"Future brother-in-law—I mean, sir, you've got the wrong idea. Yuri and I were just... exchanging martial arts insights." Cloud tried to explain.
"Exchanging martial arts insights requires making her laugh that hard?" Ryo's brows furrowed into a tight knot.
"My sister is naive. She doesn't understand how dangerous the outside world can be. I've seen plenty of smooth-talking guys like you."
"I don't care what your intentions are. Just know this—you're not to have any improper thoughts about my sister!"
This overwhelming "siscon" aura was suffocating.
Cloud finally understood. The biggest obstacle to winning over Yuri Sakazaki wasn't Robert.
It was this combat-monster of a future brother-in-law with his built-in "Sister Protection Field"!
But who was Cloud?
The greater the challenge, the more excited he got!
Brother-in-law? Heh. Sooner or later, you'll be handing your sister over to me with a smile.
Just as he was silently making this vow, a bold idea suddenly popped into his head.
Ryo's guard is fully up against me right now. Direct plundering would definitely fail.
But just now... Yuri had absolutely zero defenses against me!
His mind stirred as he issued a silent command to the system.
"System, initiate a 'Delayed Plunder' on the target I just had contact with—Yuri Sakazaki!"
This was a new system technique he'd developed. By making brief contact, he could leave a plunder beacon, then execute a remote plunder after the target left!
[Ding! Command confirmed! Initiating "Delayed Plunder" on target "Yuri Sakazaki"!]
[Plunder assessment in progress... Target has positive affection toward Host and is completely unguarded... Assessment successful!]
[Plunder successful!]
[Congratulations, Host! You obtained:]
[1. Skill: "Kyokugenryu Karate (Fragment)"]
[2. Item: Yuri Sakazaki's Personal Diary (Digital Copy)]
[3. Special Item: One pair of pink strawberry-print panties?!]
Cloud stared at the pink diary in his system inventory, and that... ahem... youthful undergarment, completely dumbfounded.
System! I told you to plunder SKILLS! Why did you grab THIS stuff?!
Do I look like that kind of person?!
[System Notice: According to Plunder Laws, items with the deepest bond to the target are randomly obtained. The diary contains her secrets, while the other item... is her favorite pair. She's been saving it for a special occasion.]
Cloud felt his dignity shatter into a million pieces.
Meanwhile, Ryo watched Cloud's face cycle through red and white like he was constipated, and assumed his warning had hit home. He nodded with satisfaction.
He picked up the medicine bowl he'd brought and handed it to Cloud.
"Drink this. I made it myself. It'll help you recover faster. Then get out of here."
Cloud looked at the bowl—normal in color but radiating a distinctly "manly" aura.
Then he looked at Ryo's boulder-sized fists.
In the end, he choked back tears and downed it in one gulp.
The taste was... indescribable.
But at least it didn't taste like dish soap.
...
After three days of "recovery" in the Kyokugenryu Dojo's rest area, Cloud finally bid farewell to the Sakazaki siblings and returned to his crappy little apartment.
Those three days had been a rollercoaster of fire and ice.
During the day, Yuri would flutter over like a happy little butterfly, chattering away and sharing all sorts of stories (while also force-feeding him home-cooked meals that looked terrifying but actually tasted... surprisingly okay).
Their affection meter climbed steadily under Cloud's endless barrage of jokes and flirtatious remarks.
At night, Ryo would appear like clockwork.
Like a dorm supervisor doing bed checks, he'd subject Cloud to a full thirty minutes of "Death Glare" while force-feeding him a bowl of bitter "Manly Recovery Soup" strong enough to kill an ox.
Cloud felt like he was playing some kind of hardcore dating sim.
Not only did he have to win over the heroine, but he also had to constantly watch out for her overprotective, combat-monster brother.
Thrilling. Too thrilling.
Back in his own territory, Cloud could finally take stock of the bountiful harvest from his "near-death adventure."
Fifteen thousand Source Points deposited—his savings account was flush again.
But what excited him most were the two treasures he'd "acquired" from the Sakazaki household.
[Special Item: Dragon-Tiger Spirit (Faint)]
[Quality: Special (Gold)]
[Description: The supremely powerful yang energy originating from Kyokugenryu founder Takuma Sakazaki and perfected by Ryo Sakazaki. It represents indomitable fighting spirit and the pinnacle of martial arts dedication. This is merely a trace of its essence, but it can be used to strengthen one's own energy or comprehend Kyokugenryu secrets.]
[Skill: "Kyokugenryu Karate (Fragment)"]
[Description: Plundered from Yuri Sakazaki. Contains the basic power generation techniques and movement essence of "Hien Shippu Kyaku" (Flying Swallow Hurricane Kick).]
"A gold-quality item!" Cloud's breathing quickened.
This was his first time obtaining anything gold-tier!
Even if it was just a "faint" trace, its value absolutely exceeded everything he'd collected before!
"System, immediately use 'Dragon-Tiger Spirit' and fuse it with 'Kyokugenryu Karate (Fragment)' to upgrade my [Shiranui Battle God Style: Fundamentals]!" Cloud issued the command without hesitation.
[Ding! Command confirmed! Beginning fusion enhancement...]
[Analyzing energy composition of "Dragon-Tiger Spirit"... Detecting embryonic forms of "Dominance" and "Imperial Aura"...]
[Analyzing "Kyokugenryu Karate (Fragment)"... Extracting the agility of the "Swallow"...]
[Beginning integration of both powers into [Shiranui Battle God Style: Fundamentals]... Estimated cost: 8,000 Source Points... Fusion initiated!]
A domineering golden energy stream—as if it could split mountains and shatter boulders—surged from the system space into Cloud's body!
Following it came a light, nimble comprehension, swift as a swallow, merging into his limbs and bones.
One hard, one soft. One domineering, one agile. Two completely different forces began violently colliding and fusing within him.
Cloud's body became a forge, tempering an entirely new martial art!
After what seemed like an eternity, the torrent of energy finally subsided. Cloud slowly opened his eyes.
Within his pupils, a flash of golden lightning seemed to flicker and vanish!
[Ding! Skill upgrade complete! Congratulations, Host—[Shiranui Battle God Style: Fundamentals] has evolved into [Shiranui Battle God Style: Intermediate]!]