Ten minutes had passed.
After sealing their agreement, Rikumizu Ren handed Nao Tomori her DV camera, graciously, even.
Of course...
He had already finished watching every last second of the footage. You couldn't just not devour juicy drama, right?
The contents of Nao's DV cam were absolutely wild. A goldmine of blackmail material. Any single clip could cause a school scandal. Especially the one where she was chasing a female classmate? Eye-opening.
"Your ability is kinda insane,"
Nao muttered as she inspected her totally undamaged camera.
"It actually kept the water completely out."
She had honestly prepared herself to buy a new one.
"Boss' business isn't for nosy little secretaries to pry into."
Ren flicked her forehead lightly.
If he'd used any real force, she'd be a corpse right now, fresh but still very much a corpse.
Dark joke.
"Yessir, Big Boss~"
Nao replied sarcastically.
Still, since he kept his promise, she was willing to let things slide for now.
"The name's Rikumizu Ren. Don't forget it."
"Nao Tomori. Nice to meet you."
"No need for pleasantries. Just do what I say."
"God, do you ever talk like a normal person?"
Nao couldn't help but grumble.
He looked so cultured, why did everything he said sound like it needed to be punched?
"Mind your own business."
Ren arched back into a reverse bridge pose just to throw a snarky line over his shoulder.
"You're unhinged."
"Still better than you."
"Aww~ Was that a compliment?"
"It was sarcasm, idiot."
Ren shot her a glare.
This girl was definitely not wired right.
Nao, ignoring the insult, smoothly changed the topic.
"Earlier, your fourth condition, you mentioned searching for ability users who still have powers as adults. Do those people really exist?"
"Third condition."
"Don't sweat the details. Just answer the question!"
Ren didn't answer right away.
He slowly raised his hand, staring at his slender, sharp-knuckled fingers as a crooked smile tugged at his lips.
"Of course they do."
This world... harbored Special-Grade Cursed Objects, Sukuna's Fingers.
The night he awakened the Slashing Technique, Ren had felt it, an echo deep in his soul. A summons.
Unfortunately, the cursed energy signature was so faint he couldn't locate the exact source. And at the time, he wasn't strong enough. He had to first familiarize himself with his own technique.
But now…
It was time to begin his next power-up arc.
Anyone who had absorbed one of Sukuna's fingers, no doubt, their powers had evolved.
And unlike others, they didn't lose their powers after adolescence. Their abilities were permanent.
"That's kinda insane. I thought superpowers were just a puberty thing."
Nao looked honestly surprised.
"You don't think I'm lying?"
"Nope," she replied without pause.
"A guy like you, with a personality this insufferable, has no reason to lie just to join a half-broke student council like ours. There's nothing for you to gain from it… unless."
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Ren cut her off.
"There is no 'unless.' I'm not into you."
"Good. I don't need some workplace perv threatening me with weird power moves."
Nao rolled her eyes. The very thought of those creeps made her stomach turn.
"Same."
"Wow~ didn't think someone with a trash personality would actually have a moral baseline."
"I prefer direct coercion."
Ren flashed a wicked smile.
Nao's expression twitched.
"...I take that back. You are trash."
"Anyway, I'm done for the night. Pick me up at nine sharp tomorrow. I hate tardy secretaries."
Ren turned to leave.
"Hey!"
Nao suddenly called out.
"I don't respond to 'hey.'"
"Rikumizu-kun, mind helping me haul that guy back? I can't carry him alone."
She pointed toward Jōjirō, currently lying motionless in a pile of rubble. His body was very not moving.
"Just bury him. Dragging him home is a waste of time."
Ren replied with perfect deadpan.
"Come on, that'd look super shady."
"Didn't think you cared about appearances."
"Well, I just thought about it, and now I kinda do."
"Tsk. You're a vicious woman."
Ren shot her a disdainful glance.
A total villainess.
Jōjirō: "...Bro… no wait, Ma'am, President! I'm still alive!!"
Totally savable!
"You brought it up first. Not on me."
"But you agreed."
Ren pointed at her.
Nao took out her phone with a sigh.
"If you're not gonna help, I'll find someone who will."
"Whatever makes you happy."
And just like that, Ren walked off. Not even a moment's hesitation.
In truth, he'd long since mastered Reversed Cursed Technique. Fixing a few broken bones? Child's play.
But why should he heal Jōjirō?
It's not like he was a cute girl.
"Ugh… what a pain."
Nao watched Ren's silhouette fade into the night, sighing as she rubbed the back of her head.
She really should've left Jōjirō behind. Dragging him along only made things way more complicated.
Beep beep beep...
The dial tone rang out.
After some thought, she ended up calling for an ambulance.
Soon, the sound of sirens filled the air.
Paramedics arrived, placed Jōjirō on a stretcher, and rushed him away.
The scene turned... awkward.
Because honestly, how was she supposed to explain how he slammed his body into a bridge pillar hard enough to leave a crater?
Even though they were all on the same side…
In the end, Nao told them he had a "neurological episode" and needed a little... cooling off.
Somehow, that actually worked.
As they loaded him into the ambulance, the medics gave him a long, pitying look before wheeling him away to surgery.
They'd definitely misunderstood something.
And they had Nao Tomori to thank for it.
Add to Collection!
200 P.S / 1 Extra Chapter