"No, it's impossible!"

  Saki didn't doubt Ryuji's words, but as she thought ba what had just happehe fear still lingered. She was certain of ohing:

  "What I entered must have been something weird!"

  "Then tell me what happe the time," Ryuji said casually, seeing how serious she was. He didn't refute her cim but gestured for her to expiuation.

  "That's right…"

  Saki took a deep breath and began reting what had happened on her way over.

  After finding out that Ryuji was in the service club, she had beeed and rushed over. Everything was fiil she was about halfway there. That's when she saw someoanding in the middle of the path.

  Her heart raced. "Be careful!" she had instinctively thought, w how the person had appeared out of nowhere. Just moments ago, there hadn't been ahere. And the person was wearing Sobu High School's uniform, meaning they were a cssmate. Thankfully, she stopped just in time and avoided colliding with them.

  She was about to ask if they were okay when the person looked directly at her, eyes wide with surprise.

  " you see me?"

  At first, Saki was fused by the question. What do you mean, I see you? You're right in front of me, how could I not?

  Before she could say anything, the person tinued. "My name is Mai Sakurajima. Do you know who I am? Do you know anything about me? You…"

  But as the girl, who had introduced herself as Mai Sakurajima, kept talking, her figure started to fade away from Saki's sight. The strahing was, even though Saki could see her disappearing, she couldn't uand why or how.

  To make matters worse, Saki began tet why she had even stopped in the first pce, and why she khe name Mai Sakurajima. All that was left in her memory was the name, nothing else.

  "Now, except for her name, my memory is hazy. This is true, I'm not lying!" Saki added hastily, worried that Ryuji might not believe her.

  "I didn't say I don't believe you," Ryuji responded with a reassuring wave of his hand. "But if it was Mai Sakurajima, that actually wouldn't be too surprising."

  "...What?" Saki was baffled. Why wasn't it strao enter Mai Sakurajima?

  "Haven't you heard the rumoing around school?" Ryuji asked, his voice calm but curious. Miko and the others in the service club also turheir attention to Saki, curious as to whether she had heard of these rumors.

  "Rumors?" Saki repeated, feeling even more fused. She worked part-time most days, so she didn't have much time to listen to school gossip or pay attention to such things.

  Miko took over, expining what they had heard about Mai Sakurajima and the strange occurrences surrounding her. "It's said that she has the potential to be a sorcerer, like Ryuji-kun, but she doesn't have trol over her power. It was triggered by act, and now she's stu a situation where her presence keeps fading."

  "So, Mai Sakurajima has the qualifications to be a sorcerer?" Saki asked, her curiosity piqued, though a hint of jealousy crept into her voice. She was feeling a bit bitter. Why was it that other people had these rare abilities, and she didn't?

  "There's nothing wrong with that uanding," Ryuji firmed. He noticed the envious expression on Saki's face it was obvious to everyone in the room. Still, there wasn't muyone could do. You either had the qualifications, or you didn't.

  "..."

  Although Saki was envious, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for Mai Sakurajima. If she didn't get help soon, she might disappear pletely, lost to the world.

  "If I see her again, I'll let her know where the service club is," Saki promised, hoping to do something to help.

  Ryuji nodded in aowledgment, then asked, "By the way, why did you e to see me?"

  Despite the long expnation, Saki hadn't actually mentiohe real reason she sought him out. Ryuji was curious.

  "Oh, that?" Saki replied, looking a bit shy now. "I was curious about what a day in the life of a sorcerer is like."

  She smiled, her boldness returning. "It's not every day you meet a boy you like, right? So I thought I'd check it out."

  Saki wasn't the type of girl to shy away from taking initiative, especially when she liked someone. Her previous shyness had been a result of her exhaustion from w multiple jobs, but now that she was feeling more eic, she had no problem being direct.

  However, her gaze swept across the irls in the room Yotsuya Miko, Yurikawa Hana, and Yukinoshita Yukino and her fident smile wavered. Internally, she sighed.

  "I didn't expect this mupetition," she said with a hint of pyfulness, though there was a deeper sense of disappoi hidih the surface.

  Ryuji, unfazed, merely shrugged. "I 't help that," he said, fshing her a grin.

  With that, the lunch break came to an end, and it was time for afternoon csses to resume. Si was exam day, it didn't take long for everyoo finish their papers. However, instead of staying alert or cheg over his answers, Ryuji immediately id his head down and fell asleep as soon as he was done.

  Across the room, Yumiko spotted him sleeping and smirked. She thought to herself, Looks like I've won this bet. She was already thinking of the perfect way to make Ryuji admit that he liked her she imagi would be sweet reveer all the teasing.

  While Ryuji eacefully napping, another person iy wasn't having such a peaceful day Yukinoshita Haruno.

  Ever since her enter with Ryuji, Haruno had been struggling. Although they hadn't crossed any serious boundaries, what they had done weighed heavily on her mind. Despite throwing herself into work to distract herself, she found it harder and harder tet.

  Worse still, she had started dreaming about Ryuji every night. These dreams were getting more vivid, more eous. It wasn't just her and Ryuji anymore other women appeared in the dreams too. It was driving her mad.

  "Am I losing my mind?" she muttered to herself.

  Even now, sitting in a car with her mother, Yukinoshita Fumino, Haruno couldn't shake the thoughts. She sighed.

  "Something on your mind?" Fumino asked, breaking the silen the car.

  Haruno was startled for a moment before quickly shaking her head. "No, nothing."

  Fumino eyed her daughter carefully. "I've heard about how much effort you've been putting into work tely," she said gently. "But you should take care of yourself too. You've been pushing yourself too hard."

  Haruno g her mother, slightly fused. Had she been misuood? It wasn't work she was throwing herself into out of passion it was to escape her thoughts about Ryuji.

  Still, she nodded, not wanting to expin the real reason for her behavior. "I'll take it easy, Mom."

  There was a moment of silence before Haruno asked, "By the way, where are we going?" She had been called out by her mother earlier, told that there was something important they o do, but hadn't been given aails.

  "We're going to the Shinomiya Group," Fumino replied.

  Haruno's eyes widened. "The Shinomiya Group?" she repeated in disbelief. The Shinomiya Group was one of the rgest glomerates in the try. Why would her mother o visit them?

  Seeing her daughter's surprise, Fumino calmly expined, "The Yukinoshita family has been fag some difficult challenges retly. If we don't get help from a powerful ally, we may not be able to pull through."

  Haruno uood what her mother was referring to. The real estate busihat their family relied on had been hit hard retly due to a series of acts. They were struggling to keep everything afloat.

  "But why would the Shinomiya Group help us?" Haruno asked, her disbelief still evident. The Shinomiya family was on a whole different level pared to the Yukinoshitas. What did their family have to offer iurn?

  "...Do they have their eye on you, Mom?" Haruno asked half-jokingly, her mind drifting to the possibility of an old romance or e.

  Fumino shot her daughter a sharp look. "Don't be ridiculous."

  Then, after a moment of hesitation, she revealed the real reason. "When I was younger, I was friends with the head of the Shinomiya family. I've avoided using that e for years, but now… there's no other choice."

  Haruno was stunned. She had never known about this.

  "So, you're calling in for a favor?" Haruno asked, her voice softening.

  Fumino nodded. "Yes. But this is the only ce we'll get. If this fails, there won't be another opportunity."

  Haruno uood the weight of the situation. "Don't worry, Mom. We'll make it through this."