The drive back from Roppongi was loud. Nobara wouldn't stop complaining about her ruined tracksuit, while Yuji was busy marveling at everything from the streetlights to the vending machines. Megumi sat in the back, staring out the window, his mind looping back to the moment Ren's eyes had turned a pebble into atomic dust.
Ren sat in the front passenger seat, his head leaned back against the headrest. He looked like he was sleeping, but Gojo noticed the way Ren's fingers drummed a rhythmic pattern on the door—a habit of someone whose mind was processing a million streams of data at once.
"We're here!" Gojo chirped, pulling the car into the hidden mountain path of Jujutsu High.
As they stepped out, the evening air was cool. Nobara turned to Ren, her hands on her hips. "Hey, Divine Eye. Since you're the 'Insurance Policy' and didn't have to lift a finger in there, you're helping me carry my shopping bags tomorrow. No excuses."
Ren opened one eye behind his shades. "I recall seeing you struggle with a Grade 2. Maybe you should spend tomorrow training your grip strength instead of your credit card."
"Why you—!" Nobara's face went red. "I'm a city girl! Shopping is training!"
Megumi walked past them, pausing briefly next to Ren. "That technique... the one that saved the boy. It didn't feel like a cursed technique. There was no 'spark' of energy before you used it."
Ren stood up straight, his expression unreadable. "The Six Eyes see the flow of energy, Megumi. My eyes... they see the intent. I don't need a spark when I can just rewrite the flame."
The Slacker's Routine
Over the next few days, the school settled into a rhythm. Ren became known as the "Ghost of the Dorms." While Yuji and Megumi did physical conditioning with Maki, Ren could usually be found on the roof or under a large willow tree.
One afternoon, Maki Zen'in found him lounging on the roof of the second-year dorms. She climbed up, her polearm slung over her shoulder.
"The others are sweating their guts out, and you're up here catching a tan?" she asked, her voice sharp but curious.
"The sun provides the best calibration for the Tenseigan," Ren replied without opening his eyes. "Too much artificial light makes the world look... blurry."
Maki sat down next to him, looking out over the forest. "Gojo said you're a monster. But you don't act like one. You act like a guy who's already finished the race and is just waiting for everyone else to catch up."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"It's an annoying thing," Maki smirked. "But if you're really that good, prove it. One spar. No eyes. Just hands."
Ren finally sat up, sliding his glasses down just enough for his crystalline blue eye to peek over the rim. "I'll give you a deal, Maki-san. I won't use my hands at all. If you can touch my uniform with that polearm, I'll buy you dinner for a month."
For the next hour, Maki attacked with the ferocity of a demon. She moved with a speed that would have decapitated a Grade 1 curse. But Ren simply... drifted. He used 0.5% Tenseigan output to manipulate the gravity around his own body, making him as light as a feather. Every time the spear was an inch from his chest, he would tilt back just enough, his hands still casually tucked into his pockets.
Maki stopped, panting, her eyes wide with frustration and awe. "You're... you're not even dodging. You're just not there."
"I told you," Ren said, standing up and brushing dust off his shoulder. "I'm just a spectator."
The Call to Eishu
The "slacking" ended on a Thursday. The atmosphere at the school shifted. The sun was hidden behind thick, iron-gray clouds, and the cicadas had gone silent.
Gojo met them at the gate, but for once, he wasn't smiling.
"Change of plans, kids," Gojo said. "A Cursed Womb has manifested at the Eishu Detention Center. It's a potential Special Grade. I have to go deal with the higher-ups, so Ijichi will take you four."
Ren leaned against the car, feeling the distant, jagged pulse of a Sukuna Finger through the air. The Rinne-Sharingan in his left eye began to thrum—it recognized the ancient malice.
"You're awfully quiet, Ren-kun," Gojo said, stepping closer. "Feeling lazy today?"
"Just thinking about the paperwork," Ren lied. "If a Special Grade dies, who has to write the report?"
"Hopefully not you!" Gojo laughed, but his voice turned serious as he leaned in. "Keep them alive, Ren. Especially Yuji. If the 'guest' comes out, don't be afraid to show him who really owns the room."
As the car pulled away, Ren sat in the back between Nobara and Megumi. Nobara was humming a tune, trying to hide her nerves. Yuji was practicing his breathing.
Ren looked at his hands. 'Kamui is ready. The Six Paths are primed.' He looked at the detention center appearing on the horizon. 'Let's see how much of the world I have to break today.'