Waving his hand, Ryuji chose to depose the two entries.

  "Talery system!

  Host: Ryuji!

  Bloodline: Human!

  Loaded entries: Soul Dev [Red], Yin-Yang Eyes [Gold], Presence cealment [Gold], Tranquility [Gold], Reverse Cursed Teique [Gold], Motrag Physique [Gold], Iron Fist [Purple].

  Points: 41,120!

  Not bad an additional 20,000 points.

  Ryuji felt light on his feet, his good mood reflected in his steps.

  ---

  "Why are you here?"

  In the , Yumiko uzzled, looking at Hayato who had taken her usual seat.

  Ooka and Yamato, who usually stuck close to Hayato, were o be seen.

  "What's going on?"

  "Hayato, you don't look so good," Yui and Hina remarked, notig the dark circles under his eyes.

  "I..."

  Hayato started but quickly stopped himself, his face twisting into a bitter smile.

  "You'll find out soon enough."

  "...???"

  What does that even mean? Enough with the crypti talk! Yumiko wao ask more, but before she could, a middle-aged man with a reg hairline walked into the . He was the homeroom teacher of the css.

  The students, reizing him, fell silent, curious as to why he was here.

  "Ahem!"

  Clearing his throat, the teacher began, "Hiratsuka-sensei is unwell and has taken a day off, so I'll be c her csses today."

  No one articurly surprised. It wasn't unon for teachers to take sick leave.

  "As for some of your cssmates, such as Tobe, Ooka, and Yamato, they are currently on leave and will not be attending school for a while."

  "On leave?"

  Hayato smiled bitterly to himself. They're dead there's no way they're ing back.

  The "leave of absence" robably a cover to prevent pani spreading.

  Even now, thinking back to what he saw yesterday, Hayato couldn't shake off the fear.

  "Why did they drop out of school so suddenly?"

  As someone who once ran in the same group, Yumiko, despite her ret frustrations with Tobe, felt fused and uneasy about their sudden absence.

  "Alright, take a short break and prepare for css," the substitute teacher said before leaving the room.

  The moment he was gone, Yumiko turo Hayato.

  "Hayato, what happened?"

  She khat Hayato had goh Ooka and Yamato to visit Tobe the day before. Now, the very day, all three had taken "leave." Something was definitely off.

  "Don't ask, Yumiko. I 't tell you."

  Hayato shook his head helplessly. He had been terrified by what he witnessed and had been waro keep his mouth shut. He couldn't expin anything, no matter how much he wao.

  If not for the events of the previous day, Hayato would never have believed that supernatural horrors actually existed. But now, he knew better there were forces in the world that specialized in dealing with such things.

  "You're so frustrating!"

  Yumiko was furious. His refusal to say anything only made her more determio find out the truth.

  In the end, no matter how much Yumiko pried, Hayato stayed quiet, his lips sealed by both fear and obligation. Yumiko had no choice but to stop asking, though she hadn't given up.

  She might have acted as if she let it go, but iy, Yumiko had made a decision. You won't tell me? Fine, I'll find out myself.

  ---

  "They're definitely dead."

  Ryuji, who had been silently from the back of the room, pieced everything together.

  It seemed that the i with the Skeleton Woman had escated. Ooka and Yamato likely provoked her when they went to che Tobe and were killed as a result.

  As for why Hayato was still alive, the answer was simple.

  Cursed Energy. Looks like a sorcerer intervened.

  Ryuji could sehe faint traces of cursed energy around Hayato simir to what he'd felt from Yuta before. Clearly, another sorcerer had stepped in to hahe situation.

  Jujutsu High must have gotten involved, as they were typically responsible for dealing with these kinds of is. Unfortunately for Ooka and Yamato, they were probably beyond saving by the time the sorcerers arrived.

  Even though Ryuji had sensed something was off before, he had no iion of intervening.

  Resting his in his hand, a look of boredom settled on Ryuji's face. He had never wao py the role of a great hero. It seemed exhausting.

  ---

  At lunch, Ryuji had hoped to spend more time with Miko, perhaps even enjoy a peaceful meal together.

  But as usual, things didn't go as pnned.

  "I've been reading a lot of books on urban legends," Yukino said, suddenly standing in front of Ryuji. In her hands was a thick book filled with stories about various mysterious phenomena. Her expression was one of intense curiosity. "A lot of these legends mention gods or supernatural entities. Are any of them real?"

  "..."

  Ryuji stared at her in silence, his appetite disappearing. He had been looking forward to his meal, but now it was interrupted. Again.

  He was sitting side by side with Miko on a ben the schoolyard, and he hadn't even gotten the ce to open his lunchbox yet.

  "So why are you here with me instead of staying in your Service Club?" Ryuji asked, a little exasperated.

  "Because now that I know these things are real, I want to uand them better!" Yukino responded without hesitation, her eyes gleaming with determination. "Before, I had no idea what was really out there. But now that I do, I o be prepared. Who knows when I might get mixed up in something again?"

  "...Or is it because you don't have any issiht now?"

  "..."

  Ryuji's blunt questio Yukino speechless for a moment. She gred at him in frustration, her cheeks slightly flushed in embarrassment.

  "That's not....!" she began but stopped herself, realizing that he had probably hit the nail on the head.

  She looked away, muttering under her breath.