Jujutsu Kaisen: False Dawn

Mei Mei's Panic – Chapter 132

Mei Mei's mind was on fire.

"What does he mean he's bored?! Does this mean he's quitting jujutsu? No… no, that can't happen. He has too much potential. If he quits now, all of that talent, all of that raw ability… wasted! I have to keep him interested in jujutsu somehow!"

While Mei Mei silently panicked and schemed, Ren was calmly lost in his own thoughts.

"Hmm… once I'm in Congo, what should I do first?"

Two priorities formed in his mind:

Fixing his cursed energy pool. "It's really fucking low. Too low. I need to figure something out before I get killed in a fight just because I run dry."

Weapons. "The fight with Geto made something very clear: I'm trash in hand-to-hand. Pure trash. It wasn't even funny. But the moment I had a cursed tool—a sword—I was way better. So the first thing I'll do is find a proper cursed tool or maybe… make one. I've got a few ideas."

Ren leaned back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling as his thoughts continued to race.

"I do still have Playful Cloud, but I've never used a weapon like that. I'm probably shit with it. I'll need to train with it or forge something new. Then… I need to do something about my cursed energy pool. And once I've solved both of those problems, I'll be safer."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"I also need to look through all the goods I stole from the cursed warehouse. Kai3 is holding all of it right now. That curse is untested—Kai3 needs more experiments before I can fully trust it. And after that… I need to weaponize Red Stitch. Turn it into something lethal with the help of binding vows. The knowledge I gained from my other nine cursed techniques should make that possible, even if I can't use them directly without Rika."

Ren's lips curled into a small grin.

"Let's hope I can stay hidden in Congo for six months. Knowing my luck, a special grade curse will show up to ruin my day… But I've got Mei Mei with me. She's in Grade 1. Her cursed technique and Bird Strike are no joke. Special grades shouldn't be a problem… hopefully. Ugh. Let's hope I don't see any."

He tossed the banana peel into the trash with a lazy flick.

Mei Mei, who had been staring at him with barely hidden concern, suddenly spoke:

"Uh, Ren, what will you do when you get to Congo… if you don't mind me asking?"

Ren blinked at her, tilting his head.

"Uh… you know, the normal stuff. Look around… I don't know the rest?"

That vague answer was like setting off a bomb in Mei Mei's mind. All the wrong theories popped up at once.

"What does he mean he doesn't know?! Does this brat not have a plan?! Is he seriously just… walking away from jujutsu?! No, no, I can't let him throw this all away!"

She leaned forward slightly, her tone betraying just a hint of desperation.

"What?! You're not going to… uh… keep pursuing jujutsu?!"

Ren turned his head and gave her a flat look, as if she'd just asked the dumbest question in the world.

"Uh, maybe. Who knows? Ask me this again in a few months. Right now? I'm bored."

Mei Mei stared at him like a stockbroker watching her entire portfolio crash in real time. Her composure cracked for just a second, and she sat back, unable to form a coherent reply.

Ren smirked slightly at her expression.