Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
August 28 - Iori POV.
"Good morning Zenin-sama, I come with another message from Naomi Zenin-sama." I looked up and stared boredly at the woman dressed in a traditional Zenin family kimono. I rolled my eyes.
"My name is Miyamura, and I don't want anything from that idiot, just like the previous days." I said coldly. I could feel the murderous intent emanating from the woman, to which I simply gave her a very unimpressed look and raised an eyebrow.
I could see the woman make a supernatural effort to suppress her first response, which was surely to murder me, so she simply pulled a card from inside her clothing and placed it forcefully on the counter, then bent down and turned as she left the pastry shop.
I sighed, I was about to grab the card to throw it away when a wrinkled hand snatched it from me a few seconds before.
"So those idiots are making a move." Ryuma said, appearing out of nowhere as he lazily opened the letter. I grimaced.
"Father." I said simply with a nod.
"Daughter," Ryuma replied, and just like all the previous times, it was still as awkward as ever, so I went to a more comfortable place and returned to the previous topic.
"They're the Zenin; if they can gain more power, they'll obviously make a move," I said dismissively. Ryuma hummed as he read the letter before sneering.
"They're practically ordering you to run like an obedient dog and comply with all their demands." Ryuma scoffed as he crumpled the letter and threw it into the nearby trash can without even looking at it.
"What you'd expect from any member of the clan," I said, rolling my eyes. "Nothing new." I shrugged as I began preparing the shop for its morning opening. Ryuma leaned back against the counter.
"I've heard here and there that you're having trouble with the pastry shop." Ryuma said casually, so casually that it was fake, even so, my hands stopped for a few moments while I trembled slightly, I made a face.
"Nothing I can't handle." I said immediately, Ryuma just hummed.
"I'm sure so," Ryuma said as he grabbed a small chocolate cake and began to eat it; my eye twitched slightly.
"You'll pay for that," I said dryly. Ryuma just shrugged. "And like I said, nothing new, classic Zenin tactics, nothing I haven't been preparing for for years. They took way too long," I said curtly.
Since Izumi's identity as Ryuma's grandson was revealed, and I as his daughter, things had been quite hectic. I'd stayed at UA for a few days to look after my idiot son, but sooner or later I had to get back to work.
Large crowds began to gather simply because we were related to Ryuma. I didn't care in the slightest; in fact, nothing a sign prohibiting entry to anyone not making a purchase couldn't have fixed.
Profits were good for a few days, before someone from the Zenin clan showed up with an 'invitation' to the family compound. I ignored it, and that's when the obstacles to my business began.
Countless negative online reviews, preventing customers from coming, sabotaging ingredient and product deliveries, forcing my employees to resign, and more.
The more invitations I refused, the more they escalated; they couldn't do anything directly, but they would keep putting up as many obstacles as they could until I was forced to go with them.
"We should go." Ryuma said casually, my head turning to look at him incredulously.
"Do you want to go see the Zenin?" I hissed dangerously. "Those damn snakes want Izumi," I added dangerously. Ryuma glared at me.
"And what would be the problem? I'm sure that if they live with him for just one week, they'll be returning him and distancing themselves." Ryuma said with a snort, and I opened my mouth before closing it.
I wish I could say that was unlikely, but… he was my damn son, I knew him like the back of my hand. Hell, by his own testimony he said he made the villains cry, gave them mental breakdowns, and made them fight each other while he was captured. And that was Izumi when he couldn't attack.
I'm sure that if Izumi could use his swords, he would either end up killing everyone or becoming the leader of the Zenin.
I shuddered violently at that thought.
"Yeah, no, I don't want to be responsible for a massacre." I said dryly, Ryuma chuckled.
"Hey, the Zenin have needed a cleaning for a long time," Ryuma said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Well, you should have done it years ago," I said with a grimace. Ryuma shrugged.
"They've bought off the idiots in the Hunter Association and the HPSC. I don't know the extent of their control, but it really would have been a hassle to deal with them too. I'm too old to destabilize a nation," Ryuma said casually. I rolled my eyes.
"I always wondered where Izumi got his dramatic side from, but the moment I met you, everything made sense." I said dryly, and Ryuma just smiled without regret.
"Even so, we have to go see the Zenin." Ryuma said once more as he tried to grab another piece of cake, this time I hit his hand hard.
"Are you going to insist again? Is there a reason? " I asked, frowning and wincing as I saw Ryuma grab another piece without me noticing. "What did the letter say?" I simply asked.
"Nothing specific, obviously, they just showed 'curiosity' about the provisional hero license exams." Ryuma said casually, and I stopped stiffly.
"The exam Izumi is taking in two days." I said slowly, looking at him. Ryuma just nodded. "And you couldn't have started there?" I asked, massaging my temple.
"I'm telling you now." Ryuma said simply, closing his eyes before opening them and glaring at him.
"Can you stop Izumi from getting the provisional license?" I asked with a grimace. Ryuma hummed.
"Like I said, I have no idea how far their control over the HPSC extends, but if even one of the examiners were under their control, they could potentially fail him. But I'm sure their control goes far beyond a single examiner, so it's almost certain they can make Izumi fail completely," Ryuma said, sounding unconcerned.
"Those bastards." I growled in annoyance. "Can't Principal Nezu do anything?" I asked, frowning.
"Oh yes, he can surely solve everything with ease," Ryuma said, waving his hand.
"Then why do we have to go see the Zenin?" I asked with a grimace.
"Because obviously they won't stop with just the license; they'll start preventing Izumi from doing his job as a hero or hunter. They won't be able to touch him inside UA. Nezu is terrifyingly protective of his students, but after that ? Will it be a fair game for the Zenin?"
"Getting to know them might give us some information about what they're really planning. It's not like they can force you to force Izumi to do something she doesn't want to do," Ryuma said dismissively.
"Damn it, I really don't want to go back to those idiots, the thought of setting foot in the Zenin compound even one more time disgusts me." I spat out furiously.
"But you will." Ryuma said without hesitation, I stopped myself before I could sigh.
"But I will." Confirm immediately. There was nothing I wouldn't do for Izumi.
"Alright, let's go." Ryuma said casually.
"Are you coming?" I asked, surprised. "You just said you didn't want to mess with the Zenin," I said with a grimace.
"Just because I don't want to doesn't mean I can't. Besides, I'm really curious about their next move. I don't want to miss out on the fun," Ryuma said casually. I smiled slightly.
"You're worried about Izumi." I teased him, Ryuma wrinkled his nose.
"He's like a mushroom." Ryuuma said with a grimace, and I chuckled.
"If you want to use that excuse," I said playfully. Ryuma snorted and grabbed another piece of cake. I glared at him. "You'll pay for all of that," I huffed as I took off my apron and threw it on the counter. "Let's get on with it."
I left the store with Ryuma hot on my heels and got into my car. I started the engine and waited until Ryuma got in before accelerating. The drive was long; after all, we weren't close to Musutafu. Still, I drove without any problems.
Once the Zenin clan's residence came into view, I gritted my teeth, drove up to the main entrance, and stopped. I gripped the steering wheel tightly until my knuckles turned white, sighed wearily, and awkwardly released my grip. I quickly got out of the vehicle before I decided this wasn't worth it.
I looked at the Zenin family compound with a grimace.
"More than 20 years away from here. I would have been happier if I'd never had to come back." I muttered with a grimace of disgust. I turned to look for Ryuma only to blink awkwardly, noticing he had completely vanished. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
That damn idiot will pay for this.
I clenched my fists tightly before striding confidently into the Zenin compound. Ignoring the commotion and the people walking around, I could see the woman who had just delivered the letter a few hours earlier, a smug smile on her face.
"Welcome, Iori Zenin-sama, please — wait, where are you going?" I ignored the woman and walked past without stopping or even giving her a second glance. "Wait!" I walked through the labyrinth that was the family mansion.
Despite not having set foot in this house for more than two decades, everything was still exactly as I remembered it; every hallway and every room did nothing but increase the disgust I felt for being here; the oppression could be felt from anywhere.
I finally arrived at the room that was used for family meetings. I didn't even knock, I simply opened the door. Just as I expected, Naomi Zenin and the others were there waiting.
"Iori," Naomi said simply. I just looked at the woman who was my aunt; she had aged considerably in the more than 20 years I hadn't seen her. I grimaced as I walked into the room.
"Very well, what do you want?" I said directly.
"Well, well, well, without greeting the family? Without showing respect? How rude of you." A young woman mocked as she approached and stood in front of me. The woman must have been a couple of years older than Izumi, around 22 if I was right; she must be Naomi's daughter, my cousin.
Naoka Zenin. I stared at her for a few seconds before ignoring her and looking at Naomi.
"Speak up already." I told Naomi directly.
"Ignoring me?" Naoka asked, stepping in front of me, her brow furrowed. I raised an eyebrow at Naomi before ignoring her again.
"I don't have time to waste on useless people," I said dismissively, still staring at Naomi. "Now, speak the hell out of your mouth," I growled at her.
I could feel Naoka's aura exploding and beginning to press against my body. I wasn't a fighter, I never was. My quirk was ridiculous; it was estimated that my aura would be terrible, if it even existed in the first place.
I am everything a Zenin detested; I was weak, and I had no problem accepting it. I knew my limits, I knew my strengths, and it never bothered me that I couldn't train like the other Zenin, that I couldn't be strong or fight like them, even with someone like Izumi as my son. My interests lay elsewhere.
But that doesn't mean I 'd let myself be pressured by someone like Naoka. Her aura didn't even come close to what I'd experienced during my time living with the Zenin family, let alone anything Izumi could do.
So her aura wasn't able to force me to bow down; I kept my back straight and looked at her boredly.
"Is that all the Zenin Heiress is capable of? My son had more aura than you at age 10." I mocked Naoka, and I could see her face freeze before it transformed into one of fury.
Her aura multiplied several times, yet she couldn't force me to bow down, even though I had to grit my teeth to stay conscious. I just narrowed my eyes in her direction.
"Pathetic." I forced myself to say without stuttering. Showing weakness was forbidden for the Zenin. But I couldn't care less; all I wanted to do was annoy Naoka. Being unable to force a non-combatant to submit? It was a complete mockery of her.
"Damn it, know your place," Naoka growled as she took a step forward. I just stared at her, undeterred. I braced myself for the blow I knew was coming, but to my surprise, everything blurred before my eyes. I blinked, confused as to what had happened.
When my vision cleared in a few moments, I looked down and saw Naoka on the ground, kneeling and leaning forward on her hands. Ryuma had appeared out of nowhere and was sitting on her back while holding a jug of alcohol and taking a long swig.
"Well, this is good," Ryuma said casually. My eyes widened as I saw Naomi reach for the jug, which was now in Ryuma's hands. "I hope you don't mind me joining this meeting about my grandson," Ryuma said with a smug smile.
"Damn old man! Get off me! " Naoka growled. I could see her trying to make a great effort to stand up, even to the point that her hands and knees cracked the wooden floor. I could see the veins in her face tense and redden, but Ryuma barely moved from behind her.
"Hmm? Does the chair talk? " Ryuma asked casually, before pushing Naoka down further with her rear end. I glanced at Naoka for a few moments before snorting mockingly. I could hear Naoka grit her teeth and glare at me, her eyes filled with hatred and fury.
"I'm truly impressed with you, Iori. Using Ryuma as protection is truly impressive. I see you formed an excellent connection while you were away from us," Naomi said almost lazily.
"Ryuma came because he wanted to, I didn't order him to do anything," I said coldly. Naomi hummed.
"Ah... yes, filial feelings, I remember you being very... emotional." Naomi said almost dismissively. "A bond between father and daughter, between grandfather and grandson, between mother and son, that's... impressive." Naomi scoffed.
"You almost seem jealous, but that would imply that you truly loved your family, or even your daughter, but that's not true, is it? " Ryuma mocked. "I mean, you don't even seem concerned about your daughter's appearance." Ryuma said as he hit Naoka on the head, who groaned loudly.
"I'll kill you, you damned old man!" Naoka growled. Naomi shrugged.
"If she's weak enough to be used as a chair, that's her problem," Naomi said nonchalantly. "Love never made anyone strong," she added matter-of-factly.
"And you're very wrong," Ryuma said without hesitation.
"Am I?" Naomi hummed. "Can your love protect Iori?" Naomi said sharply as she powerfully released her aura. Ryuma frowned and used his aura to protect me. "I mean, I'm sure you can beat us all, I have no doubt about that, but will you be able to do it before some member of the Zenin family kills her?" Naomi asked.
It didn't even sound threatening; she just said it so casually, as if it were something routine, as if she were talking about the weather. Ryuma frowned more deeply, but said nothing, narrowing her eyes dangerously.
"They're really starting to annoy me." Ryuma said irritably, Naomi just smiled mockingly as her aura quickly faded away.
"It's a shame, since I found it so pleasant to be in the presence of someone so distinguished," Naomi said with a mocking smile.
"Speak up, what do you want?" I snapped forcefully, but Naomi just hummed.
"Nothing important, as I said, filial feelings and all that, we just want your son, Izumi Miyamura, to remain filial. Obviously to the Zenin family." Naomi said easily.
"Do you want him to join the clan? Or do you want to be able to use him? " I growled furiously.
"What's the difference?" Naomi said distractedly.
"I won't let them drag Izumi into their schemes." I spat out in disgust.
"Do you have another option?" Naomi asked mockingly. "I'll repeat myself one more time, filial feelings, you love your son very much, don't you? But I also understand that you love the girls he's engaged to very much, the question is... which ones do you love more?" Naomi asked with a sadistic smile.
"Don't involve the girls in this." I gritted my teeth; Naomi just laughed.
"Taylor Hebert, an exile from the PRT, has a major conflict with the PRT because of Sophia Hess, also known as Shadow Stalker, a member of the Protectorate—obviously, that's a secret, or not so much."
"The PRT has recently been slowly leaking and spreading the whole truth about Hebert's relationship with Hess and the PRT, especially now that Hess has joined the League of Villains and they no longer have to defend her, so very soon everything will be public. Before long, it will be obvious that Hebert hates the PRT."
"But... what if that weren't true, what if it was all a facade? What if there were actually certain official documents, containing Hebert's orders to find a way to get close to Ryuma, a way to charm Ryuma's grandson, a way to get Shusui and gain the approval of the Japanese, all under the orders of the PRT? " Naomi asked as a smile grew on her face.
"Bastard." I growled, completely angry. Naomi just smiled, taking it as a compliment.
"It was quite easy, we already had some infiltrators in the PRT, but we didn't really have any use for them, finally we can use them for something, all it takes is a message for all of that to be 'official' and spread publicly."
"I'm sure Hebert will go from being praised as Ryuma's heir to being completely hated," Naomi mocked. I clenched my fists so tightly I felt my nails dig into my palms, but I ignored it as I glared at Naomi. "But let's not stop there, there's much more."
"Princess Azula of the Fire Nation, a mentally unstable princess, who wants to use Izumi to stage another coup and start a war against China and Liu Zighang once again, just needed someone strong enough to fight them."
"And on the other hand, there are Lalatina Dustiness and Ruby Rose, truly impressive. I couldn't find anything really wrong with them, but I suppose there are other ways to get rid of them. It would be a shame if something happened to Dustiness's father and Rose's mother," Rose said with a subtle smile.
"What are you planning?" I growled furiously, trying to keep the worry from showing in my voice.
"Nothing important, just... it's possible that Dustiness's father might suddenly fall ill and she'll have to return to Germany for his final moments. Or that Miss Rose might discover her mother is missing in the Land of Darkness, following a forged order from Beacon's Headmistress, Salem."
"Bastard!" I yelled as I began to tremble with fury.
"Relax, I haven't done anything yet, well, at least not with Dustiness. Summer Rose actually left for the Land of Darkness to some pretty remote coordinates without any kind of communication. Nothing will happen to her for days. I'll give you the coordinates if you accept what we really want," Naomi said sadistically.
"Speak." I growled, and I wasn't the only one. Ryuma had spoken at the same time as me. He had disappeared from his place on top of Naoka and had positioned himself next to Naomi. He had a small knife at his throat. I could see Naomi tense up as a smile began to grow.
"Don't worry, it's nothing to worry about," Naomi said, raising her hands in surrender. "Izumi is strong, but unfortunately, he's a man. We don't want anything more than something easy, a marriage with someone we choose—actually, two of us." Naomi said matter-of-factly, and I froze.
And I wasn't the only one, Ryuma did it too, he stood still for a few seconds, we both blinked in shock.
"Just that? Okay," I said immediately. I could feel the calm beginning to fill me once again.
"Tch? Just that? You should have started there." Ryuma said as he put away his knife and began to walk away.
I could see the Zenin looked bewildered for the first time in the entire meeting.
"Very well, I want a completely ironclad contract stipulating that you will not interfere in any way, directly or indirectly, with the girls or their families in exchange for Izumi marrying one of you." I said without hesitation, and Naomi frowned.
"You're... much calmer than I expected," Naomi said cautiously. I raised an eyebrow.
"I'm giving you what you want," I said easily. Naomi narrowed her eyes.
"You are, and that's the problem," Naomi hummed. "But I suppose whatever they're up to, it won't matter. Fine, I'll have them draw up the contract." She finally said, and I nodded.
"You also mentioned two marriages. Izumi will marry two of you. I suppose one will be from the Zenin family, and the second?" I asked, much calmer. Naomi still seemed puzzled.
"Paying for your mistakes, you were supposed to marry Delling Rembran so he could bring the Benerit Group to Japan and start expanding here, but since your rebellion caused us to lose a great deal of power and influence, it's only right that your son should make up for it."
"Delling had a daughter, he'll marry her," Naomi said with a frown, she seemed really puzzled by our reactions, I snorted as I nodded.
"Alright, if that's all it is, we'll leave. Send me Summer's location immediately or forget the deal." I said casually as I started to walk away. I could see Ryuma grab a bottle of alcohol while ignoring Naoka, now standing, glaring at him.
Ignoring the puzzled looks from Naomi and her group, and then all the other Zenin family members, we left the family compound. I got into my vehicle, and Ryuma did the same.
For several minutes silence reigned between us, until we could no longer help but snort loudly at the same time.
"I feel sorry for the Zenin family girl who's going to marry Izumi," Ryuma mocked with a laugh. I rolled my eyes as a small smile began to spread across my lips.
"It's obvious they want Naoka to marry Izumi so they can control him. That won't happen in the slightest. Izumi will kill her if she threatens his girls. I feel more sorry for that Rembran girl who's going to be caught in the middle of all this," I said dryly. Ryuma just chuckled softly.
"Do you really think they can control Izumi with that woman? Besides, we were supposed to prevent a massacre, not facilitate one," Ryuma scoffed, shaking his head.
"Typical Zenin, they probably saw Izumi as a man and didn't even bother to investigate him properly. Izumi will make Naoka's life a living hell if they choose her, or any other Zenin woman, and they brought it on themselves. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do." I said dryly.
"I was already starting to worry about killing everyone, I even counted all the members in that house and everything was solved in the easiest way of all, just letting Izumi be Izumi." Ryuma laughed.
"I resent the way you refer to Izumi as a method of torture," I said dryly.
"Oh come on, you raised him, he made villains cry, gave them mental breakdowns, and made them fight each other while he was captured!" Ryuma said incredulously. I grimaced as I had a déjà vu of my thoughts from this morning. Almost word for word.
"It definitely wasn't my fault. He has your damn genes, and you helped raise him. It's partly your fault." I grunted dryly. Ryuma sneered.
"Otherwise, I don't remember being anything like Izumi," Ryuma said dryly. I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever you say." I scoffed. Ryuma snorted.
"By the way, were you engaged to someone from the Benerit group ?" Ryuma asked incredulously. I rolled my eyes.
"The Zenin only wanted the European conglomerate on their side, simply for what benefited them; they wanted to give them support to establish themselves in Japan in exchange for part of the profits and part of their products; after all, several of their corporations are excellent creators of weapons or support equipment."
"The Zenin wanted a piece of it. My marriage to Delling would simply be in name and legal to help the whole process; I was chosen because I had no value within the clan, I was simply a bargaining chip."
"I didn't give it a second thought when I left the clan," I said, shrugging my shoulders.
"So I guess you don't know his daughter?" Ryuma hummed, I shook my head.
"Not really, I only know that her name is Miorine Rembran. They're too famous not to know their names and appearance. And Delling is cut from the same cloth as the Zenin, with the same attitude of believing that might makes right and those who wield it dictate the rules, but beyond that? Not really." I said simply. Ryuma hummed as he looked out the window.
"So, Izumi enjoys torturing Zenin, and possibly Rembran?" he asked with a smile on his face. I snorted in amusement.
"Maybe," I said simply. I sighed, amused. It really did leave a bitter taste in my mouth to let Izumi handle all of this, but... it was the best way. Izumi was more than capable of doing it.
But if not… it was a good way to buy time. I'd have to make some calls and prepare for the worst. The moment I left the clan, I made sure I had a way to guarantee my freedom, even if it meant mutually assured destruction, and that sounded really good if the Zenin were to cross the line.
A cold smile crossed my lips. They dared to step out of line one step, and I would make sure they regretted it.
Author's Notes: Now, about the chapter, adding Miorine and the Rembrand group was really a last- minute thing! I was watching it one more time Gundam the Witch from Mercury and I just couldn't get Miorine out of my head!
I really like Suletta, but unfortunately she won't appear here, or if she does, it will be in a very small and unimportant role; only Miorine will be there, and maybe other members and characters related to the Benedit group.
By the way, here's an image I found of female Naobito(Naomi) and Naoya(Naoka) Zenin:
https://imgur.com/a/LBdWH2V