Jujutsu Kaisen: False Dawn

The car started, and it was mostly silence; Ren just sat there, and Gojo was looking at him with judgmental eyes…

Gojo broke the silence first.

"Ren," he said, glancing from the road, "you do know she's a sorcerer, right?"

Ren didn't even blink.

"Yeah," he replied smoothly. "I know she's a Grade 1 sorcerer. Her name is Mei Mei. I also know how old she is. So don't question much, Sensei. And also…"

He looked out the window, then added in the same flat, matter-of-fact tone:

"One more little thing: I made the first move on her."

Silence.

The kind that killed any follow-up Gojo had queued up.

Gojo's lips curled into a small pout. He muttered under his breath.

"Hmph… Growing up so fast. At this rate, I'll see you getting married before you even graduate…"

Ren rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." He waved it off. "Anyway. Anything happen while I was gone?"

That pulled Gojo's attention back to the road. He didn't answer immediately. A few seconds passed. Then a few more.

Finally, he said:

"Weirdly enough… the higher-ups don't seem to mind your little vacation." He tapped the steering wheel thoughtfully. "But…"

"But?"

"There was a break-in. Someone entered Jujutsu High. Stole a few files."

Ren's spine straightened, just slightly. His breath didn't catch, but his brain caught fire.

"What? Info leak?"

"That's not supposed to happen…" he thought, eyes scanning the buildings they passed, not really seeing them. "There was no info break-in around this point in the original timeline. Has the plot changed…?"

He kept his voice neutral. Calm.

"Well… What files were stolen?"

Gojo grinned. Not kindly.

"Uh—classified info~!" He sing-songed. Then shrugged. "But, I can tell you this: your file was one of the ones taken. Probably just some third-rate sorcerer trying to make a buck."

Ren's jaw didn't move, but his thoughts did.

"Third-rate sorcerer? There is no such thing as a third-rate sorcerer in this world; all sorcerers really are con artists. And 'third-rate' just means 'reckless with a plan.' And stealing my file... that's not random."

Still, outwardly, he just nodded.

They pulled into the Jujutsu High lot.

A few students were milling about. A new semester had started. Life rolled forward whether you were ready or not.

They walked toward the main building, side by side. Gojo, more casual than usual. Ren, quieter.

Gojo suddenly clapped his hands.

"Oh, right! I almost forgot!" he said with a grin. "Ren-kun—new schedule for you!"

Ren raised an eyebrow.

"New?"

"Yep! From now on, you're in two hours a day of hand-to-hand combat training!"

Ren blinked.

"…Why?"

"Because you vanished during your 7-day leave. And did bad boy things!" Gojo said dramatically, wagging a finger. Do you know how worried I was about you?"

Ren sighed.

"Okay then, Sensei. Hand-to-hand's fine."

Gojo's expression shifted.

Wait.

That was… too easy.

"… You're agreeing?"

Ren looked at him.

"Yeah. But I've got a request."

Gojo narrowed his eyes, suspicious.

"…If it's not unreasonable, then sure."

Ren didn't hesitate.

"I want to spar with you, hand-to-hand. At least once a week."

Pause.

"And… I want to learn how to use a sword."

Gojo stared at him for a second. Then his grin returned, wider than ever.

"Ahhh, so that's what you're after, huh?" he thought. "You want to test yourself against me. You want to grow fast. How ambitious..."

He laughed, shaking his head.

"Alright. Approved."

Ren didn't show much reaction.

But his thoughts were moving fast.

"I don't want to fight Gojo just for growth. I need to learn how my body moves now—how to sync with this cursed circuit. Fighting someone weaker would be pointless… and dangerous."

"Gojo's safe. He won't kill me. And every punch he throws is data."

"The sword… that's for Red Stitch. I need a medium. A form. A close-combat extension that forces control. And it'll help me feel how my cursed energy flows now."

"This is mostly for me to understand how to fight close combat. In this way I could somehow also evolve red stitch into a combat technique…"

He glanced at Gojo again.

"And plus, spending more time with Gojo is also good; I mean, it's the safest I ever can be…"

By the time they reached the dorms, students were already in training fields, some sparring, some doing cursed tool drills.

Ren walked up the familiar steps, Gojo still trailing beside him.

The sun was higher now. The heat of the day was beginning to set in.

Ren opened the door to his dorm room.

Same as he'd left it.

Almost.

A new envelope sat on the desk—his class schedule. New additions were marked in red. Sure enough: two hours blocked out every afternoon for hand-to-hand training. Another note marked a "swordsmanship elective," handwritten, approved.

Ren dropped his bag on the bed.

Sat down. Thought.

"An info breach… Someone has my file now."

"Could be nothing. Could be everything."

He stared at the sword note again.

"The future's already changing. So I have to change faster."