OUTCAST - satosugu

Chapter 2- Blue Spring

The years passed like a slow, aching storm in the small community village in Tokyo. Winters continued to jolt, and summers were still draining. But as the snow started to melt and bevies of birds returned by spring, every year became less and less scary. Humans weren't as intimidating anymore; they were rather inferior and unimportant.

After being homeschooled until 15, which felt like an eternity, high school years finally started. A real school, with loud and crowded hallways, with school bell screeches tinkling in your ear at recess, and most importantly - real, authentic, true to self teenagers, and not maids and clan members he was used to seeing every day. 

It was so strange to be surrounded by so many people, however, the most abnormal part about it was how normal it was for everybody else. 

On the first day at Jujutsu High, the sensation of freedom was completely foreign, yet it felt more like home than home did. Find friends who feel homely, Satoru thought to himself while entering his classroom.

He skimmed through the room to find an empty seat. There were tall girls with fair hair chatting loudly in the back, boys - brawny and slim, sitting on the desks, a pair of twins, and a thick cigarette smoke filling the air. He meekly took a seat and dabbled nervously on the desk with his fingers, looking around at the crowd.

 A tall guy with strange-looking bangs and dim hair approached the seat next to him, which also happened to be empty. He leaned over, a thick strand of his hair hanging loosely next to his cheek.

"Hey, do you mind if I seat here?" he placed his palm on the empty desk. "Are you keeping it for a friend?"

Startled, Gojo responded: "No, no, you can sit."

"Thanks." he smiled politely and sat down. He cupped his chin in his palm and turned to Gojo. "What's your name?"

"Satoru." His voice carried a heavy weight of nervousness, making it sound uneasy. "Gojo."

The boy's eyes widened and he let go of the hold of his chin. "Gojo? You're from the Gojo clan?"

"Yeah." he furtively scanned his face for his reaction.

"That's cool; you're definitely making it past the overture then. Might wanna stick together."

"What?"

"The test rounds? There's like 30 people in this class right now, but just a few make it after the first week. What I'm saying's that you're definitely staying here."

"I didn't know that." he looked down at his slender fingers, clasped together. "So you plan on making it past the overture too?"

"Yeah," he sighed "they always need cursed spirit manipulation. I have it, and I can control it pretty well."

"That's cool." Gojo murmured.

The dim haired classmate smacked his lips and said "You're not very chatty, are you?" then smiled, carving dimples into his cheeks.

"I'm not really used to people."

"Don't worry about that man, most of the people here aren't. They ace hunting down curses but can't keep a simple conversation going." they both chuckled "Besides, I'm not either."

The commotion between the students, alongside the boys' conversation vanished at the sound of creaking. The oak door at the entrance slid open, revealing a tall-muscular man with an imposing voice that silenced the whole class.

"No smoking in class." he reproached harshly and opened a window for fresh air.

The day went by quickly, yet it arose an unusual tenderness in Gojo. It was something he'd never felt before - a feeling which enabled him to catch the very first glimpse of youth.