"As expected..."
"Things are looking grim."
Ryoma Raiden's face was solemn, a deep, unshakable gloom settling between his brows.
"This shouldn't be happening."
He pinched the extra layer of flab around his waist.
"How did I gain this much weight?!"
Ryoma Raiden stared in utter disbelief at the numbers on the scale. He deeply regretted his sudden whim to ask for a scale to check his weight.
Only to be met with a heart-shattering number.
However, given that he hadn't been exercising and was essentially just sitting around accumulating fat, gaining weight was incredibly normal.
Rubbing his newfound double chin, Ryoma Raiden let out a heavy sigh.
"Schicksal really is a pig fattening farm."
Though, being a middle-aged man naturally putting on weight was also part of the reason.
"I wonder what's for dinner tonight?"
He glanced toward the cell door. It wasn't locked. Currently, Ryoma Raiden was an exceptionally unique resident of Schicksal's independent prison. He wasn't technically considered a prisoner anymore, yet he shamelessly refused to leave because of Mei.
And Schicksal certainly didn't lack the budget to feed one extra mouth.
Ryoma Raiden was living quite leisurely, even experiencing a kind of heartwarming domestic bliss he had never felt in the past.
Because sometimes, his precious daughter would personally deliver his meals.
The only downside was that the meals she delivered didn't taste very good.
However, every time he saw Mei, his heart ached. Because she had actually joined Schicksal and become one of their Valkyries.
And looking at the pristine white Valkyrie uniform Mei wore, Ryoma Raiden couldn't shake the feeling that the outfit looked uncomfortably like mourning clothes.
"Sigh."
Life is hard, Ryoma sighed.
Lying back down on his bed, Ryoma Raiden prepared to rest for a bit and wait for dinner.
Still, that beef stew at lunch was really delicious. I wonder if I can request a special order from the kitchen? If not, I wouldn't mind paying for it out of pocket.
Click. Clack. Click.
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed down the hall. Ryoma Raiden didn't pay it any mind; it was perfectly normal for guards to patrol the prison, and they had no authority over him anyway.
He was the freest man in this entire facility.
However, the footsteps came to a halt right outside his private cell.
"Brother Ryoma."
A frivolous, teasing voice rang out.
Ryoma Raiden sat up in confusion and looked toward the blond man standing at the cell door.
"I happened to be heading back to Schicksal HQ, so I decided to drop by and see you on the way. You look to be in high spirits; I'm relieved," Otto said with a smile.
He truly had just dropped by on a whim. After all, he had locked Ryoma up for so long without ever formally meeting him face-to-face.
It really was quite rude of him.
"You..." Ryoma Raiden furrowed his brows as he stared at the man. "Are you Otto?!"
He recognized this blond man as Otto, but despite having been an Anti-Entropy Executor for so long, this was his very first time meeting him in person.
He really looks just as detestable as I imagined.
He couldn't help it; Ryoma Raiden's negative impression of Otto was already deeply ingrained into his bones.
Otto bowed deeply, acting like a perfect gentleman.
"Indeed. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Overseer of Schicksal, Otto Apocalypse."
"Brother Ryoma, I believe this is our very first meeting."
The corners of Otto's mouth curled up into a wicked smile.
"Father-in-law, please forgive your humble son-in-law for his lack of hospitality these past few days."
Father-in-law?!
Hearing how Otto addressed him, Ryoma Raiden's eyes bulged with absolute fury. Thick veins popped on his forehead, his hands curling into vicious claws. He looked like a ferocious beast ready to devour a man alive as he glared fiercely at Otto.
"I have absolutely no reason to be called father-in-law by a bastard like you!"
His lungs felt like they were going to explode from rage.
During his previous video calls with his daughter, the Great Detective Ryoma had noticed that Mei was intimately involved with a certain man.
And just recently, he had discovered that the man flirting with his precious daughter was actually Otto!
This bastard is over five hundred years old!
If Mei had fallen in love with some bright, young, talented man, Ryoma might have felt reluctant, but he would have given them his blessing. But for Mei to fall in love with Otto—that was absolutely unacceptable!
How could the most sinister, manipulative man in the world possibly possess true, genuine feelings?
This bastard Otto is definitely just playing with Mei's feelings to use her! He can't give Mei happiness!
Yet, no matter how much he tried to advise her, Mei refused to listen. She even told him, her own father, not to judge people so one-sidedly.
Now, the very bastard deceiving his daughter's heart was standing right in front of him. How could he not be furious?
He instantly tried to leap to his feet, but his body immediately fell back onto the bed.
Eh? Why won't my body listen to me?
Damn it! I want to beat this bastard to a pulp! How dare he deceive my precious daughter!
Ryoma Raiden desperately tried to struggle, but having his body deeply corroded by Otto's power, how could he possibly break free from the control?
"Raiden Makoto. Raiden Ei."
Otto slowly pronounced two specific names. Ryoma Raiden looked confused. What was Otto talking about?
Names?
He didn't recall anyone in the Raiden family having such strange, archaic names.
Otto stored the Jizo Mitama back into his system inventory, returning control of Ryoma's body. Ryoma Raiden asked in utter bewilderment.
"Those two names are...?"
Could this bastard Otto be using members of the extended Raiden clan to blackmail Mei into submission?!
If that's the case, then Mei giving herself to Otto makes perfect sense!
Oh, my precious daughter! Don't worry, your father will definitely save you from this sea of suffering!
"They are the names of my and Mei's daughters."
"They're twins, you see."
Otto replied with a beaming smile.
Ryoma Raiden's expression instantly petrified.
"Huh?"
It was as if all the color had been instantly drained from his entire existence, turning him completely white.
Daughters?
My precious daughter's... daughters?
I'm... a grandfather?
WAIT, NO!
"Otto, you absolute beast! When did this happen?!"
Ryoma Raiden snapped out of his petrified state. He glared at Otto, pointing a violently trembling finger at him.
"If she's already had the children, then it had to be at least a year ago! Otto, you animal! This is a sin!"
Ryoma Raiden panted heavily, his chest heaving. He had seen Mei several times over the past few days, and his precious daughter absolutely did not look pregnant. Moreover, if she had been pregnant, she definitely wouldn't have hidden it from him.
Which meant... Mei having daughters happened even further in the past?!
His face and neck flushed a deep, furious crimson. Even with Ryoma Raiden's high level of self-restraint, there was absolutely no way he could remain calm in the face of this!
"When did this happen?! How old are the children now?! Why didn't Mei tell me?!"
Sigh. If this had happened a long time ago, then the reason Mei didn't tell him must be because she was terrified he would scold her.
But how could he ever bear to scold her?
Ryoma Raiden suddenly felt as though he understood everything. He slumped back onto the edge of the bed in defeat and let out a long, haunting sigh.
All these years, he had been completely absorbed in Anti-Entropy's affairs, severely neglecting Mei. He didn't even know she had gotten pregnant, and the fact that she hadn't told him meant she was definitely profoundly disappointed in him as a father.
Or perhaps... she simply hadn't wanted to cause him trouble.
After all, having children out of wedlock wasn't exactly a glorious thing.
Thinking about his precious daughter going through childbirth without him there by her side to support her, Ryoma Raiden let out another heavy sigh.
Then, he looked up at Otto.
But why did it have to be Otto?
My precious daughter... you could have chosen literally anyone else! Why did you have to fall for Otto of all people?!
I don't know who the kids will take after, but please, God, don't let them turn out to be deeply disappointing adults like Otto!
Being stared at so intensely by his "father-in-law," Otto actually felt a bit creeped out.
Did Ryoma Raiden actually believe my bullshit?
That's far too touching!
To think there was actually someone in this world who would blindly believe the nonsense sprouting from his mouth! If Tesla and Welt possessed this kind of glorious gullibility, this Overseer could have laid all his cards on the table the very day he transmigrated!
Ryoma Raiden stared at him and spoke coldly.
"Otto, I will absolutely never acknowledge you."
"We can raise the children ourselves."
Tch.
He really did believe it.
"Heh." Otto merely offered a cryptic smile, neither confirming nor denying it.
"Father-in-law, if there is anything you require, please feel free to ask the staff here. They will satisfy the vast majority of your requests."
"Your humble son-in-law will take his leave now."
Otto truly had only stopped by to see Ryoma Raiden on a whim. He still had a massive pile of tasks waiting for him at Schicksal HQ.
"Hmph."
Ryoma Raiden snorted coldly.
Otto chuckled. He turned and walked away, making absolutely no effort to clear up the misunderstanding.
After all, even a lie had the potential to become the truth in the future.
He, Otto, was absolutely determined to be a Prophet.
---o---