Leaving It All Behind – Chapter 131

Leaving It All Behind – Chapter 131

Mei Mei froze, her brows knitting together.

"Huh? You want to leave the country… why?"

Ren rolled his eyes, leaning back on the couch. Then, without warning, he reached forward, gripping Mei Mei's chin lightly but firmly, his voice low and calm.

"First, book a flight for me outside this country—anywhere, I don't care. Buy me a house there, something quiet, off the radar. And… give me a report on everything you and everyone else knows about my fight with Geto and Mahoraga."

He let go of her, casually standing and walking toward the kitchen. Ren grabbed a banana from the counter, peeled it with one hand, and walked back, sitting down like nothing happened.

Mei Mei was still frozen in place, cheeks slightly flushed.

"Why the hell did he have to touch me like that?!"

She snapped out of it and yelled, "Ah! Hey! Don't do that again! And I asked you a question—why do you want to leave the country? Huh?!"

Ren ignored her tone, glancing at the envelope on the table.

"By the way, is that the report? You're fast."

"You're lucky I was on the team compiling it," Mei Mei said, still glaring at him.

Ren smirked, flipping through the pages.

"Good girl."

Mei Mei blinked, almost choking on her own breath. "Did he just call me that?!"

Ren skimmed the report while biting into the banana.

"Hmm… ' The fight between first-year student Ren Sato and Suguru Geto—and the Divine General Mahoraga—was a battle that took place on November 30. On the same day, the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons was unfolding, so no other sorcerers were present. Ren Sato is confirmed to have faced both a Special Grade sorcerer (Geto) and a shikigami presumed to be Special Grade (Mahoraga). It's theorized that Domain Expansions and Maximum Techniques were used during the battle.

The aftermath: Geto Suguru was found with his arm destroyed and his chest impaled by an iron rod. It's theorized Ren Sato did this. Mahoraga was reduced to ash or nothingness, with no physical remains. Ren Sato himself was found alive with a bleeding shoulder and passed out after delivering his injured friends Panda and Inumaki to the hospital.'"

Ren closed the report with a grin.

"Okay, so they don't know shit. That's great."

He leaned back, his voice serious now.

"Anyway, I need to get out of this country. Three reasons:

The whole jujutsu world is going to have their eyes on me now. I wouldn't be shocked if they send spies after me.

Safety. Without Rika, I'm not nearly as secure as I used to be.

I plan to run… tests. Not exactly the type of experiments I want anyone seeing. I need new cards to play now that my biggest one is gone."

Mei Mei was quiet for a moment, but then she sighed and pulled out her phone, making a quick call.

"Fine. There are flights to Sakha, Russia, and Congo, Africa. Both are quiet enough. And by the way…" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Never call me a good girl again. I'm older than you."

Ren chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Where do you want to go, huh?"

Mei Mei tilted her head, caught off guard.

"What? I have a choice?"

"Why not?"

She considered.

"Well… both places are bad. Congo is blazing hot; Sakha is freezing. But I'd pick Congo. Smuggling's easier there."

Ren smirked.

"Then Congo it is. Book me a house there. Make sure it's isolated. And big."

Mei Mei's jaw dropped.

"What?! You're actually serious? Why Congo?"

Ren bit into the banana—sideways. Mei Mei twitched but bit back a comment.

"Because I quit Jujutsu High. I'm bored of this country. Bored of sorcerers. Bored of curses. It's all the same bullshit."

Mei Mei blinked. Bored?

Ren leaned back, his tone quieter now.

"I saw the peak. I realized I wasn't that far from it. That fight with Geto and Mahoraga… to me? It was boring. It felt like burnout, you know? Too much 'curse this, curse that.' It's nonsense now."

Mei Mei's brain struggled to process his words.

"What? He fought special grades, saw the peak of jujutsu sorcery—and he's bored?! Is this how geniuses think?!"

She just stared at him, dumbfounded, while Ren kept eating the banana like nothing was wrong.

Of course, it was all a calculated lie. Ren wasn't bored. He wasn't burned out. He was simply weak without Rika—and he wasn't about to admit that to Mei Mei. Mind games were easier, and Ren enjoyed watching her squirm. Even if she was his "slave," Ren enjoyed keeping her off balance. Watching her try to figure him out was a game in itself.