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Nothing. No suspicious movement, no silhouette lurking in the shadows. But he knew that meant nothing. Sometimes, the most dangerous things were the quietest. He shook his head. "If someone's hanging around here, I'd better put everything back in order before it attracts unwanted attention."
A wave of power spread from his feet, gently rippling through the air, and the ground began to vibrate slightly. Slowly, as if guided by an invisible force, the pieces of rubble started to levitate, returning to their original places. The collapsed walls straightened up, cracks in the ground sealed, and the broken windows reformed in the blink of an eye. The debris fit together like pieces of a giant puzzle, reconstructing the building as it had been before the fight.
Ryosuke took a few steps back, surveying his work. The hospital had regained its former appearance—almost. Some details escaped him—he hadn't been able to recall every nuance of the previous damage—but overall, it held together.
"Not bad at all," he murmured, a satisfied smile spreading across his lips. He crossed his arms, nodding with pride. "It almost looks like nothing happened here."
Despite that, a flicker of uncertainty passed through him. He recalled scenes from manga where characters would raise curtains to hide their battles or minimize damage in the real world. He hadn't yet fully mastered that kind of technique himself. He wondered for a moment if he'd made too much noise—whether from the gusts of wind or the lightning. Maybe passersby or ill-intentioned people had noticed the chaos.
His gaze swept the surroundings one last time, searching for any sign of presence. Nothing alarming seemed to be lurking nearby, but you could never be too careful. "Just in case... better get out of here quickly," he thought, sighing.
He straightened up, adjusted the strap of his bag over his shoulder, and turned toward the path leading out of the hospital complex. The building was silent again, almost peaceful, as if the titanic battle that had taken place just minutes earlier had never happened.
No trace remained—except for the slight trembling of his hands, the aftermath of adrenaline still coursing through his system.
Ryosuke cast one last glance at the hospital, then shrugged. "That was a very satisfying experience," he murmured, talking to himself as he rubbed his chin. Then, with an amused smile, he added, "Well... now I need to get home before I get scolded again for hanging around."
Without looking back, he walked away with a casual step, ready to resume his day as if nothing had happened.
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Ryosuke walked through the streets of his neighborhood, his bag over his shoulder, his body weighed down by the fatigue of travel. Evening shadows began to stretch, and the lights of nearby houses flickered on one after another. He glanced at his watch: past 5 p.m.
As he approached his street, he was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Hey, Ryosuke!"
He looked up and saw one of his high school friends approaching with a smile. Beside him were three other friends he knew well.
"Where'd you disappear to?" the friend asked as he caught up. "We spent the whole day gaming at my place, you should've come! It was epic."
Ryosuke gave a slight smile. If only they knew, he thought. I literally just lived through what you played.
A moment of silence fell as he searched for what to say without raising questions.
"Ah, sorry…" he finally said. "I was a bit tied up. Maybe next time."
Tomoya nodded, a little disappointed. "No worries, man, next time you join us. It was awesome, I swear."
Ryosuke raised his hand in greeting and continued on his way, while his friends headed in another direction.
---
He finally arrived home. He entered quietly, trying not to make too much noise, but voices from the living room betrayed the presence of his family.
"Ryosuke, is that you?" his mother called from the living room.
"Yeah, it's me," he replied, taking off his shoes in the entrance.
Peeking into the doorway, he saw his mother sitting on the couch, a cup of tea in hand, while his little sister sat beside her, absorbed by a show playing on the television.
"Where did you go this morning that you're only back now?" his mother asked, both curious and worried.
Ryosuke shrugged. "Just took a little walk… around the area."
"Yeah, that doesn't really sound like 'around the area,'" his mother said, frowning. "You know it's not safe, Ryosuke. There are risks, especially with everything going on lately. You really should be more careful."
He nodded. "Yeah, I know, I'll be more careful, Mom."
He headed to the kitchen but stopped before entering and asked, "Is there anything to eat?"
Sayuri laughed, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "I almost ate your food, but luckily I thought of Yuri, otherwise your plate would've disappeared!"
She lifted up the little kitten, and Ryosuke couldn't help smiling as he shook his head. "Well done, Yuri. You saved my dinner."
He served himself a quick plate in the kitchen before heading up to his room.
---
Entering his room, he set down his bag and stretched deeply.
His bed, with its soft blankets, suddenly felt like the most welcoming thing in the world. He fell onto it with a sigh of relief, his gaze fixed on the ceiling.
The day had been long, but strangely satisfying. His thoughts briefly drifted to the curse he had faced, the territory expansion, and the moment he trapped the creature inside the black pearl. A small smile tugged at his lips at the memory.
A truly satisfying experience, he thought. He didn't know exactly why, but he felt a kind of excitement at having managed to defeat such a powerful entity.
His eyelids grew heavy. But before drifting off to sleep, a thought crossed his mind: he needed knowledge. He had understood his power and even experimented with it, but he felt limited by his lack of understanding. He had to educate himself to fully exploit his abilities.
But for now, all that could wait. Ryosuke closed his eyes, finally letting fatigue take over.