Chapter 78: Chance

"No, it's impossible!"

Saki didn't doubt Ryuji's words, but as she thought back on what had just happened, the fear still lingered. She was certain of one thing:

"What I encountered must have been something weird!"

"Then tell me what happened at the time," Ryuji said casually, seeing how serious she was. He didn't refute her claim but gestured for her to explain the situation.

"That's right…"

Saki took a deep breath and began recounting what had happened on her way over.

After finding out that Ryuji was in the service club, she had been excited and rushed over. Everything was fine until she was about halfway there. That's when she saw someone standing in the middle of the path.

Her heart raced. "Be careful!" she had instinctively thought, wondering how the person had appeared out of nowhere. Just moments ago, there hadn't been anyone there. And the person was wearing Sobu High School's uniform, meaning they were a classmate. Thankfully, she stopped just in time and avoided colliding with them.

She was about to ask if they were okay when the person looked directly at her, eyes wide with surprise.

"Can you see me?"

At first, Saki was confused by the question. What do you mean, can I see you? You're right in front of me, how could I not?

Before she could say anything, the person continued. "My name is Mai Sakurajima. Do you know who I am? Do you know anything about me? You…"

But as the girl, who had introduced herself as Mai Sakurajima, kept talking, her figure started to fade away from Saki's sight. The strange thing was, even though Saki could see her disappearing, she couldn't understand why or how.

To make matters worse, Saki began to forget why she had even stopped in the first place, and why she knew the name Mai Sakurajima. All that was left in her memory was the name, nothing else.

"Now, except for her name, my memory is hazy. This is true, I'm not lying!" Saki added hastily, worried that Ryuji might not believe her.

"I didn't say I don't believe you," Ryuji responded with a reassuring wave of his hand. "But if it was Mai Sakurajima, that actually wouldn't be too surprising."

"...What?" Saki was baffled. Why wasn't it strange to encounter Mai Sakurajima?

"Haven't you heard the rumors going around school?" Ryuji asked, his voice calm but curious. Miko and the others in the service club also turned their attention to Saki, curious as to whether she had heard of these rumors.

"Rumors?" Saki repeated, feeling even more confused. She worked part-time most days, so she didn't have much time to listen to school gossip or pay attention to such things.

Miko took over, explaining what they had heard about Mai Sakurajima and the strange occurrences surrounding her. "It's said that she has the potential to be a sorcerer, like Ryuji-kun, but she doesn't have control over her power. It was triggered by accident, and now she's stuck in a situation where her presence keeps fading."

"So, Mai Sakurajima has the qualifications to be a sorcerer?" Saki asked, her curiosity piqued, though a hint of jealousy crept into her voice. She was feeling a bit bitter. Why was it that other people had these rare abilities, and she didn't?

"There's nothing wrong with that understanding," Ryuji confirmed. He noticed the envious expression on Saki's face it was obvious to everyone in the room. Still, there wasn't much anyone could do. You either had the qualifications, or you didn't.

"..."

Although Saki was envious, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for Mai Sakurajima. If she didn't get help soon, she might disappear completely, lost to the world.

"If I see her again, I'll let her know where the service club is," Saki promised, hoping to do something to help.

Ryuji nodded in acknowledgment, then asked, "By the way, why did you come to see me?"

Despite the long explanation, Saki hadn't actually mentioned the real reason she sought him out. Ryuji was curious.

"Oh, that?" Saki replied, looking a bit shy now. "I was curious about what a day in the life of a sorcerer is like."

She smiled, her boldness returning. "It's not every day you meet a boy you like, right? So I thought I'd check it out."

Saki wasn't the type of girl to shy away from taking initiative, especially when she liked someone. Her previous shyness had been a result of her exhaustion from working multiple jobs, but now that she was feeling more energetic, she had no problem being direct.

However, her gaze swept across the other girls in the room Yotsuya Miko, Yurikawa Hana, and Yukinoshita Yukino and her confident smile wavered. Internally, she sighed.

"I didn't expect this much competition," she said with a hint of playfulness, though there was a deeper sense of disappointment hiding beneath the surface.

Ryuji, unfazed, merely shrugged. "I can't help that," he said, flashing her a grin.

With that, the lunch break came to an end, and it was time for afternoon classes to resume. Since it was exam day, it didn't take long for everyone to finish their papers. However, instead of staying alert or checking over his answers, Ryuji immediately laid his head down and fell asleep as soon as he was done.

Across the room, Yumiko spotted him sleeping and smirked. She thought to herself, Looks like I've won this bet. She was already thinking of the perfect way to make Ryuji admit that he liked her she imagined it would be sweet revenge after all the teasing.

While Ryuji was peacefully napping, another person in the city wasn't having such a peaceful day Yukinoshita Haruno.

Ever since her encounter with Ryuji, Haruno had been struggling. Although they hadn't crossed any serious boundaries, what they had done weighed heavily on her mind. Despite throwing herself into work to distract herself, she found it harder and harder to forget.

Worse still, she had started dreaming about Ryuji every night. These dreams were getting more vivid, more outrageous. It wasn't just her and Ryuji anymore other women appeared in the dreams too. It was driving her mad.

"Am I losing my mind?" she muttered to herself.

Even now, sitting in a car with her mother, Yukinoshita Fumino, Haruno couldn't shake the thoughts. She sighed.

"Something on your mind?" Fumino asked, breaking the silence in the car.

Haruno was startled for a moment before quickly shaking her head. "No, nothing."

Fumino eyed her daughter carefully. "I've heard about how much effort you've been putting into work lately," she said gently. "But you should take care of yourself too. You've been pushing yourself too hard."

Haruno glanced at her mother, slightly confused. Had she been misunderstood? It wasn't work she was throwing herself into out of passion it was to escape her thoughts about Ryuji.

Still, she nodded, not wanting to explain the real reason for her behavior. "I'll take it easy, Mom."

There was a moment of silence before Haruno asked, "By the way, where are we going?" She had been called out by her mother earlier, told that there was something important they needed to do, but hadn't been given any details.

"We're going to the Shinomiya Group," Fumino replied.

Haruno's eyes widened. "The Shinomiya Group?" she repeated in disbelief. The Shinomiya Group was one of the largest conglomerates in the country. Why would her mother need to visit them?

Seeing her daughter's surprise, Fumino calmly explained, "The Yukinoshita family has been facing some difficult challenges recently. If we don't get help from a powerful ally, we may not be able to pull through."

Haruno understood what her mother was referring to. The real estate business that their family relied on had been hit hard recently due to a series of accidents. They were struggling to keep everything afloat.

"But why would the Shinomiya Group help us?" Haruno asked, her disbelief still evident. The Shinomiya family was on a whole different level compared to the Yukinoshitas. What did their family have to offer in return?

"...Do they have their eye on you, Mom?" Haruno asked half-jokingly, her mind drifting to the possibility of an old romance or connection.

Fumino shot her daughter a sharp look. "Don't be ridiculous."

Then, after a moment of hesitation, she revealed the real reason. "When I was younger, I was friends with the head of the Shinomiya family. I've avoided using that connection for years, but now… there's no other choice."

Haruno was stunned. She had never known about this.

"So, you're calling in for a favor?" Haruno asked, her voice softening.

Fumino nodded. "Yes. But this is the only chance we'll get. If this fails, there won't be another opportunity."

Haruno understood the weight of the situation. "Don't worry, Mom. We'll make it through this."