"Hahaha!"
The booming laughter of the special-grade cursed spirit echoed across the school grounds as it watched the terrified students scatter. The cursed spirit reveled in the chaos, watching as everything its "delicious" projectiles touched began to corrode and dissolve.
"I am a food curse spirit born from humanity's fear of food! All of you, feel the terror of being consumed by what you love! Hahaha!"
"Food curse spirit?"
Ryuji, who had just arrived on the scene, looked up at the grotesque figure, his eyebrows lifting in mild curiosity.
The creature's form was chaotic, a twisted amalgamation of various food items: slabs of meat, vegetables, and even a giant, grotesque grin made of what appeared to be cake frosting. It floated ominously, its eyes scanning for its next victim.
Well, that tracks, Ryuji thought. A place like Totsuki would be the perfect breeding ground for such a spirit.
But before Ryuji could dwell on that thought, Erina, who had followed him outside, gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"How could anyone be afraid of delicious food?"
Her voice was tinged with incredulity. To her, the very idea seemed impossible. Good food was joy, comfort, it brought people together. Fear had no place in it.
Alice glanced at her cousin, half-amused. "Now's not the time to question people's phobias, Erina."
Ryuji chuckled lightly and offered an explanation. "Curses aren't just born from fear. They're the result of any negative emotion—stress, jealousy, guilt. So yes, a food curse spirit could exist, especially in a place like this."
Erina blinked, realization dawning on her as she pieced it together.
Senzaemon, who stood nearby, nodded solemnly. "Of course. Totsuki is a place where talent competes fiercely. For every student who makes it to the top, there are countless others who fall short. The stress, jealousy, and resentment they feel, those emotions are the perfect breeding ground for something like this."
The old man's expression darkened with guilt. "I lost sight of the original purpose of this academy. It was supposed to be a place for learning, for sharing the joy of cooking, not a battlefield of ambition. After today, the school needs to change. The era of relentless competition and the title of the Totsuki Elite Ten must come to an end."
"Grandfather..."
Erina's voice softened, but she said nothing further. She could see how heavily the realization weighed on him.
Alice, meanwhile, just let out a small sigh of relief. "Well, not all change is bad, I guess."
Ryuji's eyes glimmered with mild amusement as he looked at Senzaemon. "Don't worry, I'll handle this."
Senzaemon straightened, a hint of hope sparking in his eyes. "I trust you, Ryuji. Please, save Totsuki."
Ryuji nodded, a casual smile playing on his lips. "After all, it'd be a shame if I couldn't come here for more amazing meals in the future."
Senzaemon let out a hearty laugh. If there was anything reassuring in this situation, it was that Ryuji seemed to genuinely enjoy the food at Totsuki.
"If that's the case, consider Totsuki Academy your second home. You're welcome anytime, Ryuji," Senzaemon said earnestly, almost considering whether he should offer a personal chef to keep Ryuji's loyalty.
Ryuji didn't respond with words but simply gave a small nod before stepping toward the cursed spirit, eyes sharp with focus. The air around him seemed to grow heavier, a subtle sign of his power.
"Hmm?"
The food curse spirit shifted, its eyes narrowing as it noticed Ryuji approaching with an unsettling calm.
"A sorcerer?"
Though it hadn't been alive long, the curse knew what that meant. It bared its teeth, a mix of fear and rage sparking in its eyes.
"No matter, I'll show you what true fear tastes like!"
With a wave of its grotesque arm, it hurled several oversized bowls of steaming ramen at Ryuji.
"Ramen bombs?"
Alice muttered in disbelief, unable to decide whether to laugh or panic.
Ryuji raised an eyebrow at the peculiar attack. Without breaking stride, he flicked his hand, and the flying bowls veered off course, splattering harmlessly into the ground where they immediately began to eat away at the surface.
"Those really should be called corrosion bombs, not food," Ryuji said dryly.
The curse's eyes burned with fury, the taunt hitting a nerve.
"I am a food curse spirit! How dare you reduce me to a mere corrosion spirit!" it shrieked, charging at Ryuji in a blind rage.
Ryuji sighed. "Broken defense, huh? That was fast."
The curse was already too close when Ryuji raised his hand.
"Anti-Gravity System," he muttered.
The effect was instantaneous. The curse spirit slammed into the ground with a thud that echoed through the courtyard, the weight of the spell pinning it down. Its limbs flailed uselessly as it struggled to rise, but Ryuji had set the gravity to fifty times normal, more than enough to keep the creature immobilized.
"You—insolent human!"
It glared at Ryuji, eyes blazing with impotent rage.
The spectators watched in awe. Erina and Alice's eyes were wide, while Kaguya's grip on her sleeves loosened as relief washed over her.
With the cursed spirit trapped, Ryuji took a moment to survey the scene, noting the stunned expressions around him.
"Well," he said, turning to Senzaemon with a smirk. "I hope your chefs know how to clean up a mess."
Senzaemon barked a laugh, the tension breaking. "We'll manage, thanks to you."
Ryuji turned back to the squirming curse spirit, the weight of the Anti-Gravity System pressing it further into the ground.
***
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