Chapter 54: Vanish

"Are you calm now?" Ryuji asked casually, glancing at Yukinoshita Haruno, who had already driven the car into the suburbs and was slowly coming to a stop.

"…Hmm." After a moment of silence, Haruno nodded.

It wasn't that she was entirely shaken by Ryuji's earlier comments, but when he mentioned how she wasn't as innocent as she pretended to be and was good at acting, Haruno couldn't help but think back to when she had taken over the family company. Was this really the life she wanted?

A girl in her prime, yearning for freedom, yet trapped by the responsibilities of the Yukinoshita family. Her position in the family and society had forced her into a life of disguises and obligations. After that exhilarating drive, though, she really did feel more at ease.

"Anyway, if you ever do something to betray Yukino, I won't let you off," Haruno warned, her tone firm despite her relaxed demeanor.

Well, that attitude changed quickly, Ryuji thought, amused. She had gone from forbidding him from getting close to Yukino to issuing vague threats. But her threats didn't faze him.

He checked the time and, deciding it was late enough, said, "It's getting late. Take me home."

Miko was likely finishing up her club activities and heading home by now, so he figured it was best to go back and visit Shizuka another day. Sure, he could use the Third Dimension ability to warp home, but it felt like a waste when he had a car available.

"Tsk," Haruno clicked her tongue in irritation. Even after her warnings, Ryuji acted as if nothing could bother him. He even had the audacity to treat her like his personal driver.

"Fine," she muttered, stepping on the accelerator. After all, she was the one who had brought him out here, so it was only fair she took him back.

The scenery outside blurred past as Haruno floored the gas pedal. The quiet, open roads of the suburbs stretched on ahead. Ryuji watched the passing landscape, enjoying the ride, but then…

"Hmm?" He noticed something strange. The air around them had suddenly thickened with cursed energy, and a dense fog was forming up ahead. What struck him as even stranger was that Haruno seemed completely oblivious to it and kept driving straight into the mist.

There was more to it than just the fog. Not far ahead, Ryuji spotted what looked like a massive crusher grinding away, its metal teeth gnashing ominously. It was clear what would happen if they drove into it both the car and its passengers would be shredded to pieces.

It's nothing, Ryuji thought, but he glanced at Haruno, who was still focused on driving. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. She couldn't see any of it.

"It seems you really can't see anything," Ryuji remarked with a hint of amusement.

"What are you talking about?" Haruno replied, her focus still on the road. His cryptic comments confused her.

Ryuji didn't respond directly. Instead, he placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping to use this opportunity to trigger an entry. "Take a look for yourself."

"...What?"

He released a small surge of spiritual power into Haruno, temporarily granting her the ability to see through the fog the.

"Successfully contacted a target: Yukinoshita Haruno! The purple entry has been triggered, do you want to load it?"

Oh? Finally triggered something? Ryuji thought, intrigued by what kind of purple entry he had unlocked from Yukino's older sister. But he pushed that curiosity aside for the moment and withdrew his hand.

"What are you talking about?" Haruno muttered, still confused. Was he playing some kind of game?

Ryuji simply pointed ahead of the car. "See for yourself."

Haruno followed his gaze and gasped. The fog that had suddenly appeared, the looming crusher it all became visible to her now. Her eyes widened in shock.

"What the hell is that!?"

The massive, gnashing machine ahead of them was like something out of a nightmare. If they continued on their current path, they'd be pulverized in seconds.

Without hesitation, Haruno slammed her foot on the brake pedal but nothing happened.

"The brakes aren't working! What the hell?!" she screamed, her panic rising. She tried again and again, but the car refused to stop. Even letting off the gas did nothing the car only seemed to speed up, heading straight for the crusher.

The car engine roared louder, and the sound of the crusher's grinding intensified. Despite all her experience in managing crises at the company, Haruno was at a loss.

"What is happening!?"

In contrast, Ryuji remained calm in the passenger seat, assessing the situation.

Ah, so it's a trap. Some kind of cursed domain, he thought, recognizing the signs of an illusion or forcefield that was causing their car to accelerate toward danger. It reminded him of the domain expansion technique used by high-level sorcerers, a skill that allowed them to control the environment within a certain area with near-perfect precision.

This one's not very strong, though, Ryuji noted.

"Hey, hey, hey! Why are you just sitting there? We're going to die!" Haruno's panicked voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Relax. It's just a domain."

"A… what?" Haruno was baffled. She knew sorcerers existed, but she had no idea what a "domain" was.

Ignoring her, Ryuji looked at the crusher that was rapidly approaching. "It's a simple illusion. A weak one, at that."

"Twist it!" Ryuji commanded, activating his ability. "Third Dimension"

Under Haruno's wide-eyed gaze, the space in front of the car along with the crusher and the fog began to warp and twist. The entire scene rippled, as if reality itself was being bent. Within seconds, everything that had been threatening them fog, crusher, and all vanished.

It was as if none of it had ever existed.