"It seems this fox spirit was devouring your energy, Eriri, which is why you've been so tired lately," Ryuji said, his tone calm but clear. When he approached her earlier, he had immediately sensed something was off a trace of cursed energy lingering around Eriri, a clear sign that something unusual was inhabiting her body.
With Ryuji's current strength, handling something like this was a simple task.
"Let me go! Let me go!" The fox spirit continued to struggle in his grip, clearly uncooperative.
"Soul Devouring," Ryuji muttered, not even bothering to use chains this time. He casually tossed the spirit into a crack in the air, the space warping as the fox disappeared. As small as this cursed spirit was, it was still energy he could absorb.
"But I haven't really been anywhere these past few days!" Eriri said, her confusion evident. She couldn't understand how this had happened. "Wait, the only time I went out was for lunch with Utaha over the weekend!" Her eyes darted toward Utaha, full of suspicion.
"…" Utaha, catching Eriri's accusing look, rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"If that were the case, why haven't I been targeted too?" she said with a teasing smirk, brushing off Eriri's suspicion.
Eriri pouted, still perplexed. "That's true. Why am I the only one who got affected?"
"If it didn't happen outside, it must've happened at your house," Ryuji suggested calmly, as though the answer was obvious.
"My house?" Eriri's confusion deepened. She couldn't imagine anything strange happening in her own home.
"Don't worry about it," Ryuji said casually. "After school, I'll go home with you and check things out."
Eriri's anxiety immediately disappeared, replaced by a wave of excitement. The idea of Ryuji coming over to her house brought back memories of their last date that had been abruptly interrupted. Maybe this time, they could continue where they left off.
"Ahem," Utaha cleared her throat, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "By the way, Eriri, didn't you mention you had a rare anime collection at home? Since Ryuji's going, I might as well tag along and check it out."
"Haha! Don't think I'm that stupid!" Eriri shot back, instantly defensive. She knew exactly what Utaha was trying to do. "There's no way I'm letting you ruin this!"
"Tsk," Utaha clicked her tongue, her playful smile unwavering. She didn't seem too bothered by Eriri's refusal; after all, her main goal had just been to tease her. Stirring up some drama between Eriri and Ryuji was good for her own amusement.
"Humph!" Eriri crossed her arms, determined not to let Utaha sabotage her plans. She made a mental note to sneak out quietly with Ryuji after school and make sure no one else followed.
At that moment, Ichika, who had been silently observing the entire exchange, finally spoke up. Having witnessed enough strange events for one day, she had no choice but to accept that the world was far more complicated than she had originally thought.
"Ryuji, is it possible for us to learn how to use cursed energy too?"
Ichika's question had been on Miku's mind earlier as well, but the conversation had been interrupted by Utaha and Eriri's arrival. As the eldest sister, Ichika felt it was her responsibility to ask on behalf of all the sisters.
Her question piqued the interest of the others in the room, especially Miku, whose eyes lit up with hope. Even Utaha and the other girls who already knew Ryuji's answer looked over, curious to hear his response again.
Ryuji sighed. "Don't even think about it. You don't have the talent."
His blunt answer made all five Nakano sisters freeze in place, their expressions falling.
"No chance at all?" Ichika asked, a hint of disbelief in her voice.
"For some people, there might be a way," Ryuji clarified, "but for you five? There's none."
Hearing this, Utaha and Yukino perked up, their curiosity piqued. Ryuji had never been this decisive when talking to them. What made the Nakano sisters different?
"Why is it impossible for us?" Ichika pressed, her voice filled with disappointment.
"It's because you're quintuplets," Ryuji explained, as if that fact alone should have been enough to answer all their questions.
"Quintuplets?" The others exchanged confused glances.
"Let me put it simply," Ryuji said, seeing their puzzled faces. "For ordinary people, having twins, triplets, or quintuplets is rare and maybe even celebrated. But for sorcerers, even having twins is a sign of divided talent."
"Divided talent?" Ichika repeated, her face pale.
"Exactly," Ryuji continued. "Sorcerers are born with a certain amount of potential, but if you're born a twin, that potential is split between you. With quintuplets, it's divided five ways. It's like taking one talent and cutting it into five pieces."
The room fell silent. The weight of his words hung in the air as the quintuplets processed what he was saying.
The example of the twin sisters, Maki and Mai, from the cursed sorcerer family came to Ryuji's mind. Their power had been split between them, and neither of them had reached their full potential until one of them died, allowing the surviving twin to inherit all the talent. Ryuji briefly mentioned that even the ancient cursed king, Ryomen Sukuna, had been a twin who devoured his own brother in the womb, which gave him his monstrous power.
"If you were somehow given the chance to become sorcerers, your abilities would never amount to much," Ryuji concluded. "At best, you'd be slightly stronger than the average person."
Miku, who had been silently listening, lowered her head, disappointment washing over her. She had hoped for a different answer, but now she realized just how far out of reach this world of sorcery was for her and her sisters.
Ryuji noticed her crestfallen expression. Though his explanation had been harsh, he didn't want to completely crush her spirit. He placed a gentle hand on Miku's head, ruffling her hair lightly.
"Don't be discouraged," Ryuji said softly. "There might be other opportunities down the line. Besides, as long as I'm around, I'll make sure you and your sisters stay safe, no matter how many cursed spirits appear in the future."
Miku, feeling a little reassured by his words, looked up and gave a small nod. Her disappointment faded, replaced by a flicker of hope.
"Hmm," she murmured, managing a weak smile.
---
That afternoon, the test results were finally posted, and as expected, Ryuji's name sat at the very top of the rankings. His score left everyone who knew him stunned, while those who didn't were left wondering who this top student was.
Yumiko, who had been standing in front of the rankings with a blank expression, couldn't believe her eyes. She had performed incredibly well herself, ranking Fourth, but seeing Ryuji at the top left her completely dumbfounded.
"I…" Yumiko started, her voice trailing off.
She had thought that by winning the bet, she could get Ryuji to agree to a date with her. But now, with her own loss staring her in the face, she didn't know what to say.
"So… what do you want me to do?" Yumiko finally asked, resigning herself to whatever Ryuji's request might be.
Ryuji grinned, clearly enjoying the moment. "Hmm, I'll have to think about that," he said, pretending to ponder his decision.
Yumiko looked uneasy, nervously awaiting his answer. After a moment of silence, Ryuji finally spoke again.
"Well, I'm not feeling particularly creative right now. Why don't you tell me what you wanted me to do if you had won? Maybe that'll give me some inspiration."
Yumiko hesitated for a second before blurting out, "I wanted you to agree to go on a date with me!"
She said it quickly, as if expecting him to laugh or brush it off, but Ryuji's grin only widened.
"In that case, my condition is… you'll go on a date with me, Yumiko."
"???"
Yumiko blinked, her mind reeling. Had she heard him right?
"Really?" she asked, her voice rising with excitement, still not quite believing it.
Ryuji gave her a nod of confirmation.
"Great!" she exclaimed, her happiness bubbling over as she threw her arms around him in an impulsive hug. She was so overjoyed that she didn't notice the curious glances from their classmates. But even if she had, she wouldn't have cared. All that mattered was that she had gotten what she wanted.
Yui, standing nearby, smiled, genuinely happy for her friend but with a slight twinge of loneliness in her own heart. Meanwhile, Hina simply watched quietly, observing the dynamics between the group but staying out of it.
As Yumiko celebrated her victory, Ryuji discreetly sent a message to Yukino.
"How are you feeling about the test results?" his message read.
On the other end, Yukino, who had been silently fuming over her second-place ranking, sighed when she saw Ryuji's message. She was the top student before, always confident in her abilities. But now, she couldn't help but feel a sense of defeat. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, unsure of how to respond at first.
"What do you want me to do?" Yukino finally replied, keeping her tone as neutral as possible. However, there was a faint undercurrent of tension in her words, as if she was preparing herself for the worst.
Ryuji smirked as he read her response, already knowing exactly what he wanted. He had been thinking about this since they made the bet, and now was the perfect time to act on it.
"Are you free tomorrow night?" Ryuji texted back.
Yukino stared at her phone, her heart skipping a beat. "Tomorrow night?" The implications of that question were immediately clear to her, and she quickly began overthinking the possibilities. Was he going to make her do something strange? No… she couldn't possibly agree to anything too out of line. But then again, she had lost the bet fair and square.
After several moments of hesitation, Yukino finally typed out her response, her fingers trembling slightly as she hit send.
"…Yes."
She sat there for a second, feeling a wave of anticipation mixed with unease. "What did I just agree to?"
Ryuji's next message came in, and her eyes widened as she read it.
"Great. Just wait for me at home after you've washed up and cleaned yourself thoroughly."
"...!!!"
Yukino's face flushed instantly, and she felt her pulse quicken. "Washed up and clean?" Her thoughts raced, a mixture of embarrassment and irritation flooding through her. H-he's joking, right? But a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips despite herself.
"Perv…," she muttered under her breath, quickly locking her phone. Despite the teasing, a tiny part of her was curious about what would happen tomorrow.