New chap! And yeah, sup guys, sorry for not answering for some questions+comments, Imma busy with sum Uni stuff cause I was able to get back my scholarship, not to mention that I had bday in 15 feb, and was coming to my senses took several days!
Thanks for reading my work!
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POV Isao Tsumugi
Rei's house was only a few streets away, and as we drove, an awkward silence hung between us.
Well, at least I was the one being silent because I felt awkward. Can you blame me? My belief that I'm stuck in some NTR zombie apocalypse setting is getting stronger by the second.
From the fact that I impregnated one of the most popular girls in school whom most guys obsessed over, to the fact that a girl who was dating my friend—someone I looked at like a little brother—just told me, his senpai, "I love you."
What the hell? It just… ugh, damn, this was incredibly shitty for me. I even know how Hisashi reacted; he was fucking moping!
I just hope his moping doesn't get people killed. It'll be really bad if it comes to that.
"There," Rei pointed to a house with massive gray gates and a high fence. "That's my house!"
Grunting, I pulled up to the gates and stopped. Surprisingly, there weren't any zombies on this street. Judging by the dents in the heads of the corpses lying on the ground, Rei's mother had been very busy.
Opening the door, I stepped out and looked around. I'd never been here before. Honestly, I'd never met Takashi's, Rei's, or Hisashi's parents. I never saw the point in getting to know them. Why would I? I never had major problems; the only thing I did during school days was beat up thugs who were already fighting each other anyway. Even the cops didn't pay much attention to brawling high schoolers, of course, only if they didn't cause huge messes.
I saw Rei standing by the door and walked up to her while she fumbled through her skirt pockets for her keys. I stood near her and closed my eyes.
The moment I shut them, I concentrated on my sense of Sensor. I cast my sensory feelers into the house ahead, and fortunately, a figure of vibrant green light, pulsing with vitality, appeared in my mind. She was somewhere on the first floor, seemingly gathering things or just moving through the rooms.
"Your mother is in home." I opened my eyes. As soon as I spoke, Rei looked at me and let out a relaxed exhale, the tension in her shoulders and neck slowly dissipating.
"…" She remained silent, but I saw tears starting to well up in the corners of her eyes. Suddenly, she tensed up, ran to the fence, leaped, and grabbed the protruding edge. With a sophisticated movement, she pulled herself up and vaulted over to the other side, leaving me alone in the street.
"I guess she was really worried about her mom." I walked up to the gate door and looked at the lock. Jumping over would have been no trouble at all, but damn it, I didn't feel like doing that right now. So, I started thinking.
…Can I create liquid metal?
I reached my hand toward the lock and focused. My thoughts were filled with a single idea: to create liquid steel that would take the shape of a key, which I could then harden into a regular, solid key.
For the first few seconds, nothing happened. But I kept trying, and at some point, I felt something "click" inside me. A tiny drop of dark gray liquid began to appear between my palm and the lock, making my eyes widen as I chuckled gleefully.
My energy reserve didn't drain much to create this drop, which was now three times larger. I was damn happy about it. Seeing the diameter of the drop of liquid metal was big enough, I moved it forward, shoved it into the lock, and waited a few seconds for it to take the shape of the key that would help me open the door. Then came the moment of truth: I forced the liquid metal to harden and slowly did it.
The lock clicked.
"Hell yeah, a new way to create metals is in my pockets!" I smiled happily, proud of my own genius, and opened the gate to enter the yard.
Overall, it was just an average yard. A few flowerbeds with beautiful flowers, a tiny, incredibly young tree, and a stone path leading straight to the house, whose door was wide open.
I closed the gate behind me and stepped toward the open door. Along the way, I winced as the sun hit my eyes at a bad angle and… damn it, it was already noon! How the hell did time fly so fast?
Need to pick up Rei's mom quickly and get to the Mall.
My steps became more hurried as a slight worry crept up my spine, even though I knew that with people like Saeko, Yuriko, and even Oegi and Takuzo, they could easily handle any zombies.
As soon as I stepped inside, I headed toward where I felt the Life Energy of Rei and her mother. I found myself in the living room where they were hugging. Rei was sobbing into her mother's shoulder, who was also quietly shedding a tear. When I walked in, my shoes clicking on the floor, they turned toward me.
Kiriko Miyamoto was an attractive woman in her thirties, but she looked like she was twenty or twenty-five. Her hair was the same color as Rei's but much shorter. Her face was just like Rei's, only slightly more feminine and… more mature? Her copper-colored eyes looked at me with confusion, practically scanning my entire appearance. She looked at my dyed hair sticking back, her gaze fell on my earring, then my belt, and finally the sword hanging at my waist.
She raised her skeptical and unimpressed gaze back to me, even as I raised a right eyebrow, asking what was wrong. I could see her eyes trembling slightly, and deep within those molten copper eyes, a sense of gratitude began to emerge, leaving me completely bewildered.
"Hello, Kiriko-san. How are you? I hope the Zombie Catastrophe wasn't too intense for you?" As soon as I started speaking, she let go of her daughter and stood up, walking toward me while wiping her tears.
"Hello, Isao-kun. And… I've seen worse…" Her voice was quiet as she approached. Her steps were measured, as if she was trying to restrain herself. But as soon as she was within arm's reach, she threw herself at me and hugged me. She squeezed her eyes shut, but I saw tears starting to fall again. "T-thank you! Thank you for protecting my daughter all this time, and even saving her back there on the roof of the school!" Oh, damn, this was one of the strongest hugs of my life! And when did Rei even manage to tell her mother all that! I wasn't even at the gate that long creating liquid metal—maybe five minutes max!
"Y-yeah, no problem, Kiriko-san! Rei is my kohai, and I was obligated to protect her, just like I protected Takashi and Hisashi!" I nervously hugged her back, blushing slightly as I felt her chest press into me just below my own… Kiriko-san was taller than her daughter, but I was still taller than her; her eye line only reached my collarbones.
Dammit! No! Bad Isao! Very, very bad! Don't think about attractive women as attractive; they'll fall under the Haggmaxxing trait effect!
But hell… these breasts were on a completely different level compared to Saeko's. They weren't huge, just medium-sized, but they were extraordinarily soft compared to Saeko, whose were firmer.
I shivered slightly as Kiriko's hug tightened and took a sharp breath, looking toward Rei, who just gave me a cute smile… leaving me to suffer.
I'll remember this, Rei! And know, damn it, I'll pay you back a hundredfold!
"No, you have my eternal gratitude, Isao Tsumugi. You didn't just protect her during these few days of catastrophe; you looked out for her even before all this chaos began. Even when Takashi left her, you were always there by her side. Unfortunately, I didn't even know about it to thank you, or even invite you over for a treat. I apologize for that, it was…" Dammit, I know I'm cool!
"Don't mention it, Kiriko-san. I'll repeat myself: Rei was my kohai, and as her senpai, I had to look out for her like a younger sibling. I still failed in that regard, because on the day I was needed most, I wasn't there." I remembered how damn angry I was at myself that day. News of the Shido and Rei situation only reached me after I returned from vacation with my mom and K-imoto.
Kiriko nodded a few times, then detached herself from me and coughed awkwardly.
"Sorry for the overly emotional moment, it's just… my daughter is very precious to me, and I've been so worried about her all this time…" She trailed off and glanced at Rei's new eyes, then nodded. "Would you like to talk about my daughter's changes over a cup of tea, or do you prefer coffee?" She started moving toward the side.
"I prefer coffee, and if you could put in two sugar cubes, if it's not too much trouble…" I still hadn't recovered from how strong that hug was and looked at her with a slightly embarrassed gaze.
"Then wait here and stay with Rei, I'll be right back." I mumbled some words of thanks in response and, feeling my cheeks flush, went toward Rei, who was still smiling cutely at me. Damn, it feels good to be praised. As soon as I sat on the sofa next to Rei, a message screen appeared before me.
[Make a good first impression on Kiriko Miyamoto]
[Silver Ticket]
As soon as I read the words "Silver" and "Ticket" in one sentence, my gacha-gremlin instincts that had developed over these past two days took over. A wide grin spread across my lips, and I immediately used the ticket.
[Bloodbank]
|Uncommon Trait|
You just keep bleeding and bleeding. Your body can hold 10x the amount of blood and regenerate blood 10x faster. Don't ask how your body can store that much blood without changing mass or size.
…
I stared forward in shock for a few seconds. I saw Rei waving her hand in front of my face and even calling my name, but I remained silent.
Damn… I can literally give everyone blood transfusions now! I felt a slight relaxation throughout my body because blood transfusions were a massive problem that occasionally scratched at the edge of my consciousness. My O-negative blood would be like liquid gold in these times.
If someone got injured, we'd have to find someone with the same blood type, which would be a huge problem. I would have given my own blood in an emergency, but if I did that for every wounded person, I wouldn't have any left for myself. With this damn thing, I can easily give blood to ten people, if not more, every single day.
"…sao!" I felt a hard shove to my shoulder and jerked to the side, barely staying in my seat. I looked at Rei, who had pushed me.
Her gaze was worried, and her body was trembling slightly while her eyes twitched back and forth in confusion.
"Ow, damn it, that hurts!" I yelled at Rei, who was looking at me with puffed-out cheeks. Her white eyes stared into mine for a few seconds until she turned her head away with a huff. "Hey, why are you acting offended? You're the one who hit my shoulder!"
"I didn't hit you, I gave you a gentle nudge." She said it in a mock-sweet voice, making me wince slightly.
"Ugh, don't do that." My expression turned slightly disgusted. Seriously, hearing such a fake tone from Rei was damn weird. "Anyway, let's drink the coffee quickly and head to the mall. We don't have much ti—"
"Did someone say coffee?" Kiriko entered the room smiling, holding a tray with mugs from which hot steam rose. "Here, take this, Isao-kun. Just as you asked: coffee with two sugar cubes."
I breathed in, surprised by how delicious the coffee smelled. Usually, I only drank coffee made by my mother because everyone else's tasted terrible, but this coffee… even the smell was incredible, if not on par with my mom's.
"Thank you, Kiriko-san." She sat on the sofa opposite us and the table. Taking her own mug, she looked toward Rei and me with noticeable satisfaction. "If you have questions regarding Rei's changes, you can ask them now, and I'll try to answer as briefly as possible, as we don't have much time." Instantly, her relaxed face vanished, and in place of the happy mother came a woman preparing for battle.
"Then… first of all, I'd like to ask," her gaze landed on Rei's face, specifically her new eyes with black sclera and white pupils. "What happened to my girl's eyes, and her body?" As she said the last part, she looked at the noticeably larger hips, the thinner waist, and the overall supple musculature that could be seen if you knew where to look. Rei, blushing slightly, looked away, seemingly feeling awkward.
"Your daughter got superpowers." Kiriko raised a brow with a mix of confusion and skepticism. I was surprised because if Rei had told her how I saved her, she should have also mentioned my powers, right? …Damn, she probably just stated the fact that I saved her without going into detail. "Yesterday, when everything started, I got my own powers at noon after lunch at school. That's how we and a bunch of other students managed to escape a school filled with the dead. Today, I awakened another facet of my power: the ability to awaken it in others." Her face became increasingly interested the more I spoke, and by the end, she looked quite surprised but also inspired.
"T-that… will help a lot!" She slapped her hand on the table, smiling with a grin that was a bit too wide. "So we can…" She started muttering something under her breath, making Rei and me look at her in surprise. After I took a loud, bubbling sip from my mug, Kiriko snapped her attention back to us and stared awkwardly, then blushed slightly at our gazes and cleared her throat. "Forgive me for derailing the conversation. I'm happy because," she looked at Rei, then at me, "my husband is in the evacuation zone…" The moment she said that, I realized something was off. There was something complex in her tone, as if she couldn't fully believe what she knew.
"Really?!" Rei stood up, leaning forward and looking at her mother joyfully. She then turned to me with a wide smile and shining eyes. "Isao, let's go to him!" From her perspective, Rei didn't see her mother lower her gaze and bite her lip in slight despair. But after a moment, her eyes lifted, and she looked at me. There was a whirlwind of emotions in her gaze as she seemed to be furiously thinking about something, but she sighed and looked at her daughter.
"Rei, your father… he's at Shintoko Elementary School." Rei smiled widely, happy that her mom knew where her father was, while I was recalling the location of that school and the surrounding streets. "Last night, when I called him, he said they were told to gather all survivors there for an emergency evacuation. Since then, I've managed to call him a few more times. He said there are many survivors, mostly children. Today, before the EMP hit us, he told me to be careful if I decided to go to him, because the school is now completely surrounded on all sides by the walking dead." Her voice grew more tense with every word until she was staring at the floor with a desperate look… and of course, I could understand her.
The elementary school was in a pretty bad location where even driving a car was a bit difficult because the streets were narrow. Before all this, you could brush it off, but now it was impossible.
"Sigh…" I leaned back against the sofa and noticed Rei's gaze on me. "Yes?"
"We have to go there." Rei's eyes burned with resolve, making me feel like a bastard for what I was about to say. Judging by how her gaze dropped, she seemed to realize what was coming.
"Rei…" I called her, and she looked up again. I tried to give an encouraging smile, but it came out a bit weak. "We will go to your father, but only after we at least quickly set everyone up at the Mall." And then there was Marikawa's friend and the people she was trapped with at the airport.
Damn it, when do I get to rest properly?!
"…Thanks for that anyway, Isao…" Rei tried to smile, but it was weak. From the way she clenched her hands, I knew her mood had plummeted. Feeling our gazes on her, she stood up and, muttering something, headed for the exit—likely to sit in the car.
The atmosphere became slightly awkward after she left. I sighed, reaching for my coffee mug while Kiriko looked at me with a slightly awkward smile. I tried to quickly rethink some plans.
On one hand, we need to go to the Mall and completely rob it. Take everything that isn't nailed or bolted down, and anything that is nailed down, rip it out and load it into trucks.
But at the same time, we can't just head toward the docks, because even there, zombies might be present. And that's not even considering that those fucking zombies might have already mutated and evolved into more dangerous species.
If I don't hurry, the same will happen with that damn school. The more time passes, the higher the chance of "Evo-zombies" appearing. Yesterday at the hospital, one appeared about five or six hours after the first outbreak at the school gates at noon. A whole day has passed since then, not to mention that the Gacha raised the danger level today!
I squeezed the mug, and its ceramic handle cracked slightly but didn't break. This brought me back to reality, noticing Kiriko's tense and silent expression.
She probably thought I'd refuse her… but there was no point in that. I'd get more out of saving her husband. We might even be able to talk to the remnants of the government if they exist and request some useful equipment. But… the chance of the government surviving was slim. We got hit by an EMP bomb, likely because it couldn't be intercepted, which means the whole world decided to say "fuck it" and start throwing bombs about two hours ago.
Now, only those who are most adaptable will survive. Just like it's always been.
"Kiriko-san…" I called out, and her gaze became more focused and less tense. "Do you wish to receive powers?" Her expression shifted into a grimace of shock and slight disbelief. She probably didn't think I'd offer it, thinking I "didn't trust her"—though why wouldn't I? At the same time, there was no reason not to awaken the abilities and traits of others. Am I an idiot who wants to shoot himself in the foot? Sure, it might be a problem in the future, but what the hell is anyone going to do to me in a month? By then, if events keep moving at this pace, I'll likely have saved the people from the airport and the school, cleared the port, and reached Kotsu Island. Before building a proper base there, I'll clear the island, and then I'll have slept with every willing woman, impregnating them accordingly. From that alone, I'll have a mountain of different tickets, not even counting Oegi actively working on a cult in my name, which will also net me gacha tickets.
In just a month, I'll be a being far beyond the level of ordinary humans. Far beyond.
"Y-yes… of course I would!" The flame of resolve in Kiriko's copper eyes flared up like a bonfire in a dark night. She stood up with a wide smile and approached me. "How will you do it? Do you need a sacrifice? I'll sacrifice part of my soul, life force, or…" She trailed off, turned slightly somber, and then blushed awkwardly, making my jaw drop. My fucking brain won't stop thinking she's attractive, and my fucking trait makes every woman twice my age see something attractive in me. "Or something else?" She sat back down next to me on the sofa with an awkward but determined expression.
"What?" I shouted, looking at the woman who was rubbing her fingers together, hands clasped. "No, of course not! What are you talking about, Kiriko-san? I wouldn't do that to my kohai's mother!" I swallowed and moved slightly away from her. Hearing my words, she let out a relaxed sigh, though her shoulders were still tense. "I just need to touch any part of your body to do what's necessary to awaken your powers!"
At my last words, she sighed again, releasing all her tension, fully relaxed, and looked into my eyes with a light chuckle.
"Sorry, sorry… it's just that only a fool would throw something like that around without a price. And knowing your type," What the fuck is "my type"?! I'm actually a good guy! You were praising and exalting me five minutes ago. "I was ready to offer myself in exchange for something that would help save my husband's life, and consequently help a huge number of children." She saw my offended look and chuckled again. "I used to be part of a Sukeban gang, and back then I often met guys who looked like you. Most of them were perverted bastards who didn't take 'no' for an answer and got their asses kicked for it… and, well, I had heard of someone who fit your description: dyed gold hair, height comparable to a giant, and a body full of muscle, not to mention being in the same school as my daughter… though when she mentioned your name, I didn't think you and that person were one and the same…" She bit her lip and turned away. I felt a slight sense of guilt coming from her. "Sorry for thinking poorly of you because of your appearance, even after you literally saved my daughter's life."
I sighed—a long, heavy sigh. I sighed for several seconds because I was tired of people judging me by my appearance. If a duck quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, it's not always a duck!
Before all this crap started, it was a massive pain in the ass. I'm damn grateful I had those Charismatic glasses I wore whenever I was at the Takagi estate, because without them, nobody would have taken me seriously. I'd have just been a school delinquent who wanted too much in the eyes of others. There was even a chance Souichiro would have refused the duel because of it; he could have just laughed and spit in my face.
"Fine, forget it… let's do this quickly and finally get out of here." I set my half-empty mug on the table (it really was tasty) and moved my hand toward her head. She couldn't help but flinch, trying to dodge out of instinct, but I simply grabbed her power and, with a light push of will, ordered the gacha to do its thing.
[Great Lightning Spear]
|Rare Ability|
Allows the user to conjure a spear of lightning that they can throw as a projectile (does not travel at lightning speed). This spear possesses penetrative power and deals increased damage against draconic entities, rending their powerful scales and hides, nullifying their defense.
[Undeniable]
|Rare Trait|
Your senses cannot be hindered. You can't be blinded even if sand is thrown in your eyes, and you won't become deaf even if someone blasts your ear with sound. The only way to hinder your senses is by physically ripping out the organ.
Kiriko's body suddenly went limp, then she took a breath. Meanwhile, as she tried to understand her new powers, I was already standing up. There was no point in talking to her about it since I could already read what she had.
Overall, it was a good set of powers. It would be damn hard to stun or deafen her, and she had the ability to create Lightning Spears with high piercing power. The problem was she'd likely have little Energy for those spears, though… I looked at her with my sensory sense and noticed she had plenty of life force. Maybe I was wrong about the energy limit.
I headed for the exit and heard her start to get up as well. Oh god, if Rei finds out what her mother said to me, her new Kure-clan-modified brain might kick in and decide to do something stupid.
I hope that doesn't happen. And… god, I'm never going to get a proper rest, am I?
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