Yuno's gaze remained fixed on Ryan, her lips slightly parted as if she wanted to form words, but none of them seemed to find a way out. The intensity of his eyes was disconcerting as if he were seeing much more than he should.
For a brief moment, the two of them just breathed, in a synchronized and silent rhythm. It was an intimate moment, not because they wanted it to be, but because it simply happened.
Then, as if guided by pure instinct, Ryan moved his hand, his fingers gently gliding through Yuno's pink strands of hair. Her hair was soft, silky, and warm to the touch. His movements were unconscious, driven by something he hadn't even stopped to analyze.
Yuno closed her eyes for a second, leaning subtly against his palm.
"His hand is... soft..."
But as soon as this idea took shape in her mind, she startled. Her eyes widened, and in an almost desperate reflex, she pushed Ryan back.
"I-I told you you were unwell, didn't I!?" Her tone tried to sound firm, but hesitation and nervousness betrayed her words.
Ryan raised his eyebrows, looking away. "Yeah... you're right." He ran his hand through the back of his neck, feeling the weight of his own confusion. "But what the hell... Why am I acting like this? I've been through much worse things, and now I feel like a kid for falling on top of Yuno?"
He stood up, straightening his crumpled clothes while Yuno did the same. Her skirt had ridden up a bit, revealing a glimpse of skin that she quickly covered, pulling the hem back into place. She also adjusted her blouse, covering the small portion of her belly that had been exposed.
Still trying to regain her composure, Yuno ran her hand over her head, forcing her voice to sound deeper. "D-don't think I'll let you do that again if you become unable to move, you hear?"
She turned her face to the side, furrowing her eyebrows as if that were enough to hide the insistent blush on her face.
Ryan, now more relaxed, resumed his sarcastic smile. "Aw... I can still feel it on my lips..."
Yuno grumbled softly before crossing her arms, her expression becoming even more closed off. "Is this how you manage to get with everyone? I don't understand how you can be such a womanizer while being so insensitive."
Ryan raised an eyebrow. "O-oh? Seriously, are we going to talk about 'how I flirt' now?"
Yuno glared at him sideways, her eyebrows furrowed, her expression hardened. "No, I don't give a damn about how you talk to women." She turned her face away in a sharp movement, accompanying her words with an irritated "humpf."
Ryan scratched the back of his neck, observing her behavior. "This is so ridiculously Tsundere that it's actually cute..."
Silence hung in the air for a few seconds until Yuno sighed deeply. "Arona, can you show up and say what you wanted to say?"
The sound of static and a slight hiss filled the environment, like a poorly made radio transition. Arona's lively voice resonated soon after, full of mischief:
"Hiii, hi, hiiii, Senseis! Ahhh, why did you call me right now? I was having fun with your two's cliché romantic comedy!"
Ryan and Yuno's eyes met at the same instant, their expressions completely blank as they said, in unison:
"There's nothing romantic between us."
The perfect synchronicity made them stare at each other for a second longer than necessary.
"Are you sure there isn't?" Arona teased, her voice full of amusement.
Ryan threw himself onto a fluffy pouf in Yuno's room, a smirk forming. "Arona-chaaan! You don't know how much I missed you, my cutie! Is everything okay? Aaah, I've been thinking about you so much after what you told me when I had to use my powers to help Kuroi!"
The answer came in a shout loaded with cute frustration:
"SENSEI NO BAKA!!!"
Ryan blinked a few times, surprised by the sudden reaction. Arona's voice, even a little distorted by the static, carried a genuine irritation — in the most adorable way possible.
"You're so stubborn, Sensei! Using your energy even though you know you should be resting! You should be at home recovering!"
Ryan took a deep breath, ready to retort as if he were explaining something obvious to a child. "Arona, I'm not even as bad as you say—"
"Oh, really? You say that after almost fainting on top of Sensei Yuno?" Arona immediately retorted.
Ryan froze. Speechless, he felt a slight discomfort as he realized she had a point.
Yuno didn't waste any time taking advantage of the situation. "Just use some common sense, idiot! Do you really think a soul wound will get better just by you sucki—"
She stopped in the middle of the sentence, her eyes widening in horror as she realized the dangerous direction of her words.
Ryan blinked, and then, a slow, mischievous smile spread across his face.
"Sucking on your breasts?"
The blush on Yuno's face exploded instantly. She opened her mouth, trying to come up with a response, but all she managed was an embarrassed choke.
Ryan just watched, satisfied with her reaction. "That was too easy."
Arona's laughter came first, filled with a mischievous and carefree tone, as if she was savoring every second of the tension between the two.
"Keheheh... If a little foreplay like this already got you so worked up, imagine when you finally have real sex!"
Yuno's face exploded in a blush, a furious heat rising to the tips of her ears. She pursed her lips, turning her face sharply to hide her embarrassed expression.
"Stop it, Arona!" Her voice came out hoarse, laden with irritation, but the way her hand trembled as she adjusted her skirt betrayed the real impact of little Arona's words.
Ryan, on the other hand, chuckled softly, crossing his arms as he leaned back on the beanbag with a relaxed air. He knew the 'pink lioness's' temper well and knew that if he provoked her too much, he would probably end up with a knife stuck in his forehead. Well, if it weren't for the non-aggression contract they had, that risk would be much greater.
Arona continued, her voice still full of childish mischief. "Weeell... I guess I'll have to wait a little longer for this romantic comedy to unfold... But, putting that aside, I have something more important to say."
Ryan raised an eyebrow, maintaining his amused expression. "Well, I'm not one to sit around doing nothing. So, what do I need to do to recover properly, Arona? I want to be back to 100% soon. I'm sure that your poorly equalized voice is like this because of me."
Arona replied in a cute, almost whiny tone. "Well... It's true that my connection with you is unstable because of the damage to your soul, but you don't have to worry. My integrity is perfect!"
Ryan tilted his head, looking away at Yuno. She was adjusting one of her ponytails distractedly, clearly still disconcerted. His smile widened a little as he noticed the clumsy way she fiddled with her hair, almost like a defense mechanism.
"That's good..." He said, relaxing even more on the beanbag. "Your sensei would punch himself if he had hurt you."
Arona let out an adorable noise. "Nyaaaaaa! You're so cute, Sensei! Kehehehe! But don't think I'm going to go easy on your reckless actions just because you're being nice now! I can't materialize because I'm the fruit of YOUR soul and Yuno's. If one part is damaged, I have difficulty connecting! Understand?"
Ryan frowned, thoughtfully. "Wait... If you're saying you're fine, then why does your voice sound like a detuned radio? And why can't you even appear?"
Before Arona could answer, Yuno intervened, her voice full of disdain. "Idiot."
Ryan blinked and looked at her, seeing her finish fixing her hair with an impassive expression.
"You're the only one seeing her like that," Yuno explained, finally lifting her eyes to him. "The damage is to your part of the soul, not mine."
Ryan put a hand to his chin, taking in the information. "So you're seeing Arona normally?"
She just nodded, without bothering to answer with words.
He sighed, realizing that he didn't have much choice but to follow the recommendations. "Aaah... Okay, I promise I'll stay away from using my powers for a while..." A small smile formed on his face before he continued. "But can I at least go back to school tomorrow? Like I said, I'm not the type to sit around doing nothing."
Arona pondered for a moment before answering. "Well... That's easy to do."
Ryan smiled, crossing his arms behind his head. "Perfect! You have no idea what plans I have, Arona."
Her voice came out dragged, laden with suspicion. "Hmmm... As long as they don't involve going back in time, I think it's okay..."
Ryan narrowed his eyes, pressing his eyebrow with his fingers. "Well... Initially, I was considering including my powers in the plans, but..." He took a deep breath, letting out a slight laugh through his nose. "I lived a whole life without depending on them, so I think I can go without them for a while."
Yuno, who until then had just been observing, tilted her head slightly, the curiosity evident in her voice. "What are you planning, huh?"
Ryan gave a sharp smile. "Look how curious she is about what I do..."
"Die." Yuno replied immediately, her voice cold and impatient.
He raised his hands in surrender, laughing. "Damn, what a strong personality..." Then he took a deep breath, gesturing slightly with his hand as he explained. "Well, it's nothing spectacular... Actually, I'm just going to open a club at school."
Yuno finally finished adjusting her hair, throwing it to the side before raising an eyebrow. "Open a club?" Her tone was provocative, laden with sarcasm. "What are you going to do? Paint anime pictures?"
Ryan smiled, waving his hand to the side in a carefree gesture. "Almost, but far from it."
Arona laughed when she heard that. "Almost, but far from it? Hehehe, that doesn't even make sense, Sensei!"
Ryan slowly got up, his expression taking on an air of sharp confidence. "You'll like this, Arona... Because..." His gaze took on a different glow, as if he were about to reveal something grand. Then, a corner smile formed on his lips before finally declaring:
"I'm going to create Blue Archive in this world."
Silence hung for a moment before the reactions came.
"SO COOOL!" Arona exclaimed, her animation overflowing as if she were jumping for joy on the other side of the connection.
Yuno, on the other hand, just narrowed her eyes, her expression full of skepticism. "Idiot..."
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