Ren casually pulled his phone out, scrolling through his contacts until he found Mei Mei's number. Without hesitation, he typed, "Come meet me at my apartment in Kanagawa Prefecture, and don't complain. I will explain myself there. Also, text Ogami and tell her to come there too." He sent the message in one go, not even bothering to wait for a reply before shutting the phone off completely.
He leaned back against the wall, staring at the dim light of his dorm room, and thought, "This is a stupid idea… Well… not stupid, not exactly. It's only stupid if I get caught..."
Ren pushed himself up from the chair and drained the last of the lukewarm coffee in his cup. The bitter taste coated his tongue, and as he placed the empty mug in the sink, his mind ticked over the situation piece by piece.
"First problem: Maki. She's sitting on my bed again like it's hers. Honestly, at this rate, she's going to own that bed. How the hell do I get her out of the way without answering her questions? Plus, she won't let me go anywhere."
He let the water run over his hands, rubbing them slowly as his reflection wavered in the faucet's steel.
"Second problem: Gojo. That blindfolded bastard… I don't know if he's here or not, but I won't be surprised if he's sitting outside my dorm in some chair…"
Ren reached for a clean glass from the cupboard, poured some orange juice, and swirled it absently. His mind kept spiraling.
"Tick, click‑snap… clink… plop… splash."
'Third problem: Rika. Or more specifically, the fact that I can't use her here. Forget summoning her for 5 minutes—I can't even summon her fully for a second. Everyone in Jujutsu High would come running, thinking some special-grade curse broke loose. Last time I had flown out with Rika, but I can't do that now because last time I was in the hospital, which is located near the end of the barrier that covers Jujutsu High. I realize a lot of this is almost instinctive now… Maybe because I have been a domain more than once, I can easily tell when and where I am under a barrier…'
"But honestly, why would I even need Rika for this? I don't need her to deal with Maki... in fact, I don't need to deal with Maki in the first place; this orange juice will do the job…"
A small smile curled over his lips as he carried the glass back toward the living room. Maki was perched on the edge of his bed, arms crossed, her expression hard but tired. Ren stopped a few steps from her and extended the glass toward her, speaking softly, deliberately gently.
"Here, drink this, please. I noticed that for the past few days you've been… upset. I don't know what I did, but… sorry."
My face was smooth, unreadable—the perfect mask of sincerity.
Maki blinked, surprised by the gesture, then grunted, "Gah…" before snatching the cup from his hand. She downed the juice quickly, almost aggressively, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Her tone was grumpy, but her voice betrayed a flicker of something else.
"I'm not upset. I'm just annoyed you didn't tell me you were dating someone else. I thought we were cool, you know? You should tell me stuff like that."
Ren tilted his head slightly, the apology still painted across his face. He didn't argue. Instead, he took the empty glass back from her, walked calmly into the kitchen, and set it in the sink with care. He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall...
He stepped back into the living room, smiling with calculated warmth.
"Yeah, I mean… I don't like talking about stuff like that. You're the only one who knows, other than Gojo."
Maki froze for just a second, his words sinking into her mind. She blinked, her cheeks heating faintly, and thought, "Only me and Gojo? He really must trust me… to tell me that. Hmph! Idiot."
But before she could say anything more, a yawn slipped out of her lips. She didn't even notice it. Fatigue weighed on her body, pulling her back against the mattress. She lay down without realizing, her eyes drifting shut.
Ren stood over her for a moment, watching as she fell asleep.
Ren had a smile on his face as he looked at the clock on the wall…
"Hmm, honestly, I almost forgot Rika had sleeping pills in her storage… I really did stock up on things for every situation, huh? Anyway, the plan starts now…"
The dorm room was silent except for Maki's quiet breathing…
End of the chapter.