None of the Nakano sisters were hey could all sehe fear in Miku's eyes.

  At that moment, Ichika and Nino exged serious looks. Could it be that their sister was bullied?

  Even the usually cheerful Yotsuba and Itsuki were looking at Miku with .

  "Miku, you tell us what happened?" Ichika asked gently.

  "I…"

  Miku hesitated, unsure if she should say anything. But then she remembered what Ryuji had told her that these kinds of monsters would soon bee known to the public. If her sisters knew about it earlier, maybe they could be more careful and avoid potential danger.

  "Actually… here's what happened."

  Miku began reting the entire event, starting from when she was tricked by her friend into visiting the stru site alone.

  "Those jerks!" Nino fumed as she ched her fists. She was already the most hot-headed of the sisters, and hearing that someone had led Miku into danger made her furious.

  "When I see them on Monday, I'm going to beat them up!" she decred.

  Ichika, always the calm one, pced a hand on Nino's shoulder. "Let's hear what Miku has to say first."

  It was clear this situation was far from resolved.

  "Tsk…"

  Though clearly upset, Ni quiet, waiting for Miku to tinue.

  At first, they assumed Miku had simply been scared by the eerie atmosphere of the stru site. After all, Miku was not known for being particurly brave.

  But what Miku described left all four of her sisters stunned.

  Curse spirits? Sorcerers?

  Things that seemed to belong in novels and anime were apparently real.

  Could something like this truly exist?

  "Uh…"

  For a moment, all of them, including Nino, Yotsuba, and Itsuki, turo look at Ichika, their eldest sister.

  Even Ichika was at a loss. This was beyond what she could reasonably believe.

  After struggling with her thoughts for a while, she carefully asked, "Um, Miku… are you sure you did something strange and start halluating?"

  It was hard to bme her. For someone who hadn't seen it firsthand, it was difficult to accept that monsters could exist in their world.

  "I knew you wouldn't believe me…"

  Miku wasn't surprised by their skepticism. She had expected as mubsp;

  "I know it sounds unbelievable, but it's true! I saw it with my own eyes. Ryuji-kun said that soon enough, these monsters will be seen by everyone. And when that happens, you'll know I wasn't imagining things!"

  "Isn't that terrifying!" Yotsuba gasped, her usual upbeat tone now full of fear. "If that's the case, shouldn't we run away or something?"

  "..."

  Wait, you believe this? Itsuki thought, shaking her head. "e on, Yotsuba. This doesn't sound realistic at all."

  Ichika nodded in agreement, still finding it hard to accept. She was just about to say something wheiino wasn't refuting Miku's words. Instead, she stood there with a grim expression, as if she was remembering something troubling.

  "Nino? What's wrong?" Ichika asked, sensing her sister's unease.

  After a long pause, Nino finally spoke. "Maybe… there really are some things in this world that aren't human."

  "Right, right!" Miku excimed, excited that someone believed her.

  But her happiness was cut short when she realized the weight of Nino's words.

  "Wait… Nino, did something happen to you?" Ichika asked, her voice filled with .

  The other sisters also stared at Nino, waiting for her response.

  Niated before she spoke again. "A few days ago, I started to feel like someone was followi didn't matter if I was at school or on my way home I always had this feeling that someone was watg me."

  "Are you sure it wasn't just a pervert?" Itsuki suggested. "There are a lot of creeps like that, especially around here."

  Nino shook her head. "I thought it ervert at first too, so I tried looking into it. But I couldn't find anyone."

  She hadn't told her sisters about this before because she didn't want them to worry. She had assumed it was nothing more than a pervert stalking her. But after hearing what Miku had experienced, Nino started to wonder if it was something more sinister perhaps something supernatural.

  "Wait, you mean this might not be a human at all?" Ichika asked, now genuinely worried.

  Nino nodded grimly. "I didn't want to think it, but… yeah."

  The room fell silent. None of the sisters doubted Nino's judgment she wasn't the type to make up stories or jump to clusions.

  "That's terrifying…" Yotsuba muttered, her eyes wide with fear.

  Miku, realizing the severity of the situation, quickly pulled out her phone. "I'll call Ryuji-kun!"

  Earlier, she had been thinking about how she could find an excuse to tact him again. Now, with Nino possibly being targeted by a curse spirit, she didn't o think of one.

  "Uh…" Ichika hesitated. She was about to suggest that they hahings themselves, but seeing how serious the situation was, she stayed quiet. Maybe getting help wasn't such a bad idea.

  "Ryuji-kun!" Miku's voice brightened as soon as the call ected.

  The other sisters exged gnces. It was clear from her tohat Miku had developed a bit of a crush on this mysterious boy.

  "Well, I guess we'll have to meet him now," Ichika muttered to herself. If Ryuji really was the person Miku was describing, it might not be such a bad idea for them to meet him.

  "Uh-huh! …Being followed by a cursed spirit?" Ryuji was surprised when Miku expihe situation. She mentiohat Nino had been targeted by something strange and asked if he could help.

  It wasn't what he had expected, but it wasn't a big deal.

  Instead of heading directly to their house, Ryuji suggested that the five sisters meet him at the service club at Sobu High on Monday, when school resumed. After all, the situation didn't seem urgent at the moment.

  He wasn't going to make it that easy to get his help. Besides, he already had plenty of beautiful girls around him. A little effort wasn't too much to ask.

  After hanging up, Miku smiled and reassured Nino. "Don't worry. Ryuji-kun said we meet him at school on Monday. He'll help us then."

  "Wait, he's not ing over now?" Ichika asked, surprised. She had expected him to rush ht away, especially if he was trying to impress Miku.

  "Ryuji-kun is very busy!" Miku said seriously. "He's probably like the heroes in those novels silently proteg the human world from the shadows. He must have a lot on his pte!"

  Her eyes sparkled with admiration as she spoke.

  "..."

  Her sisters watched her in sile was clear Miku had fallen head over heels for this guy.

  "Alright then, we'll wait until Monday," Ichika said with a sigh. There wasn't much else they could do.

  But she couldn't help w. "Are you sure you'll be okay, Nino?"

  "I'll manage," Nino replied, though her smile was a little forced. She had alrided herself orength, but the thought of being targeted by something supernatural had shaken her.

  Evero person could feel scared when faced with the unknown.

  Ichika could sense Nino's disfort, but she didn't know what else to say. There was no helping it. They just had to wait.

  ---

  Soon enough, the weekend was over, and Monday arrived.

  During lunch break in the service club, Ryuji gnced over at Yukino, who was reading quietly beside him.

  "The exam results are ing out this afternoon. Are you ready for them?" Ryuji asked, a teasing smile pying on his lips.

  "You know I might have a request that's a bit… excessive, right?"

  "..."

  Yukino's face flushed slightly at his words. She had been lost in thought, but now she couldn't trate on her book anymore.

  "Don't fet, I was at the top of rade before!" she shot back, her voice filled with determination. "Do you really think I'll lose?"

  Yukino had already thought about what she would ask Ryuji to do if she won. After all, he teased her every day. It was her ce to turables.

  But for some reason, a small part of her almost hoped she wouldn't win.

  If she lost… and Ryuji asked her to do something embarrassing, what would she do?

  No! There was no way she could lose! Absolutely not!

  "Hahaha, let's wait and see," Ryuji ughed, notig how her expression shifted from determio flustered.

  "That, um, Ryuji…"

  At that moment, Saki, who had been quiet on the side, suddenly raised her head and called out to him.

  "Hm?"

  He looked over, having noticed earlier that Saki seemed deep in thought. He hadn't disturbed her, curious to see what was on her mind.

  "I… I think I figured out a way to make some money."

  "Oh? Tell me about it."

  "How to make money?" Ryuji raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

  Saki looked a little hesitant but then took a deep breath and tinued, "I've been thinking… With all the weird stuff going on tely like the cursed spirits and all there are probably more and more people entering strahings. So… why don't we start taking requests? You know, help people solve their problems with these things… and charge them for it."

  Ryuji leaned back, arms crossed, looking at her thoughtfully. "So, you're saying we should run a business dealing with supernatural problems?"

  Saki nodded eagerly. "Yeah, exactly! I mean, you're already strong enough to hahose cursed spirits, and with people starting to realize these thi, there's bound to be a demand. We could charge for your help and make some good money."

  At the end, she looked at Ryuji with hopeful eyes, waiting for his response.

  "You're short on cash, aren't you?" Ryuji asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Saki ughed awkwardly, scratg the back of her head. "Heh… yeah, you could say that."

  "I k," Ryuji said, sighing. "You're not the type to e up with something like this unless you needed money."

  Saki's face turned a little red, but she nodded. "Yeah, I'm kind of brht now. I used to have part-time jobs, but after everything I've learned about these cursed spirits, I'm too scared to walk around at night anymore. I had to quit. Now I don't have any ine, and… I'm struggling to even afford lunch."

  Ryuji studied her for a moment, realizing how tough her situation must have been. He knew Saki was the type to shoulder burdens quietly, never asking for help unless she absolutely .

  "Well, it's not a bad idea," Ryuji finally said after a brief pause. "I o absorb cursed spirits to get stronger anyway. Instead of chasing them down, it wouldn't be a bad idea to let people e to us with their problems. If it helps you out financially, all the better."

  Saki's eyes lit up. "Really? You're okay with it?"

  "Yeah," Ryuji nodded. "But here's the deal every time y in someone who needs help, I'll give you a cut of whatever they pay. That way, you don't even have to do the hard work. Just find the people, and I'll hahe rest."

  Saki's face brightened, and she couldn't hide her excitement. "Deal! That sounds perfect!"

  Ryuji smirked. "You're quite the businesswoman, Saki."

  "Hey, a girl's gotta survive," Saki replied with a grin, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders.

  "Alright then, it's settled," Ryuji said, leaning forward. "Just make sure to vet these people first. No point in wasting time on cases that don't involve actual cursed spirits."

  Saki nodded vigorously. "Of course! I'll make sure."

  "Good," Ryuji replied, smiling to himself. "Looks like we're in business."

  *****

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