Umaru's Former Life (Not Really)

Ryunosuke Akasaka: "..."

There was no helping it. Looking at the enormous study on the screen—Sogo Doma's—along with its seemingly understated but actually incredibly luxurious decor, Ryunosuke Akasaka felt a pang of envy.

That excuse had absolutely no credibility! You bastard, where you live might not be Chiyoda or Minato Ward, but it's still one of Tokyo's famous residential neighborhoods. It's incredibly convenient for both school and work, and you could even call it prime real estate...

Then there was Ryunosuke Akasaka, living in an apartment assigned by the school. It was in Sakurasou, no less, where all the weirdos gathered. His room was less than eight square meters, and it didn't get much sunlight. Come to think of it, he was practically a senior member of society already, having taken part in project development—so why were their living conditions so different?

He hadn't really thought much of it before, but now that Sogo had brought it up, Ryunosuke Akasaka was feeling pretty bad. Sure enough, there was no pain without comparison...

Maybe he should get himself a place, too? But then he thought about the problem of meals, and Ryunosuke Akasaka backed down again. After all, Sakurasou provided food!

Besides, according to Akasaka's calculations, even he would have to take out a mortgage lasting more than ten years to buy a detached house like Sogo Doma's. An ordinary office worker wouldn't be able to pay one off in less than forty or fifty years.

And that didn't even include renovations. If he wanted the place to look as good as Sogo Doma's, then—hey, wake up. Stop dreaming.

With living conditions like that, Sogo Doma had the nerve to say, "I can still live here"?

Ahem. With a place like that, and you're still complaining? You must be hoping to move into the Imperial Palace.

Ignoring Ryunosuke Akasaka's pained expression, Sogo Doma lamented, "I'm an honest, law-abiding person. All that talk about me taking a bite out of the Shinomiya Family is just a rumor. You know I still have an imouto to support..."

In truth, Sogo Doma really did feel wronged. Did taking advantage of the internet bubble count as taking a bite out of them? He'd simply predicted that it was about to burst and got out early. How had that turned into him invading the Shinomiya Family?

Sure enough, they were a family of petty-minded people. No wonder Kaguya Shinomiya could hold a grudge for so long over such a trivial matter.

But he hadn't considered that every time a bubble burst, the Doma Family had already had its fill, while the Shinomiya Family hadn't even gotten a taste of the broth and had ended up with mud on their faces. Once or twice was one thing, but after it happened so many times, anyone would get suspicious. As it was, the only rumor going around was that the Doma Family had invaded the Shinomiya Family twice—that was already pretty restrained. Of course, those rumors were only being spread by the Shinomiya cadet branches.

There was no helping it. After a few bubbles, the Shinomiya Family had figured out that the Doma Family was setting traps, but the traps were just too tempting. The Doma Family was making a killing, and that only whetted the Shinomiya Family's appetite...

But every time the Shinomiya Family entered the market full of confidence, Keiryu Doma would outmaneuver them, leaving them with nothing. If you told the Shinomiya Family no one had leaked information, they wouldn't believe you even if you beat them to death.

But the Shinomiya Family had never been able to find out who the leak was. Over time, rumors that the Doma Family was invading the Shinomiya Family started to spread. But rumors were useless. As one of the biggest beneficiaries of the capital market, they had to abide by the rules of the game.

The people in the Shinomiya Family all thought Keiryu Doma was the one pulling the strings with his cunning and experience. Only Ryunosuke Akasaka, who had heard about it, had more or less guessed that Sogo Doma had to be involved.

Still, he hadn't figured out how Sogo Doma had managed to invade the Shinomiya Family. Bringing it up today was just a way to see if he could get a reaction.

If Sogo Doma knew what Ryunosuke Akasaka was thinking, he'd have laughed out loud. So what if you're the darling of the times? He, Sogo Doma, hadn't invaded anyone. He just had memories of his previous life, which let him more or less predict the Shinomiya Family's moves, and he'd dug a few traps along the way.

The Shinomiya Family had deep pockets. What was the harm in him following along and taking a few bites? He could think of it as compensation for the Shinomiya Family slandering him.

Of course, digging a pit and burying someone in it was something best kept to yourself. No matter who asked, he had to deny everything. The Shinomiya Family might be one of the guardians of the rules of the game, but money had a way of moving people.

It had been fine when the Doma Family was there to shelter him. But now that he'd left, who knew what the Shinomiya Family might do? Even if the main family wouldn't act for the sake of appearances, Sogo was sure there were plenty of people in the cadet branches he'd tricked who'd be happy to teach him a lesson.

He wasn't afraid, but his foolish imouto was with him. If she got caught up in it, too, then maybe Sogo Doma really would destroy the world.

Now that he thought about it, leaving the Doma Main Family might not have been the best choice. As long as Keiryu Doma was around and the Doma Main Family still existed, the Shinomiya Family could do nothing but sit and watch, unless they'd gone completely mad.

Fortunately, only Keiryu Doma and Taihei Doma knew that Sogo had tricked the Shinomiya Family. Keiryu Doma had even taken credit for it himself, claiming it was thanks to his shrewdness and foresight. Thinking about it now, the old man had probably been trying to protect him.

Thinking back carefully, the fact that he'd provoked so many family heads and still come out unscathed was probably thanks to the old man's deliberate protection, too. Once he thought about it that way, he couldn't help feeling that he'd let the old man down.

Still, he'd already chosen to take that useless imouto with him, so he might as well see it through. Perhaps that was what the old man had wanted, too.

Coming back to himself, Sogo Doma continued to lament, "My poor little sister. She's been through so much because of me..."

Ryunosuke Akasaka: "#^_^"

Enough already. It hadn't been that long since you left the Doma Main Family. Even if she'd suffered, it was too soon to be saying that now, wasn't it?

But once Sogo Doma got started, he couldn't stop.

"She should've been a young lady living in Chiyoda. She'd have been chauffeured around in nothing less than a Rolls-Royce. In her spare time, she'd have her own private library, where she could sit with a book and pour herself a cup of tea. Akasaka, can you picture it? In the afternoon sunlight, my adorable imouto would quietly read a book and sip her tea..."

"That's the life she should've had. But look at her now..."

At that moment, the hamster being described was holding a game controller.

"Wahahaha... Die, Onii-chan Number One! Onii-chan Number Two!"

Ahem.

Moving on, moving on...

Ryunosuke Akasaka: "#@_@"

For some reason, he'd almost been unable to stop himself from making a snarky comment. But considering the assets of the Doma Main Family, Sogo-san's little sister really was that kind of young lady.

"Foolish imouto, be grateful. I've made you look good again," Sogo Doma thought, before continuing:

"My imouto actually apologized to me today for spending money in a game. You have to understand, she's the treasure of the Doma Family! And she, she actually apologized for spending money in a game. Tell me, if I had money, would I have let things get this way? I've failed her..."

At that moment,

the treasure of the Doma Family was thinking: "I'm thirsty. What should I drink? Hmm... A nice cold Coke is still the best! Burp..."

--

Fortunately, Ryunosuke Akasaka wasn't there in person. Otherwise, this treasure...

But wasn't Sogo Doma's little sister supposed to be a rich young lady? Why was she playing video games!?