章 20: Chapter 20: Iron Fist
After Ryuji left the office, Shizuka was still feeling a bit flustered. It took her a few puffs to calm down, and when she did, a sudden realization hit her.
"Wait... why did I even call him over here in the first place?"
---
"Purple Entry: 'Iron Fist'!"
A simple yet powerful ability once activated, it would double the power of Ryuji's punches.
"She really does live up to the title of 'Iron Fist Spinster'," Ryuji thought with amusement, as he recognized how fitting this ability was for Shizuka Hiratsuka.
"Loading!"
This kind of ability, which directly boosted his combat power, was too valuable to decompose. Ryuji smiled, satisfied with this new addition to his abilities.
---
Talent Entry System:
- Host: Ryuji Hoshino
- Bloodline: Human
- Loaded entries: Soul Devouring [Red], Yin-Yang Eyes [Gold], Presence Concealment [Gold], Iron Fist [Purple]
-Points: 120
From an empty slate, Ryuji now had four loaded talent entries. He was in a good mood as he returned to the classroom. But the moment he stepped in, he noticed how the atmosphere had changed.
Compared to before, the other students in the class were now quietly curious about him. Their sideways glances gave away their thoughts they were wondering what exactly had happened to those three bullies from the other day, but no one dared to ask.
The school day passed, and when classes were over, Miko appeared at his desk, looking for him. But today, something was off.
"Ryuji-kun..." Miko's voice was small and filled with anxiety. She looked at him with a pitiful expression, one that immediately gave Ryuji an idea of what was bothering her.
"Can you see it?" she asked, glancing nervously around her, clearly frightened.
As expected, Miko, one of the anime's heroines, had an unusual talent for attracting monsters and ghosts. It seemed like yet another spirit had been drawn to her today.
Ryuji chuckled softly, unable to resist her pitiful expression. "Leave it to me," he said reassuringly.
Without further delay, Ryuji activated his Soul Devouring ability.
"Shua! Shua! Shua!"
Several dark chains materialized from thin air, lashing out and binding the spirit that had been haunting Miko. With Ryuji's growing strength, dealing with such lesser spirits had become a trivial matter. The entity barely had time to react before being sucked into the dimensional rift created by the chains.
"Ryuji! Thank you!" Miko exclaimed, walking up to his side as the air around them became peaceful again. Whenever Ryuji was near, she felt a profound sense of safety, knowing that he could protect her from all the eerie things she saw.
"As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to you," Ryuji said, giving her a confident smile.
"Uh-huh," Miko nodded eagerly, comforted by his words.
"Let's go home," he added, taking her hand gently as they left the school grounds together. They were a new couple, after all, and it was only natural for them to want to spend time together.
As they walked through the quiet streets, Miko talked about her day what she had seen, what had made her laugh, and even the more mundane things. Ryuji listened without interrupting, letting her vent all her thoughts. If it weren't for him, Miko might have sunk into a much darker mindset, burdened by her ability to see spirits. But with Ryuji by her side, she could at least feel lighter, even when dealing with the supernatural.
After some time, they finally reached the front of Ryuji's house. He stopped and turned to Miko, a playful glint in his eye. "It's still a bit early. Would you like to come inside and hang out for a while?"
Miko's face turned a light shade of pink as she looked down shyly. She knew the implications of going inside a boy's house alone, even though they had just started dating. But she nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. "Yes... I'd like that."
Ryuji grinned. "Come on, then."
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere in town...
"This is the place!" Eriri said confidently, pointing at a house.
"How do you even know where he lives?" Utaha asked, eyeing her curiously.
"Mind your own business!" Eriri snapped back, rolling her eyes.
Behind them, Megumi sighed, feeling a bit exasperated. "Why did you two drag me along for this?" she asked, clearly not interested in the venture. "I told my mom I'd be home early. We're not in the club anymore, so I don't see why I need to be here."
Eriri, annoyed by Megumi's disinterest, retorted, "We're all part of the club! Don't you care about saving it?"
"I don't want to," Megumi replied bluntly, her face as emotionless as ever. In her mind, Tomoya's antics were no longer her concern. She had never been that invested in the club, and with everything that had happened, she felt even less inclined to care.
"You!" Eriri was left speechless by Megumi's straight to the point answer.
Before she could say anything more, Utaha cut in, "It doesn't matter. We're already here. Aren't you the least bit curious about who this 'Ellie' is?"
Both Utaha and Eriri had been taken aback by Tomoya's sudden declaration that he had found a new heroine. Even though they were usually rivals, this situation had put them on the same side. They needed to know who this mysterious Ellie was.
"..." Megumi had nothing to say. She didn't care about Tomoya's supposed new 'heroine.' But since she was already here, she decided to wait and see what would happen. After all, the quicker this was over, the quicker she could head home.
---
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Utaha knocked on Tomoya's front door, but there was no response. Minutes passed, and the house remained eerily quiet.
"Strange. Maybe he's out working?" Eriri suggested, though she didn't sound convinced. Tomoya often worked part-time to support his hobbies, so it wasn't entirely out of the question.
"What luck," Utaha muttered, her frustration clear. "Should we head back?"
Megumi, who had remained silent until now, was the first to speak up. "Can we go home now?"
Before the others could respond, the door suddenly creaked open on its own.
"Wait... what?" Eriri took a step back, her voice trembling slightly. The door had opened by itself, and under the moonlight, Tomoya's house looked unnervingly dark and quiet.
"This... doesn't feel right," Utaha said, her bravado faltering as she also took a step back. Despite her usual calm demeanor, she couldn't shake the unsettling atmosphere.
Megumi, standing behind them, narrowed her eyes. Unlike the other two, she had a suspicion of what might be going on. After the strange encounter she had with Ryuji the previous night, she had a sinking feeling that the world was far stranger than she had previously believed.
"Maybe there really is something weird in this world after all..." Megumi muttered under her breath, her mind drifting back to Ryuji.
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