Obviously, Yumiko had no idea what had happened.

  In just one night, her two close friends had bee a team, and their target was her than Ryuji.

  After finally getting through the night, Yumiko got up early the m to get dressed.

  "Yumiko!"

  Hina and Yui had also woken up around the same time.

  "How'd you sleep?" Yumiko asked casually while applying her makeup.

  "Great!" Hina said cheerfully.

  "Me too!" Yui chimed in, though her voice was a bit more hesitant than Hina's. She wasn't as posed as her friend, feeling a bit flustered for some reason.

  But Yumiko didn't notiything strange. Her mind was entirely focused on her uping date with Ryuji.

  "It's getting te. We should head back. Good lu your date with Ryuji!" Hina said, giving Yumiko an encing smile.

  "Thanks!" Yumiko smiled brightly, waving them off.

  "Let's go," Hina whispered to Yui, giving her a knowing look before leading her out.

  "Uh… okay!" Yui responded, still a bit out of it as she followed Hina.

  As for the date itself, Ryuji took Yumiko to the same couple's restaurant he'd visited before with Utaha and Eriri.

  Why? Well, it was simply the only couple's restaurant he knew.

  "The atmosphere here is amazing!" Yumiko remarked happily, clearly impressed with the choice of location.

  Seeing Ryuji take her to a pce meant for couples made her heart flutter with excitement. The restaurant was beautifully decorated, and she couldn't help but take in the romantic setting.

  After they sat down, Yumiko leaoward Ryuji and whispered, "I feel like the waiter's looking at us a little strangely…"

  Ryuji, without missing a beat, leaned bad preteo think for a moment befiving her a fident answer.

  "Maybe it's because you look stunning today," he said with a smirk.

  "Really?" Yumiko's heart practically melted at the pliment, much more than if it had e from one of her friends.

  "Let's order," Ryuji suggested.

  "Hmm," Yumiko nodded, flipping through the menu. She was so caught up in her excitement that she didn't notice Ryuji's subtle goward the waiter.

  The waiter reized Ryuji immediately. He had served him before with different girls, and while the waiter rofessional, it was clear he had taken notice of Ryuji's… habit. Still, he smiled politely.

  Yumiko ordered two dishes, and Ryuji ordered two more, then he casually pulled out a thick stack of bills.

  "Let's switch up the music," Ryuji said with a rexed smile as he hahe moo the waiter.

  The waiter's eyes widened for a split sed, but his smile didn't falter. With that much cash, he would've switched the entire band, let alone just the song.

  "Uood, sir," the waiter replied, fshing a grin. He leaned in and added, "You and your wife make a beautiful couple. I'll make sure the music fits the mood."

  Ryuji just waved him off, letting him ha.

  Yumiko, however, was left stunned. Wife? Did that mean…?

  Her heart started rag at the thought, and she felt like it might leap out of her chest. She gnced over at Ryuji, half-expeg him to correct the waiter, but to her surprise, he didn't seem to mind the title at all.

  "What's wrong?" Ryuji asked with a pyful smile, notig her dazed expression.

  "N-Nothing!" Yumiko stammered, trying to calm herself.

  But she couldn't. The thought of being called Ryuji's wife… was exhirating.

  After a brief pause, Yumiko finally gathered her thoughts. "Wasn't that tip a little too much?" she asked, remembering the sizable stack of bills Ryuji had handed over.

  "It's fine. As long as you're happy, it doesn't matter how much it costs," Ryuji replied smoothly.

  To him, money was nothing more than a number. If he wanted, he could have people lining up to give him money. Spending a little to set the mood was no big deal.

  But for Yumiko, hearing that made her heart swell even more. She looked at him with shining eyes, utterly smitten.

  "Ryuji…" she whispered, her gaze softening as emotions welled up inside her. At that moment, she didn't care about the food, the music, or anything else. All she wanted was to be with him.

  Still, she mao keep her posure. There would be time for that ter.

  After lunch, Ryuji took Yumiko to a few pces to enjoy the day. They visited parks, arcades, and a few shops. While Ryuji was indifferent, Yumiko had an absolute bst. It erfect day for her.

  As the sun began to set, Yumiko suddenly turo Ryuji, her voice a bit quieter than before. "It's getting te… maybe we should find a pce to rest?"

  Her face flushed as she looked at him expetly.

  Ryuji raised an eyebrow, already uanding her meaning. With a smile, he replied, "Sure."

  But just as they were about to head off, Ryuji's attention was caught by a figure sitting on a nearby bench. He stopped walking, his eyes narrowing slightly.

  "Hmm?" Yumiko followed his gaze and spotted the girl sitting on the bench. She had two-toned hair—half yellow, half bd her head was lowered, making it hard to see her face. Still, she seemed familiar.

  "Ryuji-kun!" Yumiko suddenly pouted, her voice tinged with jealousy. "You're looking at anirl?"

  Ryuji chuckled, tapping her on the head lightly. "Rex. They're just sorcerers I've met before. Let's go che them."

  "Wait, they're sorcerers?" Yumiko blinked, now more curious than jealous.

  Following his lead, she walked with him toward the girl on the bench.

  As they approached, Ryuji reized them immediately. It was Nanako and Mimiko, the twin sisters who had followed Geto Suguru.

  But they looked different now. Brokee. It was as if the life had been drained out of them. They sat there, motionless, like hollow shells of their former selves.

  "Long time no see," Ryuji greeted them casually, but there was no response.

  His eyes narrowed slightly as he gnced around. "Geto Suguru isn't here, is he?"

  Nanako and Mimiko fli the mention of Geto's name. Slowly, they looked up, tears welling in their eyes.

  "Master Geto…" they whispered, their voices trembling.

  "I see. So he's dead," Ryuji muttered, pieg together what had happened.

  Geto must've finally challenged Jujutsu High and failed. Without the ability to use domains, it was iable. He probably uimated his oppos, or maybe he pushed too hard, too sooher way, his end wasn't surprising.

  The twins burst into tears again, sobbing untrolbly at the loss of their master.

  Yumiko, though irely uanding the situation, could tell these girls had lost someoo them. It tugged at her heart. She instinctively tightened her grip on Ryuji's arm, worried that one day, she might end up in their positi over him.

  "Don't worry," Ryuji whispered to her, sensing her ay. "I'm the stro."

  His voice was calm but filled with certainty. And for Yumiko, those words were enough.

  "No! Master Geto was the stro!" Nanako and Mimiko protested, their tear-streaked faces filled with grief.

  "Well, he's dead now, isn't he?" Ryuji shrugged, not wanting tue with them in their current state.

  He sighed, then asked, "What are you two going to do now?"

  The twins looked at each other, their expressions filled with uainty. "We don't know… Master Geto told us not to seek revenge, even if he died."

  They were lost, with no clear path forward.

  "Maybe that's for the best," Ryuji said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "You wouldn't survive if you tried to go after Yuta ojo anyway."

  Nanako and Mimiko gred at him through their tears, but they couldn't argue with the truth.

  "You'll live. That's something," Ryuji added before turning to leave.

  The twins didn't reply. They just stood there, their expressions hollow.

  As they walked away, Yumiko looked up at Ryuji, her eyes filled with admiration. "You're really amazing, Ryuji-kun."

  Ryuji just smiled. "Let's go."

  With that, they left the se behind and headed toward the hotel.

  ---

  The day, Yumiko didn't show up at school. As expected, she had taken the day off to rest.

  "Hey, Ryuji!" Yui greeted him cheerfully when he arrived at school. "Where's Yumiko?"

  Hina, standing beside her, gave Ryuji a knowing look. "Yumiko didn't e today, huh? Guess you were a little too powerful st night."

  Ryuji just grinned, deg to py dumb. "Are we talking about exorcism? Yeah, I'm pretty good at that."

  "Yes, yes, you're really good at exorcisms," Hina replied, clearly teasing him. Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she exged a gh Yui, who seemed oblivious to the underlying joke.

  "Yeah! Ryuji-kun is super strong!" Yui nodded enthusiastically, still not catg onto Hina's teasing tone.

  "..."

  "What I mean by that is definitely not the same as what you're thinking."

  Yui's pure and naive response left Hina momentarily speechless. But whehought about it, it made perfect sense, Yui's innoce was one of the reasons she and Hina got along so well.

  "Hahahahaha!" Ryuji suddenly burst into ughter.

  Yui, not uanding what was so funny, ughed along with him, her carefree nature as bright as ever.

  Hina, oher hand, gave Ryuji a sly smile.