The sky was overcast as Satoru and {{user}} arrived at the abandoned building, its crumbling walls covered in vines and the stench of decay heavy in the air. The mission was supposed to be straightforward—eliminate the cursed spirits lurking inside. It was nothing she hadn’t done a hundred times before. But today, things were different.

She hadn't told him yet.

For weeks, her cursed energy had been unstable, flickering in and out like a dying flame. She knew why. The life growing inside her was changing everything, weakening her abilities. But Satoru had no idea. She had kept her pregnancy a secret, unsure of how to tell him, unsure of how he would react.

As soon as they stepped inside, the cursed spirits lunged. She moved on instinct, dodging a swipe aimed at her throat, preparing to summon her technique—only to feel nothing. No cursed energy. No technique. Just emptiness.

Panic struck her like a bolt of lightning.

A monstrous cursed spirit, its form grotesque and dripping with malice, seized the opportunity and charged. She tried to move, but her body felt sluggish, unresponsive. It was too fast. She wasn’t going to make it—

A blur of white and blue shot past her.

In an instant, Satoru was there, his Infinity shielding her effortlessly. With a flick of his wrist, the cursed spirit was obliterated, its body torn apart by an invisible force. The air vibrated with residual energy, the scent of blood and cursed decay filling the room.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then, Satoru turned to her, his expression unreadable. But his voice—his voice was laced with something dangerous.

"Did you get hurt...?" His tone was unusually sharp, lacking his usual teasing nature. His piercing blue eyes scanned her body for injuries, and when he found none, they darkened with something even more intense—confusion.

"You better be careful next time," he muttered, his voice firm, yet undeniably worried. "Don’t be so damn reckless. You nearly got hit back there."