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

"Your beauty is largely thanks to your Charisma," Ryuji remarked, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

There was no denying that Tomie Kawakami was indeed beautiful. But without the enhancement of her Charisma, she was just an exceptionally refined pretty girl. She wouldn't have the kind of allure that drove people mad.

"If you're willing to suppress your Charisma, I'll consider letting you stay by my side."

Ryuji wasn't concerned about being affected by Tomie's charm.

However, the people around him were a different matter.

The girls in the Service Club and others in his life might easily fall victim to Tomie's influence, and undoing that kind of effect would be an immense hassle.

"That…"

Tomie hesitated upon hearing Ryuji's suggestion.

"No. Absolutely not!"

After a long silence, she rejected the idea outright.

Her charm was her greatest source of confidence. Suppressing that part of herself? That would make her ordinary, just another face in the crowd.

The very thought of becoming unremarkable was unacceptable to Tomie.

"Then there's nothing more to discuss."

Ryuji shrugged, his tone indifferent.

Clearly, she needed more time. He turned and prepared to leave, deciding it was best to let her spend a bit longer in the Domain. A little more time there might be enough to make her obedient.

"W-Wait!"

Seeing that Ryuji was about to leave, Tomie panicked.

Her previous experience in this cursed, isolated place had left her scarred. She didn't want to stay here any longer—not a second more.

Even as an urban legend, this environment had been unbearable. She'd never imagined that even she, a being of supernatural horror, could be driven to such a state.

"I can suppress it halfway! I'll keep half of it suppressed. Is that enough?"

Tomie offered hurriedly, desperation lacing her voice.

Like Ryuji, Tomie was capable of controlling her charm. She had simply never done so before.

After all, her whole identity revolved around being the center of attention. She thrived on admiration, on feeding her vanity.

Far from suppressing her Charisma, she had always used it to its fullest extent.

But now…

Halving her charm felt like a massive compromise to her. Surely Ryuji would find it acceptable?

However…

Meeting Tomie's hopeful gaze, Ryuji smiled faintly and said only two words:

"Bye-bye."

The moment the words left his lips, his figure vanished into thin air.

"???"

Tomie stared blankly at the empty space where Ryuji had stood, her mind reeling.

She had already made what she thought was the ultimate concession, and yet he had refused, leaving without another word.

"W-Wait! We can negotiate! How about a quarter? I'll suppress it to just a quarter!"

"One-fifth! I'll go down to one-fifth!"

"Don't push it too far!"

She shouted into the empty domain, her voice echoing endlessly. But no matter how much she yelled, Ryuji didn't reappear.

Eventually, she collapsed to the ground, her small fists clenched tightly.

"Suppress all my charm? Absolutely not!"

Even now, Tomie remained unwilling to compromise fully.

To her, Ryuji's demand felt like asking her to accept a version of herself that wasn't her.

For someone as vain and self-absorbed as Tomie, that was simply impossible.

"I won't give in!"

Her eyes burned with stubborn determination.

Since Ryuji wouldn't let her leave, she would find her own way out.

Tomie's mind raced, and she settled on a simple, yet devious plan: splitting.

Her unique immortality allowed her to multiply, creating more versions of herself after sustaining injuries.

If she could create hundreds, then thousands, then millions of duplicates, surely the space would collapse under the strain.

She refused to believe this domain could expand infinitely. Once her numbers overwhelmed the space, she'd be free.

It was, admittedly, a clever idea.

From a purely logical perspective, Ryuji's Land of Death Domain wasn't truly infinite. If Tomie could reach a sufficient number, she might indeed find a way to destabilize it.

The only problem was…

To split herself, she first needed to sustain injuries.

Since slamming into trees hadn't worked, Tomie resorted to scratching herself.

And true to her tenacity, she didn't hold back.

"Ow!"

The pain was very real.

"Yes! It worked!"

Seeing a small wound appear on her arm, Tomie's face lit up with joy.

But her triumph was short-lived.

The wound vanished in an instant—not healed, but erased entirely.

"What…?"

The bizarre turn of events made her think back to Ryuji's earlier mention of illusions.

If this was all an illusion, why could she still feel pain?

She realized, with mounting frustration, that while she could experience the sensation of pain, her attempts to injure herself would never have any real impact.

"Dammit!"

As an immortal being, she couldn't die, even if she tried. She wouldn't starve or fade away, though hunger and exhaustion would still plague her endlessly.

Her immortality felt less like a blessing and more like a curse.

Was her regenerative power a gift or a nightmare? She didn't know anymore.

"AAAAHHH!"

Her screams of rage filled the empty domain.

Tomie refused to believe she couldn't escape.

As long as she kept trying, there had to be a way out. There just had to be!

---

Meanwhile, Ryuji had returned to his sofa at home, reclining lazily with a relaxed expression.

He had no idea what Tomie was planning, nor did he particularly care.

If he did know, he might've even applauded her creativity.