Smiling, Ren gave her hand a gentle squeeze as he let her drag him along. With the thirty-first of October right around the corner, these quiet, normal moments were running out fast.
But right now, he was perfectly happy just walking with her.
They eventually found a quiet wooden bench in a small, tree-lined plaza a few streets away from the crazy Shibuya crowds. They sat down together, the morning sun warming their backs.
Opening the paper bag, Mai took out a sweet melon pan. She took a small, careful bite, chewing quietly while looking straight ahead. She was clearly still trying to regain her cool, untouchable sniper image, but the way she swung her booted feet just a little bit gave her away. She was happy.
Taking a sip of his coffee, Ren just quietly watched her for a minute.
It was honestly fascinating. In a lot of ways, she acted exactly like Maki. They had the same sharp, beautiful face. They both used anger as a shield, and they both had that fierce, stubborn Zen'in pride that made them physically incapable of just saying how they felt without putting up a fight first.
But the more he looked at her, the more the differences stood out. To the rest of the world, Maki was all sharp edges, aggressive training, and explosive anger—even if, in private with him, she let her guard down and showed a softer side just like her sister. Mai was more like a quiet storm—sarcastic, defensive, and quick to complain, but hiding a surprisingly soft heart underneath it all.
Suddenly, she stopped chewing.
Her eyes narrowed, and she slowly lowered her melon pan back into the paper bag. She stared straight ahead at the trees for a few seconds, her brain clearly working overtime.
"Wait a second," she said, her voice completely dropping its soft, relaxed tone.
Blinking, Ren pulled his coffee cup away from his lips. "What is it?"
Turning her head to look at him, Mai's expression was a mix of deep confusion and sudden, glaring suspicion. "I was so flustered yesterday that I completely skipped over the most insane part of your whole story."
"Which part?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The part where my sister gave you a free pass!" Mai said, her voice getting a little louder. She completely shifted on the wooden bench to face him, her hands resting on her hips. "I mean, seriously? How does that even work? You told me she gave you permission to 'sleep around to get stronger.' What kind of garbage excuse is that?"
Wincing slightly, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I admit, it sounds pretty bad when you say it out loud like that."
"It sounds like a terrible lie made up by a guy who wants to cheat!" she huffed, crossing her arms defensively. "How does getting intimate with someone make you stronger? That makes absolutely zero sense. Are you sure you aren't just playing me right now? Because I still can't believe Maki would ever agree to something like that."
Letting out a heavy sigh, Ren knew this conversation was coming eventually. He couldn't exactly show her the glowing blue System screen floating in his mind, but he had to tell her the truth about how his power functioned in this world.
"I'm not playing you, Mai," he said, his voice dropping into a serious, honest tone. "My ability... it's a very specific condition. Basically, if I reach a deep level of intimacy with a sorcerer, I can copy their physical gifts or their Cursed Technique. Permanently."
The sniper just stared at him. Her mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. She blinked once. Twice.
"You're joking," she finally whispered, completely stunned. "You literally get Cursed Technique by hooking up with people?"
A dry, awkward laugh escaped him. "Pretty much, yeah."
"That is..." Dragging a hand down her face, Mai let out a breath of pure disbelief. "That is the stupidest, most ridiculous technique I have ever heard of. You're a walking cheat code!"
"I know," he agreed easily. "And believe me, Maki didn't buy it at first either."
She stared straight at him, suddenly acting tough and defensive again. "So how did you convince her? Because if a guy told my sister he needed to sleep with other girls for 'training,' she would instantly cut his head off with her naginata."
"She didn't have a choice but to believe me. After we... you know... got together for the first time, I woke up with her exact physical strength. I accidentally destroyed a thick steel spoon in her kitchen with just two fingers. Then later I found out I literally absorbed or copied her Heavenly Restriction."
Her eyes widened as the pieces finally clicked together. She looked at his arms, then at the casual, confident way he carried himself. He wasn't just a normal guy who worked out. He had monstrous, superhuman strength hiding right under his skin.
"She saw the proof," Ren continued, his smile fading into a softer, more protective look. "And she knows things in the jujutsu world can get really bad, really fast. Maki hates the idea of me being with anyone else, but she hates the idea of us dying even more. More importantly, it's about protecting what she considers as family—and that is the same for me."
Slowly, Mai uncrossed her arms. The suspicion in her eyes melted away, replaced by a quiet, heavy understanding. If Maki—stubborn, proud, fiercely jealous Maki—was willing to swallow her pride and agree to something like this then....
"Wow," she muttered, looking down at her boots. "She really loves you, doesn't she? To actually put her pride aside just to keep you safe."
Reaching over, Ren gently took her hand. "She does. But I meant what I said yesterday, Mai. I'm not just using you for a power-up. I'm here because I want to be."
Looking down at their intertwined hands, a soft pink returned to her cheeks, entirely melting away the last of her tough sniper act. She squeezed his fingers back, a small, genuine smile breaking through her shock.
"You're a total freak, you know that?" she teased quietly.
Laughing, Ren held his hands up in surrender. "Loud and clear. I wasn't planning on making a habit out of it anyway."
Narrowing her eyes playfully, Mai tapped her chin as a new thought crossed her mind. "Wait a second... if your ability really copies techniques through intimacy, that means if we... you know..." She cleared her throat, her cheeks warming up again. "If we do it, you would get my Construction cursed technique."
"Exactly," he nodded.
Letting out a wicked little laugh, Mai leaned back on the bench. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you would be in if I leaked this information? If the Jujutsu higher-ups found out a random civilian could just steal inherited techniques by sleeping around, they would lock you in a basement for the rest of your life. I could ruin you right now."
"You could," Ren agreed easily, not looking worried in the slightest. "But then who would buy you melon pan and deal with your terrible attitude?"