Echoes After the Boom - Chapter 46

The smell of sesame oil filled the air, followed by a quick sizzle of soy on the pan. Ren held the wok steady in one hand, wrist flicking with practiced efficiency. His movements were fluid, casual. Controlled.

But his mind?

Anything but.

Kai2 was still clinging to his leg, refusing to let go, curled around his shin like a clingy eel plush. Occasionally, the little cursed fish would tremble or let out a watery burble, as if confirming to itself that yes, Ren was still alive.

Ren didn't shoo him away. He let him stay.

Tonight, he'd earned it.

As the stir-fry hissed and simmered, Ren's eyes narrowed.

That fight...

He stirred the vegetables once, then let the thoughts in.

It could've gone better.

It was a victory, yeah, but it had felt messy. Sloppy. The "Love Cannon" was overkill. Funny, sure. Effective, obviously. But overkill.

That curse… it wasn't fully special grade. Right? It wasn't on Rika's level, not even close. Maybe… semi-special grade? Is that even a thing?

He scooped food into a bowl and sat at the floor mat, Kai2 now resting beside him, eyeing the food like a puppy. Ren clicked his chopsticks together.

"...No, but seriously," he murmured to himself. "That curse? It just chewed on a Sukuna Finger and became that strong."

He paused, chopsticks mid-air.

What if a real curse ate it all the way through?

Like… a proper high-grade one? A cursed spirit that could handle it?

Would it just become another Finger Demon?

He shivered slightly.

"Yeah, no thanks."

Ren took a bite of food.

It was good. Simple. Warm. He chewed slowly, mind still racing.

I won. I really won. But…

The ten seconds of cursed energy overdrive? Stupid. Unusable in real combat. All bark, no bite. It slowed me more than anything. Made me a flashy target. And Red Stitch?

He sighed.

Good for movement. Setup. Distraction. But actually killing something? It's trash.

His grip on the chopsticks loosened.

Rika carried that fight. I hate saying it, but she did. And that's fine. I earned her. But it also shows me something else.

He swallowed hard.

Without Rika… I'm third-grade. Maybe second, if I push the Red Cursed Circuit to its limits. That's it.

He stared down at the bowl.

With her? For five minutes? I'm special grade. No question. But it's her. Not me. I'm just riding shotgun. And even then…

Yuta…

He scowled.

Yuta had cursed energy reserves that surpassed even Gojo. Reverse cursed technique. Domain potential. He was broken out of the box.

Ren stabbed at a piece of tofu.

Me? I've got weak cursed energy. A niche cursed technique. And decent knowledge. And Rika…

He paused.

But I don't just have one cursed technique.

He smirked.

Red Stitch. And Copy.

Copy is wild. That's my ace. That's my cheat. If I keep playing this game smart, that technique can become anything.

He took another bite.

If. Big IF. It's all just… possible right now.

Ren finished the bowl in silence, then stood, rinsed the dishes, and washed his hands.

Kai2 had calmed down, rolling over once with a soft burble and lying like a bloated sushi roll.

The room was quiet. Moonlight cast shadows across the hardwood floor.

Ren walked to the center of the mat and sat down cross-legged.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

Then he said aloud: "Ka, come give me that finger."

The room darkened slightly as Rika's form pulsed into existence behind him. Just enough to reach a single hand out from the shadows.

A pop.

The Sukuna Finger dropped into his palm.

Ren held it for a long second.

It still pulsed. Still whispered something ancient and bitter just beyond the edge of hearing.

"If Gojo knocks tomorrow," he murmured, "I might have to hand this over."

He turned it slowly in his fingers.

"Or maybe I argue. Maybe I lie. Maybe I stall…"

But why waste the opportunity?

He set the finger down on the mat in front of him and leaned closer.

Let's test some things.

Over the next hour, Ren didn't move much. He didn't poke it with cursed energy. Didn't make a binding vow. He wasn't stupid.

This was a fragment of Sukuna's soul.

Anything reckless could trigger something irreversible.

So he watched. Listened. Observed.

He enhanced his vision with cursed energy. Watched the aura. It was heavy, like dried blood on silk. Strong. But not active.

He tested cursed energy sensitivity—slowly. Just with his eyes.

Dark.

Rotten.

Almost oily in feel.

Then he sat back and thought.

Option one: I feed it to Rika.

Maybe, just maybe… if the stars align, I get a piece of Sukuna's technique. Domain fragments. Malevolent Shrine?

He paused.

But if that was possible, wouldn't Yuta have done it? He had Rika. He had access to the fingers. Why didn't he just farm techniques?

He stared at the finger.

Plot hole? Maybe. Or maybe it's just not worth the risk.

He rubbed his temple.

I'm not feeding Rika something that could trigger Sukuna's soul.

Not yet.

Option two…

His gaze shifted to Kai2, who now lay on his back, little fins twitching in sleep.

Feeding the finger to that little bastard?

He snorted.

That'd be so stupid it just might work. He might evolve. Gain a second form. Maybe even awaken a technique.

Then again...

He might just blow up.

Or worse, go berserk.

Ren leaned back.

"...Is there really nothing I can do with this thing safely?"

He turned it in his hand again. Every instinct told him to keep it. To guard it.

But he had no good path forward. Not yet.

With a sigh, he tossed the finger back toward the shadow at his side.

Rika's hand emerged again.

The finger vanished.

Storage secured.

Ren exhaled and stretched his arms.

"Alright. Final problem," he muttered. "My story."

Because someone was coming tomorrow.

And when they asked him who he was?

He couldn't say the truth.

He had to give them something believable.

A narrative. A lie woven from just enough truth to stick.

"I was normal. Until I was seven. I had a crush. She died in front of me. Since then, Rika's been with me."

"My life? Poor. No family. Alone."

"A month ago, I started seeing energy around things. At the shrine—my comfort spot—Rika showed me something. A spark. A flow."

"That's when I learned about cursed energy. I trained. Obsessively. For weeks."

"Then one morning, I woke up and knew my cursed technique: Red Stitch."

"And then… I met Utahime."

"I sensed that same energy from her. I followed her. I didn't know it'd lead to a fight."

"But I won. Somehow. I survived."

That was the story.

It was stupid.

But it worked.

It was close enough to the truth. Close enough to Yuta's tale that it wouldn't raise flags. But with my own twists.

No holes.

No evidence against it.

Just mystery.

Ren leaned back on his hands, looking at the ceiling.

It'll do.

He stood up, stretched once, and walked to his futon. Kai2 flopped over and dragged itself up onto the blanket beside him.

The little fish curled into a ball, still twitching.

"…You're really not gonna let go for a while, huh?" Ren murmured.

Kai2 burbled softly and wiggled closer.

Ren pulled the blanket over himself, eyes already fluttering shut.

The apartment was dark. Quiet. Calm.

But his last thought, before sleep took him, was simple.

Someone's going to knock tomorrow.

He had to be ready.