Once a mobster, now Masachika Kuze

The night went on in a funny way, marked by awkward silences at times and a tense atmosphere. Yuno, visibly exhausted, seemed to have no patience left to provide more details about the events that led to Furude Rika's transformation into Gasai Rika. For Ryan, that was enough; he didn't need more information to complete the puzzle.

Meanwhile, Yuki, still in shock from what had happened between her and Ryan, limited herself to serving coffee to both of them before fleeing to her room. Her body was relaxed, but her mind? A true battlefield. Guilt seemed to embrace her in every way, and each thought made her shrink even more.

Ryan, true to his carefree nature, let Yuno leave without pressing for more explanations. Before disappearing in his usual teleportation, she cast a tired look at him and asked,

"Ah, can you talk to Arona?"

Ryan tilted his head, his usual sarcastic tone in play.

"Are you worried about her now?"

Yuno crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Yes, after all, she's mine too, you idiot."

He laughed, covering his mouth as though facing a dramatic revelation.

"How cute. Do you already consider her our daughter?"

"Can you or not, idiot?" she retorted, impatient.

The smile disappeared from Ryan's face, replaced by a more serious expression.

"No... All I get is a blue screen telling me insufficient energy."

Yuno looked into the distance, her voice suddenly melancholic.

"Ah... Good night then, Ryan."

And before he could say anything, she vanished. He stood there, thoughtful, with his hand on his chin.

"Good night? Did she just say good night to me?"

Still intrigued by her shift in demeanor, Ryan decided to head to his room. Before that, he made a brief stop at Yuki's door and knocked to check if she was okay.

On the other side, the response came in a high-pitched, hurried voice:

"I'm fine! I'm fine! I... well. I'm."

It was obvious she was completely frozen by embarrassment. Ryan, seizing the opportunity, responded in a deep and exaggeratedly seductive voice,

"Have a good night, my love."

The sound of something hitting the wall was the only response he got before bursting into laughter as he made his way to his own room.

He woke up with the first rays of sunlight streaming into the room through the window with no curtains. He stretched and spoke in a sluggish tone,

"Ah, it's good to be back."

After getting up, he opened the door and found Yuki sitting on the couch, holding a cup with a... strange smile.

"Good morning, kitty!" he greeted, full of confidence.

Yuki turned slowly, responding hesitantly,

"Good morning, Onii... san..."

Ryan raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Are you okay?"

She took a sip of tea, her hand trembling slightly.

"Now that the fire has passed... my conscience is heavy."

Ryan chuckled as he approached.

"I understand, but like I said, you don't need to care about what others think."

Yuki suddenly stood up from the couch as if she wanted to end the conversation.

"Yeah, but I need to process this first!"

Before leaving, she placed the cup in his hand.

"Here, wash this."

However, as she began to walk, she paused for a moment. She turned back and, unexpectedly, gave Ryan a kiss near his lips. Then she declared with a nervous smile,

"Remember: they're intrusive thoughts!"

Without waiting for his reaction, she ran to the door, shouting as she left,

"I'll see you at school, Onii!"

Ryan stood still, holding the cup, trying to process what had just happened. After a few seconds, he muttered to himself,

"Shit... I think I broke her."

Ryan eagerly got ready for school. Finally, he could return to his simple routine, or at least that was what he hoped. He left home early, strolling calmly through the streets while humming old songs he liked. The tranquility was abruptly interrupted when something – or rather, someone – collided with him, knocking them both to the ground.

He grumbled irritably,

"Shit, can't I have a minute of peace without something crazy happening—"

He stopped mid-sentence when he looked down and saw it was a girl who had run into him. Beautiful, I might add. Her black hair fell straight over her shoulders, and her golden eyes were wide and trembling, as if she'd just seen a ghost.

"Come here, girl. Are you running from some creep?" Ryan asked casually, indifferent.

The girl instinctively turned to look behind her, only to throw herself onto him.

Meanwhile, Ryan, completely lost in the situation, thought,

"Great. A girl hitting on me this early? I've already got too many waifus in this life, I don't need this kind of protagonist luck right now."

But the girl soon seemed to realize what she had done and quickly stood up, brushing off her school uniform. Her loose beige sweater, navy blue pleated skirt, and knee-high socks gave her a simple look, but the deep dark circles under her eyes and her tired expression revealed sleepless days.

Ryan, still somewhat confused, noticed that the girl cast a quick, uneasy glance at a corner of the street. Curious, he leaned over to see what was bothering her. Near a lamppost, a dark stain hovered like a dense shadow.

"What the hell is that?" he muttered without thinking.

The girl's eyes widened.

"You... You can see that!?"

Ryan ran his hand through his hair, even more lost.

"See is an exaggeration, shorty. Are you talking about that black shadow there?" He pointed casually at the dark aura.

She jumped back, hiding behind him.

"Don't point directly at it!"

Despite the warning, nothing happened. In fact, the shadow seemed to shudder and quickly retreated as soon as Ryan noticed it. The girl, peeking over his shoulder, was wide-eyed.

"You're kind of disturbed, huh?" Ryan commented with his usual mocking tone.

However, she seemed to be in another world, trying to process what she had just seen.

"You... You saw it... and it ran away? Are you a...?"

He interrupted her with a shrug.

"A normal, simple, and exemplary student."

Without hesitation, the girl pulled out her phone and asked,

"Can you give me your number?"

Ryan blinked, confused.

"Wait, just like that? I don't even know your name, girl."

She quickly replied, as if this solved everything,

"I'm Miko Yotsuya!"

Ryan cast a suspicious glance at where the shadow had been before turning his eyes back to her.

"You're thanking me because I made that thing run off?"

Miko nodded vigorously.

"Uh-huh!"

Sighing, he crossed his arms.

"Alright, but tell me you're not going to start stalking me because of this..."

"No! Of course not! I just want to talk to you later."

Examining her pitiful state, Ryan finally relented and typed his number into her phone. As soon as he finished, a female voice shouted from afar,

"Mikooo~!"

Miko gave a slight jump before another girl appeared and embraced her.

"I'm so glad I found you! Let's go to school together!"

Still a bit stiff, Miko responded:

"Ah! Yes, let's go, Hana."

Before leaving, she quickly turned to Ryan and said:

"I'll send you a message!"

Ryan watched the two walk away, with Hana making jokes. He muttered to himself,

"Why do the crazy ones always surround me?"

Resigned, Ryan continued on his way to school. Upon arrival, he was greeted with a true treat for the eyes: Alya. She sighed when she saw him approaching, clearly already aware of his presence.

"Hello, Alya! I got back last night!" Ryan announced, raising his hand with an animated smile.

Alya tilted her head slightly, puffing one cheek adorably.

"You came back? And why didn't you message me, huh?"

He scratched his neck, smiling awkwardly.

"It was late when I arrived. Didn't want to bother you. Actually, I wanted to surprise you!"

She narrowed her eyes, a light blush coloring her cheeks.

"Ah, I see..."

Ryan tilted his head, intrigued by her reaction, but quickly noticed her growing discomfort. Alya, increasingly red, hesitated before opening her arms.

He raised an eyebrow, not understanding.

Frustrated, she finally exploded:

"Aren't you forgetting something, idiot?"

It was as if a light bulb went off in Ryan's head.

"Ah, right!" He gave a warm smile before pulling her into a tight hug. Alya let out a surprised sigh but didn't resist.

"I'm back, my Beautiful Russian," he said in a playful tone.

Completely flushed, she whispered shyly:

"Still with that 'my Beautiful Russian'?"

Ryan laughed, squeezing her a little more.

"Don't like it?"

"W-well..." She stammered but soon took a deep breath and confessed,

"Of course I like it, idiot. Keep treating me like that." But as always, she spoke in Russian.

He released her with a satisfied smile, gently adjusting her hair.

"You know speaking in Russian doesn't help, right?"

She puffed her cheeks again, looking away.

"I said: I'm glad you're back. And that you have a ton of tasks to catch up on!"

Ryan just laughed.

"It's good to be back."

After recharging his batteries with Alya's warm hug, the two decided to head back to class. The atmosphere felt almost sunny to Ryan, but life would soon blend light and shadows.

Ryan couldn't help but reflect on his unique position. He was at the center of an unlikely school triangle: Alya, the most admired girl in the school, sat beside him, while Yuno, the newly arrived enigmatic beauty, occupied the seat in front of him. "Is this the start of a typical male fantasy, or the introduction to yet another chaotic hell?" he thought with a touch of dark humor.

However, the previous episode with Yotsuya lingered in his mind. The girl was running from something, but Ryan couldn't pinpoint exactly what. "That looked more like a distorted shadow than any entity I've ever seen. But... what the hell was that?"

He couldn't help but compare the situation to events in Hinamizawa, where he could only see Hanyuu as blurry figures until her true power manifested. But unlike the "puppy" goddess, this entity radiated pure hostility. "Does this world really have ghosts, demons, or some other crap?" The idea that his new peaceful life could be an illusion started to take root.

His musings were abruptly interrupted by the teacher's announcement.

"Everyone, silence. Today we have a new transfer student," declared Hiratsuka-sensei in her firm voice. She was a woman with a striking presence: long black hair flowing freely, an authoritative expression balanced with mature beauty. Dressed impeccably, she radiated sophistication, making even the rowdiest students think twice before interrupting her.

Before Ryan could even process what was happening, Alya whispered to him,

"Another transfer student? Looks like things are busy around here."

"Agh... another absurd coincidence. This is... a fucking déjà vu!" he muttered loud enough for Yuno to catch his irritation.

She slowly turned, giving him a provocative look. After a few seconds of silence, she stuck out her tongue in a childish gesture and turned back.

"This bratty little thing... Needs a good punishment! 💢" Ryan murmured theatrically, trying to mask his amusement. It was strange, but he began to notice subtle changes in Yuno. The old deadly yandere was giving way to a softer... almost cute version? Her insults were less venomous, and her posture more relaxed. "Is it possible that a peaceful environment and a decent family are shaping this creature?"

While Ryan pondered, a male student from the back interrupted enthusiastically,

"Hiratsuka-sensei, is it a girl?"

The comment sparked laughter among the boys and a chorus of annoyed sighs from the girls.

"Is that all you idiots think about?" retorted one of the female students, indignant. The overwhelming majority of girls in the class left few options for school romance. With Masachika seemingly "captured" by Alya and Yuno, their chances were practically zero.

The guys exchanged knowing glances and responded in unison,

"YES!"

Hiratsuka sighed but maintained her composure. "Idiots or not, keep this up and I'll pile on extra assignments." The warning brought immediate silence to the room. Then, with a slight nod, she gestured for the new student to enter.

"Please welcome the new student: Gasai Rika."

At the sound of the name, Ryan felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were rewatching a movie whose ending he knew too well...

Rika entered the room with a nearly theatrical posture, as if making her grand debut on stage. Her steps were light but carried a natural confidence, and the way her indigo hair, perfectly aligned in a hime cut, swayed lightly with her movements added an irresistible charm. The new school uniform only accentuated her refined beauty, and her more mature appearance made an immediate impact. Men and women in the room were caught off guard, some sighing, others just staring in silent fascination.

Ryan, however, reacted much less dazzled, tilting his head while thinking,

"Ah, of course... How the hell did I forget she 'aged' overnight? This is never going to stop being bizarre."

As he reflected, Rika took center stage, literally stopping in the middle of the room and bowing flawlessly. Her voice was calm but captivating, immediately capturing everyone's attention.

"Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for welcoming me," she began in a serene tone. "I'm Gasai Rika, as you must have realized, Yuno's younger sister. It's a pleasure to meet all of you!"

After rising from the bow, she flashed an angelic smile that seemed capable of melting hearts before finishing with a burst of sweetness:

"I'm so happy to be in the same class as all of you! Nipaaaa~! >⩊< ♡!"

The whole room seemed to freeze for a moment, before Rika's overwhelming cuteness swept over the students like an avalanche. The guys placed their hands on their chests almost simultaneously, some staggering in their spots.

"CRITICAL HIT!" they whispered in unison, the perfect harmony of their murmurs only reinforcing the impact.

Ryan, watching the scene, rubbed his temples and muttered to himself,

"Seriously? In five minutes, they're going to start building an altar for her."

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