Ren thought, 'Are you kidding me right now? Cops? Fuck… how did they get here? I thought—shit, the ceiling did fall apart. Did that make enough noise for someone to call the cops? Ugh, what is my shitty luck?'
Ren spoke fast.
"Hey! I was just walking up there and fell down! It looks like the ceiling was weaker than I thought! Officers!"
Ren quickly bent down, checking that Worm had slipped fully into his shadow. To cover the movement, he tugged his pants up like that was all he'd been doing.
'Ugh, I was able to keep jujutsu sorcerers away from this place, but fucking common cops came here… Huh? The annoying part is I can't run away right now; they have seen my face. It's better to just lie with half-truths and come clean. They will probably just let me go, or I could just call Gojo if things get too annoying. I am sure he will be able to get me out of here… But still, this is annoying; I can't test my red stitch! ugh…'
When Ren stood again, the two officers exchanged a look. One nodded.
"Ok, uh, walk slowly. Let's get you out of here!"
The older officer—cap tilted down—approached and grabbed Ren's shoulder. Together, the three of them began walking out of the ruined room, navigating the debris.
As they walked, Ren felt a strange heaviness—or lightness—across his skin.
'Hmm… interesting. I don't feel like I can use the Red Stitch form anywhere around my body. The binding vows seem to work… At least this part works… Uh, yeah, I should name this something, right? Red Stitch doesn't fit anymore. If my cursed technique actually changed the way I wanted, then this is no longer Red Stitch; this is…'
He blinked.
The female cop's eyes weren't on his face. They were on his chest.
'What the hell? Is she really? No way, right? I'm shirtless and good-looking—I know that. Maybe toned for sure, but I don't have abs. What is she looking at? Ugh, at least be discreet, anyway… The 5-minute timer on Rika ran out. I don't feel Rika anymore. And it's nighttime… I got here at 9 pm… That means I was sleeping for at least half an hour, maybe more. Since Rika's timer refreshes every hour, I know an hour hasn't passed.'
Ren stepped outside, limping—or at least acting like it. They approached the patrol car.
The officer asked:
"Who were you, kid? What were you even doing there? Are you ok?"
Ren nodded.
"I'm fine, just a little shaky. I was trying to look for a cat, you know? Her name is Wagahai. I lost her while playing. I didn't know that place was off-limits. Sorry!"
He bowed politely.
'Yeah, all I was doing here was playing with a cat named Wagahai, nothing else, and while looking for her, I just happened to wander to the upper room of that abandoned school, and then the floor cracked and broke, and I fell down. Yeah, that's what totally happened… Wagahai… I wonder if that novel exists in this world. It should, right? Hahahahah…'
He kept his face innocent and steady.
The female officer pulled out a napkin and towel for Ren.
The male officer suddenly snapped upright.
"What? Why didn't you tell me there was a cat possibly stuck in there?! Wait—no—I have to go back in there right now! Wagahai! Hang in there, I'm coming!"
And the man spun around and stormed heroically back into the abandoned building.
"WAGAHAI!"
He yelled it while flashing his flashlight everywhere…
Ren's perfect poker face nearly broke.
'What is this, a try-not-to-laugh challenge? Fucking hell! I forgot how nice Japanese officers are! Ugh, he's going to be in there looking for Wagahai for hours…'
He clenched his jaw to stop himself from smiling.
Then the female officer looked directly at him.
"Uh, are you fine? Looks like you were sleeping for a while, by the way. Could you tell me how old you are and what your name is? Do you live around here?"
Ren froze.
'Well, I was able to avoid my name until now… But it seems I can't wait any longer, huh?'
He answered calmly.
"My name is Ren Sato, and I am 17 years old. No, I don't live around here. I was just near the park playing with Wagahai before she ran away…"
The female officer's eyes widened for a split second before she coughed and looked away.
She thought he looked far too mature for seventeen.
Ren, meanwhile, sat in the back of the cop car, door open.
Then his own eyes widened.
'Wait a sec... She said I looked like I'd been sleeping for a while? Wait… how long was I out after the ritual? Because at the end of the ritual, I used Divine Writ: Blood Ink Sutra to heal myself… The one-hour undoing… In one hour whatever was done with Divine Writ reverses… UNDOING will happen! I might die any second! Fuck! I need to get back to Jujutsu High right now! Who knows how long I have—10 minutes? 5 minutes? 1 minute?!'
Ren shot to his feet.
Before the officer could even react, Ren's fist smashed into her face. She dropped backward onto the seat.
Ren spun around.
Cursed energy pulsing inside of his body, Ren's perfected red cursed circuit working perfectly, his legs already moving.
Wind ripped past him as he jumped into the night, rain flicking across his skin.
'Sorry random female cop—actually, not sorry. You kind of deserve that for checking me out. I need to reach Jujutsu High fast. Uh-ha… This is the perfect moment to try out my new Red Stitch!'
'Cursed energy reinforcement works perfectly. That means my inner circuit also works perfectly now… It's time!'
Ren threw his arm out…