"I'm gd I called you when I did," Yui said, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. "If we'd waited even one more night, that thing would've grown stronger. Not only would my mom have been in danger, but I would've been dragged into it too."

  "I see!" Ryuji responded, nodding. Both Yui and her mother, Mrs. Yuigahama, were visibly shaken by the close call but also incredibly relieved. They couldn't imagine what would've happened if Ryuji hadn't e to their aid.

  "Alright, all done," Ryuji said, removing his hands from Mrs. Yuigahama's ankle. "It shouldn't hurt now."

  Mrs. Yuigahama blinked in surprise, wiggling her foot experimentally. "Wow, it really doesn't hurt anymore!" she excimed, almost amazed at how quickly the pain had disappeared. There was a strange, almost unspoken longing withihough she didn't fully uand it herself, wishing that Ryuji hadn't stopped so soon.

  "Thank you so much, Ryuji-kun!" she said sincerely.

  "o thank me." Ryuji smiled warmly and waved it off casually. "Well, it's getting te. I should head out."

  Mrs. Yuigahama was about to offer to walk him to the door but hesitated. Her gaze flicked to Yui, who stood beside Ryuji, beaming at him. Her daughter clearly wahe extra time with him.

  "Yui, why don't you walk Ryuji-kun out?" she said, her voice even but with a knowing smile.

  "Okay!" Yui responded eagerly, her face lighting up with happiness at the suggestion. She practically skipped alongside Ryuji as they made their way to the door.

  Mrs. Yuigahama watched them leave, her mind swirling with unspoken thoughts. She couldn't deny the pang of…something a mix of longing and resignation as she sat ba the sofa. Her eyes drifted back to her now perfectly healed ankle, recalling how gentle Ryuji's hands had been. She chuckled quietly to herself.

  Meanwhile, Yui was happily walking with Ryuji to the gate, relishing every moment she got to spend with him. She cherished these little moments, knowing they didn't happen all the time.

  "Okay, I think this is far enough," Ryuji said as they reached the front gate. "If I walk you back, we'll just end up repeating this whole process." He smiled down at her.

  Yui pouted slightly but nodded. "Yeah… I guess so."

  She looked up at him, her usual cheery demeanor softening as she spoke. "Thank you again for tonight, Ryuji-kun. Holy, I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been there. My mom could've…" Her voice trailed off, and the gravity of what could have happened hit her.

  Ryuji gave her a f tap on the head. "There's o thank me, Yui. We're close enough that you don't have to say stuff like that. It's what friends dht?"

  Though it was meant to reassure her, Yui's heart fluttered. Ryuji's words, coupled with his touch, sent her imagination spiraling into all sorts of happy fantasies. Maybe...just maybe...he saw her as more than a friend.

  "Hehe," Yui giggled, her mind swirling with happy thoughts. "Hey, Ryuji-kun, do you think if you're free sometime soon, you could e over for dinner? My mom and I would love to have you!" she asked, hope clear in her voice.

  Ryuji smiled, sensing the siy behind her invitation. "Sure, I'd love that."

  Yui's face practically lit up like a bea. His response felt like a validation of her feelings, even if nothing had been explicitly said. It was enough for now.

  "Alright then, I'll be off," Ryuji said, turning to leave.

  Yui stood by the gate, smiling long after he'd disappeared dowreet. She couldn't stop the wide grin from spreading across her face, even as she eventually turo go baside.

  "Mom?" Yui called out as she ehe house, finding her mother still sitting on the sofa, staring at her ankle like she was lost in thought. "Is everything okay?"

  Mrs. Yuigahama blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. "Oh! Yeah, I'm fine, sweetie," she said quickly, a reassuring smile. "Did Ryuji leave?"

  "Yeah," Yui replied, still buzzing with excitement. "I invited him to e over for dinner sometime, and he said yes!"

  "Did he now?" Mrs. Yuigahama murmured, her mind elsewhere. An almost imperceptible smile tugged at the ers of her lips. Iing...

  "Mom," Yui said, hesitating as she approached her mother. "Do you think you could teach me how to cook something? You know…for when Ryuji-kun es over."

  Mrs. Yuigahama blinked, surprised by the request. Her daughter had never been particurly ied in cooking mostly because she wasn't very good at it. But this was clearly different.

  "You…wao teach you to cook?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

  Yui nodded early, her determination clear.

  Mrs. Yuigahama sighed, though a soft smile lingered on her face. "Alright, I'll teach you. But you better listen carefully this time, Yui. I'm not letting you burn down my kit!"

  "Thank you, Mom!" Yui's face brightened even more as she hugged her mhtly.

  The m at school, Ryuji walked into css like any other day. As usual, the first person to greet him was Yumiko except this time, Yui darted ahead, cutting in front of Yumiko.

  "Good m, Ryuji-kun!" Yui said cheerfully, her energy practically bubbling over.

  "M, Yui," Ryuji greeted her back with a smile, raising his hand in a wave.

  Yumiko blinked in surprise, her greeting cut short. She didn't mind, but something definitely felt off. Yui was ag unusually...cheerful.

  "What's going on with you two?" Yumiko asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at Yui.

  "It's nothing!" Ryuji said casually, but Yui quickly corrected him.

  "It's not nothing!" she said seriously. "If it weren't for Ryuji-kun, my mom and I would've been in big trouble st night!"

  Yui's words drew the attention of both Yumiko and Hina, who had been standing nearby. The sudden shift in tone made them realize it wasn't a trivial matter.

  "What happened?" Yumiko asked, her curiosity piqued.

  Yui unched into an expnation of the previous night's events, detailing the eerie occurrences and how Ryuji had e to their rescue. By the time she finished, both Yumiko and Hina looked genuinely impressed and maybe even a little envious.

  "Wow… Ryuji-kun, you're like a real-life hero!" Yumiko said, g her hands together and looking at him in admiration. "It's like you're one of those strong, silent types from a novel who saves people without expeg anything iurn."

  Ryuji couldn't help but ugh. "I think yiving me way too much credit."

  "Ahem! Anyway, if any of you were in trouble, I'd help out too, you know," Ryuji added, clearing his throat, though a smirk crept onto his face.

  The girls giggled, the tension in the air dissolving as they returo their usual banter. However, Hina, alerceptive, watched Yui closely, sensing something deeper in the way Yui's eyes lit up whenever she looked at Ryuji.

  Hina's thoughts swirled as she quietly observed their dynamic. It was clear that after st night, Yui's feelings for Ryuji had growronger. And though she hadn't voiced them out loud, the affe in her eyes was unmistakable.

  "I'll have to keep an eye on this..." Hina thought to herself, filing it away for ter.

  ---

  "Yo! Long time no see, Nanami!"

  Ryuji called out as he approached.

  Thanks to his es at Jujutsu High, Ryuji had mao obtain news about several special-grade curse spirits. While he wasn't particurly ied in the higher-ups at Jujutsu High, there was no denying how effit their intelligework was. If Ryuji had to search for special-grade curse spirits on his own, it would've taken forever. But with their help, the process became much smoother.

  Currently, Ryuji and Jujutsu High had a sort of special arra. Due to the she of sorcerers and the rising number of cursed spirits, even some sorcerers with questionable backgrounds were being sidered for recruitment. It was a desperate situation there were just too many cursed spirits to deal with.

  So, the retionship between Ryuji and Jujutsu High had bee one of mutual be. Ryuji received information on cursed spirits and got rewards for exorg them. At the same time, his ability to devour spirits allowed him to grow stronger, making it a win-win situation. Why turn down su opportunity?

  Just like today.

  Ryuji had been trag a special-grade cursed spirit when he came across Nanami, who was already battling it.

  Normally, it wouldn't be too difficult for a first-grade sorcerer to handle a special-grade cursed spirit, as long as the cursed spirit wasn't too powerful. But today, Nanami seemed to be having a hard time.

  "What is this thing, a Transformer?" Ryuji muttered, staring at the massive cursed spirit in front of him. It was made up of several cars fused together, standing a good 20 to 30 meters tall.

  Nanami was struggling just to dodge its attacks. He didn't even have the ce to ter.

  The problem was clear, Nanami's fighting style relied on close bat. Against something se, with such long reach, he was at a severe disadvantage. A sorcerer like Mei Mei might've had a ce with her ratacks, but Nanami's options were limited.

  "Ryuji?" Nanami, who had been brag himself for another round, visibly rexed when he saw Ryuji arrive. He immediately plopped down on the ground, exhausted.

  "I gotta ask, do you trust me that much?" Ryuji asked, ughing at how quickly Nanami had given up the fight.

  "Well, if even you 't hahis thing, there's no point iryiher," Nanami replied, pletely unbothered by his own admission. There was no shame in admitting that Ryuji was stronger. Why pretend otherwise?

  Ryuji couldn't help but ugh. "That's just like you, Nanami."

  "But before I get started, what's with this Transformer look-alike?" Ryuji asked, still staring at the giant cursed spirit in disbelief.

  It wasn't Ryuji's fault for being so fused. This cursed spirit looked nothing like the ones he'd faced before, it really did resemble some kind of meical monster.

  Nanami just shrugged, still catg his breath. "Yuess is as good as mine."

  ***

  I'm thinking of pig up a new ff to transte, but I'm a bit stumped. If you know of a good ff that hasn't been worked o and think it'd be worth transting, drop me a link, and I'll check it out.

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