...
The mid-morning air on the Jujutsu High campus was crisp, carrying the faint scent of pine needles and damp earth.
Ren navigated the winding stone paths with ease, his internal map of the campus guiding him straight toward the athletic fields.
He knew Maki's schedule well enough by now. Satoru had dumped him into this Kawasaki mess yesterday, meaning she had likely spent the entire evening stewing in her own worry, which usually translated into aggressively hitting things with a stick.
As he cleared the tree line, the sprawling dirt track and open training field came into view.
Sure enough, Maki was there.
She was at the far end of the field, wearing her dark Jujutsu High athletic tracksuit, her green hair tied back in a tight, high ponytail. She was moving through a series of complex polearm katas with a wooden naginata.
The sharp, rhythmic whoosh of the wood slicing through the air carried across the field. She was moving with blistering speed, her footwork flawless, her expression locked in a terrifying scowl.
Panda was sitting on a stone bench nearby, casually chewing on a bamboo stalk, while Toge Inumaki was stretched out on the grass, scrolling on his phone.
Ren leaned against the chain-link fence, a slow grin spreading across his face as he watched her. She looked incredible. Furious, but incredible.
He didn't call out right away. He just watched the fluid, violent grace of her movements, feeling the familiar, grounding pull in his chest that only she managed to bring out of him.
After a minute, Panda's ears twitched. The cursed corpse turned his large, furry head toward the fence line. His black-and-white face lit up in recognition.
"Oh, hey! It's Ren!" Panda called out happily, waving a massive paw.
Toge sat up immediately, pulling his collar down. "Kelp!"
The sharp crack of wood hitting a target dummy instantly ceased. Maki froze mid-swing.
She slowly lowered the wooden naginata, turning toward the fence. When her dark eyes locked onto Ren leaning casually against the chain-link, the deep, lethal scowl vanished from her face, replaced by a momentary look of pure, unguarded relief.
But true to form, she quickly suppressed it, her posture stiffening defensively.
Ren pushed off the fence, casually walking onto the grass toward her, his hands shoved deep into his denim jacket pockets.
"Morning, Maki," Ren drawled lazily, his eyes locking directly onto hers. "Hope I'm not interrupting the massacre."
Maki slung the wooden naginata over her shoulder, her amber eyes narrowing as she forced the corners of her mouth into a flat, unimpressed line. She wasn't about to let Panda and Toge see her practically collapse with relief.
"You're late," Maki said smoothly, her voice carrying that familiar, bossy edge. "I thought Nanami would have worked you into the ground by now."
"He tried," Ren smirked, stopping a few feet away and keeping his hands casually shoved in his pockets. "But Satoru told me to come find you. Said I needed a proper cursed tool if I'm going to be running around Kawasaki, and that you were the best person to ask."
Maki let out a short, haughty scoff, though a spark of genuine pride flashed in her eyes. She turned her head, glaring at the two second-years behind her.
"Panda, Toge. Stop slacking off. One hundred laps around the perimeter, now. If you stop running before I get back, you're doing another hundred."
"Salmon," Toge muttered, immediately taking off at a brisk jog.
"Tyrant," Panda grumbled, but the giant cursed corpse obediently followed suit, his heavy footfalls echoing across the dirt track.
Maki turned back to Ren, nodding her head toward the main campus buildings. "Follow me. If you're going to survive this week, we need to get you something that actually hits hard."
Ren fell into step behind her as they walked toward the campus armory. The heavy wooden doors creaked loudly as Maki pushed them open, leading him into the dim, weapon-lined room. The air smelled of old wood, polishing oil, and cold steel.
The absolute second the heavy door clicked shut, the tough, authoritative act completely evaporated.
Before Ren could even take a look at the racks of cursed tools, Maki moved. She closed the distance in a blur of athletic speed, her calloused hands shooting out to grab the front of his black t-shirt.
Ren let out a short breath of surprise as she shoved him backward. His spine hit the solid wooden wall of the armory with a dull thud.
Maki pinned him there, stepping perfectly into his space. She tilted her head up, her face hovering mere inches from his. Her amber eyes were intense, searching his face up and down for any sign of a scratch or injury.
"So," Maki breathed, her voice dropping into a low, dangerous whisper. "That idiot Gojo really didn't give you any weapon to defend yourself out there??"
Ren blinked, his hands coming up to rest lightly on her waist. He played his part perfectly. "Yeah," he murmured, offering a sheepish smile. "He just gave me these cool glasses to kind of see the curses. Said I'd figure the rest out."
Maki stared at him for a long, heavy second. Ren braced himself, fully expecting her to go on a murderous, destructive rant about her teacher's absolute negligence and how close Ren had been to dying.
Instead, the fierce tension in her shoulders melted. A slow, incredibly soft smile broke across her face. It wasn't her usual smirk—it was genuine, warm, and entirely relieved.
She let go of his shirt, her hands sliding down his chest to rest lightly against his sides as she took a half-step back, clearly just glad he was standing in front of her in one piece.
Ren stayed pinned against the wall, utterly bewildered.
He stared down at her, his mind running a frantic calculation. She was smiling? She wasn't angry? She wasn't currently trying to throttle him or break his fingers?
Did she not see the message? Ren thought, his pulse suddenly spiking for a completely different reason. There is absolutely no way she saw that picture I sent last night and is acting this calm.
He cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice perfectly level to mask his sudden panic.
"Hey, Maki... just out of curiosity," Ren asked, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied her relaxed expression. "Where is your phone right now?"