"Understanding"
"What the hell, Ren?!"
Maki's voice hit him like a slap. Ren blinked hard, mind still buzzing from the red threads and the vow he'd just carved into the window. His head spun—the sudden jolt of reality after hours of pure focus was like stepping out of a dream.
He shook his head fast, trying to center himself. His hand went up to his face, covering half of it as he muttered, "Wait, I can explain!"
But Maki wasn't letting him off the hook that easily.
"Why the hell are you learning English at 12:00 am in the night?! With your cursed technique? What's wrong with you? Are you alright? And why are you screaming?"
Ren's mouth hung open.
'What the hell is she talking abou—ohhh wait! Yes. Yes! The window! I used English letters to write my vows on the damn window! All my binding vows were written in English! I did it by instinct!'
A grin almost crept up his face.
'Thank God Maki doesn't know English. Ha, ha! Perfect! I can just say I'm learning English. Brilliant excuse, Ren. Brilliant!'
He nodded rapidly, words tumbling out before she could think harder.
"Yes, I was learning English. Picked it up fast, you know? Another language since I'd been to Congo. Lots of people speaking English there!"
Lies poured from his mouth smoother than cursed energy through a talisman.
Maki narrowed her eyes. Her brow furrowed, and her tone flattened with suspicion.
"Okay… But that doesn't explain why you're learning English breathless and sweating... at midnight. That's the weirdest shit you've done yet… other than that, Mei Mei—"
She cut herself off, shook her head, and sighed.
"Okay, idiot. But don't do that now that I'm here. Remember, I've got night duties—I'm supposed to keep an eye on you. Don't go screaming all night like an idiot."
Ren just stood there, still half in his own head as Maki crawled into bed, yanked the sheet over herself, and turned away.
Her muttering faded into the quiet of the room.
Ren barely registered any of it. His mind was still glowing red—not literally, but with the hum of cursed threads and fresh insight.
'Okay, okay, calm down. I forgot she was coming by tonight. I got too lost in completing it. But it's done…'
He exhaled softly, eyes drifting toward the faint shimmer of red on the window.
'All I have to do now is finish them all. Eleven binding vows. If my theory's right, the Red Stitch should be reborn.'
A small grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
'Ha, I completed it in one night, huh? I knew it would be easy once I got the idea. Using Sukuna's method—making the threads invisible—everything else just clicked like a puzzle. Once I had all the pieces, the picture came naturally.'
He tapped his temple lightly.
'How interesting. My "understanding" really can be used like this, huh? That state I was in—it was like flow, but sharper. My thoughts were cleaner and faster. I could see the logic behind cursed energy itself. Maybe it's something I developed? Or maybe it's just my brain catching up with everything I've seen?'
His reflection in the glass window smirked faintly.
'Or maybe it's just the side effect of knowing too many cursed techniques. Over ten at this point…'
He frowned, rubbing his chin.
'I really started developing this after Rika… after she ate my corpse and I copied my own cursed technique. Maybe that's when something clicked in me. I'm linking things more easily now, like I'm seeing invisible connections.'
He turned toward the bathroom, running a hand through his messy hair.
'It doesn't last long, though. I don't know how to trigger it on purpose. But who cares? It helped me finish Red Stitch tonight. That's what matters.'
The bathroom light flicked on. He stepped in and leaned toward the mirror, eyes narrowing.
Sweat glistened across his face, dripping down his neck. His skin looked pale—almost sickly under the fluorescent light.
Ren frowned. "Why the hell am I so sweaty? When did this even happen? I didn't notice a thing."
He stared at his reflection.
"Is this some sort of side effect… of using 'understanding'?"
Cold water thundered from the tap as he filled the tub. He stripped down and sank into it, the chill biting at his skin but easing the static in his mind.
The noise of running water echoed softly as his thoughts swirled.
'Ugh. I have to bathe—I can't sleep like this. But how weird… I don't feel tired. My mind's awake, but my body clearly isn't. Huh. Interesting.'
He closed his eyes, leaning back against the tub.
'I'll need to test this later—this "understanding." But not now. The game plan's still the same. Improve Red Stitch first. Everything else can wait.'
A small smirk returned.
'I should focus on what works—what I know is effective. No random experiments, especially when it's tied to my brain.'
He paused.
'But… if I were to speculate, this "understanding" might be connected to my cursed technique and the others I've copied. There weren't many jujutsu sorcerers with more than one technique—and the ones who did were monsters. Or… ancient.'
His eyes opened again, reflecting the ceiling light like shards of glass.
'Ancient… yeah. I should study history once Red Stitch is perfected. Maybe I'll find clues about others like Sutoku. Maybe that's where the real answers are.'
The sound of water steadied, and Ren let out a slow exhale.
For once, the world around him was quiet. The only noise was the drip of water…
Ren's eyes drifted shut as cold water numbed his skin, his mind still whispering about threads, vows, and the strange clarity that had taken over his mind…
He smiled faintly.
Whatever this "understanding" is, I guess it's another card up my sleeve? Ugh, why does this world feel mysterious? All of a sudden I am finding out things I never knew about… I mean, understanding is not something out of nowhere...
There is something like this, but it's different; it is called the 'Zone,' but people used to enter that by hitting a black flash, but I have hit zero black flashes in the past, what, almost 2 years now? Ha…
So, my 'understanding' is some sort of a passive and weaker form of entering the 'zone'? Who knows? I am just assuming things now…
The water rippled once—and stilled.