Once a mobster, now Masachika Kuze

Ryan followed Rika along the trail to her house, taking every opportunity to tease her. The girl, who alternated between a mature aura and an almost childish persona, seemed to respond to him naturally, swinging between irritation and cuteness. When they finally arrived, Ryan paused to observe the place.

He furrowed his brows as he noticed the simple and casual appearance of the house, which resembled more of a shed. He asked with curiosity:

"You live alone, right?"

Rika slightly tilted her head, letting out a loud and enigmatic "Mii~?"

Ryan shrugged and continued in his carefree tone:

"Well, that's for another day. Now, if you could grab those Onigiris, my stomach will thank you... When I'm hungry, my brain doesn't process anything."

Rika calmly nodded, spinning on her heels as she said:

"Wait here, I'll be right back."

A few minutes later, she returned with a small bag containing a container of Onigiris. She handed it to Ryan, who received the gift with a satisfied smile.

"Thanks, Rika..." He paused deliberately, dragging the end of his sentence before finishing with a playful tone:

"...-chan."

Rika raised an eyebrow, showing a smug smile as she retorted:

"Oh? You're using '-chan' with me again, huh?"

Ryan, already with his back turned, waved his hand in a casual farewell gesture.

"Yeah, you earned some points for saving me from hunger, cutie."

Without waiting for a reply, he began to walk away, leaving the interaction hanging in the air as his peculiar way of saying goodnight.

As soon as Ryan disappeared into the darkness, Hanyuu , who had been by Rika's side the whole time—invisible to Ryan—spoke up. Her voice was curious and slightly hesitant:

"So, Rika… what did you think of him?"

Rika, without changing her expression, replied automatically:

"He's… acceptable."

Hanyuu 's eyes widened, raising her hands in an exaggerated gesture of surprise:

"Auau~~! I'm talking about him helping you with your problems, not about him! Auau~~!"

Rika kept her indifferent tone, but there was a certain vulnerability in her words:

"That's also acceptable… He made me feel something I haven't felt in a long time."

Hanyuu tilted her head, curious:

"And what is that?"

Rika looked down at the ground and murmured:

"Hope…"

Meanwhile, Ryan walked along the dimly lit streets of Hinamizawa, savoring one of the Onigiris. He chewed with a satisfied smile, speaking to himself:

"Damn, this is good… or is it just the hunger?"

He took another bite and confirmed to himself:

"No, it's actually good."

As he continued, something caught his attention. Crossing a bridge, he noticed a figure in the distance. Narrowing his eyes, he could make out a female figure entering an abandoned car, in what seemed like a large dump beneath the bridge. He stopped and muttered with a piece of onigiri still in his mouth:

"Rena…?"

Watching the scene with a mix of curiosity and laziness, he sighed, turning back to walk.

"You know what? That's a problem for tomorrow."

As he walked, the starry sky above caught his attention. He lost himself in thought for a moment before scoffing and muttering sarcastically:

"Hmm… I wonder what that damn Yuno is doing now, after leaving me here alone?"

Little did he know, at that very moment, Yuno was at his house, comfortably lying down, with the air conditioner at the perfect temperature and in no rush to deal with him.

Back in the village, Ryan finally arrived home. He improvised a bed with an old futon and quickly fell asleep, only to be woken up early by the sunlight streaming through the window. Still groggy, he stretched and murmured with disdain:

"Ah… nothing like waking up early… perfect for putting a bullet in the center of my forehead."

Before he could lie back down, his phone started vibrating beside him. He reluctantly grabbed the device, only to see the absurd number of missed calls: 412, all from Yuno. He blinked in disbelief, sighing as he considered whether to ignore it. However, before he could decide, the phone vibrated again. Grumbling, he answered the call impatiently:

"Don't you have anything else to do?"

On the other side, all he heard was a faint huff before the call abruptly ended. He looked at the screen, frustrated, murmuring to himself:

"This is so… Yuno."

The number now showed 413 missed calls, and he noticed there were two messages from her. Curiously, he slid the notification bar down and read:

"Send a picture of where you are."

"I don't have all day."

He let out a low laugh and shook his head:

"Classic… she doesn't even leave me alone here."

Ryan looked at himself, realizing he was shirtless. Sleeping like that felt more comfortable, but now this could be a great opportunity for some teasing. A smug smile formed on his face as he murmured to himself:

"Heh… this is gonna be my greatest trick."

He opened the camera app, adjusting the angle for a strategic selfie. He raised his arm, highlighting his well-defined physique, his face partially covered by his still-messy hair, and that smile of someone who knew exactly what they were doing. After taking the photo, he looked at the result with a mix of pride and amusement.

"Damn… should I send it?"

He laughed to himself, his finger hovering over the send button as he weighed the decision. Finally, with a determined look and a challenging tone, he shrugged and declared:

"You know what? Screw it."

He pressed the button, sending the photo to Yuno. The ensuing silence was brief but heavy. A few seconds later, he realized the message had been viewed. The sarcastic smile was still on his face, but it was soon replaced by a chill that ran down his spine like an alarm of impending danger. His eyes narrowed, and the thought came quickly as lightning:

"I'm screwed!"

Without wasting any time, Ryan threw himself onto the futon, landing so hard that he hit his head on the floor, leaving a small mark on the tatami. Ironically, this instinctive reaction ended up being his salvation.

The next moment, Yuno teleported into his room, her hair flying with the air displacement. Without hesitation, she delivered a kick so powerful that it created a gust of wind in the small space. By pure luck—or well-trained survival instinct—Ryan was out of the way.

Still on the floor, he looked up at her with his usual daring smile. Before he could speak, Yuno, furious, looked down and attempted to step on his face. He rolled backward with agility, getting up in one smooth motion while saying:

"Good morning, Yuno!"

Yuno, her foot still planted in the futon, glared at him with an expression that could have killed him. The venomous tone of her voice cut through the silence:

"My day already started with a vision of hell."

Ryan flashed an even wider grin, challenging the imminent chaos while provoking:

"And mine a vision of paradise… if you know what I mean."

Yuno froze for a moment, her expression shifting between disbelief and fury as she realized the implication. He had taken the opportunity to peek under her skirt during the kick. Blood rushed to her head, and her fists clenched with enough force to crack her own bones. Without thinking twice, she kicked the futon toward him, throwing it with all her strength.

Ryan managed to block the improvised attack with his hands, shouting desperately in the middle of the impact:

"I HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT RIKA!"

The force of the kick pushed Ryan a few steps back, but he lowered the futon in relief... until he realized Yuno was already close enough to erase that relief. She was holding a combat knife, its blade pointed directly at his chest. Ryan swallowed hard, feeling the cold thread of adrenaline run down his spine, but true to his style, he kept the ironic smile on his face.

"So... now it's really good morning?"

His voice carried sarcasm, but the tension in the air was palpable. Yuno's eyes were as cold as ice, locked on him as she spoke with a calmness that was downright chilling:

"Important things?"

Ryan opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted by an unexpected voice that echoed through the room with an almost childlike enthusiasm:

"MUCH IMPORTANT, SENSEI-YUNO!"

Arona's sudden intervention broke the tense moment. Ryan raised an eyebrow, half-relieved, half-confused, while Yuno briefly glanced away to locate the source of the voice, still keeping the knife ready for an attack.

Ryan noticed the instant Yuno let her guard down, and his reflexes kicked in like a spring. Without hesitation, he lunged forward with precision, executing a swift leg sweep that threw Yuno off balance for a moment. Before she could react, he advanced, twisting her wrist with enough skill to make her drop the knife she had been holding.

As Yuno started to fall, Ryan grabbed her by the waist, that smug grin plastered on his face. With a quick and shameless move, he slid his hand along the inner part of her thigh, pulling out another hidden knife.

"Ah-ha! I bet you had another one here!" — he teased, displaying the item like a trophy.

Yuno immediately tried to punch him, but Ryan easily held her arm, spinning her with grace as he immobilized her, locking her waist in place.

"Two to zero, Pinkie!" — he joked, his voice dripping with sarcasm and satisfaction.

Yuno's face burned with rage, her eyes shooting sparks of pure hatred. But before she could explode into a deadly counterattack, Arona's shrill voice echoed like thunder through the room:

"STOP THIS ALREADY! I HAVE IMPORTANT THINGS TO SAY, DAMMIT!"

Both froze for a moment, Ryan still holding Yuno in a playful grip, while she, teeth clenched, looked ready to bite. Ryan raised an eyebrow, glancing quickly at Yuno.

"So... dramatic pause? Shall we listen to the little bossy one?"

Yuno growled in response, but for now, she seemed willing to hear what Arona had to say.

_____________________

If you wish to see the advanced chapters, you can check the link below:

patreon.com/ErisNoSeraph