Did the Yukinoshita family have the confidence to go toe-to-toe with Eri Kisaki right now?
Of course not. Therefore, Eri's pity was incredibly precious to them. They were eager to accept the new Queen's charity.
Seizing the opportunity during her family's turn to present themselves, Haruno Yukinoshita prostrated herself on the tatami floor of the living room, bowing deeply toward the stairs leading to the master bedroom.
She respectfully promised, "The Yukinoshita family is willing to offer everything."
Yes. Everything.
Perhaps saying it so blatantly was a bit shameless, but Haruno knew exactly what her family lacked right now. Since the other Chaebols and politicians thought the Yukinoshitas couldn't see the situation clearly and that their attitude was improper, they would clearly display the absolute most appropriate attitude.
They would let Lord Mizunotsuki take whatever he wanted.
After making her declaration, Haruno stood up as if the crushing humiliation hadn't affected her at all. She clapped her hands with a polite smile.
From outside the sliding doors, Yukino Yukinoshita, who had been waiting for a long time, walked in. She was visibly nervous, wearing her Sobu High School uniform, her delicate hands unconsciously tightening around the hem of her pleated skirt.
Following her, Reiko Yukinoshita gracefully stepped into the room, dressed in a formal, incredibly expensive kimono. In her hands, she held the physical deeds and transfer contracts for all of the Yukinoshita family's remaining businesses.
Eri remained silent for a moment, her cold eyes analyzing the trio.
She acknowledged Reiko's terrifying decisiveness; offering up the entire family's generational fortune to save their lives was a massive gamble. Eri glanced at Reiko with a strange mix of respect and wariness. Eri knew all too well how ambitious and intense this woman was. To regain Seiran's trust, Reiko was willing to completely abandon the empire she had spent her life building.
Well, this woman is ruthless. Reaching out and tossing them a lifeline earlier was definitely the right move.
Eri nodded slightly, but she did not reach out to accept the property contracts presented by Reiko.
Eri knew her man wasn't interested in mortal businesses. Or rather, he wasn't interested in most mundane things in the world. Fortunately, he still had an insatiable fondness for physical and emotional pleasure. Otherwise, Eri would truly believe she wasn't serving a man, but rather… a literal force of nature.
Perhaps, Extraordinary beings cannot be viewed through the lens of ordinary mortals?
The Master Bedroom
Upstairs, Seiran Mizunotsuki was also aware of his own increasingly "heartless" side.
His brows furrowed as he looked at his own reflection in the mirror. In his eyes, a terrifying indifference and human emotion intertwined, battling for dominance.
When did this anomaly appear?
Heartless… no. Rather than being heartless, it was more like a creeping sense of "Divinity."
Perhaps, once he had his fill of fleshly pleasures and mortal games, he would completely become a member of the cold, unfeeling "Heavenly Way" (The Dao).
No. That won't do.
A heartless, impartial God was not what Seiran desired to be. This was not the path he wanted to take.
He knew exactly how this indifferent attitude had arisen. It was a direct consequence of his ever-expanding power—a power that could almost disregard the rules of the universe. When you can crush reality with a thought, the struggles of mortals look like the meaningless scuttling of ants.
Since that was the case… Seiran couldn't possibly abandon his power, so he had to deliberately anchor his humanity.
Humanity…
He smiled inexplicably. This was of paramount importance. If he truly lost his human desires, emotions, and flaws in the future, would he still be himself?
Fortunately… Seiran was profoundly grateful that he had the two-dimensional wives he had coveted in his past life. Their devotion, their politics, their warmth, and their bodies… for now, they were more than enough to serve as the heavy anchors keeping Seiran's humanity grounded in reality.
Tokyo: Advanced Nurturing High School (Back Alley)
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji wasn't surprised at all by Kakeru Ryuen's sudden visit.
Standing in the shadows of the alley behind the school, Ayanokoji went straight to the point, asking in his usual deadpan voice, "Did you get what you wanted from the Visual God Cult?"
Upon hearing this, Ryuen, who had been perfectly calm just moments before, instantly flew into a violent rage.
He lunged forward and grabbed Ayanokoji by the face.
In an instant, Ayanokoji's pupils contracted. For the first time in his life, even the Masterpiece of the White Room showed a genuine hint of horror.
Because the hand gripping his face was not human.
Ryuen was no longer the normal delinquent he had been. He was a monster.
Through the gaps in Ryuen's fingers… no, claws… Ayanokoji's vision distorted. He didn't see a high school student. He saw a hallucination overlapping reality: a two-meter-tall, bloated, fleshy monstrosity. Long, barbed whips writhed underneath its skin, and a foul blood mist surged around it. The old, struggling faces of the cultists were gone, absorbed completely. Only a grotesque fleshy lump on the side of its head seemed to be stirring restlessly.
Ryuen had become a miniature, highly-compressed version of the Abomination created by Masuyama. He was a Half-Curse hiding in a human shell.
"As you can see, I've become a monster," Ryuen hissed, his breath smelling of copper and rot. "Perhaps in the eyes of ordinary people like you, I'm still a person. But only I know that I am no longer human."
Ryuen's grip tightened, his claws digging into Ayanokoji's cheeks. "Was this all within your expectations, Ayanokoji!?"
The monster's hoarse, overlapping voice made Ayanokoji's heart leap. There is great, primal terror in the space between life and death. Almost no one can remain perfectly calm when facing an apex predator of the Supernatural Realm.
"...No," Ayanokoji admitted softly, forcing his breathing to remain steady. "I just wanted to use you as bait to lure someone in."
"Lure who in?"
"Minister Daigo Fujiwara."
After hearing that cold, calculating answer, the monster slowly retracted its claws.
In Ayanokoji's eyes, the horrifying illusion faded, and Ryuen returned to his expressionless human form. But now, looking at him closely, Ryuen's expression was very stiff. It looked like a person with facial paralysis attempting to mimic human emotion, or like the rigor mortis of a dead body.
"I joined the Metropolitan Police Department," Ryuen stated bluntly, stepping back.
"Why?" Ayanokoji asked, genuinely surprised.
Ryuen scoffed, surprised by Ayanokoji's "ignorance." He had thought the mastermind knew everything.
"Because they looked at my monstrous form and called me a 'Rookie'."
Upon hearing this, Ayanokoji understood almost instantly. At the same time, a few more doubts and intense surges of ambition arose in his heart.
If the Metropolitan Police Department can look at a terrifying Curse and casually describe it as a 'Rookie', then the MPD must be…
"Can I go to the Metropolitan Police Department with you?" Ayanokoji asked.
Ryuen looked Ayanokoji up and down, revealing a deeply mocking expression.
"You? Why should I bring you?"
Ryuen knew he barely managed to catch the eye of the higher-ups in the MPD because of his special, mutated body. He knew exactly where he stood on the food chain. With his current cursed abilities, even a single Black Crow could easily obliterate him.
So, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka—a mere mortal—what made him so special to the Gods?
"A monster cannot possibly establish himself in the political minefield of the Metropolitan Police Department," Ayanokoji stated matter-of-factly. "You need my wisdom to survive their internal purges."
This was the truth.
Even Ryuen couldn't refute it. Anyone in the MPD with a Black Crow could perceive Ryuen's true nature and identity. He was special as a test subject or a weapon, but his monster status couldn't be erased. He was a disposable tool to them.
A moment of heavy silence followed.
Ryuen felt a bitter sense of being completely controlled again. He had been manipulated as a human, and now, as a monster, he was still being manipulated by this emotionless bastard.
However, Ayanokoji also felt that what he was doing was incredibly risky.
But he had to do it. He had to infiltrate the Metropolitan Police Department. Finding the path to the Supernatural Realm but being unable to enter it was pure torture for a genius of his caliber.
Furthermore, Ayanokoji needed to harness supernatural power to permanently escape his father, Professor Ayanokoji. This was a golden opportunity. He had missed the chance to awaken with Ryuen. If he waited, whether he could ever encounter the supernatural again would depend entirely on luck.
"Take me in," Ayanokoji proposed. "And you can propose to the MPD higher-ups to form a Special Division. A unit specifically designed to recruit and manage 'Infected' or 'Special' individuals like us."
A brilliant suggestion.
Ayanokoji's plan had extreme feasibility. In the future, as the Supernatural Realm bled further into reality, there would likely be many "rookies" or half-curses like Ryuen. Letting them roam free would be a threat to society, while executing them outright would be a waste of resources.
It was better to give them a formal position, leash them, and directly recruit them as an expendable asset to the MPD. A Suicide Squad.
For Ryuen, submitting this proposal would be his massive contribution, solidifying his position and value in the MPD.
"...Okay," Ryuen finally agreed.
His tone was somewhat strained. He hated being manipulated.
However, he still carried certain heavy burdens now. He carried the souls and the last wishes of the old men who had sacrificed themselves so he could live.
I need power to make their sacrifice mean something.
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[AUTHOR NOTE: My some fics are somewhat shadow banned by webnovel like my Naruto fic. Can you guys help me? Just try any other fic of mine and and add to your library if you like them. Have a nice day.]
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