Triggered Silence – Chapter 149
Ren leaned back slightly on the couch, his tone light, almost teasing.
"Ah, it was a fun chat talking to both of you, by the way. Wait—Mei Mei and I actually have a surprise for both of you!"
He flashed a smile. It was wide. Confident. Casual.
Too casual.
Then he stood up and calmly strolled toward the bedroom.
For a second, nothing happened.
Until Jiro's eyes twitched.
He looked around—and for the first time noticed the room was darkened not by shadows… but feathers.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Jiro's voice boomed. "Ogami, get back!"
But it was already too late.
Crows. A group of them No—dozens. They were in the rafters, on the furniture, fluttering through the air. A storm of feathers and crow eyes surrounded them.
Ogami froze, shocked. The air had changed.
Jiro took a step toward Mei Mei, instincts kicking in—
BANG!
A loud crack rang through the mansion.
A bullet shot clean across the room, just barely missing Jiro's face.
He jerked back, wide-eyed.
Ren was standing in the hallway now, just outside the bedroom, a revolver in one hand. His posture was relaxed—like he'd just yawned and stretched.
But the gun was aimed perfectly.
"What… the hell…" Jiro muttered. His mouth was open in disbelief.
Ogami's shock was more silent and internal—and yet deeper.
Ren tilted his head and smiled softly, eyes glowing faintly red from the cursed energy running through him.
"Relax. It's just a surprise gift. A little performance art."
Ogami barked out, her voice straining between disbelief and rage:
"Mei Mei! What is the meaning of this?! Are you betraying the jujutsu higher-ups?!"
Ren spoke before Mei Mei could. His voice was quiet, calm… but it carried through the crow-filled air like steel.
"Ogami… please. Drop the act. You and your 'uncle' here? You never told me your real names. Bad actors."
He scratched the side of his head with the barrel of the gun, like it was a back scratcher.
"You didn't even bother with proper aliases. Sloppy."
Ogami's blood ran cold.
'What? I never gave my name—how… how does he know?!'
Her composure slipped.
Jiro stepped forward, lips curled into a snarl.
"This is a fucking trap, Ogami!"
He ripped off his cap and coat in one swift movement, revealing a broad-chested frame already glowing faintly with cursed energy.
Then he rushed Ren.
The flash of a tanto-style blade gleamed in the air.
Steel hissed toward Ren's neck—
Ren leaned back, just a hair's breadth, and the knife missed.
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!
Ren fired multiple rounds directly into Jiro at close range.
But the bullets hit—and bounced.
No damage.
Jiro grinned. Ren just smiled wider.
'Ah, so his cursed technique is still the same. Impressive.'
Ren didn't even move from his spot. He simply let cursed energy flood his body, coating his limbs—but due to the perfection of his new circuit, it didn't show. He looked untouched. Natural.
Effortless.
On the other side of the room, Ogami leapt backward, trying to break through the circling crows. But—
"Not so fast."
WHAM!
A punch from Mei Mei collided straight into Ogami's face. The older woman staggered, catching herself before retaliating.
And just like that, the two women were locked in a blur of hand-to-hand combat—sharp strikes, flowing footwork, and dodges with grace and calculation.
But their eyes? They weren't on each other.
Both were watching Ren.
Mei Mei had heard stories. Seen recordings. But never once had she witnessed Ren fight like this in person.
So Mei Mei wanted to see how Ren, this genius special grade… Someone who has seen the peak of jujutsu, Mei wanted to see how Ren fought…
Ogami, on the other hand, was watching with a growing sense of horror.
'No… no, this isn't what we planned! Jiro can't beat someone like this! He can stall, maybe—but not win! Damn it, we were just supposed to scout him… Maybe snip a hair or grab some nail clippings… I was going to activate Séance later—not like this!'
Jiro swung his tanto again—fast, precise. But Ren sidestepped, every movement tighter than the last.
'His cursed technique is Inverse… strong attacks become weak, weak attacks become strong. It's weird but powerful—kind of like a discount Infinity.'
Ren thought.
'But it has a flaw. If the user can't tell which attacks are strong or weak, they're left vulnerable… or worse, if I hit him with both types at once…'
Ren smiled.
He dodged one final slash, lifted the gun—
BANG!
The bullet slammed straight into Jiro's foot.
Jiro activated Inverse just in time, absorbing the bullet without harm—
But then—
Ren stepped forward and gently bumped into him.
Just a nudge.
WHOOOSH—CRASH!!
Jiro's body flew like a missile across the room.
He slammed into the wall with a force that shook the entire mansion.
The wall cracked. Dust fell.
Silence.
Mei Mei and Ogami both stopped their fight.
Eyes locked on the crater in the wall where Jiro's body now slid down, limp and coughing.
Ren stood there, revolver still in hand. His other hand was loose in his pocket.
A faint smirk on his lips.
"Hmm," he said casually. "Wow, that actually took all 6 of my bullets!"
The only sound in the room was the cawing of the crows.