The more this happened, the heavier the guilt Ai felt towards Kaguya. Though she'd beco adept at hiding her emotions, she couldn't shake the weight of betraying her mistress, soone she had grown close to despite their formal relationship.
By the ti she left the bathroom, Ai had composed herself, her expression returning to its usual calm, detached deanor.
Returning to Kaguya's room, she was greeted by an unexpected sight.
"Hayasaka! Hayasaka!" Kaguya called out excitedly, her usual reserved tone replaced with eagerness. "Co here, quickly! I want you to teach how to use a smartphone!"
Ai blinked in surprise. "Why the sudden interest?"
Kaguya, brilliant as she was, had always been sothing of a technological klutz. Despite her vast knowledge in other areas, smartphones and social dia were uncharted territory for her. Up until now, she'd never shown any real interest in learning.
Kaguya hesitated for a mont. "Well… next ti we et, I'd like to add Mr. Ryuji on Line. It seems I need to have the right kind of phone to do that."
Up until now, Kaguya had been using a PHS flip phone, sothing ancient by today's standards, which could only make calls and send basic text ssages.
"Ah, I see." Ai suppressed a knowing smile, quickly grasping Kaguya's intentions. "Alright, I'll help you get set up."
---
anwhile, across town at the Izumi residence, Izumi Sagiri was looking at Ryuji with wide, admiring eyes. "Ryuji-nii, was that really you in the live broadcast today?"
Izumi Sae, Sagiri's mother, was setting the table, but she couldn't help glancing over as well, curious. They had watched the live stream earlier, and seeing Ryuji's abilities on full display had been nothing short of shocking.
"Of course," Ryuji replied with a smile, nodding. He hadn't gone out of his way to hide his strength, and now everyone had seen it firsthand.
"Wow… that was amazing!" Sagiri exclaid, her face glowing with excitent.
Compared to how shy and withdrawn she'd been when they first t, Sagiri was now much more cheerful. The discovery that her mother was alive had lifted a huge weight off her, and her confidence had blossod as a result.
"Alright, alright. Let's eat first," Ryuji said with a chuckle, ruffling her hair as she bead up at him.
As the family gathered around the dinner table, Sae took a mont to ask, "So, does this an you won't be going to school for the next few days?"
Ryuji sighed. "I'd rather not feel like an animal on display."
He had no problem with people knowing about his powers, but he wasn't interested in being sward by curious classmates gawking at him as if he were in a zoo. He could already imagine the crowds that would gather just to catch a glimpse of him.
Sae nodded thoughtfully. "That's understandable. Maybe this is a good chance to take a break and relax for a few days."
Ryuji just smiled, not bothering to explain further. Relaxing was all well and good, but he had no intention of letting his training slip. If any powerful cursed spirits erged, he'd be the first to confront them. Power and strength were things he constantly pursued, knowing they were essential to his freedom and goals.
"Well, at least this ans I'll have more ti to spend with both of you," Ryuji added, glancing first at Sae and then at Sagiri.
Sae's cheeks reddened slightly at his words, though she tried to hide it by focusing on her food. She knew he was including Sagiri to be polite, but the underlying warmth in his words wasn't lost on her. Despite herself, Sae felt a flutter of excitent.
"Hehe, Sagiri likes spending ti with Ryuji-nii too!" Sagiri said cheerfully, completely oblivious to the undertones in the conversation.
"Sagiri, you should really call him 'uncle,'" Sae interjected, though there was a slight awkwardness in her tone.
"No way, I want to call him brother!" Sagiri pouted, crossing her arms defiantly.
Sae was about to insist, but Ryuji laughed, cutting her off. "It's fine. I like it when Sagiri calls 'brother.'"
Sagiri grinned triumphantly, sticking her tongue out at her mother, clearly pleased by Ryuji's support.
Sae just rolled her eyes, letting it go. It was just a title, after all, though she couldn't shake the slight unease she felt about it.
---
After dinner, while Sae was cleaning up in the kitchen, Ryuji entertained Sagiri by using his shadow manipulation technique, creating little figures that danced around in his hand. The shadows shifted, forming into shapes like horses, cats, and puppies, much to Sagiri's delight.
"Amazing!" she said for the hundredth ti, clapping her hands in wonder.
When Sae finally finished washing the dishes and returned to the living room, she paused to watch the scene, a soft smile on her face. For a single mother, monts like these seeing her daughter so happy were priceless.
But then she cleared her throat, putting on a stern face. "Alright, Sagiri. It's getting late. Go wash up and get to bed. You have school tomorrow."
"Aww… okay," Sagiri grumbled, though she didn't put up too much resistance.
As she headed to the bathroom, Ryuji reassured her, "Don't worry, Sagiri. I'll be around more often."
Sagiri's eyes lit up. "Really? Promise?"
"Promise," Ryuji replied with a smile.
Sagiri ran off happily, and Ryuji watched her go before turning his attention to Sae, who was standing nearby.
"Don't you want to co over?" he asked, reaching out his hand and smiling invitingly.
Sae hesitated, glancing towards the bathroom where Sagiri was washing up. "Sagiri hasn't gone to bed yet…"
"Don't worry," Ryuji replied with a smirk, gently pulling her closer. "Just keep your voice down."
"You…" Sae blushed deeply, but didn't pull away, leaning into him instead.
---
The next day, Ryuji had intended to relax, maybe even spend so more ti with the Izumi family. But just as he was settling in, he noticed Sae sitting on the sofa, looking unusually tense. She held a piece of paper in her hands, her face etched with worry.
When she noticed him, she quickly tried to hide the note behind her back.
"You… why are you here?" she stamred, looking caught off guard.
Ryuji raised an eyebrow, seeing right through her attempt. "Is that a letter… for ?"
Sae hesitated, clearly conflicted.
"Don't worry," Ryuji said calmly, giving her a reassuring smile. "You know my strength, don't you? I'd like to see who sent this letter."
After a mont of hesitation, Sae handed him the envelope. "Alright… but just be careful."
Ryuji opened it and quickly skimd through the contents. It was a request for him to join a certain family, with promises of wealth, power, and any other luxuries he could imagine.
The letter was signed by the Black Dog family.
"Black Dog?" Ryuji muttered, frowning. He'd never heard of them before, but from the tone, he could tell they were so kind of influential organization, possibly even a cri syndicate.
However, sothing else caught his attention. Sae handed him a second piece of paper a photograph.
Ryuji's eyes narrowed as he looked at the picture. It was a candid shot of Sagiri, taken from outside her classroom window. The angle suggested that whoever took it had been watching her for so ti.
Clearly, the Black Dog family wasn't just offering him an invitation they were using Sagiri as leverage.
Realizing that they intended to threaten him through the people he cared about, Ryuji clenched the photo tightly, his expression darkening.
"Those bastards…" he muttered, his voice filled with barely restrained anger.
He glanced at Sae, who looked visibly shaken. "Were you planning on hiding this from ?"
Sae lowered her head, guilt flashing in her eyes. "I… I didn't want you to get hurt because of us."
"Idiot," he said softly, pulling her into a comforting embrace. "I don't think you fully understand my strength."
Sae let out a shaky breath, her anxiety slowly easing under his touch. "You're… you're really going to handle this?"
"Of course," he replied, his voice calm and resolute. "Leave it to ."
Seeing his confidence, Sae's worries finally faded. As long as Ryuji was there, she felt certain that everything would be alright.
After spending a few more monts with her, Ryuji left the house, his mind focused on one thing: finding out more about the Black Dog family.
---
Back at Ryuji's house, Mimiko and Nanako were lounging on the sofa, watching TV. Since Ryuji wasn't going to school, they'd decided to skip as well. When Ryuji walked in, they imdiately noticed the hard look in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" Mimiko asked, sensing his tension.
"Do you two know anything about the Black Dog family?" Ryuji asked, his voice low and dangerous.
Mimiko and Nanako exchanged a look, searching their mories. After a mont, Mimiko's eyes lit up as she recalled sothing.
"Oh, right!" she said. "When we were with the Star Religious Group, the Black Dog family was one of the groups that sought our help."
Nanako nodded in agreent. "Yeah, I rember now. The Black Dog family is a consortium that made its fortune in the underworld. They were involved in all sorts of shady business, smuggling, black market deals, you na it."
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