My summon to another world was even weirder than I expected

"See you later."

"See you tomorrow."

Ronald said goodbye to his friends and began the walk home from school.

Ronald Watergate was an ordinary student like any other. His father, Gustaf Watergate, owned a textile company based in London.

The company, founded by his grandfather, had been nothing more than a mid-sized business until his father took over and transformed it into an international giant.

In less than twenty years, the company expanded globally, becoming one of the most prominent in England.

Due to the rapid growth of the business, Ronald’s family relocated every time a new branch opened so his father could personally manage it during its first years before appointing someone else to take over and moving on to the next potential market.

Most people would think Ronald would be fed up with constantly moving around, but the truth was he had grown so used to it over the years that it no longer fazed him.

Others might consider Ronald a fortunate person—his family was wealthy, and he wouldn’t have to work a day in his life if he didn’t want to. They were right, but with every gain comes a loss.

"I'm home," Ronald called out as he entered his house, met only with silence.

The oppressive quiet that filled the house greeted Ronald’s voice. As always, no one was there to welcome him.

It didn’t bother Ronald, though, and he silently made his way to the kitchen.

Contrary to what one might expect given his parents' status, their house was surprisingly modest. No one would believe that people who could afford to buy the entire block lived in a home like this.

Because of how often Ronald’s family moved, buying a luxurious house seemed wasteful. Instead, his parents purchased modest properties to live in temporarily, renovating and selling them at a higher price once they had to move again. In practice, though, Ronald was usually the only one living in them.

Not that he expected his parents to be home—what would have been surprising was if they were actually there. After all, the last time he’d seen them was a month ago.

Ronald fixed himself something to eat and turned on the TV. There wasn’t much on, just a couple of programs discussing the country’s current state of affairs.

As he ate dinner, Ronald watched the television absentmindedly. Despite being the heir to a fortune, his family had taught him to be self-sufficient in case something ever happened to them.

Unfortunately, no one expected that day to come so soon.

Hours passed as the sky darkened, and the streets emptied. Inside Ronald’s home, the only sounds were the low hum of the TV and the quiet breathing of a young man sleeping soundly.

The next morning, the sun rose again, its rays slipping through the gaps in the curtains of every house.

One of those rays hit Ronald squarely in the eyes, pulling him from his slumber as he tried to steal a few more minutes of sleep.

Ring, ring, ring.

“Mmm… What?” Ronald mumbled groggily.

The phone’s shrill ring echoed through the room as Ronald blindly reached for it.

“Hello? Who is this?”

"Ronald Watergate?"

“Yes, this is him. Who is this?”

“Good morning. I’m calling from the police department. Your parents have been in a car accident.”

…

“Ronald? Are you still there?”

"Ronald, please answer. Are you still there?"

The news hit him like a punch to the gut.

Ronald’s parents had been struck by a hit-and-run driver. Both were rushed to the nearest hospital, but neither survived. Ronald’s mother had died on the spot, while his father passed away during surgery.

Ronald was devastated. Though he rarely saw his parents, it didn’t mean they didn’t care for one another. Ronald understood their desire to make their company the best, and his parents tried to provide him with everything he might need in life.

The death of one’s parents is something no one is ever truly prepared for, and Ronald was no exception. One day everything was fine, and the next, his world had collapsed.

Sadly, Ronald’s troubles were only beginning.

When an entire company relies on one person, and that person suddenly disappears, chaos is inevitable.

The stock value of Watergate Industries plummeted when news of his parent's deaths and their role as primary shareholders broke. Investors fled faster than anyone could have imagined, and vultures appeared, eager to profit from the situation.

Ronald took a leave of absence from school to try and manage the problems, but it was futile. For every issue resolved, three new ones arose. The hardest part was that Ronald didn’t know whom he could trust in the company.

His parents had deliberately kept him away from the family business, intending to wait until Ronald graduated from university before introducing him to it. They wanted him to enjoy his youth and relax before taking on such responsibility.

Additionally, as an international company, controlling various branches in multiple countries was nearly impossible without real-time knowledge of their operations. As a result, Ronald could only watch helplessly as his family’s company crumbled bit by bit.

With a heavy heart, he decided to walk away from the company, but not before ensuring that those who sought to destroy it paid for their actions.

Ronald took the company’s financial records to a former friend of his mother, a senior official in the police department, and asked him to investigate. After handing over the documents, Ronald sold all the family’s shares in the company.

When his parents’ friend saw Ronald’s appearance, he was horrified. Sleepless nights and the relentless stress of the past months had taken their toll. Seeing Ronald in such a state, he agreed to help him however he could.

Weeks of investigation revealed the truth behind the company’s accounts.

The situation was worse than anyone could have imagined.

Had Ronald been even slightly slower, he might have ended up in prison for fraud, embezzlement, tax evasion, intellectual property crimes, money laundering, and more.

It turned out that the company’s senior executives were far more corrupt than Ronald had believed. Their actions included selling substandard products, overpricing contracts, abusing authority, and failing to pay for raw materials—all under Ronald’s forged signature. The executives had tried to enrich themselves as quickly as possible, intending to leave Ronald to face the fallout.

But no one had anticipated Ronald’s response. They never imagined he would abandon any attempt to salvage the company. So when the corruption was exposed, most of them were unprepared to flee with their stolen money and were arrested.

This enraged many people.

In the world of big business, connections and favors are essential. That’s why entrepreneurs often host and attend parties to network and support one another.

Some of those arrested had ties to other shareholders and executives in companies that collaborated with Ronald’s parents. This not only led to their arrest but also tarnished the reputations of those associated with them. Additionally, when Ronald sold his shares before the corruption came to light, those who had bought them at a low price hoping to exploit the situation saw their value drop to nothing.

Ronald had angered powerful individuals, and they weren’t forgiving.

From then on, he was ostracized by high society. No matter the truth, to them, Ronald was merely the "failure" who ruined his family’s business after his parents’ deaths.

His life was forever changed. His friends abandoned him, gossiping behind his back, while former classmates bullied him both physically and mentally. Even his teachers turned a blind eye to the obvious abuse.

Ronald endured it all in silence. He knew that standing up to his "peers" would only make things worse. He planned to survive until graduation and leave the country to attend university elsewhere—perhaps even revive his family’s business.

That was until he heard an intriguing rumor: one of Yamato’s uncles owned a car identical to the one that had hit his parents.

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