The Decision – Chapter 129

The Decision – Chapter 129

The room went silent.

Gojo tilted his head, the usual grin fading slightly.

"What do you mean?"

Ren, still sitting on the bed, leaned forward with a tired but unwavering gaze.

"Didn't you hear me? I said, I'm leaving Jujutsu High."

Gojo blinked once, his tone calmer this time.

"No, I heard you the first time. I mean, why?"

Maki suddenly interjected, stepping closer to the bed.

"What, Ren? You can't just leave or drop out!"

Ren let out a dry laugh.

"I can do whatever I want, simple as that. And why would I want to stay?

Here's why—I don't have a death wish."

Ren's voice carried a quiet, sharp weight that filled the room. "Gojo, when I first agreed to come here, I didn't know every few months I'd be fighting monsters and people I don't even know about. Ever since I got here, that's all it's been—fighting, bleeding, almost dying. Fighting for my life and for others. And I'll be honest, I'm a selfish person. That's why I want to quit. Simple as that."

The room was still. Gojo stared at him for a long moment, hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable.

Inside, though, Gojo's thoughts churned.

"He's right, huh? The agreement was that he'd come with me and learn about curses… not risk his life against special grades every other month. He's strong, but at the end of the day, he's still just a kid. I… I messed up. I should've been more careful."

Gojo's philosophy had always been to protect and nurture the next generation. To break the old, toxic cycle of the jujutsu world. To let the young live like humans, not weapons. It was why he adopted Megumi. It was why he did what he did.

But with Ren, he realized he had failed that promise.

Gojo sighed lightly, then spoke.

"Fine. You can leave. I'll make sure no one bothers you."

His tone was quieter now, almost… serious.

"But Ren, just know—if you ever want to learn about curses again, Jujutsu High is always open for you."

With that, Gojo turned, hands slipping back into his pockets, and started toward the door.

"What?!" Maki shouted, disbelief lacing her tone.

"Gojo-sensei, what the hell? Are you not going to stop him?! He can't just leave!"

Gojo's voice came as he walked away, calm but firm.

"Stop him? He's one of the three special grade sorcerers in this world. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't stop him, Maki."

His footsteps echoed as he left, his words sinking into the room.

Ren smirked faintly as he watched Gojo's back.

"Oh, so he's doing that, huh? Making it sound like I'm stronger than him… clearing up space for me. That'll scare off most people from bothering me. He's taking the weight off my shoulders by piling up my reputation even higher… Ha. I'll pay you back for that one, Gojo."

He leaned back on the bed, closing his eyes for a moment.

Maki stood there, conflicted.

"Ren… Are you really going to leave? What about school and everything else?"

Ren shook his head slowly.

"We'll see about that later. I just… want to get away from this place. Ever since I got here, I've almost died so many times, you know?"

Maki's lips pressed into a thin line. She didn't have a reply. Her head lowered, shadowing her eyes.

"I'm so useless… Where was I when he was fighting to save Panda and Inumaki? I was… sleeping. And now he's going away, and I still can't do anything."

Her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

Then she felt something tapping her shoulder.

She turned to see Ren holding out his phone. "Here's my number. If you want to stay in contact."

Maki blinked, startled. Her eyes widened slightly—he looked casual about it, but… there was something sincere there. Almost without thinking, she grabbed his phone, reading the number again and again before saving it.

She quietly placed his phone back on the bed.

As she stood and walked toward the door, Ren called out lazily, "Ah, hey. Where's the thank you?"

Maki turned, scowling. "Why? Do I have to say thank you, huh?"

Ren grinned, leaning back with a teasing tone. "You're the only girl in this school I gave my phone number to, you know? You're lucky!"

Maki's face flushed faintly. She huffed and stomped out, slamming the door shut behind her.

Her heart was beating faster than she liked.

"Idiot…"