Rika walked down the evacuation zone street with Daiki's sister, Busujima Saeko. She looked at the girl and observed her. The girl's hair was tied in a ponytail and she had a slim yet strong body. Even as a fellow girl, she had to say Saeko had a really great body and beautiful face.

She didn't blame Daiki for touching her sister. And one fact she knew was they weren't related by blood at all.

No, Busujima's family relationship was chaotic. The patriarch's wife had adopted a child before they married and then they became a family. Which meant Daiki was essentially an adopted child who had no relation with the Busujima family by blood.

However, due to circumstances that Rika wasn't aware of, Daiki stayed with the Busujima family and was given treatment as if he were their real son. A strange part also came from Saeko who was unusually clingy with his brother.

'I wonder why.' She thought in passing, 'Still, she's so silent. Is she angry?'

Rika was worried she had pissed off the younger girl because she was suddenly asked to come with her.

Usually she wouldn't care about something like this. Breaking ice was one of the skills she mastered when she was in the special force. Without a good relationship with each other, the mission would fail.

And this wasn't a mission. It was only a trip to a place with the person who wanted to cause chaos in this zone.

So she was fine, no worry at all. It would be okay.

... Yeah, that's a lie.

Rika knew it wasn't a normal trip. It would be a trip filled with danger, especially since she didn't know who she was dealing with or what their goal was. 

Not only that, she didn't bring any weapon except for the hidden handgun on the small of her back and her knife hidden under the sleeve of her shirt. She didn't wear any body armor either.

She had a feeling she might die if things didn't go well.

'And I bring one liability... Or I think so. No, Daiki won't choose someone weak. He must be sure she can help. I will have to trust him for now.'

"Miss Rika," Saeko said suddenly. Her eyes were looking at the street, watching the people walking around, "What do you think of this situation?"

"... You can say it's dangerous." Rika replied, "But it won't be that bad. The military will handle it. I'm here only to talk."

"And I heard I was asked to protect you in case things went south." Saeko said, "I have to say this but my brother overestimated my ability. I might be able to handle 10 people but that's all."

10 people?

Hearing that, Rika couldn't help but smile wryly. No normal human would dare to claim they could fight 10 people. But this Busujima girl was serious, she could feel it. 

Furthermore, she felt Saeko could handle more than just 10 people. No, she was capable of fighting more than 50 people alone and winning in a certain situation.

It was strange but she could feel it in her guts.

'I saw Daiki's ridiculous strength against El Gigante, but is she the same?'

Rika couldn't believe it even though it had happened. No one would believe it. The ridiculous feat Daiki displayed had shocked everyone who saw it.

'No, he isn't the only one.' Rika shook her head.

For now focusing on her duty was more important. They had arrived at the supermarket.

***

"Sorry, sorry! My subordinate is late." The moment Rika and Saeko entered the supermarket, a cheerful voice greeted them. The man was standing at the entrance, looking out at them with a smile. He had a small moustache on his face and a pair of sunglasses on his forehead.

His long wavy hair fell down his shoulders. And he wore a brown coat with a black shirt underneath. His pants were jeans, and he was wearing a pair of boots. 

Nothing screams more American than that outfit. Added with the strange, out-of-place, cowboy hat he was wearing on top of his head, it was clear that he was trying to clown them.

Rika felt like throwing a punch to his face to wipe that disgusting grin off of him. This guy had a smug look on his face like he thought he was the best. It irked her, and she had the sudden urge to punch him.

"Thanks for meeting with us. I am Ryan, the leader of this small community." He greeted her politely. "May I take it that the military has agreed to negotiate? I am happy to hear that, because I have a proposal for you."

He looked around for a second and then back at Rika. His smile was still on his face and she found it irritating. She really wanted to punch him in the face to get rid of that smirk. She clenched her fist to control herself from punching him.

"Calm down, Miss Rika." Saeko patted her back, whispering to her. "Don't let him get on your nerves."

'I know that.' She replied inwardly. 'I know I have to keep calm. But this guy... He pisses me off!'

Somehow she couldn't control her emotions lately. Especially after last night, her emotions were always in disarray. It must be the hormone's fault.

"Where's the rest of your group, Ryan?" She asked him, appearing calm. She didn't want to show him her emotions.

"They're not here. It's just me. Well, there are 5 of my friends guarding outside but they won't bother you. Don't worry about that, and come with me. I want to talk with you alone. You know, it's a matter between leaders." Ryan said, gesturing for them to follow him.

No matter how she looked at him, he appeared friendly. Too friendly, actually. While that was normal in a meeting like this, that didn't really come out as good sign.

Rika felt that there was something more going on than what was said on the surface. She could sense something sinister behind that friendly smile. He might have ulterior motives or he was hiding something from them. He also seemed to be enjoying himself too much, and that bothered her.

'Why did I have to do this? It's usually Wesker's job.' She grumbled under her breath. 'That damn traitor.'

"Come, let's go."