Jujutsu Kaisen: False Dawn

Steam and Strings - Chapter 85

The door clicked open, and Ren stepped inside the apartment. His hand casually flipped on the light switch, casting a soft glow over the freshly cleaned space. The faint scent of lemon disinfectant still lingered. Behind him, Mei walked in, arms folded under her chest, her eyes casually scanning the space as if she hadn't already memorized every square inch from the crows outside.

Ren didn't say a word. He walked directly to the bathroom and dropped the umbrella in the tub to dry. Mei raised a brow. That was fast. No hesitation, no explanation. Then, without warning, Ren stepped inside and closed the bathroom door behind him.

Mei blinked, startled.

"What... Is he just going to shower? Just like that?"

She stood awkwardly by the couch, unsure of what to do. For a second, she debated following him, only for her rational brain to scream no. This was not protocol. Not how things were supposed to go.

Meanwhile, inside the bathroom, Ren glanced around. The walls were clean, but he could practically feel the bugs in the apartment—Gojo's way of 'playing nice.' Still, he was confident they hadn't wired the bathroom. The steam from the shower had already fogged the mirror. He dropped the wet hoodie on a hook and stepped out of his jeans. Then he grinned.

"Should I play coy? I did want to take a quick shower… hehe."

Ren chuckled, running a hand through his messy hair, stepping into the steaming water. But just before he closed the door fully, he tossed his voice lazily back into the hallway:

"Hey, I'm taking a shower. If you want to join, the door's not locked."

His tone was casual and flirty—almost as if it were normal.

And on the other side, Mei stood as still as a statue.

"Did he just… ask me to join him in the shower?"

Her mouth opened slightly, eyes wide with disbelief. Her hands were still by her sides, but one slowly curled into a fist. She turned away, almost tripping over the couch, and sat down.

Inside her head, a thousand alarms were going off.

"No way! He's actually taking a bath!? This boy… he's worse than a player!"

She glanced at the table and saw the same baby oil and tissues that were there before. Her eye twitched.

"Okay, that's something a teenager would have… But still! What the hell does he mean, 'Feel free to join in,' like I'm his wife or something?!"

She crossed her legs angrily and folded her arms again, letting out a long sigh.

Meanwhile, inside the foggy bathroom, Ren had finished showering. He stepped out of the hot water, the robe already slung over the nearby hook. Drying off slowly, he looked at himself in the mirror, smirking.

"So she didn't come in, huh? How disappointing…"

He sat on the edge of the sink, robe loosely tied around his waist. The heat from the water still clung to his skin. His hair dripped slightly, strands falling around his eyes.

"Should I tease her some more? Before I break it to her that I know everything about her?" he mused. "Or should I just spend the night with her? It'd be easy to manipulate her once she's in my arms."

The thought lingered longer than it should have.

Ren leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. The steam curled up toward the fan. Slowly, an amused smirk tugged at his lips.

"What? Since when have I been like this? A womanizer?"

He didn't sound upset. Not really. More… curious. Like he was observing something unravel in himself. Like he was peeling back a new layer of who he had become.

Because deep down, he knew.

He knew this was wrong.

He knew he was playing a dirty game.

But this world was twisted. Rotten. Survival demanded more than power—it demanded precision, control, and manipulation. And if that meant turning into something twisted himself, then maybe it was just evolution.

He stood up, stretching.

"This world is a mess… but I might just be learning to enjoy it, plus doing small bad things will make it easy for me to do bigger bad things..."

And outside the door, Mei sat on the couch, arms still folded, her cheeks tinged pink, unsure whether to leave or stay. And worse—unsure whether she wanted to stay because she was still on the mission or… something else.

The air hung heavy between them.