Oichi

Yaga Masamichi watched the young woman slowly making her way through his school's campus. She was quite beautiful, with long black hair and smooth pale skin, but neither that nor the elegant pink kimono she wore could hide her strangeness. Her unbalanced gait alone made that part of her abundantly clear; her body swayed with each step and her head lolled from side to side as if she were sleepwalking.

Masamichi coughed lightly, trying to get the young woman's attention, but if she heard him she showed no signs of it. She continued to stare blankly ahead, nothing reflected in her empty eyes.

Masamichi coughed louder. He had a fair idea as to who the strange young woman was, her reputation as Zenin's doll preceding her, but it paid to be certain, particularly when it concerned a prospective student.

"Excuse me." he said, finally speaking up. The young woman stopped and slowly turned to face him, her head still lolled over, nearly resting on her shoulder. She didn't seem surprised; she wore the same blank, almost mournful expression she'd had since he first say her; but Masamichi wasn't sure if she had actually noticed him before or just didn't react to most things.

"Are you Zenin Oichi?" Masamichi asked, not actually sure he'd get an answer. The young woman stood silently, seemingly thinking over the answer to his question. After slightly longer than was comfortable, she responded.

"Yes... Oichi is Oichi..." The young woman's voice matched her appearance: beautiful, with a smooth and clear tone that would sound far more pleasant if it carried any emotion at all.

"I see. I'm Yaga Masamichi, the president of the Tokyo Jujutsu School. It's a pleasure to meet you, Oichi." Masamichi waited a moment before adding "You're here to become a jujutsu sorcerer, correct?" He figured he had a better chance of getting an actual response if he ended with a question.

"Yes... Oichi wants to... become a sorcerer..." the young woman started haltingly before looking down at the ground. "Mmm, yes... I'm sorry mom... Oichi is also happy to meet you, Mr. Bear... Oichi is sorry for being rude..."

Masamichi didn't know where to start with that. He didn't mind being called Mr. Bear, though. He was a large, well built man, and he'd take Mr. Bear over Mountain or Gorilla any day. Not that anyone called him either of those things more than once.

"Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong. Will you come with me to my office? I have some questions to ask you before you can become an official student." The young woman nodded and follows him, her gait noticeably sturdier to keep up with his longer stride.

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Masamichi sat at his desk, his body sinking in to his favorite chair as his hands idly worked on a stuffed doll. The young woman sat in a smaller chair before him, looking up at him with her now familiar empty gaze.

"Zenin Oichi. Are you familiar with the dangers of being a jujutsu sorcerer?" The young woman nodded. "Are you aware you will be required to take on missions while you are here?" She nodded again. "These missions may interrupt your education and the injuries you receive on this missions may interrupt them further. Are you aware of this?" Another nod. Masamichi sighed. "You may die. Even so, do you wish to be a jujutsu sorcerer?"

"Yes... Oichi wants to... become a sorcerer." The exact same response as last time. Masamichi wondered if she'd been trained to say it. He sighed again. The young woman before him didn't look like she could beat a rabbit, let alone a curse spirit, but looks could be deceiving in his line of work.

"Why?" It was the million dollar question, one Masamichi had heard answered many times. He had a pretty good idea of how she'd answer, an idea proven correct in short notice.

"Oichi was... told to..." the young woman replied, her voice flat and empty. The title of Zenin's doll fit her well; few could risk their lives on orders alone. Masamichi sighed a third time.

"Normally, I would fail you for that answer. And I still want to fail you for it. But I understand your circumstances. You pass. Welcome to Tokyo Jujutsu School." Masamichi wasn't happy, but if he sent her back to the Zenin, they'd just punish her before sending her out on missions as she was. At least here she could be trained by people who actually cared about her as a person.

"You'll be joining the first years taught by Gojo Satoru. I assume you've heard about him from the Zenin. You'll have two other classmates, Fushiguro Megumi and Kugisaki Nobara, though Ms. Kugisaki won't be joining you until later in the year. Fushiguro is currently out on a mission, but he should return before night."

"Fushiguro... Megumi..." The young woman's expression shifted subtly, the tiniest flecks of emotion now visible. Masamichi stifled a fourth sigh and hoped that things could wait at least a moment before all going to shit.