It was almost noon, but the Closed sign still hung firmly on the front door of the shop.
Inside the back room, Akari sat in a chair, pressing a cool, damp cloth against her burning forehead. A heavy, exhausting fever had set in overnight, leaving her shivering despite the warmth of the room.
Akari groaned softly, resting her forearm over her eyes as her phone lit up with a casual, teasing text from Gojo. She was far too dizzy to look at it, let alone reply.
Ren poked his head quietly around the doorframe with genuine concern. Pressing the back of his hand against her cheek, he said, "Your fever's spiking. Stay put today. I'll handle the front and keep things locked down."
As he stepped out to pull down the shop shutters, a massive shockwave ripped through the storefront, shattering the glass displays into a deafening cascade of shards.
Ren’s hand tightened instantly around his hidden holster as he fixed his glare on the uninvited arrival: Akari's cousin, Lucia Todo.
"Where is she, Ren?" Todo demanded, striding past the broken glass with an air of absolute entitlement.
"Back off, Todo. She's not going anywhere with you."
Hearing the commotion, Akari tried to muster the strength to stand. Todo took a step closer, flaring with raw cursed energy. But before he could strike, his aura violently slammed into an invisible, retaliatory wall—a fierce backlash of purification energy.
From the hallway, Akari leaned heavily against the doorframe. Her face was pale and flushed with fever, but her grip on her tessen fan was white-knuckled and steady.
Ren drew his blades and charged, his swift, calculated strikes forcing Todo a few steps backward under a barrage of pressure.
Todo let out a dark, mocking laugh, cracking his knuckles to launch a counter-attack—only to freeze dead in his tracks. His breath caught in his throat the moment Gojo's luminous blue eyes locked onto him.
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and then Add to home screen.