As you can see, Ayaka lets Pablo know what was said in two different ways. First, she used direct speech with quotation marks. Next, she used indirect speech (also called reported speech). Did you notice that she used the word that to introduce what was said? She also back-shifted the verb tense to indicate that she was giving Pablo a report.

Reported speech is the reporting of statements or questions.
Since these statements or questions have already happened, we back shift when we report them. So, if the original statement was in the present tense, we back shift to the past tense. The past, present perfect and past perfect are all reported in the past perfect tense.

Although not required in spoken speech, it is a good habit to use the word that when reporting.

Here is an example:
Len said: “I am very hungry.” (DIRECT SPEECH)
He said that he was very hungry. (INDIRECT SPEECH)

What about reported questions?
Reported wh-questions and reported yes/no questions are expressed differently. The following illustrates how reported questions (and imperatives) are handled in English.

1. “Are you ready?” asked Giovanna.
   Giovanna asked (me) whether I was ready yet.
2. “When will the A/C in this room work?” I wondered.
   I wondered when the A/C would work.
3. “What a kind man you are!” Chloe told him.
   Chloe told him what a kind man he was.
4. “Keep your cell phones off!” the teacher told them.
   The teacher told them to keep their cell phones off.

Note that in spoken English one can use the word if instead of whether.