The walk back to Jujutsu High was silent, save for the constant, mocking commentary playing in the back of my mind.
"Her walk is uneven," Valthazar noted. "She's hiding an ankle injury from the fight. A real man would carry her. Why aren't you carrying her, Ren? Are your arms made of noodles?"
'Be quiet,' I snapped mentally. 'I'm trying not to get executed by the higher-ups.'
As we crossed the torii gate into the school grounds, the air suddenly felt heavy. A man was leaning against a wooden pillar, his white hair glowing under the moonlight and a black blindfold covering his eyes.
Gojo Satoru. The strongest sorcerer alive.
Nobara stopped and straightened up. "Gojo-sensei! We finished the mission. Ren handled the Special Grade."
Gojo didn't move. His head tilted slightly, his blindfold "staring" directly at my chest. The usual playful grin on his face wasn't there. Instead, there was a sharp, dangerous curiosity.
"Nobara, go report to Shoko," Gojo said softly. "I need to have a little... heart-to-heart with Ren."
Nobara looked between us, confused, but she nodded and left. As soon as she was out of sight, Gojo appeared in front of me in a blur of motion. He was inches from my face.
"You've got two cursed signatures," Gojo said.
He paused.
"One's yours. The other… isn't. And it's ugly. You wanna tell me why?"
Inside my head, Valthazar started laughing. "Oh? This one is interesting. He can see me? Let me out, boy. I want to see if his head pops as easily as that Curse."
Suddenly, a transparent blue screen flickered in front of my eyes.
[WARNING: STRESS LEVEL UNSTABLE ]
[DEMONIC SYNC PROCESS STARTING]
Host: Ren
Soul Partner: Valthazar (Primordial Demon of Obsession)
Sync Rate: 5.2%
Current Status: Under Observation by 'The Strongest'
[New Quest: Survival of the Fittest]
Objective: Convince Gojo Satoru not to execute you.
Bonus Objective: Make the Demon inside you "behave."
Reward: 1% Sync Increase & Skill: [Phantom Step]
"I— I didn't mean to," I said. "There was this thing… a heart. I swallowed it."
I swallowed again.
"Now there's… something inside me. He keeps talking."
Gojo lifted his blindfold just enough to show one sky-blue eye. The power radiating from him was suffocating. Then, suddenly, the tension snapped. Gojo burst out laughing and slapped me on the back so hard I nearly fell.
"You ate a heart?" Gojo snorted.
"Wow. First Itadori, now you. You kids are going to kill the Elders before the curses do."Gojo's grin returned, but his eyes remained serious.
"Listen," Gojo said quietly, "if whatever that is inside you goes wild…"
He didn't smile.
"I won't hesitate. Got it?"
"Tell him he can try," Valthazar hissed.
I ignored the demon. "I understand, Sensei."
Gojo started walking away, waving his hand. "Good! Oh—and Ren?"
He smirked.
"Nobara doesn't hate confidence. Just saying."
[QUEST COMPLETE]
[Reward Issued: +1% Sync Rate (Current: 6.2%)]
[Skill Unlocked: Phantom Step (Level 1)]
My heart slowed down, but a new message appeared on the screen.
[Valthazar's Influence Increasing...]
[New Choice:]
Ask Nobara on a date to celebrate the mission (Ren's Choice)
Wait until she's alone and "Claim her soul" (Valthazar's Choice)
"Don't be boring," Valthazar murmured. "You know which one I want."
I looked toward the girl's dormitory, where a single light was still on in Nobara's window. My heart hammered against my ribs—partly from the fear of Gojo's threat, and partly from the lingering adrenaline of the mission.
I could play it safe. I could be the Ren she knew—the one who would stutter out an invitation to a cafe to "celebrate" surviving. Or I could listen to the shadow coiling around my soul. I could show her the power that made even the Special Grade curse scream in terror.I could play it safe.
"Don't lie to yourself," Valthazar murmured. "She saw what you were in that alley. The part of you that doesn't beg."
"We'll find out," he said. "Soon."
I took a step toward the dorms, my shadow stretching out long and jagged under the moonlight, looking less like a boy and more like a monster.
'I'm doing this my way,' I told him, though my voice lacked conviction.
"We'll see," the demon whispered, his laughter fading into a dark hum. ""We'll see," he said quietly.
[SYNC RATE: 6.5% — THE OBSESSION GROWS]
I collapsed onto my bed. It didn't help.
Every time I closed my eyes, the mark on my palm burned — not enough to scream, just enough to make sure I couldn't forget it was there.
"Sleep already," Valthazar said. His voice wasn't quiet anymore. It was inside my skull, rattling around like something that didn't belong.
Then the room… wasn't a room.
I was standing somewhere else. Red flowers at my feet. A sky that looked wrong. The air tasted sharp, like lightning and old metal.
"This was mine," he said. I could feel him behind me, even though I didn't turn. "And it could be yours too. But right now? Your body can barely keep up."
My head throbbed. Something warm slid out of my nose.
'Then help me,' I thought. I didn't even try to sound brave.
He went quiet for a moment.
"I can," he said. "I can keep you from breaking when you use that trick you just got. But I want something."
A pause.
"Take her out," he said. "That orange-haired girl. I want to see this world through you. I want to see her look at you and realize you aren't just… normal."
Something cold tightened around my chest.
A message flickered across my vision.
[Binding… something is being formed]
[If you fail, it won't forgive you]
I swallowed. There wasn't really a choice.
By 7:00 AM, my eyes were bloodshot. I headed to the training grounds, trying to trigger the skill the System had given me.
"[Phantom Step]," I whispered.
Zip.
The world blurred. I appeared three meters away, stumbling. My lungs felt like they had been vacuum-sealed.
"Yeah… that was bad," Valthazar said. "You're going to break yourself if you keep doing that." If you want to use my power, you need a body that doesn't break. I can make it hurt less," he added. "But I want something. In exchange... you take the girl to that 'Harajuku' place I saw in your memories."
I froze. 'You want to go on a date?'
"ITake her out," he said. "That orange-haired girl. Let me watch. "
If you agree, I'll stay quiet for the first hour. Say no, and I won't shut up. Ever.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[New Quest: The Demon's Request]
Objective: Successfully ask Nobara Kugisaki on a date to Harajuku.
Condition: Valthazar must be allowed "Passive Observation."
Reward: +2% Sync Rate & [Phantom Step] Level Up.
I groaned.
Of all the things he could've asked for…
I straightened slowly, staring at the far side of the training ground — at the path that led toward the dorms.
"I really don't have a choice, do I?"
He laughed.