The shadows stretching across the lobby floor surged upward, wrapping around the curse's thick legs and anchoring it firmly to the concrete.
Ren stepped perfectly into the opening. He pulled his right arm back, his knuckles tightening, and drove his fist directly into the center of the curse's shattered chest plate.
The impact sounded like a mortar shell. The force of the punch blew completely through the curse's torso, sending a shockwave out its back that shattered the remaining glass in the lobby windows.
The monster went rigid. Its six eyes rolled back, and the massive body rapidly dissolved into a heavy cloud of purple ash, raining down over the ruined floor.
Silence rushed back into the building, broken only by the faint crackle of Megumi dismissing Nue.
Ren pulled his hand back, wiping the dark ash on his jeans. He forced a heavy, exhausted exhale, deliberately slumping his shoulders to play off the flawless execution.
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking back at the two sorcerers.
"Guess adrenaline is a hell of a drug," Ren muttered, offering a weak, shaky laugh.
Megumi just stared at him. The dark-haired sorcerer didn't say a word, his hands shoved into his uniform pockets, but his dark eyes clearly communicated that he wasn't buying a single second of the act.
Before Ren could try to defend the lie, a closed fist slammed hard right between his shoulder blades.
"Gah!" Ren stumbled forward, catching himself against a concrete pillar before he ate dirt. He spun around, rubbing his upper back.
Nobara stood there, casually twirling her hammer in her hand, though her breathing was still a little heavy from the fight.
"You're a literal backstabber, you know that?" Ren grumbled, leaning against the pillar.
"Don't get a big head," Nobara snapped, pointing the head of her hammer directly at his chest.
"You just stood there and acted like a meat shield. Fushiguro and I did the actual work."
She turned on her heel, aggressively brushing a speck of ash off her pleated skirt.
"And you owe me a new outfit," she added, marching toward the exit. "I'm holding you personally responsible for this."
Megumi let out a quiet sigh, walking past Ren to follow her out of the building. "Don't engage with her. She'll just add interest to the debt."
Ren watched them walk out into the overcast afternoon. He dropped the exhausted posture, rolling his shoulders to loosen the muscles, and followed them out of the ruins.
The cold air hit Ren as he stepped out of the ruined lobby.
Megumi was waiting near the rusted chain-link fence. He wasn't looking at the building. He was looking right at Ren.
"I didn't know Maki taught you how to fight," Megumi said. His voice was completely flat.
Ren stopped. He gave Megumi a weird, slightly awkward look, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, she showed me a thing or two. Just some basic self-defense stuff so I wouldn't be completely helpless in the city."
Megumi just stared at him. His dark eyes didn't blink. A thing or two? Megumi thought, his jaw clenching slightly. You perfectly redirected a two-ton impact and shattered an armored joint with an upward palm strike. That's not basic self-defense.
Megumi didn't argue out loud. He just let out a quiet breath, turned around, and pushed the gate open. "Right."
Nobara was already standing on the sidewalk, aggressively jabbing her thumb against her phone screen. She hit the call button and put it on speakerphone, her boot tapping rapidly against the concrete.
The line barely rang once before it clicked open.
"Moshi mosh!" Gojo's bright, entirely too loud voice echoed out of the phone. "Wow, you kids cleared that out so quickly! Did Ren-kun have fun?"
Nobara's eye twitched. "What do you mean 'so quickly'? You knew, didn't you? You sent us in there knowing there was a borderline Grade 1 curse!"
"A Grade 1? No way!" Gojo gasped. He didn't sound surprised at all. "The paperwork clearly said Grade 3. You know how those clerical errors happen at the front office. Total nightmare. Good thing I sent my three most capable students to handle it!"
"You are a liar," Nobara yelled at the phone, completely ignoring the compliment. "It threw me into a wall! I have concrete dust all over my new clothes! You are buying me a new outfit, Satoru, I swear—"
"Anyway!" Gojo talked right over her, his tone cheerful and dismissive. "Since you finished up so early, you have plenty of time for a very important side mission. There's a bakery right near your train station selling limited-edition matcha daifuku. Grab a box for me, would you? Actually, grab two. See you back at campus!"
The call ended with a sharp beep.
Nobara stared at the 'Call Ended' screen. She slowly lowered the phone, her hands shaking with pure, unadulterated rage.
"I'm going to kill him," she stated to the empty street.
"He'll just dodge it," Megumi pointed out, already walking down the sidewalk toward the station.
Ren stayed quiet. He shoved his hands back into his jacket pockets and followed them.