Ayano's pupils shrunk. Her body locked up when hearing her mother's name leave Kyoryoku's mouth.
After speaking it, Kyoryoku breathed in and then exhaled with a very faint moan. It was clear that he loved savoring the woman's name whenever he could. He re-polished his dignity and straightened out his tie before petting the silky material.
"It must be very strange to you. All of this revelation at once." He found a single second to shoot a glance back at Ayano, who felt a streak of heat when seeing his eyes for that shred of time.
"But I still have much more to tell." He didn't give Ayano a chance to speak and only continued on with his story.
"So..obviously the poor lass in the bathroom was discovered. I hadn't breathed a word to the teachers or principal. I let another student come across her and do the dirty work for me. No one had any idea who her murderer was. No one but me. For a while, the faculties were convinced that the murder was from an invader who didn't belong in the school." Kyoryoku started walking again, but stopped randomly in parts of his explanation.
"It was at this time that the police were about to declare the murder as unsolvable until a fresh journalist decided to take it upon himself to investigate. I guess he was wanting to find a start in the career he was aiming for. I would've respected him for it. I would've thought that he was doing a fine job. I would've maybe HELPED him if it wasn't for one thing..
I didn't want Ryoba caught..and I couldn't let him harass anyone that would give him a paper trail leading to her. So.. I forbade any of the students to talk with him. But unfortunately, there's always going to be people who disrespect their leaders. He managed to get a decent amount of evidence from other schoolgirls due to their gossip that they had no problem sharing.
Long story short, I was panic-stricken when the local authorities apprehended Ryoba. I was prepared to do anything I could to get them to set her free. Paying the right person any amount they named, pulling strings, ANYTHING. But she continued to amaze me..
She needed NO ONE'S help to get out of her situation. She knew the game of manipulation I could only dream of. She fooled everyone..the court..the town..the whole country. I could only just imagine having someone with such strength and craftiness by my side. Someone that had the cleverness and natural experience of a thousand people.. She was like a Goddess.
When she finally returned to school..Let me tell you, I tried my damn well hardest to get her attention. I sent her gifts, notes, expensive things..anything to impress her with.
It..was like serenading a rock. She had zero interest no matter what I did. Instead, she put her affections into another upperclassman. I don't know why…he wasn't anything special! Just another damned student going from lecture to lecture throughout the day.. Why HIM?"
There was a stroke of hostility sparked from Kyoryoku. His hand balled up into a tight fist that he seemed ready to put through the fancy wall. All because he was spiteful of Ayano's father.
The wealthiest man in the country was brutally jealous of Ayano's father! Who would've known..
"Anyway.." Kyoryoku relaxed his hand and continued.
"Unfortunately.. I didn't have the wonderful gift like she had. Out of all the training in competitiveness I had in my life, I didn't have the strength to eliminate a single peer, and because of this, I was unsuccessful in winning over the ONLY woman I ever had interest in. To this day, I still feel like a damned failure. I swore to never lay with anyone that wasn't her. I've still kept that promise." Kyoryoku was now at the end of the hallway, his hands pressing on a pair of large decorated doors.
Ayano was behind him and speechless. She couldn't think of anything to say until he finished the last sentence that opened up a box of confusion.
"That can't be possible..you have Megami." Ayano blurted out with her bold nerve.
And there was no way Megami was adopted. She looked identical to Kyoryoku. Like a female copy!
"Ayano.." The man called her name, pushing the doors open slightly but peeked over his shoulder before entering.
"Haven't you ever heard of "surrogates"?" He questioned, putting the wonder to rest. Ayano's eyes widened.
Megami HAD no mother!
"It's a little tacky for some people to hire someone to carry their infants..unless you're among the wealthy. I wouldn't be taking a wife, but I couldn't NOT carry on the Saikou name. It was my responsibility. My father did it before me and now I was the one to do it. I guess you can say my family is..picky with who we choose as mates. The fact that there are no wives running around here should tell you a lot.
Bottom line, I fixed the problem by finding someone with genes that met my expectations, or closest to them I should say, and paid a decent amount for Megami. Again, I know it sounds strange to people like you, but if you were in my position or a higher class in general, you would understand." The man finally pushed his way through the enormous room, gesturing Ayano to follow.
Megami wasn't even born out of love. Or even lust. Ayano thought, still trying to take in so much new information. If she had the ability, she would feel sorry for the wealthy girl. Megami might as well not even have a father. She was created for the sake of the corporation and was a reminder to Kyoryoku that he couldn't win Ryoba.
"Try not to feel too surprised when you get a good look around." Kyoryoku warned her with a tiny laugh.
What? Ayano wondered. It didn't take long for her to learn what he meant.
There were pictures of Ryoba, her mother, everywhere. In fancy frames of course, but in many spaces of the room and walls. They consisted of her as a schoolgirl around Ayano's age up to the recent present. She wasn't posing in the near recent photos. She was only walking around in the market or street, completely unaware of the photographer.
Kyoryoku must've hired someone to snap photos of her.
He was THAT obsessed! He practically mirrored Ayano's behavior with Taro, but didn't have the nerve to go forward with anything serious. Just like he said.
Ayano snuck out her phone and began typing madly.
*My mother! He's obsessed with my mother!* She sent the first message and snapped several pictures of one of the walls that held several frames of a young Ryoba schoolgirl. She sent them off to Info before the man could turn and see her.
*Fuck, you're not kidding..* Info messaged back.
This information was enough to appease the computer girl, but even so, it was too much for her to have a proper reaction to it all.
*That may be why he invited you. He can't have Ryoba, so he's going after the next closest thing!* She messaged back. Info-Chan was very good at putting pieces together..
While Ayano was reading the message, Kyoryoku was staring at his own object in hand. Whatever it was, it had a screen. It looked like a phone, but not quite.
*Never mind. I think it would be best if you got out of-* Was as far as Ayano got with the last message before Kyoryoku cut her off.
"You can stop chatting back and forth with your buddy there." His sentence was a jolt of electricity in her system.
"I understand someone at the school likes collecting information. Along with selling it. The things students come up with nowadays.." He said, sporting a smirk that wasn't visible to Ayano.
"Do know, dear girl, that I have the technology to see what you send on your phone. On anyone's for that matter." He revealed, making Ayano numb.
"But I will give props to that 'Info-Chan'. She is clever and will go far in her life..unlike her father. The pile of pathetic that fled the country. Because he is the next victim on your mother's list of prey." Kyoryoku's smirk grew to a crazed smile.
"He'll never make it. Ryoba's too experienced. She'll know what to do. She ALWAYS finds a way..Just like you do, Ayano." He finally turned around to look at the distraught girl.
"I know what you are. You inherited your mother's most wonderful gift. It's a blessing..Being able to spawn such powerful ideas in your benefit. Having the nerve to go through with them and succeed every time at such a young age.." The man's own pupils were small when staring at Ayano. His extreme professionalism was slowly peeling away, showing his psychotic obsession with Ayano and her family.
"And that girl you talk to is very much correct about one thing..You're the next best thing I can have. If not the same perhaps.."