Once a mobster, now Masachika Kuze

"So… I think my grandfather will have even more cards up his sleeve against me this time. I asked for more than I should have, knowing the bill would be high. Speaking of that old man... I need to ease Yuki's burden. He's putting too much pressure on the girl, as always."

Ryan murmured to himself, lost in thought, when the cutting voice of an elderly woman snapped him back to reality.

"You brat! Who do you think you are? How dare you meddle with the Sonozaki family? You have no idea what kind of trouble you're getting yourself into!"

He turned slowly, his gaze cold and distant, scratching his chin. "Ah, right… Yuno's so pissed off that she's already dragged everyone into this mess," he commented in a monotone voice, scanning the tied-up hostages in the old Sonozaki mansion bunker. "Keiichi, Mion, Satoko… even the extras from school got caught up in this. Very efficient, Yuno."

She, busy tightening knots in the ropes, replied without looking at him, "It was the only way to stop myself from blowing your brains out."

Ryan chuckled mockingly, narrowing his eyes. "I appreciate the restraint."

Rika descended the stairs with a curious look. "Was this really necessary, Ryan?"

Before he could answer, the elderly woman—Sonozaki Oryoo, the family matriarch—let out a grim laugh, full of arrogance.

"The last survivor of the Furude bloodline... I never imagined you'd pull a stunt like this to seize power, girl. Especially at such a young age."

Rika shook her head in denial. "That's not it, Mrs. Oryoo…"

"Oh? Then how do you explain this monumental stupidity?" Oryoo snapped, clicking her tongue.

Ryan let out a deep sigh, kneeling before the old woman with an expression devoid of emotion. "Let's make this easier, Grandma, for both you and me..."

The old woman's eyes narrowed, making it clear that getting anything out of her wouldn't be easy.

Without hesitation, Ryan ran his hand along Yuno's thigh, pulling out a hidden knife. The gesture made Yuno clench her fists, clearly at the end of her patience, but he ignored the tension, spinning the blade in his fingers as he spoke.

"Furude Rika... the last of her family, huh? That must mean something to the village, right?"

"You think you can make me talk just because you have a little knife?" Oryoo scoffed disdainfully.

Ryan gave a sarcastic smile. "I know, you come from a time when knives were… more popular."

The room, an old basement filled with torture tools, created a suffocating, sinister atmosphere. Ryan pointed the knife at Mion, throwing it with millimeter precision. The blade lodged itself in the wall, just inches from her face. Mion was unconscious, which spared her from trauma, while Oryoo gritted her teeth.

"You bastard… Is this your strategy?" the old woman asked, her voice brimming with anger.

"So, Grandma? Does it work, or should I aim better next time?" Ryan replied, a provocative smile on his face.

After a few tense seconds, Oryoo relented, her tone full of rage. "What do you want?"

Ryan clapped his hands, his voice dripping with false kindness. "Look, you know there are some very bad people after little Rika, don't you? Big guns and all that..."

Oryoo narrowed her eyes, mockery in every word. "And that's why you tied everyone up? What kind of logic is that?"

"Straightforward, Grandma," Ryan cut in dryly.

The old woman huffed and began to speak. "There are some researchers in the village… studying a disease. They came with armed guards. We accepted them because we need the Irie clinic, the only medical center in the region. That's all I know. I think the rest is either known to you or… you'll have better luck going to the clinic."

Ryan stared at her for a few more seconds, then stood up. "Yuno, take me to the clinic—"

Before he could finish the sentence, Yuno teleported him to the room where he had collapsed after arriving in Hinamizawa. He let out a short laugh. "You're really efficient today, Pinky."

"I just want this over with," she replied harshly, heading for the door.

"Wait, Yuno." Ryan called out, his voice lower.

She stopped, looking over her shoulder with disdain. He continued, "Stay with Rika. Leave the rest to me. Keep an eye on your phone; I'll call if I need you."

Yuno glared at him with contempt but pulled a phone from her pocket.

"Look at that, you've got an updated model!" Ryan teased.

Ignoring the comment, Yuno dialed his number. When Ryan's phone started ringing, he frowned. "Okay, what's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm going to monitor what you do," Yuno answered, her voice full of scorn.

Ryan smiled as he slid his finger across the phone to answer the call. "Okay! Mama Yuno." His voice carried a teasing tone.

She simply narrowed her eyes and disappeared, leaving Ryan alone in the room.

He pocketed the phone with the call active and left, murmuring to himself, "Ah… Holiday, huh?"

Ryan walked down the corridors in silence, his footsteps echoing softly against the sterile floor. Reaching a pair of solid wooden double doors, he paused briefly, his hand hovering over the handle. He took a deep breath and pushed the doors open, revealing a narrow hallway lit by a cold neon light. At the end of it, a burly guard stared at him in surprise, his hand instinctively reaching for the holster at his waist.

"What are you doing here, kid?" the guard growled, his firm voice cutting through the air like a blade. "Turn back immediately!"

Ryan raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, advancing with slow steps. An almost innocent smile played on his lips as he replied, his voice dripping with disguised disdain. "Oops! Sorry, I think I got lost… I was looking for someone to help with a stomachache, you know how it is… Ate something that didn't sit well, right on festival day."

He advanced, his movements calculated and full of feigned casualness, until he stopped in the middle of the hallway. The guard, now more alert, narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on his holster. "You won't find help here. Turn back now, or I'll use force!" His voice had an aggressive tone, but a hint of hesitation revealed he wasn't used to dealing with unpredictable situations.

Ryan lowered his hands slowly, a cold smile spreading across his face. "Understood. My apologies, sir..." His words were polite, but the gleam in his eyes betrayed another intent.

"Go on, leave now before I—"

The guard didn't finish the sentence. In the blink of an eye, Ryan moved like a predator, closing the four-meter gap with speed that defied reason. His feet barely touched the ground, and before the guard could draw his weapon, Ryan struck directly at his throat with his left hand. The impact was precise, crushing the man's trachea enough to stop a scream but not kill him.

Ryan's right hand grabbed the guard's wrist, preventing him from pulling the pistol from its holster. The force of the punch made the man stagger, but in a last act of desperation, he pulled the trigger while the weapon was still holstered, the shot echoing through the hallway and ricocheting off the tiled floor.

"Damn it," Ryan muttered through clenched teeth. The sound of the gunshot had ruined his attempt at stealth.

Wasting no time, he spun behind the guard, locking him in a brutal hold. A quick, precise elbow smashed the man's nose, blood spurting as he groaned in pain. Ryan used him as a human shield, his hand already pulling the pistol from the guard's holster.

The sound of hurried footsteps and shouting approached. The doors at the other end of the hallway burst open, revealing two guards armed with rifles. Their weapons quickly rose, aiming at Ryan.

"Let him go now!" one of them shouted, but Ryan was already on the move.

With almost instinctive precision, he held the guard's weapon in his arms and aimed at the two intruders. The gunshots echoed in rapid succession, each bullet finding its mark with lethal coldness. The guards' heads snapped backward before their bodies fell heavily to the ground, blood staining the walls and floor.

Ryan dropped the injured guard, who now slid to the ground, gasping and unable to react. Ryan's breathing remained steady, as if adrenaline kept him in complete control. For a brief moment, he stared at the bodies in the corridor, a vacant expression overtaking his face.

The alarm blared, a sharp sound filling the space with urgency. He sighed, holstering the guard's weapon as he muttered to himself, "Damn it..."

He looked toward the doors ahead, fully aware that the calm was over. The real chaos was just beginning.

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