#anyways this is what i imagine spirit Junpei would look like

[le-artpotat]

It's not safe to be at school at night, Junpei's still lurking the halls...

[shihalyfie]

The meaning of the Beast Spirits in Frontier, and what it means to control it

(On request by @digitalgate02​.)

When you think about it, Frontier can be framed as a story of outcasts or misfits having to accept the idea of “changing themselves” in order to become better people, both literally in the sense of embracing physical transformation, and metaphorically in the sense of making attempts to do better. Implicitly, it speaks a lot as to how quickly these kids accept the idea of turning into something else -- perhaps implying as to how ostracized they’ve felt that such a thing instantly sounds appealing -- but it also adds some interesting layers to the concept of the Beast Spirit and how the difficulty of “controlling it” ties into each character’s personal story.

I think a lot of it has to do with the idea that these kids did have inclinations of being selfish or shallow at the beginning -- while they were full of potential to become heroes, they definitely started off as unlikely misfits at the beginning. In that respect, you can see the Beast Spirits arc as a sort of lesson that great power must be used wisely and responsibility...

Believe it or not, our biggest clue to all of this comes from episode 16, Izumi’s episode. It’s not directly stated in words, and the abstract summary of “determination” is passed off as a joke, but looking at the context clues around the episode indicates that’s actually not far off.

The thing is that Calmaramon is depicted as having the hardest time with her Beast Spirit compared to practically about anyone else in the group, and one of the recurring themes about it is that it’s partially because her personality is downright terrible. If you look at the context clues behind the prior episode (15), you’ll notice that while her looks are briefly brought up as an issue there and in this episode, the part that’s really freaking everyone out (and is making everyone worried Izumi will turn out to be the same) is that they actually saw it have an impact on her personality, where she was clearly conscious and able to talk but also indiscriminately destroying everything and enjoying it. At least in the case of Kouji, Takuya, and Junpei, they can be forgiven because they all did their best to keep it under control after the initial fallout, but Ranamon changing into Calmaramon had also involved her becoming someone actively reveling in senseless destruction. When everyone worries that Izumi might turn out like that, they don’t even bring up looks at all, and they all recoil when she does start showing signs of being destructive anyway.

The thing is, the entire rest of the episode puts a massive spotlight on Izumi’s actions of standing up for the Gomamon and empathizing with their loneliness (which, given the contexts added about Izumi’s background and backstory in episodes 8 and 26, are most likely her feeling that the concept of “being isolated from others no matter how much you want to reach them” hit way too hard for her) to the point she puts her foot down to override the boys’ prior plan of chasing the Toucanmon and their Digivices. She actually faces quite a bit of protest from the boys on this issue, and even admits she’s not sure if her own plan will work, but focuses on the idea of doing her best to undo the whirlpool with her abilities -- that is to say, using her power to protect and help others.

This sentiment of “I have to protect everyone” drives Izumi’s actions for the rest of the episode, to the point it’s the only thought consuming her head right before she finds and claims her Beast Spirit. So to make it clear, at the time she claimed it, the thought of “protecting others” was desperately, single-mindedly consuming her head...

...and the contrast is immediately apparent when Shutumon emerges, and the only thing Ranamon cares about is looks.

In other words, the reason the Beast Spirit wasn’t working out for Ranamon/Calmaramon is that she only wanted the Beast Spirit’s power for the sake of pride, vanity, and dominating others, and because of that, she had difficulty controlling it because it resonated with those feelings -- after all, although she wanted to “control” it to the extent of not carrying her all over the place, she was perfectly fine with the part about causing wanton destruction. Izumi, on the other hand, is clearly holding herself back even after her first evolution to Shutumon -- trying to keep a calm head -- and, after all, her entire motivation had been driven by “helping and protecting others” for the whole episode, so she doesn’t want to let this fail on her now, and she keeps that calm head all the way throughout the rest of it.

When we get to the next episode (17), you’ll also notice that one of the first things Blizzarmon (Tomoki) does is actively attempt to restrain himself. If you look back at what Tomoki’s character arc is about, he’d spent the better part of his past being bullied by others and tossed around, so “overpowering the weak” is the last thing Tomoki ever wants to do (especially given the events of this episode, as well). So, having witnessed the potential consequences of the Beast Spirit with the other boys, it stands to reason that Tomoki would want to avoid “hurting others” so much that restraining this would be a strong priority for him. While it’s commented that it does take his personality out of control a bit, the worst it ever gets is that he seems to be overly elated and cheerful about his defeats, but that’s also in line with Tomoki constantly having been pushed down so much during his life that you can imagine he’s enjoying the opportunity to finally be strong and have the spotlight.

But because he hates the concept of bullying and pushing others down so much, it stands to reason that he wouldn’t really have as much of a problem with that.

So when you look back at the prior episodes with the Beast Spirits with this context, you can see it applying there as well. In episode 14, Junpei was spending the better part of the first half of the episode livid at what was happening to his friends -- absolutely pissed at Grottomon for taking Izumi's spirit (and, despite Izumi's doubts, it's pretty apparent he actually does care about it beyond just having a crush on her), and then upset at the idea of being a sitting duck while Agnimon and Wolfmon are getting tossed around. While Junpei initially has trouble keeping the Spirit under control, the exact moment he gets a grip on himself is the moment he reaffirms his determination to fight for the sake of his friends.

Looking back at the other two episodes about rampaging Beast Spirits in episodes 10 and 12, you can also see why the concept applies there as well. It’s interesting how the “worst” rampage shown among the main protagonist Beast Spirits was not the first one obtained (Garmmon) but the second one (Vritramon), and if you look at the circumstances surrounding them, it doesn’t seem to mean as much about Takuya having any particular stronger tendency towards condescending violence as much as the sheer circumstances that went on behind them:

Kouji obtained his Beast Spirit under the circumstances of already knowing that he needed to protect Gotsumon with that power (and, moreover, having spent the end of the prior episode and the duration of the beginning of this one mulling on Ophanimon’s warning that he’d need to “grow” before he could obtain it). Therefore, “using this power for the desire to protect others” was a huge thought in his head from the very beginning, even though -- presumably partially because this was a first time for everyone -- it threw him off just enough for him to end up exhausting himself.

Takuya obtained his without warning and without proper understanding of what he was dealing with, having had it practically forced on him after Shamamon-as-Vritramon’s defeat, and so, with no context of purpose and no real depth of what he was about to get into, he ended up on a complete destructive rampage. He was snapped out successfully by the need to not hurt someone (Tomoki), and spent the rest of the episode agonizing and mulling over the risks and meaning of having such power before he eventually evolved into Vritramon without too much issue the second time.

So the point is made clear: the “destructive” and “uncontrollable” impulses associated with the Beast Spirits will be sent out of control if the user doesn’t have a strong desire to use it with proper purpose. For Ranamon/Calmaramon, she had the worst time with it because she was the single most obsessed out of the Legendary Warriors to use it to stroke her own ego and vanity, whereas at least the other three Cherubimon-allied ones (besides Duskmon -- see below) were at least capable of using it towards a greater goal, and the remaining five went through the proper outlets of thinking about how this power should be used and how it shouldn’t be used lightly.

While the issue of the Beast Spirits being inherently difficult to control isn’t as prominent as we go later into the series, we do actually see shades of it when we get to the tale of Kouichi/Duskmon/Velgrmon, because while part of it can be chalked up to the power of darkness being consuming, Kouichi, during his first transformation to Velgrmon in episode 30, is only able to talk barely coherently and is really just venting his rage and anger out, presumably because his entire state of mind is locked into all of that, making the rampage even worse. (Also keeping in mind the theme of embracing the idea of changing yourself, you can also think of this in terms of how Kouichi is getting so consumed by his own emotions of anger that he’s become almost completely unrecognizable from his original self.)

Once we get his first “proper” evolution in episode 33, however, Kouichi is abundantly aware of what he’s done and has all of the proper determination to never let such a thing happen again -- so it’s not surprising that his evolution to KaiserLeomon happens with relatively little incident.

[nanami-says]

Part III (1/2): chapters 19-25

Vs. Mahito Arc

Chapter 19 (aka why this blog exists)

J:”Yeah, we know that. But we flatter her because she looks easy.”

⇒ ”And the three of them know it as well. But they flatter you exaggeratedly anyway because they think you’ll let them do you”

Actually Junpei’s lines.

J:”I can’t believe people like that go to my school.”

Not incorrect, I just want to point out that Junpei didn’t just say “people”, the word he used is “race” (人種）, which implies he doesn’t see them as the same kind of human he is.

J:”Was it that guy who did it? There’s no way a person could do that! If he did it, he must not be human.”

⇒ “Was it that person just now? No, would such a thing be even possible for a human being? And if it was, would they really be a ‘human being’?”

Overall correct but the flow was different. Mind you, 人 can be translated both as “person” and “human being” (among others) depending on the context. Imo this captures the nuance better but YMMV!

N:”I’m here to identify the truth and uphold the law. There was a time when I thought the society had the same goals”

⇒ ”Adapting to the facts [in front of you] and managing yourself accordingly. That’s who I am. There was a time where I mistakenly believed society operated on the same basis.”

This was really hard to translate, especially since the phrase Nanami uses here is rather formal language. I actually checked the official anime subtitles for this one and they went with “I adhere to the facts and judge on that basis”, which I guess is close enough? I’d probably go with it as well if not for the fact that he doesn’t just say 律する but 己を律する (己/onore = I/me in humble language).

Seems like the exact meaning of the phrase is difficult to understand even for Japanese people - there are whole articles out there breaking down the meaning and giving examples of how to implement it in life 8D Anyway, the simplest explanation is “to control yourself”, with further nuance of “enforcing rules on yourself in order to achieve a goal”, “restricting your desires and impulses by your own will” etc.

Thanks a lot, Gege.

Btw, Ino, who respects Nanami greatly and considers him a mentor, actually uses the same phrase, word for word, in ch. 95! (事実に即し、己を律する) That’s how important it is. Also, continuity!

Y:”Let’s do it!”

N:”There’s no need to get excited”

⇒ Y:“Let’s go all out!!”

 N:”No, if moderate’s enough, let’s just do it moderately”

They both used descriptors for just what kind of intensity they should approach the mission with. Imo, an important distinction because after they learn the full extent of the situation, Nanami takes back his words from this moment and agrees with Yuuji, going as far as to use the same words Yuuji did here.

N:”I wonder what others would think hearing you say that”

⇒ “I’m sure the others wouldn’t want to hear that from you [of all people]”

So not so much “don’t be rude” as “dude, you’re the weirdest of them all”. Emphasis mine.

N:”What I learned at Jujutsu High is that jujutsu sorcerers are idiots” 

& “What I realized while at the office is that work is idiotic”

He actually says “shit” both times lol. If it was just the humour that suffered here, it still wouldn’t be too awful but unfortunately it’s not just that. The “sorcerers are shit” line gets recalled when Nanami’s facing death, trapped in Mahito’s domain, which makes it pretty damn important. It gets translated yet differently by the official release then, too, which further damages continuity I believe Gege intended for this.

”So I took the lesser of two evils. Nothing more, nothing less”

⇒ “If both are shit, then I just chose the one I’m more cut out for. That’s all as far as the reason for my coming back is concerned.”

I mean, if we realllllly insist on watering down everything that Nanami says (as JJK translators apparently did), then the basic meaning was conveyed but the original wording and nuance was closer to what I proposed.

N:”Prove to me that you can be useful in spite of the demon Sukuna inside of you”

⇒ “Give your best to prove that you’re useful despite carrying the bomb that Sukuna is.”

Considering how 2 pages later Nanami tells Yuuji that he’s not the one Yuuji should be proving himself to, it’d have been weird if this is actually what he’d said, wouldn’t it. But Nanami’s nothing if not reasonable, so that wasn’t the case.

Y:”I’m weak and useless. I’ve been hearing a lot of that these days”

⇒ “That I’m weak and useless... I’ve been realising that to a painful extent these days”

“I’ve been hearing it” would imply that someone was actually saying it either to Yuuji himself or to others which he was aware of. (I mean, other than Sukuna.) The original wording doesn’t really hold such connotation.

N:”If you think you’re in trouble, let me know”

Y:”Have some faith in me, will ya? Just a little.”

N:”It’s not about faith.(...)”

Y:”A child? I’d rather be underestimated”.

⇒ N:“If you decide you cannot win, please call me.”

Y:”Aren’t you underestimating me too much?”

N:”This is not about ‘underestimating’ or ‘not underestimating’.(...)

Y:”[Even] being underestimated would’ve been better over being treated like a kid.”

I guess the translators wanted to avoid saying “underestimate” 3 times in a row? Albeit that’s what the original does.

More importantly though!!

N:”I’m an adult and you’re a child. I have the obligation to look after you”

⇒ “(...) It’s my obligation to prioritise you over myself.”

Quite a different nuance, right. Not just “I have to look after you” but “your well-being [life] takes priority over my own”.

N:”Experiencing these little losses is what helps people grow into adults”

⇒ “It’s the accumulation of such small despairs that turns people into adults”

Not that wildly different but despairs (hopelessnesses) >>> losses, y/y. Also “helps” made it sound more positive when it’s both a poignant and at the same time dry statement.

Chapter 20

N:”There are techniques that aren’t affected if revealed to certain enemies”

Those two feel more like separate examples to me. I.e. that there are techniques that aren’t affected if revealed, and there are some enemies that you can afford to reveal your technique to. Could apply simultaneously but don’t necessarily have to, if that makes sense?

“There is a merit to revealing one’s hand and the rules it initiates. You can make your technique even more effective.”

⇒ “It has its merits too. The ‘binding’ of ‘revealing one’s hand’ amplifies the effectiveness of your technique.”

Wild lost “binding” appears! Like I indicated before, it’s the lack of consistency to translating terms that are consistent in the original, that has negatively affected the fans’ ability to understand the basics of jjk techniques and world-building.

[Explaining Yuuji’s divergent fist]

GJ:”But it’s a lot easier said than done for anyone else.”

⇒ “It’s not something that can be easily done on purpose”

N:”His physical strength is superhuman. The impact of his hit doesn’t have incredibly strong energy, but it’s still about 20% more than a normal sorcerer. That means his delayed hit comes from his main source of cursed energy. It must be quite annoying for those on the receiving end. Such potential. If he’s able to go out all and combine his full physical strength with a cursed technique…”

⇒ “(...) The initial impact contains little cursed energy but it still achieves 120% of an average sorcerer. And then the actual cursed energy hits with a delay. For those on the receiving end it must be more unpleasant than one could imagine. And he’s got potential for growth, too. If he becomes able to add 100% of cursed energy to a 100% body…”

Uhh, this was a tricky one because on the first read it doesn’t seem that terribly wrong but when you read the original carefully, you realise this and that got lost in translation. My version should be closer to the original meaning.

I:”We’re going to have to ask the murderer about the technique”

⇒ “That’s just something that you can’t know unless you ask the offender about their technique”

Obviously Ieiri wasn’t suggesting to literally ask the murderer.

“However there’s evidence the brain stems were modified. Their consciousness were also modified to create a state of confusion”

⇒ (...) This was probably done to create a disturbance of consciousness... a state of mental confusion”

Slightly different nuance for this one.

Y:”For me, the gravity of death is the same regardless. This isn’t right!”

First sentence is mostly correct but it should’ve been “the gravity of death of another person” (emphasis mine).

Second sentence sounds too mild for what is actually Yuuji being super mad specifically about the way those people were killed? The phrase he uses means something like "This is just in way too poor taste”, “way too vulgar” etc. I guess if you went for a less literal translation, you could say “just too disgusting”/”revolting”.

N:”This matter won’t be taken care of so easily. Let’s do it”

⇒ “Looks like ‘moderately’ won’t be enough here. Let’s go all out.”

This is the instance of Nanami retracting his words and backing Yuuji up by borrowing his own words that I mentioned earlier!

M:”Jujutsu sorcerers brand such entities as “special grade potential spirits” and fear them as much as powerful curses. The fact that they categorize them as such really shows their shallowness”

⇒ “Jujutsu sorcerers register them as “special grade potential apparitions” and remain on alert against them [on alert for their appearance]. The same applies to powerful unidentified curses. That they categorise them as ‘potential apparitions’ just shows how little they truly see.”

It’s not that sorcerers fear them per se but that they (most likely) monitor them and are on guard against them. When followed up by the “what people truly genuinely fear are natural disasters [forces of nature]” conversation, it becomes clear that what Mahito scorns sorcerers for is their short-sightedness for thinking all powerful curses must be born out of people’s imagination, ~urban legends~ etc.

[Junpei asking what Mahito was born from]

M:”Thanks to the hatred spewed between people I was born”

⇒ “I’m a curse born out of the fear and hatred people harbour towards [other] people"

or even

“I’m a curse born out of people hating and fearing people”

Again a quite different nuance. They really shouldn’t have edited “fear” out.

Chapter 21

J:’Don’t you think that whoever first said, ‘The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference’ must be rotting in hell? There’s no way hating people is better than feeling indifferent towards them.”

⇒ “(...) There’s no way that approaching others with evil intentions is better than not interacting [with them] at all”

The first sentence is mostly fine although the original doesn’t include the “is not hate” bit, it only says “the opposite of love is indifference”. The second part is quite different. After all, hating doesn’t necessarily imply there’s any action taken.

“Complicating simple things for the sake of meaning is such a Japanese thing to do”

⇒ “Japanese sure love it - complicating simple answers and gloating in it”

I didn’t like the “for the sake of meaning” bit, imo it’s over-interpreting.

J:”Indifference. That’s what humans should strive for.”

M:”Sounds more like revenge”

J:“Are you saying that I got it all mixed up?”

Junpei’s first line here is fine although interestingly enough he puts it as “a virtue humans should strive for”. Then it’s

⇒ M:“And yet you wish for revenge”

J:”Are you trying to say I’m contradicting myself?”

M:”In this world, only I understand the soul’s composition. I can even transmogrify living beings. Emotions come from the soul. It’s too simplistic to call it ‘heart’. People overthink the things they can’t see. (...)”

⇒ “In this world I’m the only one who understands the soul’s composition. After all, I change the shape of living beings by touching it. Emotions are products of the metabolism of the soul. It’s altogether too mechanical [of a process] to call it a heart. People assign too much value to things invisible to the eye.(...)”

Last one is literally “consider ‘special’ way too much”, simpler wording than what I went with but I tried to make it more legible.

The “metabolism of the soul” phrase is especially vital because Junpei throws it at Yuuji almost word for word when confronted by him at the school after his mother’s death.

More philosophy lessons from Mahito-sensei \o/

“Don’t limit yourself to just being indifferent. There’s no reason to live by such a restricting philosophy.”

⇒ “Don’t allow yourself to be shackled by the ideal called ‘indifference’. There’s no need for there to be consistency in one’s way of life.”

Mahito actually takes the “is ‘consistency’ necessary” stance a few times in the manga, including when he and Getou squabble about the relationship between the body and the soul in Shibuya. A pity about the mistranslation here.

“I support everything you represent, Junpei”

⇒ “I’ll affirm your everything, Junpei”

Imo the act of supporting and the act of affirming while similar aren’t one and the same, hence the change.

N:”Either come alone, or risk bringing Itadori with me. I chose the former, nothing more. He’s still a child, after all.”

⇒ “The risk of venturing [into the enemy’s territory] alone, or the risk of bringing Itadori-kun with me. I simply chose the former. He’s still a child, after all.”

Idk, I feel like cutting out “the risk” from the first option makes Nanami sound more callous? Like Yuuji’s a liability and going by himself is a sounder option. Whereas, it was actually him weighing two risks against each other and deciding that potentially endangering Yuuji is the one he can afford less.

[After Yuuji asks why he doesn’t know important jujutsu related stuff.]

I:”Because Gojou’s your mentor.” ⇒ “it’s because Gojou’s ...”

He actually uses a lovely adjective to describe Gojou, which can mean a plethora of things, including: irresponsible, sloppy, lazy, unreliable, careless, perfunctory etc. etc.

Ichiji? Not a member of Gojou Satoru Fanclub.

Y:”This feels like a bad plan”

⇒ “This feels so staged, I don’t like it.”

Lit. “play [perform, read] one's own work”. I think what Yuuji might’ve meant here was that the plan felt dishonest? Second sentence could also be “I don’t feel up for it.”

Chapter 22

M:”Was that some kind of cursed technique?”

N:”What do you mean by ‘some kind’? I don’t appreciate questions that are left open to interpretation”

⇒ “(...) I hate abstract questions that put the whole burden on the other person”

Lit. “that leave it to others”. Other than Nanami being more straightforward with “hate”/”dislike”, I think this was him expressing he doesn’t like people who don’t even try to think for themselves and immediately demand answers from others instead.

“It would be silly to not assume a connection(...)”

⇒ “It would be more unnatural not to assume a connection(...)”

Different wording (unnatural instead of silly), which imo affects Nanami’s characterisation.

M:”The shape of the body will always be dependent on the shape of the soul”

This sounds a bit too passive and generic? Closer to “The shape of the body gets pulled along by the shape of the soul”, which is literally what Mahito’s technique does.

I’m heavily paraphrasing but!

magazine raw scans: ”it's 6:30 PM now and I started working at 11 AM, so I'm going to finish by 7PM no matter what”

official English release:”it's 5:30 PM now and I started at 10, gotta finish by 6”

The time change is so random, I wonder if Gege simply changed it themselves for the volume release. Maybe to bring it closer to the common office job times? Typical Japanese work day at the office begins at 9AM and lasts 8h + 1h break (completely unpaid but compulsory). I guess if Nanami skipped the break then working 10AM-6PM would make it exactly 8h?

The biggest mystery of jjk.

Chapter 23

M:”Even if sorcerers can protect their bodies using cursed energy, they can’t protect their souls”

⇒ “Even if sorcerers can protect their bodies using cursed energy, they [just] aren’t used to protecting their souls”.

So it’s not that they “can’t” as in “are incapable of” and more that there’s never been the need, so they never learned how and aren’t used to doing it. As proven by Yuuji later it’s not impossible.

M:”Overtime? He restricts himself based on time! He was limiting his power until now!”

⇒ “Overtime work? A ‘biding’ based on time! He was suppressing his power by himself until now!”

Another instance where “binding” as a term makes its appearance (it even uses quotation marks) but wasn’t properly denoted by the translators.

M:”A large-scale attack, and he doesn’t care if he gets hit while doing it!”

⇒ “A large-scale attack [done] with the resolve of [potentially] getting killed along with me!”.

The phrase Mahito uses here is 相打ち, lit. “killing [hitting] each other at the same time”. Also, “doesn’t care” and “is prepared/has the resolve” are quite different, aren’t they.

Chapter 24

J:”The way a perfectionist is willing to lay everything out there is beautifully portrayed”

⇒ ”The change in emotions [leading up] to a perfectionist abandoning everything is properly portrayed here”

I’m including this because knowing Gege, it’s not just simple movie talk, and it’s actually foreshadowing Yuuji’s future fate or something 8D

I can’t decide if it’s “abandon” (also “throw out of the window”) or “sacrifice” because the word used can mean either. I’m leaving that to everyone’s interpretation.

“Like I thought, that sorcerer’s nuts!”

⇒ “He doesn’t look it but he sure does reckless things, that sorcerer”

How does "he doesn't look it but (...)" even become "like I thought (...)"? He was laughing at and enjoying the contrast between Nanami's appearance/attitude and his actions/fighting.

M:”My cursed energy is also controlled by my will”

⇒ “The spending of cursed energy too is among things I can supply by myself.”

I’m not entirely sure because it’s a tricky one, so take this one with a grain of salt. But the official release is definitely missing “spending/expenditure” and Mahito isn’t talking about using/manipulating his cursed energy in general but “the amount of cursed energy spent”.

“Mr. Irresponsible Gojou” ⇒  “Devil-may-care Gojou-san”

“Mr. Mature Nanami” ⇒ “The adult of [all] adults Nanami-san”/”the adult above all adults”

I just really enjoy Ichiji and his little epithets, I guess.

J:”Have you ever killed anyone?”

⇒ “Have you ever killed a human being/another human?”

Just putting it out there because imo there's a distinction between “anyone” and “a human being”. Especially considering how much of this arc was questioning what being a human means.

Y:”Um… I mean, the choice to kill will definitely find its way to me”

⇒ "How to put it... once I've killed someone, "killing" would become one of the possible options [to take] in my life".

Maybe the nuance was there in the official release too and I just didn't pick up on it but to me the former makes it sound more like he’s saying "I may still have to kill one day". Whereas the original seems to hold the connotation that if you do something once - even if it’s something as horrible as killing another human being - it becomes easier to do it again in the future because it's a choice you've made before, it's not untouchable anymore.

Chapter 25

[Yuuji expressing his regret over Nanami choosing to go fight Mahito alone.]

"Am I in your way, Nanamin?”

⇒ “Am I a burden [to you], Nanamin?”

A different nuance for this line.

“’My friend died but I wasn’t there because I’m a child.’ I wouldn't do that to you. That said"

⇒ "’My comrade died. But I wasn’t there. Why? Because I am a child.’ I would hate something like that" [to be put in such a position]

And this is just pure mistranslation. The whole “my comrade died but I wasn’t there because I’m a child” line is actually Yuuji painting a possible scenario (he does it with short sentences but the speech is overall polite). What they translated as “that said” was actually a follow-up to that scenario and could be translated as “something like that”.

N:”Being a child is not a bad thing”

⇒ “Being a child is in no way a crime”

I wanted to point this out since the original word’s most common meaning is actually “sin”, which is significantly heavier than just “not a bad thing”. Could also go with a milder “is not something to feel guilty about” here I guess.

G:”How’s the curtain coming along?”

M:”Can’t get in, can get out. This only applies to humans with weak cursed energy.”

⇒ G:”What’s the effect of the ‘curtain’?”

M:“Can't get out from the inside, can get in from the outside. (...)”

Literally the opposite for the curtain’s effect. Emphasis is Gege’s, too! Also Getou’s question was actually about how exactly the curtain in question would work, and not just how it was coming along.

M:”We’ll make them fight and force Yuji Itadori to make a binding vow in Sukuna’s favor”

Just to reiterate, whenever “binding vow” appears, it’s actually just “binding”.

[to part iii (2/2)]

[to part iii (2/2)]

[itsya1upboy-blog]

I’m actually doing the Bertrand thing on my RP blog. T~T I figure I should go ahead and post my whole headcanon here in case anyone is interested. Obviously some of the details here differ from the situation in the RP, and that’s fine! That’s something that happens. Just roll with what the RP is claiming if you’re doing that. Like for example, Bertrand’s condition isn’t as severe in the RP-- he wakes more quickly and is in a better state of health when he does --compared to in the headcanon below the cut.

Elysia’s grandfather, Evander, came to High Lagaard when he was in his twenties, to visit an old friend of his. This friend, Bertrand, was a nobleman who had been called upon by House Caledonia to escort Princess Violetta Caledonia to High Lagaard, so she could perform a ritual in the temple of Ginnungagap. 

Bertrand wrote a letter to Evander telling him he should come visit him in Lagaard. Evander had a sense of foreboding from the letter, but went anyways. He saw his friend with his travelling companions, and Bertrand was very happy to see Evander, but whenever Evander asked him about what he was doing with Violetta/what the ritual was for, he clammed up.

On Evander's last day in Lagaard, Violetta's party went into the temple for a foray, and while they were in there, a huge explosion rocked the temple and the city, and a huge flash of light shot up out of the temple. The temple collapsed with the party inside. Evander helped in the effort to recover the bodies, but Bertrand's was nowhere to be found...

A century later, Elysia has come to Lagaard primarily looking for answers about her fiance's death, but also to see if the ruins of the temple hold any clues to Bertrand's disappearance. She wants her grandfather's spirit to rest peacefully, as he died a year or two ago-- he lived to a really old age.

In the lower reaches of Ginnungagap, the Black Guardian began speaking to the party, telling them that the ruins' purpose has reached its end and that while it cannot bequeath its special power unto them, they can run the gauntlet of B4F as training. Naturally, I would be changing some aspects of the Black Guardian's dialogue; I had originally started crafting this idea before I reached that floor of the ruins.

The origin of the Demi-Fafnir would be changed from a conjured apparition, to a being that was buried under the rubble of the ruined blue room. (Not sure what to call that room. But imagine it being far more ruined than in the game itself, nearly insurmountable due to all the rubble.) When the party enters the final room of B4F, a surge of energy courses through the room and awakens the Demi-Fafnir.

After they defeat it in battle, it slowly turns back into a young man. He is on the brink of death, but Elysia and Junpei manage to get his condition stabilized. As they gather him up to carry him to the hospital in Lagaard, Elysia recognizes the crest of House Gervaise on the man's shield.

When the man awakens after several days unconscious, he can barely remember anything or speak coherently. Elysia is sure, however, that he is Bertrand de Gervaise, her grandfather's old friend, but she is kept away from the hospital to avoid influencing his memories. As the man comes to more and more, it is revealed that that is indeed who he is. When his party defeated the Yggdrasil Core in the basement of the temple, it collapsed, and Bertrand, still stuck in his Fafnir form, was trapped under insurmountable rubble, unable to move yet unable to die. He had been stuck that way for the past century, and only the surge of energy sent through the room by Elysia's party's arrival gave him enough energy to break free. Because of the energy slowly ebbing out of him, and because of his weakened physical condition, he can no longer transform into the Fafnir (hence the fucked up Demi-Fafnir transformation), but he still has the Fafnir arm.

Essentially, Classic Mode is treated as a "good end" where Bertrand's party didn't fuck up the ritual and instead succeeded. (Well, I suppose something "went wrong" in that Violetta is still the Black Guardian, because the previous one couldn't get to Bertrand to force him to take its place, so took Violetta's essence instead.)

[askthepredespairdrkids]

Anon Academy Chapter 3

//Even though this blog is over and done with. I want to keep this going here just so that all the chapters are together.

//Anyway, for the people that have been following it so far hope you enjoy it.

“So…that’s the situation…” Sly murmured. Daisuke had explained everything to the class the next day, though there were rather varied reactions. “Something’s amiss. Why would Mr Kamisaka want to challenge us in the first place? It must be more than just a friendly competition.”

“Okay. What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Junpei scowled.

 “I’m not really sure about Kamisaka-kun, since I’ve never met the guy. But that Miyamoto-san is super rude, like, for real!” Mage added. “She said all of us weren’t important to the school, like, who the hell does she think she is?!”

 “Th-that attorney was really scary…like…scarier than Oya-chan…” Sadao twiddled with his thumbs.

 “Ibuka-san, the prosecutor…I could relate to her cold demeanour on a very personal level.” Maemi nodded, writing notes down. “Nakahara-kun, on the other hand, definitely needed someone to teach him a lesson.”

 “I’ve never met anyone from the 79-A class, so I wouldn’t know.” Rock shrugged. “But by the sounds of it, they don’t seem like a very peaceful bunch.”

 “Nagata-kun’s sister seemed pretty nice, but I still get the same reaction from my danger sense as I do for the others…” Dragonous informed them. “I don’t get it though. Nagata-kun has such a gentle aura, but his sister-“

“Hey!” Ryuu gritted his teeth. “Don’t you talk about my family like that! Your ‘danger sense’ or whatever must be messed up or something! Onee-san isn’t dangerous at all!”

 “Being protective of your family is admirable, but don’t let things like that blind you from what might possibly, on the off-chance, be fact. That’s a fatal move, Mr Nagata.” Sly warned. “That said, we’ve only met eight of the 79-A class roster.”

 “Nine.” Oceanis corrected. “I ran into a little girl yesterday, Arisa Suzuki.”

 “Ms Suzuki. The Ultimate Artist.” Daisuke nodded.

 “Huh? What are you talking about? Isn’t Oceanis-san the Ultimate Artist?” Rina tilted her head a little. Everyone looked over at the brunette, who was simply staring at the wall, not wanting to make eye contact with the others.

 Daisuke thought for a moment, before hitting a point of realisation. “Ah…I see. The education board must have accepted you under a fake talent before they enrolled the real Ultimate Artist.”

 “That’s right, yeah…” Oceanis mumbled, straightening up. “The truth is…I’m actually enrolled here at the Ultimate Spirit Medium.” There was a silence lingering in the air as Oceanis turned to the rest of them. “W-well, at least say something, geez!”

-Oceanis. Ultimate Spirit Medium-

 “What can we really say to that?” Rina mumbled.

 “Sh-she’s right…b-but then again, i-it’s not st-strange to have t-talents like that wh-when you talk about H-Hope’s Peak…” Emi countered. “I-if anything, a w-w-weird talent make you f-f-fit in more…”

 “She’s got a point!” Dragonous smiled. “Welcome to the weird talent club! You can join me and Sly-kun!”

 “Just when did I get thrown into this little group?” Sly questioned. “That’s not the point right now. Is it? We should be discussing what we’re going to do about this situation we’re in.” There was a collective murmur of agreement. “Whilst Ms Oceanis’ talent reveal is important, for now we need to decide on what to do about this competition.”

 “Why don’t we just do it?” Junpei shrugged. “Come on, it’ll be fun. I get that Sly-kun is suspicious of the proposal, but what can they really do? It’s just a competition where we show off our talents. Plus it’s against the advanced class, imagine what it would mean if we won that!”

 “Yokozawa-kun has a point.” Rina smiled. “I think it could be fun-“

“I’m totally one-hundred percent against this idea!” Karma suddenly exclaimed, standing up from her seat. “This is a really bad idea! Not a good idea at all!”

“I agree with Ms Graves.” Sly mumbled in agreement. “Something is very off.”

 “I don’t know about you, but I want to wipe the smirk off of that Miyamoto’s face…” Mage scowled. “I’m not gonna sit by when she’s insulting every single one of us! It’s unforgivable!”

 “I have to go against this as well.” Dragonous shook her head. “I can just tell that this is a bad idea…” One by one, everyone had casted their votes, a few were indecisive, but ultimately…

 “So it’s a split decision.” Daisuke placed a finger to his chin. “It will be troublesome to try and decide this peacefully…for now, we should leave this as it is. If anyone changes their mind, you should inform me as soon as possible. Even if some of you see the proposition of a competition between the classes as suspicious, we can’t leave it without a decision. It would be rude to the 79-A class.”

 Everyone collectively nodded to Daisuke’s words. Without warning, the door to the classroom was thrown open, Orochi and another girl in a black knit-cap cap walked into the class. “Hello~ everyone~” Orochi smiled sweetly. “I was wondering if you had made a choice yet…?”

 “Ah...Kamisaka-kun…are you sure we should have just barged in like this…?” The girl behind him asked.

-Tadako Nozara. Ultimate Figure Skater-

 “Eh…? Its fine, Nozara-chan! It’s not like they were gonna be doing anything important anyways!” That comment earned a few annoyed glares from around the room. “So…? What’s the verdict?” Daisuke paused before clearing his throat.

 “Unfortunately, it’s a split decision. We don’t have an answer for you yet…”

 “Aw, really…?” Orochi pouted. “That’s a little disappointing…oh! Nobody was against it because of the cultural festival, right? I was going to plan around it, if that was your concern.” He was met with a room full of confused looks. “You never heard…? Hope’s Peak are going to be doing their first ever cultural festival! It’ll be the first time the campus will be opened up to the general public. They’re hoping to find more local talent with this, so all the classes are being asked to treat like it any normal cultural festival.”

 “Ah yes, I was actually going to tell them all about that today.” Daisuke nodded. “Headmaster Kirigiri needed us to decide on what to do for the festival. It’s essential we partake in this, for the sake of the school.”

 “What are your class doing then…?” Sadao asked.

 “Kamisaka-kun convinced us all to turn our class into a haunted house. With the Ultimate Tailor and the Ultimate Prop Designer, it should be a pretty successful idea!” Tadako smiled. “But it really sucks that you guys haven’t come to a decision for the competition. Everyone in our class was totally in favour of the idea.”

 “Because Mr Kamisaka proposed it?” Sly guessed. Tadako seemed almost hesitant to answer the question but put on a smile and nodded. “How interesting…almost like he’s the boss of the 79-A class.”

 “Boss…? I wouldn’t saw that.” Orochi shrugged. “I’m just a very convincing person. I learned it from someone who specialises in being very persuasive, I guess.” He laughed a little, though there was slight unease at his comment. “Though it doesn’t really matter, does it? If you guys don’t want to do it then there’s nothing that can be done.”

 “We’ll let you know if something changes.” Daisuke nodded towards the two. Tadako sighed and linked arms with Orochi.

 “Let’s go then, Teshima-kun needed our help with something anyways…” Orochi frowned at this, scratching the back of his head, mimicking Tadako’s sigh. “Move it, Kamisaka-kun.” The figure skater pouted, dragging him out the classroom, closing the sliding door behind them. Mage let out a loud sigh and slumped onto her desk.

 “This is so annoying…first the class challenge and now a cultural festival…?” The baker groaned. “I don’t even know what you’re supposed to do at one of those! I really should have studied about this sort of stuff before I came here.”

 “You’re not the only one though, so don’t worry.” Dragonous assured her. “Right, Karma…?” The secret agent didn’t respond, her head was looking down at her desk, her cap tipped so nobody could see her face. “Uh…Karma…?”

 “A-ah!” She looked up, noticing that everyone was looking at her. She took a few seconds before laughing a little, scratching the back of her head. “Sorry, homeslice…what were you saying again…?” Dragonous frowned at this, letting out a small sigh.

 “But let’s move on for now.” Yuuki announced. “For now we should focus on the cultural festival, right?”

 “Hmm…” Maemi tapped her chin in thought. “If this were a harem anime then the most logical choice would be a cosplay café.” A few of the others let out some snickers at this. “Is there something wrong with what I said, Okanaya-kun?”

 “Oh, no, no.” The tour guide grinned. “Come on though. This ain’t one of your harem mangas, Watanabe. You should try thinking up an idea everyone would actually want to do.” The girl glared back at him.

 “I think it would be pretty fun!” Sadao announced. “We can dress up as our favourite anime characters, right?! I could dress up as Natsu from Fairy Tail!”

 “You’re way too excited about this. Do you even know how to make a cosplay outfit?” Toson asked.

 “No…but Wata-chan can help me with that!” The hypnotist smiled. “She’s super good with anime characters, so she must have some idea of how to make a good cosplay!”

 “Then…are we doing a cosplay café…? I didn’t think Japanese classes would actually do stuff like that. I thought it was like…some kind of common joke in anime…” Mage frowned. “I’m not sure how I would be able to help out in something like that. I don’t know any character I could dress up as.”

 “Well, you probably won’t have to.” Rock chimed in. “You’d be behind the scenes cooking the whole time, right? Then you can just leave it to whoever’s serving. It could be interesting though, getting to cosplay.”

 “Is this seriously what we’re doing?” Sly didn’t seem too on board with the idea, yet at the same time didn’t have any objections. “I suppose if it’s what everyone wants to do then I can’t really argue against it.”

 “Sp-speak for y-yourself…” Emi frowned. “Wh-wh-why would I w-want to c-c-cosplay as anyone…?” Maemi stared at the music critic for a few seconds and closed her eyes. “Wh-what…?”

 “Chouko-san, you would be perfect for the role of Misaki from ‘Another’. You have a degree of shyness to your personality, have red eyes, and don’t tend to over-socialise with the rest of the class. You could be the perfect recreation of an iconic character.” Maemi nodded to herself.

 “Wh-wh-what is this?! S-s-some k-kind of r-r-roasting?!” Emi turned away staring out the window.

 “Then, I suppose we shall take it to a vote.” Daisuke closed his eyes for a moment. A cosplay café could prove difficult to some, but it seemed doable. “All those in favour of a cosplay café, raise your hand.” Eleven hands were raised. Emi, Rina, Sly, Kobo, and Junpei all kept their hands down. “Well…it’s an overall majority, so I suppose we shall be proceeding with the cosplay café idea.”

 “Great…” Junpei slumped in his seat. “If I have to cosplay as someone, can we just not make it a stand-out kind of character? I don’t want to look flashy and ridiculous.”

 “I’ll take care of everyone’s assigned characters. Worry not, Yokozawa-kun.” Maemi pushed her glasses up, an uncommon smirk present. “I’ll pick out characters that perfectly suit everyone! Kirishima-san! Your skills as a taxidermist will be of great help, since you know all about stitches and sewing!”

 “Th-that’s true, but-“

 “No arguments! We all must participate to make this a success! I’ll have you help me with the dividing of labour, Okanaya-kun! As a tour guide, you must have helped somewhat the workloads and creating shift timetables!”

 “I guess…” Kobo frowned.

 “Sly-kun, we’ll need you to put on a show to help attract customers!” Maemi pointed to the assassin in the corner of the classroom. “As the Ultimate Assassin, I’m sure you can think of some kind of routine that could help bring people in!”

 “My talent isn’t for parlour tricks…” Sly sighed. “However, if it’s what everyone wishes, then I can’t say no. I’ll think of something.”

 “Excellent! Now, Yokozawa-kun, and Chouko-san, I need you both to use your internet fame to promote the café before the cultural festival begins. You both run blogs that millions read, so it will be essential to our success!”

 “Is that a good idea?” Junpei asked. “I mean, if we get too many people, then we’d be overworking whoever is in the kitchen.”

 “Good point…then, Chouko-san will create flyers for the café, and Yokozawa-kun will distribute them on the day whilst in costume! It will surely attract a bearable amount of customers!” Maemi nodded to herself.

 “H-hold up, by myself?! That’s a lot of faith to put into a guy that has nearly zero presence.” Junpei argued. Maemi’s eyes seemed to glint for a moment. “Wh…what is it…?”

 “A guy that has nearly zero presence…at least that takes care of who you’ll be dressed as! Junpei Yokozawa shall become Tetsuya Kuroko from Kuroko no Basuke!” The mangaka pointed fiercely at the confused blond. “Another character that has a serious lack of presence! It’s a perfect plan!”

 “Putting Yokozawa-kun as a sports anime character…” Rock looked Junpei up and down. “I’m not sure how well that’ll go…”

 “If you have something to say, then say it!” Junpei flushed, knowing just how small his build was. “That’s the basketball anime, right…? If I wore that then…” His voice trailed off. “…urgh, fine. I don’t really have a choice.”

 “Great to have you on the same page as the rest of us!” Maemi pushed her glasses up again. “I’ll make sure this café is a success, so please place your faith in me!”

 --

 “Don’t you guys feel like Watanabe-san is taking this way more serious than it needs to be…?” Rock asked Emi and Rina. “I mean, a cosplay café is right up her ally since she’s pretty much a textbook otaku when she actually talks about anime. Even then…”

 “I-i-it’s ridiculous…” Emi mumbled, fiddling with her headphones. “Wh-why should we b-be expected to d-d-do this…?”

 “I mean…it might be fun, right…? Maybe we’re judging it a little too early. I was mostly worried about being able to help, but if Watanabe-san is right, then I won’t have to worry about not being useless. I can help create the costumes! I’m actually looking forward to it!”

 “A cosplay café…” A male’s voice came from the end of the hallway, just outside the 79-A class were three students. The one who spoke was a short boy with neatly cut lilac hair, a textbook shoved under his arm. “Is that what the lower class could really come up with…? Honestly, the 79-C class is pathetic.”

 “Eh…?” Rock raised an eyebrow. “And just who the hell are you three? Well…members of the 79-A class, I’m guessing.”

 “So you’re Fujioka-kun…?” The boy chuckled. “Not much to you, is there? Horiyuno Ashida is my name, if you have to know.”

-Horiyuno Ashida. Ultimate Historian-

 “Ciao, my young’uns!” A girl with a sparkling smile and glistening blonde hair waved to Emi, Rock, and Rina. “Kono-chan’s name is Kono!”

-Hama Kono. Ultimate Biologist-

 “Ah, Kirishima-chan! Kono-chan’s wanted to talk to you forever! The Ultimate Taxidermist and the Ultimate Biologist! Think about all the animals we could talk about together forever, and ever! Kono-chan gets all giddy inside just thinking about it, don’t you, Kirishima-chan?”

 “U-um, that’s…” Rina seemed rather caught off guard by the girl’s rather upbeat and eccentric personality. “…u-ug…”

 “Oi, Kono-chan doesn’t like waiting for a response, you dumb bitch. Hurry up and give me a fucking answer.” Her personality and demeanour suddenly shifted, a hateful glare now being pointed at Rina.

 “Kono-san’s like that, unfortunately.” The final boy, a short brunet sighed. “I believe in a more elegant tone though…I’m Kojiro Teshima.”

-Kojiro Teshima. Ultimate Sax Player-

 Emi’s eyes seemed to widen almost instantly upon hearing his name. “T-Teshima-san…? Th-th-then you’re th-that elusive saxophone pl-player I k-keep hearing about…”

 “Elusive…?” Rina asked.

 “I’ve heard of him as well.” Rock nodded. “His performances have never been caught on camera, people just get too mesmerised by his music. My guess is that because of it, Chouko-san has never been able to hear his music. Which must be frustrating for someone like the Ultimate Music Critic.”

 “Of course, with that Hope’s Peak scout, he was able to track me down very easily.” Kojiro admitted. “Honestly, after years of being so hard to come by, he manages to find within a single work day. Like all my hard work was for nothing.”

 “What do you all want anyway?” Rock folded his arms. “I doubt you just came to chat to us.”

 “Kono-chan ain’t likin’ that tone yer using, bastard!” The biologist growled. “Ya better learn some fuckin’ respect otherwise Kono-chan’ll knock yer teeth in.”

 “Again, apologies about her.” Horiyuno smirked. “More to the point, we came along here to convince you three to agree to the class competition. Everyone in our class is for it because we all have someone we want to face off against in your class. Kono-san wants to go up against Kirishima-san. Teshima-kun wants to go up against Chouko-san, and I…would love it if you would go up against me, Fujioka-kun.”

 “Eh? The historian of all people wants to go up against the songwriter?” Rock eyes narrowed with suspicion. “You’re definitely up to something. If you think I’m going to agree to that, then it’s a no-go.”

 “You misunderstand.” Horiyuno shook his head. “I hear you write your…ahem…’songs’…on real life experiences. So, I wanted to put it to the test. I wanted you to write a song about a historical moment in time, and if you somehow manage to be completely historically correct, then you would win. That doesn’t sound too hard, does it?”

 “…there’s definitely a catch to that kind of challenge.” Rock said.

 “Of course not.” He shrugged. “…okay, there’s one condition.”

 “Which is…?” Rock seemed weary.

 “You have to work on this song with Akiko Sugiyama from class 79-B. You know what her talent is, right…?” Horiyuno grinned. “She’s an Ultimate Songwriter, just like you.”

 “Ah! Kono-chan loves Susu’s songs! They’re so pure! So adorable.” She glared at Rock. “Unlike the gross crude lyrics that asshole decides to churn out. Gross, absolutely vile!” The biologist gagged.

 “We had to listen to one of your songs once, I had to play the sax for quite a while just to help everyone recover.” Kojiro grinned. “Honestly, what do you think you’re playing?”

 “It’s up to the listener whether they like it or not. I don’t really care if you don’t like my music, considering my fans are like a cult, it must mean my lyrics have some kind of charm to them that people can’t deny.”

 “S-s-something like that…” Emi murmured.

 “If that’s what you wish to believe, then so be it. But those are my conditions, refuse and you lose your spot in the games, and if your team needed just one win in order to win the whole thing…remember that it would have been your chance to truly stick to me.” Horiyuno waved as he walked off with Hama and Kojiro.

 “…what are you gonna do, Fujioka-kun…?” Rina asked.

 “I guess we gotta go see Sugiyama-san, huh?” Rock sighed. “Geez, this is really gonna be a pain…”

 “Wh-why’s that…? Do y-y-you and Sugiyama-san h-have a history…?” Emi raised an eyebrow. “It b-better not t-turn out to be a-anything weird.”

 “We just wrote on a song together a while ago. It’s actually the song that got us accepted into Hope’s Peak…because we co-wrote it, we both got given the title of Ultimate Songwriter. That’s why there are two of us. It isn’t like Oceanis-san being the Ultimate Spirit Medium. But that’s in the past, right? Let’s go talk to Sugiyama and ask about everything.”

 --

 “Wow, a class challenge. I never realised that classes were allowed to that, maybe I should request to challenge the 77-B or 77-A class.” A boy with dark blue hair walked along the hallway with Yuuki. “So, Yuuki, how have you been settling into your class the past month?”

 “I’m fine, you always concern about me Nii-san. You’ll get wrinkles if you keep that up. I’ve explored abandoned temples and ruins, and you’re worried about my social skills. Incroyable!” Yuuki chuckled. “I’ve got charisma to spare, which you helped give me, remember?”

 “Yes, yes, I understand. I suppose I just want to be a good older brother.”

-Taro Kurosaki. Ultimate Actor-

 “So, how is the student council treating you?” Yuuki smirked. “Kamii-chan is doing well, right? I haven’t heard how you two are doing in a while. Usually you can’t stop yammering on about the girl. Must be what it’s like to be hopelessly in love with someone.”

 “Tsubasa is fine, our anniversary is coming up soon now that I think about it.” Taro put a finger to his chin. “I wonder what I should get her as a gift…” He shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll think of something wonderful to give her. For now, let’s talk about the challenge. I can’t believe they expect to beat you so easily…I know you better than anyone. A member of the Kurosaki family doesn’t give into challenges. You’ll win with no problems, I’m confident in that.”

 “Is that so, huh?!” The brothers looked onward to see a girl with wild grey hair, one eye was green whilst the other was a grey-blue. She was wearing a tank-top under her school blazer and seemed to be wearing trousers rather than the school skirt along with a pair of army boots. She also had a pair of goggles covering her eyes. “You better watch it, buckaroo, my class isn’t some old school pushover, got it?!”

 “A member of Kamisaka-kun’s class then…?” Yuuki smirked. “And would you care to introduce yourself. My name is Kurosaki. Yuuki Kurosaki. This here is my brother, Taro.”

 “Kurosaki, eh…?” The girl straightened up, shoving her hands into her pockets. “Name’s Yae. Yae Kamii.”

-Yae Kamii. Ultimate Trap Specialist-

 “Kamii-san then…” Yuuki and Taro both paused. “W-wait…that family name is…” Taro’s eyes slowly widened.

 “Yae-chan!” A charming voice came from behind Yae. Down the hallway came a girl with light greenish hair was seeming to glide in the air as she ran up to the ground. “I’ve been looking for you, but I was quite literally shocked when I tried to knock on your room.”

 “Oh, Onee-chan.” Yae frowned. “Totally apologise for that and all. I forget that I was working on some new trinkets and stuff, must have forgotten to de-arm that one, I guess.”

 “You call that a trinket…? I nearly passed out.” The girl sighed before looking over to the brothers. Her gentle face seemed to light up instantly as her eyes laid on Taro. “Ah! Taro!”

 “T-Tsubasa…” Taro seemed quickly shaken up. “Y…you never mentioned you had a sister in the same grade as Yuuki.”

 “Oh my, I apologise for that. It must have slipped my mind when we were discussing your brother. I hope you can forgive me for my forgetfulness.”

-Tsubasa Kamii. Ultimate Poet-

 “Ah, don’t worry about it. I’ll always find it in my heart to forgive you.” The two linked hands, their foreheads resting against each other. “For what kind of lover would I be if I could not overlook a small flaw in a near-perfect being?”

 “Oh, Taro!”

 “Oh, brother.” Yae rolled her eyes. “I might actually puke, this is so stupidly sweet. You two are council members, but I bet you’re so busy being mesmerised by each other that you can’t focus on your duties.”

 “We are like a modern Romeo and Juliet, but we also know to keep focused on our duties as well.” Taro assured.

 “Yeah, well Romeo and Juliet both died, so get over yourselves. You’re probably just like most teens couples, and send nudes to each other.”

 “Y-Yae-chan!” Tsubasa’s face flushed. “D-do not suggest such asinine things! Taro nor I would ever do something as…p-perverted as that! Taro is a much more considerate man. A truly compassionate companion that compliments my personality well. There is nobody in the world that could suit me better.”

 “Damn, Nii-san, better now let this one scamper off. Probably won’t find anyone so head-over-hells for you.” Yuuki winked playfully. “Ah, Fraulein Yae Kamii? You said you were a member of Herr Kamisaka’s class, ja?”

 “You better believe it! I’m the Ultimate Trap Specialist, ain’t nobody in this dang world better than me at setting up traps and encasing my enemies in them! I’m a true bona-fide prodigy!” Yae smirked. “Which is why I challenge you for the class challenge!”

 “It’s Yuuki-kun’s class that you’re challenging?” Tsubasa seemed surprised.

 “So you didn’t know either, huh…?” Taro laughed a little. “Looks like our troublesome siblings have been keeping us out of the loop in their own lives. Who knows…maybe Yuuki actually has a girlfriend and never told me…?”

 “Who says it has to be a girlfriend? Plenty of cute guys in my class.” Yuuki laughed.

 “S-so open!” Yae took a step back. “I c-can’t compete with someone like him…urk! You seriously piss me off, you hear me?! I ain’t planning on losing to some sleazy dirty Indiana Jones wannabe! Ya’ll are gonna get some of my worst traps I’ve ever made! That’ll show you, buckaroo! A Kamii doesn’t give into challenges.”

 “Funny, the Kurosaki family have the same thought process.” Yuuki looked down at the short girl.

 Taro and Tsubasa exchanged nervous glances. “No matter the outcome of their rivalry…it won’t affect how we are with each, will it…?” Taro asked, clear worry coming through in his voice. Tsubasa leaned against him, her head placed on his shoulder.

 “Of course not. Our love couldn’t be broken even by the most powerful of conflicts.” Tsubasa promised.

 “Geez, get a room…” Yae gagged.

 --

 Sly walked along the hallways of the schools alongside Karma who seemed to be chatting away at him with intense passion. Though he wanted to listen to what she was saying to him, Karma’s words were flying out of her mouth at such an intense rate he couldn’t make out any clear words.

 “And then-“

 “Ms Graves.” Sly cut the agent off. His eyes glanced back. “…come out, or I’ll strike.” Sly turned to the empty hallway.

 “…dang!” A girl’s voice exclaimed as she was pushed out into view by a boy. “Geez, Kuji-kun, you said they wouldn’t notice at this distance! Some help you are!”

“You got too excited. Your footsteps were too loud, Sly-kun here was bound to pick up on it. Graves-san was too focused on her ramblings about Canadian foods that she missed getting to eat. It’s your fault, not mine.” The boy replied, pushing a hand through his purple-red hair.

 “That’s what you were talking about…?” Sly looked at Karma.

 “You weren’t listening?!” Karma yelled at him, puffing her cheeks out.

 “I tried to, trust me.” Sly folded his arms. “Anyways…who are you two…?” The assassin looked at the strangers that seemed to be stalking them.

 “Oh…right, I guess we haven’t told them who we are.” The tan skinned girl with black hair smiled widely at the two. “You can call me Kuniko! My full name is Kuniko Toru!”

 “T-the athlete?!” Karma exclaimed.

-Kuniko Toru. Ultimate Olympian-

 “Y-yeah, that’s right. They call me the Ultimate Olympian, but I’ve only ever competed in one event, so I don’t know how great of a title it is…I mean, the event was the heptathlon, so…maybe I can understand a little.” Despite the obvious skill it must have taken to win the event, her confidence seemed rather low.

 “And my name is Yoshi Kujikawa…I’ve taken an interest in you two, to put it simply.” The boy grinned. “What interesting specimens you are…”

-Yoshi Kujikawa. Ultimate Psychologist-

 “An interest? I’m not sure I like the sound of that.” Sly glared at the psychologist.

 “It’s perfectly justified actually. They call you the Ultimate Assassin, however I’ve never had such ease with reading somebody’s movements.”

 “I would watch that tongue of yours if I were you.” Sly warned. “I don’t take well to people insulting me, understand?”

 “Perfectly. You’re an easily irritable person from what I’ve seen, so of course I understand that you would get angry at my observations of you. But I’m afraid what I say is true, I intend to prove that in the class challenge.”

 “Class challenge…so you’re part of Kamisaka’s class.”

 “Dang, Kuji-kun, why did you tell them that?!” Kuniko pouted. “I wanted to tell Kar-chan first! I’ve always wanted to go up against some kind of government spy or agent or something, but Tam-kun from 79-B keeps turning me down!”

 “Going up against an Olympian…?” Karma thought about the idea. “That…could actually be kind of cool…but at the same time I’d be giving that Orochi what he wanted, and I hate the idea of doing that! Urgh! This is so conflicting, man!”

 “Don’t strain yourself.” Sly sighed.

 “Of course, we’ll leave you to figure it out yourselves. Just know I’m always looking forward to a match against you, Sly-kun. Though don’t think that just because you’re the Ultimate Assassin that it means you’ll always hit your mark.” Yoshi turned to walk off when a kunai hit the wall by his arm. “…oh…?” He looked back.

 “That was a warning shot. Don’t provoke me again.” Sly’s fist at his side was clenched tightly, clearly he was trying not to lash out at the boy.

 “…warning shot…? Is that what you call trying to hit the sleeve of my blazer and still missing…? Alright then, Sly-kun. I’ll play your game when we cross paths again…”

 --

 “The 79-B class drove another homeroom teacher out…?” Ryotaro’s eyes widened. “What kind of class are they…? To have so many homeroom teachers in just over a month…what are they doing that’s batting them off so much? And not to mention that the homeroom teacher for 79-A also quit, didn’t he? Ah…this is a problem.”

 “I wouldn’t worry about it.” The other teacher grinned. “Those young pretties just haven’t be given the teacher that can truly draw out their perfectly gorgeous potential. I’m absolutely positive that they’ll find an amazing teacher for them both!”

-Richard. Hope’s Peak Health Teacher-

 “Is that so…?” Daisuke frowned. “I’m worried about this class challenge that the 79-A put forward. What should I do regarding it…?”

 “I’m not sure, but it won’t do to sit there and mope about it!” Seikatsu exclaimed. “Come on, Takai-sensei! You gotta get that charm we all know and love back into you! If you don’t step it up, then I’ll have to whip you!”

 “Th…that won’t be necessary, Suzumu-sensei.” Daisuke took a nervous sip of his coffee. The door to the staff room swung open abruptly, Koichi sauntering through with a proud smirk on his face. “Kizakura-sensei…? Did something happen?”

 “You bet your ass that something happened! I, singlehandedly, just saved this entire school. I found the perfect teachers for class 79-A and 79-B. In fact, they’re so perfect, I’ve even impressed myself.” Koichi laughed heartily to himself. “In fact, Takai-kun, you might be a little shocked when you see just who I picked up. Let’s take this one at a time, alright…? For the 79-A class we have…!”

 “Hmm…?” Daisuke’s eyes wandered to the door as a man all too familiar walked into the staff room. Daisuke instantly rose from his seat out of shock. “Wh-what the…? Why is…”

 “Takai! Good to see you again! I see you went through with the teaching idea.”

-Yuichiro Okumura. Former Ultimate Mythologist-

 “Okumura-kun?! You’re going to be the teacher for 79-A?” Daisuke was uncharacteristically shocked by this fact. I thought you said you were going to become a writer? Why are you here in Tokyo…?”

 The mythologist grinned and pushed up a pair of glasses he seemed to gain since the last time the two saw each other. “Hey, man, writing a book takes a lot of planning and skill. I’ve got all the time in the world to write a book, but I never know when I might get to see my old bud again. You’re so busy with work that I never get to see you.”

 “You…came here just so you could see me again…?” Daisuke had to smile at the dedication Yuichiro had to his friends.

 “…well…” Yuichiro’s smiled faded. “That…wasn’t the only reason I came back…” He glanced back at the door. “Come on in…we all know that it’s long overdue…” Daisuke seemed to freeze when the figure walked into the room. It was like everything stopped. Time itself stopped.

 “Th…this can’t be…y-you’re…” Daisuke’s voice was shaking slightly.

 “Meet your other co-worker, and teacher of the 79-B class.” Koichi introduced.

 “…Takai-kun…good to see you once again.”

-Rogue Kimyona. Former Ultimate Artist-