"Let's just take things as they are!"

  Since Ai didn't want to eborate, Ryuji decided not to press further.

  He leaned back, satisfied. After all, he was the one being from the situation, so there was no loss on his end.

  "…"

  Ai fell silent, looking at Ryuji with a hesitant expression. No matter how things had unfolded, this was the first man she'd had such close, personal tact with.

  After a long pause, she finally whispered, "My parents are being threatened."

  Ryuji didn't respond, simply watg Ai as she k before him, waiting for her to tinue.

  Uanding his silence as a prompt, Ai began to expin. She reted the story of Oko Shinomiya—the person who had essentially handed her over to be a spy, pg her under stant pressure and trol. Ai didn't know if she could fully trust Ryuji, but what choice did she have? If she didn't trust him, was she doomed to remain a pawn her entire life?

  If she gave in ohere would be a sed and third time. Ai didn't want to keep living like that.

  "I see," Ryuji replied, nodding thoughtfully after heariory.

  In truth, he'd already known from watg the ahat Ai was sent by Oko to monituya. The glittering facade of the powerful Shinomiya family clearly hid a darker, more ruthless side.

  Only the heartless could survive in such elite circles; any softness had long been weeded out.

  Ai lowered her head, silent.

  Ryuji reached ently lifting her . "So, what do you want? Revenge? Or do you want to break free from Oko's trol?"

  Ai looked into Ryuji's eyes, sensing a strength and fidehin him. But his questio her uain, her expression fused.

  "It seems you don't even know what you want," he ented. "After all, you're still just a girl, barely older than Kaguya. Maybe you're smarter and more mature, but deep down…"

  Ryuji released her and leaned back with a casual shrug. "I'm not going to do anything for you."

  Ai opened her mouth to protest, but she realized she didn't even know what to ask for. After all, Ryuji had no real reason to help her. She felt a pang of bitterness at the thought.

  "But," he tinued, his tone softening."

  "I'll give you the power to ge your own fate."

  "…?"

  Ai blinked, irely uanding what he meant. Before she could question him further, Ryuji raised his hand and touched her forehead.

  In an instant, Ai felt an unfamiliar energy c through her body—a strange, intense sensation that made her feel stronger.

  "This is cursed energy," he expined. "Get familiar with this feeling, but remember, I won't help you ma it again iure."

  "Cursed energy?" Ai's eyes widened. She knew what cursed energy was and what it represented. Somehow, she had just bee… a sorcerer?

  How could that be possible?

  Ryuji withdrew his hand, and Ai could still feel the newfound power pulsing within her. It was no illusion—she really had gained cursed energy.

  "Isn't it said that ordinary people aren't capable of being sorcerers?"

  The Shinomiya family had doheir research after disc the existence of cursed energy, even buying up various methods for sensing it. But no matter what they tried, it never worked. They didn't have the talent, so they couldn't learn it.

  Ai had tried before, but it had been hopeless. So why could she do it now?

  "It's because of my teique," Ryuji said calmly.

  "Your… teique?"

  Seeing her fusion, he decided to expin a bit. "Every sorcerer awaken a ueique, like a special ability. My teique allows me to give ordinary people the ce to bee sorcerers."

  The intricate details weren't necessary to go into, and frankly, he doubted she'd uand all of it anyway.

  "…!"

  Ai was sharp enough to grasp the significe immediately. If wot out about Ryuji's ability, he would have a target on his back. After all, in a world like theirs, who wouldn't want the ce to wield cursed energy?

  "I uand," she said seriously. "I won't tell anyone about this."

  Ryuji chuckled, reag out to lift her again. "You're smarter than I thought. Good. Intelligence will keep you alive."

  Suddenly, a notification appeared in his vision.

  "Target tacted: Ai Hayasaka. Goldery unlocked. Do you wish to load it?"

  Ary? Had she also awakened a teique?

  As Ryuji wondered about this ued development, Ai murmured, "I… I feel like I have some kind of new ability."

  She raised her hands, and with a look of tration, a small kerialized between her palms.

  "Cursed struct?"

  Ryuji was genuinely surprised. Awakening a teique was supposed to be incredibly difficult for someone who had gained cursed energy ter in life. Yet here she was, already capable of creating objects.

  Could it be because she was a heroine and had some kind onist's aura?

  As Ai held up the knife, her expression paled, arength faded. Just as she was about to colpse, Ryuji caught her, using his RCT to restore her energy.

  Although her strength returned, Ai didn't make any move to get up from his embrace. She leaned into him, fortable and at ease.

  Ryuji didn't mind at all.

  He casually expined, "Cursed struct is a teique that lets you create anything by using cursed energy. Your cursed energy is weak for now, so making a knife is about your limit. But once you grow stronger, you'll be able to create almost anything."

  Of course, it wasn't that simple. Advanced creations required an uanding of the object's structure. A knife was easy, but something like a pne or a tank would require precise knowledge of every part.

  Fortunately, Ai was intelligent. She could probably learn to create plex objects if she put her mind to it.

  Ryuji recalled two other known users of the stru teique: Maki Zenin's twin sister, Mai Zenin, whose ability was limited to making bullets due to the twin curse, and a sorcerer from a thousand years ago, an infatuated admirer of Sukuna, the king of curses.

  He didn't expect Ai to awaken such a rare ability.

  Just as Ryuji was about to check if the goldery he unlocked from Ai was ihis stru teique, he suddenly felt Ai's small hand movilessly.

  "…?"

  He looked down, only to see Ai smiling pyfully up at him.

  "We still have a bit of a drive left. Would it be alright if we… went further?"

  If her approach before had been calcuted, now it was genuine. Ai simply wao offer herself to him, purely because the man in front of her was Ryuji.

  "Alright," he replied with a smile.

  Reject her? Of course not. Ryuji was never oo refuse such a gift.

  Half an hour ter, the car rolled to a stop.

  Ryuji stepped out, closing the door behind him, and noticed the female driver's surprised expression.

  Wasn't Hayasaka Ai supposed to be with him? Why wasn't she getting out of the car?

  "She's a bit tired and needs some rest," he expined smoothly.

  "I uand." The driver nodded knowingly. She didn't ask further, choosing to stay outside to ehey wouldn't be disturbed.

  Ryuji smiled, appreciating her discretion. The people in the Shinomiya family were well-trained, after all.

  He goward the mansion in the distahen walked leisurely toward it.

  "Goldery: Cursed struct!"

  Only then did Ryuji have a ce to examihe entry he'd unlocked. Just as he'd expected, it was the stru teique.

  "Load it."

  stru was a versatile ability, something he could see himself using often. It was well worth keeping around.

  "[Talery system]

  Host: Ryuji Hoshino

  Bloodline: Human

  Loaded entries: Soul Dev [Red], Yin-Yang Eyes [Gold], Presence cealment [Gold],Tranquility [Gold], Reverse Cursed Teique [Gold], Motrag Physique [Gold], Third Dimension, Dreamwalker [Gold], Physical Strengthening [Gold], Cursed Speech [Gold], Shadoution [Gold], Malevolent Shrine [Gold], Bckbird Manipution [Gold], Idle Transfiguration [Gold], Anti-Gravity System [Gold], Horizon of the Captivating Skandha [Gold], Binding Teique [Gold], Curse Script [Gold], Ink Ination [Gold], Infinite Void [Gold], Cursed struct [Gold], Iron Fist [Purple], bat Intuition [Purple].

  Points: 80,120!"

  "Not bad," Ryuji mused, pleased with his character panel.

  After a brief gnce, he closed the menu.

  As he approached the manor, he noticed the security around the estate. There would be no foolish misuandings here—Ryuji was, after all, the mai of the evening, invited by Gan'an Shinomiya himself.

  "Mr. Ryuji!"

  The security guards reized him immediately, bowing in respect.

  They all bowed and greeted him with respect.

  Ryuji just nodded slightly and tioward the entrance of the mansion.

  Ihe ba was already lively, despite the mais not having arrived yet. The hall was filled with affluent guests, some engaging in polite versation, while others tried to make new es.

  Those from smaller families were especially eager to curry favor, keenly aware of how alliances could shift fortunes.

  "I didn't expect our Yukinoshita family to be so popur," Haruno ented with a smirk as she looked at a business card someone had handed her.

  She uood why, though. Ever since her younger sister Yukino had bee a sorcerer, people suddenly treated the Yukinoshita family with newfound respect.

  Their family's business had also seen smoother operations as a result. Obstacles that had once caused them erouble now seemed to disappear on their own, thanks to Yukino's reputation.

  "This is only natural," said Fumino, their mother, who was attending the event in pce of Yukino, who had opted to stay home, disliking such gatherings.

  Fumino carried herself with an air ance, basking in the prestige Yukino's powers had brought them.

  "Our Yukinoshita family has finally risen to prominence."

  "Don't fet, Mom," Haruno teased with a ugh, "Yukino's retionship with you isly warm."

  "…"

  Fumino's self-satisfied expression faltered, but she quickly regained her posure. "No matter what, I am still her mother."

  AnnouChey new books:

  ☆DC: Rise Of The Kryptonian Tyrant

  ☆GOT/ASOIAF: Ruler Beyond the Ice

  ☆Drift Of The Multiverse

  Check my profile, under Series.

  Junkdog