'What is she even talking about? Me, getting hurt? Did she hit her head somewhere?'
Ren was genuinely shocked for a few seconds before he found his voice. "I won't get hurt because of you, Maki. I mean, who could even do it? The Zenin clan? I don't want to sound arrogant, but honestly, I don't think anyone in that clan can touch me... well, other than maybe you. If you left me, that would definitely hurt."
He spoke in a calm, steady tone, watching as Maki's expression shifted into one of pure awe.
"You arrogant idiot!" Maki snapped, though the bite was missing from her voice.
"Stop with that. You're going to hurt me if you keep talking like that! You sound sappy, and it's not like you, okay? Besides, you've never even met the Zenin clan. How can you be so sure they can't hurt you?"
Ren slowly stood up, a small, confident smile playing on his lips. "Well, I already said I didn't mean to sound arrogant, so you can't hold that against me. And if I don't know them, I'm sure you do, right? If you stick with me, we can work together.
I'm certain that even the Zenin clan couldn't touch me then. Maki, there are other ways to handle this besides just leaving me. For instance...
I don't know; maybe you could maybe protect me?"
Ren slowly extended his hand toward her, a silent gesture for her to take it and stand up. Maki stared at his hand, her mind racing.
'There is nothing for me to fear from the Zenin clan,' Ren thought. 'Sure, some of them might have tricky techniques, but I've fought stronger and won. It would be laughingly easy to dismantle them right now.
But if I have Maki on my side, it's even easier. This is exactly what I need her to do—protect me. Weirdly enough, this whole drama has been incredibly profitable. If she grabs my hand, she's doing exactly what I want, which normally would have taken months of careful manipulation. Things are really going my way.'
Maki looked from his hand to his face. 'He's... asking for my protection?' she wondered. 'I mean, it makes sense. He really is weak in hand-to-hand combat. He needs me...
Maybe there are different ways to do things this time.
Maybe it won't be like it was with Mai.'
Maki reached out and gripped Ren's hand. He pulled her up, and she stood, dusting off her kimono with a graceful, practised motion. She quickly looked away to hide her face.
"Sure... I will protect you," Maki said firmly. "But IF this does not work and you get hurt, you're leaving me—or I'm running away from you, whether you like it or not. Got it, Ren?"
Ren smiled brightly. "Yeah, I got it loud and clear, Maki. Now, uh... it's night. Should I stay, or...?"
He let the question hang, his eyes dancing with a teasing glint. Maki blinked, her face heating up instantly. She grabbed Ren by the arm and unceremoniously shoved him toward the door.
"You idiot! What are you even talking about? Of course you're getting out!"
She pushed him into the hallway, and Ren laughed as the door began to close. "Geez, you could have at least let me drink some more water, you know!"
Slam.
Maki leaned her back against the door, taking a deep, shaky breath. "He is so stupid," she muttered to the empty room. "Also... wait. Was he flirting with me at the end there? No way, right? Did that idiot forget about Mei Mei?" A small blush lingered on her cheeks as she tried to shake off the thought of Ren forgetting his own girlfriend while he was around her.
Ren walked back to his dorm, feeling the weight of the day settling into his bones. 'Ugh, that was more tiring than fighting Gojo, for fuck's sake.
Why are women so complex?
Maki really made a massive, roundabout plan to stay away from me just so I wouldn't get hurt. She didn't even ask how I felt. It's stupid... but I guess it's kind of cute? It's cute that she thinks about me that much, but it's also sad...
Because Maki truly is just scared her family will hurt me...
The Zenin clan has really traumatised Maki…"
He reached his dorm room and pulled out his keys, his mind already on his bed. He unlocked the door, stepped inside, and clicked it shut behind him. But the moment he turned on the lights and moved toward his bed, just as he sat down on the bed...
A cold, hard metal cylinder—the barrel of a gun—was pressed firmly against the back of his head.
Ren froze, but he didn't panic. He let out a long sigh and spoke slowly. "Mei Mei, you really have no reason to make an entrance like this. You could have just waited for me outside you know?"
Mei Mei rose from behind his bed. She was wearing a sleek black dress, her long hair cascading untied over her shoulders. She lowered the gun with an annoyed smile. "What gave me away, huh?"
Ren turned around, offering a dry look. "Well, first off, your scent is pretty distinct. Second, only you have the spare keys to my room. And third, who else would play games like this? If someone actually wanted to hurt me, they wouldn't hold a gun to my head; they would just shoot.
Anyway, what's the meaning of this?"
Mei Mei's annoyance deepened as she walked around the bed and sat down casually next to him. "I was trying to give you a surprise, considering you gave me such an important task."
Ren's eyebrows shot up. "Speaking of the task—did you do it?"
Mei Mei rolled her eyes. "Oh, so you really only care about the job, don't you? Yes, I did it. But don't get me wrong; I'm not giving you what I found until you give me a very good explanation as to why I've had zero texts from you for months. Well?"
Ren blinked, the exhaustion of the night finally catching up to him.
'Ah shit, here we go again...'