All pairs of eyes turo Ryuji.

  After all, these girls were kind at heart.

  "Well, there's nothing I do if I 't find her!" Ryuji shrugged. He had no idea where Mai Sakurajima was at the moment, so there was no point in w about helping her right now.

  "..."

  The girls realized this too, and for a moment, they weren't sure what to say.

  "Don't worry about it!" Ryuji smiled and waved dismissively. "Maybe someday, she'll be able to trol her power."

  After all, a teique going out of trol doesn't st forever. If the person adapts to their abilities and learns how to use them properly, everything should stabilize.

  Of course, there were always other ways to fix the situation.

  "If you meet her, just tell her where the Service Club is. I should be able to see her," Ryuji added.

  In other words, as long as someone had strong enough cursed energy, they should be able to perceive her presence.

  "Got it!"

  With Ryuji's reassurahe girls stopped w. They decided to keep a for her on campus maybe they'd run into her eventually.

  ---

  That evening, Miko reparing some gifts for the new neighbors when her mother called, saying some retives were visiting, so she had to head home.

  "Do you wao e with you?" Ryuji offered.

  "No need!" Miko smiled, shaking her head. "My mom said they're just ing to pay respects to my dad. Don't worry, I'll be back soon!"

  It wasn't too far away, after all.

  With that, Miko left the house.

  "Ha~"

  The house felt oddly quiet after she left, and Ryuji realized it was a little lonely. He had gotteo having people around, and now being alo strange.

  "Well, guess I'll py some games!"

  Even though he had traveled to another world, many of the games from his previous life still existed here. After pying a bit, maybe Miko would be back.

  But just as he was about to get started

  "Ding Dong!"

  The doorbell rang.

  "Did she fet something?" Ryuji muttered, thinking Miko might have left something behind. He quickly walked over to open the door.

  Uedly, it wasn't Miko at the door it was Sae, the neighbor who had introduced herself that m. She was holding a pair of pliers in one hand, her clothes slightly wet, and she looked at him apologetically.

  "Um, sorry to bother you, Ryuji-kun, but could you help me fix a water pipe?"

  "..."

  Was she serious about fixing the plumbing?

  "Yes, of course." Ryuji nodded, quickly realizing that the issue was legitimate. The plumbing in the house she'd just moved into robably old and had broken down.

  Ryuji knew a little about this kind of repair, so it wasn't too difficult for him to fix.

  ---

  "It's done!" Ryuji announced after finishing the repair. He looked over at Sae, who was standing nearby. "Try it out and see if it works."

  "Thank you so much!" Sae said gratefully. She turned on the shower, but to her surprise, she was immediately drenched in water.

  "Ah!" She let out a small scream and quickly shut it off.

  "Thank you, Ryuji-kun. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't know what to do!" Sae said, now pletely soaked. Being a siher and a professional artist, she didn't have much experieh home repairs. She was fortuo have someone like Ryuji to help.

  "Would you like to stay for dinner as a thank you?"

  "Uh, no need. I've already received a thank-you gift," Ryuji replied.

  "...?"

  Sae looked fused. A thank-you gift? When had she given him one?

  But then she realized what Ryuji meant she noticed his gaze and suddenly became aware of her soaked clothing, which g to her, making things rather... revealing.

  Flustered, Sae blushed and stammered, "W-Wait, please! I'll just go ge!"

  Despite being a mother, Sae's face turned red as she quickly ran out of the bathroom, embarrassed by the situation.

  Ryuji chuckled as she fled. He didn't say anything and simply left the bathroom.

  A few mier, Sae, now in dry clothes, emerged from her room. She kept her head down, still feeling a bit embarrassed about earlier.

  "Thanks again for your help. I'll head baow," Ryuji said, ready to leave.

  "Wait, please sit down for a moment!" Sae hurriedly insisted. "I'll make you some tea. You 't just leave after helping me like that!"

  Not waiting for his reply, Sae quickly went to the kit to prepare tea.

  "Alright, then," Ryuji said, deg not to refuse her hospitality. He sat down on the couch, taking the opportunity to observe Sae's house. Like his, it was a two-story building, cozy and well-suited for two people.

  Soon, Sae returned with a tray of tea. "Please, have some tea."

  "Thank you," Ryuji said, taking the cup gratefully.

  He sipped the tea and asked casually, "Where's Sagiri? School's already over, right?"

  "Sagiri is in her room, practig her drawing," Sae expined. "She's really into it, probably because I'm a painter myself."

  "Ah, that makes sense," Ryuji nodded. It seemed Sagiri had ied her mother's talent and passion for art.

  The house was surprisingly quiet. Even though Ryuji and Sae were talking, no sound seemed to e from Sagiri's room, which had excellent soundproofing.

  "I 't thank you enough for helpioday, Ryuji-kun," Sae said sincerely. "It's hard doing all this alone sometimes."

  Sae sighed softly, clearly carrying a burden. It was times like these that made her wish she had someoo rely on. But whehought of her own situation, her expression darkened.

  "It's nothing, really. We're neighbors. If you need help again, just let me know," Ryuji said, smiling warmly. "I live door, after all."

  Sae blihen smiled back. "Thank you so much, Ryuji-kun."

  "You don't have to call me 'kun.' I'm still a high schooler, after all. Just call me Ryuji."

  Sae hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, Ryuji… You call me Sae."

  "Sure, Sister Sae!" Ryuji replied, using a more casual and friendly form of address.

  Sae's face lit up a bit when he called her that. It felt o be called "sister," making her feel closer to him.

  But then Ryuji casually asked, "By the way, where's your husband? Is he around?"

  "..."

  Ryuji's question seemed to hit a sensitive spot. Sae's mood instantly darkened again.

  "If it's something you'd rather not talk about, that's okay," Ryuji quickly added, notig her disfort.

  "No, it's fine," Sae said, shaking her head. "There's nothing I 't say…"

  After a deep breath, she began to expin.

  "Actually, I've always felt like I'm an unlucky person."

  Perhaps it was the new enviro, or maybe it was the fact that she hadn't had ao talk to about this in a long time, but Sae opened up to Ryuji.

  She told him about her situation, firming what Ryuji had suspected. She had remarried after meeting a man on a blind date Masamune's father. He was a det man, nothing special, but reliable. They married the same day they met, hoping to give Sagiri a stable family.

  But tragically, both Masamune's father and Masamune himself died in an act shortly after the move.

  And just like that, Sae's life remained unged still a siher, still alone.

  This i made her believe she was cursed. She felt that anyone who got close to her would meet with misfortune.

  "..."

  Ryuji was silent as he listened, processing the story.

  So, Izumi Sae was still a widow, and Sagiri was still living without a father.

  "Do you think someone like me ever be happy?" Sae asked, her voice shaky and her eyes glistening with uears.

  "How could you think otherwise?" Ryuji said gently. He reached out and held her hand, giving her a f smile.

  "From another perspective, this might actually be a stroke of luck for you."

  "Luck?" Sae looked up at him, clearly fused. How could anything about her situation be sidered lucky?

  "If that act hadn't happened, Sister Sae wouldn't have moved here, and we wouldn't have met. Isn't that fate?" Ryuji said with a grin.

  "You… what are you saying!" Sae's face turned red, embarrassed by his words.

  Fate?

  The idea made her blush. It felt a little silly to think of things that way.

  But Sae didn't pull her hand away this time. Instead, she let herself smile a little, the weight of her past starting to lift.

  "You know, Ryuji-kun… you really know how to say the right things. I bet you've used these lines on a lot of girls."

  "Sister Sae, you're not just some girl. How could they pare to you?"

  Youth had its advantages, sure, but maturity came with its own charm, ohat Ryuji clearly appreciated.

  "Bad boy!" Sae pouted, pyfully hitting his shoulder. She had thought he would be an ho, straightfuy, but now she realized there was more to him. Yet, strangely, instead of feeling uneasy, she found herself smiling, a warmth spreading inside her.

  "You said that man wasn't a good mate, huh? And you think you are?"

  "Maybe," Ryuji replied with a teasing grin. He didn't try to hide his feelings.

  Of course, Ryuji wouldn't forything. If Sae wasn't ied, that would be the end of it. But right now, her rea seemed more like pyful resistaher than ht reje.

  "I-I already have a daughter, you know," Sae said softly, her voice trembling slightly. The reality of their age differend her responsibilities as a mother made her hesitant.

  "I don't mind. I just think someone as amazing as you deserves to be cared for, not always having to shoulder everything alone," Ryuji responded sincerely.