Noisy and quarrelsome moments were the norm in the service department, and Ryuji didn't think much of it. After all, the girls weren't actually going to fight, and their bickering only brought a little more color to their otherwise mundane daily life. In fact, Ryuji liked it that way. He never wahem to ge or suppress their personalities. Their natural selves were what made everything feel vibrant.

  ---

  That night, at the Sawamura family's mansion, Ryuji sat on the sofa, his face showing a satisfied expression as he rexed.

  Sayuri, kneeling before him, stood up and shot him a pyful, resentful gnce before heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

  "By the way, where's Eriri?" Ryuji asked casually wheurned.

  "She's at Kasumigaoka's house," Sayuri replied with a slight smile. If Eriri hadn't been out, Sayuri would've had to e up with an excuse to meet Ryuji somewhere else, maybe a hotel. There were certain things she didn't want her daughter to know just yet.

  "So that's where she is." Ryuji nodded, not thinking too much of it.

  "They're getting aloer these days, huh?" Sayuri said, ling into Ryuji's arms. She sounded tent as she rexed against him. Although Eriri and Utaha had once been rivals, their retionship seemed to improve the more time they spent together.

  "Yeah, it seems that way," Ryuji replied. "Better than them stantly bickering."

  Sayuri looked up at him, her face lighting up with ahought. "Speaking of which, the Shinomiya family's you daughter is having her birthday soon. They're throwing a big party. I got an invitation. Do you want to go together?"

  "The Shinomiya family?" Ryuji repeated, reizing the name. His brow furrowed slightly in thought, then he shrugged. "Ah, I think someone from the Shinomiya Group called me too. They invited me to Kaguya Shinomiya's birthday party."

  He didn't pay much attention to invitations like that. In the world of sorcerers, no matter how iial or wealthy a family was, they were insignifit uhey had some link to the supernatural.

  "You got ioo?" Sayuri asked, sounding a bit surprised.

  Ryuji smiled. "Yeah, I exorcised a cursed spirit for the Shinomiya family ohat's probably why."

  "Oh, I see," Sayuri nodded in uanding. It all made sense now. She'd heard about Kaguya Shinomiya before, a girl who was low in the family's peg order. Hosting a birthday party for her wasn't typical. Clearly, they were trying to use the event to win over Ryuji, impressed by his abilities.

  Sayuri felt a swell of pride. After all, this only proved that her instincts about Ryuji were spot-on. Even a family as powerful as the Shinomiya Group saw value in him.

  "Are you going to go?" she asked, curiosity in her voice.

  "Why not? If they want to throw mo me, I don't see a reason to refuse," Ryuji said with a nont shrug. "It's not like I care about them, but if they want to hand over some favors, I'll take them."

  Sayuri ughed softly. Ryuji's ck of i in the Shinomiya family amused her. Just a short time ago, the Shinomiya Group would have seemed untouchable, but now it felt like they were just another name in a long list of people vying for Ryuji's attention.

  "I'll bring Eriri along then," Sayuri decided. "It'll be good for her to see how these big families operate. Besides, she could use a ge of pace, she's been so fussy tely."

  Ryuji waved his hand dismissively. "We'll deal with that ter. Right now, we've got more important things to do."

  Sayuri gasped as Ryuji effortlessly picked her up, a mix of surprise aement in her eyes. Even though this wasn't their first time, the thrill never really faded for her.

  ---

  For the wo weeks, life was smooth for Ryuji. He spent his days at school, surrounded by a myriad of beautiful girls, and his evenings were ofte with Sayuri, Shizuka, or even Haruno. Occasionally, he would drop by to visit Mrs. Izumi, the neighbor door.

  These were peaceful, leisurely days for him.

  But, eventually, Marin could no longer hold herself back.

  "Alright… I'm going to do it!" Marin muttered to herself, standing nervously outside the door to the service department. She had been psyg herself up for what felt like hours before she finally mustered the ce to knock.

  "Excuse me…"

  As she opehe door and stepped inside, she was stunned by the sight in front of her, beautiful girls filled the room. For a moment, she thought she had stepped into the wrong pce, but then she saw Ryuji sitting fortably in the middle of it all.

  "It's you," Ryuji said, reizing her. "Kitagawa, right?"

  "Ryuji-senpai!" Marin bowed deeply in front of him, her voice filled with siy. "I haven't had the ce to thank you properly for what happe time. If it weren't for you, I would've died."

  The girls in the room exged gnces. It wasn't the first time someone had e to thank Ryuji for saving their life. In fact, a few of them had their own experiences with that.

  "It's no big deal. It's been weeks already, hasn't it?" Ryuji said, brushing off her gratitude. To him, it wasn't a huge deal. In fact, he wondered why she was only bringing it up now.

  "I know… I'm sorry," Marin said sheepishly. "I've been meaning to thank you earlier, but… well, I was scared."

  Seeing Ryuji's power firsthand had left a sting impression on her. But now that she was here, speaking to him face-to-face, she realized that Ryuji wasn't as intimidating as she had imagined.

  "Anyway, I really appreciate it," Marin said, bowing again.

  "Sure, I'll take the thanks. If that's all, you leave now," Ryuji said, waving her off nontly.

  But Marin wasn't dohere's something else… I've been w about those monsters. What were they? And why did those sorcerers say that soon everyone will know about them?"

  The room fell silent as everyouro Ryuji, eveher girls. Their curiosity iqued too.

  "Well, it's not too plicated," Ryuji began. "Cursed spirits used to be invisible to ordinary people, but now, a new kind of cursed spirit has appeared, ohat normal humans see. These new spirits are much stronger and more dangerous. If enough people start seeing them, well, the secret 't be kept much longer. And there aren't enough sorcerers to hahe problem."

  Marin listened ily, growing more uneasy as he expined. "So… does that mean things are going to get worse?"

  "Maybe," Ryuji said with a smirk. "But don't worry about it too much."

  Mariated, then asked, "Is there any ce that normal people could bee sorcerers?"

  "Nope," Ryuji said without even looking up. "You don't have the talent."

  Marin's face fell slightly. She had been hoping for a different answer. Before she could say anything more, Yukino chimed in, clearly notig Marin's disappoi.

  "Ryuji already saved you," Yukino said. "You should be grateful for that, not asking for more."

  Marin stood there, silent and slightly embarrassed. She realized she had overstepped. Just as she was about to leave, the door to the service department suddenly burst open.

  "Bang!"

  Everyouro see the twin sisters, Nanako and Mimiko, standing in the doorway. The force of their entrance had even cracked the door slightly.

  Ryuji raised an eyebrow. "You two?"

  It was a surprise to see them here, but after a moment's thought, he figured it wasn't too shog. Even though Geto Suguru was dead, his influeill lingered, and it wouldn't be difficult for them to track him down.

  "What do you want?" Ryuji asked casually.

  Without hesitation, the sisters walked straight up to him, dropped to their knees, and bowed low in a posture of desperation.

  "Please help us!"

  Everyone in the room stared, fused by the sudden dispy.

  Ryuji looked down at them, genuinely puzzled. "You're both capable sorcerers. What could be so bad that you'd beg me like this?"

  Nanako and Mimiko remained silent for a moment, their heads still bowed.

  Realizing the situation was more serious than it seemed, the irls in the room stayed quiet, not wanting to interrupt. Marin, who had been about to leave, froze in pce. She was suddenly very thankful she hadn't stepped out a moment earlier, she could feel the intense energy radiating from the twins.

  ***

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