Chapter 1: Standard Deviation
Han Ye-na believed that life was too short to wear boring clothes, even if you were training to fight literal demons.
Standing in the courtyard of Tokyo Jujutsu High, she adjusted the hem of her outfit. Today, she had gone for an incredibly cutesy, high-fashion aesthetic: an oversized, cream-coloured cropped sweater that completely swallowed her hands, a short pastel-pink pleated tennis skirt, and thigh-high white socks tucked into chunky white platform trainers. She looked like a walking pastel dream against the dark, ancient wood of the school.
“Whoa! Are you the new transfer from Korea?!” a loud voice boomed.
Ye-na blinked, offering a wide, funny little grin as a boy with spiky pink hair jogged up to her. “Yup! Han Ye-na! I bring good vibes, a lot of luggage, and an extreme lack of direction because I definitely took the wrong bus twice on the way up this mountain.”
Yuji Itadori burst out laughing, instantly charmed by her bubbly energy. “I’m Yuji! Don’t worry, the school is basically a giant maze. We’ll show you around!”
“We?” Ye-na tilted her head, her long, dark hair bouncing in its high twin pigtails.
Step by step, a taller boy emerged from the shadow of the nearby training hall. Ye-na’s breath caught slightly. He had messy, dark spiky hair, deep green eyes, and a uniform that was casually unbuttoned at the collar. He didn’t look like the brooding, serious sorcerers her father had warned her about. He gave off the distinct, dangerous aura of a total playboy.
“Well, well,” the boy murmured, stepping right into Ye-na’s personal space. He leaned down slightly, his green eyes locking onto hers with an intense, teasing focus. “Gojo-sensei said we were getting a transfer, but he forgot to mention she’d be this cute.”
Ye-na felt a sudden, violent blush rush straight to her cheeks. She was used to hiding her emotions, but having this insanely attractive guy look at her like she was the only thing in the courtyard completely disarmed her. “I—uh, thank you?” she stammered, her funny, carefree attitude stumbling.
“Megumi Fushiguro,” he introduced himself, his smirk widening as he noticed her bright pink cheeks. He reached out, his thumb gently brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her skin for an electric second. “Try not to get lost again, Ye-na-chan. I’d hate to have to go hunting for you.”
“A-Right. Got it,” Ye-na squeaked, desperately trying to fan her face with her oversized sweater sleeve.
As Yuji started leading the way to the dorms, chatting loudly, Megumi fell into step right next to Ye-na. He kept shooting her lazy, amused glances, clearly enjoying how easily he could make her blush.
But as Ye-na walked, she subtly clutched her design sketchbook closer to her chest. Hidden inside that book, and buried deep beneath her cute, bubbly exterior, was a secret that dictated Tokyo’s entire fashion industry. To the world, she was the completely anonymous, chart-dominating global designer behind the streetwear label CATCH. Nobody knew her face. Nobody knew her name.
She shot a sideways glance at Megumi, who winked at her smoothly, causing her face to heat up all over again. Yeah, Ye-na thought, biting her lip. I just need to survive this playboy first.
