The Calm Before the Punishment – Chapter 58

The Calm Before the Punishment – Chapter 58

Ren stood calmly at the front of the classroom, hands in his pockets, smiling faintly like a man with a plan already unfolding.

'Ah, this act should work, right? Hate them at first—make them think I'm cold, above them—and then slowly, piece by piece, reveal just enough amusement to seem like I'm warming up to them. That'll make me seem more likable in the long run… Human minds are so predictable.'

He tilted his head slightly toward Gojo. "Well, first of all—" he gestured lazily toward Maki, "—she has barely any cursed energy. Almost none. Which does make her a little interesting to me, I guess. But that's it."

Maki's brow twitched.

Ren turned to Inumaki. "And him? He's not bad. Actually, the best out of the two. He maybe has some sort of weird cursed technique. Just the way he hides his lower face—it's like how you hide your eyes, Gojo. A good clue, right?"

Gojo raised his brows in surprise.

Then Ren turned his eyes to the last student.

"And also, uh… that's just a panda. I don't hate pandas, but like, come on—what are we doing here, Sensei? Are you really grouping me up with these guys?"

The silence in the classroom was thick.

It didn't just hit.

It smashed.

Maki looked like she had just been punched in the pride. Panda's head tilted in disbelief. Inumaki blinked slowly, a straw hanging from the edge of his lip as he sipped the last remains of his drink.

Even Gojo was speechless for a heartbeat.

'Damn, that was cold,' he thought. 'Sharp as ever. He already figured out Maki has no cursed energy. Realized Inumaki might be the strongest. And Panda… well, he is a panda, so fair game. But still! This kid's not just clever—he's surgical with it.'

He grinned.

'I knew he had a sharp tongue, but this… this is drama! I love drama.'

Maki stood up with a screech of her chair. Her eyes burned.

The classroom practically vibrated with her fury as she pulled her spear out from behind her desk, aiming it right at Ren.

"Hey, dipshit!" she barked. "I don't care who you are—big shot or not—but to have the nerve to call me a weakling? You look like you just rolled out of bed!"

Ren didn't even flinch.

His smile stayed.

Unbothered. Dismissive.

Panda stood up too, lifting a massive hand toward Maki's shoulder.

"Yo, calm down," he said gently. "He's just… well, rude. But you're going to make it worse."

He turned his head to Ren, a small frown on his face.

"You hurt my panda feelings, you know."

Inumaki said nothing. He simply held up his drink, found it empty, and lowered it again. His silence said more than words could've.

The whole room was tense. Crackling.

And yet Ren didn't step back.

He liked it.

The heat. The pressure. The irritation.

He was prodding them all—testing where their egos would bend and where they would snap.

And Gojo?

Gojo just clapped his hands dramatically like a game show host.

"Alright! Alright! That's enough!" He called, walking between them with a grin. "No fighting in class! We're not savages. Well, I mean… not until we get to the training field."

Ren raised a brow. "Training field?"

"Yep!" Gojo flashed a peace sign. "You're overdue for a little punishment anyway—for skipping class and for being a big ol' meanie. So… let's stretch our legs!"

Maki looked far too happy to hear that.

"Finally," she muttered.

Panda sighed. "This is going to end badly…"

Inumaki stood quietly. "Shake."

Gojo waved them all toward the door, bouncing like a kid headed to recess.

Ren followed behind, hands still buried in his pockets.

But his mind was anything but relaxed.

'Hmm… he's going to throw them at me. All of them, huh? Ugh… I had a feeling. This is going to be loud.'

As they exited the classroom, Maki was muttering angry curses under her breath, most of them directed at Ren's uncombed hair and unbothered face. Panda was doing his best to calm her down, using his deep voice and easy tone to ease the tension.

Inumaki? Still silent. But his walk had a rhythm. A cadence.

He was ready too.

Gojo marched ahead, glancing back to Ren occasionally, grinning like he was about to unveil the best joke in history.

And Ren?

He just smiled.

Waiting.