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

Miko was not someone easily shaken.

Having faced her fair share of supernatural events, she had developed a sharp sense for distinguishing the strange from the mundane.

At first, she did feel something was off about Tomie Kawakami.

But after multiple observations and attempts to confirm her suspicions, she came to the conclusion that Tomie was, in fact, human.

"Tomie is a special kind of anomaly. She's both human and... not," Ryuji explained without much concern.

He hadn't expected to encounter someone like Tomie. Still, it didn't particularly surprise him.

If anything, he suspected there would be more bizarre anomalies appearing in the future.

With that thought, Ryuji began to explain.

"Tomie has two unique abilities. The first one is the charm you mentioned. It's an inexplicable allure that can subtly influence people. The result? People become obsessed with her—so much so that they eventually want to kill her."

To be honest, Ryuji thought this charm ability was a strange sort of paradox.

Even if someone knew about it, resisting its effects was almost impossible.

"Kill her?"

The girls in the Service Club looked confused.

"Isn't a charm ability supposed to make people like her? Why would they want to kill her instead?"

After all, what use is a charm ability if the end result is getting murdered? It didn't make much sense.

"That brings us to Tomie's second ability," Ryuji said with a small smile, enjoying the girls' puzzled expressions.

"In addition to her charm, Tomie has the ability of immortality. No matter how she dies, even if there's only a single cell or drop of blood left, she can regenerate into a completely new Tomie."

The room fell silent as they processed his words.

"But this ability has its downside," Ryuji added.

"Every new Tomie that's created is an independent individual. They won't work together. In fact, they see each other as rivals. The moment two Tomies meet, they'll try to kill each other, each wanting to be the 'real' Tomie."

And because of their immortality, the more Tomies there were, the more conflicts arose.

"That's why some people say that encountering one Tomie is the same as encountering an entire group of them."

"Hiss…"

The explanation left everyone, except for the ever-clueless Hana, visibly unsettled.

The other girls quickly realized just how dangerous and problematic Tomie's abilities could be.

"Does that mean Tomie can never truly die? That she'll just keep multiplying endlessly?"

The thought was chilling. If this process continued unchecked, the world could one day be overrun by Tomies.

"Hahaha!"

Ryuji laughed softly, his relaxed demeanor easing the tension in the room.

"For normal people, Tomie is nearly impossible to deal with. But for a sorcerer, she's nothing to worry about."

While her abilities were undoubtedly strange, Tomie had no real combat capabilities. She was, at her core, just an ordinary high school girl physically.

Take Ryuji as an example. With his multiple domains and techniques, dealing with Tomie would be as easy as flicking a switch.

"Oh, I see!"@@novelbin@@

Hearing Ryuji's confidence, the girls felt reassured.

They didn't need to fully understand Tomie's abilities. As long as Ryuji could handle her, there was no need to panic.

"What about the Tomie in our class?" Miko asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

After all, there was still a Tomie sitting among her classmates.

"Don't worry," Ryuji said, waving his hand dismissively.

"There's no point in eliminating this particular Tomie. After all, we can't be certain if she's the 'original.' But…" His eyes gleamed with interest. "We can bring her here. I'd like to see her for myself."

He wasn't just curious about Tomie's abilities.

Whether it was her regenerative power or her charm, Ryuji couldn't help but wonder if there was something unique he could learn from her.

"Well, that's settled then," Miko said, nodding in understanding.

She didn't mind bringing Tomie to the Service Club. If Ryuji thought it was worth investigating, she trusted his judgment.

"Alright, alright," Ryuji said with a smile, brushing the matter aside.

For him, Tomie was just a minor curiosity, nothing worth stressing over.

"Let's not dwell on Tomie anymore. I'm here, so there's no need to worry. Let's get back to discussing our hot spring trip!"

He could sense that the atmosphere had grown a little tense after all the talk about Tomie. It was time to lighten the mood.

Hearing Ryuji's casual tone, the girls couldn't help but laugh.

"You're so reliable, Ryuji-kun!"

"As long as you're around, nothing feels scary anymore!"

"Hehe!"

Listening to their cheerful chatter, Ryuji leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smile on his face.

In the end, wasn't this why he sought to become stronger? To protect moments like these?

He didn't bother joining the girls' discussion, content to let them plan the trip among themselves.

---

Later that night.

"Hot springs?"

Mei Mei raised her eyebrows as she listened to Ryuji over the phone, her tone laced with intrigue.

There was something playful in her voice as she added, "Ryuji-kun, are you inviting me on a date?"

As a fellow sorcerer, Mei Mei was often busy exorcising cursed spirits. Free time was rare, and she didn't get to spend much of it with Ryuji.

The idea of going to a hot spring together felt like a rare treat.

"Well, if you think of it that way, then sure," Ryuji replied, his voice light and teasing.

"But don't get the wrong idea. It's not just the two of us. It's going to be a crowd."

"A crowd?" Mei Mei blinked, her tone shifting to surprise.

She had been under the impression that this would be a private outing, just the two of them.

"Wait… who else is coming?"