Once a mobster, now Masachika Kuze

After Rika's dance, the group gathered around a large bonfire. The atmosphere was cozy, with the warmth of the flames dancing against the cool night breeze. Sparks lazily rose into the starry sky, while the distant sounds of the festival created a harmonious backdrop. Gentle laughter echoed among them, filling the air with a sense of camaraderie.

"Rika-chan, you were amazing during the performance! You were so graceful, like a goddess!" Mion exclaimed, excitedly.

Rika blushed slightly, looking away with a shy smile.

Ryan approached at that moment, his hands and pockets overflowing with sweets. He held one out as an offering.

"Anyone up for some candy? I might've gone a little overboard..."

Before he could finish, Rika had already helped herself, grabbing a handful directly from his pocket. Within seconds, the two were stuffing themselves with treats, one after the other, without exchanging a single word.

Yuno, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised, watched the scene with a mix of irony and mild disdain.

"Ryan, seriously... Rika's cuteness is forgivable. But you, eating candy like a desperate child? Honestly, it's dreadful."

She tried to maintain a stern expression, but the faint smile at the corner of her lips betrayed that she wasn't truly angry.

Ryan shrugged, his mouth still full of a dango. Before he could respond, Rika chimed in, holding a cotton candy bigger than her hands.

"Nipaa~! >⩊< ♡ It's strategic training, Yuno-san. We need energy to beat you in the next club game! Mii~!"

Her declaration brought laughter from everyone—except Yuno, who simply sighed, shaking her head in resignation.

But suddenly, her expression changed. She murmured something, almost inaudible, but loud enough for Ryan, standing close to her, to catch:

"Arona... I hope you're not lying to me."

Though the words were ambiguous, the sharp look she gave Ryan spoke far more than her cryptic statement. He stared at her for a moment but quickly looked away, resuming his chewing as if nothing had happened.

Time passed, and the festival stalls began to close. Some people said their goodbyes as the festivities slowed down.

Ryan, completely engrossed in the Japanese sweets, didn't notice the figure approaching him from behind. He was calmly sipping his drink when his instincts flared like an alarm. Without thinking, he raised his arm to defend himself.

The impact was strong, stronger than he anticipated. The blow sent him rolling to the ground before he regained his balance. When his eyes focused on the attacker, he saw Keiichi holding a baseball bat, his gaze dark and filled with something sinister.

Ryan tilted his head, both confused and irritated.

"What the hell is this? Hey, Keiichi, have you lost your mind?"

Keiichi didn't respond. He simply smiled—a hollow, unsettling smile—as he slowly spun the bat in his hands.

The rest of the group froze in fear. Satoko was the first to break the silence, her voice trembling:

"Keiichi, what are you doing? This isn't funny at all!"

Keiichi remained silent, scratching his neck in an unsettling manner. When Satoko raised her voice again, now firmer and angrier, he finally replied:

"Shut up, you annoying brat!"

His voice was hoarse, dripping with hatred. The sudden aggression made Satoko step back, while Mion and Rena instinctively moved in front of the group, trying to shield them.

Keiichi began to speak, his voice oscillating between rage and despair, as if each word was being forcibly torn from him:

"You... You all hide things... Always hiding! Saying one thing, then another, always changing, always lying! ALWAYS THE SAME! ALWAYS THE SAME!"

His eyes were distant, as if he was hallucinating, trapped in a place no one else could reach. He raised the bat, stepping closer to the girls with clear intent to attack.

Ryan looked at Rika, seeking answers, but she was paralyzed, her eyes wide with shock, unsure of what to do.

"You're not good friends. Friends don't hide things!" Keiichi shouted, raising the bat.

Just as he was about to swing, Ryan moved. In a blink, he was beside Keiichi, gripping the bat firmly. With a swift motion, he landed a solid punch to the boy's ribs, sending him to the ground, gasping for air.

"Time to cool off, buddy..." Ryan muttered, his tone laced with sarcasm, though his eyes were cold.

He glanced at Yuno, nodding toward Keiichi on the ground.

"Seriously, is this guy losing it because of a pussy? He only met you yesterday!"

Yuno, however, didn't smile. Her expression was serious. She raised a finger and pointed to the ground beside Ryan.

Confused, Ryan tilted his head. Before he could react, he felt a sharp impact on his legs. He was swept off his feet but managed to brace himself, landing with his hands on the ground.

When he looked up, he saw Keiichi already standing again, the hollow smile still on his face.

"What the hell... How did this guy get up after a punch like that?" Ryan thought, his predatory gaze fixed on the boy as the rest of the group screamed, begging Keiichi to stop.

Ryan quickly stood, gripping the baseball bat he had taken from Keiichi. He gave the boy a firm shove, keeping him at a distance. His tone was icy, completely devoid of his usual sarcasm:

"Looks like talking to you is useless... So I'll administer a proper dose of sedative."

Keiichi, still compulsively scratching his neck, mumbled incomprehensible words. His eyes, glazed and devoid of reason, were like those of a cornered wild animal. Without warning, he charged at Ryan, letting out a primal scream.

Ryan prepared himself, planting his feet firmly and raising the bat. The plan was clear: knock the boy out before he could hurt anyone else.

But before he could act, a loud, dry sound tore through the air, breaking the tense silence like unexpected thunder.

BANG!

Everyone froze. Ryan felt his nerves ignite like a short circuit, his reflexes screaming at him to react, but his body refused to move. He could only watch.

His eyes followed the trajectory of the projectile with brutal clarity. The bullet pierced Keiichi's shoulder, ripping through flesh and bone before exiting on the other side. The boy barely had time to react before his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Fortunately, the shot lost momentum after passing through Keiichi, sparing Ryan, who was right behind him. When his senses finally returned, it felt as though time had resumed its normal flow.

Keiichi lay motionless on the ground, while the rest of the group seemed paralyzed by shock. The muffled sound of their racing hearts filled the silence, except for Ryan.

He was on high alert, his eyes locked in the direction from which the shot had come. He wasn't the only one who noticed. Yuno, in the background, was also staring, her expression unusually serious.

From the temple stairs emerged a figure, accompanied by the murmurs of a startled crowd still processing the sound of the gunshot. A coarse laugh echoed, breaking the tense silence.

It was Detective Ooishi.

His grim smile clashed with the chaotic scene around him as he walked slowly toward the group, as if he had all the time in the world.

Ryan didn't miss the opportunity to provoke, his voice dripping with biting sarcasm.

"So, this is how the local professionals handle drunk teenagers? Very impressive."

Ooishi immediately stopped laughing, his expression twisting into something much darker. His voice, heavy and almost a growl, was filled with resentment:

"You damn girl... Did you really think you could buy my silence?"

Those words sent a chill down Ryan's spine. He understood immediately what Ooishi was implying. His eyes shifted to Rena, and the scene he saw only heightened his alertness.

She was petrified, her arms hanging limply at her sides. Her expression was one of sheer terror, her eyes wide as if she'd just been exposed to a deadly secret.

"What the hell... This is moving way too fast..." Ryan muttered through clenched teeth, his frustration evident.

The tension in the air was palpable. Ooishi didn't seem inclined to stop, and Ryan knew that whatever was happening was escalating at an alarming rate.

Ooishi pointed the gun directly at Rena, his smile twisted with hatred and madness. Ryan slowly raised his hands, drawing the detective's attention.

"Ooishi! What the hell are you doing, you lunatic?" Ryan's expression was serious, beads of sweat trailing down his face as his mind raced, searching for a way to defuse the situation.

The detective only laughed—a coarse, unsettling sound—before responding sarcastically, now aiming the gun at Ryan.

"Oh? Shouldn't I be asking you that, kid? Aren't you afraid of taking a bullet for some random criminal?"

Ryan sighed and, despite the tension, allowed a sarcastic smile to curl his lips. "Taking a bullet was never part of my plan, you know... But I don't think you're going to shoot." He lowered his hands, fixing his gaze on Ooishi.

The detective narrowed his eyes, tilting his head. His voice rose in pitch, a mix of indignation and insanity.

"Oh? You really don't get it, do you, kid? I'm the authority here! I'm about to solve the case of my life!"

He began pacing back and forth, the gun still aimed at Ryan, while he scratched his neck frantically with his free hand. Every movement he made seemed more erratic, more unhinged.

"What makes you think I can't blow your head off right here and now, huh, city boy?" The gun was now inches from Ryan's face, Ooishi's finger firm on the trigger.

Ryan shrugged, his sarcastic tone returning as he donned a smug smile. "Well, for starters, you're old as hell and probably close to retirement. I doubt you'd throw your life away like that... And also because..." He tilted his head slightly, his smile turning taunting. "Pinkie won't let you."

Before Ooishi could react, Yuno appeared like a shadow at his side, her hand swift and precise as she grabbed the gun.

Even so, Ooishi, trained and experienced, managed to pull the trigger. The gunshot echoed again, and Ryan felt a chill run through him as the bullet grazed past him.

"Damn it, Yuno! Could you disarm the guy without almost killing me?" Ryan complained, placing a hand on his cheek, clearly irritated.

Yuno held Ooishi firmly, twisting his arm behind him as she spoke with disdain. "I should've let him blow your brains out. It would've been, at the very least, a pleasant sight."

Ryan clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes. "Lucky for you, I don't take anything you say seriously, you walking temper tantrum."

Yuno kept her stern expression, but then something inexplicable happened.

Ooishi, in an abrupt movement with abnormal strength, managed to twist his body and lift Yuno as if she weighed nothing. In one motion, he threw her toward Ryan.

"What the hell, Pinkie? Losing your strength?" Ryan shouted as he leapt to catch her, preventing her from hitting the ground.

Yuno, however, didn't let it slide. She drove an elbow into his stomach, forcing him to let go as she snapped irritably, "Let go of me, you pervert! And I don't know what's happening—something… feels wrong."

Ooishi cracked his shoulders, a grotesque smile spreading across his face. He began walking toward them, his voice laced with disdain.

"You, girl, have a pretty face… But you're just another criminal. All of you... Everyone in this cursed village is part of this damned cult!"

Ryan raised an eyebrow, muttering dryly. "Great, the old man's officially lost whatever sanity he had left."

Ooishi tried to grab Yuno as if he intended to restrain her. But before his hands could touch her, Yuno vanished. She disappeared right in front of everyone's eyes, leaving Ooishi in a state of utter confusion.

"I knew it!" he screamed, his voice torn with hysteria. "You're all witches! You all need to burn!"

Ryan ran a hand down his face, exasperated. "Damn it, Yuno, could you at least teleport me along? That'd actually be useful for once."

Ooishi turned toward Ryan, his eyes consumed by overwhelming madness. He scratched his neck so violently it seemed as though he might tear the skin, his voice devolving into near incoherence.

"Hinamizawa… Oyashiro-sama's curse… It's all the fault of the great families! I'll uncover the truth tonight! TONIGHT, IT ALL FITS TOGETHER!"

Ryan took a few steps back, his eyes analyzing the deranged detective. He knew he'd have to take him down before he caused more harm, but something about Ooishi's abnormal strength unsettled him.

"Keiichi... Ooishi…" Ryan thought, his gaze sharp. "This doesn't make sense. That strength... That resilience... It's not normal."

Suddenly, something unexpected happened.

Before Ryan could react, Ooishi's head was brutally torn from his body.

The sound of flesh ripping echoed, and the head rolled grotesquely across the ground. Ooishi collapsed like an empty sack, blood spilling in thin streams.

Ryan froze, his eyes wide, until he finally saw who stood behind the mutilated body.

Rena.

She was there, holding a bloodied cleaver, her gaze hollow and animalistic. Her eyes gleamed like a cat's but were utterly devoid of humanity.

"What the hell..." Ryan whispered, his voice barely audible as his heart raced wildly.

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