Ren carefully sneaked back into Jujutsu High, making sure no one saw him. The night was quiet, the corridors dimly lit, and his footsteps silent as he entered the dorms. He closed the door behind him, taking a brief moment to let out a quiet sigh. Slowly, he walked toward his bed, noticing Maki was still asleep. He nodded to himself, and with a small, satisfied smile, he quickly lay down on the handmade bed… He had a soft grin on his face as he settled under the blankets, a grin of successfully finding a solution to your problem after weeks…
But what Ren didn't notice was there had been a man following him… From the moment he left Jujutsu High to the moment he entered Jujutsu High once more… The man right now was perched on the rooftop of the dorm building. A black robe fluttered lightly in the wind, sandals balanced on the edge, and a white sleeping blindfold rested over his eyes. His hair, stark white, rustled as he moved slightly, as though he had just woken up. It was Gojo.
A small smile crept across Gojo's face, and he muttered to himself, "Sneaking out again? Ren, you are so predictable… Meeting up with Mei Mei? Expected. But who was that other woman? Eh? Don't tell me Ren has some sort of a thing for… OLD women!"
Gojo shook his head quickly, almost humorously, the blindfold threatening to slip off his handsome face. He stood at the edge of the rooftop, yawned, then blinked once before muttering again, "He didn't do anything naughty; if he had, I would have stepped in. But… honestly, it's more concerning that he didn't do anything naughty… that means he's doing something else…
Ugh, I don't get him. Honestly, that's the problem. I don't know what's normal and what's not… So this could honestly just be a normal thing for him. But if it's not… then ugh, why do things just keep coming up, eh?! I'll deal with this troublesome Ren-kun in the morning…"
Gojo turned away but looked back once more, muttering quietly, "How did Maki fall asleep? That's so unlike her… No, she must be just getting lazy!"
With that, he disappeared into the darkness.
Morning came. Ren awoke with a bright smile, eyes landing immediately on the calendar. December 24, 2017.
'I should have 4 more days till the Kyoto Goodwill Event starts – 4 more days to completely upgrade my cursed technique. Phew, it looks like I am going to make it, but still, I don't have much time. I need to focus mostly on making the sword part of the red stitch and then actually doing the whole shabang with the binding vows to fully rebirth my cursed technique…'
Ren stood up fast, stretching, and sprinted to the bathroom, brushing his teeth with a focused efficiency. Moments later, he was in the kitchen, cracking eggs and tossing bread into the toaster with almost frantic energy. ' Hmm… It seems the mission of sneaking out to get a solution for the core problem last night was successful! Plus, it looks like no one caught me… Anyway… Maki has already woken up and gone to her place. Seems I have some free time before Panda comes—'
'KNOCK KNOCK.'
Ren's thoughts froze mid-step. Someone was at the door. He expected Panda. But when he opened it, a white-haired man in sunglasses stood there. Gojo.
Ren froze the second he saw him. Gojo's grin was all mischief and amusement. "Ren-kun, you have been very nice this week, or I would have heard from Panda, Maki, and Inumaki…"
Before Ren could respond, Gojo stepped right in, no invitation needed. He looked around the room as if expecting something to be hidden. Ren silently shut the door and walked to his bed, sitting down with a small groan.
"Ugh, what is it? Hmm… a mission? Finally? Something for me to do other than just sit here? And bond with friends, as you say?"
Ren's mind was racing with possibilities. 'Hmm… This must be the reason he is here… A mission for me, since it's been months since I went on a jujutsu mission. But why now? Gojo wouldn't come in person just to tell me I'll be going on missions again… Wait, maybe this mission is special grade or something?'
He studied Gojo with an annoyed glare, weighing every possibility while his thoughts spiralled in a dozen directions.
Gojo, smiling that infuriatingly calm smile, pulled out two photos and slammed them onto the table. The first photo was of Ren sneaking out the night before. The second showed him sneaking back into Jujutsu High.
"WHERE WERE YOU LAST NIGHT, REN-KUN?! DIDN'T I TELL YOU YOU WERE GROUNDED?!"
Ren blinked.
The world seemed to pause, the smile on his face frozen, and the weight of Gojo's gaze bore down on him.