Chapter 23: I Owe You

They all knew that Megumi rarely joked.

She would never tease them about such things.

Therefore, the story Megumi told was probably true, and Ryuji in front of them was indeed a capable person.

They couldn't help but feel a sense of respect toward him.

Even though Utaha usually had a habit of being sarcastic, she wasn't foolish. She knew when to be sharp-tongued and when to hold back.

"Well, let me see your palms first," Ryuji said without any further ado.

"I'd like to perform a little palmistry"

"Palmistry?"

Utaha and Eriri were still a little hesitant. After all, they didn't know Ryuji well and weren't familiar with his abilities.

"That's right," Ryuji, already prepared with his explanation, replied calmly. "Through palmistry, I can see a person's fortune in various aspects. I want to confirm whether you've really encountered any of those strange things."

In truth, with his current Yin-Yang Eyes, Ryuji didn't need to look at any palms to figure out whether someone had come into contact with the supernatural. The palm-reading bit was just an excuse to trigger his talent entry.

"Okay," Utaha said, finally deciding to cooperate. After glancing at Eriri, she raised her hand, offering it to Ryuji.

"Then, take a look at mine first."

"Hmm." Ryuji took her hand gently. As one of the heroines of an anime, Utaha's skin was smooth and delicate, and holding her hand was a pleasant feeling.

"Successfully contacted a target: Kasumigaoka Utaha! A purple entry has been triggered. Do you want to load it?"

A purple entry? Ryuji, pretending to be deep in thought, let go of her hand quickly, careful not to come across as too eager.

"Yours next," he said, turning to Eriri.

"Alright, alright!" Eriri was clearly a bit nervous, but after seeing Utaha do it without any issues, she felt she had no reason to hesitate. She raised her small hand.

"Successfully contacted a target: Sawamura Eriri! A gold entry has been triggered. Do you want to load it?"

Another gold entry? Not bad at all, Ryuji thought, nodding to himself as if he was carefully considering something.

Lastly, he glanced at Megumi's hand, but no talent entry was triggered this time. It seemed that the probability of triggering an entry on the first contact was much higher, and subsequent chances would be lower. But there was no rush; there would be plenty of time to figure things out later.

"It seems you really have encountered something strange," Ryuji said seriously, letting go of Eriri's hand. "Now, tell me what happened during that time."

"I'll explain," Utaha volunteered. Despite the fear she felt, she wasn't one to shy away and bravely began recounting the events of the previous night.

Although Miko was only listening, she could still feel the dread in the air as Utaha described the situation. Instinctively, she moved closer to hide behind Ryuji.

"I see," Ryuji muttered after hearing the story. "No wonder you looked so frightened. That was definitely terrifying."

"Was it an urban legend?" Megumi, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked Ryuji.

"Hm?" Ryuji looked at her in surprise. Despite the calm situation, her expression hadn't changed it was still the same blank, emotionless face as always.

"I also heard about some urban legends that night. Normal people shouldn't be able to see those strange beings, right?"

The human-faced dog had indeed said that only certain special urban legends could be seen by humans. Normal spirits and ghosts wouldn't be visible to most.

"I have to say, you were pretty brave at that time," Ryuji praised her with a smile. "Not many people could stay calm in such a creepy situation."

Megumi didn't show much in response, but a small sparkle of excitement flickered in her eyes, as if the praise had lifted her spirits.

"If I had to guess, it was probably the Skeleton Woman," Ryuji added, drawing from the knowledge he had gained about various urban legends.

"Skeleton Woman?" The name confused the girls, as they had never heard of it.

Unlike famous urban legends like the Slit-Mouthed Woman, Sadako, or Hanako in the Toilet, the Skeleton Woman was relatively unknown.

"In the realm of urban legends, the Skeleton Woman isn't very well known. She's an entity that feeds on the energy of boys. Once you receive her token, she marks you, drains your energy, and won't let go. If anyone interrupts her feeding, she bears a grudge."

Traditionally, the Skeleton Woman's token was a hairpin, but in the modern era, it was likely updated to something more appealing to boys.

If the girls had heard this story before experiencing the supernatural, they would have dismissed it. But now, they were forced to believe it, having witnessed these horrors firsthand.

"Are there many urban legends?" Utaha asked. It seemed that the realization of the paranormal had sparked a need for further understanding.

"There are as many urban legends as there are gods in Japan," Ryuji answered with a wry smile.

Utaha fell silent. She was well aware that the phrase "eight million gods" in Japanese culture referred to the countless gods, spirits, and creatures believed to exist in the land, including even stray animals.

"Since you know it's the Skeleton Woman, can you deal with her and remove whatever she attached on to us ?" Eriri couldn't help but interject, desperate for a solution.

"Yes," Ryuji replied confidently.

"Great!" Eriri was about to sigh in relief, but then Ryuji added something unexpected.

"Two hundred thousand yen."

"???" Eriri's happy expression froze in place.

"Did you really think I'd help you for free?" Ryuji said, his tone casual.

"Of course not!" Eriri muttered, finally snapping out of her surprise. She knew Ryuji's request was reasonable, but it still took her off guard.

"Wait a minute, I'll transfer the money now!"

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