Rika kept her angelic smile on her face, radiating an almost surreal sweetness. Her bluish hair shimmered under the light, giving her an ethereal aura that seemed impossible to ignore.
Ryan, catching his breath after the "critical hit," forced a smile that quickly turned into a mischievous expression. Without warning, he pulled Rika into a warm hug, exclaiming theatrically,
"Oh my God, a goddess has descended to light up this little town!"
Yuno immediately frowned, her face showing pure disgust. In a dry, contemptuous voice, she muttered,
"Loli-con."
Satoko, beside them, couldn't hold back a mischievous laugh, exaggerating as she covered her mouth with her hand.
"Oh-oh-hoh! Rika, looks like you just won yourself a completely devoted fan!"
Still in Ryan's arms, Rika looked up at him, and with that same cute and captivating tone, let out another charming,
"Ni... Nipaaaaa~! >⩊< ♡"
Ryan tightened the hug slightly, as if he had been hypnotized by the purity of her voice, and responded in an overly excited tone,
"YES! I'LL BE THERE AT YOUR PERFORMANCE, RIKA-CHAN! I WON'T MISS IT FOR ANYTHING!"
Yuno rolled her eyes and crossed her arms tightly, letting out a sigh full of impatience. Meanwhile, Satoko was laughing, clearly enjoying the scene.
The vendor, still with a slightly suspicious expression, caught Ryan's attention to finalize the purchase,
"Here are the snacks and mint candies. That'll be 780¥."
Ryan, noticing the interruption, gently released Rika and lightly ran his hand through her hair to adjust it. He gave a casual smile and said,
"Sorry about that, Rika-chan. As I said, I'm not from here. I was born in London, you know? Over there, hugging people is a way to build friendships."
Rika listened with an unchanged expression, the typical "blank face," while Satoko watched everything with an amused smile.
However, Yuno, standing just behind, didn't miss the chance to provoke. Raising her face with an air of superiority, she sarcastically commented,
"Actually, hugging strangers is... well, weird in London."
Ryan slowly turned his head toward her, a forced smile on his face, and replied with a sharp tone,
"Yuno, why don't you start eating the snacks? Full mouth, happy belly, you know?"
He then stood up and handed the money to the vendor, adding politely,
"Thank you very much, sir."
Rika and Satoko, observing the interaction, couldn't hold back a few laughs. Ryan's relaxed and somewhat comical manner seemed to win them over.
Turning to the two of them, he asked kindly,
"You're wearing school uniforms, just like a girl we saw earlier. Do you study here in the village, or do you go to a school in the nearby city?"
Satoko quickly responded, with the same playful and animated tone from earlier,
"We do have a school here in the village. But, look, it's tiny! We only have one classroom, and all the school years study together. It's like... super compact!"
She ended the sentence with a laugh, almost poking fun at the situation.
Rika, however, added with her calm and melodious voice,
"Yes, but you can't deny it's a lot of fun being with friends and participating in the club activities."
Her words brought a gleam to her eyes, revealing how much she valued the small moments shared in that quiet village.
Ryan scratched his chin with interest as he listened.
"Ah, so all the kids in the village study at that school? Wow, that really makes me curious!"
Satoko, always full of energy, smiled excitedly at him.
"You should check out our school! I bet even someone from the big city like you will find things that catch your attention."
Rika nodded, turning to Satoko with her usual calmness.
"By the way, Satoko, how about we go now to prepare the snacks?"
Satoko turned to her friend, still excited.
"Great idea!"
She then looked at Ryan, raising her hand in a farewell gesture.
"Maybe we'll run into you around!"
Rika, with her polite and graceful demeanor, gave a slight bow before following Satoko.
Ryan took the snacks and candies he had bought, casually tossing the bag to Yuno.
"Catch. I hope eating those will improve your mood."
Yuno caught the bag with a hardened expression, glancing at him from the corner of her eye as she started walking.
"Have you always had this habit of harassing little girls, Ryan? I hope you at least learned something useful."
Ryan shrugged, scratching his head with a relaxed expression as he walked beside her.
"Actually, I felt the same thing I felt with Rena..."
Yuno sighed deeply, her patience clearly wearing thin, as she bit into the onigiri so forcefully it seemed like she was imagining it was Ryan's head.
"So, please, do us both a favor and stop hugging little girls around here. People will think I'm walking with a loli-con."
Before Ryan could respond, a sound behind her caught his attention. Yuno kept walking without turning around, her tone dripping with disdain.
"Let me guess, idiot, you dropped your wallet?!"
The silence in response only irritated her more.
"Answer me when I talk to you, you piece of trash!"
When she finally turned around, Yuno frowned, realizing Ryan was no longer standing. Instead, he was sprawled out on the ground.
She narrowed her eyes, her expression indifferent as if it were a mundane sight, and slowly walked over to him with pure mockery. With a light kick to Ryan's head, she commented coldly,
"How disgusting..."
Then, still unconcerned, she poked his body with her foot while taking another bite of the onigiri. It was then she heard a soft, urgent voice.
"He needs help, Yuno-sensei!"
Yuno froze for a moment, feeling an odd chill as she recognized the typical sweetness of Arona's voice.
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