Once a mobster, now Masachika Kuze

Five minutes passed. The building was plunged into an uncomfortable silence as Geto remained standing, staring intently at the shattered window.

The door opened slowly, creaking slightly.

Satoru Gojo entered.

His clothes were crumpled and torn, his white hair—already naturally disheveled—now looked like a nest of chaos. But what was most striking were his eyes. The blue shone intensely, oscillating between incredulity and pure disbelief.

He stared at Ryan, his eyes wide, and his voice came out slowly:

"How...?"

Geto kept his eyes narrowed. Riko, sitting on the sofa, struggled to hold back laughter, covering her mouth with her hand.

Ryan, in turn, was still in the same position, with his fist raised, trying to process what had happened while he thought.

"I didn't put all that force into the punch..."

His mind replayed the previous moment in a fast-paced cycle.

"The instant my fist approached him... it was as if the speed of my hand had increased uncontrollably. The force was so great that my entire arm is aching from trying to slow down the attraction..."

The thoughts were interrupted when Gojo pointed at him, his voice stronger and full of indignation.

"How!? How did you do that!?"

Geto sighed, adjusting his bangs with a nonchalant gesture.

"Satoru, what's with this little show? Did you deactivate the Mugen at the last minute just to mess with this newbie? Look at the mess you've ma-"

"I didn't deactivate it."

Gojo interrupted, his voice laden with something that rarely appeared: seriousness. His eyes never left Ryan.

The laughter that Riko had been holding back escaped completely.

"Pfffft... Oh man, you were so full of yourself and you got a slap from Ryan! Hahahaha!"

She bent her body forward, holding her belly, laughing shamelessly. But, unlike her, Geto felt a shiver run down his spine.

He blinked a few times and repeated, in a much more serious tone:

"You... didn't deactivate the Mugen?"

Ryan realized that the situation had escalated in an unfavorable way as he thought while his gaze ran through everyone's expressions.

"Damn... I think I've screwed up big time... Okay, I think it's time to go back in time and pretend nothing happened."

But before he could even consider that—

"You're simply amazing!"

Gojo took a step forward, a wide and intense smile forming on his face.

His eyes sparkled, a prismatic blue that reflected like polished jewels.

Ryan frowned.

"This thing of yours called Mugen..." He began, crossing his arms and keeping his gaze sharp. "From what I remember, you said it slows everything down infinitely when they try to hit you. In other words, it works by inverting the force to the extreme, creating the illusion that something never reaches you... Like trying to touch the horizon."

Gojo nodded slowly, still studying Ryan.

"But you..." He completed, narrowing his eyes. "Instead of that, you accelerated."

Silence weighed on the atmosphere.

Ryan kept his posture firm, looking around.

Geto broke the silence first.

"That's impossible, Satoru..." He spoke with disbelief. "Going through the Mugen is physically impossible."

Gojo ignored him, fixing his gaze even more on Ryan.

"This energy..." He pointed at Ryan, now with an incisive voice. "At first, I thought it was just a weak cursed energy flowing from you. But..."

He tilted his head slightly, as if he were adjusting the focus.

"I have good eyes. And looking more closely... If I concentrate well..."

Ryan narrowed his eyes, waiting for Gojo's analysis.

Gojo continued, his voice taking on an almost fascinated tone.

"It's extremely condensed. As if there were tons of cursed energy compressed into a tiny space. But the strange thing is... it's calm. Controlled. Creating the false sensation that it's almost insignificant."

Ryan absorbed that analysis while his mind fell into an epiphany.

"Ah... I get it... Gensei, you old rascal. Is this your plan?"

The penny dropped at once.

"You want me to have a strong and feared name in the world. But not for creating fear or making enemies with the strongest... No. You want..."

He looked away, his reasoning closing perfectly.

"You want me to write my name in history and have the respect of the most powerful."

Gojo smiled even more, his eyes shining as if they were in front of an inexplicable phenomenon.

"What is this, huh?" His animation grew. "Tell me, what energy is this? The more I try to understand with my eyes, the more unbelievable it becomes!"

Geto took a step forward, gesturing with his hands.

"What the hell is going on, Satoru!? I'm still trying to process the fact that this guy went through your Mugen and you come up with this talk about condensed energy!?"

Before Gojo could answer, Riko crossed her arms and let go, with a sarcastic tone:

"Ah, I've already understood everything."

Geto turned to her, frowning.

"Really? So tell me, genius."

Riko opened a smile and shrugged.

"The white-haired heartthrob had never taken a punch in his life and called himself 'the strongest' for it. Then came the black-haired heartthrob, punched him, and now he's there, with his little legs trembling!"

Geto closed his eyes for a second, massaging his temple.

"You didn't understand a damn thing, girl!"

Ryan watched attentively the scene before him, his thoughts running wild, but for now, he decided not to rush.

"Okay... I don't need to go back in time. At least, not now. Let's see how far this world can take me... Wow, I sounded like Rika now."

Before he could continue his reasoning, Gojo's lively voice cut through his reverie, full of excitement:

"Come on! Don't leave me in suspense!" He tilted his body slightly forward, his eyes shining in expectation. "What energy is this? I promise to tell you everything you want in return!"

Ryan blinked, surprised by Gojo's reaction. It was strange to see the so-called "strongest" so enthusiastic, almost like a child in front of a new toy.

Geto, on the other hand, did not hide his shock. His expression was a mixture of incredulity and irritation as he gestured towards Gojo. "What the hell is going on, Satoru!? Did you hit your head in the fall, is that it!?"

Ryan sighed heavily, pondering. "Okay... I think I can give some details..."

He raised his hand, letting a thin and controlled concentration of energy flow from his palm. The aura that emanated from it was strangely serene, different from the brute and hostile nature of cursed energy.

"This is really not cursed energy..." He looked at the others, feigning a serious air. "I call it... Nen."

There was a brief silence. Gojo and Geto's eyes widened in pure expectation. Even Riko tilted her head slightly, curious.

Then, Ryan smiled wryly and laughed. "Just kidding. It's just a concentrated and controlled energy."

Geto blinked a few times, analyzing the aura while scratching his chin.

"Really... it doesn't have the negativity of cursed energy... But..."

"It's so centered..." Gojo completed, opening his arms as if he wanted to absorb every particle of that. His tone bordered on absolute fascination. "It's almost like a divine energy!"

Ryan arched an eyebrow, crossing his arms while thinking. "You're getting too smart, man..."

He then closed the palm of his hand, dissipating the energy naturally before putting his hands in his pockets and walking to the sofa. With a lazy sigh, he let himself fall beside Riko, who watched everything as if it were a fun spectacle.

"Ready. Now you guys have no reason to think I'm a dead weight, right?" His voice came out full of sarcasm and tiredness.

Geto, however, did not show any relieved expression. He crossed his arms, his eyes sharp as blades.

"Yeah... But now we have good reasons to keep an eye on you."

Ryan cast a sideways glance, analyzing the words in his thoughts. "Hmm... He has a point... Should I rewind time from here?"

It was then that Gojo snapped his fingers, as if he had just remembered something crucial.

"Ah! Now I remember!" He took a step forward, bending down in front of Ryan and staring at him directly. "That pink-haired girl from the other day… The one who appeared and disappeared with you in an instant."

Adjusting his cracked glasses, he tilted his head with an intrigued smile.

"I had an epiphany. Her energy... was practically identical to yours! Is she like you? Or rather, is she your sister!?"

Ryan clicked his tongue, crossing his legs in a relaxed way before answering with a slight mockery.

"My sister is a lovely girl. Cute, caring..." He made a dramatic pause, arching an eyebrow. "Don't compare her to Yuno. The only thing Yuno surpasses my Yuki in is the size of her butt."

The silence that followed made Ryan realize his slip. His thoughts immediately raced.

"Holy crap... I sounded like a complete siscon just now... Well... Maybe Yuki has corrupted me in that sense."

The decision came in the next instant. Time reversed slightly, and this time, his answer came out reformulated:

"No, she's not my sister."

Gojo smiled even more, as if he were playing with Ryan's words.

"So she's just like you?"

Ryan stared into his eyes, pondering. "I don't like talking about other people... And being Yuno, I'm sure she and Gojo will end up bumping into each other. Let her choose if she wants to say something or not."

Throwing his hand aside, he shrugged.

"I have no idea. Maybe you just saw my energy. After all, I was by her side..."

Gojo stood up with a sharp smile, adjusting his messy hair.

"Hmmm... I got it. It's just that I have good eyes to see certain things..."

Before Ryan could answer, a shrill sound invaded the room.

Riko's cell phone blared a sudden alarm, making her jump up, her eyes wide with fear.

"OH MY GOD! SCHOOL!"

Geto frowned, exhaling with weary patience.

"With all this going on, you still want to go to school?"

Riko marched to the front of them, puffing out her chest with a heroic air.

"Tengen is me! Therefore, I am Tengen!" She raised her little finger with exaggerated drama. "There are those who confuse assimilation with death, like you, but there is a big difference!"

Placing a hand over her chest, she finished with the grandiosity of an epic speech:

"I may even become Tengen through assimilation..."

And, in a triumphant tone, she declared:

"But Tengen will also become ME!"

Still gesturing theatrically, Riko concluded firmly:

"My soul will continue to live on after assimilation!"

Her voice echoed through the room, laden with emotion, but was solemnly ignored.

"Did you hurt your shoulder in the fall?" Ryan asked casually.

"No, relax, I'm fine..." Gojo replied in the same nonchalant tone.

Both continued talking to each other, leaving Riko talking to herself.

She stomped her foot on the ground, her fists clenched in pure indignation.

"LISTEN TO MEEEE!"

Her face flushed with frustration, which only served to amuse the two even more.

Gojo cast a playful look at Riko before commenting, carrying the sarcasm in his voice:

"If you talk like that all the time, I doubt you have many friends..."

Geto, who until then had only been observing, decided to contribute with his own dose of irony:

"Well, at least you can say goodbye without a guilty conscience."

Ryan let out a lazy sigh before adding, in a slow and uninterested voice:

"Oh, go easy on her. She's just got eighth-grade syndrome."

Riko stomped her foot on the ground again, indignant.

"I talk normally at school!!"

Without wasting time, she spun on her heels and turned to Kuroi.

"What time is it? I have to go to school!"

Kuroi, who watched the scene with a tired look, lowered her shoulders and replied in a drawn-out tone:

"Well... It's not noon yet, but going to school now is—"

"If I said I'm going, then I'm going!" Riko interrupted, her voice carrying the spoiled tone of a childish tantrum.

Ryan, Geto, and Gojo just exchanged bored glances, sharing the same thought: "This is going to be a long day."

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