17 Soichiro Takagi - Takagi's Estate I

Yuriko ordered her people to open the fence so the bus could go through and after that, she guided us towards the Takagi Estate. Instead of parking the bus inside the place, we left it at the entrance, not wanting to have any issues later on with someone checking it "in case it was dangerous" and something disappearing from inside.

Yuriko, just like she promised, didn't mention anything about the bus's modifications to absolutely anyone. They were each assigned a room in their house and, since Soichiro wasn't around at the moment, Yuriko had a conversation with Ryo.

"My... husband has tried to keep as many people as possible safe" Yuriko said as they walked through their... humble abode. "But he sacrificed many things doing that... Saya was one we thought he sacrificed"

Ryo thought on her words silently, finding their wording weird. Yuriko seemed reluctant to refer to Soichiro as her husband, and then when talking about the people living in their State she talked about him in singular, never saying "we".

'It can't be...' Ryo looked at Yuriko as he thought about the crazy guess he had come up with. He thought that he was risking it, but still decided to comment on it. People don't drop hints like those accidentally. "Yuriko-san... are you perhaps hinting at something with those words?"

Yuriko looked at me slightly surprised, but then she released a foxy smile. I could smell trouble coming. "I actually didn't expect you to be brave enough to comment on that... Hashimoto-kun"

"Ryo. If you're going to drop a bomb on me at least call me by my name" Ryo said with total confidence in himself. Yuriko understood how so many girls gathered around him. If you give an Adonys a good personality and attitude, he'll be a magnet no matter where he is. "Then you must call me Yuriko too, Ryo-kun"

"Are you trying to get your husband angry at me or something like that... Yuriko-san?" Ryo said while smiling wryly. Yet the fact that he had called her by her name meant that he was up for it. Yuriko just smiled and chuckled softly. "Come with me, Ryo-kun. I'll tell you a story..."

Ryo followed Yuriko into a room that had a few chairs and a small table. It looked like a victorian room for meeting and tea-time. As soon as they got in, she motioned me to sit down and went towards a stove on the side to prepare some tea. After a few moments of silence, she came back with a tray that had two cups of tea and a few muffins.

"Where do I begin..."

Apprently, Yuriko had an arranged marriage with Soichiro because of their mothers, rather than their fathers. Soichiro had been a cold man towards her, but he was possessive of her and didn't allow her much interaction with other people outside of the house. It was also his decision not to search for Saya, in spite of how much Yuriko begged him to, because he wanted to increase his standing in the eyes of the people.

"So much for an ultra-nationalist... he's just a bastard that seeks nothing but power" Yuriko said as she began tearing up. Ryo, being none the wiser, stood up and hugged her towards his chest. "There, there... you're a grown woman for me to be treating you like a little girl, Yuriko-san"

She, in turn, just sobbed for a few more minutes before cleaning her face. Seeing her acting so vulnerable, Ryo couldn't help but think about how troublesome women were, making him want to protect them. He almost fell on his butt when he heard what Yuriko said. "Ryo-kun... if you act so kindly towards a troubled lady like me, I won't be able to help it but to fall for you, you know?"

"That wasn't my intention at all, Yuriko-san... but it would explain many things" Ryo answered as he looked out the window thoughtfully. Yuriko couldn't help but chuckle at how assertive yet dense he could be. He hadn't even realized that his actions were what made those girl so close to him.

Ryo let go of Yuriko quickly when they heard a motor sound. It was probably Soichiro who had finally arrived. Ryo knew, thank to his conversation with Yuriko, that Soichiro would do his best to establish his superiority over him and his group. But who was Ryo? He hadn't killed over 80 undead in one go to be treated like air.

"By the way, those undead I found dead around you earlier today..." Yuriko said before they left the room. She was curious about it for a while, but didn't have a moment to ask. "Did you run over them with the bus?"

Ryo gave one look towards Yuriko. It wasn't either the kind and caring one from a few moments before, nor the cold yet hurt one she had seen when he reprimanded Saya. This one was a cold look that promised death.

"Those we killed with our own hands, Yuriko-san"

*

Ryo went downstairs with Saya and Yuriko, wanting to see what Soichiro would do. Before he could though, he heard a commotion happening to the side. He saw Kouta arguing with some people who apparently were trying to take their guns away. Ryo walked up to them and stood behind Kouta, staring at the men with the same eyes he had answered Yuriko. He was angry.

After listening to Yuriko's story and getting to know what kind of man Soichiro was, Ryo was really angry. After all, the man was a power hungry politician. And if that wasn't enough to annoy Ryo, he had to be the kind of person who didn't care about his family at all. As someone who lost his family and cared about it more than anything in the world, Ryo couldn't stand people like Soichiro Takagi.

"What is going on here?" asked a harsh, deep voice as it got closer to them. Ryo looked towards the source and saw a man with a face that fit the voice, strong and sharp. He anwered without a hint of respect. "Soichiro, I assume"

The man in question looked at Ryo from top to bottom, trying to discern his character, but he got an answer only when he reached his eyes. It was clear to him that for whatever reason, Ryo had a problem with him. It was either that, or the fact that he was feeling pressured by the kid.

"Yes, that would be me" he answered, trying to remain as neutral as possible. Ryo, on the other hand, extended his arm and pointed to one of Soichiro's men. "Tell your people to stay away from us and our things. We found those weapons, we keep them"

Soichiro looked at the situation again and mistook it for some kids not knowing what was better for themselves, just being willful in keeping their weapons as toys. He walked up to Ryo and tried to put a hand on his shoulder, wanting to pacify the teen... but the moment his hand got close to Ryo, his sight turned upside down and he felt like he wasn't stepping on anything.

*THUD*

Soichiro's head hit the ground. Hard.

"Sorry, So-i-chi-ro-san" Ryo said once again, accentuatin each syllable on Soichiro's name. "My name is Hashimoto Ryo, and I'm the one that got your daughter here safely. I'd rather you don't see me as 'just a kid'... lest you end up like the last guy"

"Are you... did you just threaten me?!" Soichiro said, instantly loosing all hint of calmness he had. A fucking kid had just attacked and threatened him! Soichiro drew his sword, which prompted Ryo to check his stats.

[Name: Takagi Soichiro

Level: 1

Strength: 15

Agility: 13

Intelligence: 15

Dexterity: 12

Charisma: 16

Skills: <Kenjutsu (Experienced)> <Driving (Expert)> <CQC (Experienced)>]

Ryo thought that the man had good skills, but why was his Kenjutsu only in (Experienced)? Was there perhaps a bottleneck too hard to break between that and (Expert)? He didn't have time to thing about it because a slash was coming in his direction. Everyone who had traveled with the MC screamed in horror, thinking he would die. What they didn't expect was that Ryo used his boot's sole to kick the sword away, effectively disarming Soichiro.

The man knew how to defend himself, yes. But fighting Ryo, who had <Immesurable Talent>, was like feeding your enemy. Ryo, in a repetition of what happened to Shido, only defended and dodged Soichiro's hits for the first couple exchanges. Then, when he realized he wouldn't get too much from it, he grabbed Soichiro's fist and kneed him in the gut. Without giving the man any rest, Ryo propered him a punch to the liver followed by a one-two to the face. To finish him off, he turned quickly and gave him a round-house straight to the temple. Soichiro fell to the ground, unconscious.

"I told him to leave us alone, but he had to be like that" said Ryo as he walked into the house, not caring about the stares everyone was giving him. Yuriko and Saya being the most surprised, since they hadn't ever seen anyone beat Soichiro like that, so one-sidedly.

People's respect for Soichiro was surely going to lower with that. Ryo's plan was simple. Show how unworthy of his position and power Soichiro was in the current world. He would tear his small kingdom apart from the inside and, when he was alone and came to search for help in his family, he would realize how foolish he was.

'Just a few hours... that is how easily this kind of stupid power disappears' Ryo thought to himself as he thought of how fragile the politician's positions were. 'They take years to build an empire... and it crumbles in a matter of minutes'

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So yeah... I like this chapter. Ryo acted emotionally instead of smartly, but he IS a teenager and he IS angry.