Chapter 9: Completely Solving the Choice for the Future

As usual, Kirihara Ryona and Sugimoto Yuriko went to training.

During the last training session, Sugimoto Yuriko also wanted to cram and practice a little longer, so Kirihara Ryona did not practice with Yukimura and the others.

After the training, Yuriko Sugimoto silently calculated the time in her mind.

"...After the ball game, it's the final exam, Ryouna-chan~"

Yuriko Sugimoto came over and started to cuddle with Kirihara Ryona.

"Hey, hey, this time I'll also help our Yuriko highlight the key points."

Kirihara Ryouna rubbed the furry head that was rubbing against her shoulder without any hesitation.

As if she suddenly remembered something, Yuriko Sugimoto immediately became alert, "Ryouna, you will be admitted to Rikkai University directly, right?"

Although further studies were scheduled for after spring break, Yuriko Sugimoto still asked now.

She had a feeling a long time ago that Ryouna always seemed to keep a distance from others.

If it weren't for my persistence, maybe they would be ordinary classmates now.

Rikkai University has a high deviation value, and the direct admission exam is still a bit difficult. If you fail, you will have to leave the school with regret.

But for Kirihara Ryona, these are nothing. Not to mention her excellent academic performance, although she usually looks lazy in class, she is surprisingly motivated during exams.

After all, it is a potential top cancer. Yuriko Sugimoto adjusted her non-existent glasses.

"Ah, that..." Kirihara Ryona hesitated, somewhat reluctant to say the result.

Facing Sugimoto Yuriko's sparkling eyes, Kirihara Ryona closed her eyes and gritted her teeth before speaking out, "...I don't plan to go straight to Rikkai University."

"Eh--" Although Sugimoto Yuriko had expected it, she still found it a little hard to accept.

"Ryouna, your grades are so good, direct admission is the best option, right?"

Kirihara Ryona shook her head, "This is the best option, but it's not what I want."

She actually didn't understand whether going to the Jujutsu High School was the best solution, but for now she would not regret it.

She did not agree with Mr. Getsu's righteous words. She only knew that it was enough for her to protect those she wanted to protect.

"Although I still don't understand it, there's no doubt that Ryouna can do everything well."

Sugimoto Yuriko took Kirihara Ryona's arm, lowered her head and stopped, "Hey, Ryona-chan."

"What's wrong?"

"Even if we break up, we're still good friends, right?" Yuriko Sugimoto curled her lips. She still couldn't accept that her friend was going to separate from her.

Kirihara Ryona was a little amused and said, "Of course."

She pinched Sugimoto Yuriko's soft face and said, "I'm not going abroad. I'm just going to Tokyo to study. We can go out and play together during the holidays."

Although this seems a bit impossible considering the situation of Laojuzi's exploitation, the pie still needs to be drawn. Kirihara Ryouna touched her aching conscience calmly.

Sugimoto Yuriko, who was mentally prepared, was easily coaxed.

Not wanting to discuss this somewhat sad topic any further, Sugimoto Yuriko put on a mysterious expression. "By the way, there's been talk of strange crying sounds after the badminton hall closes these days. It's almost become the school's top unsolved mystery."

"There will be crying sounds after closing time?" Kirihara Ryona's heart moved. Could this be the work of a cursed spirit?

"Yeah, it seems like I met him in the first grade."

Yuriko Sugimoto tried hard to recall the details.

"He said he was returning to retrieve his coat, but he heard extremely shrill cries and fainted from shock. Fortunately, the security guard found him in time."

Yuriko Sugimoto glanced at Yukimura Seiichi and Yanagi Renji who had just finished training, raised her hand and waved them over.

She asked excitedly, "Yukimura-kun and Yanagi-kun are also first-year students. Do you know what the recent horror legend is?"

"Horror legend?" Yukimura Seiichi seemed to have some impression. "Is Sugimoto-senpai referring to the strange crying sounds at the badminton hall recently?"

"Yes, that's it." Yuriko Sugimoto's eyes lit up.

Yukimura Seiichi shook his head slightly under the other party's expectant gaze, "I'm sorry I don't know much about this horror story."

"...Is that so?" Yuriko Sugimoto was instantly deflated.

Yanagi Renji flipped open his notebook. "According to the data, it was a thunderstorm that day. The probability that Ito-san was hallucinating is 67.8%, and the probability that he scared himself in the dim light is 23.6%..."

"What about the remaining 8.6%?" Kirihara Ryona stared calmly at the notebook in Yanagi Renji's hand. She had actually always been curious about how these data were calculated.

"...Aihara-san's angry whine."

"Qiaodou Madai, what a terrible thing to say! He's just recuperating in the hospital, right?"

Yuriko Sugimoto was dizzy.

"But it's not impossible to get in touch with them." Yuriko Sugimoto looked around and saw that there was no one close to them before she spoke boldly.

"I heard that, I heard that." She put on a layer of armor just in case.

"According to eyewitnesses, there was a period of time when Fujiwara Mie's group liked to wait until everyone left and then block Aihara Miko at the badminton hall. Someone saw Aihara Miko leaving school with the lining of her uniform covered in ink and scratches on her body."

For a moment, the atmosphere was stagnant and everyone was silent.

Even Yukimura, who always had a gentle smile on his face, now had a cold expression.

The security guard's whistle reminded the students still in the gym to leave quickly.

"Oh, looks like tomorrow will be the day to see the real thing. Good luck to everyone in the ball skills competition."

Yuriko Sugimoto abruptly changed the subject.

No one touched on this topic again until we parted at the school gate.

It's not fear, it's anger that can't be expressed in words.

"Wait a minute I'm going to buy some beauty magazines. Ryouna, are you going straight home?"

Kirihara Ryona was thinking about the cursed spirit and didn't hear Sugimoto Yuriko calling her.

Could it be at the badminton hall? But she hadn't noticed anything unusual in all these days. Logically speaking, with her sensitivity to cursed energy, such a mistake wouldn't have occurred.

If the cursed spirit is the type that is good at hiding, or if it has already discovered her, it is not impossible that it will wait for her to leave before returning.

We can't delay any longer. If we delay any further, it will be troublesome if the second level becomes the first level.

"Ryouna? Ryouna!" Sugimoto Yuriko noticed that the person she was traveling with had stopped where he was. She had no choice but to return and stand in front of the distracted person with her hands on her hips, demanding, "Are you even listening to me?"

"Hmm?" Kirihara Ryona came back to her senses with a look of regret on her face, "Sorry, sorry, I was thinking about something else just now."

"Still thinking about Aihara Miko and Fujiwara Mie?"

"...Ah, not them anymore."

After being together for so long, Sugimoto Yuriko still doesn’t understand Kirihara Ryona?

"You want to help Aihara Miko?"

“…”

Kirihara Ryona looked up and down but didn't look at Sugimoto Yuriko.

"Oh, that's already 'meddling'."

When Yuriko Sugimoto said "meddling in other people's business", she didn't mean it in a derogatory way. It's just that Kirihara Ryona always said one thing and meant another when helping others, and she made fun of herself for liking to meddle in other people's business.

Kirihara Ryona: Your Excellency is innocent. It was Mimiko who said that to her first.

Besides, what does it mean to meddle in other people's business? Is the matter of the cursed spirit considered a private matter? That is work, it is money, it is Chihu's rations.

"I'm not meddling in other people's business." Kirihara Ryona said helplessly, "I'm really not thinking about Aihara Miko either."

"She's in pretty good shape now."

After resolving her emotional issues, Miko Aihara actively cooperates with the doctor's treatment every day.

"As for Fujiwara Mie..." Kirihara Ryona paused for a moment, a flash of indifference in her eyes, "She will get the punishment she deserves."

"Really? That's great!" Sugimoto Yuriko would not doubt the truthfulness of Kirihara Ryouna's words. She always had an inexplicable confidence in Ryouna, and she believed that anything Ryouna promised would succeed.

"Hehe, but as punishment for being distracted and ignoring me just now, I'll punish you by asking you to treat me to some ice cream later!"

Soft cream, I don’t have time to eat it today.

Kirihara Ryouna squinted her eyes and looked at the colorful afterglow in the sky. The cursed spirit should be coming out soon and it can't be delayed any longer.

"Oh, I think I left the pendant that Akaye gave me at the badminton hall." The girl lowered her eyes and pretended to check her handbag. Then she acted distressed and helpless. "I guess I have to go back and get it. Next time, I'll treat you to double the amount, okay?"

Sugimoto Yuriko narrowed her eyes suspiciously, observing the expression on her friend's face. "You game geek, you didn't spend all your allowance on a video game console, did you? Well, I can treat you."

Game fanatic Kirihara Ryona's mouth twitched: "I'm not that idiot Akaya."

It seems that I need to stop using games as an excuse to cover up the exorcism mission.

"Okay, then remember to give me double." The orange-haired girl generously let Kirihara Ryona go.

The uncle at the security booth stopped Kirihara Ryona who was about to return and said, "Did this student leave anything behind? Hurry up and get it and come out. There have been a lot of strange things happening lately."

These days, students who are still in school at this time will suffer injuries of varying degrees. The school has not been able to find out the cause, so they have to ask the students to go home early and have the security department close the school gate.

The uncle was also annoyed because of the strange things that happened in the past few days. He had to hold countless meetings.

"Yeah, it's quick. I'll grab my things and leave. Thank you for your hard work, uncle."

Kirihara Ryona was the only one in the huge badminton hall at the moment. She looked around the entire hall and did not find any place where the cursed spirit could hide.

Where will it be?

"Red Tiger." She opened her lips slightly.

A four-meter-long white tiger with red stripes suddenly appeared in the empty venue.

It crawled obediently in front of the girl, waiting for its master's orders.

"Good boy, good boy Chihu, go and find the rations yourself."

The long hair, which was originally dark green like seaweed, gradually turned red and orange, and the temperature in the venue gradually rose.

Kirihara Ryouna's technique, Red-Striped White Tiger, appears to be a technique that can control the fire element, but in fact it is not an ordinary fire technique, it is the fire of the soul.

In simple terms, Kirihara Ryona can ignite the souls of any living thing in the world.

This is the main reason why she is so sensitive to cursed spirits, and why she was able to notice the strangeness of the boy with glasses in the ramen restaurant that day at a glance.

The cursed power belonging to Kirihara Ryouna was searching the entire venue bit by bit. Although the venue was spacious, places like the utility room and the equipment room made the search more difficult.

This requires a very high reserve and control of cursed energy, which is still a bit difficult for Kirihara Ryouna at this stage.

Her face gradually turned pale, and Kirihara Ryona sensed that her cursed energy was about to run out.

Damn it, she was so close to catching it. She gritted her teeth and insisted on cooperating with Chihu to continue the carpet search.

Finally, they found it.

"roar"

The red tiger growled, indicating the location of its master.

Kirihara Ryouna looked up at the ventilation duct on the ceiling. "So hiding there makes it hard to be discovered and convenient for escaping, right?"

With the help of Akagawa's bounce, Kirihara Ryouna activated the technique, quickly tied up the cursed spirit with a fire rope and dragged it out. Her movements were clean and quick, and she threw the cursed spirit to the ground without hesitation.

"Chihu is ready to eat."

As soon as he finished speaking, the white tiger opened its bloody mouth and tore the cursed spirit apart and devoured it.

After a while, the cursed spirit disappeared along with a shrill scream, leaving only the remnants of the cursed power.

"It's a good thing we let him go. Otherwise, if someone else heard this unpleasant sound, it would have further solidified the mystery."

Her hair turned back to dark green, and Kirihara Ryona rubbed her suffering ears and muttered.

Having finally gotten rid of this troublesome cursed spirit, she planned to reward herself with a plate of Taiyaki later.

"Senior?" A familiar voice sounded from another direction.

Because of the sudden heavy rain tonight, Yukimura had to return to school to move the plants that the gardening department had placed outside into the glass house.

It turned out that Kirihara Ryona, who should have been home, appeared at the school with a pale face.

Yukimura Seiichi frowned, "Senior, you look so pale. Do you need to go to a nearby clinic for a checkup?"

He also noticed the satisfied-looking Akagator in Kirihara Ryouna's arms.

"Hmm? Are you going to look for a cat?" Yukimura hesitated. "But does this cat have tiger stripes?"

Kirihara Ryona didn't show any expression on her face, but she was screaming madly in her heart: She hated exorcising cursed spirits on weekdays!