Chapter Text
Subaru knew he shouldn't have stayed up until three in the morning binge-watching anime, but the pull of another episode was irresistible. His eyes burned, his head ached, and his brain felt like mush as he stumbled out of the convenience store with a plastic bag full of energy drinks and instant noodles. Typical Subaru. Always running on fumes and bad decisions.
He didn't even see it coming. One second, he was squinting at his phone screen, trying to figure out the best way to home. The next, there was the blaring sound of a horn, a flash of headlights, and a sensation that could only be described as crunchy. The universe really did not give him a break. As his consciousness faded, Subaru's last coherent thought was something like, "Man, at least make it isekai. I deserve that much."
When Subaru came to, his first thought was that he'd hit the jackpot. He was alive. Somehow. And judging by the faint buzz of energy in his veins and the way the world seemed sharper—more alive—he'd definitely leveled up in some cosmic way. Maybe he'd finally gotten his own overpowered protagonist gig. About damn time.
But then he caught his reflection in a nearby puddle.
"What the—"
The puddle was slick with dark, congealed blood, and the reflection staring back at him wasn't his usual tired, slouched self. No, this face was sharper, the features more refined, almost aristocratic, like he'd walked straight out of a fantasy manga. White hair framed a face that was pale but radiant, and glowing sapphire eyes stared back at him with an intensity that made him flinch. It was Subaru. He knew it was him. But it wasn't.
It wasn't a dream, either.
He sat up slowly, his entire body aching as if he'd been run over by something—oh wait, he had been run over. His throat burned like someone had strangled him for a solid minute, and when he reached up to touch it, he winced. His neck felt… wrong, like it had been broken and crudely put back together. Yet, here he was, moving, breathing, and very much alive.
The world around him was surreal, bathed in bright midday sunlight that cast long shadows across the wreckage of what appeared to be a shrine. Half the place was obliterated, its walls crumbled into heaps of broken stone and shattered wood. Statues of what looked like ancient deities lay toppled and decayed, their faces worn and cracked. Vines snaked through the ruins, as if nature had decided to reclaim the place, but the air buzzed with an energy that felt out of place—powerful, ancient, and faintly menacing.
"What the hell?" Subaru muttered, his voice cracking. It wasn't just the words that sounded off—it was his tone. The pitch was smooth, confident, like he'd been dipped in charisma and baked at 400 degrees. It didn't match the panicky, average guy inside his head.
Then it hit him, a sharp, splitting headache that made him double over.
"God, what is this? Hangover from dying?" He clutched his head, but instead of going dark, his vision exploded with clarity. It wasn't just sight; it was like every detail of the world around him had been turned up to eleven. The sunlight wasn't just bright—it was blindingly radiant, every shadow and glimmer standing out in perfect contrast. The texture of the broken stones wasn't just rough—it was alive with microscopic imperfections and patterns. He could see every speck of dust floating in the air, every vein in the leaves rustling in the faint breeze.
"What the—" He blinked rapidly, trying to shake the weird sensation, but it wouldn't go away. Everything was sharp, crisp, and painfully vivid. His eyes were no ordinary eyes. Was this what having superpowered vision felt like? Or was it just sensory overload?
Subaru straightened up, wobbling slightly on legs that felt unfamiliar, like they were too long or too strong. He wasn't used to this body—this wasn't his body. But what the hell could he do about it? He had to move forward.
He glanced around the ruined shrine again, taking in the eerie quiet and the faint hum of that mysterious energy. His heart pounded, a mix of fear and excitement bubbling up inside him.
"All right, if this is how it's gonna be, fine. Let's do this." He grinned, or at least tried to, though it felt weirdly cocky on this face. "There's gotta be a cute girl waiting for me somewhere, right? The one who summoned me? That's how these things go. My big protagonist moment."
This was his journey. This was destiny. Or at least, that's what he was gonna tell himself to keep from freaking out.
T~o~T
Geto felt his blood boil at the sight of Toji Fushiguro. The man exuded arrogance, standing there with his casual posture and lazy drawl, as if murder was just a chore on his to-do list. The words "Killed him" echoed in Geto's head like a hammer striking an anvil, each repetition sharper, louder, and more unbearable than the last.
"You…" Geto's voice dropped to a growl, his eyes narrowing with a ferocity that startled even himself. "You killed Satoru?"
"Yeah, the brat was annoying." Toji shrugged, as if swatting a fly. "Now step aside, kid, and let me finish the job."
"Not happening." Geto positioned himself firmly in front of Riko, who clung to his sleeve with trembling hands. Her muffled sobs barely registered over the storm raging in Geto's mind. He raised his staff, black curses swirling around it like smoke from an infernal fire. "If you killed him, then I'll do the same to you. Right here. Right now."
Riko let out a sharp scream as Toji smirked, amused by the fiery determination of the young sorcerer. Before Geto could say another word, a curse he'd absorbed shot out from his staff like a missile, its gnarled, grotesque form barreling straight toward Toji.
The Sorcerer Killer moved with the grace of a predator, sidestepping the attack with minimal effort. "Tch. Using curses like that? Kid, you're outta your league."
Geto didn't care. He sent curse after curse at Toji, each more ferocious than the last. The air was thick with malevolent energy, the ground trembling under the weight of their clash. Toji dodged every attack with infuriating ease, his movements fluid and calculated.
"You're just wasting energy," Toji called, his tone almost bored. "And you're still protecting her? Cute. But useless."
"Shut up!" Geto spat, summoning a larger curse, a hulking monstrosity with jagged claws and rows of serrated teeth. It lunged at Toji, tearing through the air with a guttural roar.
Toji caught it mid-charge, his sheer strength stopping the beast cold. He drove his dagger into the curse's skull, and with a flick of his wrist, it dissolved into nothingness.
Geto cursed under his breath. His arms ached, his curses dwindling. He could feel Riko trembling behind him, her fear a constant reminder of what was at stake.
"You're out of options," Toji said, his grin widening. "Time to end this."
Toji lunged, his speed blurring the distance between them in an instant. Geto braced himself, his staff raised, when suddenly—
Footsteps.
A voice echoed from the shrine's entrance, casual and familiar. "Hello? Anybody here?"
The sound was enough to stop even Toji mid-attack.
Geto froze, his heart skipping a beat. Riko peeked out from behind him, her tear-streaked face lighting up with hope.
From the shadows stepped Satoru Gojo—or rather, someone who looked like him. The same white hair, the same glowing blue eyes, but there was something… off.
"Reversed Cursed Technique, huh?" Toji muttered, his grip tightening on his weapon.
"Gojo!" Riko cried, her voice breaking with relief.
"You're alive," Geto said, his voice trembling between disbelief and joy.
Gojo tilted his head, his awkward grin plastered across his face. "Uh… do I know you?"
The silence was deafening.
Toji's eyes narrowed, suspicion flickering into delight. "Satoru Gojo. Even if you survived the Inverted Spear of Heaven with Reversed Cursed Technique, you've lost your memories, haven't you?"
Gojo—or whoever this was—looked genuinely confused. "What are you talking about? I do know who I am!"
He struck a ridiculous pose, one hand on his hip, the other pointing dramatically at the sky. "I am Natsuki Subaru, clueless and broke beyond your imagination!"
The shrine fell into a stunned quiet, broken only by Geto's baffled stare and Riko's quiet, "Huh?"
Toji's grin widened, predatory and mocking. "So you've become an idiot too? It's my lucky day!"
The grin on Toji's face was unshakable as he lunged at Gojo—or rather, the white-haired boy standing before him, dazed and grinning like an idiot. Subaru barely had time to register the incoming attack before Toji's blade ripped through his abdomen.
The sensation was indescribable—searing pain radiated from the gaping wound, spreading like wildfire through his body. Subaru stumbled backward, clutching at the blood pouring out of him. His legs gave out, and he crumpled to the ground in a heap, his vision blurring.
"Guess you really were just a dumb kid in the end," Toji muttered, his voice cold, unfeeling. He wiped the blood off his blade with practiced ease, already dismissing the body as a problem solved.
"G-Gojo!" Geto's scream tore through the air. He charged at Toji, his curses roaring in fury, but Toji was already on the move, retreating like a shadow fading into the light.
Subaru's world was spinning. Everything hurt—his body, his mind, his pride. He tried to call out, but all that escaped his lips was a wet, gurgling sound. Blood filled his mouth, warm and metallic.
This was it. He was dying.
"Not fair," he croaked, barely audible. "This wasn't how it was supposed to go…"
His thoughts were a chaotic jumble of regret and confusion. What the hell had he done wrong? Wasn't he supposed to be the overpowered protagonist? Wasn't he supposed to win? He'd just gotten here, damn it! The world tilted, darkness closing in, and then—
Nothing.
Subaru gasped awake, choking on air as if he'd been underwater for too long. His chest heaved as he clawed at his abdomen, expecting to feel torn flesh and blood-soaked fabric. Instead, his hands met smooth skin. Intact. Perfect.
"What the—" He scrambled upright, the shock making his head spin.
The first thing he noticed was the puddle. The same damn puddle of blood he'd woken up by earlier. Its crimson surface reflected the same face that had startled him before—white hair, glowing blue eyes, and a sharpness that wasn't his.
Subaru looked around wildly, taking in the half-destroyed shrine once more. The broken walls, the fallen statues, the eerie hum of energy in the air—it was all exactly as he remembered. Even the midday sun hung in the same place in the sky.
"No, no, no, no…" he whispered, stumbling to his feet. "This can't be happening."
His hand instinctively went to his abdomen again, pressing hard just to make sure. There was no wound. No pain. But he knew he'd died. He'd felt it—every agonizing second of it.
"Did I… go back?" he muttered, staring at the puddle as if it held all the answers.
His head snapped toward the shrine's entrance, and there he was called—Satoru Gojo, the name these people had been calling him, the face everyone seemed to recognize. But Subaru wasn't Satoru Gojo.
Was he?
Subaru was frozen in place, his mind racing faster than it ever had before.
"Okay, okay," he muttered under his breath, running a hand through his unnaturally white hair, "hit by a truck, new world, cool eyes, dude with a knife kills me, I wake up again. Sure. Makes sense. Totally normal day."
He tried to calm his breathing, his fingers twitching nervously at his sides. The yelling from inside the dark, crumbling temple-like structure reached his ears again, louder this time, and with it came a sinking feeling.
"What am I supposed to do, though?" he muttered, pacing in small circles. "I've got no weapon, no plan, and I don't even know if these eyes do anything other than make me look like some kind of pop idol."
But then he froze, his hands clenching into fists.
"What if they're my summoners?!" he exclaimed, the realization hitting him like a slap. "They must be! That long-haired guy and the girl—they're the reason I'm here. They've gotta be!"
His mind filled with dramatic visions of the two of them calling out for their savior, the mighty and heroic Subaru Natsuki—no, Gojo Satoru!—to rescue them from the clutches of evil.
"Alright, Subaru," he said to himself, his voice rising with determination. "No, Gojo! You're the protagonist here. And what does a protagonist do? He saves the day!"
The temple loomed ominously in front of him, its jagged, broken entrance like a mouth ready to devour him whole. The air around it felt heavy, oppressive, as if warning him to stay away. But Subaru—or, well, Gojo—shook his head, banishing the creeping fear.
"Yeah, that guy with the knife is scary as hell," he admitted aloud, taking a cautious step forward. "And yeah, I'll probably get my butt handed to me again. But I didn't wake up in this world to just stand around doing nothing!"
His legs moved before his brain could fully catch up, carrying him toward the source of the yelling. Each step felt heavier than the last, the distant echoes of his own death still fresh in his mind.
But then he stopped, his feet planting firmly on the ground just outside the entrance.
"What if… what if I die again?" he whispered, his voice trembling. The memory of that blade slicing through him sent a shiver down his spine.
He swallowed hard, forcing the thought away. "But if I don't do anything, that guy'll kill them too. And then what? They brought me here, right? I owe them."
It wasn't much of a plan, but it was enough to push him forward. Besides, Subaru wasn't the type to back down. He'd faced way too many bad days back in his old life to let a little thing like being unarmed and outmatched stop him now.
"No time to think," he said, taking a deep breath and stepping into the shadowed entrance. "It's time to be a hero."
Subaru burst into the dark corridors, panting heavily, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. It was clear from the way he stood—hunched, disheveled, and wide-eyed—that he was not the epitome of a fearsome warrior.
"Okay, everybody just… chill," he gasped, holding one hand up in what he hoped was a disarming gesture. "We don't have to do this. Fighting is so last season. Can we, like, talk this out? You know, like civilised people?"
The long-haired boy froze mid-motion, his curses momentarily halted, while the girl peeked out from behind him, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Gojo?!" the boy called out, his voice a mix of relief and confusion. "You're… okay? How the hell—"
"Gojo?" Subaru muttered under his breath, straightening up slightly. "That's my name here? Satoru Gojo? Man, that's straight out of some RPG. Sounds kinda awesome, though."
The long-haired boy didn't look amused. "Stop rambling and do something! Attack him before it's too late!"
Subaru hesitated, glancing between the boy, the girl, and the hulking figure in front of them. The man—the same guy who had killed him earlier—looked far too casual about the whole situation, his sword lazily resting on his shoulder.
"Reversed Cursed Technique?" the man said, his eyebrows raised in genuine surprise. "You're more troublesome than I thought."
"Yeah, well, that's a compliment, right?" Subaru said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, Mr. Killer Guy, we really don't have to do this. I mean, I get it—you've got some, uh, job to do or whatever. But I'm sure there's a better way. Like, maybe a nice cup of tea? We could sit down, talk about our feelings—"
"Feelings?!" the long-haired boy snapped, glaring at Subaru like he'd just lost his mind. "Are you insane?! He's trying to kill us! Fight him already!"
"Yeah, but maybe he doesn't want to kill us," Subaru countered, raising a finger like he'd just made a profound point. He turned to the man. "Right? You've got regrets about this, don't you? Like, maybe you're only doing this because your boss is an asshole? I've seen it before. Classic villain backstory."
The man's expression shifted from mild irritation to genuine confusion. Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face.
"You really don't remember, do you?" the man said, his voice laced with amusement.
Subaru's nervous smile faltered. "Uh… remember what, exactly?"
"Gotcha." The man's grin widened.
And just like that, Subaru felt a sharp, searing pain at his neck. He didn't even have time to process what was happening before the world tilted sideways. His head hit the ground with a dull thud, his body collapsing in the background like a discarded puppet.
"Oh, come on," Subaru's mind screamed as his vision darkened, his head rolling a few feet away. "Not again!"
Everything went black.
When Subaru opened his eyes, he was back outside, lying in the puddle of blood once more. His abdomen was intact, his body whole, but the sickening feeling of deja vu lingered heavily in the air.
"Great," Subaru groaned, sitting up and glaring at the sky. "Here we go again."
Subaru wiped the blood off his face with a grimace. "Okay, okay. Third time's the charm, right?" He muttered to himself as he made his way back to the temple-like structure. His nerves were shot, but this time, he decided to play it cool. Maybe acting like he belonged here, like he was some untouchable badass, would change the outcome. Confidence, they said, was key.
When he entered the temple again, the scene was exactly the same—Geto was shielding the girl, glaring at the man Subaru was quickly coming to loathe. The man, Toji, looked as relaxed and deadly as ever. Subaru inhaled deeply, slapping a grin on his face as he stepped forward like he owned the place.
"Yo!" Subaru announced, hands shoved in his pockets as he leaned against the cracked stone wall. "What's up, everybody? Miss me?"
Both Geto and the girl froze, their expressions swinging between confusion and shock.
"Gojo!" Geto exclaimed, his voice a mix of relief and disbelief. "You're alive?!"
Subaru waved a dismissive hand, pretending he wasn't utterly terrified. "Pshh, alive is my middle name. Satoru 'Always Alive' Gojo, reporting for duty. So, uh, what's this? Some kind of villain-of-the-week situation?"
Toji narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze locking onto Subaru. "Reversed Cursed Technique, huh? Persistent brat."
"Yeah, yeah, I get that a lot," Subaru replied, his grin straining at the edges. "But seriously, can't we just… chill? You know, grab some drinks, talk about life? Maybe you've got some childhood trauma you wanna vent about? I'm a great listener."
Geto's eye twitched. "What the hell are you doing? Stop joking around and fight him!"
"Fight him?!" Subaru repeated, his voice pitching higher than he intended. He cleared his throat and shrugged, trying to regain his faux composure. "Nah, that's too predictable. I mean, come on, this guy looks like he eats nails for breakfast. Literally."
Toji smirked, clearly amused by Subaru's attempt at bravado. "So, what's your game this time, kid? You gonna try and talk me to death?"
Subaru held up a finger. "Ah, you see, that's where you're wrong! I have… a plan."
The girl peeked out from behind Geto, her eyes wide with hope. "You have a plan?"
"Absolutely!" Subaru lied, pointing dramatically. "It's called… improvisation! Just give me five seconds, and I'll… uh…"
Toji didn't wait. He lunged, faster than Subaru could react.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Subaru yelped, scrambling backward, arms flailing. "Can't we talk about this?!"
The blade flashed, and Subaru felt the familiar, gut-wrenching sensation of pain as Toji's weapon cut through him like butter. Blood spilled, his vision dimmed, and once again, he collapsed to the ground, his body crumpling like a rag doll.
As his life faded, Subaru's thoughts raced. "Carefree didn't work. Damn it. What now?!"
And then—blackness.
Subaru gasped as he woke up in the blood-soaked puddle outside, his chest heaving. His clothes were dry, his body unscathed, but his brain was fried.
"Okay," Subaru groaned, flopping back onto the wet ground. "This is getting old real fast."