Bab 9: I'm always keeping an eye on you!
"Between not having a sister and having a sister... Honestly, I think I prefer having one..."
Ryan thought as he walked through the school hallways, lost in his own musings, as usual.
"But of course, having a sister also comes with its downsides," he continued mentally, his tone tired, echoing even in his thoughts. "For example, being dragged into random tasks, like helping in the school storage because Yuki threatened me in a passive-aggressive way..."
When he finally arrived at the storage room, Yuki was already waiting for him with that little corner smile he knew all too well. It was the kind of expression she always wore whenever she was plotting something.
Ryan sighed, approaching. "What's up, troublemaker? What do you want?"
Yuki, maintaining her composure, tilted her head slightly and replied with false indignation: "Troublemaker? Geez, at least you could say something like 'Sorry, did I make you wait too long?'"
Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that's how it is, huh?" He decided to play along, gesturing exaggeratedly while imitating a melodramatic tone: "Oh, I'm so sorry, did I make you wait sooo long?"
Yuki held back a laugh and responded in kind: "Yesss, I waited soooo long!" mimicking his gestures.
But the playful exchange was interrupted by a third voice. "You two really have no shame..."
Ryan looked to the side and saw Alya, appearing behind Yuki with a box in her arms. He forced a smile, realizing she had probably overheard most of the conversation.
"Hey, how long have you been here?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
Alya, always self-assured, gave a small sigh and closed her eyes as if she didn't care. "Since the 'troublemaker', " she replied, feigning disdain. She then opened her eyes with a slightly irritated expression. "But don't worry, I don't want to interrupt you two."
Ryan looked at Yuki, who wore a satisfied expression and was clearly amused by the situation. He knew he couldn't let that slide. "Oh, little brat, you'll pay for that..." he thought, already planning a way to turn the conversation around.
"Alright, let's get to it. What do you want?"
Yuki made an obvious expression, crossing her arms. "Duh, you're going to help me organize the storage, Masachika."
Ryan glanced at the room. It was a complete mess, with boxes stacked dangerously. He was already preparing to refuse. "Look, there's way too much stuff here, so I think—"
In the middle of his sentence, he noticed one of the tallest boxes starting to fall directly toward Alya. With a quick reflex, he stepped forward and caught the box before it crashed down.
"Who's the genius that stacked this here?" he murmured, placing the box back in place. Alya, a little startled, took a deep breath before thanking him, her voice soft: "Thanks, Masachika... It seemed heavy. I'm glad you managed to catch it."
Ryan pushed the box further back on the shelf, making sure it wouldn't fall again. "Well, as I was saying... You guys can handle this without me, right?"
But before he could continue, a strange feeling ran through his body. He realized there was another presence in the storage room.
Slowly, his eyes moved to the corner of the room, where Yuno was leaning against a shelf. She was staring at him with a malicious smile and a killer gleam in her eyes, like a predator who had just found its prey.
"Ah... that makes sense... a lot of sense," Ryan thought, finishing adjusting the box.
With a tense and clearly uncomfortable smile, he turned to Yuki and Alya. "Alright, where do I start?"
Alya scoffed, crossing her arms with disdain. "If you're not in the mood to help, the new transfer student has been here since early, doing everyone's work." Her tone was firm but laced with subtle irritation, as if expecting someone to recognize her own effort.
Ryan glanced tiredly at Yuno, who didn't take her eyes off him. "Yeah, seems like this is going to be more complicated than organizing a storage room..." he thought, feeling like the day was just beginning.
Ryan started organizing some boxes, but his attention remained fixed on Yuno, who, to his surprise, seemed to be acting "normally" while interacting with Alya and Yuki. Despite this, something about her behavior deeply bothered him.
"There's something off about her..." he thought, as he adjusted the boxes.
Yuno, on her part, threw furtive glances at him. But these glances weren't neutral or harmless; each one carried a weight that made Ryan feel like he was being pierced by a knife.
It was Yuki who broke the heavy mood by calling him: "Masachika, can you help me with this?" She pointed to a higher shelf where some board games were stacked.
Ryan sighed, already feeling the laziness creeping in, but grabbed a ladder to help her. When he reached the top, he noticed there were also some card decks stored alongside the board games. He smirked and asked:
"Hey... Are you good at Truco, Yuki?"
Yuki smiled kindly before answering: "I played once with the student council."
"And did you win?" Ryan asked, curious.
Yuki, a little shy, gave a modest smile before admitting: "Yeah, I won."
The friendly exchange between the two quickly irritated Alya, who let out a visibly frustrated comment: "Could you talk less and work more?"
Yuki gave a little corner smile and replied lightly: "Sorry, Alisa. My bad." She then returned to work, picking up some lighter boxes.
Ryan, glancing at her, thought ironically: "Jealous, huh..."
But Alya, not satisfied, began murmuring something in Russian with a nearly melodic voice: "I also want attention, I also want attention..."
Ryan clenched his fist upon hearing this, keeping an impassive expression. After all, he was pretending he didn't understand Russian.
Meanwhile, Alya thought to herself, a smug smile on her face: "I'm giving this idiot attention, and he doesn't even understand... What a waste!" She let out a mischievous giggle and kept murmuring in Russian, unaware of what was about to happen.
As she tried to climb a little step ladder to organize a higher shelf, the structure suddenly gave way, and Alya lost her balance. Panic took over as she felt her body falling backward. The world seemed to slow down, and a shiver ran down her spine.
But before she could hit the ground, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close.
Ryan caught her at the last moment, holding her tightly. He even had time to wipe her teary eyes with a quick touch before commenting, with a sarcastic but surprisingly soft tone:
"Careful, Ice Queen. I'm sure you're too fragile to fall like that."
Alya's face turned red immediately as she pulled away, clearly embarrassed. "T-thank you, M-Masachika... Y-you saved me," she stammered, visibly shaken.
Ryan shrugged, offering a wry smile: "I'm always keeping an eye on you."
Alya, even redder, tried to say something, but her voice came out in disconnected murmurs.
Meanwhile, Ryan threw a side glance at Yuno, feeling the discomfort grow. "Bitch... I've got your game figured out."
As if she could hear his thoughts, Yuno began walking toward them, her expression sweet, but with a dangerous gleam in her eyes.
Ryan clenched his fists briefly, controlling the tension. "Come on... I'll wipe that smile off with a bullet..." he thought, before mentally correcting himself. "Damn, I'm unarmed."
Yuno approached them, her sweet voice filling the space. But Ryan felt the hidden barbs in each word:
"I'm glad you didn't get hurt, Alisa-san."
Alya turned to her, still a little scared. "Thanks, Gasai-san... I was pretty freaked out."
Yuno clasped her hands together, her smile intact. "You know, I was thinking... How about we have dinner together after class? I want to get to know you better. Maybe even become friends?"
Although her voice was sweet, Ryan sensed the slight venom in her tone. He raised an eyebrow, a crooked smile forming on his face.
"What's this girl up to now?" he thought, already mentally preparing for what was to come.
Yuki appeared behind them, with a smug smile framing her cute expression. "That's a great idea, Gasai-san! I'm sure Masachika-chan and Alisa-san will also think it's a good idea."
Alya nodded, still a little distracted, but Ryan quickly took control of the situation. He gave Yuki a quick glance and winked discreetly, articulating his response calmly:
"You know, maybe it's better to do it here at school. I've got something to take care of after class..."
Yuki, not exactly understanding what he meant, decided to follow the flow of his conversation. "Well, we can eat together in the cafeteria then." Her gentle voice softened the atmosphere.
Yuno tilted her head slightly, her curious gaze carrying something dark that made Ryan instinctively want to draw a sword — even though he had none. She responded politely but with the veiled threat in her tone that he was starting to know too well:
"Ah, that's fine. We can meet in the cafeteria then. I look forward to seeing you both there."
As Yuno walked away, Ryan sighed, rubbing his face. "This is going to be a hell...," he thought, already preparing for the inevitable discomfort of dealing with her in the coming days.
After finishing organizing the storage, the group headed to their classrooms. Yuki tried, in vain, to convince Ryan to accompany her to the student council, but he refused with a lazy wave. "See you at lunch," he said, somewhat distracted.
Lunch break came quicker than Ryan expected. Walking to the cafeteria with his hands in his pockets, he made his way to the food line, grabbing something to eat. As he placed his food on the tray, he felt a sudden pressure on his foot.
It wasn't just any pressure. The pain made Ryan raise his eyebrows. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was: Yuno. When he looked, he found that deadly face staring at him intently. To make matters worse, she was holding a knife — not subtle at all.
With a quick reflex, Ryan whistled softly and said: "Yuno-chan, you're looking ho—"
Before he could finish, Yuno pressed down harder on his foot, cutting him off. Still, Ryan kept the sarcastic smile on his face.
"Don't tempt fate, Ryan. I'm holding back only because of my Yuuki," she whispered, her tone laden with threat and an unsettling calm.
She stepped away, heading toward the table where Alya and Yuki were already seated, while Ryan let out a soft whistle, thinking to himself: "I better save this game..."
As he approached the table, Ryan noticed the tense dynamic of the seating arrangement. Yuno had taken one end, strategically choosing an isolated chair. Yuki, at the opposite end, had a spot with space for one more. On the other side of the table, Alya occupied a position similar to Yuki's.
Ryan paused for a moment, analyzing the scene as if it were a high-priority mission. "Damn... This is almost like choosing which head to shoot during a special ops job..." he thought, weighing his options while closing his eyes briefly.
The decision had to be made. And, as always, the tension in the air was just another typical day in his chaotic routine.
Ryan quickly reasoned: "Yuki's had enough attention last night and this morning. It's only fair to give Alya a little piece of Masachika too." Decided, he opened his eyes and went straight to Alya's side, sitting next to her. Alya kept a mild indifference, but Yuki... Her expression of disappointment was unmistakable.
Trying to lighten the mood, Yuki struck up a conversation with Yuno:
"You know, Gasai-san, I heard this is your first time in a regular school. You used to study at home, right?"
Yuno responded with a calculatedly sweet yet manipulative expression:
"That's right. At first, I studied at home due to some issues. Oh, and you can just call me Yuno." She gave a sly smile, her gaze drifting to Alya. "You too, Alisa."
As he watched, Ryan couldn't hold back his thoughts: "Great. Sitting here just confirmed for this pink-haired lunatic that Alya is a good target..." His eyes narrowed as he tried to understand Yuno's game.
The girls continued chatting, with Yuki occasionally throwing subtle compliments at Ryan while Alya masked her interest and embarrassment. He, however, kept his focus on Yuno, her arrogant air feeding his paranoia.
Suddenly, something clicked in Ryan's mind. "Wait a second..." His eyes fell on the juices on the table. Alya hadn't drunk hers yet. His instinct screamed: "I'll rip your fingers off, you pink freak..." In a swift move, he discreetly switched the cups, making sure no one besides Yuno noticed.
Of course, she noticed. A sly smile crept onto Yuno's face, making it clear she knew exactly what he'd done.
"I've already taken a sip of my juice, so it's safer for Alya. But what worries me... Yuki also drank hers, and nothing happened. Guess that's a relief," Ryan thought, observing the aftermath.
To confirm his theory, he took a sip from the cup he'd switched. The sensation was immediate: a burning sensation ran down his throat, and a sharp pain struck his chest.
"BITCH! BITCH! BITCH!" he screamed inwardly, trying to maintain his composure. Alya, noticing his agitation, asked, concerned:
"Are you okay?"
Ryan nodded, forcing a smile while thinking: "One sip of this would be lethal for Alya. Maybe I'm still standing thanks to... certain advantages in my body." He shot a cold look at Yuno, who returned it with an equally defiant air.
As if she'd already achieved her goal, Yuno grabbed her bag and stood up. "Thanks for staying with me, but I have to go now." She gave a slight bow and passed by Ryan, throwing him a condescending look as if declaring a cold war.
Ryan chuckled softly to himself. "That bitch won't kill me before talking to Arona, but she'll try to take everyone around me down. Can't even blame her... I'd do the same."
"Masachika, you've been so quiet... Are you okay?" Yuki's gentle voice broke his thoughts. Alya also seemed concerned:
"Yeah, you look kinda pale..."
Ryan waved his hand dismissively, feigning indifference: "I'm fine, relax. Just remembering that I don't have enough pulls for the next gacha banner." His irony drew a stifled laugh from Yuki, while Alya puffed out her cheeks.
"You're one of those who play late and ruin your health, huh? Typical," Alya muttered, starting to get up, but unexpectedly tripped and hurt her foot. A soft cry of pain escaped her, drawing looks from around the cafeteria.
Ryan was quick, catching her before she fell. "And the pink bitch strikes again," he thought, noticing the floor was unusually slippery. "Doesn't she think this is kinda outdated?"
Yuki watched the situation and suggested: "You should take her to the infirmary, Masachika."
He agreed, guiding Alya. "Damn, today's not my day," she murmured, frustrated.
Ryan chuckled lightly. "Yeah, definitely not."
Once they arrived at the infirmary, they discovered it wasn't anything serious. They applied some ointment to prevent swelling, and the rest of the day went on without incident. However, Ryan kept his predatory gaze fixed on Yuno until the final bell.
After school, Ryan accompanied Alya to her locker. She opened the door, but then frowned. "I'm sure it was here..." Her voice sounded tired, as if she was about to give up on the day.
Ryan sighed. "Low blow, pinkie. Even this?"
Alya turned around, confused. "What did you say?"
He approached with a smug smile. "Today really wasn't your lucky day, little Russian. But I'll give you a prize."
She tilted her head, suspicious. "A prize?"
Before she could react, Masachika suddenly grabbed her, lifting her off the ground.
"HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, YOU IDIOT?!" Alya shouted, completely flushed.
Ryan laughed sarcastically. "The options are: you swallow your embarrassment and let me carry you home in my arms... or you walk barefoot."
Alya, speechless, simply looked away, her cheeks burning, as she tried to regain her composure.
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