Chapter 199 – Silent Threat
Ren blinked as he looked at the photos on the table.
Gojo was dramatically speaking loudly while pointing at Ren—full of energy, his voice bouncing off the dorm walls—but Ren wasn't hearing a single word coming out of his mouth. He sat there with a calm, unreadable face, his expression smooth like still water.
Inside his head, though, a storm was forming.
'What the hell? I didn't even notice him fucking following me last night! … I'm getting too comfortable with him. I'm forgetting who this guy in front of me really is—the man who he really is behind that stupid blindfold and ridiculous attitude. I need to be more careful. Ah… last night I was just so happy that I found the answer to the core problem that I dismissed Gojo...
I should've been more cautious, shit…'
My eyes barely moved as my mind continued to spiral. Gojo, on the other hand, kept ranting, pacing like a disappointed parent, while Ren's gaze remained on the photos.
'If he followed me last night, then he saw me leave Jujutsu High… And if he followed me all the way to Kanagawa… to my apartment, then does he know about Ogami? Fuck… If he knows that Ogami is a cursed user, then I'm in big trouble. This isn't just sneaking out—no, it's much bigger...
Ren's heartbeat kicked up a notch.
If Gojo even has a hint of what I'm doing behind his back, he'll get suspicious. He'll look around. And if he goes to Congo, if he traces my steps… he'll find things. My cursed experiments in Congo....'
If Gojo knows she's a cursed user, that's bad—really bad. Sneaking out would be the least of my problems…
He will get suspicious if he thinks I am doing something behind his back… And if he gets suspicious, he will start investigating me; he'll dig till he finds the traces in Congo—the experiments, the bindings, the corpses. And if he finds out I've been working with a cursed user… that's it. I'm done.'
Ren's heart thudded quietly, but his face stayed composed.
'If my link to a cursed user isn't already a red flag, my experiments on animals in Congo are a death sentence. And if Gojo finds out about what really happened there… why half of the forest was a battle zone… I would have zero answers for him. None. And he'd never let it go.'
And Ren blinked once more; his mind kept moving fast, much faster than before… an effect of his new understanding…
'Gojo wants me to have a somewhat normal life—because, in his eyes, I'm a genius with power that doesn't belong to someone my age. A baby with a rocket launcher, pretty much. Something he can relate to. That's what I've used all this time—that similarity between us. Act like a genius to form a bond with him… It's leverage. I make excuses, bend sympathy, and use that connection to get what I want. It's a really subtle form of manipulation; it's not something I do often, just a little clinical wordplay at most…
But that's the thing: this little wordplay, this little bond I made with Gojo, is what stops Gojo from being a problem and a huge headache for me…
'But all of it—everything—stands on that link between us. The link Gojo has built. He sees himself in me, and I use that.
'If Gojo even for a second doubts that link, that trust will crumble. And once that happens, it won't take him long to see me for what I really am. He's smart; I know that much… But what I didn't know was that he could hide himself from me. I thought I was getting better at sensing people with cursed energy, but… it looks like I still need a lot of work.'
Gojo's voice finally started to come back into focus as Ren rubbed the bridge of his nose, forcing himself to listen.
"You're lucky. I'm not giving you detention for this, Ren-kun! I told you not to sneak out, not to vanish for hours! Where did you go, huh? To Mei Mei's again? You think I don't notice these things?"
Ren blinked once. The sound of Gojo's voice actually registered this time.
Ren spoke fast, deciding before he could second-guess himself, his voice steady. "Fine. Yeah, I went to Mei Mei. You're right. But whatever I did with her is none of your business. I just missed her, that's all. Is that a crime now?"
Gojo blinked, his rant pausing mid-sentence. He tilted his head, squinting playfully. "Hmm… no, I guess that's not a crime, but it is annoying because I told you not to go anywhere…" he said slowly, rubbing his chin.
"Good. Then stop yelling."
Gojo scoffed dramatically, throwing his hands up. "Yelling?! I'm educating! There's a difference, Ren-kun."
But as Gojo's voice echoed around the room, his eyes, hidden behind the blindfold, narrowed just slightly.
'He's not lying. But… the curtain he cast in the bedroom… thirty minutes alone and then walked out like nothing happened. If he cast a curtain, he must have done something, but still, he's not lying to me right now. At least he's being honest.'
Ren, meanwhile, was thinking something entirely different.
'Telling a lie here would be stupid. It's better to tell the truth—or at least part of it. Half-lies and half-truths are safer… It's the perfect way to keep him from suspecting me while also keeping the trust between us stable...'
Before Ren could think further, Gojo spoke again, this time in a calmer, quieter tone.
"Okay. But who was that woman with Mei Mei? You met her too? She had cursed energy…"
A chill crept down Ren's spine. His body didn't move, but his brain fired a hundred thoughts at once. 'He saw her. He saw Ogami. Fuck. Play it cool. Just—play it off—'
His eyes narrowed slightly as he frowned. "Eww, are you stalking me or something?"
Gojo leaned back dramatically, arms flailing like Ren had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world. "Excuse me?! Stalking? Don't flatter yourself, kid! I was just—"
He flailed his hand vaguely.
"Don't avoid the question! And no, I did not stalk you. I just happened to be walking on the street below while you were in your apartment—doing God knows what!"
Ren crossed his arms. "While watching me in my apartment. Yeah, sure. Totally not stalking."
"Hey, don't twist my words!" Gojo jabbed a finger toward him, half annoyed, half amused. "Just answer the question. Who was she?"
Ren's tone snapped back fast. "Mei Mei's friend. She introduced me. That's it. I don't know her, and frankly, I don't care to. And again—that is stalking. You should be ashamed. I'm going to report you for that, sensei!"
Gojo stared at him blankly for a beat—and then burst out laughing. "Pfft—hahaha! Okay, okay, fine! Go ahead, report me! Tell everyone how your amazing sensei caught you sneaking out while you were grounded!"
Ren muttered under his breath, "I'll add harassment to the report too."
Gojo grinned wider. "Oh, you're adorable when you're mad."
"Get out," Ren said flatly, standing up. "If you came here just to scold me, you're done. And next time, don't stalk me. Ever heard of privacy?"
Gojo stood up sharply, brushing invisible dust off his clothes.
Gojo stood too, his grin still there—but as he stepped closer, his tone changed. The air around him grew heavy.
"Privacy," he spoke softly…
"is understandable. That's why I didn't eavesdrop on whatever you were doing last night."
His blindfolded gaze was fixed on Ren now, all the humor gone from his voice.
"But doing things behind my back isn't."
Ren didn't move, but his pulse spiked.
Gojo tilted his head slightly, his words slow and deliberate. "I honestly don't care what you do, Ren. I really don't. But if I catch you doing something stupid behind my back again… I won't be giving you privacy next time."
A silence hung between them—sharp and heavy. Then Gojo leaned back, and the smile returned like nothing had happened.
"Anyway!" he said cheerfully, strolling toward the door. "Oh, and one more thing!" He glanced back, hand already on the doorknob. "In the upcoming Kyoto Goodwill Event… don't use Rika."
The door shut with a soft click.
Ren exhaled slowly, his body relaxing only after Gojo's presence faded completely. He raised a hand to his mouth, half-smiling, half-grimacing.
"…Fucking hell," he whispered.
"Did Gojo Satoru just give me a silent threat?"
The sound of the ticking clock filled the room. Ren sat down slowly, the photos still lying on the table, his reflection flickering faintly in their glossy surfaces—the reflection of a liar trying to stay one step ahead of a god.