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I'm Searching For A Girlfriend In Jujutsu Kaisen: 12 Where The Hell Is Ryota
🕑 Added 2025-06-10 00:31:10 +0000 UTCMaki’s POV
“Okay, WHAT THE HELL.”
I kicked the door open without hesitation. When you're carrying a food menu and someone's wasting your time, knocking twice is for people with patience—which I don't have.
"Hey, you little—"
I stopped mid-sentence.
The room was empty.
Completely, utterly, impossibly empty.
I blinked once. Then twice. Slowly walked inside, scanning every corner like Ryota might be playing some elaborate game of hide-and-seek.
The bed still had a slight dent in it, like someone had been lying there moments ago. His belongings were exactly where they'd been arranged earlier. Even the air still felt... occupied.
But no Ryota.
"...Where'd he go?" I muttered, then raised my voice. "PANDA! I thought you said he was here!"
"He was!" came Panda's indignant reply as he lumbered over, still chewing on what looked like bamboo. "I literally just talked to him five minutes ago! He said 'whatever's fine' when I asked about dinner!"
“HE’S. NOT. HERE.” I said, enunciating every word.
Panda squeezed through the doorway and immediately started inspecting the room like a discount detective. "Maybe he's hiding under the bed?"
I gave him a flat look. "He's seventeen, not seven."
"You'd be surprised what people do when they're socially awkward," Panda said sagely, then proceeded to actually check under the bed.
Megumi appeared in the doorway, drawn by the commotion. "What's with all the yelling?"
"New guy vanished," I said, gesturing at the empty room.
Megumi frowned, stepping inside. "That's... odd. Even for this place."
"Tuna mayo?" Inumaki poked his head in, looking genuinely curious.
"No, not tuna mayo," I snapped. "The opposite of tuna mayo. He's gone."
Inumaki tilted his head thoughtfully, then said, "Salmon."
Which was probably his version of 'that's weird,' but with Inumaki, you never really knew.
Panda suddenly straightened up from where he'd been sniffing around like an oversized bloodhound. "Wait. I'm picking up something."
"Please tell me it's not his laundry," Megumi said while rubbing his hair. You could practically see the irritation building up at a possible incident.
"Cursed energy residue," Panda announced dramatically. "Faint, but definitely there. Like someone used a technique, but there are no signs of struggle here—" he made a swooshing gesture with his paws.
I stared at him. "Seriously?" I couldn't really Tell. My glasses were off, and without them, my cursed energy was too thin to see it.
"Yup. Panda's right."
Megumi confirmed, already crouching by the bed, running his fingers along the sheets. "The residue is fresh. Very fresh. And it's... different from what I'd expect from a cursed spirit. Someone used a technique here."
"Wait," I said slowly, "didn't Gojo say he has no cursed energy?"
"That's what made it weird," Megumi muttered, then looked up. "If he has no cursed energy, where did this residue come from?"
Panda gasped dramatically. "Plot twist! Maybe he's been hiding his power level this whole time!"
"This isn't Dragon Ball, an anime or even a novel. Focus her." I said, but even as I said it, the thought rooted in my mind. He did act odd earlier. Megumi stood up, brushing dust off his knees. "We should probably check if he left the grounds entirely. Maybe he just went for a walk."
"Right," I nodded. "Inumaki, can you check the perimeter?"
"Kelp," Inumaki replied with a thumbs up before disappearing down the hallway.
"I'll use my shikigami," Megumi said, forming hand seals. "Demon Dogs should be able to track his scent if he's still nearby."
Two shadowy dogs materialized, immediately sniffing around the room. After a moment, they both sat down and whined—the canine equivalent of a shrug.
"That's... not good," Megumi said, frowning. "They can't pick up a trail leading anywhere. It's like he just... stopped existing right here."
Panda raised a paw. "Okay, so our options are: A) He was kidnapped by a cursed spirit that leaves no trace except cursed energy residue, B) He has secret Technique like Teleportation, or maybe invisibility powers he's been hiding. Maybe he wanted to go peep at the girls when they shower ...".
"PANDA"
"... Or C) He spontaneously combusted and we're dealing with his ghost." My glare could have Melted Tungsten.
"Those are terrible options," I said.
"Welcome to Jujutsu High," Megumi replied dryly. "Terrible options are basically our school motto."
Inumaki returned, shaking his head. "Mustard leaf."
"He's not on the grounds," I translated, then sighed.
"Is it possible Gojo took him somewhere?"
Everyone paused.
That was actually a solid possibility. Gojo headed towards the school exit when he was leaving, but who knew what that eccentric guy could do.
“Think he ran away?”
“Huh”
“I'm just saying, some people do run away from responsibility,” Panda offered. “Maybe he ran. Remember his introduction and all. This isn’t even weird by Jujutsu standards. Like, this doesn’t even crack the Top Ten Strangest Student Incidents list. Remember the time Toge got possessed by that talking octopus and started trying to marry the vending machine.”
“Tuna wedding,” Inumaki said from the hallway.
“We could start a betting pool on when he shows back up. I’m giving it two weeks. Tops.”
This time, Nobara was the one that glared.
"Alright, time to call in the adult. Who's got Gojo's number?"
We all looked at each other.
Silence.
"...None of us have his number, do we?" Megumi said slowly.
"He gave it to me once," Megumi muttered, pulling out his phone. "Then immediately texted me saying 'LOL wrong number, delete pls.' and I haven't heard from him since."
"That sounds like Gojo," Panda nodded wisely.
I sighed. "I'll try the emergency contact system. He has to answer if it's official school business, right?"
____
*Meanwhile, in a black sedan heading toward Kyoto*
Gojo was humming what sounded suspiciously like a J-pop song while Ijichi white-knuckled the steering wheel, probably wondering how his life had led to chauffeuring the most powerful sorcerer in Japan to what was undoubtedly going to be another headache-inducing situation.
Gojo's phone buzzed.
"Oh?" He glanced at the screen. "Megumi's calling me. That's rare. Did he finally discover emojis?"
He answered with his characteristic grin. "Yooo~ Miss me already?"
"Ryota's gone."
Gojo's humming stopped abruptly.
Ijichi groaned from the driver's seat. "Please tell me that's not as bad as it sounds."
"Gone?" Gojo said, sitting up straighter. "Define 'gone.' Like brooding teenager gone for a walk gone, or mysteriously vanished gone?"
"He was in his room five minutes ago," Megumi's voice came through clearly. "Panda talked to him about dinner. Then Maki went to get his order and he'd completely disappeared. No signs of struggle, but there are faint cursed energy traces in the room."
Gojo put his hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Cursed energy traces, huh? That's surprising."
"Yeah," Maki's voice joined the call—she'd probably grabbed the phone from Megumi. "It means he was either kidnapped by a cursed spirit, or he has some kind of cursed technique that lets him teleport. But the second option's unlikely, right? You said he has no cursed energy, like me."
"Interesting thought," Gojo said, his tone shifting slightly as he pondered. "Quite so. But actually, the first option is way more unlikely."
"Huh?" came a chorus of confused voices.
"Yeah Think about it. It's basically impossible for a cursed spirit to infiltrate Tokyo Jujutsu High's barrier without triggering every alarm we have. Even less likely that one could snatch a student and vanish without anyone noticing—and yet somehow leave cursed energy traces behind. That's like... breaking into a bank vault silently but leaving your business card on the floor."
There was a pause as this sank in.
Nobara's voice suddenly joined the call, slightly breathless like she'd been running. "Wait, so what are you saying, Gojo-sensei?"
"I'm saying," Gojo said contemplatively. Sounding like he was speaking more to himself than to others. "It's more likely that our new student probably isn't a Heavenly Restriction user like Maki, but a regular Jujutsu Sorcerer like everyone else."
"But he has no cursed energy!" Nobara protested. "We all saw that!"
"True," Gojo acknowledged. "That may be how it appears, But a lot of weird things happening the Jujutsu world. Plus,—Reika-san never actually mentioned he had Heavenly Restriction. That's kind of a big detail to leave out, don't you think? So in all likelihood, his apparent lack of cursed energy is probably just a quirk of his cursed technique. And when he used it to disappear, it left those traces behind."
He chuckled. "Makes sense when you think about it. Even his mom's technique is teleportation-based. Guess it runs in the family."
"Okay, that's... actually logical," Maki said grudgingly. "But that still doesn't change the fact that he just left without saying anything. Should we be worried?"
The mental image of Reika-san learning that her son had flunked out of school on day one flashed through Gojo's mind, and he suppressed a shudder.
"Yes and no, depending on how you look at it," he said diplomatically. "It's probably not a big deal though. I'll just call him and see where he wandered off to. Talk to you all later~!"
He ended the call before anyone could object.
"Trouble with the new kid?" Ijichi asked, glancing at him in the rearview mirror.
"Hehe, yeah," Gojo chuckled, scrolling through his contacts. "First day of school and he's already causing chaos."
"Sounds familiar," Ijichi muttered. "Reminds me of what I've heard about your student days, Gojo-san."
"Nah," Gojo waved dismissively. "The kid's got potential, but I was a walking natural disaster on my first day. He's more like... controlled chaos. Besides," he found Ryota's number and grinned, "Reika-san did warn me he disappears sometimes. Looks like she was spot-on."
He hit call.
The phone rang once. Twice. Three times.
"Come on, pick up..." Gojo muttered.
Meanwhile,
In another universe entirely,
In the skies above The Hidden Rain, a blonde haired silhouette streaked through the air under the rain clouds at a steady pace. With a white haired male almost twice his size hanging on his back.
"...and that's how I thought they were all dead," Jiraiya concluded, his voice weak but determined to finish his explanation. "Yahiko, Nagato, Konan—I believed they'd perished in the civil war. To discover that Nagato had become Pain, had developed those eyes..."
"The Rinnegan," Ryota said matter-of-factly, all the while his biological force field defying gravity and enabling his flight. "Legendary doujutsu possessed by the Sage of Six Paths. I can see why you'd be surprised."
Jiraiya's head turned slightly. "You know about the Rinnegan?"
"I know about a lot of things. Doesn't mean I care about most of them."
"Right." Jiraiya paused, studying what he could see of Ryota's profile in the dim light. "You know, in all my years of traveling, gathering intelligence, maintaining my spy network—I've never heard your name mentioned once. Where exactly have you been all these years?"
"Home."
"And where would that be?"
"Somewhere you can't go unless I decide to bring you there. Currently, I can't."
The cryptic response hung in the air between them. Jiraiya had encountered enough unusual individuals in his lifetime to recognize when someone was being deliberately evasive, but there was something about Ryota's tone that suggested this wasn't mere secrecy—it was literal impossibility.
"That's... ominously vague. Even by your standards."
"It's accurate."
The endless precipitation of Amegakure showed no signs of letting up. Jiraiya marvelled inwardly for a second as the rain was pushed aside just before it could reach them.
Flying was one of the rare abilities. Currently, only the Tsuchikage possessed a Jutsu that allowed such.
"Come on, kid—I just shared my tragic backstory about my former students becoming apocalyptic terrorists. The least you could do is give me something."
"I went home," Ryota said simply.
"Home? That's it? You disappear for years and show up again in a matter of seconds after a Text? You could have been here this whole time for all I know."
"Pretty much."
"Hey ..."
TTRING
It happened then. Ryota's phone rang with the normal ringtone of Justin Bieber's song "Stay." Hearing the ringtone, he stopped midair, holding Jiraiya with one arm as he brought out his phone from his Pocket.
“Hey. That sounds pretty good.” Jiraiya uttered. “Pretty catchy. Though, what is that strange language?”
“It's called english. Quite the norm where I'm from.”
Seeing the unknown number, Ryota frowned slightly before answering.
“Ryota here. No, I am not signing up for any free gifts, Memberships, Insurance plans or online classes. If that sums up your discussion, go away.”
“Boy. How many people have you said that too.”
Gojo's voice came from the other end of the phone.
“Gojo?” Ryota was surprised before understanding.
“How'd you get my number?”
“Thank your Mom for that. If not I'd have to call her directly to get your number, letting her know you disappeared on your first day of school.”
“... Duly noted. You have my thanks. Continue.” Ok, Ryota saw the need to thank the white haired eccentric guy, he wouldn't shirk on it. Jiraiya's call was just bad timing, or this would never have happened.
Down below in the trees, several black shadows flashed across the branches.
“You're welcome. So .. have a habit of ditching your classmates? Where'd you go?”
“It's complicated. I ...”
“KID! WATCH OUT!”
Ryota was interrupted by Jiraiya's roar.
“Huh?”
He turned his gaze, just in time to see multiple Kunai with detonating Tags attached to their rear end shooting towards them.
“Seriously?”
BOOM!
