Ryan flashed a crooked smile at her reaction, his voice as naturally provocative as his own breathing.
"So, were you worried because I left?"
Yuno responded instantly, as if her answer had been cocked and loaded even before the question was asked. Her voice was sharp, laden with the indignation of a cornered lioness.
"Of course not! Arona was worried about you!"
Ryan raised an eyebrow, looking up as if trying to visualize his own answer floating in the air.
"Oh? She still can't talk to me directly?"
Yuno snorted, clearly losing patience. "No, idiot. If she could, she'd be yelling in your ear, not mine!" The irritation in her voice was palpable, but there was something subtle there—a remnant of concern she was trying to hide.
He heard the background noise fading, until it disappeared completely. The girl sighed on the other end of the line.
"Okay, I went to the bathroom... Send me a picture of where you are, and I'll come get you."
Ryan didn't miss the opportunity to tease. "My heroine!"
"You're not helping, Ryan... I swear I'm trying to be nice, so stop testing my patience!"
"You like my style..." He replied with a playful tone, only to hang up before she could retort.
With a mocking smile, he held up his phone and took a picture, his expression carrying that typical sarcasm. Before sending it, he muttered to himself:
"She's so uptight..." His eyes took on a different sparkle as he remembered their last moment together. The smile on his face softened slightly. "...But she's got a lot of charm."
As soon as the message was sent, Yuno appeared before him in the blink of an eye. Without hesitation, she raised her hand and gave him a firm flick on the chest.
Ryan narrowed his eyes for a second, maintaining his smirk. "Hi to you too."
She didn't even give him time for another quip. She simply touched his chest, and in an instant, the environment around him distorted. When he blinked, he was no longer on the street.
His gaze swept around the room, immediately recognizing where he was. "Your room? Interesting choice."
Yuno walked to the bed with determined steps and sat down, crossing her arms. "I chose here... Because it smells better than your room."
Ryan furrowed his brow, knowing exactly where she was going with this. "Are you still going on about my room smelling like sex?"
Yuno closed her eyes for a moment, as if gathering patience. "Exactly, idiot!"
Ryan gave a crooked smile and narrowed his eyes as he watched her. Her posture, the crossed arms, the impatient tone... Everything about her screamed natural charm, even when she was pouting. He almost felt like teasing her more, just to see her react.
"Damn girl... Always calling me an idiot. I'd be pissed if I didn't find this tsundere thing so absurdly attractive..." He thought, smiling wryly.
Yuno opened her eyes and looked away somewhat uncomfortably. "Are you going to stand there, or are you going to sit down, you big oaf?"
Ryan blinked, surprised. "Big oaf?" His mind froze for a second. "She switched 'idiot' for 'big oaf'? How old are you, Yuno?!" He thought to himself, unable to hide a small smile of disbelief.
Still, he decided to act. He walked to the bed and sat down beside her, taking on a more serious tone. "Well... What exactly do you want to talk about?"
Yuno didn't hesitate. "You were using your energy, weren't you?"
Ryan raised an eyebrow, the question catching him slightly off guard. "A little, but I didn't even go back in time..."
The answer didn't please her at all. She clicked her tongue in irritation, her posture becoming even stiffer. "Good thing, you careless fool! Don't you remember what Arona told you!?"
Ryan felt the weight in her voice. There was something beyond mere irritation there. It was concern—and a lot of it.
Yuno leaned forward slightly, her gaze fixed on his. It was a mixture of frustration and genuine concern.
"Your soul is hurt, remember!? How can you be so idiotic as to think you can just go around using your powers without consequences?!"
Ryan widened his eyes for a moment, surprised by her intensity. But the initial shock was soon replaced by something more amusing.
He smirked and shrugged. "Err... Well, I thought I'd be much better after..."
Before he could finish the sentence, Yuno blushed suddenly and interrupted him hastily. "You were wrong!" Her voice came out almost like a snap, laden with embarrassment. "Arona was desperate, asking me to contact you, but you wouldn't answer!"
Ryan blinked, pondering this for a moment. "I didn't think you'd need to talk to me. And, well... I was in a serious meeting." The last part came out with a deliberately sarcastic tone, his gaze narrowing slightly as he analyzed Yuno's reaction.
He knew he was playing with fire. But, deep down, that was exactly what made their interactions so... entertaining.
Yuno squinted, her arms still crossed in a gesture of poorly disguised impatience. Her voice came in a dry tone, but with a touch of resignation, as if she already knew she would have to pry the answers out of Ryan.
"Well, I'm going to miss class anyway... So you can start explaining from the beginning."
Ryan let out a long sigh, bringing his hand to his chin, as if organizing his thoughts before speaking. His gaze drifted for a moment to the ceiling, and then he finally opened his mouth.
"You know the mission I mentioned? The one I said was just a small favor?"
Yuno kept her gaze fixed on him, expressionless, but her response came quick and sharp.
"Yes. Arona told me. She said you asked her to do it for you..."
Ryan raised an eyebrow, shaking his head slightly. "Pff, of course she told you..." he muttered to himself, before continuing with a slightly more serious tone. "Well... Let's just say things got a little bigger than I expected. I had to attend a trial, and as things unfolded, I needed to demonstrate a bit of my powers. You know... Just to get them to leave me alone."
Yuno immediately furrowed her brow. Her eyes took on a sharp glint, as if analyzing every word of his, searching for something between the lines.
"Seriously?" she asked, with a touch of disbelief.
Ryan shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, but it was impossible to fool Yuno. "I left the most boring part to that guy with the white hair... Satoru Gojo. He keeps saying he can handle everything, so..."
Yuno sighed and leaned back on the bed, supporting her own weight with her arms outstretched. Her gaze went up to the ceiling, and her expression looked like someone who was already tired even before the discussion was over.
"Alright... Just stop being an idiot and take a break from your energy. You heard what Arona said, didn't you? Your soul isn't exactly in the best shape."
Ryan tilted his head, observing her. "Okay... If you say so... But I don't guarantee I'll remember that if I need to go back in time."
Yuno rolled her eyes, feigning indifference. "Your problem. The pain won't be on me, anyway..."
Ryan chuckled softly and started to get up. "Fortunately, the pains are already gone, so—"
The world spun.
The ground seemed to slip out from under him, and a sudden dizziness hit him like a violent wave. His body lost strength before he could react.
"W-what?"
Before he knew it, his body fell forward, and in an instant, Ryan fell directly onto Yuno.
The impact was soft, but enough for the girl to let out a small sound of surprise as her hands instinctively grabbed his shoulders.
"W-what do you think you're doing, idiot!?" Yuno exclaimed, her voice slightly higher than usual, but she soon fell silent upon noticing the proximity between them.
Silence.
The two stared at each other for a few moments that seemed to stretch out in time. Ryan's eyes locked onto Yuno's, and for the first time he noticed small details that he had previously ignored: the intense sparkle of her irises, the way her breathing seemed a little hesitant, as if she was holding something back. Her hands were still on his shoulders, but they weren't pushing him away.
And Yuno, in turn, widened her eyes upon realizing that Ryan wasn't looking away. His face was close enough that she could feel his breath touching her skin. An uncomfortable heat rose through her body, and she felt her heart race, but she refused to look away first.
Ryan blinked slowly, feeling something strange stirring inside him.
"Why... Is she being so attractive right now?" he thought, without realizing that a silly expression was beginning to form on his face.
Time seemed to have stopped, and even though neither of them said anything, the tension in the air spoke for itself.
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