What a joke... have him, Ryuji, protect someone?
He'd probably end up in bed with the person[1] he was supposed to protect halfway through!
Considering that women in the martial artist world tended to stay in their prime for a long time and that Helena Douglas herself was an exceptionally attractive woman, Ryuji felt that possibility was very high.
So, in his view, it was better to keep things simple.
Whoever Helena thought was targeting her, he'd just go over and punch them to death and that would be the end of it.
Once the threat was gone, there'd be nothing to worry about and no need for protection either, problem solved.
"N-no need… it hasn't reached that point yet..."
Hearing Ryuji's words, Helena recalled the overwhelming killing intent he had shown before. She instinctively took a step back before speaking with some difficulty.
"It's just some misunderstandings… it hasn't reached the point of killing anyone."
Although her father had been assassinated and many people within DOATEC, the company he founded, were targeting her and her mother, suspecting they held some secret, she didn't believe that everyone in DOATEC was an enemy.
And in truth, all they had was money; they had nothing else. They didn't possess any secret her father left behind.
She believed that once those people found what her father had left behind, the misunderstanding would naturally be cleared up and she and her mother would be able to live in peace again.
As for avenging her father, she had no such intention.
Her mother had only been her father's mistress and was never well regarded by the Douglas family. Even though she was his only child, being an illegitimate daughter entangled in such massive wealth was, in itself, a dangerous thing.
She didn't seek more wealth; she just wants to live a peaceful life.
So killing, as Ryuji suggested, was simply out of the question for her.
"Hah… how naive."
Ryuji didn't comment further. The girl in front of him was clearly still in that "college student" phase. She had some brains, but not quite enough and still carried a certain naive view of how the world worked.
Still…
He lowered his head and asked Mai:
"Are we really out of money?"
Mai nodded. Because Ryuji insisted on compensating everyone affected, the money had to be spent.
Are we really going to end up doing construction work to make ends meet?
A conflicted expression appeared on Ryuji's face. With his physical strength, carrying bricks would certainly be easy. As for using his dragon fire to heal people, he had no intention of doing that.
Because it would be troublesome, as all sorts of people would come to him asking for treatment.
Although it could make money, he came to this world to train. While construction work didn't earn as much as treating nobles and the wealthy, it could still help train his physical strength and control.
Even if only a little.
But it's better than nothing.
As for the "style mismatch," this world had martial artists, so people on construction sites should already be used to strange individuals. He even guessed that even Akuma might occasionally do manual labor too; otherwise, just selling fruit from time to time wouldn't be enough to afford clothes.
It just sounded too silly.
So, he looked up at Helena.
"How long do you need protection for your mother? And where?"
Ryuji's words made Helena let out a sigh of relief. Although this was just a chance encounter, both Ryuji's character and strength were reliable.
If Ryuji were some kind of villain, he would have already attacked when the patrol officers cuffed him. If he were targeting them, with his strength there would be no need for schemes; he could just attack directly.
"Just one week is enough. The location is a hotel next to the Shiranui dojo."
They had been in Japan for a performance when they suddenly received news of her father's death. None of the arrangements had been completed.
One week would be enough time for the people her father had left behind to prepare a secure estate for her and her mother.
Those people and their families, all worked in companies controlled by her and her mother, so their loyalty could be trusted.
"I see. That's fine, but I'll go alone. What about the payment?"
Ryuji patted Mai on the shoulder, clearly not intending to let her get involved in this kind of fighting and killing.
Helena pursed her lips. She wasn't very good at handling this kind of things, so after thinking for a moment, she decided to give Ryuji her performance fee for this trip.
"How about one billion yen?"
The moment she said that, Ryuji could feel Mai and Hanzo's heartbeats pause for a second and then they began to breath rapidly.
But Helena misunderstood their reaction, so she instinctively added:
"Is that too little? I'm sorry, I'm not very familiar with the exchange rate and value of yen… then, how about ten million US dollars? I apologize, some of my accounts are temporarily frozen due to certain issues, so I can't offer more at the moment."
She didn't really care much about money. She usually went out to perform for her own and her mother's interests and expectations. She really enjoyed being an opera singer because she truly appreciated art.
And art tended to be rather expensive.
So, she honestly didn't think this amount was too much. Back when her mother performed, her appearance fee was already in the millions of dollars. Helena's own worth now wasn't much lower than her mother's.
"Only...?!"
Mai's voice cracked involuntarily but Ryuji immediately covered her mouth, looking a bit speechless. He felt that he really needed to get Mai some kind of business or assets. Not because he felt embarrassed; after all, she was his woman but providing Mai with sufficient financial security was, in his view, the most basic thing he should do for having her.
A small family could be warm, sure, but…
He glanced at Helena's chest, then at Marie Rose, who was secretly making faces at him and then thought of Chun-Li, who was currently working and then of the many other girls who hadn't appeared yet.
Especially the girls related to Helena, that is, the girls from the Dead or Alive tournament. Even if Ryuji didn't remember all their names or their pasts, their figures were clearly etched in his mind.
Before, there hadn't been a chance. But now…
Ryuji thought about it and came to a simple conclusion...
At least in this world, a warm, cozy little family life simply didn't exist.
"Alright. I accept. But you owe me a favor."
Ryuji agreed immediately, raising one finger as he spoke.
"Understood. Thank you very much, Mr. Ryuji."
Helena was completely relieved. Ryuji's strength was unfathomable. With his help, as long as the other side didn't do something outrageous like sending bombers or armed helicopters and as long as they stayed cautious, she really didn't think anyone in this country could threaten her and her mother.
But looking at Ryuji and recalling that he said he would come alone, she pursed her lips and spoke again.
This time, having successfully recruited Ryuji, she sounded noticeably more confident.
"Then… are the members of the Shiranui-ryū interested? Although I don't have much money left, I can still offer ten million USD per person. It's just that payment would have to wait until next month."
She still felt she needed more people. And building a good relationship with someone like Ryuji was also beneficial to her.
Ryuji once again heard the sudden, intense thumping of both Mai and Hanzo's hearts.
Ryuji: "...."
He felt that he really needed to start a company as soon as possible.
~~~~~~~~~~
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[1] Only if it's a woman