Chapter 41: Unexpected Troubles

"Anyway, Hiratsuka-sensei, you don't have any classes this afternoon, so it should be fine to hide in your office for a few hours!" Yukino suggested.

Hearing this, though clearly irritated by the situation, Shizuka eventually nodded.

"This seems to be the only option for now."

What else could she do? She certainly couldn't walk around the school looking like this.

"Are you sure the person you mentioned can fix this?" Shizuka asked, clearly doubtful.

"Absolutely!" Yukino replied confidently.

If someone as terrifying as a cursed spirit could be handled by Ryuji, then helping Shizuka with this transformation would be nothing.

"Alright, then," Shizuka sighed, resigning herself to Yukino's plan.

"Well, class is about to start. I'll head back now," Yukino said as she prepared to leave the office.

Shizuka didn't stop her and simply sat back in her chair, feeling a bit defeated.

Click!

The secret photo was taken successfully!

But just as quickly, Shizuka appeared in front of Yukino and snatched her phone away. The smile on Yukino's face immediately froze.

"Your phone will remain with me for now," Shizuka said firmly, glaring at her student. "You really won't give up on sneaking a photo, will you?"

"..." Yukino said nothing but walked out of the office in frustration.

I refuse to believe I won't get another chance! I still have a few hours left, she thought to herself as she left.

---

Finally, it was the end of the school day.

Miko had already headed to the club, and as for Ryuji…

"Soul Devouring!"

With a wave of his hand, the relatively weak spirit in front of him was immediately consumed by Ryuji.

"This monster-attracting physique is really something!"

For most people, this trait would be a curse. But for Ryuji, it was a blessing. He didn't need to go hunting for spirits anymore thanks to the "buffet" delivered to him, he could grow stronger without much effort.

The only downside was that most of the spirits drawn to him were pretty weak and didn't provide much nourishment.

Just as he was pondering whether stronger spirits would eventually show up...

"Ryuji-sensei!"

Yukino suddenly approached.

Compared to before, her attitude had clearly softened toward Ryuji. She wasn't foolish after everything she had learned, she knew Ryuji was not someone to provoke. Keeping a venomous attitude toward someone like him was nothing short of suicidal.

"You don't need to call me 'Ryuji-sensei,' just use my name," he interrupted her with a casual wave of his hand. He wasn't particularly fond of such formal titles.

"Okay then, Ryuji-kun," Yukino replied obediently.

"So, what brings you here? Still determined to help me make friends?" Ryuji teased.

Yukino blushed slightly. She remembered how confident she had been about helping Ryuji "make friends" when they first met. Now, it was clear to her how naive she had been.

"I misunderstood you before," Yukino said, looking at Ryuji with a solemn expression.

"I realize now that Ryuji-kun has been fighting cursed spirits all this time for the sake of humanity. You probably don't have much free time for socializing."

"...???"

What on earth is she talking about? Does she really think I'm that noble?

Ryuji felt a bit awkward at Yukino's serious gaze but decided not to correct her.

Well, if that's what she wants to believe, who am I to stop her?

"Ahem, so why are you here? There must be something you need," he said, swiftly changing the subject.

"It's about Hiratsuka-sensei."

"...???"

Shizuka? Ryuji was puzzled but followed Yukino to her office without asking more questions.

---

"Who is it?" came Shizuka's wary voice from behind the door.

It was clear that she had spent the past few hours on edge, worried that someone would walk in and see her in her current state.

"It's me, Hiratsuka-sensei," Yukino called back, sounding calm.

Shizuka seemed to relax slightly at the sound of Yukino's voice. "Come in."

Yukino opened the door, and the moment Ryuji stepped inside with her, Shizuka's recently calmed nerves were back in full alert.

"You! You... you..." She pointed at Ryuji, stammering in surprise, unable to complete her sentence. Why was he here?

"Sensei, don't worry," Yukino said reassuringly. "Ryuji is the person I told you about who can help with your... uh, situation."

"Huh?" Hiratsuka blinked, still in disbelief.

"It's really unexpected!" Ryuji remarked, raising an eyebrow as he saw the furry cat ears on her head and the swishing cat tail behind her. No wonder Yukino had sought him out.

In the next few minutes, Yukino briefly explained what had happened, describing Ryuji as a powerful sorcerer who could solve problems like the one she was currently facing.

Yukino, however, left out the details of yesterday's events, choosing only to mention that Ryuji had extraordinary abilities.

"I didn't expect you to be a sorcerer..." Shizuka muttered, her eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and confusion. She hadn't imagined there was someone like him in her class this whole time.

Ryuji wasn't particularly surprised that Shizuka knew about sorcerers. While the general public remained oblivious, those with certain levels of influence or knowledge were aware of their existence.

"You're still staring!"

Noticing that Ryuji's gaze kept moving between her cat ears and tail, Shizuka turned slightly to the side, her cheeks flushing red. She clearly wasn't comfortable with being ogled like this.

For some reason, even though she hadn't felt embarrassed when Yukino saw her like this, Ryuji's gaze made her feel self-conscious.

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