Ren sat down on the ground under a tree, letting out a heavy breath.
'Ugh, my body hurts...' he thought, leaning his head back against the bark. ' Both Hakari's and Todo's punches and kicks were not light... at all. Also, it doesn't help that I'm out of cursed energy. Ah... now I have to wait an hour at least to recover my cursed energy to 50%. I've never fully run out like this before. I should have just used Rika...
Whatever, I won anyway.'
He felt his consciousness drifting from the exhaustion. 'Wait! Before my clarity fades...'
Ren snapped out of his thoughts and quickly looked around. Forcing himself up, he began to limp toward Hakari and Todo, who were already being loaded onto stretchers.
The person overseeing them was Akari Nitta. the fair-skinned assistant director with her signature asymmetrical blonde bangs and sharp black vest. She was currently overseeing the medical teams as they loaded Hakari and Todo onto stretchers.
The second Akari saw Ren approaching, she froze. He was a mess—hair wet and dishevelled, shirtless with only bandages wrapped around his chest, breathing heavily as he marched toward her.
'HUH!!!' Akari thought, her panic rising. 'What! Wait! He knows I'm not one of the people participating in the event, right? He must have heard Principal Yaga say the event was over... Wait, Principal Yaga never said it was over... AHH!'
Terrified, Akari squeezed her eyes shut and squatted down, clutching her head.
"Ah, do any of you have a pen?" Ren asked.
Akari blinked, looking up. She quickly pulled a pen out of her pocket and held it up like a peace offering. Ren grabbed it.
"Uh, thanks," Ren said. Turning his back to her, Ren pulled his arm close and wrote on his inner forearm:
{ Think about the white thing and the ritual. Don't overthink. }
He turned around to return the pen, but Akari was already sprinting away, pushing the stretchers carrying Todo and Hakari at top speed.
'Ugh, what kind of rumours have they been spreading about me?' Ren wondered, watching the dust trail she left behind. 'Why is she even running? Well... maybe because I did poke a hole through Todo and Hakari. I'm sure Hakari will live. And Todo? Uh, yeah, he'll live too since he was behind Hakari when the sword pierced him...'
Ren began to walk toward the exit gate.
'Now that I've written it down to not overthink and to focus on that white thing later... I shouldn't forget. Where was my jacket? Ugh... it's gone, isn't it?'
He sighed, his mind wandering back to the heat of the clash. 'Why did I suddenly gain clarity when fighting Todo? Was it his motivational words? Nah, he's a good motivator, but maybe it was the adrenaline of getting beaten up? Or was it the combination of both that woke me up? I guess I got angry...'
He looked down at his hands. 'The fight was okay at best, not the greatest I've ever fought, but I did something for the first time... I improved. I actually improved through fighting. I developed "Red Stitch: Spider 100% Output—Weaker Web of Trapping". It was always possible in theory, but I had never actually thought about it before. I think I'm understanding it now...'
Ren stopped walking for a moment and looked up at the sky. It was a brilliant, beautiful blue.
"The way to get stronger..." he muttered aloud, "it's not just about making techniques or theories. All of that works, but it's way slower than how much you can develop in a single fight, huh? Maybe because I was under pressure? I developed my Red Stitch even more in such a short time."
He continued walking, his pace slow but steady. 'I even made a counter for Todo's Boogie Woogie. It was easier to do stuff like that in the heat of battle. Is this why Sukuna always looks for a strong opponent? You can make theories all day, but what's the point if you aren't pushed to use them? If you aren't pushed to the limit, you can't improve.'
Memories of his past struggles flashed by. 'Every insane feat I've done was when I was in a sticky situation. I developed Project Rebirth when I didn't have Rika. In Congo, I was desperate, and that pressure caused so many breakthroughs.'
He nodded to himself. 'I guess the cheat code for fast improvement is a mix.
"Theory"—you always need it. Understanding is better than not.
But then there's "practical"—actually doing it.
I guess I've been doing this subconsciously, but I've been lacking the practical side. I try to avoid fights if possible; that's just who I am. I've only fought "canon" fights where I knew I could win. The non-canon ones were just me being forced to fight or trying to copy a technique.'
The realisation suddenly hit Ren…
'It's not just that I'm improving slowly—it's that I haven't had a problem I couldn't solve yet. Hakari and Todo were a problem. I couldn't kill them, but I had to stop them. They were tricky as hell. But even then... I wasn't using Rika. I wasn't truly pushed to my limits.
What if I am? How much would I improve then?'
As he reached the exit gate, a blur of movement jumped at him from the side.
"HAHA! I knew you would do it, idiot!" Maki yelled, hugging him tightly around his side. "You threw both of those shirtless freaks on the stretcher! Haha! We won!"
She slapped Ren's back with a resounding thwack. Ren winced but managed to catch her hand before the second strike.
"AH! Hey! Stop that," Ren said, a small smile finally tugging at his lips. "And yeah, no crap we won. I was there. It was an expected outcome."
Maki grinned, looking him over. 'Hmm, look at him all confident. Is this because he won? Anyway, it doesn't matter. Thankfully he's back to how he always is... an idiot.'
"Yeah, yeah, sure, show-off," Maki teased. "Also, why are you in the bandages? Trying a new look? You look like a badly dressed mummy, you know?"
She looked him up and down. His jacket was gone, and the bandages across his upper chest barely concealed his toned physique. Ren quickly crossed his arms over his chest, feeling a bit self-conscious.
"Uh, I lost my jacket. And no, this isn't a new look. I just didn't have time to grab a shirt, okay? I was already late! Anyway, what do we even win? Since I won the event, do we get something? Also, how are the others?"
Maki rolled her eyes. "Well, the others are fine, just recovering in the infirmary. And you really don't know what we win?"
Ren shook his head.
From a distance, as the Jujutsu officials were departing, Naobito Zenin watched them. He saw how close Maki and Ren looked, and a twisted, almost evil grin bloomed on his face.
'Maki... that useless girl... might actually have a use after all,' Naobito thought, his eyes narrowing. 'His cursed technique—I want it in the Zenin clan. And now I know a way to get Ren Sato. He is more impressive than the reports say. Truly the youngest Special Grade sorcerer, but that's his weakness. He is young and ripe for the picking.'
He turned away, his fox-like grin widening. 'The higher-ups must want him. That old Naomichi must want him too. But while they play their ploys, I will make sure he becomes part of the Zenin clan. Maki... I never knew letting you do whatever you want would be so beneficial for the clan...'