The morning air was thick with the scent of cherry blossoms and something wilder—something you couldn't name.

You adjusted the strap of your bag, fingers brushing against the Jujutsu Tech acceptance letter crumpled in your pocket. A fresh start. That's what you'd told yourself when you packed your life into two suitcases and boarded the train to Tokyo.

Beside you, Shoko Ieiri—the first friend you'd made in this strange city—hummed under her breath, her arm looped lazily through yours. You'd met her three days ago at a dimly lit café near the station, where she'd smirked at your hesitation over the menu and slid into your booth uninvited. "You look like you need a guide," she'd said. "Lucky for you, I'm free."

Now, she grinned, her dark eyes glinting with secrets. "Trust me, Y/N. You'll love the school." Her voice dropped, teasing. "And most of all? The hybrids."

You blinked. "Hybrids?"

Shoko laughed, low and knowing, as the towering gates of Jujutsu Tech came into view. The wrought iron twisted like claws against the sky.

"Oh, you'll see." She nudged you forward, her smile sharpening. "We've got our own shelter on campus. And as a new student?" A pause, deliberate. "You're asked to take one—or more—home with you."

Somewhere beyond the gates, a low growl rumbled through the trees.

You didn't know it yet, but the bad moon was already rising.

SCENEBREAK

The school's sprawling campus was nothing like you'd imagined.

Ancient trees loomed over cobbled pathways, their gnarled branches casting claw-like shadows across the ground. In the distance, a massive concrete building stood apart from the others, its steel doors emblazoned with bold red letters:

SHELTER.

Shoko's grip on your arm tightened, her nails digging in just shy of painful. "That's it," she said, her voice lilting with amusement. "Come along, newbie. Time to meet your future roommates."

Before you could protest, she hauled you inside—into a space that smelled sharply of iron, cedar, and something feral. The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, flickering like a heartbeat.

At the center of the room stood a mountain of a man—Principal Yaga, his mouth curved into a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Greetings, [L/N]," he rumbled. "These are the hybrids you'd be able to bond with."

A gesture to the shadows.

And then—they appeared.

The Arctic Fox – A flash of white fur, too cunning to be just an animal. It—no, he—padded toward you with deliberate grace, his blue eyes gleaming with something unsettlingly human. Gojo Satoru.

The Black Wolf – Silent as a nightmare, its green gaze pinned you in place. When it pressed against your side, you felt the rumble of its growl vibrate through your bones. Megumi Fushiguro.

The Panther – Sleek, shadowed, moving like liquid darkness. It circled you once before butting its head against your hip, a silent claim. Suguru Geto.

All three pressed closer, trapping you in a cage of fur and heat.

Shoko giggled, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Wow. Look at that." She flicked her cigarette ash onto the floor. "They like you already."

Principal Yaga crossed his arms. "Interesting. They're not usually this... friendly with newcomers."

The Arctic Fox's tail curled possessively around your ankle.

Somewhere, a clock ticked.

You were running out of time to choose.

The shelter's fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as Shoko tugged you deeper into the cavernous space. The air smelled of warm fur, antiseptic, and something darker lurking beneath - like lightning about to strike.

"Come on," Shoko grinned, her medical coat flaring behind her. "I can show you some others as well." She gestured carelessly toward a shadowed corner. "I already got one, though."

There, sprawled in a patch of sunlight, lay two startling contrasts:

A golden retriever, all floppy ears and relaxed paws, its belly rising and falling in peaceful sleep.

A Siberian tiger, massive enough to block the light, its striped tail twitching like a metronome of contained violence.

Shoko crouched, scratching behind the retriever's ear. "These two are apparently brothers in human form," she said casually, as if discussing the weather rather than apex predators.

Principal Yaga cleared his throat, fingers nervously scratching his nape. "Yuji Itadori and Ryomen Sukuna." His eyes darted to the tiger, which had cracked open one blood-red eye to stare at you. "Be... careful of Sukuna."

A heavy pause. The tiger's nostrils flared as it scented you.

"He uh... bites."

As if on cue, the tiger's maw split in what could almost be called a smile, revealing fangs longer than your fingers. The retriever - Yuji - chose that moment to wake, immediately rolling onto his feet and bounding toward you, tail wagging furiously.

The contrast was terrifying.

Shoko's grin widened. "So? See anyone you like?"

Somewhere behind you, the Arctic fox let out a chittering laugh. The panther's tail flicked against your calf. And the tiger's gaze never wavered from your throat.

The word left your lips before common sense could catch up: "I do."

Your hand hovered in the charged space between you and the Siberian tiger. The shelter's air grew thick—somewhere behind you, a fox's tail bristled, a panther's claws unsheathed against concrete. Sukuna's nostrils flared as he inhaled your scent, hot breath gusting across your fingertips. Then—

Contact.

A rough tongue dragged across your palm.

The effect was instantaneous. Four hundred pounds of muscle and spite uncoiled around you, Sukuna's massive frame circling like a living storm cloud. His growl wasn't playful—it was a warning, vibrating through the floorboards as he bared teeth at Geto's approaching shadow.

"Wow," Shoko drawled, lighting another cigarette with a snap of her fingers. "You really know how to make the most dangerous hybrids drool over you."

You rolled your eyes—or tried to, before sinking fingers into Sukuna's ruff. The fur was softer than stolen silk, warm with the heat of something that could (and would) eat you alive.

Yaga cleared his throat. "You understand what bonding entails—"

"I'll take them all."

Silence.

Then—chaos.

Sukuna's answering roar shook dust from the rafters.

Geto melted from panther form in one liquid motion, his human fingers already twining with yours.

Gojo whined like a kicked puppy, shoving his fox muzzle under your free arm.

Across the room, Megumi's wolf form went rigid, ears flat against his skull.

Yaga sighed, jerking a thumb toward the back door. "Paperwork's that way. Try not to get eaten before graduation."

As you moved, the hybrids moved with you—a living tapestry of teeth and devotion. Geto's shoulder brushed yours. Gojo's tail lashed against your thigh. And Sukuna—

Sukuna watched, the way tidal waves watch shorelines.

Somewhere behind you, Shoko exhaled a smoke ring. "Bad moon's rising, kid. Hope you can swim."