Maki blinked, looking back and forth between them in genuine confusion. "You two know each other?"
"No!" Nobara yelled defensively, aggressively crossing her arms. She absolutely refused to admit in front of Megumi and Maki that she had tried—and failed—to get this guy's number. "I just... I bought a jacket from him yesterday! And Yeah he's a civilian! Why the hell is a retail worker transferring to Jujutsu High?!"
Before Ren could invent a lie to smooth over the situation, the air behind them warped with a sudden pressure.
"Now, now, Nobara! Don't be rude to our newest guest!"
Satoru Gojo stepped out from the shadows of the corridor, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
He strolled into the center of the courtyard, wrapping a long arm casually around Ren's shoulders. Ren forced himself to stumble slightly under the weight.
"Ren-kun isn't just any transfer student," Gojo announced brightly, his blindfolded gaze turning specifically toward Maki.
A wickedly conspiratorial smirk spread across his face. "He is a very good friend of Maki's. A very, very good friend. They are incredibly close."
Maki's face instantly went rigid. The vein in her forehead practically pulsed as her hand twitched toward her weapons case. "Satoru. I swear to god."
"In fact, they are so close," Gojo continued, practically singing the words as he ignored Maki's murderous intent, "that Ren-kun seems to have caught a bit of Maki's... physical conditioning! Isn't that right, Ren-kun?"
"Just lucky, I guess," Ren replied smoothly, offering a sheepish, perfectly innocent smile to the group.
Megumi's scowl deepened. He looked at Ren, then at Maki, sensing the bizarre, heavy tension in the air. "That makes no sense. You can't catch physical conditioning."
"Details, details, Megumi!" Gojo laughed, waving his free hand dismissively. He pulled away from Ren and clapped his hands together. "Anyway, since Maki is super busy whipping the second-years into shape for the Goodwill Event, I've decided Ren needs some peer bonding with people his own age!"
Maki's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"
"Ren-kun!" Gojo cheered, pointing dramatically at the first-years. "For the foreseeable future, you are going to be shadowing Megumi and Nobara! They will show you the ropes, teach you how not to die, and help you test out your fun new strength!"
"Absolutely not!" Nobara yelled, her pride completely rejecting the idea of babysitting the guy who rejected her.
"I don't have time to babysit," Megumi added flatly.
"It wasn't a request!" Gojo beamed, already turning on his heel to walk away. "Play nice, kids! Megumi, take him to the training field and see what he can do. Maki, you're with me. We have paperwork to forge!"
"Satoru, get back here!" Maki barked, but Gojo was already gliding down the hallway, humming a cheerful tune. She looked back at Ren, her eyes silently apologizing and warning him to be careful at the exact same time. With a frustrated growl, she turned and stomped after her teacher.
Silence descended on the courtyard.
Ren stood there, hands shoved deep into his denim jacket pockets. He looked at Megumi, who was studying him with the intense, calculating gaze of a seasoned sorcerer, and then at Nobara, who looked like she wanted to set him on fire with her mind.
"So," Ren said, offering them both that effortless, preternaturally handsome smile. "Which way to the training field?"
...
The floodlights shut off with a loud clunk, plunging the dirt training field into darkness.
Ren let out a heavy breath, rolling his shoulders as he walked toward the edge of the field. His body wasn't actually tired—the Heavenly Restriction processed fatigue way too fast for that—but his brain was completely fried.
Spending the last four hours actively forcing himself to trip over his own feet, swing wildly, and act like a totally uncoordinated amateur while Megumi casually tossed him into the dirt was mentally exhausting.
Megumi picked up his wooden training sword, wiping some dirt off his uniform. He didn't look impressed, but he didn't look highly suspicious either.
"You have terrible balance," Megumi stated flatly, tossing the wooden sword into a nearby equipment bin. "And your footwork is a mess. But you take a hit well. Go get some sleep."
With that, Megumi turned and started walking toward the dormitories, not waiting for a response.
Ren started walking down the gravel path a few paces behind him. Nobara was walking right next to Ren, aggressively scrolling through her phone. She had spent the entire training session sitting on the sidelines, glaring at him, and hadn't said a single word for the last hour.
Suddenly, a closed fist slammed hard right between Ren's shoulder blades.
"Gah!" Ren stumbled forward a few steps, catching his balance before he ate dirt. He spun around, rubbing his back. "What the hell was that for?"
Nobara didn't even stop walking. She just shoved her phone into her pocket and kept her eyes locked straight ahead.
"Nothing," she snapped.
She marched right past him, her boots crunching loudly on the gravel, leaving him standing completely alone on the path.
Ren watched her go, letting out a short, tired sigh. He definitely needed to figure out how to handle her wounded pride before she decided to start using nails and a hammer on him.
He found his assigned room on the second-year floor a few minutes later. It was basic but clean—a standard twin bed, a wooden desk, and a small closet.
Maki had clearly dropped off his duffel bag earlier, as it was sitting at the foot of the bed.
Ren shut the door and flipped the deadbolt.
The moment the lock clicked, the nervous, clumsy civilian act completely dropped from his shoulders. His posture instantly straightened, and the fake tension drained from his muscles.
He walked over to the bed and dropped backward onto the mattress, staring up at the plain ceiling. He had actually pulled it off. He was inside the school.
A sharp ping echoed in the quiet room.
The space directly above him lit up with the crisp, translucent blue glow of the System interface.
[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Admission to Tokyo Jujutsu High]