Heroine Addict: Chapter 11, Innocent Ninja (Patreon)

Ryuu was unconcerned even though he sensed at least a dozen minds surrounding him in the walls and under the floor. These ninjas were batshit, that was for sure. They'd probably upped their security once he came into Shizuku's life.

An otaku like Hajime would obviously fanboy hard, carrying on like, "I, is that for substitution technique!? Is that log for that!? Shuuzou-san! Please show me the substitution technique in the flesh at least once!"

On the other hand, Ryuu was just pissed off. It was near impossible to move things forward with Shizuku when she had more guards than the Emperor at all times. Ryuu skimmed the thoughts of some of the stealthy hindrances.

This fucker-

Maybe a sneak attack from below-

If we just get his crotch then mission success-

Protect the princess's innocence at-

I wonder if poison gas would-

Even at the cost of this one's worthless life-

Now Ryuu was slightly concerned. It seemed that regardless of whatever deal he reached with their leaders, the Yaegashi shinobi couldn't abide anyone sniffing around their princess.

If these nutjobs went all out they might be able to get a lucky shot in at his little guy. He didn't think they'd actually make a move while he was with Shizuku, but he couldn't help but feel the slightest bit provoked.

Maybe some punishment was needed for the uppity shinobi.

Ryuu decided to push Shizuku a little today. Hmm, I wonder how far I can take it? he thought, picking up a feeling of amusement from his connection to Emma.

This dynamic only worked because he and Emma were so similar, both sharing a rather cheap, almost juvenile sense of humour. They knew that you had to find the humour in life wherever you could, even if you couldn't show how you truly felt about it. A more conservative woman would've been scolding him non-stop. Shizuku would probably slap him a few times a day if she could hear what he was thinking.

Ryuu was starting to like having an audience in his head. As a reincarnator, he knew about the potential existence of "systems". He wondered if he could get Emma to role-play as his system? If she was going to literally live in his head rent free while he did the legwork on their adventures, then she could at least contribute in another way. To his entertainment!

Ryuu felt Emma's indignation and her presence receded from his mind. He chuckled. Teasing the sultry blonde was fun when he could read her emotions.

"You know, Shizuku, I was hoping we could relax in private. I have some really important stuff to tell you. It's life and death, cross my heart and hope to die," Ryuu promised.

"Eh!? What are you talking about, Ryuu-kun?" Shizuku asked, "After my family's... revelations...  I now know my family keeps tabs on me when I go out, but we should be alone now?"

They were sitting together in the living room and she couldn't see any of her usual guards. She hadn't noticed them at all before her family told her about their existence. Thankfully, her mother had started diversifying her training of the Yaegashi style, allowing her to peel back the curtain to see what was really going on in her life.

Ryuu had to stop himself from laughing out loud. He decided to try something new with his telepathy and reached out to Shizuku with his senses.

He entered Shizuku's mind, but didn't go too deep, and he didn't hide his intrusion from her. She felt him make contact and could tell he was restricting himself to her surface thoughts. She marveled at his ability after he gave her a brief mental explanation of his telepathy. He then bundled the memory of her protectors plotting to castrate/kill him and gently projected it into her head.

Shizuku's widened in surprise and her ponytail stuck up into the air like a surprised cat's tail. Her mouth thinned and her hands tightened into fists. She shook her hands and, out of nowhere, multiple kunai appeared.

Ryuu had inadvertently given up their watchers' positions when he shared the memory. The result was a precise shower of blades that pierced through the floors and walls directly.

"Holy shit," Ryuu blurted, genuinely astonished. Perhaps Shizuku's tolerance for her family's absurd lifestyle was much lower because she was still inexperienced? That would make sense. She did get thrown in off the deep end. In the novel, she didn't learn of her family's true nature until after her nonsensical isekai.

Shizuku blushed, embarrassed by her brutish actions that she'd performed almost instinctively. Nowhere in the house was safe! Well, maybe my room would be an insanity-free zone...

Ryuu smiled at her thought. He knew that wasn't the case. At the very least, there was one hidden compartment in her ceiling. His mirth must've been a little obvious because she glared at him with a pout. Mind-reading was cheating. Not fair!

At least she could put the new techniques her parents taught her to good use. She took to them like a fish to water, as evidenced by the screams and groans that resounded all around them.

"Okay. Fine. Let's go to my room. I trust that my family respects my privacy enough to not spy on me in my own bed," she emphasized.

Ryuu whisked her up into his arms in a bridal carry and ran them at super speed to Shizuku's room. None of the ninjas could react and, before they could follow, Ryuu flexed his psionic muscles to their full extent for the first time.

In true Charles Xavier fashion, Ryuu froze the minds of every person in the Yaegashi compound. After he released them, they would have no knowledge of what happened in the intervening time. It would be as if they blinked and one second turned into however long Ryuu wanted.

He threw open the door to her room and was confronted by an overwhelming amount of pink. There were pink blankets, pink pillows, pink stuffed animals, and even some rather tasteful pink artwork.

It wasn't the only colour present in the room, but suffice to say, Shizuku liked the colour pink. Ryuu knew Shizuku would never allow any of her school friends to see her room. It would ruin any image they had of her as a dependable, stoic woman.

Ryuu would have been flattered that she allowed him in her room, but knew that, while she did like him, she mostly wanted to escape from her crazy family.

Shizuku was astounded. One moment they were standing still and the next she was being set down on the edge of her bed. She hadn't even felt them move!

"What the hell was that?" Shizuku squeaked as her ponytail stood tall in shock. Her hair had a life of its own, especially when she was emotional. Ryuu thought it was adorable and reached out to stroke it, only for her hair to move as one entity and slap his hand back. So cute!

"What on Earth is going on with my hair?" Shizuku questioned her sanity. Ninjutsu was one thing, but her hair was acting like some sort of supernatural creature!

Ryuu took pity on the poor exasperated girl and sat down next to her on her bed. His hands came up and cupped her face, his fingers resting on her temples.

"Shizuku," he leaned in close to convey his seriousness, "Pay attention to what I'm about to show you. This is why your parents have clued you in on your family's secrets and why I've become so involved in your life so suddenly."

Shizuku blushed at his closeness but took his words to heart. Before she could respond, she was sucked into a vision, leaving her confused and disoriented.

Ryuu's mind was slightly strained with the weight of controlling the minds of hundreds of people in his surroundings while connecting to Shizuku to share some carefully edited memories with her. He needed to secure her loyalty and wasn't above bending the truth a little to get it.

His freezing effect was more of a blunt force attack that he could spread over a large area. Connecting to an individual mind on a deep level was more delicate work.

Shizuku saw muted, blurry visions of a timeline that Ryuu would never allow to come to pass. She saw her battles filled with loss and despair. She saw all of her own near-death experiences. She saw the betrayal of Hajime and Kaori at the hands of Daisuke.

Hajime was blasted off a bridge into a dark abyss and Kaori was stabbed in the back in a desperate situation. Shizuku's heart broke when she heard her future self's screams as Eri attempted to revive Kaori as a meat puppet. A deep rage settled in her as she saw the broken and battered forms of her classmates.

Shizuku felt a deep fear when she saw a vision of the endless hordes of demons and beasts that awaited them in Tortus. While her mind was distracted by her intense emotions, Ryuu forged a link between himself and Shizuku, beneath the memory transfer. It wasn't permanent and would fade as soon as they were apart, but while together it allowed Ryuu to monitor her body and mind.

Ryuu didn't give her any information on Ehito or his apostles because he didn't want to put her at risk too early. If Ehito figured out that he had irregulars on his game board, he would try and eliminate them.

"Do you understand?" Ryuu asked gently.

Tears slipped down Shizuku's face as she struggled to comprehend what she had been shown.

"That was the future?" she asked disbelievingly. "All of that insanity, heartbreak and horror?" she looked at Ryuu desperately, hoping he would tell her none of it was real.

"I'm afraid so, little princess," Ryuu said apologetically.

Shizuku looked like she was about to break down. The scene of Kaori being pierced through the heart replayed itself on repeat in her mind. It was too much for her.

Before she could lose herself, Ryuu sent a wave of calm and peace through their mental link. Shizuku relaxed and her body lost tension as she was flooded by the artificial emotions.

She turned towards Ryuu and collapsed into his chest, gripping his clothing tight. Her life had changed so much in a week and this young man before her was the catalyst. She wasn't sure if she should thank him for opening her eyes to the truth behind the scenes of her own life or smack him for upending her peaceful days.

"It won't be easy," Ryuu admitted, "But, with me by your side, there won't be anything to worry about. I know you and Kaori spent a lot of time learning about anime and manga because of her crush on Hajime. To put it in terms that he would use, I'm a broken cheat character who has the game manual in his back pocket."

Shizuku chuckled a bit before reality caught up with her. "So," she looked up at him nervously, "You can see the future, read minds, and you move at super speeds?"

Ryuu nodded, "Among other things."

Shizuku stared at him for a moment before she sighed, "Tell me the truth. Why did my family let you into our home? They've always kept boys as far away from me as possible, with the exception of my childhood friends."

Ryuu chuckled. She was sharp and so long as her keen edge was pointed towards his enemies rather than him, that suited him just fine.

"I just showed them my power. I spun some tales and told them a bit of what I showed you, but it was their inability to fight back against me that made them surrender to my wishes in the end. If I'd been weaker with this knowledge, they probably would have captured me and interrogated me for all I knew." he admitted, knowing it was what she already suspected.

She let out a huff, "Why do you want me so badly?" She understood that he knew the future, but why was he so focused on pursuing her? Shouldn't he have more important things to do?

Ryuu looked at her heatedly, "Well, darling, I like you because of what you are capable of accomplishing. With the strength of a mere human, you will stand equal with angels and demons. It also helps that you're one of the most adorable girls I've ever met. There isn't much a man wouldn't do for a beautiful woman."

Shizuku was still annoyed with the boy, but her body flushed at his compliments. A happy, tingly feeling spread through her body.

"Well," Ryuu mused, "There's also the fact that in the world we'll be summoned to, the Emperor will try and seduce you. Repeatedly."

Shizuku's ponytail shot up in shock!

Ryuu nodded, knowingly, "I know! He's a forty year-old man who's trying to drag a teenage girl to bed!" Ryuu ignored the fact that technically he was around thirty-six. He'd lived most of those years as a child and teenager so he hardly had the opportunity to mature naturally. He wasn't a normal teenager, but he would hardly classify himself as a stable, self-sufficient adult.

Emma snorted in his head, unable to hold her mirth. She couldn't resist teasing him, What a dirty old man we have here...

Ryuu's forehead twitched and he sent a mental poke between Emma's eyebrows. Let me be a hypocrite in peace, please and thanks.

Shizuku was stunned at the notion that an Emperor of all people would be interested in her. Maybe if he was in his twenties...

Ryuu laughed a little as Emma slapped her forehead. See? She's fine with older men, they just can't be old men. I'll be fine. he chortled.

Ryuu continued, "Basically, the world we're going to is a primitive hellscape compared to modern Earth. If I don't have at least an engagement ring on your finger by the time we're summoned over there, I'll be fighting off savages every day of the week to keep them away from you. Of course, I'm sure you'd take out quite a few of them as well, but the number of pillagers and rapists in Tortus are ridiculous. I'd rather not take any risks. A ring will keep the most overt of them away, at least."

Shizuku bristled, "You're saying you want to put a ring on my finger so you can lay some kind of claim on me? So that other men won't be able to? Am I understanding correctly, Ryuu-kun?"

Ryuu nodded confidently, heedless of Shizuku's irritation, "Yes! Exactly! I'm glad you understand."

A vein throbbed in Shizuku's forehead at the audacity of this boy. She moved to slap him on the back of the head, but Ryuu grabbed her hand and held her still.

"Think of this like a Lord accepting a Lady from another clan as his bride. Later on, if you truly don't wish to be married to me, then I promise we'll call it off." he said honestly. "Although I don't think you should bet against me, darling," he flashed a bright smile, "I can see the future, after all. Our future is bright indeed so long as we're together."

You're so full of shit, Emma snickered in his mind. I won't deny that you'll both be happy if you get together, but I know that you haven't had any visions about her.

Ryuu gave a mental shrug. Sometimes, you didn't need to be able to see the future, you could make it a reality yourself. If he couldn't talk himself up when he was trying to scam- convince people, then what was the point of having superpowers?

"I want us to be together forever, Shizuku," he said earnestly, "I've seen many of your potential futures and I fell in love with you in each one."

Not necessarily true, but Ryuu could see himself falling for the girl for real once she was done growing. He just needed her to believe him for now. By the time she realized he wasn't the most honest of rogues it would be far too late. He was planning to make her fall for him hard.

"Your earnestness and dependability drew me to you, but it was your charm that made me want to keep you by my side. You're the total package and I'd be a fool if I didn't want you by my side." Ryuu grabbed her hand and held it gently.

"If we work together, we can forge a path to the best possible future. There isn't anyone I'd rather have by my side," Ryuu said honestly. In truth, of the people in their class, there really wasn't anyone that stood out.

Shizuku's heart wavered. The visions she'd seen were lingering in her mind's eye, taunting her. She knew that as she was now she would be nothing but prey for the monsters that would soon come knocking on her door.

And really, aside from the rather unconventional way he'd barged into her life, embarrassing her in his first day of class, she found everything about Ryuu appealing. He was strong and handsome. He had knowledge and power. Really, she couldn't ask for a better match.

Her heart might not be ready, but there were far worse political matches that her ancestors had been forced into. Shizuku could tell that Ryuu did like her and she could see herself coming to love him in return.

Ryuu saw all of this as it crossed her mind, and he mentally smirked, though he remained nonchalant on the outside. She was almost ready.

"I do have on confession to make, Shizuku," he began, "I am a very selfish man. A very possessive man. I'm afraid between the the thoughts your family's disciples have about you and the threats they've made against me, I can't just let everything go..." he trailed off, mentally sending her an impression.

Shizuku blushed and her hair waved in agitation, understanding what he meant. He really was a pervert like she thought. She eventually huffed, "Fine. My family's disciples wronged you. I can allow you to take some liberties to make amends, I suppose..." she trailed off, embarrassed.

She wasn't unaware of matters between men and women, but she hadn't experimented in such matters even once in her life. She had a feeling that it wouldn't be safe... which made complete sense now that she knew she was being spied on 24/7 by her own family!

Shizuku's rage burned as she recalled the ridiculousness of her insane family. No matter how forward Ryuu was, her family was infinitely worse! In fact, Ryuu's earnest overtures towards her were starting to work. She didn't hate the idea of being embraced by him.

In addition, she was feeling very rebellious these days. Between her family's overbearing insanity and her busy schedule at school she was more pent up than she'd ever been in her life! She would normally strictly practice kendo to work off her frustrations, but her martial arts were now part of her stresses! So frustrating!

Ryuu sensed her frustrations and subtly stoked them using his telepathy. From embers they turned into a blazing flame, causing Shizuku to flush hotly. Ryuu smirked and looked her in the eyes, searching for any reluctance.

Finding none, he straightforwardly pulled her into his arms and kissed her firmly on the lips. It was a chaste kiss, but they still closed their eyes and melted into it all the same.

After a few moments of heated kissing, Ryuu pulled back. "I won't do anything you don't want, Shizuku, but I do want to help you relax and work out of some of your frustrations." As he spoke, his hands settled on her thighs, bunching up her skirt slightly, inch by inch.

Shizuku's breath caught at the abrupt escalation of the situation, but a mix of her sudden surging hormones and her anger at her excessive family led her to make an impulsive decision. She looked Ryuu in the eyes searchingly before giving him a timid nod.

Ryuu gave her a passionate kiss as his hand slid under her skirt and nudged her panties down.

Try and cockblock him? Threaten to destroy his dick? These fucking shinobi didn't know who they were dealing with. He was going to defile their precious princess in the middle of their own compound while they all stood around impotently. He could barely feel the strain of keeping them all frozen when his prize was finally within his grasp.

Cold, ruthless, and a little bit insane. Are you sure you're not a Frost?

Ryuu chuckled, Why do you ask? Would that turn you on? Is that one of your-

Oh, shut up, Emma snapped, Enjoy your schoolgirl-ninja-princess.

As you command, partner, he responded. Shizuku cried out in pleasure as he stroked her smooth sex. He was only doing as he was told.