Jujutsu Kaisen: False Dawn

The Strings in the Dark – Chapter 140

On the other side of the world—Tokyo, Japan—the higher-ups of the jujutsu world sat together inside a large, shadowed chamber deep beneath one of the oldest Jujutsu Headquarters.

The mood was tense.

The whispers were sharp.

The name on everyone's lips was the same.

"Ren Sato."

A slam echoed in the room as a younger official stood and shouted, "He walked out of the country?! Just like that?! He's a special-grade sorcerer now! He needs to be under supervision!"

Another voice chimed in, older and colder:

"And Gojo Satoru was supposed to be that supervision."

And almost like he was summoned, Gojo was already standing in the middle of the room, hands in his pockets, sunglasses on, smiling in the most unapologetic way possible.

He spoke casually.

"Well… I did go to the washroom, and by the time I came back, poof! He was gone. What can I say? Kid moves fast."

The silence in the room was deafening before anyone could stop him. Gojo was already out of the room...

Until a croaking, raspy voice broke through the tension.

An old woman sitting at the far corner of the room—her face partially veiled, her long nails clicking against a prayer bead—sighed and said calmly,

"Enough. Stop your barking. Ren Sato is not missing. He is safe… with Mei Mei. In Congo."

That name—Mei Mei—brought an immediate shift in the room.

Relief. Then suspicion.

Then scheming.

Another old man leaned forward, stroking his white beard.

"Ah… thank the stars we assigned Mei Mei to him. If she hadn't been there… who knows what country the boy would've vanished to?"

A heavier-set elder, his voice thick with a conniving undertone, added,

"But now what? We can't just leave him there, can we? That boy holds too many secrets… too much potential. He's the wildcard we've never seen before."

And suddenly the room burst into murmurs.

"Send Mei Mei instructions. Have her test him."

"No, let the boy play around a little longer. He thinks he's free… Let him believe that."

"Why not just seal the deal and have Mei Mei marry the boy? She could keep him in check for life!"

That last one came from the oldest voices—men who had long since traded ethics for influence, sounding like retired generals arranging marriages for politics.

But again, the old woman interrupted.

"No." Her voice was colder this time. Final.

"He just survived a battle with Suguru Geto and Mahoraga. He didn't run—he walked away. That alone tells you the caliber of this boy. Let him rest. He's still only sixteen… and young men always return home eventually."

Silence.

Then agreement.

The meeting ended with a dozen plans unspoken, yet set in motion.

Elsewhere, Gojo sat alone in an empty classroom. His usually confident face was pensive, brows furrowed slightly behind his dark shades. The chalkboard still had faint outlines of his last lesson. The windows reflected the white sky of midday.

He exhaled deeply.

"Ren, huh…" he muttered, leaning against the teacher's desk.

Gojo's thoughts were surprisingly heavy.

"Even if that brat ran to the moon, the higher-ups would find him there. That's just how they are… parasites in ceremonial robes. But still…"

He chuckled bitterly, folding his arms.

"He's strong. The right kind of strong. The kind that survives because he wants to live. But Mei Mei… tch. That woman's dangerous."

Gojo closed his eyes, picturing Ren in his mind.

"I thought he was like me. Thought he saw through people the way I do. But now he's playing house with Mei Mei? That old fox used to flirt with me back in the day, and I never fell for it. What, did she actually get to him?" He shook his head.

Then—he smiled again.

A proud smile. Almost parental.

"But it's fine… Ren-kun is still Ren-kun."

And just like that, Gojo vanished with a burst of cursed energy, coat fluttering behind him as he left the empty classroom behind.

Outside the school, three familiar silhouettes were leaving the grounds together.

Panda, Inumaki, and Maki.

Panda stretched his large arms and said,

"You know… It's kinda crazy. He saved us. Took on Geto and Mahoraga. And then? Just dipped like nothing happened."

Inumaki nodded solemnly. "Salmon."

Then he added, softer, "Fish roll."

Maki stayed silent.

But her steps were heavier than usual. Her grip around her wooden practice sword was tighter.

She didn't say a word.

But later that day, she was in the training yard—slamming her blade into a stone pillar until her hands bled.

Far across the sea, in Congo, Mei Mei reclined beneath a gently swaying coconut tree. Her black shades glinted in the sun, and her tall glass of coconut juice dripped with condensation. Her legs were crossed, her dress was light and short, and her hair was tied back in a loose bun.

She looked every bit like a woman on vacation.

And yet, she was scowling.

She checked her phone again and sighed.

"Agh, I can't believe this. They're coming to Congo? To meet him? Seriously?"

She took a sip of her drink.

"He's going to hate that. I told them to leave him alone for a while." Her brow furrowed. "Hmph… What is he even doing in that room anyway? He hasn't let me inside in days! He makes me sleep on the damn couch! In a mansion with four bedrooms!"

She huffed and rolled over onto her stomach, grumbling to herself.

"I swear, this is worse than being a maid. Why am I even folding his laundry? Why do I care if he likes cold juice or hot tea?!"

She ranted to no one.

Without realizing it, her cheeks were flushed.

Inside the mansion, beyond the closed bedroom door—

Ren was smiling.

The kind of smile that only came to him when the pieces of a plan were finally falling into place.

He was thinking about what came next.

And it would be monstrous.