ʀʏᴜᴊɪ⚡

sad turn as she admitted that since getting back to work Ichinose and her were spending less quality time together. Ryuji began to better understand why she had reached out to him. He paused, thinking then he grinned. "Well then, I guess we'll just have to bring the surprise

her shoulders as he did so. "How's Ichinose? Where'd you guys end up??"

haven't got a clue, Shorty." He met her orbs as they fixed themselves upwards, towards him. Somehow they had more life in them than those of many of the humans he had seen. "But I'll tell ya what's what." His hands came out of his pockets and he bared his teeth in a

After a brief pause he was chuckling. "Just another day in the life o' the Phantom Thieves, right?" His laughter led into an exhale, tension visibly draining from his body. He perked up again when she leaned her head against his side. He peered down at her, seeing the bliss on

But, he could not object, simply looking aside and grumbling. It was then that he caught sight of the cityscape, eyes following the dense pattern of buildings to the giant cage that topped it off. His mind moved on from his embarrassment briefly. "Holy shit! Talk about deja

"Hey...!..." His annoyance was very mild, rubbing at the back of his neck "Like I care what that cat thinks...", he grumbled, looking aside as though hesitant to face the reality she was presenting him with. He couldn't look away for long though. "Well, ya know how it is!

appreciation for others. But this hug, being the gift that it was to a learning AI like he, told more than any words could. As she returned the gesture, arms wrapping around him, he took in a long breath through his nose, his form feeling lighter now. Despite the emotion he

overcame his being, whirlpools of color filling his vision. When it faded his room was gone, an otherworldly environment taking its place. He looked down to see yellow gloves, the blonde flexing his fingers within them. "Oh yeah, 'feels like I'm meetin' an old friend again!"

His smirk fell as a blush formed on his cheeks. "Uh, speakin' of which. You're not, ya know, able to look through my photos or nothin', are ya? N-Not that there's anythin' to find! Ehehe..." He rubbed at the back of his neck, but his coyness was replaced with excitement quickly

His high energy ebbed a little as she told him she had missed him, his brows furrowing as his smile softened. "Sophia..." He smirked once more. "I missed ya too. Hey, I don't suppose you're awesome enough to bring me into the metaverse, are ya? I gotta give you a high five!"

seeing. "WAIT, SHORTY?! HOW THE--" As he rushed to sit up he dropped his phone onto his face, the impact sending it tumbling onto his bedroom floor. He hurriedly rose, rushing over to scoop the phone up and hold it before him, staring into the screen and grinning. "It IS