Takashi Ichinose's POV
The result had already been decided.
The promised reward of changing my very identity had finally shown itself.
Once, I was nothing more than the abandoned son of a deadbeat father, someone destined to rot in the shadows of society.
Now, I was elevated into the position of heir to a colossal mega-corporation, a position that made me untouchable, a man standing on the peak of the world while others looked up with envy and fear.
Then came the avalanche of changes brought by the system.
Out of nowhere, a family background materialized like it had always been there, twisting itself into reality.
My so-called grandfather, who should never have existed, was pulled into this world like a puppet forced onto the stage.
The Ichinose family, which was supposed to be nothing but an average, low-income household, was suddenly transformed into an empire with its hands choking every lifeline of the Japanese economy.
They didn't just dominate one sector, they swallowed everything whole.
Banks that controlled international finance, television and media empires that dictated what people saw and thought, transportation conglomerates that owned everything from bullet trains to airlines, monopolies on traditional publishing, light novels, and even the digital libraries that people scrolled through at night.
They held power over online food delivery, taxis, car manufacturers, real estate development, construction companies, the list was endless.
Every corner I looked at, they were there, tightening their grip and laughing at the notion of competition.
The change was insane, utterly ridiculous. Yet the system delivered exactly what it had promised.
No one noticed that reality itself had bled into a different timeline. People continued living as if nothing had changed, swallowing the fabricated history like it was the truth.
My granfather, a man I had never once met, suddenly appeared and reunited with my mother in front of everyone's eyes, declaring to the media that he had found his long-lost daughter and her children.
He even went further, condemning the so-called scumbag driver who had "kidnapped" her years ago, which, of course, referred to our useless deadbeat biological father and rewrote the world around me.
Then came the bombshell: he officially announced that I would be his sole heir, the one and only successor to his unthinkable fortune and the empire he controlled.
Seeing all this unfold, I sat there in silence, speechless for a moment.
My lips twitched into a smirk before I finally muttered aloud. "So, system, are you actually obsessed with Korean dramas or what? I mean, damn, I never thought you'd pull out a script straight out of those cliché Korean dramas. A daughter from a rich family falling in love with her driver, he kidnaps her in the name of love, and then they run off to live in obscurity."
"But since our oh-so-powerful grandfather couldn't accept this humiliation, he ghosted us all this time, waiting until our mother finally saw our scumbag father's true face, and we were grown up enough to understand the world."
"Then, as soon as the timing was perfect, he came out and declared me the legitimate heir to his empire while conveniently making our scumbag father look bad."
"Deadbeat dad became a condemned criminal in the public's eyes, while we were elevated into the spotlight as tragic victims."
"Honestly, what a fucking genius script. System, you'd honestly be more successful directing movies than I could ever be."
I said it with genuine admiration, unable to hide the twisted respect I felt for the sheer ingenuity of this plan.
[System: Host... I think you seriously need to form healthy mentalities. You're spiraling deeper and deeper into a twisted mindset.]
I rolled my eyes hard. "Well, duh. If your name is literally the Impregnation System, how do you expect a so-called normal person to be your host? If you wanted a vanilla, cherry-boy host, maybe you should've renamed yourself as the Romance System instead."
[System: I am nothing more than a manifestation of your desires and obsessions. It's impossible for you to possess a Romance System when your heart clearly leans toward breeding girls rather than seducing them.]
"Well, whatever." I yawned lazily, reaching out to turn off the massive television screen in front of me.
The broadcast was being played nationwide across Japan, yet to me, it was nothing but background noise, a trivial detail compared to the real game I was preparing to play.
Everything was just a means to an end.
Now that the authenticity of the system had been confirmed beyond any doubt, I felt my hesitation burn away completely.
From this point onward, I would not hold back. I would impregnate every single girl in the official COTE canon, one after another, planting my seed in them until my lineage spread.
With every womb conquered, I would secure my foundation and climb higher, establishing myself not just as heir to an empire, but as the apex predator standing at the very top of the world's food chain.
"Brother, why did you turn off the TV? I still wanted to listen to the news more." My sister pinched my waist softly, a small but noticeable act of dissatisfaction.
Her eyes, which once carried the shadow of insecurity and the heavy chains of an inferiority complex, now glimmered with confidence, like a girl who had finally started to embrace her worth.
It seemed the shift in her identity, the changes in her status, had been feeding her self-esteem bit by bit, pushing her forward into a bolder version of herself.
Of course it makes sense.
Fame, wealth, authority, anyone who grasps them will naturally become more confident, braver, more daring.
With more cards in their hand, how could they still remain timid, feeling inferior, and acting weak?
And honestly, this change benefited me as well.
I never wanted my sister to remain the timid girl who always bowed her head in front of Arisu.
For too long she carried that constant inferiority complex, always giving way to Arisu, always looking meek, obedient, almost spineless.
She lacked the confidence and possessiveness that I craved to see in her, the traits of a sister who should cling tightly, who should not let go so easily.
Her change wasn't sudden, of course, it wasn't as if she had turned into a new person overnight.
But even this gradual growth was good enough for me.
I stroked her silky blonde hair gently, letting my fingers comb through it, and teased her. "Why, sister? Just because you finally have a grandfather figure now, did you already forget your own beloved brother?"
To me it was just a playful jab, something to see her pout or roll her eyes at.
But Honami didn't take it lightly.
Instead, she stiffened, panic flashing across her face, and her voice trembled as she broke down.
"No, brother. I didn't mean it like that. You've always been special to me, please… don't abandon me."
I furrowed my brows at her overblown reaction.
What kind of mentality had she been hiding for her to react this exaggeratedly?
It was strange, but, it's also made sense at same time, because in our daily life, she rarely met my eyes directly.
She always dodged, always looked away, except during the times when we were intimate.
"Answer me honestly, sister." My voice lowered, pressing her with seriousness. "Did that news about Ichinose… no, wait, I asked the wrong thing. What I mean is… those so-called mega corporations that supposedly control countless lives to the point it sounds exaggerated in the news, did they already exist long ago?"
She blinked at me, looking puzzled, then answered with a strange expression tugging at her face. "What are you even saying, brother? Of course they've always existed. They're one of the four great mega corporations in Japan, along with the Koenji family, the Fuuka family, and the Shinomiya family."
She paused, frowning in thought. "But… now that I think about it, isn't it strange? Despite us having the same surname, none of us ever realized we were connected to them. That's weird. After all, the Ichinose family name isn't something that just anyone can claim or casually use."
Her words hung in the air, and I stayed silent, not answering.
Instead, I leaned my head against her shoulder, humming quietly, almost lost in thought.
No one knew the full truth. But the world was changing slowly toward a future no one could truly foresee.
...
Since the majority voted no, I will not include her in the story.
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