"Alright, if you're ready to celebrate, hold off a bit longer!"

  Ryuji's voice cut through the joy-filled atmosphere, waving his hand as if to halt everyone.

  "It's not over yet."

  "...What?"

  His words froze everyone in pce.

  Not over?

  What did he mean by that?

  Even Arisu turo look at him in fusion, her posed demeanor showing a crack of uainty.

  "Wait, isn't Shouko's problem already solved?"

  Yaeko and Yuzuru, who had just begun to rex, immediately tensed up again.

  Their hearts, which had finally settled, now felt like they were lodged ihroats.

  "What do you mean?" Yaeko asked anxiously, her voice trembling.

  Could it be that Shouko was still in danger?

  "What I pulled out earlier was only a trace of Sadako's rese," Ryuji expined calmly. "The real Sadako hasn't appeared yet."

  "...What?"

  Shouko blinked, stunned.

  Ryuji's tone remained casual, but his words carried a weight that made everyone uneasy.

  "This is how the curse works. When you watch the videotape, Sadako leaves a mark on you, and after seven days, she es to cim you," Ryuji expined, his voice even. "The phantom I pulled out earlier was just that, a proje, not Sadako herself."

  "So… what do we do now?"

  Yuzuru's voice was filled with worry, her usual brave front slipping.

  Did this mean Shouko was still marked by the curse?

  "Rex," Ryuji said, waving a hand dismissively. "I did this on purpose. Clearing the mark ensures Sadako se and es sooner."

  "You wanted her to e sooner?" Arisu asked, narrowing her eyes as she began to uand.

  "Exactly," Ryuji replied, smirking slightly. "I don't have the time to sit around waiting seven days for her to show up. Better to lure her out now."

  He g Shouko and the others, his voice steady and fident.

  "Sadako's marks carry her aura. When I removed them, it created a ripple she couldn't ignore. Now, all we have to do is wait. She'll e, and I'll take care of her."

  His tone was so nont that it almost sounded like he was discussing the weather.

  But to everyone else, the idea of a curse as infamous as Sadako being a mere invenience was hard to their heads around.

  "...Okay," Yaeko said hesitantly, trying to trust him.

  "Zzz… zzz…"

  The faint sound of static suddenly echoed in the room, cutting through the tense silence.

  Everyone's eyes turoward the source, the lightbulb in the living room began flickering ominously.

  "What's going on?" Yaeko asked, looking at the ceiling nervously.

  She was sure she'd paid the electricity bill.

  "She's here," Ryuji said, his voice calm but sharp. His gaze narrowed as he goward the flickering light.

  "Bang!"

  Without warning, the lightbulb shattered, plunging the living room into darkness.

  "Ahhhhh!"

  The sudden darkness caused Masumi to let out a startled scream.

  The sound was loud, almost ical, but no one had time to react.

  Realizing she was the only one screaming, Masumi cleared her throat awkwardly.

  "...Ahem."

  In the dark, her embarrassment was hidden, but she still felt the heat of it crawling up her neck.

  "You o work on your ce," Arisu said dryly, her calm voice cutting through the tension.

  "...I'm sorry we're not all as fearless as you," Masumi muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes in the darkness.

  This was a normal rea for any girl, right? Was she really the only one afraid?

  "Zzz… zzz… zzz…"

  The statioise grew louder, and suddenly, the TV in the living room flickered on by itself.

  The s was filled with snow-like static, the faint glow casting eerie shadows across the room.

  "What is that?" Yuzuru whispered, clutg Shouko's hand tightly.

  The oed TV ed an uling sound, and everyoared as the static began to clear.

  On the s, an image slowly came into focus—a forest with an old, deserted well.

  "That's it!" Shouko gasped, her voice trembling. "That's what I saw on the videotape!"

  The image was burned into her memory. She reized it instantly.

  "Don't worry," Ryuji said, pg a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

  His touch, bined with his calm voice, was enough to steady her nerves.

  "I'm here."

  Three simple words, but they carried a weight of certainty that calmed Shouko's poundi.

  She turo look at him, her eyes filled with hope and trust.

  "Okay," she said softly, nodding.

  Ryuji's unwavering fidence seemed to wash away her fear.

  "It's definitely special grade," Ryuji murmured, his tone more analytiow.

  Most people wouldn't notiything unusual.

  But as a sorcerer, Ryuji could feel it, the cursed energy emanating from the s pressive, suffog even.

  The air in the room grew heavier, and the aura made it clear: Sadako wasn't just a legend. She ecial-grade cursed spirit.

  OV, the image of the well began to shift.

  A pale hand emerged, g its the side of the well.

  Everyoheir breath as the figure slowly came into view, a woman in a white dress, her hair disheveled and hanging over her face.

  Sadako.

  The oppressive energy in the room intensified as Sadako crawled out of the well.

  Her movements were jerky and unnatural, like a broken marioe.

  As she moved closer to the s, the tension in the room skyrocketed.

  "Is she… ing out of the TV?" Yuzuru whispered, her voice shaking.

  Sadako's pale hand reached forward, and in an instant, it passed through the s.

  "Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

  Masumi screamed again, fully giving in to her fear this time.

  She didn't care if anyone judged her, this was terrifying.

  How was no one else reag like this? Were they even human?

  But as she gnced around the room, she saw that Ryuji's expression hadn't ged.

  Arisu and even Shouko were surprisingly calm as well.

  This realization made Masumi's scream trail off into a frustrated sigh.

  "Seriously, how are you all not afraid?" she muttered, clutg her chest.

  ****

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