"Explain why her energy is dropping."
The blue text blurred and instantly re-formed into a new block of data.
[QUERY ACKNOWLEDGED: TARGET ENERGY DEPLETION]
Core Condition: Under Jujutsu parameters, the Heavenly Restriction blueprint you acquired is tied to Maki Zen'in. Because she is a twin, her soul is split with Mai Zen'in.
The Requirement: For Maki to unlock her Complete Heavenly Restriction, the total cursed energy of that shared soul must hit absolute zero. This requires Mai to either die or be entirely drained of her reserves.
The Chain Reaction: Because your upgrade is directly copied from Maki's blueprint, Maki must achieve her full awakening first. By establishing the Twin-Soul Bridge, the System is actively draining Mai's energy to force Maki's restriction to complete.
Ren stood perfectly still amid the rush of commuters. He read the text twice, his face settling into a completely plain, unreadable mask.
"So," Ren murmured, his voice barely audible over the station noise. "Mai is going to lose all her cursed energy. All of it."
[AFFIRMATIVE] Target's natural reserves will reach permanent zero. She will be reduced to civilian status.
"You piece of garbage," Ren hissed, his voice lethal but kept low enough to drown in the station noise. "Why the hell didn't you mention this yesterday? You told me it would siphon my energy. You didn't say a damn word about permanently crippling her."
The blue screen flickered, entirely unbothered by his anger.
[OMISSION LOGIC] The System operates strictly for the Host's survival and evolution. Collateral damage to secondary targets is deemed irrelevant unless it directly impedes the Host's progress. You did not ask about her status.
Ren closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. Arguing with a piece of software was a waste of time, especially with the Shibuya clock ticking down.
"I don't care about your logic. Fix it," Ren demanded, his eyes snapping open to glare at the interface. "I am not leaving her as a blind, defenseless civilian right before a war breaks out. Give me a workaround. Now."
The glowing text blurred, processing the command before locking into a new, structured menu.
[CALCULATING ALTERNATIVES...]Solution Found: Soul Signature CamouflageCost: 5,000 System Points.
Description: The System can artificially spoof the Target's soul signature. In the eyes of Jujutsu law and the Heavenly Restriction pact, her energy will read as absolute zero, triggering the completion of the upgrade for Maki Zen'in (and consequently, the Host).
Result: Mai Zen'in will retain a microscopic, localized trace of cursed energy. It will be just enough to allow her to see curses and retain her status as a sorcerer, preventing complete civilian regression.
Ren stared at the screen. "Do it. Buy it."
[TRANSACTION COMPLETE]
5,000 System Points Deducted. (Current Balance: 20,000 SP). Soul Signature Camouflage applied to Target: Mai Zen'in.
"Great," Ren muttered, "but that still leaves her with a massive problem. A 'microscopic trace' of energy isn't going to fuel Construction. She can't even make a single bullet with that."
[SECONDARY SOLUTION: INVENTORY PROXY TERMINAL] The Host can designate a physical medium—such as a ring, bracelet, or necklace—as a Remote Access Terminal. By gifting this item to the Target, she will be granted authorized access to the Host's Dimensional Inventory.
She will not have her own internal reserves, but she will be able to wirelessly siphon and utilize the Cursed Energy currently stockpiled in your storage to fuel her Innate Technique.
Ren blinked. The anger bleeding out of him was instantly replaced by cold, calculating relief.
If he gave Mai a proxy item, she wouldn't just be surviving; she'd be tapping into a massive, Special Grade-level reservoir of energy. She usually gassed out after making a single bullet. With a direct line to his 50,000 units of stolen energy—a cap that would only increase as his inventory leveled up—she would have more firepower than she ever had in her life. He could just use his sword to keep the tank full.
"I just have to give her a ring, and she gets my battery," Ren confirmed.
[AFFIRMATIVE] Awaiting Host to designate the physical medium.
With a quick swipe of his hand, Ren banished the blue interface. The screen shattered into golden pixels and vanished.
He lifted his phone back to his ear and tapped the unmute button. Through the speaker, he could hear Mai taking sharp, panicked breaths. The tough, unapproachable Zen'in facade had completely shattered, leaving behind the terrified reality of a girl who knew exactly how ruthless her clan was to the weak.
"Ren? Are you there? Answer me!" she demanded, her voice cracking.
"I'm here," Ren said softly, dropping his casual tone entirely. He leaned into the concrete pillar, sheltering the phone from the noise. "Calm down, Mai. Just breathe. I've got you."
"Ren."
The flat, exhausted voice of Kento Nanami cut through the station noise.
Ren glanced over his shoulder. The blonde Grade 1 sorcerer was tapping his wristwatch, looking thoroughly unimpressed. Megumi was staring at him with mild annoyance, and Nobara already had her hands on her hips, fully prepared to yell at him for holding up the mission.
"Hey, Nanami-san!" Ren called out, instantly slapping a look of pained urgency onto his face. He hunched over slightly, clutching his stomach.
"I think that convenience store egg sandwich Yuji gave me was sitting out in the sun! My stomach is tearing itself apart. I need to find a restroom right now!"
Nobara immediately took a step back, her face twisting in disgust. "Ugh! Keep your biological warfare away from me! Go!"
Nanami let out a slow, soul-crushing sigh. "Catch up when you are... functional."
"Will do!" Ren called back. He didn't wait for them to turn around. He immediately bolted in the opposite direction, weaving aggressively through the sea of morning commuters until he found a quiet, empty alcove near the station's coin lockers.
Leaning against the cool metal lockers, he brought the phone back to his mouth.
The second the speaker clicked on, Mai was already talking.
"...not a joke, Ren! It's draining. If Utahime or the Principal notice, the clan will find out I can't even—"
"Mai."
"Don't 'Mai' me! Why are you acting so calm right now? You have to tell me what to do, because if I—"
"Mai. Shut up."
The sharp command cut straight through her panic. The line went dead quiet.
"Don't speak," Ren said, keeping his voice entirely level. "Just listen to me. Get dressed. Sneak out of the dorms and go to Kyoto Station. I will be there in exactly two hours."
"What?" The sheer confusion in her voice temporarily overrode the panic. "You just said you were at Shibuya—"
"I'll be there in two hours," Ren repeated. His tone left absolutely zero room for argument. "Get dressed. Get to the station. And don't let anyone see you leave."
Sitting alone on the edge of her mattress, Mai didn't have the energy left to fight him. The quiet certainty in his voice grounded her, cutting through the static in her head. She swallowed the tight knot in her throat and gave a small, physical nod to the empty room.
"Okay," she whispered.
The line went dead.
Ren lowered the phone and slipped it into his jacket pocket. He pushed off the cold metal of the coin lockers, turning his back on the concourse where Nanami, Megumi, and Nobara were waiting. They would figure out he ditched them eventually, but right now, that was the least of his problems.
He merged back into the heavy, fast-moving flow of the morning commute. Ignoring the signs for the local Tokyo Metro lines, he followed the overhead boards toward the main JR ticket office.
He stepped up to an open automated kiosk, tapped the glass screen, and bought a one-way Shinkansen ticket to Kyoto.