章 21: CHAPTER 21: Leon On Center Stage
The early hours of the new day had arrived upon the world. As the sun rose over the horizon, many women began to wake from their slumber before preparing to start their day.
In this reversed world, women comprise most of the workforce, and thus, they were the most active at this time of hour.
From young girls waking up with complaints before sitting down to watch some morning cartoons, to teenagers dragging themselves along groggily with regret to Adults with splitting headaches from too much drinking the night prior.
As they finished their grooming and preparations for what they had to do later on in the day, their doors were locked shut as they began their commute to school or work.
Many of the women walked along the roads with tired expressions, wishing to have been given just a couple hours more of serene sleep.
No amount of energizing food or bathtime would completely rid one of their desire for rest. But soon, they would be bombarded with something so shocking their minds had no choice but to be forced awake.
"Hm?"
Staring upward, one of the women in the large crowd, an average office lady, noticed something peculiar in the corner of her vision.
It was the logo of the famed Cromwell Group, a business she was quite familiar with as a lifelong member of the middle class, to whom they appealed the most.
Across the numerous electronic billboards of the popular crossing she was taking to head to the train station, the familiar logo that displayed the letters C and G began to appear brightly in the early morning light.
After taking a few moments to rack her brain, she suddenly remembered that the Cromwell Group planned to announce their new summer line of products that day.
Upon realizing that, her attention began to drift away from the billboards slowly. At most, it would be another bog-standard advertising campaign with only a few products that would mildly interest her, so why bother paying attention to it? How wrong she would be.
『Hey, you there?』
Electrifying. As if a lightning bolt had struck her right then and there and burned her senses awake. With just a few words, the office lady's attention was recaptured as she stared at the electronic billboard with widened eyes.
"What?"
And she was not alone as the women around her began to stare up in awe at the sight they were looking at.
"Hey, that can't be real, right?"
Because the Cromwell Group's latest advertisement campaign wasn't just another run-of-the-mill project…no…it would later go down in history as the world's first introduction to the soon-to-be global superstar.
『Summer's around the corner, y'know? You can't just stay there dejected』
Across the numerous large screens, a video began to display a bright and cheerful young boy. With blonde hair and green eyes that captivated their vision and a voice that drew in their hearing.
Set against a glowing sun that beat down on him with unforgiving heat, his smile seemed unfazed as he stared directly into the crowd that watched with confusion and building tension.
『I guess I can't help it. You're just useless without me, aren't you? Flopping around like a dead fish~』
"Kyah!"
As the young boy teased the crowd through the screen, a woman shouted out in embarrassment as her heart could no longer handle the immense emotions he was stirring up within her. Something the surrounding crowd sympathized greatly with.
『Well then. To bring those spirits up, there's only one place we can go to, right?』
As he extended his hand outward, the familiar jingle of the Cromwell Group began to rise in the background before taking center stage as the accompaniment for the young boy's introduction of their new summer line of products.
Various scenes flashed before the crowd's eyes, each one astounding them more than the other. An idyllic stroll through the different shops. A peaceful look through a goods store. A fun-filled escapade in the arcade. A relaxed unwinding in a serene cafe.
It was the epitome of the desires of all the women present. A dream-like date with a dream-like boy in the impassioned embrace of summer.
They were all so captured by the fantasy presented on the screen that they overlooked the subtle marketing mixed in with each scenario.
"Ah! That plushie that boy is holding raises his cuteness to another level!"
"I wonder if they plan to sell that plushie he used for the ad. I would pay a fortune to have it."
"Hey, even if they don't sell the plushie he used if you buy a similar one, can't you just pretend it's the one he used?"
"Hey, are you a genius?"
"Hurry, look up that plushie! I want to be able to have something a cute boy embraced so tenderly!"
"It's available for pre-order! That plushie will be mine!"
"No! It will be mine first! I won't let your desire-laden mitts obtain it!"
"Stop it! All of you guys ordering is crashing the site!"
This same scenario played out every time the young boy was caught with some other kind of product, from collectibles to clothes to food, and surprisingly, even a washing machine that he had leaned on for only a couple of seconds.
The one peaceful early morning had become a chaotic mess of consumerism and maidenly desires. The young boy on the screen led them by the nose, like a villainous pied piper that awoke their innermost desires.
As the adverts began to end, the fever the young boy had caused similarly began to die down. Primarily due in large part to the massive frenzy that had crashed the site of the Cromwell Group, leaving them unable to pre-order anything.
While the women sulked in dejection, their attention was captured again as the credits began to roll. And the only name in the women's eyes was that of the young boy that had so quickly enraptured them.
"Leon Greenfield…"
Starting right then and there, Leon had taken center stage in the public's consciousness.
…
..
.
"Good morning, Ana."
"Good morning to you as well, Young Master."
"Hm? Why didn't you greet me first, Leon? Your Mother is heartbroken…"
"Don't be like that so early in the morning, Mom. Good morning to you, too."
"Kyah! My just recently woken up son is too cute!"
"I concur wholeheartedly, Madame!"
"C'mon, you two…"
In the early hours of the Greenfield household, a pleasant and peaceful atmosphere was held throughout.
Having just finished his photoshoot job, his mother, Ana, and Amane greatly urged Leon to take a break from any tasks.
Though he tried to protest, his words fell on deaf ears as the concern of the women around him surpassed his wishes.
As such, he was beginning the day rather slowly. With his mother by the couch of the living room reading through emails and his maid gracefully cooking up breakfast, there was little Leon expected that could break this serene atmosphere.
𝙍𝙄𝙉𝙂...𝙍𝙄𝙉𝙂...
Breaking the house's quiet, Ana's phone began to vibrate within the concealed pocket of her maid uniform, notifying her that someone had started to call her.
"..."
This act alone began to concern both the young maid herself and Leon's mother, as they both knew that outside of calls from Leon, anyone who tried to contact her only did so with the most urgent of reasons.
Bringing it to her hands, the young maid read out the name of the person calling her. The young heiress to the Azuma Group, Azuma Amane.
"Why her?"
The name only elicited a strained response from Ana, but it only heightened Ada's wariness regarding the situation.
After the photoshoot, Ada met with Amane upon the recommendation of Ana. Hearing about the details of how successful the shoot was, Ada realized that her son would need further protection and thus enlisted the help of the Azuma Group.
Never before in her long career as Chief Prosecutor had she seen an instance of the two largest independent security groups working together, but she would hardly question it if it meant Leon was safer than before.
"Ana, I understand your apprehension towards the Azumas as a Romanov, but please put that aside for Leon's sake."
"...I understand, Madame."
Swallowing her pride, Ana answered the call, letting free a concerned voice from the young girl, seemingly out of breath.
"Ms. Greenfield! Anastasia! Whatever you do, do not let Leon leave the house! The advertising campaign of the Cromwell Group has just launched, and the public reaction is more severe than we anticipated!"
"Though the laws put in place regarding Male Protection largely push back the large players in the media, my subordinates have reported several seedly tabloid groups and registered dangerous women have begun to approach the Greenfield estate!"
Hearing those dreaded words, Ada immediately began to turn on the television, only to be met with a breaking news segment on the morning news regarding her son.
『In breaking news, the recent launch of the Cromwell Group's latest summer line of products has stirred a public frenzy with their bold advertising campaign』
『The appearance of a young male heartthrob model has caused the general public to begin clambering for not only the products offered by the large corporation but also details regarding this elusive newbie in the modeling world. Leon Greenfield.』
Ada's eyes only grew wider as she switched through the channels. Each one began to discuss at length all the tidbits of information they could find on her son.
『Leon Greenfield, son of the feared Ada Greenfield. Is it possible for the cold-hearted chief prosecutor to raise such a warm, endearing young boy?』
『Our studio staff have been able to identify this Twitter account to have belonged to the recently introduced Leon Greenfield. Isn't he too attractive to be real?』
『We are here at the famed Socrates Cram School, where there are suspicions that Leon Greenfield counts as among one of its students. Numerous reporters have tried to gather comments from the recently arrived students, but no success has been made as of yet』
Turning off the television after growing stressed with the numerous commentaries on her beloved child, Ada immediately called out to Ana to secure Leon.
"Ana! Where is Leon?!"
But before she could receive a reply, the grown woman's vision caught the young maid sprinting towards the front door. And in her horror, at the end of her vision was her son, who was trying to open the entrance to their home. Seemingly oblivious to what was happening.
"I wonder if my package has arrived…and what is with all the noise outside?..."
"Leon, no!"
"Young Master, stop!"
"Eh?"
With the click of the doorknob, Leon had unknowingly opened Pandor's box. From this moment forward, his life would now forever be under the limelight of this reversed world. Something that will be both a blessing and a burden to him in equal measure.
…
..
.
There was silence. As Leon turned to look back at his mother and young maid, who now had horrified expressions, the young boy eventually looked outside as the morning light began to peek from the corner of his eyes.
Silence. A silence he would expect from a peaceful weekend morning. But rather than the sparsely populated streets of his neighborhood, he was met with a bizarre sight.
An immense crowd of reporters and spectators had gathered beyond the gate to his family's estate. Betwixt the large group and the secure metal fence was a row of trained and armed security personnel, who acted as the first line of defense between his home and the large gathering of people.
Among the number of guards was Leon's friend, Amane, who turned to look at him after hearing the door open. Her face became similar to Ana and Ada's upon realizing the young boy had stepped outside.
"No…Leon…"
As Amane's words echoed with despair, the silence was broken as a fervor of noise began to ring out throughout the neighborhood. All of the voices were directed towards Leon and Leon alone.
"Leon! What is your opinion on the large public reception regarding your modeling debut!"
"Leon! What are your three sizes for all the lonely and single women of the world!"
"Leon!" "Leon!" "Leon!" "Leon!" "Leon!" "Leon!"
First was the cry of the tabloid journalists. In this world where information regarding men was highly desired, there was naturally an industry that catered to the audience who sought out such content. Regardless of how many laws they crossed.
With their companies operating in legal gray zones and hiring disposable journalists who broke the law in return for great sums of money to gather tantalizing information about men through whatever means necessary, these entities were a common enemy for security detail tasked with male protection.
"Such a handsome face on a tight young body. What I would give to show him a good time. Hehe~"
"And what's more, he's walking around in that sleepwear that reveals his collarbone. He's just begging for a strong woman to take charge over him~"
Second were the registered offenders of the Male Protection laws. Women who let their desires run rampant. Ignoring the consequences to seek a fulfillment of their libido and frustration.
As the two groups began to approach the Greenfield estate slowly, Amane and her subordinates from the Azuma Group prepared themselves for battle.
"At arms! Last warning! Should any of you take one step further, we will be forced to use whatever means to ensure the protection of our client! Stand! Down!"
Amane's face grew wild with overflowing anger as if she had become a shura hell-bent on inflicting violence. Holding a sparking baton she retrieved from her waist, the young heiress and her followers readied themselves for battle.
"You uncultured swine! Looking upon the kind Young Master with your filthy eyes!"
Seeing how the situation was about to unfold, Anastasia followed Amane's lead as immense killing intent began to radiate off her.
The sight of her beloved Young Master being ogled by these vile women awoke a protective instinct she had never used before. One that heightened her combat abilities way beyond what she was previously capable of.
Raising her skirt to retrieve her high-end combat pistol that was solely designed for the elimination of any hostiles, the young maid readied herself to bring forth a blood bath.
"Leon, don't look! Stand behind, Mother!"
Lastly was Ada. Though she held immense anger in her heart, her foremost priority was the protection of her child.
Though Leon had improved greatly, she remembered the underlying cause that forced him to become detached from her for so long: his fear of the evils women could inflict upon him.
As she held the young boy in her arms, she tensed greatly, praying to any god out there to allow her son not to have his trauma reawaken. To allow him to live a normal life with smiles and unending joy.
"Don't worry, Leon. No matter what happens…this time…this time for sure…Mother will protect you!"
Ada will not allow herself to see Leon be hurt again. She had failed once as his parent and foremost protector, and she would never permit such a thing to happen again.
But just as her mind raced with numerous strategies to handle the fallout of this situation, Leon's voice cut through her panicking mind like a single droplet, sending ripples across a calm lake.
"It's fine, Mom."
"Leon?..."
"I can do it now. I can protect our home. You don't have to do everything by yourself anymore."
Seeing the calmness in her child's eyes, Ada felt confused as her body naturally moved according to Leon's aura.
Her arms had removed themselves as if she had instinctually understood that the young bird she was tasked with rearing no longer needed her complete protection.
"Though I said I wanted to do the photoshoot to improve myself. In truth, it's because I didn't want to fail to live up to the position of the only child of the amazing Ada Greenfield."
With a beaming smile that shined regardless of the challenges he needed to face, Leon's expression struck a myriad of emotions within Ada's heart. Emotion she wasn't quite able to articulate in that moment.
Along with the stunned Ada, Ana was also left dazed as she failed to comprehend Leon's behavior. To which he simply answered with a similarly beaming smile and a few gentle words for the maid to stand down.
"I want to be able to make you both proud. To do good on the Greenfield name. So watch over me, Mom, Ana. See the fruits of my effort!"
…
..
.
In his past life, Leon had always wondered why he was brought to the world. To inflict violence? To assert dominion over the underworld? To experience the pleasures of the flesh? To enact the most vile acts possible?
No, it was none of those reasons; it was for this very moment. To make use of those skills he had honed to protect the happy life he had found after his first death.
Taking a step towards the outside that he had once feared so much before remembering his past life, Leon no longer feared the unknowns that waited for him beyond the security of the walls of his home.
'The past me of my last life…the past me of this current life…let's all do our best. To live this second chance we have without regrets!'
Walking along the stone pavement leading to the gates of his family estate, Leon reflected on his last use of his past life's skills. He had gone overboard to enact good, but he had been mistaken.
His idea of good was the upholding of what he perceived to be justice. The inverse of all the repulsive behavior he had seen as the ruler of the criminal underworld.
But such wanton enforcement of ideals was no worse than the unrelenting pursuit of hedonism. No, Leon needed balance. A restraint between good and evil that provided him the best of both worlds.
'Don't overdo it now, Leon.'
Smirking to himself as he tried his best to execute his newfound methodology without prior practice, the young boy finally arrived at the estate's gates.
"Leon?! What are you doing here?! Retreat back to the house where Ana and Ms. Greenfield can-"
"It's alright, Amane."
"...Eh?"
Moving beyond the line of security personnel led by Amane, the young heiress was left shocked at Leon's expression as he spoke to her.
His face didn't turn to match her eyes, but he was constantly locked on what lay ahead of him. With all the confidence and determination he exuded, she, along with her subordinates, was struck with a sudden flash of nostalgia.
Within the figure of the slowly walking Leon, they all saw the silhouette of the passed husband of the Azuma Group's head—the caretaker of their big family and the loving father of the young Amane.
"Leon…"
And unknowingly, the members of the Azuma Group, too, began to comply with Leon's wishes not to meet the encroaching belligerent group with force.
…
..
.
"..."
Standing face to face with the group of tabloid journalists and registered dangerous women, Leon met their gaze at first with a neutral expression.
He recognized the looks in their eyes all too well. Even in a reversed world where men were treasured greatly, there were always a small few who didn't fall in line with societal expectations.
It's only human nature for outliers to exist, and the group he was looking at was a textbook example of such a principle. But there was no fear in his eyes. After all, what were the lot of them compared to the horrors he had seen as a low-life in his previous world?
"..."
Remaining quiet as he locked eyes with the foremost person in the crowd in relation to himself, the woman who was a report held a smirk on her face along with a heated breath.
Though she came for the paycheck the tabloid group offered her, she couldn't deny she was tempted by the appearance of a handsome young boy in such ragged clothing.
Faced with the promise of immense wealth and pleasure, she ordered her body to take another step, but she halted upon noticing a change in behavior in the young boy in front of her.
"Quiet down and turn off the lights of your cameras. All of you."
"Eh?"
"I said to quiet down and turn off the light of your cameras. You're all being a public nuisance to the neighborhood."
The once quiet Leon had now begun to speak with a frighteningly cold tone of voice with a chilling glare in his eye that seemed to be devoid of any sympathy.
The step the woman was about to take was halted upon her body, sensing the overflowing amount of violence that seemed to seep out of Leon's body.
His words seemed kind and courteous, but veiled beneath his orderly public act lay an immense threat of retribution.
This was Leon's new methodology taken into effect. If it were to be understood more quickly, it would be using his criminal skills with plausible deniability of any wrongdoing.
So long as no damage was inflicted, Leon had free reign to do whatever he wanted. So, his first choice of action was intimidation.
Though his body hadn't achieved the peak of physicality, there were plenty of actions that lay available for him to choose from. Coupled with his mentality that wouldn't hesitate to act on such notions, Leon's intimidation of the crowd was greatly effective.
"Do you realize you're breaking the neighborhood association's ordinance of public gathering, public disturbance, and property invasion?"
"Ah, I-"
"You all might be unaware of these ordinances, so I'll plead for the association to overlook this case so long as you promise to vacate the premises. Alright?"
"No, but-"
"Alright?"
"..."
Leon's words once again appeared kind and understandable, but he gave out an aura of fear to the people he directed it toward, causing the crowd to back off one step at a time as he similarly approached them one step at a time.
But though this strategy proved effective for most of them, as the young boy expected, there were always outliers.
"Damn, brat! Who the hell do you think you are?!"
A registered dangerous woman leaped through the crowd and tried to assault Leon. This person had a history of believing radical beliefs that men should be used solely for the pleasure and benefit of women, so she held no inhibitions at causing harm to the young boy in front of her.
But just as her hands were about to touch him, her body ran cold as she saw the change of expression on his face.
As Leon became obscured from the rolling cameras of the tabloid journalist through the woman's body, he let out his genuine emotions as everything went according to plan.
'Confidence plays may work, but they always fail when used on many people. Because one of them is bound to be ballsy enough to challenge it.'
'But such a development also proves not much of a problem. Because nine times out of ten, the challenger is some idiot who's easy to exploit.'
'And once you're done exploiting said idiot, you're intimidation is complete. Because you have a lamb to slaughter to prove the consequences of breaking out of line.'
Leon smiled sadistically as he watched the fool a woman slowly enter his range. He held no hesitation about harming a woman. Because regardless of gender…
"One must always face the consequences of their actions."
"Huh?"
In an instant, the belligerent woman's vision turned into a blur. But before her brain could process what had happened, she was struck with an overwhelming sense of pain.
"AHHH-"
Under Leon's expertise, he grabbed her right arm before forcing her to trip with a simple and carefree leg sweep, not needing to exert any effort as the woman's momentum played against her.
As she fell towards the rough ground, her arm twisted abnormally before being forced into a painful position with a slight adjustment from Leon's grip.
"AHHH-"
The woman screamed in immense pain, but as she did so, Leon raised his voice to speak to the crowd.
Previously, if a fight had broken out, it would've led to some semblance of backlash towards his family and the Azuma Group, who seemingly raised arms against a group of "reporters and fans."
No matter how obvious a situation may seem, journalists can always twist a situation into whatever they please. So Leon needed a fool-proof development that denied such a possibility from ever occurring.
Now that Leon was armed with the fact that he was attacked first, he could guarantee the full protection of his family and friends.
"Previously, you all were fiddling with the line between violating and not violating the Male Protection Laws, but with these…you all now know what happens, right?"
Looking upon the crowd, Leon inspired a wave of dread as he signaled his friends and family to take action without fear of recourse.
"Ana. Amane"
"As you wish, Young Master"
"Gladly, Leon"
Appearing at his side near-instantly, the black and white protectors of Leon began to shout in unison.
"According to section eight, paragraph four of the Male Protection Laws. All witnesses to an attempt to harm a male will be detained for questioning for their possible awareness or involvement in the crime!"
"Should any individual resist arrest, any means shall be carried out by the acting authorized enforcers of order to carry out the law and all it entails!"
"" Stand down and don't resist arrest! ""
Faced with the proclamation of Ana and Amane, many in the crowd began to disperse out of fear of being caught without gaining anything, to which the two women responded by quickly picking them off one by one.
The black lion of the Azuma and the white wolf of the Romanov hunted down each offender with efficiency, so much so that the remaining personnel didn't need to assist them, instead forming a perimeter around Leon and taking away the woman he had taken down himself.
As the situation winded down, many things happened in quick succession. Ada rushed out of the house, embraced Leon, and smothered in with concern and scolding chaotically.
Ada and Amane returned with a mountain of criminals crying in pain as they looked toward Leon with excitement, seemingly waiting for him to praise them like a pair of pets whom he had played catch with.
The subordinates of the Azuma Group seemed to look upon him more favorably, with a look of nostalgia and reminiscence in their eyes as he kindly answered their calls. A sight that stirred something within Amane's heart and annoyed Ana's.
And lastly, the surrounding neighborhood and the newly arrived police force looked at Leon in awe.
Not only had he made a big splash with his eye-capturing performance as a model, but he had even proven his competence as a person when faced with a situation that would lead many to cower in fear.
This would only lead to a further boost in his popularity on the day of his debut, as this moment would go down in history as the following.
『The Royal Prince, accompanied by his Royal Guard, repelling the invasion of the invading barbarians of greed and desire』
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