The night passed by normally. The lack of zombies, zergs, and mutated animals alike gave the New Tokyo Shelter another peaceful day.
Eishi woke up almost suffocated. He pulled his head back and looked up. He saw Saeko's sleeping face, with a few strands of bangs covering her eyes.
'How long was it like this..?'
Ever since the apocalypse came, not once did he sleep without having sex. The physical and psychological pleasures derived from it unknowingly made Eishi addicted to it.
It was partly why he never bothered understanding his confidantes more. This "surface-level" connection took the most of his everything. He never bothered thinking about them so long as he satisfied them materially—fruits, medicines, food, water, and so on.
'My previous self is punchable as fuck.'
Eishi used to 'leave' other confidantes as soon as they fell asleep, settling on a random one when he wanted to rest. He could not be concerned about aspects other than the physical ones.
The lack of concern felt disgusting to the current him.
Eishi chose to do the opposite this time. He did not move from his position and waited until Saeko woke up. The latter was surprised to sense his presence beside her. She was so used to being left alone that she no longer bothered about her waking up alone.
That was how men were, more so if they had nine other women around them.
This version of Eishi…
She prefers him more.
"Good morning."
"Hm… Good morning."
Awkward silence ensued between the two.
Eishi, who was used to insensitivity, did not know how to resolve this momentarily.
"I'll take care of the breakfast."
The awkward silence did not disappear. The two were aware of it, much to their helplessness. Eishi's changes came all too suddenly—so much so Saeko was still left speechless by it.
He could not do anything about it, nor did she. They tacitly decided to leave it all to fate.
Eishi went down and began cooking breakfast. He had been used to others cooking it up for him. Airi, Mahiru, and Mrs. Yuigahama made up for a terrifying cooking force inside the kitchen.
As for Eishi, his original cooking skills weren't bad. Having lived alone, he has to learn how to cook, lest he would have been stuck eating takeouts.
The resources he possessed inside the spatial backpack is far more than a typical supermarket.
Cooking oil, eggs, pans, portable gas stoves…
The empty water tank of the villa was also refilled after he came here. The same went for the backup generators; they were filled with fuel.
Overall, the living quality inside this villa increased dozens of times with Eishi's presence.
Shino was the first one to come downstairs.
"Hiraoka-san?! You can leave cooking to me…"
"No need."
His presence vastly differed from the Eishi yesterday, catching her off guard. If he was frivolous and "slightly" arrogant before, then he today seems more grounded to reality—calmer too. Along with it is a sense of brooding.
'What happened last night? Did he and Busujima-san…'
A tinge of redness appeared on her cheeks.
Shino wasn't blind to their relationship. She felt disappointed that Eishi was already "taken" by someone else. However, she had seen Saeko's capabilities.
In terms of strength and decisiveness, Saeko stands at the very top. She deserved the spot beside Eishi.
Little did Shino know, the man she respected and was grateful to is an absolute scumbag with eleven… twelve women.
The next to come down was Marina. She met Shino's gaze, greeting each other with a nod. Her gaze was attracted to the silent Eishi who used his powerful spirit to create precise measurements and cooking times.
Finally, Kuroneko sneakily came down using her superpower. The SSS rated innate talent allowed her 'entry' to shadow. She was less distrustful of Eishi, aware that the latter sought something from her.
'He feels different today…'
Everyone held different thoughts upon his sudden change, but one thing remains certain:
The New Tokyo Shelter won't let them rest this easily.
Once the food was cooked, Eishi went upstairs and gathered everyone on the dining table. Saeko was still fine. When it came to the others, especially Kuroneko's two younger sisters, their eyes lit up at the 'feast'.
Many foods are spoiled without proper preservation. Rice and eggs are still fine. To see fresh fish, meat, and vegetables amidst the dining table made them think they were dreaming.
"It's real food. I stored them inside a storage space prior to the apocalypse…"
Eishi did not mind revealing things he had said to his other confidantes. The matter of his superpower, knowing the apocalypse weeks before it happened, and the esper classifications are precious information they haven't heard of.
Coupled with the delicious and fulfilling meals, everyone felt refreshed after breakfast ended.
"Here."
"Hm? This is…"
Kuroneko's eyes widened as she received two pear-looking fruits from Eishi.
"You can feed them to your sisters. They have the potential to be espers."
"...Whatever you ask, I will do."
After a bow, she went straight to her sisters.
He looked at the three sisters. His spirit evolved to the point he could "sense" dormant superpowers after a direct contact. There were also other options such as testing whether they feel the attraction to the fruit. Those who consumed evolution fruits without them ended up dying.
As for the system, it has standards. It would never stoop as long as considering Kuroneko's sisters as potential confidantes. He felt somewhat relieved that this pragmatic system has standards better than the worst scum of this world.
Eishi proceeded to hand out several fruits to the clueless Mashiro.
"These… are precious."
"No need. I have many of them. They aren't useful to me nowadays."
Anything beneath the second rank has no effect on Eishi. He stockpiled his way through the third-order using zombie crystals. Still, he kept on stockpiling evolution fruits. These things were hard currencies that could be used to build a large esper force.
He successfully convinced her. When the time to grant Marina the fruit came, she easily accepted.
"I thought you would decline." He said.
"Airi… is strong. Only by becoming stronger… can I pay you back."
"I see."
He did not say anything else but smile. Eishi did not say things like "you don't need to do this".
What matters now is to ensure their safety, and eating fruits do just that. Reaching three stars as an ordinary person grants one the strength of a special forces operative. Be it running or fighting, it contributes a lot.
Shino did not shy away from the evolution fruits he gave. She was determined long ago to repay Eishi's gratitude with her life.
The entire morning was spent handing out fruits. Saeko busied herself by utilizing her comprehension boosts to learn new 'quality-of-life' techniques. Eishi accompanied her in doing so.
A few hours later, they managed to 'upgrade' the multi-tasking technique she developed. It was generally made to level up without affecting daily tasks. Eishi used it as a 2x multiplier instead, absorbing two crystals at a time.
As of today, they developed the multi-tasking technique to four instances in one go. He experienced mental fatigue, though it was tolerable with his current spirit attribute. His 'recovery' outpaces his consumption, thus it costs nothing.
Looking at the four floating crystals being absorbed by his body, he clicked his tongue at this 'macro'.
"How was it?"
Eishi turned to look at Saeko. Her pale face caused concern.
"I can't sustain it for a long time."
"It's good enough. If everyone learns this and uses it during combat…"
His words gave sparks to her eyes.
The multi-tasking technique is basically parallel thinking. Being able to do four tasks with one mind is a huge advantage in combat. The enemies are still adapting to them while they already have a preliminary plan, a backup plan, and an escape plan formulated.
"Hiraoka-san."
The four floating crystals fell to the spatial backpack as soon as Shino arrived.
"They are here."
Thinking of the casual move he did to scourge for 'confidantes', Eishi did not know what to feel.
"Alright. I'll talk with them."
*****
"This place's electricity…"
"A heater too…."
Upon arriving at the villa, three people wandered at this base's reception area. Kazuto glanced at the working heater, and then to the faint scent of freshly-cooked food.
"It's curry. How much food did Asada-san store?"
"It does not matter, does it?"
Kazuto found himself nodding at Asuna's words.
After yesterday's agreement, Asuna decided to regroup the remaining SAO survivors. They are now down to 50-something people.
Asuna decided to bring two people for this 'negotiation'. The rest remained outside, ready to deal with whatever group that tracked them down.
"Asuna-san."
Shino arrived with an unknown man in tow. His tall height and well-sculpted face drew their gazes. The aura emanating from him commanded respect and authority despite him saying nothing.
"We talked over the phone, but I plan to repeat everything, Yuuki-san."
Eishi sat down, his gaze lingering on Asuna momentarily. The air of leadership and elegance could not be hidden at all, not to mention her pretty face.
The system showed every bit of her information.
[Asuna Yuuki]
Innate Talent: Goddess of Light (SSS, First-order)
Non-exclusive Talent: Agility Boost (B, First-order), Blink (S, First-order), Penetration (A, First-order), Spirit Boost (B, First-order), Quickstep (A, First-order)
Life Level: First-order, Five-stars
Strength: 72
Agility: 98
Constitution: 69
Spirit: 215
[Asuna Yuuki]
Appearance: 98
Figure: 97
Temperament: 98
Purity: Broken, Cannot be bound
Overall Rating: SSS
A swift look at her [Purity: Broken] explained everything. He did not feel as disappointed as before.
Eishi placed his attention on the girl beside her.
[Suguha Kirigaya]
Innate Talent: Skyfare Maiden (SS, First-order)
Non-exclusive Talent: Strength Boost (B, First-order), Wind Spirit (S, First-order), Sky Blessing (S, First-order), Spirit Boost (B, First-order), Berserk (A, First-order)
Life Level: First-order, Eight-stars
Strength: 129
Agility: 98
Constitution: 94
Spirit: 118
[Suguha Kirigaya]
Appearance: 97
Figure: 99
Temperament: 95
Purity: Intact, Can be Bound
Overall Rating: SSS
He recalled the certain "parody" that got famous enough to reach Japan.
The Miss "I am in love with my brother?"
Looking at her [Purity], it was clear they are way past that.
'I should… no.'
Eishi deftly prevented himself from relapsing to his older, bad habits. He threw away thoughts related to Suguha, at least for now.
"I talked with the Prime Minister's office yesterday. It is the…"
He recapped everything he had learned from Hachiman and his group. Part of the government faction's manpower is eroded. It is the Zaibatsus controlling a part of it to deal with the SAO survivor group.
They deemed them too dangerous to exist. A large and uncontrolled esper force whose combat experiences surpassed conventional special forces is a latent danger to those who held esper forces in control.
Nobuyuki's persistence to have Asuna might have been the trigger, but he definitely would not have made a huge move without the higher-ups behind him.
It is a devious move that exhausted the government's resources while probing the SAO survivor group. The Zaibatsu did not suffer a loss—up until Eishi arrived and leveled the playing ground.
"Families…"
Asuna frowned at the mention of them.
Once, they were a part of them. Ordinary people have zero chances of having a large stake at an epoch-breaking technology such as virtual reality otherwise. The Yuuki Family held Argus, and by extension, the patent to virtual reality technology.
'Did they take advantage of it..?'
A maddening thought took root inside her mind.
As an influential man, her family should have been prepared if the other families did the same. She could recall her father and her brother working together on something important a week prior to the apocalypse's descent.
Now, her father is confirmed dead while her brother is missing. The Yuuki Family's preparations, in turn, benefitted others.
Kazuto noticed her worsening mood. He tugged on her sleeves, snapping Asuna out of her daze.
She sent a grateful look to him before facing Eishi.
"Are Hiraoka-san's terms the same as before?"
"Yes. I will support your group's development wholeheartedly, given that everyone will be under my command. Think of yourselves like a privately armed force. Only, you will have me as a sponsor."
Eishi presented stacks of fruits atop the rectangular table.
"This is a small portion of what I have. I can turn each and every one of you into second-order espers. These privileges will be yours as long as you nod."
For the second time, a group faced Eishi's conditions…