Chapter 127: Thank You

Late at night, there was a soft knock on Ryuji's door.

Surprised, he got up and opened it to find Yukino standing there, looking a little weary but determined.

"Yukino?" Ryuji asked, raising an eyebrow. "What brings you here at this hour?"

Before he could say anything else, Yukino stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly.

"Thank you… thank you so much," she whispered.

Ryuji was now fully awake, his surprise turning to curiosity. "So, what happened?" he asked gently, noting the faint depletion in her cursed energy. It was clear she had gone through something intense.

Taking a breath, Yukino recounted everything that had happened with her family, the curse user, the attack, and the confrontation with her mother. She told him how she finally stood up to her family's expectations, finding the courage she hadn't known she had.

"So it was a curse user, huh?" Ryuji nodded thoughtfully as she finished. He wasn't surprised. The surge in cursed energy around the world meant that sorcerers and curse users alike were becoming more active. He was grateful that Yukino had learned enough to protect herself and her family.

"Looks like I was right to teach you all how to handle yourselves. I can't be everywhere at once," he murmured, half to himself. A fleeting idea crossed his mind, maybe he should just buy a huge place where all of them could live together. It would certainly make things easier.

"Ryuji?" Yukino's soft voice brought him back to the moment. She looked up at him with a warmth and trust that made his heart skip.

"What is it?" he asked, smiling as he met her gaze.

"I just wanted to say… I wouldn't have been able to stand up to my family without you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had the courage," she said, her voice quiet but sincere.

Ryuji chuckled, brushing a stray hair from her face. "You give me too much credit. You put in the effort, Yukino. You've been working hard to build your strength, and that's what helped you tonight."

She didn't argue, just leaned into him with a sigh of contentment. "I don't want to leave tonight," she whispered.

A grin spread across Ryuji's face. "Well, it's a bit late to be saying that, don't you think? You're already here."

With that, he lifted her gently, and Yukino let herself relax completely, holding him with trust and affection.

---

The next morning, Yukino was up early, preparing breakfast in Ryuji's kitchen with surprising energy. She looked perfectly calm and composed, even as Nanako and Mimiko walked in, rubbing their eyes sleepily.

They both froze at the sight of Yukino bustling around, and then exchanged knowing looks.

"Wait… did you stay here all night, Yukino?" Mimiko asked, her eyebrow raised.

Yukino glanced over at them, unfazed. "Yes," she replied simply, shrugging as if it were no big deal.

After a moment of silence, the sisters just shook their heads. "Well, you're certainly not the first," Nanako muttered under her breath, chuckling as she took a seat. "Breakfast smells good."

Soon after, they all sat down to eat together. It felt strangely natural, like they'd been doing this for ages.

---

At school later that morning, Ryuji walked into the classroom, only to be greeted by Miura Yumiko and the others with bright smiles.

"Morning, Ryuji-kun!" they chorused.

He greeted them with a nod, taking his usual seat near them. Thanks to some "special arrangements" by their homeroom teacher, Shizuka, Ryuji now had a permanent seat near his friends, which made things much more convenient.

"Ryuji-kun! Have you heard the news?" Yumiko asked, leaning over with excitement.

"News?" Ryuji asked, raising an eyebrow.

Yui jumped in. "Yeah! It's all over social media, people are talking about sorcerers and cursed spirits now!"

Ryuji blinked. "Wait, sorcerers too? I knew people were talking about cursed spirits, but how did sorcerers get brought up?"

Hina, sitting nearby, adjusted her glasses with a knowing smile. "It was announced this morning. Jujutsu High released a statement explaining cursed spirits and sorcerers. Looks like they're trying to get people to understand what's really going on."

Intrigued, Ryuji took Hina's phone and skimmed the announcement. It detailed the existence of cursed spirits, explained the dangers, and categorized them into different threat levels. There was even a section describing sorcerers and how they worked to protect people from these malevolent entities.

"Huh. Pretty thorough," he muttered. "I guess they're trying to give people a sense of security, to make sure they don't panic."

He scrolled further and noticed something else: an announcement about a live demonstration set for noon, where one of the "strongest modern sorcerers" would show how they handle special-grade curses.

"The strongest in modern times, huh?" he mused, guessing who it must be.

"Do you know who that is?" Yui asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

Ryuji nodded. "Yeah. That's Gojo Satoru."

The girls looked at each other, impressed but still curious. "Is he really that strong?" Yumiko asked.

"He's definitely powerful," Ryuji confirmed with a slight smile. "Let's just say he lives up to the title."

Yumiko, however, leaned in with a mischievous grin. "Doesn't matter how strong he is. Ryuji-kun is the strongest to us!"

Yui immediately nodded in agreement. "Right! Ryuji-kun is way cooler than any sorcerer they could show on TV!"

Hina chuckled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Agreed. I'm sure Gojo's strong, but… he's not our Ryuji."

Ryuji just shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips. He didn't care about titles like "the strongest." To him, it was all just noise.

"Honestly, being 'the strongest' doesn't matter to me. I just want to live my life," he said casually. "As long as everyone stays safe, I'm good."

The girls laughed, each one finding his laid-back attitude charming.

Around them, other students were excitedly discussing the live broadcast, theorizing about what a sorcerer might be able to do.

"I bet this 'strongest sorcerer' can punch through a wall with one hand!"

"Nah, I think he's as strong as a tank! Maybe even a missile!"

"Come on, guys, be realistic. He's still human, isn't he?"

"How can a human be more powerful than a missile? That's a huge exaggeration!"

"Yeah, totally!"

"Well, I was just saying it casually!"

Seeing so many people disagree, the person who spoke just shrugged, not really bothered. He didn't know much about these so-called sorcerers or what kind of people they were, so there was no need to argue about it.

"But, if there are sorcerers who can specifically deal with those cursed spirits, then we won't have to worry about getting attacked by cursed spirits in the future, right?"

"That sounds about right!"

"That's a relief. My teacher was worried that we might get targeted by cursed spirits!"

***

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