Chương 19: Taking Over - Takagi's Estate III
A day had passed since they arrived at the Takagi's Estate. Ryo was sure that one word from him was more than enough to make Soichiro's rule crumble, but he didn't expect the man to make things easier for him. Soichiro had called for a general meeting, involving everyone in the Estate.
As soon as Ryo went out of the mansion, he saw a big group of people standing in the yard. There were at least 30 and at most 50. It was a bit surprising that they could house so many people, but considering there were two big tents outside, it wasn't really. Ryo, instead of standing amongst everyone else, walked up to Yuriko who was standing behind Soichiro. He just stood there, ignoring the angry glare the man sent his way.
"Fufufu... Ryo-kun, you're going to make him pop a vein from anger~" whispered the mature woman as she covered her mouth and looked at Ryo. Since the previous day, when he had arrived, her mood had gotten a lot better. He not only had brought her daughter back safely, but he had also humilliated the hateful man. She was also sure that he was the one who spread those words that only served to ignite a "rebellion". His answer, only made her laugh even more. "I hope not... if that happened he won't be able to see his kingdom disappear"
Before they could keep talking, Soichiro began explaining what the reason for the meeting was. Apparently, the Prime Minister had an announcement to make. Soichiro had prepared loudspeakers to transmit the message in the entire place. Ryo thought that the man was clearly out of his mind, since such a loud sound would attract the zombies towards them. Not that it mattered, since they were safe for the moment. Soon, the tansmition began.
"Citizens of Japan, I have dire news about the current situation" he began talking, his voice full of exhaustion and distress. "China, in a moment of panic, has fired two nuclear warheads. One to the US and the other to our country"
People began talking loudly amongst themselves, but quieted down as soon as the President began talking again.
"That is already being solved by our military, who are going to shoot the missile down. The problem is that it has been confirmed that, much to our pain, this crisis has been confirmed to have happened on a worldwide scale. No count... NO! Get out of here! Where is securit..."
Hell broke loose on Earth. That was the common thought of most people when they heard the first words of their Prime Minister... but when the transmision ended, they realized that there was no Prime Minister anymore. People panicked and began screaming, grabbing at each other and yelling in despair. What where they, common people, supposed to do?
"Calm down everyone! We must stay unit..." Soichiro began doing his usual politician thing. Public speaking was, after all, the strongest point every politician had. In fact, if it hadn't been for a particular thing, Soichiro's speech would've worked. Unluckily for him, he wasn't even allowed to speak.
"Shut up!"
"You liar!"
"What money?! What power?!"
Soichiro couldn't believe what was happening. Wasn't everyone there working for him? Why had his own people turned against him? What exactly had happened? Then, as a realization hit him, a voice thundered above the rest.
"SILENCE!"
Everyone stopped speaking abruptly, almost as if it was practiced. But it wasn't. It was just that the authority the voice carried was unlike anything they had heard before. Yuriko, on the other hand, was thinking about her previous assumption. He really was a natural.
In front of everyone, where Soichiro was supposed to be, stood Ryo. His demeanor was one that left no room for anyone to argue with him. Soichiro looked at him in shock. He had been giving orders for at least two decades, yet he couldn't manage to do what Ryo had just done, neither could he replicate the air he carried himself with. There was common thought in everyone's mind.
'That... that is a man'
"I understand that everyone is scared!" Ryo said while looking at everyone present. He was thinking how lucky he was that there wasn't too many people, or else there was no way to calm everyone down. "But panicking like that will not help us! We must stand our ground and give it our best to survive, government or not!"
Soichiro realized his control of the situation was slipping at an alarming rate, and made a desperate attempt at getting it back... only to be insulted by everyone.
"*cough* I couldn't have said it better myself, Ryo-k..." he tried to put a hand on Ryo's shoulders once again, but got the same result as before.
*THUD*
"That is what you deserve!"
"You lying politician!"
"Scum!"
Soichiro didn't understand what was going on. He had rescued that people. He had given them food and housing. He had given them protection. All they had to do was work for him. He didn't understand what was going on. He tried so hard to achieve his goals... Soichiro snapped.
"WHY?! Why won't anything work?!" he yelled as he stood up. He was stumbling like a mad-man, but people like Hiratsuka, Saeko or Yuriko, who had experience with fighting, knew that is was the result of Ryo's hit. It was clearly stronger than the previous one.
"Twenty six fucking years I worked to achieve this position!" Soichiro shouted in his frustration. He coudln't understand it. Why would he fail at such point... then he remembered the boy that had humilliated him and stolen the limelight. He knew who was to blame. "You... it's all your fault fucking brat!"
He lounged at Ryo but he couldn't touch him. His katana wasn't with him, so he only had his anger and his body... which weren't enough.
"You see, Soichiro..." Ryo said as he played with the man, dodging and redirecting his punches, going as far as catching some to irk him even more. "I can't stand your kind the most"
As soon as he said those words, Ryo lifted his foot quickly and propered a lightning quick kick to Soichiro's chin. A punch well placed was enough to rattle the brain. Then what about a kick? Soichiro couldn't stand straight, stumbling in his every step. Ryo didn't give him space to recover.
A side kick propered to his left arm effectively broke it, followed by a punch to the stomach. Soichiro threw up his breakfast on the spot. Furrowing his brows and scrunching his nose because of the fowl smell of bile, Ryo kicked Soichiro's head, making him fall on his own vomit. As if that wasn't enough for him, he gave one last kick to his ribs.
"He is not mine to punish, Yuriko-san" Ryo said as he walked back to the woman, his cape fluttering a bit under the wind's influence. To Yuriko, Ryo looked like the hero she had waited for her entire life and had already given up in ever coming. Late, but he had arrived and saved her from the evil man that had her trapped. She smiled warmly at the young man that made her life something worth living. "Just lock him up somewhere he can't... Behind you!"
Ryo turned around and, as quickly as he did so, stretched both his arms towards Soichiro's knife-wielding one. It was out of reflex. It was on the spur of the moment. Soichiro's own knife, that was threatening Ryo's life, was now stabbed on his own neck. Ryo let go of the man, not knowing how everyone was looking at him. He knew that people were bound to die. He had brutalized Shido and no one had said anything... but now there were a lot more people.
He was most worried about what Saya and Yuriko would think of him, since Soichiro was the former's father and the latter's -even if forced- husband. To his surprise, the first thing he heard was Saya's voice.
"Serves him right" she said coldly, even though she was shaking a bit. Ryo assumed it was because of the emotions going through her, beeing free from the monster. Yuriko spoke after her, this time walking up to Ryo and bowing her head to him. "I'm sorry for even thinking of locking him up... he was beyond saving already"
Ryo just stood there, not knowing what to do or how to react. Then, he looked at everyone in the place. He didn't know exactly what they would say, but he was surprised by what happened next. Everyone just bowed their heads at him. What was the meaning of that? Why was everyone bowing to him? He had just killed a man in front of them and they bowed? What was this, a chiense novel?
As all those questions went through Ryo's mind, he heard one person's voice. It was Yamada Shingo, the weak boy he had taken with him all the way to the Takagi's Estate.
"Thank you, Ryo-kun! Thanks to you I met my mother again!" he said while giving him a ninety degree bow. Besides him was his mother. Then the man he had seen arguing with Shingo's mother approached. "Thank you for opening our eyes to the reality! We might've done things we regretted if it wasn't for your words!"
One by one, all the people he had helped began thanking him. Even Rei, who he still hadn't taken to her family, thanked him. Ryo didn't understand. He knew he had helped people, but was he really deserving of so much gratitude? Yuriko, who was by his side, spoke to him.
"Ryo, these people need a leader" she said confidently. Everyone heard her and nodded. They all had the same thoughts after seeing how strong, confident and decissive he was. That was the kind of person they needed. Someone who did what had to be done because he had to, not because of his selfish wishes. "Ryo... we need you to lead us"
Ryo sighed, clearly understanding that the only way out of such a situation was getting on the bus and running away. Then again, he couldn't do that, could he? His consciousness wouldn't allow him to abandon that many people to their luck, even if he knew that someone would rise up to the situation and do a good job.
"*sigh*... Why did I have to be a good person... just why..." he said loud enough for everyone to hear him. Some people laughed loudly, while some smiled wryly. That was the kind of man Hashimoto Ryo was. Strong, decissive, ruthless if needed. An overall natural leader. But he also was sensitive, honest and respectful. A good person.
Ryo took the last cigarette out of the package and, as he took a puff out of it, gave his first command to everyone.
"Someone tell me were I can find a store in the area. I ran out of cigarettes"
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It wasn't nearly as brutal as Shido's, but in my eyes there was no need for that. This chapter wasn't about the gore after all. But I did go through the process of mental and then physical torture.
Did you like this? I did.
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