Ultimate Man [JJK X SOL]: Loading Golden Entries at The Start

On the other side of things, Mai, who had just ended her call, was left with a complicated expression as she stared at her phone.

"Sister..."

Deep down, Mai still cared for her sister and wanted her to be safe, but her stubbornness kept her from admitting it aloud.

She let out a long sigh, trying to steady her thoughts, when the door to her dormitory suddenly swung open.

Miwa Kasumi, her blue-haired classmate, peeked in with a cheerful expression.

"Mai! Are you ready? We're supposed to go exorcise some cursed spirits with Utahime-sensei in a bit!"

At Kyoto Jujutsu Tech, much like at Jujutsu High, there was never a shortage of cursed spirits to deal with.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Mai replied, forcing a smile as she set her phone aside.

"I'll head over in a minute."

"Great! I'll go ahead and let Utahime-Sensei know!" Kasumi said before disappearing back into the hallway.

As the door clicked shut, Mai took a deep breath.

No matter how much she doubted her abilities, she refused to be a burden to anyone, not to her teammates, and especially not to herself.

---

Meanwhile, on Ryuji's side, his day had been rather uneventful so far.

As usual, he attended school simply because he didn't have anything better to do at the moment. With no pressing tasks on his agenda, the quiet routine was almost a welcome change.

But during lunch, something unusual caught his attention, the girls in the service club were deep in discussion about something.

"Hmm?" Ryuji looked up from his seat, a bit confused. "What are you all talking about?"

The girls turned to him with excitement, clearly thrilled to pull him into the conversation.

"Winter vacation is coming up soon," one of them said. "It's the perfect time for us to plan a hot spring trip!"

"Winter vacation?"

Ryuji blinked, caught off guard.

Time had flown by so quickly that he hadn't even realized the holidays were approaching.

His puzzled reaction made the girls giggle.

"Of course you wouldn't notice," Utaha teased. "You barely come to school these days. You're so busy, you probably forgot what season it is."

Yukino chimed in, her tone sharp but playful. "Considering how rarely you show up, it's no surprise you didn't know."

Ryuji sighed, rolling his eyes. "You're just trying to make fun of me, aren't you?"

"Who, us? Never," Utaha said, feigning innocence.

But before Ryuji could respond, she quickly added, "If that's how you feel, maybe you shouldn't come on this trip at all."

"Don't even joke about that!" Utaha's sudden suggestion caused the other girls to protest in unison.

"If you don't come, there's no point in us going," Miko said firmly.

The other girls nodded in agreement. Ryuji was the glue that brought their group together, if he wasn't there, the trip would lose all its meaning.

"Besides," Utaha added with a sly smile, leaning closer to him, "don't you want to see what we all look like in bathrobes?"

Her teasing gaze swept over the other girls, who reacted in various ways.

Some lowered their heads in embarrassment, while others—like Yumiko—stood tall and confident, openly flaunting their figures.

"Tsk," Ryuji muttered under his breath, realizing where this conversation was headed.

Of course, not everyone was willing to go along with Utaha's teasing.

Eriri, ever the feisty one, crossed her arms and huffed. "Ryuji isn't going to fall for your cheap tricks!"

Utaha turned her sharp eyes toward Eriri, clearly unimpressed. "Oh, please. With a figure like yours, there's nothing for him to fall for in the first place."

"..."

The air grew tense as Eriri froze, visibly seething. Her small frame and lack of curves made her an easy target for Utaha's sharp tongue.

But before Eriri could launch into a tirade, Utaha wasn't done.

"Face it," she continued with a smirk. "Whether you're wearing a bathrobe or a trash bag, there's really not much of a difference."

Eriri's face turned red with anger.

"You want to go? Fine, let's go!" she shouted, pulling out her sketchpad as if it were a weapon.

Utaha, unfazed, pulled out her notebook, holding it like a shield. "Anytime, anywhere."

The two squared off, their playful rivalry on full display.

The other girls exchanged nervous glances, unsure whether to intervene. But as soon as they noticed Ryuji standing up, they immediately quieted down.

There was no need to step in. With Ryuji around, any potential conflict would be resolved in an instant.@@novelbin@@

"Bang! Bang!"

With two light but firm flicks of his fingers, Ryuji tapped both Utaha and Eriri on the head, silencing them.

"If you two really want to fight, how about I step in instead?"

"..."

Eriri immediately fell silent, knowing better than to push her luck.

Utaha, however, maintained her usual playful demeanor, even as she rubbed her head.

"That depends," she said, her voice dripping with innuendo. "Are we talking about a different kind of fight?"

"..."

Ryuji narrowed his eyes at her, unimpressed.

Utaha's boldness had only grown since their relationship deepened. What had once been playful banter had now evolved into full-fledged provocations.

Even Ryuji wasn't sure when it had happened, but somewhere along the way, Utaha had become a master at throwing him off balance.

At this point, it felt like she was driving a car, and the wheels had just rolled over his face.

The other girls, sensing the shift in atmosphere, tried to stifle their laughter.

Ryuji let out a sigh, his patience wearing thin. He didn't bother responding to Utaha's latest jab and simply gave her a flat look of disapproval.

"Alright," he finally said, turning back to the group. "Let's go on this trip."

"Yayyyy"

His words immediately lifted the mood, and the girls cheered.

***

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