Off Brand Nerima Chaos
“Oh I feel like that time I got slammed by a pair of people on a water slide and had to get fished out from the deep end of the pool…” I felt a little dizzy and off-balance.
Fortunately the pool I had landed in was only chest deep so I could walk to the ledge. I squeezed out the water from my hair and clothes but noticed something off.
“Oh no, tourist! You have fallen into the cursed spring of the drowned boy!”
“Right, there was that. Excuse me, have you seen someone else in the area, they likely also fell into one of these cursed springs.”
At that moment an irritated piglet ran over.
“Oh, there you are Kurama.”
With a convenient splash of water, my friend was back in her human form. I refused since I would likely just get hit by more cold water soon. Besides, it was not that bad since it was a gender swap and not an animal instead.
The nice tour guide found out identification and sent us off on our way to Nerima. They also mentioned that a lot more people had been falling into the springs lately (well all of my companions also got curses and cursed jumpers would be consistently visiting in the future). The rest of my friends should already be in Nerima or should be arriving soon. The power of plot convenience shall guide the way.
I did not forget to grab my bag with the bought gear, the infinite bandana made a nice accessory. I could also use it to send messages using symbols if needed.
Thus, Kurama and I were sent to Nerima, where the bulk of the adventure would take place. The flight was fine, though airport security was as annoying as ever. Thankfully I planned to stock up on items in Japan, or digging through my warehouse (there’s bound to be something useful).
First things first, getting my hands on a high quality thermos, mainly in case on of my friends gets splashed since I think most of them have animal based curses that would be a bit difficult to explain to a passerby.
I am ready to supplement my mind and magic skills with some physical based ones. I vaguely know how to throw a punch or kick but that’s it, other than parkour but that’s more for movement.
Nerima is going to be filled with chaos, which probably is just a normal day to the natives. Just hope I do not end up crossing paths with the main cast during important events or anything.
“Thank goodness you guys have a house with spare rooms. Have you seen Ruku, Kyo or Sumire around?” I flopped onto the couch.
Sanzu opened an eye. “Those two have a job at a local dojo. We haven’t seen Sumire yet.” He returned to napping.
A light bulb lit up above my head. “Oh yeah, she’s started off with the Amazon’s, should be arriving shortly.”
“I can help out with construction work.” Kurama fist pumped.
“You’ll be in high demand Kurama, in this city at least. I’ll come help, with my new skill I’ll learn a lot faster. Wait…what about schooling?”
Yuri answered. “Only you, Kurama and Aqua still have school. The rest of us are older.”
“Okay then, there goes a good chunk of my time.” And it would add to the drama I suppose…
I turned to Sanzu. “What kind of work are you doing?”
“I stay at home and place bets. It’s an easy way to make enough money.” Must have been the skill kicking in.
According to Yuri, it would be a few hours before Ruku and Kyo came back for dinner. All my things had been put away and thus I had some free time.
“Yuri, can I help out in the kitchen? Might as well get a head start on acquiring some skills.”
Homemaking, construction, some form of martial arts…So many things to learn and refine, so little time. At least it was Friday, so I had the weekend before school started. I wonder how it would take for some kind of flag to be raised…?
Kurama jumped in. “Hey, what’s for dinner?”
“Since Kurea wants to help, maybe something simpler, like some curry? I got a few boxes when they were on sale at the supermarket.”
No one was arguing so the menu was decided. I was glad that everyone was pretty much all in one place, not like before when I had to hunt them all down.
“Oh yeah, what kind of-” My words were interrupted as water mysteriously splashed from somewhere.
“Curse did you all get? As you can see I turn into a boy.” Nothing of my appearance really changed, I was a little taller and the chest changed obviously.
All the people in the house had animal based curse forms: Kurama turned into a piglet, Yuri and Kyo turned into dogs, Sanzu turned into a bear and Akua turned into a panda. Ruku was the opposite of me and thus turned into a girl when splashed with cold water.
I was not sure what Sumire would transform into, but it was likely another animal of some sort.
I also remembered to warn the rest of them. “Just so you guys know, I’ll be dealing with a bunch of suitors and people/animals that land into the spring of the jumper.”
“Why?”
“I needed the points and figured we would be able to deal with these drawbacks. Plus it would be entertaining for Benefactor to watch.”
So there began the decade spent in Nerima, home of chaos.
“Okay I am ready to learn. Ready Ruku?” I stood in exercise clothing in front of Ruku.
“Ready, I’ve got the music ready. Watch me first.”
He started the music and moved in sets of three, forming a box. “Here’s the basic box step for the waltz.”
Thanks to the copycat technique I quickly grasped the basics of various ballroom dances, waltz and swing were my favorite. Then Ruku added the martial art component to it.
“Then remember to kick out your leg at this part, after spin and use the momentum to potentially knock your opponent to the ground.”
“How do fights with martial arts ballroom dancing even work? Is it in pairs? Fighting to the beat?”
“Eh, depends on the style and there are variations that can be chosen depending on those involved.”
It was a bit confusing but in short fights could be single or in pairs. It boiled down to mixing dance moves with kicks and other hits. For ballroom, it mostly centered on the legs for offense and the arms for blocking.
It was also important to ensure that movements were rhythmic to the music, that the battle was at its heart, a dance of sorts. The combatants would agree on a style and song beforehand. There might be time to prepare or it could end up more using improvisation.
I would likely not use the exact style outside of the jump but I could incorporate the movements relatively easily. Maybe I could get myself some headphones and a playlist.
“Okay, let’s try that again-” My words were cut off as water sprayed in through the open window, someone must have been watering their garden.
The two of use were soaked and changed into our cursed forms.
“Well, we could try switching parts this time. The male and female parts are different. Plus knowing me, I’ll need this practice.”
“Eh, I am always down for more learning. Let’s do this.”
Ruku and I spent the next few hours practicing a mixture of ballroom dances, who knew, it might come in handy. After all, fights would be martial arts based and not subject to dance competition regulations.
I also remembered to learn construction skills from Kurama: what tools and techniques to quickly build something that was sturdy. She was in rather high demand in the city, what with all the fights that totaled buildings every week.
On the bright side, the family did not have to worry to much about expenses and Kurama had a lot of spending money she could use on whatever she wanted.
“Huh, there’s actually a lot of stuff to remember for this work.” I mused as I hammered one last nail.
Kurama shrugged. “You caught on pretty quick, which is to be expected. We’re done, we can go home after getting the payment.”
I was really glad that I purchased some extra abilities for my companions, especially since they got an additional discount applied. Okay, so far learned some martial arts, construction and cooking, just need to refine these skills before chaos really sets in.
In addition I practiced using my hidden weapon space with my enhanced aim. I had the bandana but it never hurt to have backup items. I now had various throwing weapons on my person at all times from knives to shuriken to needles.
The third item also doubled as tools for acupuncture. I am so glad that the medical knowledge and skills were embedded in my mind. It would have taken forever to learn this manually. I could also use these skills to heal myself, which I could not do with my green magic.
Acrobatics, being really sneaky, having hidden weapon space…I am turning into a ninja. I need to acquire some brute force methods so I can have the trinity of speed/dexterity, magic and strength.
“I found you! What have you done with my team?!”
“Huh, I thought there would be more time before this started up again.”
*Splash* I whipped out my thermos and threw a cupful of hot water at the Pokemon trainer. The person changed into a confused cat that sprinted away.
I had perfected the art of hot water splashing right at the start in order to mitigate some potential drama at least. There were already weekly fights from other martial artists challenging Ruku and Kyo that I usually got caught up in somehow.
The fights were useful though, I honed my martial dancing skills. It was actually pretty satisfying to weave around someone while elegantly sending them flying. I also picked up a few techniques here and there that I incorporated into my style.
Even with some more brute force based techniques, I always tried to be as efficient as possible. Aim for the most damaging spot first if possible.
Fortunately I had not really crossed paths with the main cast of the world. Kyo had, since he was learning the same style as Ranma. He often came home with tales of some of the shenanigans that the group got up to.
I did not go to the same school, though I still had my fair share of school drama tropes. The school festival, valentine’s day and so on. Honestly if the two of us crossed paths, I feel like the concentration of chaos would reach critical mass and end in a giant explosion.
“I have tracked you down. Now-” *Splash*
“Kurea? Is that you? You look as beautiful as ever. Have you finally realized your feelings for me?”
“No Yasu, I am just out for grocery shopping and we happened to cross paths.”
I suppose I should have figured that the drawbacks I had chosen would end up mixing together to form something more annoying than the sum of its parts. This guy, Yasu was one of the many suitors that I would have to deal with as well as one of those who fell into the spring of the cursed jumper.
At least his curse only acted up around twice a month, so it was not too bad. Just needed to ensure that my thermos was on hand at all times.
He looked away for a moment, just in time for someone to chuck some water out, which inevitably hit me and triggered my curse.
“You! What are you going here?! Here to challenge me for Kurea’s affections? You shall not prevail!”
He also designated my male form as a rival in love, despite the fact that it would be more logical to assume that my male form is either a twin or the same person, considering the names were the same and my forms resembled each other closely.
Then again, I should not question comedy anime logic. So half the time I was fighting over myself in a sense. Sometimes I did get a break when other suitors would fight each other instead.
Soon enough Yasu left and I found a corner to change back. Since my curse always triggered at annoying times, I made sure to always dress in loose, unisex clothing. All of it was comfortable so I had no complaints.
Now I could finish up shopping for dinner, I was definitely looking forward to ramen…
“There you are you-” *Splash* A squirrel picked itself up and scurried away.
“This is the fourth animal this month, I need to invest in a larger thermos.” With a sigh, I continued on my way.
“Sumire you made it! How was your time in China with the Amazon tribe?” I gave her a hug.
“I learned a lot and got stronger. I accompanied Shampoo over here.”
I touched my chin in thought. “She’s the who gave some sort of death kiss or something right?”
Sumire appeared in Nerima a few weeks after Kurama and I showed up. She had learned some new techniques and honed her fighting skills. Other than that, she was still the same.
Yuri motioned to me to follow her. The two of us stood to the side as Sumire and Kyo sparred in the backyard.
“Well, they look like they’re having fun.”
The fight did not even pause as water splashed over the two of them. I wonder what the neighbors would think if they saw a rabbit and a dog fighting in a yard.
Afterwards, I would see Sumire mostly at home in the evenings. I think she was helping out Shampoo with her task, but knew little details. Seems like completely avoiding the main characters would be impossible but that was not an issue.
The whole team was now together, all that was left was to survive the next decade. Only had to deal with jusenkyo curse triggering at inconvenient times, a ton of unwanted suitors and semi-frequent visits from beings who fell into the spring of the jumper.
I just know Benefactor is probably going to laugh like a maniac after this.
“Hahahahahaha…hahahahahaha!” Laughter echoed through the room.
“I must be doing something right if you’re like this.” I crossed my arms.
“It was a nice change of pace. Except the readers haven’t actually seen anything exciting. You only went into detail about the start of the jump. Why don’t you write down how the school festival play went? That was an amazing disaster.”
I shrugged. “Me telling the story would not compare to one’s imagination. Besides, I do not know where to start, the entire jump would technically be a string of ridiculous events interspersed with fights.”
“You make it sound so boring. My favorite was that time you almost accidentally got married to that one guy.”
“I’m supposed to be immune to that sort of thing, who knew he would manage to inadvertently find a loophole. Luckily Luke helped me out. The dress was nice at least.”
I mainly chose this jump near the start since it was not overly dangerous and I could a bunch of useful abilities and items. The drawbacks were not that bad either since they added to the entertainment value.
I got medical skills, various life skills and the ability to copy other’s techniques. This combined with my memory perks I have a decent base set up.
“Benefactor, what’s the next jump?”
They had an unsettling expression. “Here. I’ll also be implementing a new mode from now on.”
“I see, well not like I can stop you. Might as well try and be optimistic, it would be a shame if I did not change even a little after these experiences.”
“That’s the spirit.”
“Well, I shall take my leave. I promised Lily that I would help with dinner tonight. See you later Benefactor.”
Next – Introducing Creative Mode
Previous Jump – The Great Detective
Jump #6 – Ranma 1/2 Document
Name: Kurea Janpa
Location: Jusenkyo Cursed Springs
Initial Age: 16
Gender: Female
Origin: Drop In (get plane ticket, ID and sent to Nerima, Japan)
Curse: Spring of the Drowned Boy (change into opposite gender)
Perks
Some Kind of Ninja: freebie, now sneaky and hard to spot when hiding
Medical Genius: medical knowledge from surgery to acupuncture (useful)
Copycat Technique: able to copy and learn moves (need effort, certain prerequisites)
Hidden Weapon Space: hide any number of weapons on body
Amazon Durability: able to be hit by boulders, cars and through walls/trees (anime level)
Martial Acrobatics: supplement free running (ease of movement, hard to hit)
Items
Flask of Water of Life: 16oz bottle refills each day, powerful cure all
Bandana of Infinite Bandana: was cheap and seems useful
Shock Ring: cheap infinite taser like item
Collection of Magic Incense: general pack that reappear a week later if used (cheap fun?)
Flaws
Water Magnet: curse triggers at ‘worst’ times
Fiancee Magnet: a large number of suitors (one per week?)
Spring of Drowned Jumper: people/animals cursed to change into a previous jump form (hot water solves the problem)
Companions
Free (8) companion import (get origin, and discount on perks) *free human form
Kurama: Drop In (curse – piglet)
Some kind of Ninja, Construction Master (fast, cheap, quality)
Yuri (Lily): Innocent Bystander (curse – dog)
Homemaking (super efficient housework), Safe Place to Stand (so long as not part of problem know where to stand so avoid any injury)
Sumire (Violet): Amazon Warrior (curse – rabbit)
Amazon Durability
Akua (Aqua): Innocent Bystander (curse – panda)
Homemaking
Kyo: Martial Artist (curse – dog)
Martial Acrobatics, Weirdly Specific Martial Art (Anything Goes)
Sanzu (Sans): Innocent Bystander (curse – bear)
Homemaking, Gambling Acumen (make money on bets)
Ruku (Luke): Martial Artist (curse – girl)
Martial Acrobatics, Weirdly Specific Martial Art (Ballroom Dancing), Amazon Durability
Plan: Everyone is part of the Janpa family. Kurama and I get sent to Nerima to stay with the rest of the companions (except Sumire who shows up a little later from China). All have to deal with jusenkyo curses (I am hit more often). The large number of suitors will coincide with people showing up to fight with Ruku and Kyo to test their skills. Also have to deal with interruptions by people who fell into the spring of the jumper (always have a thermos of water on hand). I will use copycat technique to learn housework, construction and martial arts from companions. Need to train/refine all these new skills though (includes medical skills). Should be enough hijinks to avoid tangling too much with the Ranma cast…
WhiteMoon x BlackSun 