Once a mobster, now Masachika Kuze

Rika remained silent, but her face carried an expression of surprise when she finally broke the silence:

"Takano Miyo? The nurse?"

Ryan let out a sarcastic laugh, his eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and disdain.

"Unbelievable, the one I least suspected. As they say, the devil hides in the details."

Yuno crossed her arms, irritation clear in her tone.

"Alright, it's likely she's the target... but what if she's not? What's our genius plan then?"

Ryan raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth curving into a mocking smile.

"Well, if she's not the mastermind behind this whole thing, I'll use her as a shortcut to reach the real bosses. Simple."

Rika tilted her head, curiosity evident in her voice.

"And how are you going to do that, Ryan?"

He snapped his fingers, pointing directly at Rika with an almost theatrical gesture.

"That's where the fun part comes in."

Yuno narrowed her eyes, her expression hardening as she responded with irritation.

"Why do I have a feeling that your 'fun' involves putting me in the middle of this mess?"

"Because you know me so well, pinkie. You and my Mini Miku, you'll take good care of her, right?" Ryan replied casually as he loaded his rifle and walked toward a panel filled with surveillance monitors.

His eyes scanned the screens, and he shook his head upon noticing something.

"Shit... Now that I think about it, the Sonozaki family has a top-notch bunker down here."

Yuno rolled her eyes, sarcasm dripping from her voice as she pointed to the side.

"This looks more like a torture chamber, to be honest. Look at these cells and that pile of torture equipment. Oh, not to mention the pit in one of them... Guess what? I bet it's for disposing of bodies."

Ryan turned to Rika, his face wearing an exaggerated expression of surprise.

"Shit, is that right, Mini Miku!? You guys take recycling to a whole new level here."

Rika averted her gaze, clearly uncomfortable, and tried to shift the focus of the conversation, her voice carrying a hint of nervousness.

"Mii~ I think we should discuss what we're going to do about Takano Miyo."

She glanced at the people Yuno had kidnapped, her eyes narrowing with concern.

"By now, the police must be looking for the missing people. And for me too, considering I'm the priestess of the temple..." Rika spoke with a worried tone.

Ryan rubbed his chin, thoughtful, before snapping his fingers again.

"Perfect. That's exactly what I'll use as an advantage."

Rika tilted her head slightly, intrigued, as he continued.

"I'll lure Takano here and interrogate her. Find out everything she knows about this damn Hinamizawa syndrome. Because, from what the little doctor said, there's no cure for the final stage..."

Rika lowered her head, a gesture of understanding as Ryan spoke with a confidence that nearly overflowed.

Leaning against the wall, he casually gestured toward Yuno.

"You'll use Mini Miku here as bait to draw Takano out of her den. Meanwhile, I'll take out her army little by little. Eventually, she'll have to show up. Or..."

Yuno narrowed her eyes, clearly suspicious.

"Or what, Ryan?"

He let out a low laugh, waving his hand in a nonchalant gesture.

"Or we'll just repeat it."

Yuno sighed, pointing at him with her finger raised.

"You better get it right the first time, genius. I'm not in the mood to keep reliving this crap."

Ryan shrugged, as if the situation were under control.

"I just need to get to this so-called queen, ask a few questions, and then rewind the clock to when we were at Rika's house. From there, I can deal directly with Takano or any other asshole behind this mess."

Rika took a few steps forward, stopping near Ryan, her expression serious. Her voice came out firm, but there was something dark in her tone.

"Ryan... When you will be face to face with Takano..."

He grinned, a morbid gleam in his eyes.

"Let me guess... You want to personally shoot her in the face?"

Rika shook her head in denial, but her eyes didn't falter as she responded.

"I want to hear what she has to say. I want to know why I had to endure a hundred long years of suffering."

Ryan shifted his gaze to Yuno, who was watching everything with her usual apathetic expression. Then, he turned his attention back to Rika, examining her. She seemed more determined than ever, as if each word carried the weight of all her loops.

"You're too calm, you know?" Ryan commented, sarcasm dripping from his voice like poison.

Rika raised an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly.

"Calm?"

Ryan laughed lightly, gesturing with his hand as he spoke.

"Honestly, after everything you've been through... and you still don't just want to blow that bitch's head off? It's impressive, almost inspiring."

Rika closed her eyes and lowered her head for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts. When she spoke again, her voice was cold and controlled.

"Don't get me wrong. If she's really the one behind all of this, it's obvious I'll feel hatred. A lot of hatred. But after over a hundred loops... hatred becomes something distant. It's still there, but it doesn't consume me like it did before."

Ryan watched her for a moment, as if trying to decipher her. Then, he let out a low laugh and shrugged again.

"I don't know... I still think you're too calm..."

Before Rika could respond, Yuno stepped forward, clearly impatient. Her tone was direct and rushed.

"Alright, let's get this shit started." She pointed to one of the monitors, which showed a police officer at the entrance of the Sonozaki mansion, seemingly calling for someone.

Ryan sighed, placing his hands on his hips as he looked at the screen.

"Yeah... looks like we don't have much time for long explanations. Great, I love improvisation."

Turning to face Yuno and Rika, his expression became serious for a brief moment.

"Listen, Yuno. You're going to attract as many forces from this fucked-up organization as you can. If you find Takano, teleport her straight into one of these cells. Then bring me too, because I'm going to need to do a little 'interview.'"

Yuno nodded, but the disdain in her voice was clear as she pointed to the rifle Ryan was holding.

"Let me see if I got this right... You plan to take down an entire army until the queen comes out of her den? With that?"

Ryan tilted his head, looking at the weapon with a mocking smile.

"It only has nine bullets."

Yuno raised an eyebrow, her tone still full of sarcasm.

"And how exactly is that not a problem?"

Ryan laughed, casually tossing the gun from side to side.

"Because I never miss."

Yuno sighed as she pulled something out from her bra while speaking with a reproving voice.

"You're doing it wrong, Ryan..." She handed him the weapon she was carrying as she said, "Please, take this seriously!" Her voice had an acidic tone as she looked into his eyes.

"This time, no trying to be the good guy, stop lying to yourself!" Yuno spoke with a dry tone as she waited for Ryan to take the weapon from her hand.

Ryan sighed deeply as he responded with his usual sarcasm.

"You're obsessed with this, aren't you, Yuno? What's wrong? Is it so hard to believe that I genuinely want to put myself on the line to help Rika?"

He tilted his head, leaning close to Yuno and staring her in the eyes.

Yuno laughed darkly as she waved the weapon. "Ryan, you almost seem like you're good..."

She stopped laughing, gradually adopting a somber expression as she spoke. "So please, don't forget this."

She placed the weapon on his chest as if forcing him to accept it while speaking with an angry tone. "Just don't drag it out and fix this shit already."

Rika slowly approached, positioning herself beside both of them. Her voice was calm, but there was an implied curiosity.

"You two have a long history together, don't you?"

Ryan, without shifting his gaze from Yuno, casually took the weapon she was holding. He seemed uninterested as he replied.

"Yeah... but there's nothing interesting about it."

With the gun in hand, he examined the model and raised an eyebrow.

"A Glock G19? Come on, pinkie, how the hell did you get one of these?"

Yuno gave a rare half-smile, flipping her long pink hair to the side with a calculated movement.

"I took it from my mom."

Ryan stood still for a moment, clearly processing the information. When he finally spoke, sarcasm was evident in his voice.

"Seriously? Still pretty weird... Why would your mom have a Glock?"

Before the conversation could go any further, Rika interrupted them, her voice carrying an urgent tone.

"Look, the police are coming in..."

Both immediately turned toward the monitors. The scene was clear: the police were at the front door, ready to break it down. There was no doubt they were there because of the disappearance of the entire Sonozaki family.

Ryan exchanged a glance with Yuno, a silent understanding passing between them. He broke the silence with a low voice, but full of determination.

"We hate each other, but we get it. So I think you already know what to do."

Yuno closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a heavy sigh before responding with disdain.

"Unfortunately, I'm starting to understand how your twisted mind works."

They both turned to Rika at the same time, speaking in unison.

"Let's fix this damn loop."

The synchronized moment caught Yuno off guard, and she immediately shot an irritated glance at Ryan.

"Never do that again."

Ryan laughed, a mischievous smile forming as he teased her.

"Oh, but it was so cute to speak at the same time. It almost sounded rehearsed."

Yuno glared at him for a few seconds, her eyes half-closed with a mix of irritation and exhaustion. Then she began walking toward Rika, lightly touching her shoulder while casting a final glance over her own.

"I swear I'll kill you..."

Before Ryan could respond, Yuno disappeared into the air, leaving him alone in the room. He let out a sigh and shook his head, speaking to himself in a tone of resigned irony.

"We are going to end up fucking in this way..."

_____________________

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

patreon.com/ErisNoSeraph