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

"Mom?"

When Yui got home, she was surprised to find her mother sitting on the couch in the living room. Normally, her mother worked late into the evening, so it was odd for her to be home so early today.

As Yui changed her shoes and walked in, she noticed something else, her mom wasn't reacting to her presence at all.

This only deepened Yui's confusion.

"Mom? Mom?" she called again, this time a bit louder.

Finally, Mrs. Yuigahama snapped out of her trance, startled for a moment. But upon seeing her daughter, her expression softened, and she let out a small sigh of relief.

"Oh, it's just you, Yui."

"Mom, are you okay?" Yui asked, her concern growing.

Yui had grown up in a single-parent household, her mother raising her alone since she was a child. This made her particularly sensitive to her mother's well-being.

"I'm fine," her mother replied quickly, though her voice had a hesitation Yui didn't miss.

Mrs. Yuigahama clearly didn't want to burden her daughter with whatever was troubling her. The truth was, she had seen something terrifying, but she wasn't ready to talk about it.

Before Yui could press her for more details, her mother suddenly stood up. "You must be hungry after school. Let me cook something for you."

Yui started to protest, "I'm not that hungry, and you—"

But Mrs. Yuigahama had already headed into the kitchen, cutting off the conversation. With no choice but to wait, Yui decided she would try to get more answers from her mother later.

In the kitchen, Mrs. Yuigahama turned on the faucet, but as soon as she did, her eyes widened in horror.

Instead of clear tap water, thick, scarlet blood poured out of the faucet.

She wanted to scream, but thinking of her daughter still in the other room, she fought to keep her composure. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and muttered to herself, "It's just a hallucination. It's just my imagination."

When she opened her eyes again, the water had returned to normal.

With a shaky sigh of relief, she continued preparing the meal, though her movements were stiff and her face pale with fear.

Earlier that day, Mrs. Yuigahama had been at work when something tragic had happened. A young employee a new intern, barely over twenty had died in a sudden accident. By the time the ambulance arrived, it was too late; she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The employees were given the rest of the day off to recover from the shock. Mrs. Yuigahama had overheard some of her colleagues talking about the intern, mentioning how she was so young and full of potential. "It's such a pity," one of them had said.

What Mrs. Yuigahama didn't realize at the time was that the word "pity" had somehow triggered something a nightmare.

On her way home, she started seeing the intern everywhere, out of the corner of her eye. At first, she dismissed it as a trick of her mind, thinking it was just grief playing tricks on her. But the more it happened, the closer the vision seemed to come. On the subway, the dead girl appeared just a few meters away, smiling at her with a sinister grin.

This wasn't just her imagination. Mrs. Yuigahama was sure of it.

But why was the girl's spirit following her? What had she done to deserve this? And worse, would her daughter be affected too?

When Yui came into the kitchen after a while, she could tell immediately that something was wrong. Her mother's behavior had been strange all evening, and now she looked pale and uneasy.

"Mom, are you really okay?" Yui asked, her concern deepening.

"It's nothing," her mother insisted, forcing a smile. She didn't want to tell Yui about the visions. As far as she knew, whatever was haunting her was focused on her alone. It wouldn't affect Yui if she kept her distance.

"I'm just tired from work. I'll sleep it off tonight," Mrs. Yuigahama said, brushing it off.

Yui, feeling a little reassured, didn't press further. She knew how hard her mother worked to support them both.

"Okay, Mom. You've been working hard. Get some rest, okay?"

Mrs. Yuigahama smiled at her daughter, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Thanks, sweetie. I'll be fine."

Yui nodded and went to bed, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was deeply wrong.

That night, while Yui slept soundly, Mrs. Yuigahama tossed and turned, her forehead slick with sweat. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the intern, staring at her with that same sinister smile. The girl's lips curled upward, as if mocking her, as if asking, "Why was it me who died instead of you?"

Mrs. Yuigahama awoke with a start, her heart racing. She couldn't take it anymore. She opened her eyes—

—and screamed.

"Mom!" Yui burst through the door, rushing to her mother's side. She found Mrs. Yuigahama sitting up in bed, clutching her head, shaking with fear.

"Mom, what's wrong?!"

Mrs. Yuigahama gasped for air, trying to ground herself in reality. "Yui… Yui, I'm fine," she managed to say, though her voice was shaky.

But Yui noticed something strange. Her gaze slowly shifted to the window. "Mom, what's that?"

Mrs. Yuigahama's heart dropped. She turned to look and saw it—the figure of the dead intern, standing outside the window, grinning at them.

"You can see it too?" Mrs. Yuigahama asked in shock.

During dinner, she had seen the girl multiple times, but Yui hadn't reacted at all. So why could Yui see her now?

Panic surged through Mrs. Yuigahama. Was her daughter being targeted now too? Fear turned into a protective instinct as she pulled Yui close, shielding her. "Stay back! Don't you dare hurt my daughter!" she shouted at the figure.

But the girl at the window only smiled wider. Her form began to fade, as if she wasn't ready to make her move just yet.

As the figure disappeared, Yui finally understood what had been bothering her mother all day. She had been haunted by this, by something that clearly wasn't human.

"Mom, it's okay. We can handle this," Yui said, trying to comfort her mother.

"You need to leave, Yui," her mother insisted, her voice urgent. "Go stay with a friend tonight. Whatever this thing is, it's after me. You'll be safe if you're not here."

But Yui shook her head. "No way, I'm staying with you."

"Yui, listen to me—"

Before Mrs. Yuigahama could finish, Yui smiled reassuringly. "Mom, I actually know someone who can help with this."

Mrs. Yuigahama blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Without hesitation, Yui pulled out her phone. She had Ryuji's number saved for emergencies like this. She quickly dialed it, praying he would answer.

Luckily, she didn't have to wait long. After a few rings, Ryuji picked up.

"Yui?"

Ryuji sounded surprised. It wasn't long after he had finished another task for the day and had just gotten ready to relax. Seeing Yui's number pop up on his phone was unexpected.

"Ryuji, are you busy?" Yui asked, her voice steady despite the situation.

"Not at all. What's going on?" he asked, sensing something serious.

Yui quickly explained what was happening with her mother and the strange figure haunting them.

"I see," Ryuji said after listening carefully. "Send me your location. I'll be there soon."

"Okay, thanks!" Yui hung up and felt a wave of relief wash over her.

When she looked back at her mother, she noticed Mrs. Yuigahama's confused expression.

"What was that about?" her mother asked, gesturing toward the phone.

"That was Ryuji. His full name is Hoshino Ryuji, and he's a classmate of mine. He's also a really powerful sorcerer," Yui explained quickly.

"A sorcerer?" Mrs. Yuigahama was taken aback. She had never heard of such a thing. But after the things she had seen tonight, it didn't seem so far-fetched.

"Yeah, he deals with things like this all the time," Yui continued, sensing her mother's disbelief. She quickly recounted some of the things she had learned from Ryuji.

"This is… a lot to take in," Mrs. Yuigahama admitted. If she hadn't seen the strange figure herself, she might have thought her daughter was making things up.

But more than anything else, one question remained on her mind.

"So, do you like this Ryuji a lot?"

Yui froze, her face turning bright red at the question.

"Mom!" she protested, her voice filled with embarrassment. "How can you ask that right now?"

"…"

Mrs. Yuigahama couldn't help but smile. Her daughter's reaction was all the confirmation she needed.

Though she was relieved that Yui had someone she clearly cared about, there was still a small pang of sadness. After all, Yui was her daughter, and the idea of her little girl growing up and finding someone she liked made her feel like time was moving too fast. It was like the precious daughter she had raised was suddenly being pulled away.

But Mrs. Yuigahama knew better than to interfere with young love.

"You know, Yui," she began, her tone softening, "I'm happy that you've found someone you care about. You're old enough to make your own decisions when it comes to love, and I won't get in your way."

Yui looked at her mother, still a bit embarrassed but grateful for her understanding.

"But," her mother continued with a teasing smile, "just make sure I don't become a grandmother too soon, alright? Let's wait a few more years before we even think about that."

"Mom!" Yui squealed, covering her face with her hands in pure embarrassment.

***

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