The dorm room had white walls, a wooden floor, and a single bed against the far wall. A desk near the window. A closet. A small bathroom attached. Standard issue for students who were expected to spend most of their time training rather than lounging.
Fuin set his duffel bag down and looked around.
He could make do with this.
He raised his right hand, palm up. Cursed energy flowed through his wrist bones, and two skeletal hands emerged from beneath his skin.
*Crack*
[Shigi] had arrived.
The two hands flexed their fingers in unison, then immediately got to work. One scrambled over to the duffel bag and began unpacking clothes, folding them with surprising precision before placing them in the closet. The other opened the box containing his notebooks and sealing supplies, organizing them on the desk by category.
He watched them work for a moment. He didn't need to direct every action; they understood the task and executed it efficiently.
One of the hands paused while dragging the lab mice cages. It tilted slightly, as if examining the mice through non-existent eyes. Then it carefully constructed a kind of makeshift pull system and pulled the cages up onto the desk, arranging them so the mice had a clear view of the room.
The mice squeaked.
The hand's fingers reached through the cage bars and gently scratched one mouse behind the ears.
"Write a checklist," Fuin commented.
"Organization preparations for tomorrow's welcome exorcism. "
One hand immediately grabbed a pen and notebook from the desk. It flipped to a blank page and began writing in neat, precise characters:
Tomorrow - Welcome Exorcism Event
1. Confirm equipment (sealing supplies, backup talismans)
2. Review curse identification protocols
3. Assess team capabilities (Gojo, Geto, Shoko)
While [Shigi] worked, Fuin stepped into the hallway. Most of the doors were closed, but a few remained open. He glanced down the corridor.
Gojo's room was two doors down on the left.
The door was wide open. Inside, expensive-looking items were scattered everywhere; designer clothes draped over the chair, what looked like a high-end sound system on the desk, imported snacks piled on the bed. Everything was top-quality, but nothing was organized. It looked like someone had moved in by dumping everything out of their bags and walking away.
A pair of sunglasses sat on the windowsill. Three more pairs were on the desk.
Geto's room was across the hall.
His door was also open, but the contrast was stark. Books lined the desk in neat stacks—texts on cursed spirit theory, historical records of famous sorcerers, training manuals. His clothes were hung properly in the closet. A small plant sat on the windowsill.
'Thoughtful.'
Fuin returned to his own room. [Shigi] had finished unpacking and were now examining the room's layout, occasionally adjusting the position of items by a few centimeters to optimize space usage.
One hand picked up a book, flipped through it briefly, then placed it back exactly where it had been.
The other hand was drawing something on a spare piece of paper. Fuin looked over its shoulder.
It was a crude stick figure drawing of what appeared to be Gojo climbing a tree, with an arrow pointing to him labeled "idiot."
Fuin's eyebrow twitched.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway followed by voices.
"—I'm just saying, sorcerers have a responsibility," Geto was saying. "We have power that ordinary people don't. That means we should protect them. We're like heroes in a way."
"Heroes?" Gojo's voice was dismissive. "We're just sorcerers. I don't really care about ordinary people."
"You should care. They're the ones we're protecting."
"Are we though? I thought we were just exorcising curses because curses are annoying."
"That's not—"
Gojo stopped mid-sentence. Fuin's door was slightly ajar, and through the gap, Gojo had spotted a [Shigi] drawing on the table with a pen in its fingers.
He kicked the door fully open.
"Whoa."
Fuin looked up from where he was organizing his sealing supplies.
"Sorry," Gojo said, though his tone suggested he wasn't sorry at all. He stepped into the room without waiting for permission, Geto following behind with an apologetic expression.
[Shigi] immediately stopped what they were doing and turned to face the intruders. One hand waved its thumb. The other shook itself like it was shaking its head in exhasperation.
"Those are shikigami, right?" Gojo walked closer, examining them with open curiosity. "They're just... bone hands?"
"Yes."
"What are they doing?"
"Unpacking."
Gojo watched as one of the hands picked up a book between its fingers, halling it over to the shelf, and placed it on it. "They can do that on their own? Without you telling them?"
"Mhmm."
"That's so unfair." Gojo turned to Geto. "Can your cursed spirits do stuff like this?"
Geto shook his head. "It's too energy-intensive to keep them manifested for mundane tasks. And I'd have to mentally direct every action. They don't have autonomous intelligence."
Fuin set down the talisman he was holding. "That's a fundamental difference between shikigami and cursed spirits."
"So... can your shikigami can do your homework for you?" Gojo asked.
"If needed."
"That's amazing! I'm so envious! "
One of the [Shigi] hands scrambled over to Gojo and patted his shoe on the head, as if consoling him.
Gojo kicked at it half heartedly and the [Shigi] scrambled away to do something else.
Geto was looking at the lab mice on the desk.
"Are these for research?"
"Partially. I need it to help deal with a detrimental part of my technique."
Geto nodded slowly, not pressing for details. He seemed to understand that some things were private.
Gojo, however, had already lost interest in the conversation. His attention had shifted to Fuin's open suitcase in the corner. Something inside had caught his eye.
He walked over and pulled out a card binder.
Fuin's expression didn't change, but his cursed energy spiked slightly.
Gojo flipped the binder open, examining the contents. "What's this? Trading cards?"
"Put it back."
"These look old. Are they collectibles or—"
Fuin moved. He crossed the room in two steps and closed the binder firmly, pulling it out of Gojo's hands.
Gojo blinked. "Whoa. Grumpy much?"
"Don't touch my things without permission."
"I was just looking."
"You didn't ask."
Gojo reached out to take the binder back. "Come on, I just want to—"
Fuin's cursed energy flared. The temperature in the room dropped. He shifted his stance, blocking Gojo's reach with minimal movement.
They stood facing each other.
Gojo lowered his sunglasses slightly, revealing his bright blue eyes. The Six Eyes. He was looking at Fuin's cursed energy directly now, analyzing it.
The air between them felt heavy.
Geto stepped forward. "Hey, let's not—"
"You're an arrogant child," Fuin said. His voice was calm, but there was weight behind it.
"You think because you're strong, you can do whatever you want."
Gojo's grin didn't falter. "Hmm! You're never going to get a girlfriend with that attitude."
"I don't care about that."
"Clearly."
Geto moved between them, hands raised. "Okay, both of you, stop. We're classmates. We're supposed to work together."
Fuin didn't move. Neither did Gojo.
"Gojo, you shouldn't have gone through his stuff without asking," Geto said. "That's basic respect."
Gojo shrugged. "I said sorry."
"You didn't mean it."
Geto turned to Fuin. "And Fuin, he's just curious. He doesn't mean any harm."
"That's not an excuse," Fuin said.
Geto sighed. He looked genuinely concerned, like he was trying to prevent something from escalating. "Look, we're all going to be training together. Fighting together. We need to at least try to get along."
Fuin studied Geto for a moment. The concern seemed genuine. Not performative or manipulative. Just honest worry about team cohesion.
'Fine.'
He stepped back, lowering his cursed energy output. But he didn't put the binder down.
"Tomorrow," Fuin said, looking directly at Gojo.
"I'm going to make sure I wipe the floor with you after the joint welcome exorcism."
Gojo raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
They stared at each other for another moment.
"We'll see how it goes tomorrow then~"
Then Gojo shrugged and turned toward the door.
He walked out of the room, hands in his pockets, completely unbothered.
Geto lingered for a moment.
"He's not a bad person," he said quietly.
"I know."
Geto glanced at the card binder in Fuin's hands. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry he went through your things."
Fuin nodded once.
Geto left, closing the door behind him.
Fuin set the card binder back in his suitcase and locked it.
Tomorrow was going to be interesting.
Author's Note:
This scene was a bit hard for me. Not sure if it turned out well or not.