Jogo gritted his teeth, a thin, high-pitched whistle of steam escaping from the volcano-like spout on top of his head. The memory of his previous encounter with the boy—the sheer, inexplicable annoyance the brat had caused—gnawed furiously at his pride.
"He is a problem," Jogo growled, his voice a low, grinding rumble of shifting tectonic plates. "A pest. One that needs to be incinerated before he complicates things."
Geto chuckled softly, an airy, amused sound. He waved a dismissive hand, not breaking his gaze from the street below as Ren patted Yuji on the shoulder and walked away.
"Let us not lose sight of the bigger picture, Jogo," Geto said smoothly, his tone laced with absolute, terrifying calm. "The stage is already meticulously set for the thirty-first. We don't need any premature theatricals drawing Satoru Gojo's Six Eyes our way. Let the children play in the sun a little longer. Our focus remains on the plan. Leave them be."
Jogo scoffed, crossing his arms tighter, but the oppressive heat in the room slowly dialed back.
...
The steady sound of the train tracks relaxed Ren as he rode out of the crowded city of Tokyo, heading toward the quiet mountains of Jujutsu High.
He sat near the back of the mostly empty train car, resting his head against the cool window. He had left Yuji and Megumi earlier, making up an excuse about needing to finish some paperwork. Now, alone in the quiet train, he finally had a moment to rest.
When Ren got off the train, the fresh mountain air felt much better than the hot, sticky city. Instead of going straight to his room, he left the main path and walked deep into the woods near the school.
He headed toward a huge hole in the ground that Satoru Gojo had made during a past battle. It was the perfect hiding spot. There were no cameras, no students walking by, and most importantly, no Satoru Gojo showing up by surprise to look at his new gear.
Sitting on the edge of the hole, Ren opened his inventory. He called out his special weapon, Nightfall, and it appeared right in his hand.
"System," Ren said quietly to the empty forest. "Purchase the Positive Energy upgrade for Nightfall."
A glowing blue screen appeared in the air. He watched his points—which sat at a comfortable 125,000 after he tricked Maki into going to Hokkaido—drop by a massive amount.
[TRANSACTION COMPLETE] Positive Energy Upgrade Acquired. Checking User Match...
[WARNING: SYSTEM ERROR FOUND]
Ren narrowed his eyes and squeezed the sword's handle. "Explain."
[NOTICE] The User has almost zero Cursed Energy because of the Heavenly Restriction. To create Positive Energy, the system needs to multiply negative energy against itself.
ERROR: User cannot make the base energy needed for this upgrade.
[STARTING BACKUP PLAN...]
The dark lines under the metal of Nightfall suddenly flashed with a blinding white light. The blade shook hard in Ren's hands. The sheer power of the upgrade almost broke the weapon before it finally settled down into a soft, deadly hum.
[WEAPON UPGRADE SUCCESSFUL]New Skill Unlocked: Kinetic Absorption & Reversal
Since the User cannot make their own Cursed Energy, Nightfall has been changed to steal it from the outside. When you hit an enemy or block their attack, the blade will suck in their energy.
The weapon will mix that stolen energy inside itself, instantly turning it into Positive Energy for your next hit.
Ren read the glowing words, and a slow, dangerous smile spread across his face.
He stood up and gave the sword a few practice swings. It felt perfectly balanced. Even better, the weapon felt hungry, like it was just waiting for a fight.
He looked at his humming sword one last time. With a single thought, the katana vanished into his system storage. The heavy weight of the weapon was gone, leaving only the quiet sound of the wind blowing through the trees.
Ren brushed the dirt off his clothes so no one would know he had been hiding in the woods, and started the walk back to the school campus.
The walk was peaceful, but felt a little empty. the campus was missing the loud, intense energy of maki training. He walked past the empty fields and into the quiet dorms, glad that Gojo was probably busy bothering the higher-ups somewhere else.
Ren opened his door and stepped inside. Just as he kicked off his shoes, his phone buzzed loudly, breaking the silence.
He pulled it out, expecting an text from Maki.
Instead, the name on the screen made him freeze.
Mai Zen'in.
Ren stared at his phone, hesitating to answer. He hadn't talked to Maki's twin sister since the Kyoto event.
Why is she calling me now? Ren thought.
Does she know Maki is out of town?
Bracing himself for whatever family drama was about to happen, Ren answered the call and leaned against his closed door.
"Hello?" he said, keeping his voice polite and normal.
For a moment, he only heard quiet breathing on the other end. Then Mai spoke. Her voice was missing its usual angry edge; instead, she sounded nervous and tense.
"Ren," she whispered softly. "Are you alone?"
Ren frowned, his eyes narrowing at the strange question. "Yeah, I'm alone," he replied, keeping his voice steady and cautious. "I just got back to my dorm. Why? Is everything alright, Mai?"
There was a long pause. He could hear the faint sound of city cars on her end, feeling like a whole different world compared to the dead quiet of the Jujutsu High dorms.
"It's fine. Everything's fine," she said quickly, but her shaky voice gave her away. She cleared her throat, doing her best to pull herself together and hold onto whatever Zen'in pride she had left. "I... I know Maki is out of town. Kyoto is boring right now, and I just happen to be in Tokyo for a quick job."