NARCISSIST || jjk toge inumaki x reader

chapter vii

•••

Opening the door to my dorm, I walk to the window opposite, admiring the flourishing flowers and how well kept they were, it reminded me of the hospital. It had been a few days since I had first unleashed my cursed technique, and I had been training hard before and after each class to strengthen it. I hear a click of the door near me, and Panda walks out, greeting me. He stands next to me, also admiring the grounds of the school.

"You never join the rest of us when we hang out as a class. Why's that?"
"I've been busy training. I'm behind everyone in the terms of understanding my technique."
"Makes sense, if you ever need anything, I'm happy to help."
"Thanks, Panda."

The sound of footsteps on the outside catch our attention, and we see Inumaki walk over to the concrete basin, grabbing a watering can and tending to the plants.

"Ah, Inumaki. I can tell there's a significant distance between you two."
"Hm, I guess."
"His way of communicating always results in him being misunderstood. He's a good guy, really. He knows how it feels to not fully understand your technique and be so different to people around you."
"Is that why he tries so hard to be nice?"
"Probably. He has a big heart, despite his little words. So try being as kind to him as he is to you."

I muttered a 'yeah' before he walked back to his dorm, the door clicking behind him. I put my arm on the window sill, still watching the boy water the plants. Perhaps I won't get by being so restricted to everyone. They're trying their best to be welcoming to me. The least I can do is return it. The hallway was completely empty, Maki was still asleep. Maki and I are both assertive women, but we've grown to respect each other in little time. It was almost as if my thoughts echoed in the silence. The now familiar smell of mahogany reminded me of why I woke up so early.

•••

In. Out. In. Out.

My chest shook as I pushed myself to my limit, trying to get the most out of my cursed techniques. I had secured 3 'special' moves so far, but the toll they took on my body was substantial. I had the move I performed on Inumaki, I called it 'Sonic Disruption'. By reflecting the sound waves I manipulated off a solid surface, I was able to see the extent of the effect my technique had. At its peak, at least for now, I felt an intense dizziness and a distracting nauseating feeling. It was a good advantage, but wouldn't make me win a battle. The more cursed energy they had, the weaker effect was.
A more powerful move I had was 'Resonant Pulse'. By placing my whole hand on a surface or object, I could send shockwaves through it, destabilising opponents. If I really worked on this, I could probably create tremors in the earth.
The most useful, was 'Echolocation'. I discovered this by sitting in the middle of the training room, and focusing all my energy into manipulating sound waves, all with my eyes closed. The waves bounced off surfaces, allowing me to see my surroundings without using my eyes. So far I couldn't exactly pinpoint smaller obstacles, but I could grasp the presence of a person or bigger structures.

This time, I had overworked myself. A pile of bloodied tissues compiled in the corner everytime my ears or nose bled, and a bucket of vomit everytime I used Sonic Disruption on myself. My body ached from endurance training and my brain was foggy from all my concentration.

Relief. The cold of the wooden floor soothed my aching head. I could maybe keep up in the exchange event, but I haven't been training my combat yet. The soft footsteps of rain danced around the windows and the sound soothed my ringing ears. I had been training alone, so I haven't had the chance to interact with anyone outside of class or training. Gojo decided I had more work to do before I was drafted for missions.

•••

"Mustard leaf..?" You lifted your head to see Inumaki. A look of concern painted his face as he saw you lying on the floor with your eyes closed. You shot him a thumbs up, with an 'I'm okay' to follow. You never addressed his gesture after training with him for the first time, but he knew you got the message. You weren't necessarily nicer, but you weren't rude or snappy to him anymore.

"Was just having a little rest, I've been training all morning. I've still got combat training left."
"Tuna mayo?"
"You can join me, if that's what you meant."

You sat up to see him smile. You had never seen Inumaki without his zipper all the way up, at least not properly. You cocked your head as you looked at the seals on either side of his mouth. How interesting. Groaning, you got up.

"Alright, no cursed energy for the first round, but don't hold back. Because I definitely won't either."

He shot you a worried expression and scrambled to type on his phone.

'But I don't want to hurt you (>-<)'

"Think of it as payback for that one time. I'm not made of glass, Inumaki." Hearing this, he fixed his posture, pursed his lips and nodded. He stood 6 ft in front of you. I'm at a disadvantage, I'm at the point of exhaustion and he hasn't even trained yet today. I still don't know the extent of his physical abilities but I know he's the fastest runner in our class. That should say something about his stamina, too. On second thought, it might be hard to catch up with him.

You both kept your distance, anticipating each other's moves as you walked in a circle. Suddenly, Inumaki sprints at you, catching you off guard. Crap, I'm gonna have to be smart and fake him out. As he runs towards you, you feint a left hook, as Inumaki moves to block, you deliver a powerful right hook, aiming for his jaw. Surprisingly, Inumaki swiftly evades your attempt and hits you with a straight punch to the gut. Vomit crept up your throat, but you swallowed it and aimed a series of punches to Inumaki's midsection. But he steps back, his movements were fluid as he deflected every punch with precision. You let out grunts of frustration as none of your hits connected, but he seemed to keep a level head.

Inumaki counters, attempting a jumping spin kick, but you barely manage to duck under, immediately following with an upward palm strike to his chin. He winces but snaps back immediately.

His level is calmness is starting to piss me off. I feel like he's trying not to hurt me so he's playing defensive. He probably thinks he's better than me.

Your eyes burn with recklessness, this was no longer a training match. You wanted to make him hurt. The way he expertly parried and countered you was belittling, and your attempts to stay calm were futile. Your useless thoughts made you sloppy, you weren't putting any thought into your moves and were now fighting like a street fighter. Inumaki notices, and lands a spinning heel kick that connected with your cheekbone. This hurt. The vibration of the kick resonated through your face, yelping in pain as your sensitive nose bled. You held your nose in agony and Inumaki stopped fighting, a worried expression on his face.

"Mustar-"

•••

Interrupting his words of concern, I stepped back before running forward, keeping a low stance. I grabbed him by the waist with two arms and tackled him to the ground. The impact of my body hitting his knocked the spit out of his mouth and he groaned as I slammed him on the wooden floor. Drops of crimson splattering on his uniform from my bloody nose.

Inumaki didn't try fighting back. I didn't care. I punched him twice, once in the jaw, and once in the liver. I held back from cursing him out, but instead leaving him in the fetal position on the floor, holding his gut.

I went too far.

Pacing around the room, I raked my fingers through my hair and brought them down to my face. Contemplating on what to do next. Fine. I walked over to Inumaki, stretching out my hand to him.

"Sorry."

•••