Right after Yuki left, Ryan allowed himself to sink into the comforting silence of the room. The brief moment of interaction with his sister still left a residue of warmth in his chest, but his body was screaming for rest. Every muscle protested in pain, a constant reminder of what he had been through. If it weren't for his beloved little sister's unorthodox "good morning," he would probably sleep until night — or even the next day.
As exhaustion slowly pulled him into sleep, his mind was still working, going over Yuki's idea.
"Now that things have calmed down, besides getting stronger, creating Blue Archive in this world could be a little goal of mine..." The thought brought a playful smile to his face. The idea seemed absurd and, at the same time, fun.
His mind then drifted to promises he had made, especially to Alya and Masha, and also to Rika since it had been a while since he promised to invite her to play more at his house.
And about Masha, when he returned to school, he would help her check out the clubs. Who knows, he might find something that interested him? The high school allowed students to be part of up to two clubs, and even student council members could participate, although only in one. He never quite understood this rule... After all, the council was responsible for distributing funds to the clubs. If a council member belonged to a club, couldn't they favor it unfairly? Maybe there was some kind of oversight to prevent that. Who knows?
In any case, Ryan could not ignore an essential detail: the school was full of beautiful girls. As a healthy man, and now free from the shackles of his previous life, he saw no reason to deny this reality. He remembered loose conversations among the boys in class, lively debates about the most beautiful girls in the school. Some of them had received grandiose nicknames, as if they had come straight out of a Xianxia:
Yukino Yukinoshita, the Ice Queen. Utaha Kasumigaoka, the Sleeping Genius. Itsuki, Nino, Ichika, Miku and Yotsuba, the Five Twin Flowers. Marin, the most beautiful JK. And so many others...
And of course, there were those he already knew well: Yuno, Yuki, Masha, Alya, and Mai.
He could not deny that he was curious to see some of these legendary beauties in person. In his past life, Ryan rarely had time to indulge in romance, especially after "that event" happened in his life... But now? Now he had a second chance.
Furthermore, his sister — his sister-wife, to be more exact — had allowed him to have a harem. There was no reason to hide behind foolish moralism. Ryan had always been greedy, but before this greed was directed at money and power. Now... well, maybe it was time to expand his horizons.
He let out a low chuckle, mocking himself. What would his former subordinates think if they saw him now? The great and ruthless Ryan, turning the construction of a harem into one of his life goals. The idea was so absurd that it amused him.
But fatigue soon took its toll. With a final sigh, Ryan let himself drift into sleep, his mind still wavering between ambition and desire.
Ryan felt the weight of exhaustion pulling him into an inevitable sleep as he settled into bed. The residual warmth left by Yuki still warmed the sheets, a remnant of her presence that slowly dissipated. His thoughts wandered between torpor and reality, until a sudden worry struck him like an electric shock.
"Shit... I should have taken a shower after what happened with Yuki... But I can barely move on my own..." A cold shiver ran down his spine as another thought emerged abruptly. "Wait... Who the hell is going to take care of me now?! How am I going to eat?!"
The realization made his body freeze, but he decided to ignore it before his mind started to despair. "Okay, fuck it... Better not think about it now. I don't want to reflect on dying alone and stinking."
Forcing his mind away from this unpleasant path, Ryan returned to his previous reverie. "Creating a game club... Yeah, that still seems like a good idea. Blue Archive could really become real in this world... But which character should I build first?"
Vivid images of his beloved Peak Archive students paraded through his mind, each more tempting than the last. He pondered, considering his options, until a particularly mischievous thought infiltrated.
"I know... I'll make Plana-chan first, just to make Arona annoyed!" A malicious smile formed on his lips. "She's so cute when she's pouting... And the interaction between the two was just hilarious. Hehehe..."
His smile deepened as his consciousness surrendered to sleep. But the tranquility was short-lived.
"COULD YOU PLEASE WAKE UP ALREADY?!"
A sharp pain exploded on his cheek as merciless fingers pinched it without any delicacy. Ryan suddenly awoke, feeling his body protest against the abrupt movement.
"DAMN IT, YOU CRAZY GIRL!"
He writhed in bed, bringing the hand he could move to his reddened cheek. His irritated gaze met the well-known figure of Yuno, who crossed her arms with an impatient look.
"Had to be you, right, Yuno?" Ryan grumbled, massaging the sore area. "What the hell are you doing here so early?"
In response, Yuno raised her cell phone and showed him the screen. The clock read almost noon.
"It's past lunchtime, you idiot!" she declared, her expression furrowed in a mixture of irritation and... something Ryan couldn't immediately define. Despite the harsh tone, there was something strangely cute in the way she was annoyed.
Yuno lowered her cell phone and looked away. "I only came because Rika wouldn't stop bothering me and, well... Arona too." Her voice carried a hint of reluctance, and Ryan realized she was wearing her school uniform. She probably used her teleport to appear there during class break.
Ryan raised an eyebrow, a smug smile already forming. "Oh, really?" He tilted his head slightly, intrigued. "I can't feel Arona... How did you manage to talk to her?"
Yuno sighed before answering: "She told me you'll be without communication with her for a while. Your soul is partially damaged, so there's no point in trying." Her tone hardened. "You're an idiot for putting yourself in this kind of situation."
Ryan narrowed his eyes, feigning a melancholy air. "Oh, how cute. If you hadn't called me an idiot twice in the same sentence, I might even believe you're worried about me."
"Don't make me lose my patience and leave you here alone."
Ryan retorted instantly, his voice loaded with a playful tone. "Don't do that, pretty please!"
Yuno let out a long sigh before furrowing her eyebrows and subtly raising her nose, as if she were smelling something strange in the air.
"Come here... What's that smell?" she asked suspiciously.
Ryan felt a chill run up his spine. "Ehh... Well... Yuki was here this morning, so—"
"Okay, I get it." Yuno interrupted him immediately, rolling her eyes. "Spare me the details."
She walked to the door and opened it, letting fresh air circulate through the stuffy room. "Yuki showed up in class talking about your condition and asked me to teleport here to see how you were."
There was something slightly rough in her voice, something Ryan didn't miss.
"She's a very worried sister, don't you think?" He teased her, waiting for a reaction.
Yuno turned to face him, her eyes sharp. "Why did you tell her everything? Even about my powers?"
Ryan maintained a discreet smile, but his voice took on a more serious tone. "Because I trust her. I wouldn't tell her anything if I wasn't sure she's trustworthy."
Yuno crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe as she watched him attentively. "You didn't need to talk about me. Tell me... What else did you tell her? Does she know about our past?"
Ryan looked away for a moment before answering. "No... Just that I was practically a thug."
Yuno let out a sarcastic laugh. "'Practically'?"
"Yeah..." Ryan preferred to end the subject there. "But changing the subject, I doubt you came just because Yuki asked."
Yuno looked away, running her hand through her long pink hair distractedly. "Rika heard everything... and got worried." Her voice lowered a little, and she bit her lower lip slightly before continuing. "So she did a nipaah and forced me to come. That's the only reason I'm here."
Ryan listened to Yuno's explanation with a smug smile, his eyes half-closed, as if he already foresaw every word she would utter. In his mind, he joked with himself:
"I bet you also wanted to see if I was okay... But like a good Tsundere, you would never admit it."
Yuno, in turn, was twirling a strand of hair around her finger, looking away with apparent disinterest. Her voice, however, had a hesitant tone when speaking:
"And also... Arona sent me a kind of message. She said your soul could be damaged if I didn't help... and that it could affect me too because..." She paused, pressing her lips together slightly before continuing. "Because you're part of me too..."
Ryan raised an eyebrow and smiled wryly, his voice coming out with a provocative touch:
"Cute, isn't it?"
Yuno clicked her tongue in irritation, narrowing her eyes for a moment. "I'll punch you if you say that again."
Ryan let out a light laugh. "I doubt you would do that to a man who can't even move."
She stared at him for a moment, her gaze evaluative, before looking away and walking to the bed. Without saying anything, she sat down beside him. Her hands rested on her thighs, her fingers slightly clenched.
"Tell me... Why did you push yourself so hard?" The question came bluntly, loaded with something Ryan couldn't define whether it was concern or frustration.
He tilted his head to the side, analyzing her expression. "You know what happened?"
"Arona gave me a summary." Yuno crossed her arms, keeping her eyes fixed on some point on the floor, refusing to look at him directly.
Ryan took a deep breath, his expression softening, but his voice sounded more serious as he replied:
"I understood how you felt that day."
The words were enough for Yuno to raise her gaze, her eyes widening slightly in surprise and confusion. Ryan held her gaze for a few seconds before continuing:
"Look... I'm not going to verbalize everything I should. So settle for a... My bad?"
He tried to sound casual, but there was a slight hesitation in his voice. Yuno continued to stare at him for a few moments, but soon looked away again. It was subtle, but Ryan noticed that she avoided looking at him for too long.
Silence settled between the two. Ryan, by instinct, contained any provocation he would normally make. Something in her expression made him realize that, this time, it was better to simply wait.
Yuno, on the other hand, felt the whirlwind of thoughts swirling in her mind. Everything she had been ruminating lately was coming back with force. Her new life... Her new family... The love she found now, coming from something she never had, the real affection of a home.
And all this... Thanks to Ryan?
Her gaze fixed on the floor as her mind wrestled with this conclusion. "Idiot... Thinking like that is ridiculous..." But, as much as she tried to deny it, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was changing. That she had already changed. More and more, Yuuki's image became nebulous within her. Before, she would never have come here. She would never have worried like this. So, why now? Who was she, after all?
The words escaped her lips before she could stop them:
"How did you accept so quickly?"
Ryan arched an eyebrow. "Accept what?"
She hesitated for a moment, but then looked him directly in the eyes for the first time in that conversation. Her voice came out in a drawn-out tone, almost melancholic:
"Your new life. Your new self. Everything."
Ryan kept his gaze on her, processing what was really behind that question. Slowly, he closed his eyes for a moment, organizing his thoughts. When he spoke again, his voice was serene:
"I simply accepted that this is my new life. That's all."
Yuno frowned, her expression betraying that this answer did not satisfy her. Ryan noticed and continued:
"When I recovered my memories as Ryan Gosting... It was a strange surge. I remembered exactly the moment I closed my eyes that day... And the moment I reopened them here. But, at the same time..."
He paused for a moment, as if pondering his own words, then continued:
"I remember my sister... The good times with my friends... Alya... Everything I lived as Masachika. And that's why I came to a conclusion."
He slowly raised the only hand he could move at the moment and watched it as he spoke:
"I'm not Ryan. Nor Masachika. I am the junction of the two. A whole life lived calmly and another immersed in darkness, as you well know."
His smile became more subtle, almost nostalgic.
"I preferred the peaceful life of Kuze Masachika... But I will never forget the shit I did as Ryan. That's what makes me who I am. And besides..."
He tilted his head slightly, his eyes meeting Yuno's again.
"There's you. You always remind me of that past."
The silence that followed was not uncomfortable, but dense, loaded with meanings that did not need to be said. Yuno continued to look at him, her expression difficult to decipher. Something inside her tightened her chest, but she didn't exactly know what.
She simply took a deep breath, looked away again, and stayed there, sitting beside him, without saying anything else.
Yuno stared at him in silence, her gaze loaded with something Ryan couldn't decipher immediately. There was no anger, no relief, just a tense stillness, as if something inside her was rearranging itself, balancing on a thin thread.
Then, slowly, she closed her eyes and sighed, her voice sounding soft but firm:
"Idiot."
Ryan arched an eyebrow, letting out a short, incredulous laugh. His voice came low, almost like an exhausted whisper:
"Seriously? Is that all you're going to say?"
The silence stretched between them for a moment that seemed longer than it really was. Yuno took a while to answer, and when she did, her voice carried a different weight—it wasn't hesitation, but something close to a sigh:
"I..."
She opened her eyes again, fixing them on him intensely, as if she wanted to make sure he really would listen to her this time.
"I'm still trying to accept it."
Her gaze held his, without looking away, without wavering.
"I'm no longer the empty and without anything Yuno I once was... I can't pretend I am. I can't lie to myself... Not with the life I have now."
She raised one of her hands to her own chest, as if she could feel every beat of the heart that still carried scars from the past.
"This life..." — her voice diminished a little, and for a moment, she almost seemed vulnerable — "It's so good... that it makes me want to forget the old one."
Then, a smile appeared on her lips, small, but loaded with a certain sarcasm.
"But you..." — she tilted her head slightly, the gleam in her eyes wavering between amusement and irritation — "are an unbearable reminder of my past."
Ryan did not back down. On the contrary, a similar smile formed on his face, loaded with the same acid irony. The air between them was heavy with memories, but also with something that neither of them would dare to name.
And then, without warning, they spoke at the same time, in perfect sync:
"You're a curse."
For a second, silence settled again, and then, as if a dam had broken, both began to laugh. First, a contained, almost surprised laugh, then something looser, genuine.
The tension that hovered between them dissipated a little, still present, but less suffocating. It was not a reconciliation, nor a forgetting of what was, but perhaps... it was a step. An unexpected moment of mutual understanding between two souls who had once lost each other—but who, in some way, became one.
____________________________
🚨 Unlock Daily Webnovel Chapters! 🚨
Let's bring back daily posts! To make it happen, I need your support on Patreon. 🙏
🎯 The Goal: Reach 20 Patreon Supporters (any tier counts!)
📈 Current Status: 10 / 20 supporters (Thank you! ❤️)
🎁 The Reward: Once we hit 20 supporters, daily chapters return right here on Webnovel! 🎉📖
Help us get there! Become a Patron today and unlock daily chapters for everyone! ✨
👉 [patreon.com/ErisNoSeraph]