Itadori Yuji x Reader [Pulling Strings]

Chapter 1: Extra Curricular

Tik, tik, tik, tik.

You run your fingers against your scalp, scratching an itch while you struggle to keep your eyes open. It's the final hour of an uneventful schoolday, but each moment between the ticking of the analog clock feels like a full 3 seconds.

The teacher drones, and every time you try to pay attention your eyelids feel heavier and heavier. It was like trying to understand a conversation happening in the room over. You sigh and give up.

It wouldnt be so bad, you muse, if you had gotten sleep the night before. The things you see in your room when you're laying down don't make very good sheep to count, unfortunately. Your parents have chalked it up to sleep paralysis, but it doesn't matter because the 3 hours you're getting aren't cutting it. You could nap, because you're seated in the very back, but you tried that already and every single time you jolt awake in a panic. You feel like Sisyphus and that damn rock.

You wish there was a class clown, somebody, anyone to liven up the place, even if it was someone you didn't like, but ever since the one interesting person in your year left early in the school year everyone's practically been as dead as you are. You have friends, but not the energy to keep up with them since you started losing sleep, and honestly its lonely. Your life has become such a drag.

The teacher is not interested in your, or anyone elses, utter lack of enthusiasm, so you bide your time until the bell chimes. You slop out of your chair when it does and make your way out the door as quickly as you possibly can, belongings in tow. While others scatter to their clubs, you are ready to leave and bury yourself in a manga. Quite the star student.

The air outside is sweet despite the quality, the natural light filtering through your eyelashes perks you right up like a long neglected houseplant, and what you really want now is to lay in the grass. You have some impulse control, however, and you decide to take the long way home for a walk instead.

On the way to your home is a very lovely hiking path through the woods, harboring trees with ginormous root systems. There are rumors of serial murderers in those woods, cult activities, and other morbid happenings, but those are only rumors and you always stick to the path anyways.

Athough you enjoy the cool spring air and fresh green foliage, the brief energy given to you by the school bell's shrill ring has dissipated and you find yourself dragging your feet. In a state of exhaustion and poor judgement you slide a little bit off the path to a tree root sticking out of the ground, and take a seat to rest. You're asleep before you get a chance to get comfortable.

About an hour passes, but its still daylight. About 5:30.

As you start to stir, you almost feel as though eyes are watching you. But this isn't the first time and almost certainly won't be the last.

You lift up an eyelid, peering out of its corner you think you observe a figure. A striped specter is what your brain processes, but your peripheral vision is blurry and you cannot be arsed to move your head and you close your eyes for a few more moments. The feeling does not subside, but when you open your eyes and sit up, theres no one in sight.

Being thrown a little off kilter, you heft yourself up and throw your schoolbag over your shoulder. It was time to go before it got dark. Maybe the rumors are a bit more based in reality than you had previously feared. New apprehension is a brisk breeze on your back, coaxing your legs to maybe pick up the pace a little as you try not to break into a sprint. Just a little further. Then you can have dinner and get some more shut eye. You see the last turn before its a 5 minute straight walk out of the woods and then just as you get there...

Teeth. A mouth full of teeth is was greets you as you come around the bend. Which wouldn't be as terribly concerning if they were people teeth inside of a person mouth, but it is increasingly apparent that they are not. The feeling of simply being observed was long past. Now it has been overcome with the feeling that you're going to die here.

A brief authors note: if you made it to the bottom of this page and are interested in what's going to happen next, please give feedback! Encouragement is the only price you need to pay for more chapters.
-Valory