Once a mobster, now Masachika Kuze

Ryan stared at Irie with cold, relentless eyes, his hands gripping the doctor's wrists so tightly that the man felt as though his bones might snap. Desperation was evident on Irie's face as he tried, in vain, to free himself from the almost crushing hold.

"Wh-who are you? A mercenary hired to steal our research?" — Irie asked, his voice laden with pain and frustration.

Ryan smirked, briefly closing his eyes before responding with sarcasm:

"No, you can forget that idea, doctor... the reason for my visit is much more interesting."

"Is it?" — Irie retorted, a growl of anger in his voice. "Because all I see is a damn killer massacring my men. Just finish me off and take what you want already!"

Ryan released Irie's wrists and took a few steps back, his boots echoing in the room. He tilted his head, surveying every corner like a predator studying its territory. "Let's be direct, then. It saves time, and I'm not a fan of beating around the bush. I have three questions... and you will answer them in the order I say."

Taking a deep breath, Ryan calmly listed, his voice as cold as steel:

"First: who is the queen?

Second: what is the true objective of this organization?

And third... who is the boy on the stretcher?"

Cold sweat ran down Irie's forehead as he tried to process the words. After a few seconds of silence, he finally muttered, trying to sound convincing:

"Queen? I don't know what you're talking about."

Ryan stayed silent, his eyes briefly fixing on the hallway, as if expecting reinforcements at any moment. Seizing an opportunity, Irie slid to the side, opening a drawer in an attempt to grab the hidden gun. But before he could reach the weapon, an object sliced through the air.

Crack.

A syringe embedded brutally in his hand, eliciting a sharp cry of pain. Irie fell to his knees, clutching his pierced hand as blood streamed between his fingers. Ryan walked toward him with an unsettling calm, crouching down to whisper near the doctor's face:

"First question... who is the queen?"

With every word, Ryan pressed more on the psychological terror. Irie could barely breathe; his whole body trembled. "I already told you! I don't know anything about that!"

Ryan merely tilted his head, disapproving of the response. He yanked the syringe from Irie's hand with a sharp motion, eliciting another scream of pain, then pointed the needle directly at the doctor's eye.

"You're messing with the wrong patience, doctor. Now... let's try again."

Desperate, Irie started speaking, words tumbling over each other:

"We... we're here to study the Hinamizawa Syndrome! That's all! The organization brought medicines and medical care to the village...!"

"Ah, I see." — Ryan interrupted, with a cold smile. "Studying a dangerous disease, but with a private army at your disposal. Fascinating."

Irie continued, trying to justify himself:

"The armed forces... are for containment! People infected lose control—"

"Oh, of course." — Ryan cut him off again, now with disdain. "Blaming the syndrome for the bodies piling up, huh?"

Irie's eyes shifted to the stretcher where the young blonde boy lay, sedated. He pointed with a trembling finger:

"Over there... that boy... he's in the advanced stage of the disease! That's why we're doing this, you understand? It's to help!"

Ryan observed the boy on the stretcher, his expression unchanged. "Who is he?"

"He... H-Houjou Satoshi..." — Irie stammered. "The older brother of a girl from the village."

Ryan narrowed his eyes, his mind starting to connect the dots. He slowly turned to face the doctor again. "And why is he sedated? That dangerous?"

Irie answered in a low tone, as if each word were being wrenched from him:

"If he wakes up... he'll tear his own throat out. That's how the advanced stage works."

The silence in the room was deafening. Ryan stayed quiet for a few seconds before speaking again, this time with a chilling coldness:

"One last time, doctor... who is the queen?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" — Irie shouted, tears welling up in his eyes. "I HAVE NO IDEA!"

Ryan sighed deeply, the tip of the needle still hovering over the doctor's eye. "And your superiors? Who are the big shots behind this operation?"

"They... they're from the research sector in Japan! I don't know more than that!"

"Name the key people." — Ryan ordered.

"Tomitake Jirou... Takano Miyo..."

Ryan interrupted, leaning forward slightly with a curious smile. "Takano Miyo? The only woman among you, huh?"

Irie hesitated before nodding. "Yes... she's one of the lead scientists."

Ryan chuckled softly, but the sound was anything but friendly. "And yet... you still insist on telling me you don't know who the queen is? Damn, Irie, you're so fucking stupid."

Without waiting for a response, Ryan began to back away, hearing the footsteps of reinforcements echoing in the hallway. He pulled out his phone, switching to a video call.

"Yuno, it's your time!"

On the other end, Yuno appeared on the screen with a mocking smile. "Looks like you had fun. Should I teleport you now, or are you enjoying the show?"

Ryan laughed, grabbing a rifle from one of the bodies and firing toward the door to delay the soldiers. "Stop stalling, pinky. Work your magic."

Yuno appeared next to Ryan and surveyed the scene around her. She noticed Irie curled up against the wall but quickly turned her gaze to the hallway as Ryan fired a few more shots at the door.

She saw the dead guards on the floor, each with a single bullet to the head.

Ryan noticed Yuno's delay and, with a sarcastic voice, began speaking:

"What's the holdup, pinky? Are you just going to stare or are you going to teleport us out of here!?"

Yuno smiled with the corners of her lips as she spoke:

"Hello, Ryan... It's been a while. Actually... I was hanging out with an idiot who looked like you, his name was Kuze Masachika... And the only thing he had in common with you was the annoying attitude."

Ryan stopped firing for a moment, looking at Yuno with a mocking expression. "Oh? Wait a second, Yuno... are you saying you like it when I act cold?" Ryan finished with a smug smile while looking at Yuno.

She merely narrowed her eyes and spoke in an irritated tone:

"I prefer it when you're useful, and honestly, I'd rather hear you shooting than talking."

With a tap on his shoulder, Yuno teleported Ryan directly in front of Rika, who watched him with an innocent, confused gaze, tilting her head.

"Mi~?"

Ryan had the gun pointed at the little girl as he spoke sarcastically:

"I think you guys got the idea, right?"

He lowered the gun as Rika curiously asked:

"What exactly did you find out?"

Ryan looked at Yuno as if expecting the girl to be having the same thought as him.

Yuno clicked her tongue while crossing her arms, speaking in a tired tone:

"We've got a target to take down."

Rika clasped her hands together and spoke with a hopeful voice:

"You found out who's behind my deaths?"

Ryan shrugged as he responded:

"We've got a target to take down... Mini Miku."

Rika asked anxiously, sighing:

"So, who is this person?"

Checking how many bullets were left in the rifle, Ryan answered with an ironic tone:

"A very cute little blonde named Takano Miyo."

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