He dusted off his hands, pivoting on his heel toward the shattered window.
"Anyway!" Gojo announced brightly, stretching his long arms high above his head and cracking his back. "As much as I'd love to drag you out to a crater somewhere and forcefully test what that thing can actually do against my Infinity, alas, I am a very busy man. I have some highly critical, top-secret business to attend to right now."
Ren stared at him from the mattress, his deadpan expression unwavering.
"Obviously," Ren said flatly. "Very important."
"It is!" Gojo insisted, stepping up onto the splintered windowsill. The cool evening wind caught his dark uniform jacket, billowing it out behind him. "The fate of the Jujutsu world practically rests on my shoulders right now. Don't break any more windows while I'm gone, transfer student!"
With a final, sharp two-fingered salute, Gojo simply leaned backward and dropped out of the third-story window, instantly disappearing from sight.
The room fell completely silent again, leaving Ren alone in the wreckage.
Ren looked down at Nightfall, brushing a stray splinter of wood off the dark scabbard. He let out a long, exhausted breath and looked back up at the empty, shattered window frame.
"Right. Very important," Ren muttered to the empty room, his voice dripping with utter sarcasm. "Like we don't all know there's a limited-edition kikufuku mochi drop at the Kikusuian bakery today. Have fun saving the world."
The next morning, the second-year dormitories were eerily quiet.
The maintenance crew at Tokyo Jujutsu High operated with the terrifying, unquestioning efficiency of people who were entirely used to Satoru Gojo blowing up campus property on a weekly basis.
By 8:00 AM, the shattered window had been replaced, the splintered floorboards patched, and a new wooden door hung seamlessly in the frame.
Thankfully, the rest of the student body had been completely dead to the world. Megumi, Nobara, and Yuji were sleeping off the brutal physical toll of the Goodwill Event and the subsequent invasion.
Panda and Toge had been dragged off early for debriefings. Nobody had heard the thunderclap of Gojo's limitless energy getting violently rejected.
As for Nightfall, Ren didn't take any chances. The pitch-black, soul-bound katana was sitting safely inside the frictionless gray grid of his System's Dimensional Inventory. Out of sight, out of mind, and entirely out of the reach of Principal Yaga's technical staff.
Which left Ren with exactly one priority for the day.
The late morning sun beat down on the concrete platform of the Shibuya train station. The weekend crowd bustled around them, a chaotic sea of civilians entirely ignorant to the existence of curses, domain expansions, or ancient sorcerers trying to end the world.
Ren stood near the edge of the platform, his hands resting comfortably in the pockets of his dark denim jacket.
Right next to him, Maki shifted her weight. She wasn't wearing her high-collared Jujutsu uniform, and her heavy, tactical weapons case was nowhere in sight. Instead, she was wearing the soft, beige ribbed turtleneck and the high-waisted olive-green skirt Ren had bought her weeks ago. Her dark green hair was tied up, and her wire-rimmed glasses caught the glare of the sun.
Without the physical weight of her polearm or the constant, looming threat of Satoru Gojo dropping out of the sky, she looked completely out of her element. She kept adjusting the hem of her sweater, her combat instincts making her highly hyper-aware of the crowds brushing past them.
"Stop fidgeting," Ren murmured, leaning closer so his shoulder brushed against hers. "You look perfectly fine."
"I feel exposed," Maki grumbled, crossing her arms defensively over her chest. "I'm not used to walking around without a weapon. If a curse drops out of an air vent right now, I'm going to have to beat it to death with my bare hands."
"If a curse drops out of an air vent, I'll handle it," Ren said smoothly. "You're off the clock, boss. Today is strictly civilian hours."
Maki let out a heavy, slightly embarrassed sigh, dropping her arms. She looked down the long stretch of the train tracks, then back up at him. The fierce, uncompromising scowl she usually wore had entirely melted away, replaced by a rare, unguarded uncertainty.
"So," Maki started, her amber eyes flicking up to meet his. A faint dusting of pink crept onto her cheeks. "Where exactly should we go?"
Ren tilted his head, a slow, familiar smirk spreading across his face. "Are you asking me to formulate the tactical deployment, Zen'in? I thought you were the squad leader."
"Shut up," she muttered, lightly elbowing him in the ribs. It didn't hurt—his Heavenly Restriction density absorbed the hit easily—but the contact was warm and familiar. "I don't do this. I train, I exorcise things, and I sleep. I don't know how to plan a... whatever this is."
"A date," Ren provided helpfully.
Maki's face burned a brighter shade of red. "I know the word, idiot. Just answer the question."
Ren let out a soft laugh, pulling one hand out of his pocket. He reached over, seamlessly intertwining his fingers with hers.
Maki stiffened for a fraction of a second—the physical affection in such a public space overriding her tactical brain—before she let out a slow breath and squeezed his hand back.
"We're getting as far away from Tokyo Jujutsu High as the rail lines will take us," Ren said, looking up at the digital departure board hanging over the platform.
"There's a coastal town down in Kamakura. Quiet beaches, no skyscrapers, and absolutely zero chance of running into Panda or Satoru."
Maki looked at their intertwined hands, the last lingering knots of tension in her shoulders finally dissolving. The idea of just existing for a few hours without having to prove her strength to the Zen'in clan or keep the first-years alive sounded like an absolute dream.
"Kamakura," Maki repeated softly. She looked back up at him, a small, genuine smile breaking through her usual stoic mask. "Are you going to buy me food, or do I have to fight you for it?"
"I'll buy you whatever you want," Ren promised, his thumb gently brushing over her knuckles. He leaned in just a fraction closer, dropping his voice into a low, teasing register. "Though I do expect to be heavily compensated for my generosity later."
Maki's eyes widened slightly, the implications hitting her instantly. The flush on her cheeks immediately spread down to her collarbone.
She opened her mouth to snap a defensive insult at him, but the automated chime of the station speakers cut her off.
"The rapid express train bound for Kamakura is now arriving at Platform 4."
The heavy rush of wind hit the platform as the train pulled in, the sleek metal doors sliding open with a hiss.