Jujutsu Kaisen: False Dawn

The week passed in a blink.

And then it was today.

November 30.

Ren opened his eyes to the stillness of his dorm room. Pale morning light filtered through the curtains. There was no fanfare, no cursed energy spike, and no announcement of war.

But Ren could feel it.

He sat up and got through the everyday stuff—brushing his teeth, pulling on clothes, and letting his thoughts settle one by one.

'Hmm, it's today, huh? He'll come for me today…'

His fingers tightened slightly at the edge of the sink.

'I'll have to do some changes… like not letting Maki go out. Since I don't have Reverse Cursed Technique like Yuta, I'll have to make sure she doesn't go out…'

He dried his hands and moved to his bed, sitting for a second.

'And then, while that goes on, I would have to find Geto and end him after he beats up Panda and Inumaki.'

His fingers tapped against his knee as he thought.

'And then the game plan is to beat up Geto… and make sure he's knocked out…'

But that wasn't the real issue.

His gaze darkened slightly.

'But then comes the part with the most problems: I would have to make a choice… do I let Rika eat Geto or just let Geto go…?'

The idea rolled over again and again.

'Hmm, now that's a choice for sure… I have a lot of tests, which would be much easier if I had a CT that could control curses… But again, how would that work? Since I can only use Rika for 5 minutes, does that mean I can only tame and use a curse for 5 minutes?'

His eyes narrowed.

'Ah… it sounds like one of those CTs, which would just not work…'

He stood, pulling on his uniform, adjusting the collar absentmindedly.

'Anyway, after that, the game plan is to put a curtain on Geto's curtain… so it'd be easy to just wrap my curtain on his, just to make sure no one knows what's happening inside…'

A grin played at the corner of his lips as he laced his shoes.

'And then… well, raid the Cursed Warehouse. Possibly let Rika go on a feast, letting her eat the Death Womb Painting and other stuff, and maybe even visit the morgue if I have the time…'

He opened the door and stepped out into the cool hallway.

'Ah. Today is going to be a big day, huh?'

The campus was strangely quiet. Everyone had been mobilized elsewhere. Most of the higher-ups, grade 1s, and students had been sent to Shinjuku or Kyoto.

Only a few remained.

Ren's steps echoed softly as he walked.

Eventually, he pushed open the door to a classroom and stepped inside.

It was dimly lit. Empty. Dusty in the corners.

He sat down in one of the seats near the window and leaned back, eyes drifting toward the gray sky outside.

He waited.

And then—

The door creaked.

Ren didn't turn to look. He already knew who it was.

Maki stepped in.

Ren smiled.

'As expected, she did come in the classroom at night too in the manga…'

Maki's eyes scanned the room and locked onto him.

Before she could speak, Ren waved a hand lazily.

"Come sit if you're as bored as I am..."

Maki rolled her eyes, but her feet still moved. She walked over and sat on the edge of the desk in front of him.

"What are you doing here, huh? School is closed this week."

Ren leaned back in his chair, stretching a little as he spoke.

"Bored, honestly. You know, I—I think I should be out there fighting... but Gojo said something about it not being my fight and I'm still an annoying kid..."

He looked up toward the ceiling.

'Yup, it's true, I did ask Gojo about it, and he said it was not my fight… Honestly, that was my little chat trying to see if I could change up the plot a little, but nah, Gojo wanted me to stay at Tokyo High…'

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

'Why? I'm pretty sure he wanted me to keep the school safe… And also, Gojo maybe did not think Geto would go after me… Who could guess Geto's real plan was pretty much to isolate me… so he could jump me and take Rika?'

His thoughts flickered in the silence.

Then—

"Don't you question anything?"

Ren blinked, pulled out of his train of thought, and turned to Maki.

"Question what? That you don't have any cursed energy, and that some guy called you a failure?"

His tone was flat. Blunt. Honest.

Maki almost slipped off the desk from how direct it was.

She looked down.

"Yeah… Don't you question it? You don't even ask me anything… You don't act normal, you know."

Ren smiled, eyes drifting back to the window.

"See, Maki… I don't know why you have such low cursed energy. I don't know why you were called a failure. I don't know why you act like an angry monkey."

Maki shot him a glare.

"But I also know that you're strong and resilient. And for me that's honestly enough."

His voice stayed soft. Calm. Like he was just stating facts.

"Call it low standards or just a weird point of view… but I think you're not a failure."

Maki looked at him.

Really looked.

Then she turned her head away, crossing her arms.

"Don't call me an angry monkey! Idiot! I'm going back to my room…"

(To be continued.)