"Let's drop Kugisaki off first," Ryuji said.

  His words made Maki and Nobara exge gnces.

  They were both sharp enough to uand what this implied.

  "I..."

  Nobara was about to protest. Why should she give up such a good opportunity?

  But Maki's gaze stopped her.

  It wasn't cold or intimidating—just a wordless question: Are you really ready for this?

  Realizing what Maki was hinting at, Nobara hesitated.

  Nobara hesitated. Her brashness faltered as the unspokeion sunk in. While Ryuji did meet her standards for an ideal parthe truth was, she didn't know him well yet. Throwing herself forward so eagerly would feel… undignified.

  "..."

  Nobara swallowed her words, momentarily speechless.

  Seeing this, Maki's lips curved into a fident smile. "Little one, you've got a long way to go," she thought triumphantly.

  She turo Ryuji again. "Kugisaki's house is closer, so let's drop her off first," she suggested, soundiirely natural.

  Ryuji raised an eyebrow slightly at her assertiveness but didn't protest.

  "Alright," he agreed, starting the car.

  This time, Nobara didn't argue, though she remained silent in the backseat.

  After dropping Nobara off, Ryuji drove Maki to her residence.

  Though Maki was from the Zenin family—one of the three major sorcerer s—she didn't live on the family estate. The Zenin was notoriously rigid and deeply entrenched in outdated traditions. In their eyes, those without strong curse energy were seen as worthless.

  Maki, having been born with little curse energy, had endured years of pt and ridicule from her family.

  Her decision to join Jujutsu High had been driven by a desire to prove herself—that even without exceptional curse energy, she could bee a powerful sorcerer.

  When they arrived at her small but tidy apartment, Maki hesitated briefly before stepping out of the car. She gnced back at Ryuji, her cheeks reddening slightly.

  "It's getting te… do you want to e in for a while?" she asked quietly.

  Ryuji's gaze flickered toward the still-bright sky, and a faint smile tugged at his lips. "Sure," he replied, parking the car on the side of the road.

  Maki led him ihough her apartment wasn't rge, it was well-kept and cozy, refleg her no-nonsense personality.

  "Ryuji turned his attention inward, cheg the system notifications that had popped up during the day.

  "Goldery: Land of Death."

  This entry had been triggered by the Lonely Curse Spirit.

  "A new domain…" Ryuji murmured, raising an eyebrow in i.

  The Land of Death domain, while tied to a weaker spirit, had fasating properties. Its ability to manipute time differently within the domain was especially intriguing.

  Then his attention shifted to the sed entry.

  "Goldery: Curse-Binding Vow."

  "...Iing," Ryuji thought, his curiosity piqued.

  Sukuna was known for his mastery of curse-binding vow teiques. Ier stages of the a was these teiques that allowed him to endure and adapt, surviving battles that should've ended i.

  "Curse-binding vow talent, huh? Let's see what this is all about."

  Opening his character panel, Ryuji took a moment to assess the ever-growing list of abilities.

  ---

  [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], Land of Death [Gold], Curse-Binding Vow[Gold] Iron Fist [Purple], bat Intuition [Purple].

  Points: 80,1201"

  The panel had grown far more robust than when Ryuji had first started. Eaew entry added to his overwhelming advantage, solidifying his position as a near-unstoppable force.

  "Curse-Binding Vow," he repeated again, thinking back to Sukuna.

  Sukuna's ability to utilize binding bowagreements had given him an edge in tless battles, allowing him to adapt and grow stronger despite overwhelming odds. If this entry worked as Ryuji suspected, it would add yet another yer to his already formidable arsenal.

  "How should I test it?" he wondered aloud.

  Then, aruck him.

  Fog on the cept of a curse-binding agreement, Ryuji silently made a trade with himself: I'll skip breakfast tomorrow in exge for a temporary boost in cursed energy.

  The moment he fihe thought, he felt a subtle but noticeable shift.

  Though small, his cursed energy had indeed increased. It was like adding a drop of water to an o, not enough to create ripples, but undeniably there.