After comforting Miko and ensuring she had regained her composure, Ryuu turned his attention to Mrs. Yotsuya, who was still under the effects of his genjutsu. With a subtle release of his power, she slowly blinked awake, looking slightly dazed before regaining her usual composure.
To Ryuu's mild amusent, Mrs. Yotsuya was unexpectedly warm and welcoming toward him. Not only did she express zero objections to Miko taking a day off to handle "important matters" with him, but she also seed genuinely pleased with his presence.
She was openly testing him with subtle remarks, gauging his responses, his manners, and his character. But Ryuu had long mastered the art of conversation, and his charm and polite deanor quickly won her over.
That, and his ridiculously good looks.
By the ti they were stepping out of the house, Mrs. Yotsuya was all smiles.
"Take care of each other, alright?" she called after them. "And be careful, dear son-in-law!"
Miko froze mid-step.
"...H-Huh?"
Ryuu chuckled, glancing at her with amusent.
"You heard her. Your mom just called son-in-law."
Miko's face turned red instantly.
"W-Wait! That's not—! I an—!" She flailed, then suddenly realized sothing else.
"Hold on! Natsukawa-san… you already have Yumiko-san and Kasumigaoka-senpai, right?!"
Her voice was filled with pure shock.
Ryuu raised an eyebrow.
"You're only realizing this now?"
Miko's expression twisted in delayed horror.
"Y-You're actually two-timing?! No—three-timing?! That's way too much!"
Ryuu sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Honestly, that reaction is a little late, Miko."
Miko stepped back in disbelief, pointing a trembling finger at him.
"That's not fair! What about Kasumigaoka-senpai and Yumiko-san?! Do they even know about this?!"
"They do."
"…HUH?!"
Miko's brain short-circuited.
She had expected drama, tears, anger— anything but this casual acceptance.
Ryuu, on the other hand, smirked.
"You're surprisingly energetic today. I thought you were just a girl who cried all the ti."
Miko puffed up in indignation.
"I-I don't cry all the ti!"
Ryuu grinned.
"The snot dripping from your nose earlier says otherwise."
Miko's face burned red.
"THAT'S JUST HAVING A COLD!!"
She stomped in frustration, while Ryuu laughed, clearly enjoying her reaction.
Eventually, she sighed in defeat, rubbing her temples.
"...You're unbelievable."
Ryuu shrugged.
"Your dad and brother did ask to look after you, after all."
Miko's breath hitched.
Her father… and Kyousuke…
She looked away, cheeks slightly pink.
"...I rember."
Her voice was soft, but she didn't reject the idea.
Ryuu caught the subtle shift in her mood and smirked.
"You're getting used to this faster than I thought."
Miko flinched.
"I-It's not like that!"
She was definitely getting used to it.
And the worst part?
It wasn't as bad as she expected.
---
As they made their way toward the shrine deep in the forest, Ryuu explained everything—
The sorcerer world, the cursed spirits, the power of Jujutsu techniques, and his own heritage.
Miko listened carefully, her mind struggling to process the absurdity of it all.
"So… that's why Kasumigaoka-senpai and Yumiko-san agreed to this?" she muttered after a long pause.
Ryuu nodded.
"Exactly. Unlike normal people, sorcerers live by different rules."
Miko hesitated.
"And… ?"
"You're special, Miko."
Ryuu glanced at her aningfully.
"Your eyes are an incredible gift. In the sorcerer world, soone like you is a rare find."
Miko's heart skipped a beat.
Was he… complinting her?
The very thing that had been her greatest curse all this ti…
Could actually be a blessing?
For the first ti in her life, she didn't hate her ability.
Realizing where her thoughts were going, she quickly shook her head.
"W-What am I thinking?!"
She slapped her cheeks in an attempt to refocus.
Ryuu, watching her reaction, smirked.
"Having so weird thoughts?"
Miko turned away, embarrassed.
"N-No! It's just—!"
Before she could say anything else—
They arrived.
---
Miko's eyes widened in shock.
"...This isn't how it looked before."
The path leading to the shrine had completely changed.
The once clear mountain road had been replaced by a dense, eerie forest.
Ryuu narrowed his eyes.
"It doesn't want us to find it."
Miko turned to him, startled.
"What?"
Ryuu folded his arms.
"The last ti you ca here, the shrine let you in on purpose."
"Wait, what?!"
"It wanted you to make a contract with it. That's why the path was easy to follow before."
Miko's face paled.
"So… this whole ti…"
"You were walking into a trap."
The realization chilled her to the bone.
Then—
—Rustle.
A shiver ran down Miko's spine.
She snapped her head toward the dense woods ahead.
Sothing was moving.
No—
Many things.
Ryuu narrowed his eyes.
"...They're here."
Miko stiffened.
A wave of nausea hit her as a foul aura filled the air.
Then, one by one—
Blackened, deford heads began erging from the trees.
Miko gasped in horror.
They were everywhere.
So had twisted, grotesque faces.
So had limbs growing from their mouths.
Others had cursed energy leaking from their bodies, oozing like black sludge.
The forest was crawling with them.
Miko instinctively stepped back—
And bumped into Ryuu's back.
She froze.
She hadn't even realized how close she had gotten to him.
The cursed spirits imdiately noticed her movent.
They snapped their heads toward her.
And then—
"GAAAAH!"
With an inhuman shriek, the first wave charged at them.
Miko felt her breath hitch.
But Ryuu?
He didn't move an inch.
"...Tsk."
His Mangekyō Sharingan activated in an instant.
The air shifted.
Miko felt a sudden, crushing weight.
Then—
Flas.
Black flas.
In a single breath—
Amaterasu erupted, consuming the first wave of spirits in an instant.
Their shrieks of agony echoed through the forest—
But Ryuu's expression remained cold.
"If they don't want to let us in…"
His eyes glowed ominously.
"Then we'll just force our way through."
Miko swallowed hard.
This was no ordinary battle.
This was a war.
And Ryuu—
Was about to set the entire forest on fire.
=======
Support and read advance chapters on /Zexxxxy
Reviews
All reviews (0)