It was clear that Kogoro's worries were entirely unnecessary because there was no way he was going to be underpaid after all this.
Especially after the Queen herself confirmed that Princess Mira and Ran had no blood relation whatsoever, his payment was not only secure but came with a hefty bonus on top.
However, Ryuji didn't get to enjoy that amusement for long, because before he knew it, Kogoro had realized something crucial.
"Ran! Why are you with this guy!?"
Seeing his daughter wrapped in Ryuji's arm made Kogoro's entire face twitch. He might have had a good impression of Ryuji but that didn't mean he'd ever agree to let his precious daughter marry him!
Those were two completely different things!
He didn't even know who Ryuji really was or where he came from, so how could he possibly approve of something this outrageous?
Besides, even that brat Kudo Shinichi didn't succeed in doing anything to his daughter, so how the hell did this guy already have his hands all over her… even her butt?!
"Um, Dad… there's a reason for this. But right now, that's not the most important thing, is it?"
Ran's voice trembled nervously.
"Well, actually, I was planning to tell you in a few days, Uncle," Ryuji said with a smile, "and discuss everything properly with you."
"I..."
But before Ryuji could even finish his sentence, Ran quickly covered his mouth with her hand, biting her lip and giving her father a helpless look.
"Please, don't."
Her eyes were filled with frustration and resignation. She could accept Ryuji's womanizing ways but she knew her parents never would. And more importantly, she knew Ryuji wasn't going to change anytime soon.
That's why Ran's plan was simple: she would wait until they already had a child together before telling her parents the truth. At that point, whether they liked it or not, they'd have no choice but to accept it.
After all… Ran had always longed for warmth from her parents, and maybe deep down, she wanted to rebel a little too.
"Hmph! Don't even think about making me approve of that punk!"
Kogoro crossed his arms stubbornly.
Honestly, he still thought Ryuji wasn't a bad guy, but a father's instinct was universal. The moment someone tried to touch his beloved daughter, it was like a direct attack on himself.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it…"
Ran sighed, finally letting go of Ryuji's arm. She gave him an apologetic smile before walking over to her father's side.
She couldn't abandon her dad, no matter how much she loved Ryuji.
Ryuji didn't mind at all. He simply nodded to Ran, then turned his attention elsewhere, letting the matter drop entirely.
He sat quietly, waiting for Queen Sakura to finish dealing with the aftermath of the coup.
The rest was straightforward, the traitorous nobles that sided with Mira's uncle were swiftly tried and sentenced. There weren't many of them, so the entire process moved quickly.
And before long, they were all executed.
To most of Vespania's citizens, it was little more than a political change, the coronation of their new queen and the execution of a treacherous duke. Life continued as usual, peaceful and undisturbed.
However, in the preparation room before the coronation ceremony, Mira was furiously grinding her high heel into Ryuji's foot.
She was about to step onto the stage for her coronation and yet this man had the audacity to finish inside her!
"You bastard… I told you, if you can't hold it in, at least cum in my mouth! What am I supposed to do now?!"
Mira was frantically trying to clean herself up, but there was simply too much. There was no way she'd be able to fix this mess in time.
"This is a very important day! And my mother's watching too!"
Ever since learning from her revived mother that Queen Sakura had one year of life restored, and her brother one month, Mira had become incredibly obedient toward Ryuji.
It wasn't just because of what he told her, that reviving others consumed his own lifespan but because she could tell he genuinely cared for her.
That understanding made her forgive him, even when he fucked her moments before her coronation.
"Sorry, sorry, I just… couldn't hold back."
Ryuji scratched his head awkwardly. Mira was about to become queen, and the whole thing gave him a strange kind of thrill. He'd slept with plenty of princesses before… but a queen? That was new.
After cleaning herself up as best she could, Mira checked the time and her expression turned pale. She shot Ryuji a glare, stomped on his foot one more time with her high heel, and bolted for the door.
"You're the worst! You absolute bastard!"
Ryuji thought about using his flames to clean things up a little but she was already gone, leaving him standing there helplessly.
And so, the new Queen of Vespania completed her coronation ceremony… with traces of Ryuji's semen dripping down her thighs.
Ryuji, on the other hand, spent the next two days living an utterly shameless life of pleasure. And didn't go back even when Ran returned to Japan.
But before long, he had to return to Japan, because Misato sent word.
"I've detected the aura of the World's Power," Misato said over the phone, her tone serious.
"It's been lingering steadily in one place."
She paused for a moment before continuing.
"Also, the couples you left behind in Japan are looking for you, something about you promising to train them. And… do you still want those women in your basement?"
That snapped Ryuji right out of his blissful daze. He jumped off the queen's bed, gathered the gear he needed, and prepared to head back to Japan immediately.
Partnerships and diplomacy could wait, his top priority was completing the World Mission. Only by doing so could he continue to develop and explore this world freely, without constantly worrying about the "World Power" noticing him and wiping him out.
Ryuji moved fast. At his request, he was not given the title of "Prince of Vespania," though he enjoyed every bit of the country's resources and privileges.
Including… one particularly convenient invention.
"This thing's incredible."
Looking at the palm-sized box in his hand a sleek, black case made from Vespania's unique mineral ore, resembling a small smartphone box.
It could completely block electronic signals, preventing security systems from detecting anything inside. As long as he disguised it a little, Ryuji could smuggle weapons and equipment right through airport inspections. The security staff would only see whatever fake contents he programmed into the box, while the real weapons remained perfectly hidden.
In short, it was an exceptionally practical treasure.
Strolling confidently through the airport with his sword case, Ryuji passed inspection without issue and walked straight out the exit where he spotted Misato leaning casually against a sports car.
Apparently, the generous payment from Vespania had already been put to good use. All the legitimate money Ryuji earned had been handed to her, and Misato didn't hesitate to splurge.
He hopped into the passenger seat and tossed his sword case into the back.
"What's the situation?" he asked immediately.
Misato started the car and smirked. "Remember that guy we met before, the one named Ranma?"
At that name, the corner of Ryuji's mouth twitched.
It was from that very encounter that Misato's entire perception of this world had shifted, that was the moment she realized just how bizarre and unpredictable things could be. It was also why she trusted Ryuji's word now.
"Yeah, I remember. Has that kid returned to Japan?"
Ryuji had a strange attitude towards Ranma. Back when he'd read the manga, he'd always liked Ranma-chan, the female version. So meeting the real Ranma now left him… cautious, to say the least.
Misato nodded. "Yes, he's living at a dojo not far from our place. I sensed the aura World Power emanating from him. That's why I called you, so that you can extract the world power in him."
She shook her head slightly, sighing. "Honestly, I thought these world missions would be insanely difficult. But every time, we somehow stumble right into the target. I don't even know what to say anymore."
The conditions for these missions had seemed absurdly hard before yet so far, they'd been almost too easy.
"If I knew how to extract the world power out myself," Misato added, "I'd have already done it."
"So… is it really that difficult?"
she asked with genuine curiosity. Earlier, when she was calling internationally, she'd avoided asking too many questions and she didn't want to spill too much sensitive information.
After all, she understood human nature far too well.
"Uh… well, for now, my usual method is… having sex with the person," Ryuji said quietly.
"..."
"..."
The car went silent for a long, awkward moment. Misato cleared her throat and the spoke,
"Well… that guy may technically be a man, but when he transforms, he becomes a really cute girl with big breasts and nice figure. So maybe..."
"No. Gay."
Ryuji cut her off immediately, his tone firm and absolute.
If Ranma were a real girl, Ryuji would've already been in bed with her, with no hesitation whatsoever.
But the problem is… Ranma is a man.
"I draw a very clear line when it comes to the gender of my bed partners, Misato," he said flatly.
Misato rolled her eyes. "For the sake of saving this world, maybe you could make an exception..."
"Not happening."
Ryuji's voice was resolute. Not even the fate of the world could make him cross that line.
Misato looked a little awkward. She was clearly in a hurry to get back, so she'd half-hoped Ryuji might be willing to "make a small personal sacrifice" for the greater good.
"If saving the world requires me to turn gay," Ryuji said flatly, "then I'd rather the world just end."
He didn't hesitate in the slightest. To him, the destruction of the world was a small matter, the most important thing is to preserve the chastity of his butt!
Ryuji was not into men.
"W–Well…" Misato sighed, realizing she might have gone a little too far. Even she knew Ryuji would never go through with something like that.
"So, what do we do then? We can't just sit around and do nothing."
She shrugged helplessly.
Ryuji only shook his head, amused.
"You're worrying too much. The World Power tends to move on its own, it'll probably leave Ranma soon enough. So, there's no need to overthink it. We'll just wait and see. But… we can still test something out. I want to check if physical contact alone can force it out. If that works, you can go home early."
"I see…"
Misato muttered, still a little disappointed but willing to wait. At least he was going to try.
Driving quickly, she pulled up beside the Tendo Dojo where Ranma was currently living. But before they could even get out of the car, a loud crash echoed from inside, followed by shouting. A giant panda and a red-haired girl came flying straight through the front gate, clearly having been thrown out.
Ryuji immediately sensed the twisted World Power radiating from the red-haired girl's body.
He leapt from the car, extending his hand toward her. In that instant, the World Power tore free from her body and shot off into the distance.
Without hesitation, Ryuji tossed Ranma aside and sprinted after the fleeing world power. Unlike before, he could sense its trail clearly, his own sword aura still clung to it. As long as it didn't escape too far, he could track it easily.
Everything was going so smoothly that Ryuji couldn't help but grin. This was too good to be true. Maybe this time he'd earn some kind of spatial artifact or storage skill!
Excited, he gathered energy in his hand. But when he reached for his sword, he realized he'd left it in the back seat of Misato's car. With a small sigh, he condensed water into a shimmering blade instead.
"Ha! Looks like you've got nowhere left to run this time!"
Ryuji swung his massive ice sword with a savage grin, watching as the World Power darted around in front of him. His heart pounded with anticipation this time, what kind of reward would he get? Maybe something truly rare.
The frozen blade glimmered with sword energy, ready to strike and pin the twisted World Power in place!
However, at this moment...
The twisted world power vanished.
Ryuji froze mid-step, blinking in confusion as the world power suddenly disappeared before his eyes and couldn't help but look around.
There was nothing special about the surroundings. Just a single office worker walking by.
Then he felt it again. The World Power … was inside this person.
"Wife, you're ovulating, wait for me..."
The man was talking on the phone when Ryuji suddenly lunged forward, reaching for his chest. But before he could touch him, the World Power burst out again, streaking away into the distance.
"What the hell…?" Ryuji muttered. He released the startled salaryman and dashed off like the wind, chasing after it once more.
The World Power kept jumping from host to host, always just ahead of him slipping into new bodies as Ryuji bounded across rooftops, determined not to lose it.
He could sense that the world power was wounded, probably from their earlier encounter and was desperately seeking something, someone, to stabilize itself. If he lost it now, tracking it again would be a nightmare.
Then it happened again the world power dived into another body. This time, a pregnant woman.
Ryuji moved fast but didn't dare attack, instead extending his hand cautiously as she passed by. And just like before, the World Power shot out again, fleeing even faster.
"What is going on with this thing?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
Watching the twisted World Power continue to flee, diving again into another woman's body, Ryuji couldn't understand it. If the World Power was truly trying to evade him, then anyone with half a brain would realize this kind of random fleeing was pointless and it was just wasting time.
But since that was how things were, Ryuji could only continue the chase. The World Power kept switching from host to host in a bizarre cycle of pursuit and escape until...
It entered the body of someone Ryuji actually knew.
"Usagi?"
~~~~~~~~~~
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