Erina found herself struggling to uand Alice. After managing to tie with her in their little test, shouldn't Alice be frustrated or annoyed? Instead, she seemed pletely focused on something else.

  "Ryuji, I didn't get a ce st time. Would it be okay if I got your taformation this time?" Alice asked, pulling out her phoh a bright smile.

  "Of course!"

  Ryuji agreed without hesitation.

  Kaguya, though feeling a pang of jealousy, maintained her posure. She knew better than to show her emotions openly in such a setting.

  Senzaemon, watg Alice exge numbers with Ryuji, allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. Alice always knew how to take initiative. His eyes drifted to Erina, who stood there looking somewhat bewildered, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

  Erina was brilliant, but her single-minded focus on cooking sometimes made her miss the bigger picture.

  Ah well, he thought. She'd learually.

  "Ryuji!"

  Alice opened her mouth to say more when suddenly—

  Boom!

  A massive explosion rocked the school grounds.

  Being the weekend, the campus was mostly empty, but the few students who were there began screaming and scrambling in every dire.

  "What's going on?"

  Senzaemon shot up from his chair, armed.

  As the head of Totsuki Academy, any threat to the school was a threat to everything he'd built.

  The rest of the group exged worried gnces, but Ryuji's expression shifted, his eyes narrowing as he looked toward the source of the otion.

  "This energy… a special-grade cursed spirit?"

  With Ryuji's honed senses, he could easily pick up on the malevolent aura, even from a distance. And the fact that it ecial-grade cursed spirit meant this wasn't an ordinary disturbance.

  But why here, at Totsuki Academy?

  "Ru out of here!"

  "It's a monster!"

  "It's a cursed spirit!"

  "Everyone, run!"

  The few remaining students who had seen the cursed spirit ran in panic, their shouts ringing out across the campus.

  "Cursed… spirit?"

  Erina's eyes widened in disbelief. In her world, even if she knew cursed spirits existed, they felt like distant, almost mythical dangers. The idea of one appearing right here at Totsuki was unfathomable.

  "Let's get out of here!"

  Panic surged through her, and she instinctively moved to leave.

  But theiced that no one else seemed as frantic as she was. Alice, Senzaemon, even Kaguya—all were surprised, yes, but none were running.

  "...?"

  Am I the only one who looks ridiculous here? Erina thought, embarrassment c her cheeks.

  Alice shot her a sideways gnd smirked. "Erina, isn't it the cursed spirit that should be running?"

  Following Alice's gaze, Erina turo look at Ryuji.

  Of course! The stro sorcerer was standing right there. If anyone should be running, it definitely wasn't them.

  Realizing this, Erina's cheeks flushed even more. How could she have panicked like that?

  Ryuji, catg Alice's ent, chuckled. "I didn't expect Miss Alice to have such faith in me."

  "Of course!" Alice responded without hesitation, her voice fident. "I've been looking forward to seeing you again sihe st time we met."

  Alice wasn't shy or reserved, she spoke her mind without a sed thought. There was o hold back, especially not with Ryuji.

  Kaguya's eyes narrowed, jealousy fring. How could this girl be so bold? And why did she feel a stab of envy watg her?

  She had to admit, she wished she could be as open as Alice.

  "Hahaha!"

  Ryuji ughed, uo hold back. He stood up, gng around at the others.

  "Let's go see what kind of cursed spirit we're dealing with."

  Special-grade cursed spirits didn't just show up without a reason. The fact that one had appeared at Totsuki meant there was something unique about it.

  With that thought, Ryuji felt a thrill of anticipation.

  Seeing him stand, the rest of the group followed suit.

  Normally, when faced with a cursed spirit, the first instinct would be to run. But when someone like Ryuji was by your side, running didn't even cross your mind. Even a special-grade cursed spirit seemed manageable.

  Meanwhile, in the school's courtyard, a grotesque moood at seven ht meters tall, cobbled together from peared to be various food ingredients.

  It ughed maniacally, its voice eg as it swung its massive arms, hurling globs of what looked like gourmet food in all dires.

  Though the thrown projectiles appeared harmless, almost appetizing at a ghe reality was far different. Anything they touched began to corrode instantly, whether it nts, the ground, or even buildings, the substae through it with terrifying speed.