"Where did you run off to??!!"
Gojo's voice hit me like a bomb the second I stepped back into the building.
I sat down cross-legged on the floor, folding my hands neatly in front of me like some obedient monk. "Uh, I was taking a walk, I swear."
Gojo yanked his blindfold halfway up, exposing those obnoxiously blue eyes that glared at me like I'd just been caught stealing cookies. "YoU weNT TO the other mountainside for a WALK? Do you reallY expecT ME to believe that?? Young man?!"
His voice cracked like he was imitating a pissed-off old man, and I just nodded fast, keeping my face straight.
Inside, I was cursing.
How the hell did he catch me so soon? Ten minutes. Ten damn minutes. Why is he glued to me all of a sudden? He never had this much free time before…
Gojo tugged the blindfold back down, shook his head dramatically, and muttered in an overly serious whisper that only he thought was secret: "He was up to something…" For sure. Thankfully I was keeping my eye on him. How the hell did he get to the other mountainside? Didn't Shoko say he was in a weaker state or whatever? Was it Rika? Ugh, he's troublesome always… But too bad for you, Ren-kun, your teacher was a backbencher too! I know all your tricks!"
Then he laughed—low, smug, and almost cartoonishly evil. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
Backbencher? Is that supposed to scare me? Ugh. This is going to become a problem if he keeps this up… No. No, it won't. If it does, I'll just run away for a few days and let him scream into the void until he gets bored.
Gojo spun in his chair like a child, then jumped up and threw both his hands out in some bizarre pose. The door creaked open as if on cue.
"Ahh, they're all here, Ren," he sang. "Your classmates are here to keep an eye on you since you keep on getting in trouble somehow!"
I tilted my head as three figures stepped in—Maki, Panda, and Inumaki.
Gojo was beaming like a proud parent. I just sighed.
"Oh hey, what's up, Panda, Inumaki… and hi, Maki," I said in my calmest tone. "Ugh, Gojo caught me when I was having a walk, and for some reason he's making a big deal out of this now…"
The funny thing? The three of them didn't even hesitate. They all believed me instantly.
"Yo, Ren," Panda grinned, massive arms crossed. "Last time you just left without even saying bye! Anyway, it was still nice meeting you again."
"Spring roll, spring roll," Inumaki muttered with a nod, his expression flat but his eyes narrowing straight at Gojo. "So what, is our mission for the next few days just going to be babysitting Ren? I can't believe this is the important mission you gave us…"
I blinked, keeping my face neutral while inside I was chuckling.
Oh? So this is his big plan? Putting these three on watch? Cute. Really cute. If this was supposed to trap me, it's almost flattering. Whatever. I won't run. Not yet. My theory for evolving Red Stitch isn't ready. Well, it is ready, but I want to optimize it… really sharpen it into its strongest form... So the next few days I will be doing theory and binding vow brainstorming anyway, so hanging out with these 3 should be zero problem…'
Gojo clapped his hands together, smiling like he had just solved world hunger. "It is an important mission, ok? Ren might be stronger than you guys, but you've all been training too! And Ren doesn't know about it. Plus, you have the numbers advantage, so keeping an eye on him should be fully easy-peasy for the three of you!"
I stood up and walked toward the door without speaking to Gojo, and the others followed naturally.
Leaving Gojo behind.
Alone.
Gojo was slouched in his chair, arms folded, muttering like a kid who just got ditched during recess.
"Ugh, kids nowadays are so mean," he groaned dramatically. "This is actually a well-thought-out plan, you know? Maki can hold Ren down, Panda can deal with Rika for a few moments, and Inumaki can use cursed speech to pin him. Perfect teamwork! Heheh… wishful thinking? Maybe."
His smug smile twisted as he leaned back, tilting his head at the ceiling.
"But that's not the real reason this mission is perfect. The reason it's perfect is because Ren won't run away from his classmates. If it were another sorcerer, he'd vanish in a second. But from them? Nah. And more importantly—this is a good way for him to live the college life! Ha! I am so damn smart!"
Gojo actually caressed his cheek with one hand, smiling like he was in love with himself.