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Chapter Thirty-One: Nobara!
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Enjoy~~
In Tokyo City, Harajuku, in front of the subway station.
The sun was shining mercilessly. Heat and humidity in Tokyo were no jokeāespecially for someone wearing a fully closed black school uniform, with a necklace weighing a ton around his neck.
On the sidewalk, there was a strange scene that caught the attention of passersby. Three people were literally "melting" where they stood.
"I'mā¦ turningā¦ intoā¦ liquidā¦" Yuji muttered as he leaned against the metal railing, his tongue hanging out like a dog on a summer day.
Beside him, Gojo Satoruāthe "strongest"āwas bending his back backward in an impossible arc, fanning his face with his hand.
"Whyā¦ why did I choose this outfit? Black absorbs heat! I'm boiling inside my clothes!"
As for Ren, his situation was the worst. He was squatting on the ground, his head buried between his knees, an aura of depression surrounding him.
"Rinaā¦" Ren called out in his mind with a pitiful voice. "Can you buy a portable air conditioner from the shop? I'll pay anything."
Rina replied in her cold, mechanical voice inside his head:
[No such luxury items are currently available. Suggestion: activate cursed energy reinforcement to regulate body temperature.]
"I can't!" Ren screamed (internally and externally). "This damn necklace blocks me! I'm just a chunk of hot meat right now! Where is that girl? Is she crawling here from the countryside or what?"
A few steps away, Fushiguro Megumi stood holding his phone, trying his best to look like he didn't know these three idiots.
"I don't know themā¦ I'm just a passerbyā¦" Megumi muttered to himself, though sweat was pouring down his forehead as well.
Finallyāafter what felt like years to Renāa girl with short orange hair, wearing the school uniform and carrying a large bag on her back, stopped in front of them. She looked at them with clear disdain.
"Ohā¦ there she is," Gojo said, straightening up suddenly as if he hadn't been melting a second ago.
Nobara Kugisaki looked at the group, and her mind began its rapid and merciless analysis.
She looked at Yuji.
"A kidā¦ looks like an idiotā¦ maybe a former delinquent?"
She looked at Megumi.
"Depressedā¦ the type who thinks he's the protagonist of a dark novelā¦ annoying."
She looked at Gojo.
"Suspiciousā¦ blindfolded? Is he an escapee from a mental asylum?"
Thenā¦ her eyes landed on Ren.
Ren was still sitting, slowly raising his head. Strands of black hair were stuck to his pale forehead with sweat, and his emerald eyes were half-open in lazy exhaustion.
Nobara froze.
"What is this?" she thought. "His skinā¦ it's so clear! Is he wearing foundation? And those lashesā¦ is that mascara? Why does this guy look prettier than most of the girls I know? Is heā¦ a girl cross-dressing as a boy? Or some arrogant idol?"
At that moment, Rina's voice rang in Ren's mind:
[Alert: Target "Nobara Kugisaki" is staring at you with intense analytical focus. Disgust and curiosity levels: high.]
Ren gave a forced, smug sideways smile, assuming she was admiring his looks. He stood up slowly (or tried to), brushing dust off his pants.
"I know, I knowā¦" Ren said in a hoarse, arrogant voice as he ran a hand through his hair. "I look amazing even when I'm drenched in sweat. No need to stare, missāyou can take a picture. It'll last longer."
Nobara stared at him silently for a second, then turned to Gojo with complete seriousness.
"I'm sorry, but I can't work with narcissists who wear makeup. Can I go back?"
"Makeup?!" Ren shouted. "This is natural beauty, you country girl!"
"Country girl?!" Nobara exploded in anger.
"Alright, alright!" Gojo clapped his hands to stop the fight before it started.
"I'm Gojo Satoru. This is Yuji, Megumi, and Ren. And this is Nobara Kugisaki. Now thenā¦ since we're all here, let's go!"
Gojo, Megumi, and Nobara started walking.
But Ren stayed where he was.
"Oi, Ren! Move it!" Yuji called out.
"I can't," Ren said seriously. "My feet have fused with the asphalt from the heat. I need a crane."
Yuji sighed and went back to him, grabbing Ren's arm to drag him.
"Come on, don't be a babyā"
Yuji pulledā¦ but Ren didn't move an inch.
"Huh?" Yuji tried again with all his superhuman strength.
"Grrrr! What is this?! You're so heavy! Are your pockets filled with weights?!"
Ren lazily pointed at the crimson necklace.
"This beauty weighs about a tonāand it gets heavier when I'm exhausted. Soā¦ if you want me to come, you'll have to carry me."
Yuji looked at the necklace, then at Ren, then patted his shoulder sympathetically.
"I seeā¦ may God help you."
Then Yuji turned around and ran after the others.
"Guys! Ren says he's taking a nap here!"
"You traitor!" Ren shouted, then sighed, forced his muscles to work, and began dragging himself forward with heavy steps after them.
"Damn this school lifeā¦"
ā¦
After some time, the team arrived at a street where no one could be seen, as if it were abandoned.
They stood in front of an old, dilapidated apartment building, from which a black aura was clearly emanatingāalmost visible to the naked eye.
"There's a curse inside," Megumi said as he looked at the building. "Are we all fighting?"
"No," Gojo smiled. "I want to see what Nobara and Yuji can do. Ren and Megumi, you're on break."
"Great!" Ren said immediately, heading to a nearby tree and lying down in its shade, placing his hands behind his head.
"Hey! That's not fair!" Nobara protested. "Why does this 'Princess-chan' get a break?"
"Because I'm very strong and very handsome," Ren replied with his eyes closed. "Go work hard, rookie."
Nobara gritted her teeth and entered the building with Yuji, vowing to kill Ren later.
Outside remained Gojo, Megumi, and the reclining Ren.
Ren looked up at the blue sky, feeling a strange sense of familiarity and comfort.
"I wonderā¦" Ren muttered. "Did Tokito Muichiro feel this calm while watching the clouds?"
But he scoffed and remembered something more importantāSukuna's words about the "seal."
Ren suddenly sat up, crossed his legs, and looked directly at Gojo, who was playing with his phone.
"Sensei."
"Hm?"
"You have the Six Eyesā¦ that means you see everything, right? The flow of energy, the physical structure, even souls."
Gojo stopped fiddling with his phone and tilted his head slightly. His playful smile faded a little.
"What are you getting at, Ren?"
"Why didn't you tell me about the seal?" Ren asked seriously.
"Sukuna noticed it in one second. You knew about it from the moment you saw me, didn't you?"
Megumi looked at Ren in shock, then at Gojo.
"A seal?"
Gojo sighed and lifted his blindfold from one eye, revealing a blue eye that resembled both the sky and the ocean.
"I was waiting for you to ask," Gojo said in a more serious tone.
"Yes, I saw it. It's an ugly yet masterful piece of work."
Gojo stepped closer and squatted in front of Ren.
"A sorcerer's body contains a 'core' of cursed energy. Normally, this core pumps energy through the body like a heart. But in your caseā¦ there's a cage around that core."
(Of course, there are differences from the original story šš)
Gojo drew a circle in the air with his finger.
"The seal on you isn't ordinary. It's been bound to your soul and body since childhoodāperhaps since birth. It prevents your cursed energy from flowing freely and blocks access to your original cursed technique."
"Who did it?" Ren asked, even though he already suspected one answer.
"Not someone from the Zenin clan, that's for sure," Gojo replied with disdain.
"That damn clan doesn't have the skill to do something this complex. This sealā¦ it's ancient. It resembles techniques from the golden age of jujutsu."
"Kenjakuā¦" Ren thought. The name rang in his mind like an alarm bell.
Gojo continued explaining to the curious Megumi and Ren:
"The problem, Ren, is that this seal grew with you. If it's forcibly broken now, the massive amount of cursed energy you've accumulated over the years will erupt."
Gojo pointed at Ren's chest.
"Your body won't withstand the shock. Your internal organs could ruptureāor worseā¦ you could lose your mind and turn into something like a curse."
Ren touched the crimson necklace around his neck.
"And this?"
"This is my gift to you," Gojo smiled.
"It's not just training weight. It's a 'safety valve.' If the person who placed the seal on you tries to remove it remotelyāto kill or control youāthis necklace will absorb the initial shock and prevent your body from collapsing."
Ren's eyes widened. He had thought Gojo was just a careless teacher who enjoyed tormenting his students, butā¦ he had been planning to protect him all along.
"Senseiā¦" Ren smiled with rare sincerity.
"You're not as bad as you look."
"I know! I'm the best!" Gojo laughed.
"But listen, Ren. This seal weakens over timeāor as you grow stronger. When you become strong enough to withstand your full powerā¦ I'll help you break it."
A chill ran through Ren. This world was no longer just a story he read. It was a complex reality, and there was an unknown enemy (perhaps Kenjaku) who had targeted him since infancy. Why? Did he see Ren as a threatāor as a replacement vessel?
Suddenly, the abandoned building shook violently.
BOOOM!
A third-floor window exploded, and bright blue cursed energy burst out.
A massive curse jumped out, trying to escapeābut before Megumi could summon the "Divine Dog," something strange happened.
The curse froze midair, as if an invisible nail had pierced its heart.
Thenā
Crack!
The curse vaporized from the inside out, turning into dust.
Gojo whistled in admiration.
"Oooh! She did it! 'Resonance'ā¦ Straw Doll Technique."
"Resonance?" Ren asked, looking up.
From the shattered opening, Nobara appeared, her hair blowing in the wind, holding a hammer and a nail with a wild, victorious smile. Beside her, Yuji waved at them, a sword (borrowed from Gojo) in his hand.
"We beat it!" Yuji shouted.
"Way too easy!" Nobara added smugly, then pointed her hammer at Ren.
"See that, Disney Princess? That's how professionals work!"
Ren laughed loudly, temporarily throwing the dark thoughts out of his head.
"Well done, country girl! Maybe I'll let you carry my bag later!"
"I'll hammer a nail into your forehead!"
Ren looked at his teammates, at Gojo, and felt a sense of comfort.
"Kenjakuā¦ or whoever sealed my powerā¦" Ren thought, his eyes shining with a dangerous glint.
"You made one mistake. You left me alive. And nowā¦ I have the 'Six Eyes,' the 'King of Curses,' and 'Mahoraga' on my side. Good luck trying to kill me."
(Mahoraga = Megumi's cursed technique š)
"Let's go!" Gojo clapped his hands.
"I'm hungry! Let's get some conveyor-belt sushi!"
"Sushi!" Yuji and Ren shouted together, while Megumi and Nobara sighed.
And so, the strange team walked under the setting sun, unaware that the great gears of fate had begun to turnāand that the disastrous "Detention Center Mission"ā¦ was closer than Ren realized.
---
End of Chapter Thirty-One.
I hope you share your thoughts about the novel, and soon we'll see a version of Ren in Yoriichi's life šš