Chapter 286 ( Back Home - I )

"I swear to god you're hard to find, Cloud-kun" - said Ryōko while looking at the blonde boy.

"It's a surprise to see you so soon... I guess you came to your conclusion" - said Cloud as he looked at the woman - "Tell me.... What was it that you thought?"

"Let's see, first, that you didn't like the idea that I was interested in you because of the prophecy" - said Ryōko while shaking her head - "I have other reasons, but that's the most likely one"

"Indeed, I don't like the idea of being with someone just because of the obligation" - Cloud answered seriously while looking at the others.

"I guess that's what makes me different from them..." - muttered Ryōko while looking at the others, to finally focus on her daughter who only nodded - "And now that we came to the conclusion, it only remains to talk a little more about what we really want."

"Speak" - Cloud said as he closed his eyes.

"First, I can't shake the mindset of wishing the best for the Kagamiin clan, but I can make some concessions" - Ryōko said while shaking her head - "Besides, we don't know each other well enough to be able to initiate something, if we don't even converse, right?"

"You have a point on that last one, our relationship is only familial because I'm dating Kyōka" - nodded Cloud while looking at the woman - "I never thought we would initiate something."

"That leaves me at a big disadvantage compared to the others, I can also tell that you seem rushed" - said Ryōko while narrowing her eyes - "I don't know the reason, but I feel like you're about to leave..."

". . ." - Cloud only widened his eyes in surprise at how sharp this woman's mind was. She had figured out his secret just by looking at his expression.

"Never look down on a woman's instincts, let alone a woman who has been in control of an organization for quite some time" - Ryōko said with a small smile - "One learns to read people like a book over time, more so when those people want to take advantage of this weak woman."

"I'm sure whoever thinks you're weak would be falling into your trap" - Cloud said while rolling his eyes at her.

"True, but that's one of my charms, making others let their guard down" - replied Ryōko as a huge smile appeared on her face - "Oops? I shouldn't have said that."

Cloud just kept silent as he waited for her to continue.

"Ok, what's said is said" - sighed Ryōko as she shook her head - "Let's go back to the beginning again, I want to propose something to you... let me join you and let's see how this plays out"

******************************************************

[Activating Optional Mission: "Desire of a Woman"]

[Info: Kagamiin Ryōko from the [Dragons Rioting] world, has informed you about her life and desires. She wants to bring prosperity to the Kagamiin clan, even if she has to sacrifice herself in the process, that's why she wants to accompany you in order to fulfill her wish]

[Additional Info: You rejected her proposal before and made her think about the situation a bit, making her open her eyes to your proposal and understand her situation a bit more. She now wishes to follow you not only because that's what her clan's prophecy dictates, but also because she wants to see what your limit is]

[Mission Content: Accept Kagamiin Ryōko's proposal and let her accompany you for a world, during this world, the two of you will be connected as if you were Recruit and Leader, only you won't be able to maintain physical contact].

[Additional Info: Kagamiin Ryōko will be in constant recruitment momentum, making her attitude towards you vary depending on the situation].

[Mission Success: Recruitment of Kagamiin Ryōko]

[Mission Failure: Failure to recruit Kagamiin Ryōko at the end of the next world, Kagamiin Ryōko's death]

[Mission Reward: +20 all Stats, 1,000,000 SP]

***********************************************

". . ." - Cloud fell silent as he read the notification he had received, only to close his eyes for a few seconds so he could speak to the System.

"Tell me... What will happen if I fail to recruit her?" - Cloud asked in his thoughts.

[She will lose all the events related to the world she will go to and will be returned to this world with her memories of Kyōka altered...]

"?" - Cloud's eyes widened when he heard this - "How altered?"

[Let's see... she'll remember that she had a problem with her daughter and they fought, now they won't want to see each other, giving the perfect excuse for her disappearance...]

"It's not as bad as I thought..." - Cloud muttered while shaking his head - "The best thing is that I can decide whether to accept or not."

[If I'm honest with you, I'd recommend you to accept the mission, User]

"Oh?" - Cloud narrowed his eyes when he heard this - "Why?"

[First, because it never hurts to have more Stats or System Points. Second, because in the future you will understand the usefulness of having recruits with a high connection rate].

". . ." - Cloud was silent when he heard this before nodding. His system was right, it never hurts to have more Stats or SP, after all, the former were limited while the latter, were never to be lacking.

"I see you came to a decision" - said Ryōko seeing how the boy was looking at her seriously - "Tell me what you will do".

"Ok, I accept" - Cloud said after deciding for a while, more when he noticed how hypocritical she was being because he had refused when she tried to join him for a prophecy, and now he was thinking of accepting when there was a mission involved.

"I feel like something is giving you a complex, but don't worry, it's not like I'm doing this for my own reasons" - Ryōko replied with a smile while looking at the boy - "By the way, I feel like I'm being excluded, I'd like you to tell me a bit about the situation."

"Oh, I think we'd better explain some things to you" - replied Kyōka as the others nodded.

"Ok, this is strange..." - Shizuka said as she walked to the blonde boy - "Why did we girls had to go through acute pain to receive the information about the System, but they are just like nothing."

"I don't have the slightest idea" - Cloud answered as he shrugged his shoulders noticing the face full of annoyance the woman had.

* * * * *

The day continued to progress and the group had separated.

Ryōko wouldn't lie, she never thought the truth would be so shocking, though it all made sense to her now.

Cloud was currently in his room with his eyes closed, stretched out on his bed thinking about everything that had happened - "It's a surprise that you're coming so late."

". . ." - but to his non-surprise, no one answered him.

"Oh, come on... Are you really going to do this?" - Cloud asked as he opened his eyes and looked towards the window, only to notice how a girl with blonde hair and green eyes was silently watching him - "What is it you wish, Rhino? Did you want to take advantage of the moment when I'm resting so you could strike for the kill?"

". . ." - Rino only maintained her silence as she watched the blond carefully.

"What's wrong?" - Cloud asked as he frowned - "Why are you acting so strange?"

"Because I need to talk to you about my sister" - Rino said as she narrowed her eyes - "I don't know what you said to her or what you did . but I promise you that I'm going to cut off your balls, I'm going to slice off your dick and finally serve it to you as an ****."

". . ." - Cloud rolled his eyes at the girl before snorting - "If that's all, you're welcome to leave."

". . ." - Rino was silent for a few seconds before disappearing.

"Okay, since our little guest left, how about we talk now, Erin?" - Cloud asked as the girl walked from the shadows - "How did you spot me?"

"Now I'm not as exhausted as before" - said Cloud as he looked at the girl - "My concentration levels are back to normal, in fact, I feel better than ever, so it was obvious that I could spot you, not to mention that you seemed to have taken a shower before coming"

"!" - Erin's eyes widened in surprise as she sniffed her arms without noticing the faint scent of her soap - "?"

"Dragon Talent" - Cloud replied as he shrugged - "You could say my senses are like a canid's at the moment, I can sense even the slightest of changes in my room... though these senses I choose to ignore because it's annoying to sniff all the people around me."

"I see..." - nodded Erin as she looked at the boy with her neutral silver eyes - "I'm sorry to have to interrupt you during your break... but it's better if we talk now while no one's around"

"No problem" - Cloud said calmly - "Come, sit down and let's talk what you need."

Erin heeded him and walked to a chair and sat down, only to start asking the boy questions.

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Read 16 chapters ahead of Marvel X DC and each chapter is more than 3k words so maybe a total of 42k + words ahead...

and for source read 20 Chapters ahead

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