Chapter Text
This had all started because Junpei wanted a miracle.
An escape.
The ability to live without hate or fear.
And to obtain this miracle?
He trusted the Devil .
Junpei awoke to the smell of waffles.
Slowly, he sat up, letting his eyes adjust.
It was the first night he slept somewhere that wasn’t his own bed.
It was one of the guest bedrooms. When he arrived last night, he was too tired and upset to take a good look around.
Everything was neat and well-organized, not even a speck of dust could be found.
There wasn’t much furniture. There was a lamp on the desk beside him that Junpei could now feel hum with magic power, and an antique clock that gently ticked away.
The mirror on the dresser that only showed him a body he could no longer feel safe in.
The bed itself was very warm and comfortable. Junpei thought that maybe Yuji could convince them to let him stay under these quilted covers forever, not having to worry about beasts or humans ever again.
Junpei slapped himself.
No , He thought, You made a promise to Yuji .
He got out of bed. He no longer felt as he did last night, like his body was trying to kill him.
Mahito was right about one thing, his body did become easier to control when his soul had literally nowhere else to go.
He softly stepped down the stairs, listening to the sounds of gentle laughter and baking.
“Umm…” he walked into the kitchen, “Good morning….”
“Junpei!” Yuji’s hair had bits of batter stuck in it, “We’re making waffles!”
“Good morning Yoshino,” Nanami was pouring batter into a cast iron waffle maker, “We’ve finished a few already, Yu’s getting you a plate.”
“Thank you sir…” Junpei tried to smile, “...and I want to thank you for letting me stay here—“
“—After what happened in your town, it was the least we could do. Just focus on resting right now.”
Junpei nodded, and quickly sat down at the bar where Haibara was.
Haibara passed him a plate of waffles.
“They’re delicious!” Haibara said, his smile managing to be even brighter than Yuji’s.
“...I can see that.” Junpei eyed Haibara’s own plate, which had at least several waffles stacked on top of each other.
When he first met Haibara and Nanami, he was a little terrified.
Not only because of the traumatic event that was occurring, but also because they were, at the time, the most terrifying-looking witches he had ever seen.
Junpei was taught that witches had flawless bodies and eyes that glowed with magic.
Nanami was covered in burn scars and was even missing an eye, replaced with a deep blue jewel. Parts of Haibara’s skin from his waist to his neck had bark growing like scars, as if he was fused with a tree. Haibara also lacked a body from the waist down, replaced with plant-like appendages that could be clearly seen now that he was wearing shorts.
Combine that with the beasts, blood and various deadly spells that were being flung around at the time, and Junpei was thankful that their true personalities were nowhere near as intense as they were that night.
Junpei bit into one of the waffles.
“They’re good!” He said.
“I told you,” Haibara watched as Yuji and Nanami came to join them.
Yuji’s plate was almost as tall as Haibara’s.
“It’s like there’s two of you now,” Nanami said, smiling as he pecked Haibara’s cheek before sitting down.
“Awww—you love it,” Haibara said, taking another bite from his breakfast, “That just means that you can make even more food. Ino would love that.”
“Ino needs to gain more friends his own age. He practically lives here.”
“ ‘Cuz he likes you.”
Nanami scoffed at the comment, taking a sip of his tea.
“So…” Yuji looked at Junpei, “How are you?”
“How...am I?”
“Like, since last night?”
“Oh…” Junpei shrugged, “Okay...I guess? I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Oh yeah, that makes sense. Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Junpei said reflexively, before wondering if he should have said that, even if Yuji meant well.
“Nanamin,” he heard Yuji ask, “When is Gojo coming back?”
“I suppose whenever he clears Yoshino’s enrollment with Yaga.”
“The first year class has grown hasn’t it?” Haibara commented as he ate, “Wasn’t like that when we were there.”
“It’s only going to get worse if we don’t capture that demon. To not only be able to grant a human soul witch-like powers, but to also be able to create a witch body to finish the transformation, is unheard of. It’ll make the world even more dangerous.”
“I’m sorry Nanamin…” Yuji gripped his fork with such incredible force Junpei thought it was going to snap in two, “If I hadn’t gotten distracted, I could’ve—“
“—You could’ve done no such thing,” Nanami’s look was stern, “You prioritized Junpei’s survival, which is exactly what you should’ve done. Don’t apologize for that.”
Nanami looked at Junpei, “And for you—“
Junpei squirmed under his gaze.
“—you are just a child. A desperate child who had no idea of what he was getting into. You are not to blame for what happened.”
“But—“
“No buts,” Haibara joined in, “Even if you weren’t being manipulated, you never could’ve pulled it off without his help.”
Seeing the guilt and worry on Junpei’s face, Haibara rubbed his shoulder.
“Don’t worry,” he said, “The Association will handle it.”
Nanami began to grumble, “The Association will handle it as long as he’s willing to give himself to them first.”
“Nanami—“
The doorbell rang.
“ Yoo~hoo~! ” They heard a familiar voice.
Nanami got up, “I’ll get it.”
Haibara sighed, turning his attention back to his food, finishing at an alarming speed before deciding to eat from Nanami’s plate.
“Mr.Haibara sir….?”
“Haibara is just fine.”
“Haibara,” Junpei repeated, trying to sound more confident, “What did Nanami mean by that?”
“Uh well….the Association’s main philosophy is ‘ You must learn to give what you can take ’. While it’s more than willing to help out it’s members—as long as you’re willing to agree to a few contract spells first but they’re more of a code of conduct—you have to be willing to serve in return.”
“So they won’t help me unless I can help them?”
“Exactly. The testimonies Nanami and I gave them have already given you a foot in the door—your new witch body helps too—but it’s important that you stay in their good graces if you want to find the demon who destroyed your body and killed your mother.”
Yuji placed a hand on Junpei’s knee.
“Don’t worry, Gojo will help. He helped me and like, a lot of other people.”
Junpei nodded, just as the three began to hear shouting from the living room.
“Nanami~! Please!”
“If you stay any longer they’re going to be late!”
Haibara leaned back, “Oh dear….”
“I’m a demon, you know that right?”
Junpei nodded, trying to not let the rusty smell of blood and death overtake his senses.
He wondered what those bullies thought in their last moments.
“And I killed everyone else.”
Junpei nodded again, ignoring the blood seeping into his shoes.
If they knew what kind of ritual they performed at the theater—
“So why aren’t you afraid?”
“I...I want to have power…” Junpei tried to make his voice sound confident, “I want to be able to protect myself.”
“Oh really?” The demon smiled, “I can do that.”
“Really?”
“Really,” It stepped closer, brushing Junpei’s hair out of his face, “But first, tell me your name.”
“So, you know who I am, right?”
Junpei nodded, “You’re Gojo Satoru, The Great Infinity Witch.”
“Mmmhm.” Gojo bit into the waffle he was holding with his bare hands, leaning forward against the back of Nanami’s chair.
“So from what I’ve been told, you made a contract with a demon to grant you witch-like powers, said demon then surprised you by creating a witch body and then transferred your soul into it. Which is why you look different.”
Junpei became hyper aware of his body. It now had mismatched eyes like the demon (though thankfully one of the eyes was the same dull muddy green color as his old ones, even if the other was now closer to silver). It’s skin felt too moist and supple, stretching in all the wrong places (especially when he didn’t want it to). It was a little too tall, moving in it felt like wading through water.
Yesterday, he thought this body was amazing.
Today, he thinks it’s a cage.
“And you said that the demon told you that it had been summoned before, around a year ago, by a witch?”
“Yes.”
“That does line up with when that mysterious witch curse started to appear…”
Nanami finally returned with Ino and Ijichi by his side. He frowned when he saw that Gojo had commandeered his chair, and shot an unhappy look at Haibara when he saw his breakfast had vanished.
Haibara just offered a sheepish smile in return.
“Is there any point in asking the kid about this?” Ino asked, “We wrote down everything in the report.”
“Just wanted to make sure,” Gojo waved him off, “Junpei, the good news is that the Association is very willing to work with you. You are a witch now after all.”
Junpei felt Yuji’s excited energy.
“The witch clans are interested as well. If witches can be created from other species, it could make the passing on of lineages and maintaining their knowledge a lot easier. Of course, since the demon didn’t use himself as a base for your power, that would require capturing the demon.”
“So, the Association wants me to capture the demon?”
“Technically, anyone could do it, especially members of the Association more familiar with demons and hunting them, but Nanami has already told me that you and Yuji have made a pact to deal with it yourselves.”
“He killed my mom, I can’t just sit here and accept that….” Junpei balled his fist, “I have this power...I’m going to make him regret it.”
Junpei couldn’t see much behind Gojo’s glasses, but it felt like the older man was peering into his soul.
“Okay…” he clapped his hands, startling Ijichi.
“Ijichi, the kid seems willing. So have him sign the contract and I’ll take him and Yuji back to the school.”
“Gojo,” Nanami interrupted, “Can I talk to you in private?”
“Hmm?” Gojo smiled at him, “Anything for you, sweetness.”
“I’d like to talk to you as well.” Haibara began to get up from his seat.
“The two of you all to myself, what could I have done to get such an honor?”
Gojo jumped out of his chair, letting himself be led into another room by the two.
Ijichi shifted the chair before placing his suitcase on the table. He carefully opened it, removing a small stack of papers.
“Before you sign,” Ijichi adjusted his glasses, “There’s some terms and conditions we need to go over first, just to make sure that you understand what’s happening….”
Haibara closed the door behind him. Runes imbued themselves into the doorknob, locking it shut.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Nanami barked.
“Hmmm?”
“We have no idea if that body will even last . At any moment, it could crumble and that boy’s soul will be caught adrift. And you’re fine with him hunting demons of all things?!”
Haibara leaned against the door, “Junpei’s soul hasn’t completely integrated with the new body. Even someone like me who doesn’t have the sight like you two can see it. Some part of him is still rejecting it. It’s not like Yuji’s, it’s not built to contain things against their will.”
Gojo’s face didn’t change. “I thought that you were fine with him joining the Association, Haibara?”
“Because I thought you were going to let him see a specialist first! He will die without treatment, what gives?!”
Gojo’s eyes drifted between Nanami and Haibara’s faces.
“Okay,” Gojo sighed, scratching his neck, “The thing is—“
“What did they say?” Nanami narrowed his eyes.
“The clans refused to offer any assistance, and the Association flat out refused to offer for their own mage specialists.”
“What?!”
“I wasn’t lying when I said the clans were interested. They are, but they want to test him. If he falls apart, they’re not gonna help because they want proof that an... artificial witch can be just as good as a natural one.”
“So they’re using him as a test subject?” Nanami grimaced.
Gojo nodded, “They want the Trials to be his Association Initiation Ceremony. His existence represents a big change for witch society. They were willing to skip the process for Yuji but they’re still as cold as they always are…”
”Wouldn’t the clans want to make sure that the Association won’t him get killed before they can pick him apart?”
“There’s barely a difference between the two these days. Neither want a witch that can’t prove it’s worth the trouble to support. And the Association, they’ve been gathering and recording all known witch bloodlines since Tengen handed them the three clans. They don’t like the idea of new lines popping up out of nowhere, or the clans growing too unruly. The clan’s’ lack of action on the whole thing makes them happy.”
“Your family is basically made of soul specialists,” Haibara pointed out, “Can’t you make them help? You’re their leader.”
“Unfortunately, a lot of them still hold a grudge for the ‘eloping with Suguru and not having biological kids ’ thing.”
“What about Okkotsu?”
“That’s actually part of my plan, see —”
They both shared a doubtful expression.
“The Trial Ceremony will begin once I get back. You two remember that right? That fun students only island vacation that totally wasn’t made to torture us in the name of magical knowledge?”
“Junpei is definitely not fit for the trials.”
“Yes,” Gojo slung his arms around the two, “—but, if he does well, he’ll pass the Association Initiation as well and clans would see that he’s worth supporting. Yuuta being there can help reduce the chances of Junpei suddenly dropping dead, especially since he won’t have an adult witch monitoring him like in most initiations. And since the Trials are witch-run, the Association can’t stage any accidents during it to re-establish control. Not to mention that Nobara is also starting to specialize in soul magic,” he rubbed their backs, “And you see that kid, he’s determined to finish what he started, he won’t just give up, especially not with Yuji around, I have faith in them.”
Haibara’s expression began to relax, but Nanami's expression remained unchanged.
“Yuji is already balancing having to contain a decades old evil and the Association’s investigation, he shouldn’t also take up a quest against a monster.”
“You two have only known these kids for like a few days and you're already acting like concerned parents.”
“I’m a teacher,” Haibara said, “It’s only natural for me to be worried about their safety.”
“And we all know what it’s like to only exist for the sake of magic.” Nanami added.
“...Can’t deny that.” Gojo admitted, “...I’m not about to let any of my students face anything they can't handle, not yet if I can help it, but you need to trust me. None of us can guarantee their safety, but we can make sure that they’re more aware of what is happening to them than we were.”
“These days, witches don’t form contracts with demons as they used to.”
Junpei watched Mahito from the bottom of the sewer. Mahito had given him books on magic runes to study, but Junpei was progressing slower than he himself had hoped.
“I thought that was something the church made up?”
“Originally, it might have been,” Mahito’s hammock slowly swung back and forth, “but demons know how to capitalize on bad publicity. We gave them the ability to temporarily push their magic past their limits, while they gave us bits of themselves, and the souls of whatever human crossed their path. It was a good alliance.”
“..If it was such a good deal, then why did they stop?”
“It was that Grand Witch of theirs, Tengen. And the mages he created that foolish Magic Association with. He believed that witches were becoming too depraved because of us. And yet he basically forced them to put their trust in humans for survival. But still, I don’t think the Association is the enemy.”
“You don’t?”
“Witches are finally collaborating with each other after all. And the clans are no longer holed up in their little spaces. It makes things more fun.”
“Junpei,” Mahito looked down at him, “Those allied with the Magic Association. They wear these silver bands with rose heads on their fingers. If you're ever in danger, you can trust someone who wears that ring.”
“...and lastly,” Ijichi finished, “The contract spell bans any unwanted romantic fraternization between fellow Association members.”
Junpei blankly nodded, having spaced out a few pages ago.
“Sign here,” Ijichi handed Junpei the final piece of paper, “It’ll bind you to the Association.”
After looking over the writing a few times, Junpei signed his name at the bottom.
The paper lit up, shrinking and burning until it revealed the shape of a ring with a swirl crest.
“That is your signet ring,” he explained, “You will press the band down on any Association marked letters or packages in order to open them. Please try not to lose it.”
Junpei carefully fitted the ring on his finger, “Thank you.” He said, silently showing it off to Yuji.
“Congrats!”
Junpei jumped at the sudden sound of Gojo’s voice.
“You’re now an official member of the Magic Association! I’ll need to put in an order for your witch hat, so you’ll tell me what you want on the way to the island.”
“Island?” Junpei turned to Yuji, “You didn’t say that the school was on an island.”
“It...isn’t?” Yuji responded, confused, “Like, it wasn’t when I was there.”
“That’s because we’re doing a little event for the Metropolitan and Provincial workshops,” Gojo grabbed Yuji’s shoulder, “Actually, we should talk about how you should break the news to your friends—“
“—Junpei.”
Junpei turned to see Nanami and Haibara.
“We...know that the last few days have been hard on you, and that you’re still coming to terms with a lot of it.” Haibara began.
“If we had it our way, young witches like yourself would live lives like normal children,” Nanami continued, “But it isn’t our choice to make.”
“It—It’s okay—“
“No it’s not. You and Yuji could lose yourselves at any moment, and will be hunted and ostracized for things outside of your control. It’s a life no one should have to live, much less children.”
“So we want you to know that you can always come back here when things get too difficult, and that you will gain friends and allies you can trust.”
“T-thank you.”
“We’re simply doing our jobs as adults.” Nanami said.
“Junpei! Yu~Yu!” Gojo called out, “Time to go!”
Junpei nodded. Before they left, Haibara and Junpei gave Nanami a tight hug, with Haibara finishing his hug with a kiss on the cheek.
“What’s taking him so long?!” The woman paced around.
“Gojo said that he was bringing a gift for the kids after picking Haibara up.”
“So you’re fine with him being late?!”
“Of course not! Utahime, sit down before you create a hole in the floor.”
Utahime huffed and sat down in the opposing chair.
“Yaga,” she groaned, “What did we do to get stuck with such a man?”
“Probably pissed off a god in a past life.”
The door swung open.
“ Hey ~!” Gojo had a large box floating in front of him, “How are my favorite witches doing?”
“You’re late.” They droned in unison.
“Fashionably late—Where’s Gakuganji?”
“He took Mei Mei and did a final check on the island.” Utahime sat up, “The kids are waiting for you, by the way.” She mouthed something at Haibara, eyeing the box. Haibara just smiled and placed a finger over his lips.
“Aww, I was worried that you’d give the speech without me. But before that—“ Gojo ignored her sneer and drifted over to Yaga.
“Yaga, I brought the new kid.”
Junpei stepped inside the room.
“Hi!” He did a quick bow in front of Yaga, “I’m Yoshino Junpei! I like movies and I’m kinda new to the whole witch thing…”
“That’s fine, Gojo already told me everything.”
Junpei couldn’t see anything behind Yaga’s shades.
“Junpei, what do you hope to get from an education here?”
“Hmm? But I thought—”
“For a witch like you, a workshop is mandatory. But even so, I like to know what makes each of my students tick. Most witches, despite their immense power, lack imagination. They simply want to continue living like they’ve always had, whether it is following their clan’s will or forcibly preserving the life they had before they discovered their powers. They rarely want to allow themselves to change or change the system they were born in. But there are some who break this trend.”
Junpei swallowed.
“I believe that neither path is the right one, just that one often suits one person more than another. So what motivates you?”
“I….” Junpei racked his brain, “I don’t have any clan to follow...or any family to go back to...but I am doing this to avenge my mom. And….I want to help Yuji…”
“You don’t want anything more for yourself?”
He remembered his mother’s burnt corpse. The feeling of her ashes in his lungs, touching her blackened bones and skin.
He remembered his bully crying his eyes out, his body all warped and twisted until it was unrecognizable, but forcibly kept alive.
He remembered the feel of the demon’s hands as he helped guide Junpei’s poison into the body.
He felt something pool in his stomach.
“I—“
Haibara patted Yaga on the back.
“He’s had a rough few days,” he interrupted, “and it’s hardly the time for one of your tests. Actually, I have an idea.”
Haibara looked down at Junpei.
“Junpei, since you literally only gained your power a few days ago, and the knowledge you….inherited is kinda lacking compared to every other witch I know, you’re probably going to have some trouble with the trials. But —“ Haibara stressed, “—meeting some other witches and learning more about magic could help him figure out what motivates him.”
“....I guess that works,” Yaga said, “I’ll be waiting for an answer when you return, then.”
Junpei’s eyes jumped between Yaga’s stern face and Haibara’s optimistic look.
“Junpei!” He heard Gojo call his name.
“Gojo—“
“Hmm?”
“What will my classmates be like?”
“I think you’ll fit in well with the rest of the first years. And your upperclassmen will be there every step of the way.”
Gojo looked at Junpei out of the corner of his eye.
Seeing Junpei’s anxiety, he smiled.
“Don’t worry about it, they’re all good kids. A little rowdy though. And you’ll barely have time to worry. Yaga gave you your first assignment after all.”
Junpei nodded.
Getting closer to the boat, Junpei began to hear sounds of bickering.
Two groups of students were staring each other down.
To the left, the boys wore black sweater vests over their dress shirts and ties, with jackets to keep out the cold (save for the boy with the tired blue eyes and the one with bleached blonde hair and tan skin, their uniforms had the inverse colors of everyone else). The girls wore similar vests and save for the one with glasses, who wore shorts, they were all wearing black skirts (all of different length) with either socks or tights.
On the other side, the boys were wearing black jackets, ties (save for the boy with the closed eyes and a tie and cape the color of blood, and the normal-looking blonde one with the brooch), and white button down shirts. The girls on their side wore elegant short buttoned asymmetrical dresses that had personalized colors at the trim (save for the girl with short black hair who had an all black uniform). And underneath the dresses they wore similar dress shirts, but the girl with blue hair was the only one with a tie.
Both groups were wearing a variety of pointed hats, though the girl with glasses was wearing something that looked more like a large, black military cap.
Also, there was a Panda and someone who was obviously some kind of robot mixed in with the students.
“Hey kids!” Gojo interrupted them, “It’s a bit too early to claim territory, isn’t it?”
His voice was cheering but there was a seriousness to it.
“Where’s Utahime and Haibara?” asked the girl with two strange, upright pigtails that looked a lot like the brush end of broomsticks. Her uniform had pink and white trim on its ends.
“They’ll be down shortly to see you off. I’m just here to give you all some gifts!”
“Teachers aren’t supposed to be swaying the results of the trials.”
“It won’t, promise! And it’s a little something for the both of you.”
“For my darling Metropolitan students,” he grabbed Junpei’s shoulders, “A new student!”
Junpei felt everyone’s eyes on him.
“H…Hi…” he slowly raised his hand, “I’m Yoshino Junpei. I’m…new at this—“
“What kind witch are you?” The girl with the hat covered in roses was staring him down.
“What kind of witch…?” Junpei looked back at Gojo, who just smiled.
Junpei took a deep breath. Stretching his hands out, he felt the magic flow out of his soul and into the runes envisioned in his mind.
The runes manifested, quickly turning clear and melting into each other, taking the shape of two glowing, translucent jellyfish that began to float around aimlessly.
“I…can make these jellyfish,” he explained, “Don’t touch them!” he added just as the blonde girl reached out, “They’re…pretty poisonous.”
“I’m Megumi,” one of them introduced themselves, “What’s your ultoma?”
“It’s not anything special.” Junpei said, “and it’s…it’s covered by my hair—“
“Can I see it?”
Junpei thought about his currently mismatched eyes.
“I—“
“And now for the second surprise!”
Gojo floated the box in front of both groups.
It popped open, sending magical confetti everywhere.
“ Goood~ Morning Everybody-! ”
Jumping triumphantly out of the box was Yuji with a bright, dopey smile.
“Did you miss me?!” he asked.
Junpei smiled. The sight of a familiar face filled him with ease. He turned to his new classmates—
—and saw a wave of confusion and disgust on their faces.
Megumi and the girl with the rose hat in particular looked especially unhappy.
“Y-Yuji?” he stepped forward, “You...you’re okay?”
“Yep!” Yuji skipped towards them, going in for a hug only for Megumi to grab his arms.
“Since when?!”
“A few weeks ago, Sukuna just decided to give back control just like that! I was hiding in the school’s basement until Gojo got a black envelope! Can you believe it?! I got to go on a witch case—“
“You…and you didn’t tell us? You were alive for weeks and you never told us?!”
“Uh…well I—“
The sound of a camera flash.
“H-Hey!”
“Nanako! Keep him still!” The girl with the rose covered witch hat was walking towards Yuji with a war hammer.
“W-Wait Nobara! Nanako!” Yuji tried to move his body in vain.
“You think that you can just come back and act like nothing happened?!” Nobara yelled, her hammer getting dangerously close to Yuji’s face.
“Well I—“
“We thought you were dead! Gone! With Sukuna using your body as a meat puppet!”
“I told you, he just stopped—“
“—And you never went ‘ Hey maybe I should let my classmates know I’m alive? ’”
“You see, w-well,” Yuji’s eyes darted between Nobara and Megumi.
“Gojo said that I couldn’t tell anyone!”
The first years launched themselves at their teacher in a flurry of insults and attempts of murder.
Gojo brushed them off, as if there was some kind of invisible barrier between him and the first years.
He dug into the box, pulling out various glowing trinkets.
“Provincial kids, line up for your gifts!” He effortlessly spoke over the yelling.
The other group of kids politely lined up, entranced with the magical tools Gojo was handing them.
“They’re enchanted to act as floating lights,” Gojo explained, “for those late nights down dark hallways. I already cleared it with Utahime and Haibara.”
“Hey,” it was the older boy with tan skin, “Why don’t we get some of those fairy lights?”
“‘Cuz I already gave you guys your gifts; your lower classmen, make good use of the two.”
Junpei gulped as he felt their harsh eyes appraise him once again.
He looked at Yuji, who was completely oblivious to everything, begging Nanako to set him free.
“Gojo,” Yaga walked down the steps, followed by Haibara, Utahime, and two other people, “Don’t tell me that you’re harassing them already?”
“They were like this when I got here.” Gojo replied.
Yaga sighed, clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention.
“Today begins the two week long Witch Trials. First years, the Magic Association likes doing these yearly examinations in order to gauge each of your individual progress. This will decide where the Association will place you once you graduate, and for you clan witches, it’ll let your families know that you’ve been reaching the benchmarks expected of you.”
Gojo coughed near the end, making a disapproving noise which Yaga ignored.
The Provincial principal (who Junpei would later learn was Gakujanji), took over.
“These examinations will be conducted at one of the Kamo’s decommissioned research facilities, which they donated exactly for this cause. While most of your examinations will be done individually, some will require the help of your classmates.”
“To make this more entertaining for everyone,” Yaga took over again, “We decided that each of your performances during this test will be judged by a certain amount of points, and whichever school has the most by the end of the event will be rewarded with a selection of magic tools and privileges, courtesy of the Association for your cooperation.”
The tan kid spoke up again, “So we get a few trinkets and a hall pass for a bunch of stupid test?”
“Hakari,” Yaga sighed, “might I remind you that you are still on probation? Please don’t do anything stupid.”
Hakari huffed as the student with piercings patted his shoulder.
“I think we’ve talked enough,” Utahime began walking down the beach, “If the first years have questions they could just ask us or their upperclassmen. I’ll lead everyone to the boat.”
The Provincial students began to follow after her, with none sparing a glance at their counterparts. The rest of the adults followed suit, save for Gojo.
“Well kids!” he smiled at his students, “Gakuganji told me that you guys are doing your own competition with our other half?”
“Those stuck-up assholes need their asses kicked.” Nobara growled, getting murmurs of agreement from the rest of the kids.
“Well I’m not here to get in your way, I trust that what I’ve taught you can carry you to the end. But first we need to make sure Junpei is prepared.”
“What are you talking about?” Hakari asked roughly, “He’s a witch isn’t he? We just need to explain the fucking tests.”
Gojo tutted, “Junpei is a very special witch. He’s the first witch of his line.”
“What?!”
The kids looked shocked.
“You’re messing with us, aren’t you?” Megumi was the first to speak, “There’s no way—“
“—Lying isn’t funny Gojo,” the Panda said, “If I had a heart I would’ve died from shock.”
“Hey hey I’m not lying, see for yourselves.”
The kid wearing the other white uniform approached Junpei.
His sea blue eyes reminded Junpei of Gojo’s.
“Do you mind—I’m Yuuta by the way, I’ll be one of your upperclassmen—” there was a nervous yet gentle energy to how he spoke, “—Do you mind if I see your utoma?”
Junpei shook his head, lifting his bangs and letting the magic flow through him again.
Just above his right eye, there was a small pattern of jellyfish on his skin.
Yuuta’s eyes began to glow slightly. On his forehead, a pattern in the shape of a vertical eye appeared.
If Gojo’s eyes peered into one’s soul, Yuuta’s tore their way into your heart.
“..Wow..” Yuuta’s voice was a hushed whisper, “He wasn’t lying…it’s like a blank slate.”
Everyone’s curious looks made Junpei shrink even more.
“Wait,” the student with piercings clicked their tongue, “Doesn’t that mean that he doesn’t know much about his magic ‘an shit?”
“ Excellent question Kirara,” Gojo snapped his fingers, “While Junpei has been trained by a particularly devious demon—“
Junpei felt the stares again.
“—he has never been privy to the secret world of magic like we have. So in short, he’s a bit of a gullible idiot.”
Junpei winced.
“But that’s what he has you guys for! To help him complete his transformation into a witch.”
“Gojo,” the girl with glasses crossed her arms, “We kinda have a whole rivalry thing going on. Just make Junpei sit out the trials and get tutored by you.”
“No can do!” Gojo said.
A pause carried through the air.
“Welp kids better get to that boat!” Gojo clapped his hands and began moving, leaving the kids dumbfounded.
He stopped and snapped his fingers.
“Junpei!”
Gojo stuck his hand into the box and pulled out a suitcase, tossing it in Junpei’s direction.
“It has your new uniform in it, minus the hat. Haibara was the one to decide what would make you the most comfortable. It’s water resistant too.”
“T...Thanks..”