"Don't worry!"
Seeing Eriri so tense, Ryuji gently placed his hand on her head to comfort her.
"It's okay. You'll understand everything when the person responsible arrives."
No matter what Spencer had been planning, the clay doll had already been destroyed by him. Spencer would surely sense that something had gone wrong. Ryuji was certain he was on his way here now.
"Almost there... just a little more, and Mary, you'll be back!"
In a quiet, private villa, Spencer stared eagerly at the lifeless girl lying in front of him. The girl was indeed Spencer's first love, Mary. Although she wasn't breathing, her face didn't look pale she seemed as though she were merely sleeping.
The more lifelike she appeared, the more crazed Spencer's eyes became. He looked like a man willing to sacrifice everything to bring his lover back.
But at that moment, something began to change.
Mary's previously youthful appearance started to deteriorate rapidly. Her skin paled and aged before his eyes.
"No! Wait! What's happening?!"
In mere seconds, Mary's complexion worsened, and her body began to wither.
"No! No! No!" Spencer screamed, trying desperately to stop it, but there was nothing he could do.
"Something's wrong, something must've happened!" he muttered, panic setting in. He quickly realized that something must have gone wrong with the clay doll he left with Sayuri. Without a second thought, he dashed out of the house.
"Wait for me, Mary. I'll save you!" Spencer's eyes, now full of madness and desperation, flickered with a dangerous light.
---
Back at the Sawamura residence, Sayuri looked at Eriri, her face full of resolve. "Eriri, I've had enough. I'm going to divorce him!"
In the past, Sayuri had hesitated because of Eriri, but now her resolve was firm.
Eriri looked conflicted, but how could she stop her mother now? She, too, wanted to know why her father had turned against them.
"They're here," Ryuji suddenly said, setting his teacup down.
The next second, Bang! The front door slammed open as Spencer stormed in, his face a twisted mask of anger.
"You!" Sayuri started, but Spencer ignored her completely. His crazed eyes locked onto the broken clay doll at Ryuji's feet.
"You bastard! What have you done?!" Spencer shouted, charging toward Ryuji, his hatred palpable.
His sudden aggression frightened both Sayuri and Eriri. But Ryuji, calm as ever, sighed.
"It seems I need to remind you how a weakling should behave," Ryuji said coldly, as Spencer lunged at him.
Just as Spencer reached him, Ryuji's eyes gleamed. "Shadow Bind!"
In an instant, dark shadows surged from beneath Spencer, wrapping around his legs and arms, locking him in place. Spencer, unable to move, fell forward onto the floor with a thud.
"No!" Spencer screamed, struggling against the shadows as he desperately tried to crawl toward the broken clay doll, as if hoping to somehow piece it back together.
"This can't be happening!" he muttered frantically.
"Give it up," Ryuji said, rising from his seat and walking over. "The spirit inside the doll is gone. It's just an ordinary piece of clay now."
Spencer's hands froze, trembling as the reality of the situation finally hit him.
"So, why don't you tell us what you were trying to do with this thing?" Ryuji asked calmly, looking down at him.
"It's all because of you!" Spencer screamed, his voice hoarse. "If it weren't for you, I could've saved Mary! You ruined everything! You murderer!"
Ryuji raised an eyebrow, unphased by the accusation. But Sayuri, standing off to the side, looked stunned.
"Mary is dead?" Sayuri whispered. She had known that Mary was Spencer's first love, and that he had stayed abroad to be with her. But she hadn't known that Mary had passed away.
"She's not dead! I can save her!" Spencer cried out, his voice trembling. "The fox spirit promised me! It said if I absorbed the vitality of my family, it could help me resurrect Mary. That was the only way! Mary wouldn't die!"
"Fox spirit?" Ryuji frowned, clearly piecing together the story.
Sayuri's face darkened. She had already guessed what had happened. Her fists clenched tightly. "So, to bring back your dead lover, you were willing to hurt me and Eriri? I could understand if you wanted to harm me, but why Eriri? Isn't she your daughter?"
Eriri, standing nearby, felt her heart sink as the pieces began to fall into place. Her father had been willing to sacrifice her and her mother... for someone else.
"Daughter? I don't care about that! As long as I can bring back Mary, nothing else matters!" Spencer shouted, his voice wild with desperation.
Ryuji shook his head, disgusted. "Do you even hear yourself? You're pathetic."
But Spencer wasn't listening anymore. His eyes glazed over, and suddenly, a twisted smile formed on his lips.
"If I can't have my family, neither can you, Sayuri!" With a sudden surge of adrenaline, Spencer broke free from the shadow binding his legs, using his hands to launch himself toward Sayuri, holding a small, sharp clay shard.
"Mom!" Eriri cried out, panicking.
But Ryuji remained calm. "Shadow Manipulation: Lock!"
The shadows under Spencer reactivated, this time completely binding his limbs. Before Spencer could even process what was happening, Ryuji walked over and slapped him hard across the face.
Smack!
Spencer's head snapped to the side, the force knocking him unconscious. He collapsed to the floor in a heap.
Ryuji turned to Sayuri and Eriri. "He's not worth worrying about anymore."
Without wasting any time, Ryuji dragged Spencer's unconscious body outside, tossed him near the gate, and called an ambulance. He returned to the living room, dusting off his hands.
Sayuri and Eriri stood there, both still processing what had just happened. Sayuri looked up at Ryuji, her expression a mix of gratitude and exhaustion.
"Thank you, Ryuji," she whispered. "If it weren't for you…"
Ryuji waved it off. "Don't worry about it. I just did what I had to."
But Eriri, overwhelmed with emotion, suddenly rushed into Ryuji's arms, crying softly. "Ryuji… thank you…"
Ryuji gently held her, comforting her in silence as her tears soaked into his shirt.
Sayuri, watching the scene, couldn't help but feel a strange sense of relief and perhaps, just a hint of jealousy.
For the first time in a long time, she felt like she could finally put Spencer behind her.
The aftermath was handled quickly. Spencer was taken away, and divorce proceedings were set in motion. Sayuri was resolved, and Eriri stood by her, ready to move forward with their lives.
*****
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