"Delicate: Your fragility makes people want to protect you!"
"..."
Ryuji stared at the effect of the talent entry, utterly speechless.
He had to admit that when Miko was terrified by some supernatural entity, she did indeed look fragile and in need of protection. But if such a talent were applied to him, it would be an entirely different story.
There was no way he was going to use this talent. It would be buried deep in the system's archives, never to see the light of day.
At that moment, the system, which had been silent for a while, chimed in.
"If the host has a talent entry they do not want, it can be decomposed for points."
"Decomposition?"
Ryuji raised an eyebrow. He didn't even know that was an option.
Curious, he asked, "How many points can I get for decomposing this green entry?"
Up until now, he hadn't known how to earn points, but it seemed decomposing unwanted talent entries was one way to do it.
"Ten points."
Ryuji blinked in disbelief. "Ten points?! It takes a hundred points to get a green entry, and decomposing it only gives me ten?!"
He shook his head in frustration. "You're worse than a black-hearted capitalist!"
The system remained silent, offering no defense for its questionable exchange rate.
"Fine, whatever. Ten points are better than nothing, I guess."
"Decompose it," Ryuji commanded.
With that, the Delicate entry was removed, and his score finally ticked up from zero. At least he had something now, even if it wasn't much.
Ten points were enough to draw a white entry, but given how useless the green entry had been, he wasn't too eager to find out what kind of garbage a white entry would offer. He'd hold onto the points for now.
---
"Ryuji?" Miko's soft voice interrupted his thoughts, bringing him back to the present.
"Hm?" Ryuji turned to look at her, shaking off his internal monologue.
"Are you okay?" she asked, a bit of concern in her voice. She had called his name several times before he had snapped out of his daze.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Ryuji replied with a smile, shaking his head lightly. "I was just lost in thought, feeling lucky to be holding my girlfriend so early in the morning. It distracted me for a second."
"No way!" Miko exclaimed, her face turning red with embarrassment. She lowered her head, her cheeks burning, while Ryuji just smiled at her reaction. Watching her shy expressions always made him feel a little greedy for more of these moments.
Looking around to make sure no one was nearby, Ryuji leaned down and whispered in Miko's ear, "I have something I want to show you."
"Here?" Miko whispered back, flustered. They were outside, after all, and anyone could walk by at any moment.
"Don't worry, I checked. There's no one around," Ryuji assured her with a mischievous grin.
"Okay..." Miko nodded, unable to resist her boyfriend's charm. She didn't want to refuse him. Ryuji's hands finally moved around her waist, the warmth of his touch sending a shiver down her spine, he moved slowly and teasingly, but he kept things gentle, respecting her boundaries. After all, he knew this was about as much as Miko could handle for now.
By the time they entered the school, Miko's face was still flushed, her mind replaying the tender moment they'd just shared. Ryuji, now content with their little exchange, simply held her hand as they walked.
"See you!"
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out.
"Hana chan!" Miko smiled, turning to greet her best friend, Yurikawa Hana. But the smile quickly faded from her face when she noticed something horrifying. A massive creature, something only visible to those with spiritual awareness, was following closely behind Hana, its eyes locked on her, yet keeping a certain distance.
Hana, completely unaware of the entity, happily approached her friends, chatting away as if nothing was wrong.
Miko's heart skipped a beat. She had seen spirits and strange creatures many times before, but seeing one this close to someone she cared about always filled her with dread.
Ryuji noticed Miko's sudden tension and gently squeezed her hand to reassure her.
"Don't worry, I've got this," Ryuji whispered calmly, his words instantly soothing Miko's nerves. He had already proven countless times that he could handle these supernatural threats.
Ryuji himself had been a bit surprised when he first saw the creature. But once he realized it was targeting Yurikawa Hana, he understood what was going on.
In the anime, Hana unknowingly possessed an innate spiritual power that naturally attracted spirits and strange beings. However, this same power also protected her, injuring any supernatural entity that got too close. As a result, many entities would try to target her, only to be repelled without her even knowing.
Hana was completely oblivious to the creature that followed her, thinking she was just a girl with an unusually strong appetite. Her spiritual energy would often drain, leaving her hungry, which explained why she always needed to eat more than others.
"Time to get rid of this thing," Ryuji muttered.
"Soul Devouring!"
Several chains shot out from the air behind Ryuji, glowing with the pale blue light of his spiritual energy, and wrapped tightly around the creature stalking Hana.
The creature, which had been fixated on its target, didn't even have time to react before the chains bound it, yanking it into the air.
"You!"
The creature thrashed and tried to resist, but it was no match for Ryuji's overwhelming power. In mere moments, it was dragged into the dark void created by the chains, vanishing from existence.
"Burp!"
Ryuji let out a satisfied belch and smiled to himself. "Ah, nothing like a good meal in the morning. Is there anything better than this?"
Miko, who had watched the whole thing unfold, looked at Ryuji with deep gratitude in her eyes. Once again, he had protected her and the people she cared about.
Meanwhile, Hana remained blissfully unaware of the danger she had just escaped. Seeing Miko and Ryuji standing together, hand-in-hand, Hana's eyes lit up in excitement.
"Miko!" she exclaimed, rushing over. "Wait, are you two…?"
Before she could finish, Miko, feeling shy and conscious of the many students around them, quickly covered her friend's mouth.
"Keep it down!" Miko whispered, her face turning red as she glanced around, hoping no one had overheard.
Hana blinked and nodded in understanding, her expression apologetic. After Miko let go, she immediately leaned in closer, her voice hushed but full of curiosity. "Are you two dating?"
Even though it was a bit embarrassing to admit it in front of her best friend, Miko couldn't lie. With a small, nervous nod, she whispered, "Y-yeah… Ryuji-kun is my boyfriend now."
Hana's eyes sparkled with excitement. "That's amazing! I'm so happy for you!" she said, barely able to contain her enthusiasm.
Miko blushed even harder, feeling a mix of embarrassment and happiness.
"Well," Ryuji said with a grin, "it's nice to meet Miko's best friend properly."