the poor, I reply," Nishimiya replied immediately as she stacked her own plus four on top. "Uno."
"This game sucks," Zenin grumbled as she added another eight cards to her hand.
Adam scoffed ."The dealer is a cheat! A cheat, I tell you! Wait, what's the colour?"
"Blue." Nsihimiya decided.
The white-haired boy placed down a blue seven and gestured for his friend to take his turn. "Uno." Fushigoro boredly announced as he placed a blue one on the pile.
"So, do you guys play these sorts of games with the other two?" Kamo placed down a blue seven while Adam asked his question. Suddenly, the entire group gained darkened looks while shaking their heads rapidly.
"There's no way we could do that." They all replied simultaneously. Adam unconsciously shivered at the dark aura surrounding them.
"W-Why?" The boy nervously asked. Nishimiya locked her hands under her chin and sighed.
"He always manages to turn it into a strip game." The girl announced quietly. Despite most of the group probably not hearing her, they all shivered simultaneously.
An image of Todo tearing his shirt off entered both Fushigoro's and Adam's minds, causing them to cover their mouths to stop any vomit that may have tried to escape. "That is…a perfectly good reason." The black-haired boy replied seriously.
Mechamaru placed down a red 7, which forced Miwa to pick up a card. "How are you this unlucky?!" Adam exclaimed.
"I hate this game!" Miwa cried.
Nishimiya ended up winning the game.
"So, what other games do you guys have stored around here?" Adam glanced at the coffee table momentarily before returning to the group. Mechamaru's doll had been disabled as soon as the round ended, but he'd assured everyone he would return soon.
"We have quite a few…" Nishimiya began. "Sensei likes us spending time together, so she just buys them whenever she feels like it." The girl had spent her time after Mechamaru's departure to pack up the cards while Kamo consoled Miwa.
"So we have a ton." Zenin summarised. "Card games, board games, video games, even a karaoke machine, but that takes a while to set up."
"Wow…Blindfold doesn't do stuff like that for us." Adam looked at his friend, who shrugged in response.
"He probably would if we just asked. Gojo isn't the type to go out of his way to do things like that without prompting." The boy explained boredly. "He filled up my library at home when Tsumiki asked him for a cookbook."
"I think he just has more money than he could possibly spend," Adam replied. "So! What game should we play next?"
"20 questions! It's a perfect icebreaker game!" Miwa exclaimed.
"Haven't we been breaking the ice between us all day?" Adam asked in return.
"Sounds good, we'll do that," Fushigoro said.
The group was forced to wait several more minutes for Mechamaru to return. During that time, Miwa explained the rules to Adam, who hadn't even heard of the game.
"So we just answer questions we are asked?" The boy summarised.
"Yes! But you can pass if you don't want to answer a question!" Miwa explained merrily.
"And what? Is there a punishment for passing or something?" Adam asked.
"I mean…no?"
"That's boring."
"It's an icebreaker game, dumbass," Fushigoro said boredly. "People would be more focused on avoiding the punishments than listening to the answers if we added a punishment."
"Then just answer every question," Adam replied confidently.
"Ignore him; he is incredibly inept in social situations," Fushigoro announced seriously.
"You're just a hating ass bitch." He hadn't been playing online for long, but Adam had been able to pick up on some lingo from his online matches. "But whatever, we can do this the easy way. Next time, I want punishments, though!"
"Hmph, what sort of punishment would you put in place?" Zenin asked with an interested smirk.
"Well…hmm…I didn't get that far." Fushigoro sighed at the white-haired boy's words.
Thankfully, they didn't have to return to the awkward silence plaguing the room after the Uno game as Mechamaru interrupted their conversation with his reappearance. "I've returned." The spare puppet he used as a proxy had been moved out of the room while the group was talking.
"Awesome! We're playing 20 questions!" Miwa chirped.
Mechamaru tilted his head in confusion at the statement. "Is 20 questions not too many in a group of this size? If everybody uses their 20, that's 140 questions we need to sit through."
"Yeah, but '10 questions' just doesn't have the same feel," Zenin replied boredly. "People can just tap out whenever they want, so it doesn't really matter."
The rest of the students who had moved returned to their seats in preparation for the game, excluding Kamo, who had taken the initiative to prepare drinks. "Is oolong tea fine with everyone?"
"As long as it isn't flammable." Adam joked.
"Flammable?"
"You've been reading too much of Itadori's manga," Fushigoro commented. He turned to Nishimiya, who had been waiting for the boys to stop chatting. "Who's going to start?"
"I'll start," Nishimiya replied. "Whoever gets asked a question gets to choose the next recipient, so we don't have one person getting targeted." The group nodded in agreement with her words. "That being said, Pendragon!" The boy shot to attention.
"Yes, ma'am!"
"What's your favourite food?"
"Chicken! As long as it's cooked, I'll eat it; anything goes." The boy easily replied. So…now it's my turn to choose, right?" Nishimiya nodded. "Mechamaru! How many puppets do you have?"
The doll paused for a few moments before responding. "I'm not sure of the exact number, but it eclipses 100." He replied. "Fushigoro, what do you do to pass the time?"
"Read, preferably non-fiction, but I haven't been able to complete anything recently because of a certain moron." Adam held up his fingers in a square shape and stretched them across his face to mimic a blindfold; Fushigoro glared at the boy from the corner of his eye before huffing. "I was talking about you."
"What the hell have I done that stops you from reading?" Adam squawked.
Fushigoro scratched his chin sarcastically as he thought. "Hmm, I'm having a hard time remembering the reason…I could swear it had something to do with F5 flamenados."
"That wasn't my fault, you prick!" Adam screeched.
"Alright, alright, settle down, ladies," Zenin said mockingly. "You have to ask someone a question, Megumi."
"Kamo…" The third-year turned towards Fushigoro with a stoic expression. "If you weren't a sorcerer, what career would you aim for?"
The entire table went silent before…
Adam snorted. "You fuckin' suck at this, Megumi."
"Why? It was a valid question?" The black-haired boy responded angrily.
"He literally said he wanted to be a diplomatic translator before we went on patrol, you tool!" Fushigoro looked to the third-year in question, who merely nodded in agreement.
"I see…"
"That means it's my turn, correct?" Kamo said out loud. "Pendragon."
"I have a feeling this is going to be a pattern." The white-haired boy groaned in response. "What is it?"
"What's your fondest memory?" The boy froze momentarily before he settled back into his chair.
"Fondest memory, huh?" He leaned backwards slightly before shooting back forward. "I don't know; a few take my top spot."
"What about the festival? You had a bit of fun there, if I remember correctly." Fushigoro suggested.
"Yeah, that was pretty cool. But I think I liked it more when we were hanging around Sendai on that mission." Adam countered happily. "That was fun."
"So your favourite memory is of you and Fushigoro just…hanging out?" Kamo asked.
"Yep! But, like I said, a few things could take that top spot." Adam replied.
"Hmm, interesting. Well, I suppose that means it's your turn." The third-year said with a soft smile.
"Right! Miwa, who did you learn simple domain from?" The boy asked excitedly.
"Kusakabe sensei!" The girl replied in a chipper tone. "My original teacher suggested me to him after she retired from sorcery." Her gaze strayed from Adam and toward Zenin. "Mai! When was the last time you messaged your sister?"
"Last week. She keeps using our messages as a notepad for her grocery list." The girl grumbled. "Pendragon, how long have you been a sorcerer?"
"Since April." He ignored the shocked stares coming his way to look toward his next target. "My turn! Nishimiya, what's your nationality?"
"American-Japanese. My father is an American sorcerer." The girl replied. "Sending it right back to you, Pendragon; what's your nationality?"
"English," Adam replied. "Should we just double the amount of questions I have? Everyone seems to be targeting me."
Zenin shrugged. "Well, you're the mystery party here; most of us met Megumi last year when Gojo brought him around for a day."
"Ah, okay." The boy nodded. "Then I guess I'll direct my question to you, Zenin: what's it like having a sibling?"
The girl shuddered in annoyance. "Painful." Her expression shifted into a more melancholic one as she leaned onto her palm. "I'm probably not the best person to ask, though; my sister pretty much hates me."
Adam tilted his head in confusion. "No, she doesn't?" Fushigoro chopped him lightly on the head.
"Don't comment on other people's family drama, blockhead." He chastised tiredly. Zenin huffed in annoyance before turning to her target. "Kamo, are you almost done with the drinks?"
"Haha, is that your question?" The boy finally reached the table with several glasses and plastic bottles stacked on a platter. "If so, yes."
"Well, it wasn't, smartypants." The girl replied. "Do different blood types or diseases affect your cursed technique in any way?"
"No, as long as it's human blood, I can control it," Kamo replied. He quickly filled up a glass for everyone, excluding Mechamaru, before sitting back in his seat. "I'll direct my question towards Pendragon. Are you fluent in any languages outside of Japanese and English?"
"Conversation-wise, sure." Adam held out his hands with all ten fingers outstretched. "German, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Arabic, Dutch, and Indonesian."
"Wow…that must have been quite the journey," Kamo said breathlessly.
"Not really; I didn't have much else to do besides study when I was younger," Adam replied with a shrug. "Outside of those few, I can understand Bengali, Korean, French, and Greek; can't write with them, though." He surveyed the group's expressions with a lazy gaze. "Hmm, can we direct questions to the entire group?"
Nishimiya hummed in thought for a few moments before replying. "I mean, it's not part of the rules…Oh!" She leapt out of her chair and raced to the pantry. "How about we switch things up? We'll all put a question into the box, and then we all answer using a whiteboard!" She returned with a small box with a slit in the top and several whiteboards with markers. The girl immediately scamped back into the room to grab a stack of paper.
"Why do you just have all of that stuff in there?" Adam asked in confusion.
"It's kind of an extra storeroom for school supplies, just in case anyone is too lazy to go to their rooms," Miwa answered. "So, are we all just going to tear off a piece to write our questions?"
"Yeah, that's the easiest way." Nishimiya tore one of the pages into eight pieces before tearing it up. "I'll keep the extra one in case someone messes up." She slid over the pieces to the group, followed by the boards and the markers.
The group wrote silently for a moment before Fushigoro raised his hand. "Can we have some pens to write with instead? Adam is halfway through recreating a solar eclipse because he's pressing too hard." The white-haired boy glared at him in annoyance.
"You're lucky I don't punch you, bastard." Fushigoro accepted the pen Kamo tossed him before passing it to Adam.
"He also needs that spare piece since it's pretty easy to tell which is his." The spare square was flicked across the table with a suitable amount of snickers following it.
"You're lucky I don't kill you, asshole," Adam murmured. The snickers grew louder as he scribbled his question down and folded the page.
Nishimiya quickly snatched everyone's pieces before sliding them into the box and roughly shaking it. "Alright! The first question is…." She opened the lid and grabbed a piece randomly before raising it above her head. "If you were to choose a career outside of sorcery…"
"Oh wow, I wonder who asked that one." Adam turned to his friend with a deadpan expression. Fushigoro glared back at him defiantly, to which the white-haired boy responded by flicking his pen lid into his eye.
While the rest of the Kyoto students wrote their answers down, Fushigoro and Adam squabbled like schoolchildren in the corner.
Everyone eventually got back on track and displayed their answers simultaneously. As expected, Kamo had written down 'Translator'; other than him, the rest of the group's answers were all unique. Mechamaru chose Ryokan Manager, Miwa wrote Nurse, Nishimiya wrote Hairdresser, and Zenin wrote Model.
Fushigoro and Adam both took slightly longer to flip their boards around. The black-haired boy had chosen Vet, which wasn't that surprising considering his cursed technique. Adversely, Adam had written nothing. The students all looked at him in confusion, to which he responded by shrugging. "Sorry if it's disappointing, but I just can't imagine myself being anything other than a sorcerer."
"But you literally have a job as a model." Fushigoro pointed out.
"Right, but that's more of a short-term thing, so I'm not too strapped for cash in case of an emergency." The emergency was if he was suddenly forced to pay for his tuition. "What about the rest of you guys?"
"Outside of Kamo and maybe Mai, most of us had dreams way different to becoming sorcerers," Nishimiya replied. "But I don't think any of us would trade what we have now for some vaguely normal life, right?" The non-clan-affiliated Kyoto students all nodded in agreement.
"That…right." Adam chuckled before gesturing to the box. "Next question?"
Nishimiya glanced down at the container for a moment before smiling. "Sure."
Iori was not impressed in the slightest when she found out her joint class was groggier than a group of partying college students the next morning.
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