Devil's Deal – Chapter 152
"I wanted to seduce you myself… or earn your trust. And I wanted to collect a piece of your DNA, so if you ever died, I could use my Séance Technique to summon your body. You're… strong."
Ogami confessed everything in a single breath, the words tumbling out with a mixture of resignation and fear.
Ren simply nodded.
Mei Mei blinked, stunned.
'She wanted to what?!'
Her thoughts spun.
'And Séance Technique—that's her cursed technique?! Wait… how does Ren even know that? How the hell did he see through it? How did he know she and the old man weren't jujutsu higher-ups in the first place?!'
Too many questions.
No good answers.
But before she could even open her mouth, Ren leaned back and smiled.
"Aww, how cute. You wanted to seduce me?"
He let out a small laugh, amused.
"I mean, yeah, I am handsome and all, but come on—seduce me? Ha!"
He chuckled like it was the most ridiculous thing he'd heard all day.
Ogami's eye twitched.
'Is… is he calling me cute?'
She was too thrown off to even be offended. His shift in mood—from cold to casual, from threatening to smug—was disorienting. It was like watching someone switch masks mid-sentence.
And Mei Mei?
She grunted.
The second the word 'cute' hit the air, something twisted in her stomach.
He hadn't even directed it at Ogami, and still—she hated it.
She hated that the word was used in a conversation between Ren and that old hag.
But another thought jabbed at her harder:
'How the hell is she that young-looking under her cursed technique?'
Ren, meanwhile, rested his cheek against his palm and studied Ogami like she was an insect under glass.
"Hmm… so that's your whole plan, huh? Well, I think it's only fair you pay a little for trying to pull something like that."
His smile sharpened.
"Make a binding vow with me."
He didn't wait. He didn't explain. He just spoke.
"Ogami—
Your will shall walk beside mine, where dissent holds no voice.
Of me, you shall speak only in echoes I permit to ring.
That which is yours may answer when I call, as value seeks value.
To stray from this accord is to invite a silent end from within."
The words dropped like stones into a frozen lake.
Stillness.
Silence.
Ogami stared at him.
At his smile.
At his calm, steady eyes.
There was only one word in her mind.
'Devil.'
That wasn't a vow. That was a curse disguised in silk.
He didn't speak like a boy.
Didn't act like a teenager.
Didn't look like someone who'd only been alive sixteen years.
'Wait… Is this the same vow he might've used on Mei Mei…?'
She looked toward the woman still standing nearby. Mei Mei's expression was unreadable.
'That would explain everything… why she's with him, why she follows his lead… It's not loyalty. It's this. This vow. That would explain everything.'
She was smart.
Smart enough to see what was happening.
And the more she understood, the more terrified she became.
This wasn't just some powerful brat with a cursed technique.
This was someone who knew exactly what strings to pull.
Someone who didn't just fight with strength but with intention.
Someone who had studied her.
Someone who could kill her.
So she did the only thing she could.
She whispered, voice cracking slightly:
"I… accept."
She didn't even try to argue. Not because she agreed.
But because she knew—he would kill her if she said no.
Ren clapped his hands together once, smiling as if they'd just wrapped up a pleasant meeting.
"Good job! Wasn't that simple?"
He leaned back again.
Satisfied.
Mei Mei sat beside him slowly, arms folded. Her lips were tight.
She thought, 'Why her?'
'Sure, her cursed technique is interesting, maybe even useful, but this? Using that vow again? The one he used on me? I thought that was… exclusive.'
She glanced at Ren, eyes narrowing.
'He could've just killed her. Or handed her over to the jujutsu higher-ups. Hell, we could've made millions just for staying quiet about this. But instead—he kept her?'
She didn't say a word.
But she huffed softly.
Her silence said plenty.
And Ren?
He didn't even look at her.
He just kept smiling.