...
The Shinkansen pulled into Kyoto Station exactly two hours later. Ren stepped off the train and bypassed the heavy tourist crowds, heading straight for the central concourse.
He spotted Mai waiting near a row of automated ticket machines. She was leaning against a tiled pillar, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. The second she caught sight of him walking toward her, she deliberately snapped her gaze in the opposite direction, fixing her attention on a digital departure board. A deep, stubborn pout settled on her face.
Ren smiled. He closed the distance and stopped right in front of her.
Mai immediately looked at the floor. She shifted her weight, actively pretending he was completely invisible.
"If you keep acting angry," Ren said, keeping his voice casual, "I will kiss you right in front of everyone, and you won't be able to stop me."
A rush of red flared across her cheeks. Despite the obvious flush, she kept her chin tilted away, refusing to break her silent strike or acknowledge he had spoken.
Ren didn't give her another warning.
He stepped directly into her space, placed a hand flat against the tiled pillar beside her head, and leaned in. He caught her lips in a firm, deliberate kiss, pinning her flat against the wall.
Mai's eyes snapped wide open. She let out a muffled, startled gasp against his mouth. Both of her hands flew up to grip the lapels of his jacket, though she made absolutely zero effort to push him away.
The commuter foot traffic flowing around them didn't stop, but the complaints started almost immediately.
"Honestly, no manners at all," an older woman muttered loudly, glaring as she pulled her rolling suitcase past them.
"Youngsters these days," a businessman scoffed, speed-walking toward the ticket gates.
Ren ignored them, keeping her pinned just a second longer before pulling back. He looked down at her. Her defensive walls were completely shattered, her face burning a violent crimson as she stared up at him, still gripping his jacket.
"Better?" he asked.
Mai's grip on his jacket didn't loosen. She stared at him, her chest heaving. The sheer mortification of the crowd, stacked on top of the absolute terror she'd been holding onto all morning, finally cracked her composure. Her dark eyes glassed over, welling up with furious, humiliated tears.
"You're a bully," she whispered, her voice actually shaking.
Ren dropped his hand from the tiled wall. The teasing smile completely left his face.
"First you yell at me on the phone," she accused, her voice rising as she shoved hard against his chest. "You tell me to shut up. You treat me like an idiot. And then you come here and make a spectacle out of me in front of half the city."
She drove the toe of her leather boot sharply into his shin.
Ren took the hit without a word. He caught her wrists before she could wind up for another strike. She struggled for a second, then just stopped, letting her head drop forward against his collarbone. She took a ragged breath, actively trying to hide her face from the passing commuters.
"I'm sorry," Ren said quietly. He let go of her wrists and put a hand on her back, guiding her away from the pillar. "Come on. Let's get out of the open."
She didn't argue. She kept her head down, walking closely beside him as he navigated them away from the central concourse. They bypassed the main exits and food courts, heading down a quiet, narrow service corridor that led toward the station's administrative offices.
Ren found an empty alcove housing a row of inactive vending machines and a single metal bench. The roar of the station was muted here, reduced to a dull, echoing hum.
Mai sat down heavily on the bench. She pulled her knees together and wrapped her arms around herself, staring at the scuffed linoleum floor. The fierce, untouchable Zen'in pride she always wore like armor was gone, leaving her looking incredibly small.
Ren slid his hand to her waist, pulling her slightly closer on the metal bench. Mai didn't resist. The remaining tension drained out of her, and she let out a long, exhausted sigh, resting her head heavily on his shoulder.
"You're completely shameless," she muttered, her voice muffled against his jacket. "Don't ever kiss me in a crowded place like that again. It's embarrassing."
Ren chuckled, the sound vibrating against her cheek. "Okay, fair enough. I'll just kiss you as much as I want in places that aren't crowded. Like here, right?"
She lifted her head from his shoulder, her eyes narrowing as she opened her mouth to shoot back a retort.
He didn't let her.
Ren caught her chin, tilted her face up, and kissed her.
There was no audience this time. He didn't rush it. He leaned in, shifting his weight to pull her against him. Mai's initial surprise melted almost instantly. Her hands slid up his chest, her fingers gripping the dark fabric of his shirt as she kissed him back. He didn't stop, keeping her pulled close until her grip tightened and she let out a quiet, breathless sound against his mouth.
When he finally broke the kiss, she slumped back against the bench, her face flushed and her chest rising and falling with short, uneven breaths.
Ren stayed close, brushing his thumb lightly across her cheek.
"I missed you," he said quietly.
Mai pouted, turning her face slightly away, though she didn't actually move her body from his side. "You'd better have," she muttered. "Otherwise I'd..." She trailed off, settling for a sharp, stubborn hmph.
Ren just smiled, letting the quiet hum of the station wash over them.
Ten minutes later, the reality of the situation had been laid out on the table. Ren skipped the deep mechanics of the System, keeping the explanation grounded in Jujutsu facts she already understood: twin souls, Maki's Heavenly Restriction, and the inevitable bridge pulling them toward absolute zero.
Mai sat perfectly still, staring at the opposite wall.
"So," she finally said, her voice flat. "I have to lose my energy for Maki to have her pact completed."
"Yeah," Ren said. He didn't sugarcoat it. "But you aren't going to lose all of it. I found a workaround. You'll keep just enough to see curses and retain your status. You aren't dropping back to a civilian."
Mai let out a bitter, hollow laugh. "Great. I'm a sorcerer with enough energy to see the monsters, but not enough to actually do anything about them. A single bullet used to exhaust me. Now I won't even be able to make that."
Ren looked down at her for a second, then shook his head. "You're unbelievable."
Mai frowned. "What now?"
Instead of answering, he leaned down and pressed a kiss against her cheek. The fight went out of her instantly, a fresh rush of red hitting her face.
"Ren."
"Don't get discouraged so fast, princess," he said, reaching into his jacket pocket.