"But!"

  While this was certainly a potential solution, Yuzuru hesitated, her voice tinged with unease.

  "We don't know any sorcerers! And even if we did…" She trailed off, but everyone uood what she meant.

  Why would a sorcerer help them?

  Sorcerers were powerful, almost untouchable figures. People like them, ordinary and insignifit, had nht to request their aid.

  Despite her youth, Yuzuru was well aware of how the world worked. She khey didn't have anything to offer iurn for a sorcerer's help.

  At that moment, Yaekhtened her back, determination gleaming in her eyes.

  "No matter what, I'll find a way to get a sorcerer's help!" she decred firmly.

  For her daughter, Yaeko was willing to do anything.

  Women may be seen as weak, but a mother proteg her child was a force to be reed with. At this moment, Yaeko wasn't just a woman; she was a mother desperately trying to save her daughter.

  "Mom!"

  Yuzuru looked at her, worry etched on her face. But after a moment, she nodded seriously, her voice steady.

  "Yes, you're right. If it means saving my sister, I'll do whatever it takes too!"

  "..."

  Shouko watched her mother and sister with tearful eyes.

  She was deeply moved by their determination.

  If given the choice, she didn't want to die either.

  But she also didn't want her family to suffer or lower themselves for her sake.

  She raised her hands, intending to sign that they shouldn't trouble themselves for her. But before she could finish, Arisu spoke up.

  "Well, well, it seems I came here for the right reason," Arisu said with a faint smile.

  If a kind girl like Shouko and her warm, supportive family were truly destroyed by something as horrifying as a curse, Arisu k would weigh on her sce forever.

  "Let us hahe rest of this," she tinued.

  Masumi, who had been standing quietly to the side, nodded and added, "Yeah, we'll take care of it."

  Despite her usual blunt and sharp demeanor, Masumi wasn't heartless. She couldn't bear the thought of someone so gentle being snuffed out like this.

  "Really?"

  Yuzuru's eyes lit up with hope as she looked at Masumi and Arisu.

  Masumi didn't wait for Arisu to respond and immediately answered, "Of course!"

  She then g Arisu and smirked.

  "Arisu's capable. She'll make sure everythis sorted out."

  Hearing this, Yuzuru and Yaeko instinctively turo Arisu, their gazes filled with trust and expectation.

  "..."

  Arisu rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed. She shot Masumi a sharp look.

  "You're talking like you're the one who's going to do all the work!"

  Masumi shrugged nontly, pletely unfazed.

  "What's the problem? You're the brains here, and I'm the brawn. We're a team. What's mine is yours, and what's yours is… still yours," she added with a teasing grin.

  "Tsk."

  Arisu sighed in exasperation, realizing there was no point arguing. She cleared her throat and turo the family, all of whom were waiting anxiously.

  "Anyway, let me make a call first."

  —

  Elsewhere, Ryuji, who was just about to get some rest, g his phone.

  Seeing Arisu's name on the caller ID, he raised an eyebrow.

  It was ued. The two of them had exged taformation back when they'd crossed paths at the Service Club, but they'd never actually used it.

  "What could she want at this hour?" he muttered, before answering.

  "Hello?"

  "Ryuji," Arisu greeted, her tone polite but direct.

  "Do you know someone named Shouko Nishimiya?"

  "... Shouko Nishimiya?" Ryuji repeated, the name jogging his memory.

  ht. She was a character from the anime, A Silent Voice—a deaf-mute girl with a ki. Among all the heroines he knew of, she stood out as unique.

  "No, I don't know her. Why?"

  While Ryuji reized her name from the anime, he hadn't actually met her in real life.

  Arisu didn't seem surprised by his answer. She calmly began expining everything she had learned about Shouko's situation, including the curse and the urban legend surrounding it.

  "I see," Ryuji said after she finished. He now uood why Arisu had reached out to him.

  It sounded simir to the storyline in the anime, where Shouko had endured bullying. But now, there was the added element of a curse tied to Sadako's videotape.

  "Sadako, huh?" Ryuji murmured thoughtfully.

  Sadako was one of the most infamous figures in urban legends. The cursed videotape, the terrifying way her curse spread, it was all deeply ingrained in popur culture.

  In this case, it sounded like Sadako's legend had been influenced by a cursed spirit, possibly evolving into a fully-fledged special-grade entity.

  A special-grade curse…

  Ryuji's i iqued. Ordinary first-grade curses no longer held much value to him. Only special-grade cursed spirits were worth his attention now, especially for his Soul Dev teique.

  However, even with that thought in mind, he didn't immediately agree to help.

  "So, tell me… what makes you so sure I'll help you?" he asked, a faint trausement in his tone.

  She had called him at this te hour, clearly fident he'd say yes.

  Oher end of the line, Arisu remained calm. She didn't seem the least bit rattled by his question.

  "Because I know you're a good person," she replied matter-of-factly.

  "..."

  Ryuji froze for a moment, caught off guard.

  Was she seriously giving him the "good guy" card?

  Before he could respond, Arisu tinued, her tone fident and unwavering.

  "You're someone who 't just stand by a an i, kied girl die. Isn't that right, Ryuji?"

  Ryuji chuckled softly, shaking his head.

  "You're mistaken," he said, his voice low and calm. "I've never cimed to be a good person."

  The idea of being beled a "good guy" was almost ughable to him.

  But Arisu didn't seem fazed by his response. She simply smiled and added, "Even so, if you're willing to help, the Sakayanagi family will owe you a favor. Whatever you need iure, we'll do our best to repay you."

  ***

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