Chapter 206: The Eve of Tension
"Heh… But I do have one question, Geto—why?"
Kenjaku tilted his head slightly, his stitched smile unmoving as the faint hiss of the ocean breeze brushed against the beach. The man sitting across from him, in a shadowed chair, looked equally curious and amused.
"Do all of this—you're improvising from your original plan, aren't you?" The other man continued, tone playful but edged with something darker. "Plus, the others don't know about this…"
Kenjaku's expression didn't shift much, but his tone was almost cheerful when he replied, "Well, there is this person I am wary of. He won't be trouble to me, but I just want to confirm something."
The other man grinned wide, leaning forward with a childish tilt of his head. "Oh? Someone even you're wary of? Who is it, huh? Is it Gojo?!" His grin widened into something almost deranged. "Or someone else?!"
Kenjaku smiled—faint, knowing. "It's someone who defeated me last time we met."
The man's grin froze for a second before blooming into wild laughter. "Ahahaha! I knew it! It's that Ren Sato, right?! I thought the rumour that you were killed by him was a joke. But you're alive, so that means he really did beat you, huh? How interesting."
He leaned forward, his tone buzzing with giddy excitement. "And he's young, right? How strong is he? Strong enough that even you—you—are wary of him? Tell me, Kenjaku, how did that feel?!"
Kenjaku didn't take the bait. He just tilted his head toward the dark sea, the moonlight cutting his stitched features in half. "He did defeat me before, yes… But now, I'm stronger. He won't be able to do it again. Still, I want to see how much he's grown. If he's advanced too quickly… he may become troublesome."
He turned back toward the grinning man, his tone light. "Besides, I also want you to see the jujutsu world for yourself."
The man laughed, stretching out his arms as his hair fluttered in the salty wind. "Aww, so you care about my curiosity? That's cute." His tone darkened to a delighted sneer. "Anyway, I want to see this Ren Sato too—the one who actually beat you. He sounds fun."
Kenjaku nodded once, his smile returning. "Good. Then let's begin the preparations, shall we?"
The man's grin widened. "You mean that binding vow?"
"Yes, I mean that binding vow…" Kenjaku said softly. "Let's get it fully complete… Mahito."
The sea breeze howled louder, and in the sunset, Mahito's form shifted—his grin twisting wider as his flesh split apart…
SWSUCH…
Meanwhile, back at Tokyo Jujutsu High…
Ren's footsteps echoed softly down the quiet corridor as he made his way toward the principal's office. The evening air was cool, the campus mostly empty. He stopped at the familiar wooden door and knocked twice.
"Come in," Yaga's voice grumbled from inside.
Ren stepped in, hands casually tucked in his pockets. "Good evening, Yaga. I want to meet Gojo. Where is he?"
Yaga blinked, already feeling a headache forming. As principal, he had seen many troublesome students, but Ren Sato… Ren was a category all his own.
'Ugh, the evening was going so peacefully. Why is this problem here now?' Yaga thought bitterly. And why is he asking for Gojo of all people? He just barges in, straight to the point, no greeting, no respect. He's just like Gojo—just less of a clown, which is somehow worse…
Yaga rubbed his forehead and spoke in a calm, measured tone. "Gojo's with the Kyoto Jujutsu High staff right now, setting up barriers for the event. Why are you looking for him?"
"I'm going out tonight to do some training. Need to do a little warm-up." Ren spoke calmly and turned around, stepping towards the door of the office…
Yaga froze mid-thought. 'He's… WHAT?! He's looking for Gojo to train with?! He's going to fight him?! NO. He's going to destroy the school!'
Yaga stood up so fast that his glasses nearly fell off. The small doll on his desk even jumped up in alarm, staring at Ren as if he were a ticking bomb.
"Ren, what do you mean you're going to train and warm up?!"
Ren turned around mid-step. "Uh, I mean, I want to leave the school for a few hours to train on my own. I'm just letting you and Gojo know that I'm going out, nothing else. Plus, tomorrow's the event, you know? I just want to warm up a little before that."
Yaga sighed audibly in relief and slumped back into his chair. "Alright, fine. Just don't destroy anything, okay? And tell Gojo to come see me when you find him."
This kid's going to give me a heart attack one day… Why does he even need to train? He's probably one of the strongest special grades, only maybe behind Gojo... But he's worse than Gojo—completely unpredictable. He only listens to Gojo too… I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing…
Yaga crossed his arms, staring blankly at the ceiling, already fantasizing about quietly retiring.
Meanwhile, Ren walked through the dim hallway, the fading evening light spilling through the windows. His hands remained buried in his pockets as he thought, "Ha, I scared him, huh? Did he think I was going to spar with Gojo? Not a bad idea, honestly, but it'd be pointless unless he turns off Infinity.
Even then, the chances of me winning are low. His domain, his technique, his raw strength, his speed, and his sensing capabilities are all way above mine. I could barely keep up the last time we tangled, if you could even call it that. He's just better in everything I lack… and even the things I don't; hell, he even is more experienced than me.
I already know what the outcome of fighting someone more experienced than me, Sutoku… I got totally destroyed in that fight with him… I only won because he didn't know that I could copy cursed techniques… and his maximum technique gave him too much confidence…
And if Gojo uses Infinity, how do I even win? Maybe if I use Maximum Technique: Scripture Binding Edict to seal his cursed technique… But he would notice my cursed energy spike before I could complete it. If he dodged the bind, that would be it. Even without his cursed technique, he's still Gojo.
No, Scripture Binding Edict is useless right now anyway. It seals my own techniques too. No point. I'll think about how to beat him later. For now, I just need his permission to leave. Tonight, I'm going to finish refining Red Stitch. No sneaking out this time—I'll just ask directly. Shamelessly, the Goodwill Event's tomorrow, after all… might as well use it as an excuse for a proper warm-up."
With that thought, Ren stepped out into the cool night air, heading toward the guest building, a faint smile lingering on his face.