The First Steps Toward Perfection– Chapter 56
The First Steps Toward Perfection– Chapter 56
Morning came gently.
Ren opened his eyes to the quiet hum of wind rustling through the open window. For a second, he just lay there, blinking slowly, letting the warmth of his blanket linger against his skin. The faint scent of tatami mixed with sunlight. Everything felt still.
But only for a moment.
He stretched once, then sat up and got moving.
Brushing his teeth. Showering. Wiping the mirror free of fog. The usual routine—but it felt cleaner now. Sharper. Like everything was running on a new circuit. A new wavelength.
He stood in front of the wardrobe and picked out a clean black uniform. Crisp shirt, dark pants. Then socks. Shoes. He slipped into them without a word. Every motion was mechanical, quiet, but precise.
He walked back to the mirror.
He stared.
Pulled his hair back.
Held it for a few seconds, then let it fall loose again.
His hair had grown a bit. Wild. Unkempt. It didn't make him look like a teenager—not really. Maybe it was the lack of emotion on his face. Maybe it was the tired eyes, or the sharpness in his jaw. If not for his height—barely 5'8—someone might've thought he was twenty, maybe older.
But that wasn't what Ren was thinking about.
No.
What Ren was thinking about was one thing.
Red Cursed Circuit.
His cursed technique.
His weapon.
His weakness.
He looked himself in the eyes and thought:
"Level 2 is useless."
Yeah.
That was the truth.
He'd spent a month trying to force evolution—stacking layer upon layer, refining cursed energy flows, compacting the spiral, pushing for speed and output… But all of it led nowhere.
Now, with the books, he understood why.
It was like trying to build a castle on quicksand.
"The best thing I can do," he thought, "is go back. Strip it to the bone. Dismantle the spiral. Return to Level One—the base—and rebuild it from scratch."
He exhaled.
Then muttered aloud, "Reinforce it with chants. Build structure through hand signs. Lock stability with binding vows. All of that… just to maybe get it right this time."
But there was a catch.
A big one.
"This is going to take a shit-ton of cursed energy…" he whispered.
And that, as always, brought him back to the biggest problem.
His cursed energy pool.
Still small.
Still weak.
Even with precision and technique, he was no powerhouse. He couldn't brute force his way into anything. Without Rika, he was barely Grade 3.
"Even the books had nothing on expanding cursed energy reserves," he muttered as he tied his shoes.
There were hints—cryptic theories about using external conduits. One text even mentioned something bizarre:
"Theoretically, another human can be used as a cursed energy vessel—but the transfer is dangerous and unstable. Such practices are forbidden by the Tokyo Jujutsu High, and there are no verified cases of success."
Of course there weren't.
Ren scoffed.
"No verified cases," he repeated. "That just means no one smart enough or crazy enough succeeded yet."
He stood up and adjusted the cuffs of his shirt.
"...And the scary part?" he thought. "Is that I already see a few ways how it could work."
He frowned.
Hard.
"Do I like that I know that?" he whispered. "Or do I hate it?"
The answer didn't come.
Instead, he shook his head and walked toward the door.
He grabbed the cursed energy notebook from the desk and tucked it under his arm.
Time for class.
The walk across campus was quiet.
Too quiet.
Most of the students were already inside, probably taking roll, settling into the morning rhythm. It was technically Ren's second day at Jujutsu High, but since he'd skipped class yesterday to read and hide from the world, this would be his real introduction.
He wasn't nervous.
If anything?
He was hyped.
He knew the people he'd meet.
And he knew their potential.
Maki Zenin.
Everyone thought she was weak. She couldn't even see cursed spirits without glasses. No one knew she was a ticking bomb, a sword waiting to be unsheathed. She was like Toji. Ren could see it. She could be useful. Deadly. Her curse resistance could become a tool for Ren's own arsenal, or perhaps more…
A shield or a sword...
Then there was Panda.
Weird. Powerful. Artificial. But alive.
Ren had never really understood Panda from just the manga. But now, thinking tactically, Ren wondered: Could he study Panda? Learn about his inner structure? Maybe figure out a way to improve Kai2 using similar design concepts?
The idea stuck.
Artificial cursed corpses...
Then there was Inumaki.
Ren blinked, walking through the stone courtyard now, surrounded by sakura trees and the smell of morning dew.
He clenched his teeth.
Cursed speech.
That power alone was one of the most versatile cursed techniques in the series.
Ren's thoughts turned sharp.
"If I had his CT, it would be too useful."
His pace didn't break, but his mind kept spiraling.
"Maybe during the Geto war… if things go bad… maybe if I let Rika eat him…"
He froze mid-step.
Then gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath:
"Stop it."
His own voice echoed back.
It felt like venom in his throat.
"I'm not going down that path."
He started walking again.
Faster now.
But the thought clung to him like oil.
Because the truth?
It wasn't hatred.
He didn't hate Inumaki.
Not at all.
He just wanted what Inumaki had.
That was the shift.
The evolution.
Ren didn't just want to live anymore.
He wanted to win.
No matter what.
Even if it meant entertaining dark possibilities.
Still…
He'd hold onto his humanity. That was a promise.
He'd draw a line.
He had to.
He couldn't become Geto.
He couldn't become Sukuna.
He wasn't a villain.
Not yet.
But the lines?
They were getting blurry.
So as he crossed the threshold into the main classroom building, he took a deep breath and whispered, "One thing at a time. First… perfect Red Cursed Circuit. Then we see where the rest leads."