Ryozan stared straight ahead as Matsuka commented on his scroll. Based on how she spoke, she certainly did not seem to be a supporter of the empire; out of the corner of his eye he saw her hands hovering near her summoning scrolls, ready to call out some kind of formidable beast if he did prove to be a threat. At the same time, her words did not seem hostile. If she believed he was with the empire and wanted harm to come to him, she simply would have let one of those "unfriendly" people do him in. Was she hovering between the two sides like him, or was her warning one of legitimate mercy? Perhaps some further conversation would reveal where her feelings sat.

"You assume that I am alone and that I wish to stay safe," Ryozan said just as his bowl of ramen arrived. "It is difficult to people when they are hiding, but their presence becomes clear when they are attacking." He broke his chopsticks apart and began stirring his food, waiting for it to cool down. "Logically, if somebody wanted to find a particular group of people, the best method would be to provoke them to attack." His ramen now cool, he calmly raised some noodles to his mouth and quietly slurped up a small bite. "Then again, if those were my motives, I certainly would not be discussing them with you." He hoped that his speech didn't come across as threatening. He was just so bad at making small talk that he often defaulted to discussing tactics, but given the tension of the situation, perhaps it wasn't the best choice.