[There's a sideways smirk that comes out of all this; he's thoroughly amused, deep down within his delinquent trickster little heart, that Haru's truer nature is coming up to the surface, without a mask on to give her a reason to. It makes Ryuji so... proud? Proud's not the right word. It makes him so grateful that he's her friend.

And even when she apologizes for the outburst, the fondness only gets stronger. What a good fucking team.]

Screw 'em. We don't need protecting. You don't need protecting, right Hajime? [Patting him on the shoulder.] You'll stand up to anyone trying to take the path of tyranny.

[And this is why Ryuji is punk, through and through.]