Chapter 25

A few minutes earlier, the Kaminko Group was walking away from the town where Akudama and Ryūji had been earlier. As they moved forward, two messengers approached them. Kazue looked at them attentively, and they nodded in response. She inquired, "What is it?" One of the messengers began speaking, "Akudama and Ryūji are currently at the Nozomay place." Kazue and the rest of the group were taken aback by this information. Kazue voiced her thoughts, "So our enemies are in that heavily populated area..."

The messengers confirmed her statement, "Yes, ma'am." Kazue pondered the situation, realizing that they had planned to eliminate their targets that day, but now they were in a place teeming with sorcerers. She contemplated whether they should pursue Akudama and Ryūji or leave it to the sorcerers in the city to handle.

Just then, Takara approached Kazue and gently placed her hand on her shoulder. With a smile, Takara suggested, "Let's proceed to the city, alright?" Kazue agreed and addressed the entire group, "Alright, everyone, we're heading to Nozomay!" The group shouted in unison, "YES, MA'AM!" The messengers, having understood the situation, nodded and vanished from their sight.

As they continued their journey towards Nozomay, determined to confront Akudama and Ryūji, little did they know that a traveler was accompanying them.

As Ryūji and Doremi stood by the apartment building, Ryūji prepared to take the stairs. However, Doremi pointed towards an elevator that Ryūji seemed unfamiliar with. Perplexed, Ryūji asked, "What is this metal door?" Doremi was taken aback by the fact that Ryūji had never encountered or even stepped into an elevator before. Nonetheless, she smiled and explained, "Well, it's a device that can instantly transport us to our desired floor. It's not exactly a subspace, but it's really convenient. Shall we give it a try?"

Ryūji was amazed by Doremi's explanation and responded, "So it's like a subspace. That's so cool! Sure, let's go on it." Doremi blushed slightly, finding Ryūji's astonishment endearing. In her mind, she thought, "He's so cute when he's surprised. But it's not a subspace; I just didn't want him to be unaware or suspicious of it."

They approached the elevator, and as the doors opened, Ryūji's expression turned serious. He walked inside, while Doremi continued to smile. Once they were inside, Doremi pressed the buttons for the desired floor. Ryūji observed her actions but didn't question them, assuming it was simply part of the subspace experience.

Upon arriving at their floor, Ryūji smirked and commented, "Wow, that was a nice subspace elevator right there." Doremi smiled and replied, "Nonetheless, yeah, it is indeed a nice subspace elevator, Ryūji-kun."

As they proceeded towards their room, they noticed a tall figure with long pink hair, wearing a white kimono and a black blindfold. The person stood at an imposing height of nearly 190 centimeters. Seeing this, Ryūji instinctively took a fighting stance and instructed Doremi, "Hide behind my back." Blushing, Doremi nodded and positioned herself behind Ryūji.

Just as Ryūji prepared to attack, Doremi suddenly screamed out, "Wait, Ryūji-kun!!" The pink-haired individual with the blindfold turned around and calmly said, "Woah, woah, I'm not here to fight you!" Ryūji halted his attack and shouted at the person, "Who are you?!"

As Doremi grew increasingly perplexed by the presence of this individual who didn't seem like an invader, the pink-headed tall guy with the black blindfold introduced himself as Majin. Ryūji and Doremi exchanged whispers, questioning the name. Majin confirmed that it was indeed his name.

Ryūji, wearing an evil smirk, confronted Majin, demanding to know why he was near their apartment. Majin calmly responded, "Well, I'm looking for a guy named Ryūji." The shock on Ryūji and Doremi's faces was evident. In her thoughts, Doremi wondered, "He's looking for Ryūji..." Meanwhile, Ryūji realized that he couldn't engage in a fight near Doremi's apartment, as it risked causing damage.

Ryūji smiled at Doremi and assured her, "You can go back inside the apartment. I'll be back." Doremi, with a nervous expression, questioned Ryūji, "Are you really sure, Ryūji-kun?" Ryūji responded with a perfect smile, saying, "Yes, just go back to your apartment." Meanwhile, Majin stood there, maintaining a serious expression, persistently seeking Ryūji.

As Doremi ran back into her apartment, Majin remained, observing. Ryūji approached him and remarked, "So, you're looking for me..." Majin displayed a bored expression and responded, "Wait, you're Ryūji?" Ryūji's face turned serious as he confirmed, "Yeah, I am Ryūji. So, do you want to fight or not?" Majin reiterated his earlier statement, saying, "I already told you, I don't want to fight with you." Ryūji, determined, retorted, "Then get out of here." Majin became annoyed and remarked, "Do you really crave attention that badly?" Ryūji swiftly approached Majin, grabbing onto his shirt. Looking up at him, Ryūji declared, "If you don't leave, then I will fight you." Majin, unaffected by fear or intimidation, replied, "Well, I can't do that."

As Majin and Ryūji walked into a grassy area surrounded by trees, their gazes were locked on each other. It was a location about 10 miles away from their house.

Meanwhile, upon returning home, Doremi found Akudama peacefully sleeping on the couch, sporting a stoic expression. She mused, "Oh my, it seems Sir Akudama is truly enjoying living here. I wonder if he has even stepped outside."

Ryūji clenched his fist, wearing a smirk, and contemplated, "Well, I guess I'm not just the Poison guy who kills with toxic abilities. I have other powers that can surpass that."

In his own thoughts, Majin pondered, "So, this is how my story is going to unfold..."

Ryūji began charging a small amount of energy, forming a ki blast, and launched it at Majin. However, before the blast could reach him, Majin had already moved behind Ryūji. He questioned Ryūji, "Why do you choose to fight? Is it because I look cool, or are you just an idiot?" Ryūji smirked in response and replied, "It could be either, and besides, you were bothering us too."

Ryūji attempted to deliver a kick, but to his surprise, it was reflected back at him with twice the force. He was sent flying towards a tree, exclaiming, "What the hell did you do?" Majin turned around and explained, "Well, I have excellent self-defense abilities. I can reflect physical attacks like yours and make them twice as powerful." Ryūji could only utter, "No way..."