With a laugh escaping his throat, Ryan stared at Rika and spoke with an ironic smile, gesturing with his hand:
"Okay, you convinced me. It's definitely Rika-chan."
Rika sighed, letting her cold expression take over again.
"Masachika, I came here because I need to clear up some doubts with you."
Ryan tilted his head, resting one hand on his hip, his sarcastic tone evident.
"Just 'Masachika'? No formalities, no cute suffixes, just straight to the point?"
Rika completely ignored the comment, running her hand through her hair to move it away from her face. Her posture was firm, her tone serious.
"What I need to ask you isn't something common, but it's been on my mind since early this morning, since we first met."
Ryan noticed the seriousness in her voice and adopted a more attentive posture, crossing his arms while watching her.
"Masachika, if you were trapped in a situation with no way out, facing a problem that follows you like a shadow... something that, no matter how hard you fight, seems unsolvable... An impossible goal, would you give up? Even if it meant giving up on achieving your true happiness?"
Ryan looked away, thoughtful, scratching the back of his neck before sighing. When he responded, his voice carried a tone that was almost provocative, but also sincere.
"Rika-chan... you kind of already answered your own question, don't you think?"
Rika's eyes widened for a brief moment, but before she could react, Ryan continued, raising a finger as if to emphasize his point.
"An impossible goal? Of course, I would give up."
The direct response pierced Rika, and she lowered her gaze. Her voice was shaken when she murmured:
"I see... sorry for bothering you."
She turned to leave, but before taking a step, Ryan spoke again, his voice carrying a firmness that made Rika hesitate.
"You have the eyes of someone who gave up a long time ago, Rika-chan."
The words hit Rika like a lightning strike. She stopped and slowly turned, her gaze intense and her voice bitter.
"Oh? And what do you know about giving up, Masachika Kuze?"
Ryan stepped down the two stairs from the entrance, stopping in front of her, now on the same level. He casually sat on the stairs and stared at her intensely.
"Those eyes of yours... that way you speak... What kind of darkness do you carry, Rika-chan?"
Rika stared back at him, turning her body to face him fully. Her voice was cold and cutting.
"Darkness? I don't think you'd understand."
Ryan shrugged, but his expression remained serious.
"Probably not. Sorry, but I have no reason to sympathize with you... yet."
The provocation made Rika furrow her brows, her breath growing heavier, but Ryan continued, his tone blending firmness with curiosity.
"But don't confuse not understanding with not believing."
Rika narrowed her eyes. Her voice turned sarcastic, as if she'd heard that before.
"Believe in my story? Is that what you're saying?"
A dark smile curved her lips, almost macabre. Closing her eyes, she gestured exaggeratedly, as though putting on a performance.
"My story is simple, Masachika. So simple that you, besides not understanding, will find it irrelevant. Just the fantasies of a traumatized child."
She opened her eyes, serious and focused, taking a deep breath before continuing with the same coldness.
"I'm trapped in an eternal month. Condemned to play with fate in an inhuman way. Condemned to die brutally or watch those I love destroy themselves. This has been happening for over a hundred years, trapped in this endless despair."
The words fell like stones into the silence that followed. Rika kept her gaze fixed on him, her expression unwavering. Finally, she sighed and turned to leave again.
"You can laugh now."
As she walked away from him, lost in her own thoughts, the doubts and inner torments once again began to haunt her mind.
"Why did I say all that to him...? If we meet again, I'll say it was just a joke."
But before the darkness of her thoughts could completely take over, Ryan's voice cut through the air, clear and firm.
"I believe you."
Rika stopped immediately, her heart wavering. Slowly, she turned her head to look at him. Ryan was still sitting on the stairs, his gaze serious, with no trace of sarcasm.
"You... believe me?"
He smiled, but this time there was no mockery. Only an uncommon lightness in his words.
"Who am I to say I don't? You spoke like someone carrying the weight of a hundred lives on their shoulders. No one makes that kind of thing up."
Rika remained still, her gaze fixed on Masachika, now frozen and surprised. Her expression was tense, and her voice came out low, almost a whisper.
"Li... liar..."
Ryan raised an eyebrow, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips.
"Well, I'm no saint, but right now, I'm not lying."
Rika narrowed her eyes, almost biting her lips, and her voice sounded dense, full of challenge.
"And why would you believe my story?"
Ryan sighed and stood up from the stairs with a smooth motion, his posture now more upright and determined. He looked at Rika with a tone of conviction.
"Well... what if I told you I lied, yes, about one little thing?"
Rika's eyes locked onto him, now more attentive and full of distrust.
Ryan stepped forward, keeping his gaze steady, and finally spoke, breaking the silence.
"I lied when I said I came to see you dance, Rika. Actually, I'm here to fix this damn time loop."
Rika stood frozen for a moment, her heart racing, and a deep sigh escaped her lips. Her voice seemed stuck in her throat, the weight of the revelation choking her. She raised her fist to her chest, clenching it tightly as if trying to contain the growing anxiety that threatened to overwhelm her.
Masachika approached Rika, his hand gently touching her head in a gesture that seemed to try to calm her.
"Since you've shared some things with me, I think it's only fair I share a few things too... After all, it wouldn't make sense to keep this to myself."
Rika kept her gaze fixed on the ground, feeling Masachika's hand slowly caressing her hair. Her voice, now softer, came out with a forced calmness.
"I came to Hinamizawa because I need to fix a 'temporal problem' happening here... My little assistant gave me few details, but it seems that fate was quite efficient in making me find this problem quickly."
Rika squeezed the dress with her hands, still searching for words to respond. Her disbelief was clear, but it was brutally shattered by Masachika's next sentence.
"I just need you to explain to me what's happening here... And explain to me what this damn shadow by your side is."
Rika's heart skipped a beat. She grabbed Masachika's hand tightly, her eyes trembling with anguish.
"You... can you see her?"
Her voice, filled with desperation, was like a muffled scream, a silent plea.
"I... I've waited so long for a future where I had at least a sliver of hope..."
Rika's eyes, once empty and tormented by pain, now seemed to capture a small flicker of possibility... a spark she barely dared to believe.
She looked at Masachika, her voice now full of vulnerability.
"You... Will you be my hope?"
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