The operative watched helplessly as the nearly indestructible alloy was torn apart with ease.
It was...
Schicksal?
The worst-case scenario took shape in his mind.
Raiden Ryoma even jumped to the conclusion that Schicksal had already gotten its hands on Raiden Mei. Since she had been born with natural Stigmata and a Gem inside her, yet suffered no side effects, they might have already locked her in a laboratory and subjected her to all sorts of torture.
His wild speculation sounded so plausible that he curled up in a corner, utterly dejected. Even when Jiang Cheng explained that he wasn't a Valkyrie from Schicksal, nothing could pull this father out of the depths of despair.
"...Mr. Ryoma?"
Jiang Cheng ventured to speak, but got no response.
"...Uncle Ryoma?"
Still no response.
"...Father-in-law?"
"—Who's your father-in-law?!"
Raiden Ryoma sprang to his feet on reflex. Then he realized he'd overreacted, coughed twice, and forced himself to maintain the dignity of an Anti-Entropy operative.
"...So, you're saying that you have the combat strength of an S-rank Valkyrie, despite appearing out of nowhere, and you have nothing to do with Schicksal?"
He narrowed his eyes and tried to scrutinize the suspicious-looking young man in front of him.
Everyone knew that only Schicksal had individuals with overwhelming personal strength. In particular, the only powerful men around, aside from the unseen Overseer, belonged to Schicksal.
Now, a man this strong had suddenly appeared, sporting conspicuous golden Stigmata, and he claimed to have nothing to do with Schicksal—
Did he think Ryoma was blind—
"—Father."
A familiar, elegant, gentle voice rang out.
The former president of ME Corp saw, with his own eyes, the person he regretted hurting most in his life.
"Mei, is it really... really you?"
Raiden Ryoma cast all his suspicions and conjectures aside and stumbled forward.
His hands trembled as he reached out, wanting to touch his daughter once more, wanting proof that this was real and not a dream.
The daughter he'd thought he'd lost was standing right before him.
At that moment, he swore—
If that young man had saved his daughter, he would give up everything he had in return.
—Then the old father watched as his daughter threw herself into the arms of that young man, whose clothes were disheveled and improperly worn, leaving most of his upper body bare. Yellow highlights streaked his hair, and tattoos marked his skin.
Those beautiful eyes seemed to melt at once in his warmth, turning into a hazy pool of spring water.
Her gaze was so tender it practically dripped with affection.
Jiang Cheng didn't immediately understand what had brought this side out of Raiden Mei.
But he had no intention of pushing her away. He simply accepted the girl's soft, delicate body in his arms.
Her creamy, coconut-like fragrance seemed almost to overflow, and no school uniform could hide it—not even a loose one. She was impossibly soft and supple.
He was almost afraid to look down at Mei, lest he see the cleavage, several times deeper than Kiana's, its alluring pale curves seeming to draw both heart and soul into its depths—more tempting than any abyss in a fairy tale.
"—!!!"
Raiden Ryoma's eyes widened to their limits.
"Father, Mei... has someone she likes now~"
Raiden Mei gently nuzzled Jiang Cheng's arm, her voice as sweet as velvet drenched in the richest honey.
Her words and tone were so captivating that merely listening to her would make anyone's imagination run wild, desperate to know what sort of romantic story she'd been through.
But not Raiden Ryoma.
He only clenched his teeth.
A "crunch, crunch" sound came from his mouth.
The young man who'd once made him feel worried, even afraid—the blazing, boiling red-gold lines that were unquestionably Stigmata—now...
How could this guy get tattoos?!
Only low-level gangsters got tattoos!
Of course,
Raiden Ryoma knew he was being unreasonable, so he didn't dare say it aloud.
Mostly because he could see how much Mei relied on the young man, clinging to his arm without reservation.
There was no doubt that Raiden Mei was completely basking in the warm spring breeze. This was far more passionate than when he'd confessed his feelings to Mei's mother at the fireworks festival.
"—!"
Endure it!
At least the guy was strong.
If Ryoma wasn't mistaken, that young man had saved Mei. A hero-saving-the-beauty story was pretty—
He didn't want to admit it at all!
If there hadn't been other people around, Raiden Ryoma felt that he might have curled up in a corner again.
Then—
"Ah-Cheng~?"
Raiden Ryoma saw another flower-like girl walking toward them through the slowly clearing dust.
Her pink hair was as soft and charming as young cherry blossoms in spring. It brushed against him like petals. Though she was somewhat shorter, she unhesitatingly threw herself into the young man's arms, just like Raiden Mei had.
She pressed herself close to his broad chest.
Her beautiful eyes were like a clear spring beneath the bright light of spring, reflecting Jiang Cheng's straight jaw.
"Mm, Ah-Cheng can carry me now, too~?"
—?!
Watching that young man act so intimately with another girl who was obviously an underage middle schooler, Raiden Ryoma heard a distinct "crunch" from his mouth—as if something had broken.
Mei, what on earth was your taste in men?
Couldn't you learn something from your mother? At least I was still single and widowed at this point!
How could you get together with a harem-seeking guy like this?
And the thing was, he...
He was even into little girls!
P.S. Please, toss me some votes.
For any father, this scene before him should have been the ultimate insult.
46. Jiang Cheng Isn't Into Little Girls—That's His Mom
Raiden Ryoma was screaming inside.
No matter how much he cared about his dignity as a father, there was no way he could stay calm in the face of this.
"Uncle Ryoma, you've got it all wrong."
Another carefree voice appeared out of nowhere. Raiden Ryoma followed it with his gaze and saw yet another beautiful white-haired girl.
He knew her. She was from Siegfried's family—
"—Why are you here, too?"
"I ran into Mei-senpai along the way, so I decided to join in. Anyway, that's the long and short of this messy story..."
"But don't let the weird circumstances fool you. This young lady is absolutely indispensable! Jiang Cheng was even in my arms back then!"
Kiana lifted her head proudly, her beautifully shaped chin practically pointing at the ceiling.
"..."
In her arms...
Raiden Ryoma looked at the young man. He wasn't exactly a bodybuilder, but he was certainly tall and imposing.
Was that really necessary? And... was carrying a man around something a girl should be proud of?
"Uncle Ryoma, you seemed to recognize me the moment you saw me. Do you know Stinky Old Man, too?"
"Ahem."
Raiden Ryoma immediately coughed twice, silently apologizing to Siegfried.
—Brother Siegfried, I can't save your daughter.
He looked up and stared into Kiana's eyes. They still seemed vacant and clueless, lacking any trace of perceptiveness. He pretended to look oblivious.
"Haha, how could that be? It's not like this world is so small that you'd run into someone you knew just by taking a walk. It's just rare to see a beautiful foreign girl like you."
—That was a lie.
This was an international metropolis, connected to the rest of the world, with a permanent population in the tens of millions.
But that didn't stop Raiden Ryoma from changing the subject.
"Anyway, miss, what did you mean when you said I had it wrong? Are you saying... that guy isn't into little girls?"
"His name is Jiang Cheng, not 'that guy.'"
Kiana corrected him, her usual carefree expression fading for a moment.
"Ah... Jiang Cheng. His name is Jiang Cheng."
Raiden Ryoma hurriedly corrected himself.
"As for being into little girls, Jiang Cheng would never do that. That adorable girl over there is Cyrene, Jiang Cheng's guardian. You can think of her as... his mom."
Kiana pointed at the three of them, who were embracing one another, though Raiden Mei's fingers were nearly tangled together with his.
"???"
Raiden Ryoma slowly formed three question marks.
What was she talking about?
"Cyrene and Jiang Cheng both acknowledge that fact. Jiang Cheng is terrible at looking after himself," Kiana explained.
—A little-girl mom?
Was he living the life a little too well?
Raiden Ryoma silently popped his dislocated jaw back into place and did his best to maintain a dignified expression.
"I understand."
"So, what happened between Jiang Cheng and Mei?"
"That's a story I'm incredibly proud of~" Kiana raised her head and puffed out her chest, her beautifully shaped chin held high with confidence. "Let this young lady tell it to you properly..."
"..."
"Great story. Next time, don't tell it."
Before you continue