Ryo slowly rubed his eyes with the back of his hand a few times. He could heard the distant sound of clashing swords.
"Ahh, What now–"
BANG!
The door flew open with enough force to rattle the walls. Standing in the doorway was-
"RYUJIIIIN!!!MY BABY!"
A human hurricane of silk and perfume came first.
Before Ryo could react, he was smothered in the softest, warmest embrace of his life. Soft arms wrapped around his head and yanked his face-first into a soft, warm prison of maternal affection.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
Ryo flailed like a drowning cat as his entire field of vision became *boobs*. Not just any normal boobs. Premium high-quality nobel woman's boobs wrapped in layers of expensive silk. His face pressed against generous cleavages. The scent of jasmine and something distinctly feminine flooded.
A woman's voice, equal parts honey and steel, trembled above him.
"I was so worried when you collapsed during training!" The woman's voice wobbled with tears as she squeezed tighter. "Don't ever sacre Mommy like that again!"
The voice–the same voice that reportedly made hardened warriors piss themselves–was currently wobbing with tears. Ryo could feel hot droplets falling onto his hair as she squeezed him tighter.
"C-Can't...breathe..."
Finally wrenching free, Ryo gasped for air. His face burned crimson. The woman looming over him was terrifyingly beautiful - raven black hair in an elegant half-updo, striking green eyes now puffy from crying, lips trembling in a pout.
"Uh," Ryo said intelligently. "Hi?"
The woman froze. Her expression shifted through confusion, suspicion, then terrifying calm. "...You don't recognize me."
"Should I?" Ryo winced the moment the words left his mouth.
The temperature in the room dropped. The woman's delicate hands, which had moments ago been stroking his hair, now gripped his shoulders with frightening strength.
"I am Kazehaya Tsukiko," she said slowly, each word precise as a knife cut. "Your mother. The Empress of Kazehaya Clan. And you... are my only son."
Ryo's mouth went dry. Oh fuck. I'm in deep shit.
Tsukiko's expression darkened. For a terrifying second, Ryo thought he was about to lose his head. Then-
"WAAAAAH! My baby doesn't love me anymore,he even forgot about his own mother!"
She collapsed onto his bed in a dramatic heap, clutching his pillow to her chest. "After all I've done! All those late nights singing lullabies! The handmade bentos! That time I slaughtered an entire ninja clan because they looked at you funny!"
Ryo's eye twitched. That last one was definitely a yandere flag and concerning.
"Tsukiko-sama!" A servant called from the door. "The sword masters are waiting for Young Lord Ryujin's—"
"CANCEL IT!" Tsukiko whirled, suddenly terrifying. "My baby needs rest!" She turned back to Ryo, instantly switching back to doting mom mode. "Would you like some dango? I'll feed you myself! Or maybe a bath? I can scrub your—"
"I'M GOOD!" Ryo yelped, scrambling back.
---
The Kazehaya estate was... something else.
Everywhere Ryo went, people bowed deeply:
"Young Lord Ryujin!"
"The Flower of Chakra Kingdom!"
"Our future Sword Saint!"
Tsukiko clung to his arm like a lovestruck girlfriend, pointing out landmarks to make Ryo remember:
"That's where you took your first steps!"
"There's the tree you peed on when you were five!"
"Oh! And that's the training ground where Mommy first beheaded someone for you!"
Ryo choked on air. "You what?!"
"She was a nasty tutor who made you cry!" Himari huffed. "Her head looked better on a pike anyway."
At the main dojo, grizzled sword masters knelt as they passed.
"Your son's iaido is peerless, Himari-sama!"
"Lord Ryujin's footwork is divine!"
Ryo blinked. "I can do what?"
Tsukiko eyes sparkled. "Of course! My baby is the most talented samurai in generations!" She turned to the masters. "Show him!"
Before Ryo could protest, a wooden sword was thrust into his hands. His body moved on its own - one fluid motion, faster than thought.
WHOOSH!
Three practice dummies were cleaved in half before the first hit the ground.
"...Huh." Ryo stared at the sword. "Neat."
Tsukiko clapped with delight. "MY SON IS AMAZING!" She turned to the stunned masters. "DID YOU SEE THAT? THAT'S MY BABY!"
---
Dinner was... an experience.
Tsukiko force-fed him like he was five, alternating between cooing and interrogating:
"Open wide~ Ahhh— wait, you're eating pickles now? You used to hate pickles!"
Ryo froze mid-chew. "Uh... taste change?"
Tsukiko's eyes narrowed for half a second before she lit up again. "Of course they do! My baby is growing up!" She hugged him fiercely. "But you'll always be Mommy's little boy!"
"Can't... breathe... again..."
Later, alone in his room, Ryo examined his new abilities:
· His sword skills seemed instinctive
· The wind itself bent around him when he focused
· He could hear servants whispering three rooms away
"Okay. So I'm some OP samurai prince. And my new mom is a yandere MILF who might actually kill for me." He flopped onto the bed. "Not the worst isekai setup."
Outside his door, he could hear Tsukiko threatening a servant:
"If anyone breathes a word about my son's memory loss, I'll feed them their own intestines. Understood?"
Ryo smiled despite himself.
[System Notification: Survival Probability - 85% and rising]