Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
"Thanks? I really wasn't expecting that." I said, genuinely surprised. Miorine snorted as she grabbed a chair and carelessly plopped down.
"Yes, thank you. Do you know how long I was trying to escape my father? He sending me all the way to Japan is the best thing that could have happened." Miorine said with a small, satisfied smile. I raised an eyebrow.
"You're engaged to me, he's not releasing you in the slightest." I said easily, she wrinkled her nose.
"I am, but that's the least important thing. You're definitely a better option than Guel Jeturk. Anyone is a better option than Jeturk," Miorine scoffed. "While I was in Asticassia, my father completely controlled me. I had his idiot bodyguards following me everywhere. He won't have that same power in Japan, so it's a relief," Miorine added. I raised an eyebrow.
"I'm sure you're under close surveillance. If it's not someone working for your father, it's definitely someone from the Zenin. They're working together; they both want this alliance, so they wouldn't risk leaving you unguarded." I pointed easily, and Miorine nodded.
"Of course they do, but that doesn't change anything at all. Father needs this commitment, he needs this union no matter what happens. That gives me a lot of leeway to do what I want. He won't kick me out of UA no matter what unless I do something really serious."
"His spies can tell him whatever they want, but it won't change anything in my personal or academic life. I understand that Principal Nezu is impossible to bribe, so my father won't be able to use his influence within UA."
"While I'm here, I'm protected and freer than ever before. It's a huge relief, a world of difference from what I had in Asticassia, at least until I decide what to do." Miorine sighed, completely exhausted. I looked at her curiously. She... wasn't really wrong.
"I see, I can't really comment on your life, but Nezu can definitely take care of you. He's very protective of his students, so he won't let himself be pressured by your father's power." I said honestly, and Miorine smiled petulantly as she nodded.
"Yes, and it's perfect. Our relationship doesn't matter either. This is a purely business arrangement. You can live your life, I'll live mine. It seems you have your hands full with so many partners." Miorine said mockingly as she looked at the girls until her gaze fell on Darkness before she blushed slightly and looked away once more.
"Hmm, if that's what you want, I won't force any relationship between us, but I do have a few questions." I said with a soft hum. Miorine frowned, but nodded. "I suppose this Guel Jeturk is your former fiancé, isn't he? Was he chosen by your father? Were there any conditions for choosing your fiancé? And the most important question: what role does your fiancé play? I doubt your father would want to give control of the Benerit Group to a man." I asked immediately, and Miorine snorted loudly.
"I'll answer the other way around. First, my father would relinquish control to anyone who proves worthy, man or woman. The only good thing about my father is that she doesn't discriminate based on gender, only on how useful people can be to him." Miorine snorted. "Most of the time, it's me, but if he finds someone better, he really wouldn't hesitate to leave me as decoration and hand over all the power to the person who marries me."
"That would be the next answer to the question. The most important thing for him is that they prove to be useful. In Asticassia, a university founded relatively recently, a couple of decades ago, a recommendation from a company affiliated with the Benerit Group is needed for admission."
"The companies within the Benerit group operate entirely on how profitable and successful a corporation is; greater success means greater influence within the group, and the top three receive special recognition."
"Meritocracy in its purest form," Miorine said dismissively. "Asticassia, as a university linked to the Benerit Group, tries to teach and reflect exactly that in order to... prepare students for what awaits them in the future. Therefore, they create a huge, year-long simulation where students run their own companies or corporations and try to climb the corporate ladder by achieving the highest financial returns."
"My father decided that whoever stayed in first place in that simulation would be my fiancé, and of course, he didn't let me participate in that stupid simulation so as not to 'ruin' it."
"Guel Jeturk, heir to Jeturk Heavy Machinery, came in first place in that simulation, so he automatically became my fiancé," Miorine said with a smile. I looked at her in surprise.
"That sounds awful," Ruby said, completely horrified and pale. "They make them run fictitious companies? How terrible!" Ruby said, shuddering. I snorted, amused.
That… actually made a lot more sense than in the series. I mean, I like Gundam: The Witch of Mercury, but I never understood why Delling decided that the Holder, the best Mobile Suit pilot, should be Miorine's fiancé to inherit the Benerit Group.
What did knowing how to pilot a mecha dozens of meters tall and weighing several tons have to do with running a conglomerate? Absolutely nothing, and Suletta was exactly the answer to that. Suletta was an excellent Mobile Suit pilot, but she definitely wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed when it came to business.
Yes, there was the explanation that he wanted someone powerful to keep Miorine safe, but that was an even worse explanation. The Guel from the beginning was a complete idiot, arrogant, insulting, and narcissistic, who destroyed Miorine's greenhouse without caring about anything. Guel was just as bad as, or worse than, Delling; he was definitely the worst option to keep Miorine safe.
Now, the question was, which side of the spectrum was Delling on? A complete idiot or a protective father? He could be both. That aside, he seriously doubted that anything like Quiet Zero even existed, and he didn't even know if Prospera and Suletta existed to carry out such a plan. I really needed to start investigating this further; the last thing I wanted was to get caught up in a plot to rewrite the entire world.
"And now you're here, engaged to me, which, I'll admit without any shame, that while I'm smart enough to be at the top of my class, I'm definitely not smart enough to run anything at all, much less a conglomerate," I said honestly. My mother had a knack for business; even without her Quirk, her stores wouldn't have been profitable if she hadn't had a certain level of management skills.
Me? I was absolutely terrible at it, and more importantly, I wasn't the least bit attracted to the idea of managing anything. If it were absolutely necessary, I'd be able to learn enough to survive, or even more if I cheated with Observation Haki, but nothing more, and I would hate it every second.
"Because you're profitable," Miorine said dryly. "First and foremost, you're Ryuma Shimotsuki's grandson. Even if I don't care about the whole hero, hunter, and rank thing, I know it's damn important worldwide, and it's been proven."
"In case you didn't know, our engagement was made public to the entire Benerit Group and the general public yesterday. My father didn't even want to wait, much less confirm anything. That news alone increased the Benerit Group's profits by almost 5%," Miorine said firmly. I heard Azula whistle in amazement. I had no idea if that was really a lot.
There was also the fact that Delling Rembran was genuinely convinced I was engaged to Miorine. I hadn't signed anything at all, so any deal Delling had was made entirely with the Zenin, and Delling considered it legal enough to make public. Annoying.
"But most importantly, it's the entry into Japan thanks to the Zenin," Miorine continued. "My father hopes to establish himself in Japan with the Zenin's help. While the Benerit group could manage it alone, the Zenin clan's assistance would drastically reduce costs and timelines, potentially even years. They have contacts, and I understand that the Detnerat company will soon be joining the Benerit group."
"And that's just the beginning. I have no doubt that my father will try to expand even further and absorb as many companies and corporations as he can in Japan before moving on to the rest of Asia. As long as he's making a profit, it's impossible for him to stop." The Miorine Group grimaced. I grimaced. It shouldn't surprise me in the slightest that the Zenin family has ties to Detnerat, especially given what's behind that company.
"Detnerat? You know they're Quirk supremacists, right?" I asked with a doll, Miorine's eyes widened.
"Wait, what?" Miorine asked, confused. I sighed.
"It's not common knowledge, in fact... it's not any kind of knowledge, very few people know it, but its president and CEO is a direct descendant of Destro." I said solemnly.
"Destro!?" Miorine asked. It was good that she knew about history, unlike Ruby's confused look. I almost wanted to sigh at that.
"Yes, Destro, and she calls herself Re-Destro, she has the same ideals as her ancestor, and from what I understand, she refounded the Meta Liberation Army. I don't know to what extent it's successful, but definitely, Detnerat is just a front. I mean, the company is definitely profitable, but I don't know to what extent all its members belong to the MLA." I said with a frown.
Hmm… maybe… I should mention that to Nezu. I didn't know when Re-Destro would make a move. The League of Villains no longer operated in Japan, so there was no need for Re-Destro to move against them and start a conflict between the two sides. Therefore, Re-Destro and the MLA should remain hidden for several more years.
"How... how do you know that?" Miorine asked, completely surprised. I just smiled at her.
"I have my connections too." I said playfully, I heard the girls snort, I just ignored them.
"Ugh, supremacists." Miorine grumbled, running a hand over her face. "Even if I called my father right now, he wouldn't back down from trying to bring the Detnerat into the group. Like I said, as long as he's making a profit, he couldn't care less about anything else." Miorine snarled with a grimace of disgust.
"Hmm, everything will be exactly the same if... the Zenin clan disappears?" I asked with a hum, Miorine froze for a few seconds.
"What?" I asked stupidly, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't like the Zenin Clan. If they become an even bigger nuisance, I really won't hesitate to get rid of them." I said completely honestly, and Miorine's eyes widened slightly.
"You... are you going to kill them?" Miorine asked, almost horrified. "I mean, I... I don't like my father, but I definitely wouldn't go so far as to become a murderer," Miorine said almost in a hiss. I snorted.
"No one said anything about killing them." I lied blatantly. I suppose this Miorine is sensitive to death here too, even if people like the Zenin deserved it. "I simply said get rid of them. There are many ways to do it without killing them. I have some ideas."
"They are not my family, they are absolutely nothing to me, the Zenin are completely Feminist, almost to the point of Misandry, for them, all men are weak and should obey their orders, I didn't even know that they had already finished 'officializing' the papers of our 'engagement', enough for your father to make them public, all without even notifying me beforehand."
"Everyone in the clan is solely focused on personal strength. If you have a strong quirk or good combat skills, then you're useful to the clan. Otherwise, you're trash, you'll be treated like trash, and you'll live like trash."
"My mother has a food quirk and no combat talent. She was the trash of the Zenin clan until she was expelled when she came of age. The Zenin hated her for being weak, and my mother wanted nothing to do with them after being expelled."
"They didn't even move when I was born, a man with a food quirk, they just ignored me, but now that they know about my potential, they just came, blackmailed my mother, threatened my family and are forcing me to marry people they want to choose, just to control me."
"So yes, if the Zenin decide to cross a line of no return, I won't hesitate to get rid of them all." I said without any emotion. Miorine trembled slightly, pale, clenched her teeth, but nodded.
"I understand." Miorine sighed before making a face of disgust. "I'll repeat myself, ugh, supremacists. I suppose their alliance with Detnerat makes sense now; they're cut from the same cloth." Miorine grunted, her pallor vanishing as she sighed in relief. "My father may be a complete meritocratic idiot, but at least he's not racist. Even so, he wouldn't hesitate to eliminate or bankrupt someone who doesn't bring him any benefit."
"Even so, putting that aside, I would ask for at least a warning before you decide to get rid of them." Miorine said easily, and I raised an eyebrow.
"You're much calmer than I expected," I said, surprised. She shrugged.
"I'm not hypocritical enough not to recognize that you're doing the exact same thing I am," Miorine said dryly. "I planned to escape Asticassia to escape my father's control. Your... plan is certainly different, but with the same goal, so yes, I have no problem with you working it out your way. Besides, escaping from here would be easier," Miorine said matter-of-factly.
"And is it necessary to escape?" Azula asked, intervening for the first time.
"Of course, aside from the fact that I don't intend to marry anyone my father wants, I don't want anything to do with him and his stupid conglomerate; it's all he thinks about." Miorine grumbled.
"I didn't mean it that way," Azula hummed before smiling broadly. "Yes, let's say... Izumi becomes the legal heir of the Zenin Clan, and then... all the clan members disappear, he would be the sole heir and become the clan leader. He would have all the resources, he could keep the contract with the Benerit group going, that would mean everything would stay the same."
"I doubt your father cares about the change in leadership as long as he gets what he wants." Azula said with a sadistic smile. Miorine paused for a moment before snorting and nodding. I grimaced at the thought.
"Yes, he definitely wouldn't mind." Miorine snorted before looking at me. "But that means you'll manage to be the heir, but you just said they're feminist enough that I think you won't be able to do it." She said cautiously, and I snorted.
"They are, but they respect strength much more. The Zenin Clan may have several S-Ranks, but I'm confident I can defeat them, at least 90% sure I can." I said while wrinkling my face.
I had never seen the Zenin before; all the knowledge I had about them was simply meta-knowledge. If their cursed techniques became their quirks in this world, then I would have a huge advantage, enough to know that they are not really a problem when it comes to fighting.
As long as they didn't have any secrets, which they definitely would, the Zenin are like cockroaches and guarded their secrets very jealously, they would definitely have one or two things hidden, even so, there were very few things that would make them feel in danger of fighting.
Even so, the last thing I wanted was to become the Zenin heir. Honestly, I didn't want anything to do with them. I was perfectly happy when we ignored each other. But I suppose that was impossible at this point.
I really hated the irony of the whole thing. It almost felt like some kind of divine punishment or something. I'd already thought about it when I'd acquired Ten Shadows from a damn rune. Of all the quirks I could have gotten, I just happened to get one identical to the hereditary technique of the canonical clan.
It was almost laughable, as if the damn universe was trying to tell me something. My mother was in Toji Fushiguro's position, while I was in Megumi's. It almost seemed like getting Ten Shadows was completely a matter of fate, and I absolutely hated it.
I clicked my tongue as I erased those thoughts from my head.
"And if they still refuse to name me as heir, I have... some ideas to change it anyway so that it benefits me." I said vaguely as I began to plot.
"Well, whatever your plan is for dealing with the Zenin, I'd like some early notice so I can prepare," Miorine finally said.
"I'll let you know," I said easily. "To finish up, how do you want our... interaction at university to be?" I asked cautiously. Miorine frowned before shrugging.
"I couldn't care less, you don't seem like a complete idiot, so I won't need to completely ignore you," Miorine said simply. I snorted.
"Thank you for the vote of confidence." I said dryly. Miorine laughed slightly before standing up.
"I suppose that's all. There's... a lot to think about, for both of us. I'll go back to my dorm. You can contact me anytime, or you can find me in the dorm or the Administration building," Miorine said easily. I hummed softly as I nodded, took out my scroll, and tossed it to her.
"Your number," I said simply. Miorine looked at my scroll curiously before awkwardly opening it. True, scrolls were something only heroes and hunters normally used. A civilian had no need for something capable of measuring aura levels.
"Okay, meeting you was a greater pleasure than I expected," Miorine said easily. I nodded as I took the Scroll she was extending. I nodded as I stood up.
"I'll walk you to the exit," I said with a hum.
"It's not necessary, I know the way out," Miorine said, shaking her head. "See you, Miyamura. I hope this... union is fruitful for both of us," she added before turning and leaving the room.
We remained silent for a few seconds before Taylor sighed.
"Another girl with a problem with her parents, you really have a type, Izumi." Taylor mocked, and I groaned loudly.
"Don't remind me, this is becoming a really bad cliché, and it's not even my fault." I groaned heavily with regret. It really wasn't.
"Also,, another foreigner." Azula pointed mockingly, and I groaned loudly again.
"Once again, this time it wasn't my fault." I defended myself with a groan.
"She was cute," Ruby said with a smile. I sighed.
"Yes, she is." I said while shrugging, I wasn't going to deny it, Miorine was really beautiful.
"Does that mean you're going to try to seduce her?" Ruby asked excitedly. I snorted.
"You're more excited than I am," I said dryly. Ruby just smiled broadly. "And no, for starters, I haven't seduced anyone, but somehow I keep getting more girlfriends," I added. I could hear them all snort loudly. I pouted. Really, I hadn't seduced anyone!
"Tch, you nuisances, get out of the room, I have to attend to Darkness!" I said, shooing them away. I saw Darkness shudder slightly; she had been trembling silently beside me throughout the conversation. I suppose she needs a reward.
"Great! But don't think we're forgetting the most important thing, that you and Taylor are married!" Ruby exclaimed while pointing her finger accusingly at me.
"Okay, we'll talk as soon as I'm done... and as soon as I finish cleaning." I sighed wearily as I remembered I still had a punishment to serve.