Everyone had varying reactions with Mashiro's sudden "confession". Nobody expected it to come from her—someone who was quiet and lowkey. Even the most proactive ones like Airi and Shizuka-sensei couldn't get past her social barrier. The former wanted to befriend everyone; the latter took everyone as her responsibility.
It goes to show Mashiro's 'power'... which was only at the tip of the iceberg.
When someone came to her room, they were shocked to see a mess. Her clothes were scattered everywhere. She didn't have any distinctions on what a "laundry basket" was, throwing her used clothes everywhere. There were also times she wore nothing but a large shirt, going commando until Kuroneko forced her to wear clothes.
Knowing how helpless Mashiro was, Kuroneko was forced to continue taking care of her. Everyone viewed Mashiro as someone that needs to be taken care of.
"Shiina-san, I must reiterate the steps we have to take. It won't be as simple as holding hands…"
"Sex, right? I have seen it."
Eishi choked on his own saliva. The others also reacted similarly, caught off guard one way or another. He looked at Mashiro and saw she wasn't as 'clueless' as he had initially thought. The faint trace of redness on her cheeks and neck showed her embarrassment.
"...Let's talk about it in private later."
This time, she let out a subtle nod. The girls around her couldn't help but look at her differently. The complex atmosphere originating from jealousy, helplessness, and emptiness became stronger at this moment.
Eishi saw this event transpire. Mahiru's pout alone was something he couldn't handle properly. Not to mention Shizuka-sensei's lost and confused look.
'Seeing it now…'
He was stunned at how bad it was. Everyone is a human being… and nobody liked having one's beloved snatched right in front of them. The 'harmony' he had previously seen was nothing compared to their turbulent emotions. It wasn't just Eishi who experienced unreasonable shifts in emotions; others do too. They feel self-doubt, jealousy, nervousness, and confusion. His indifference allowed him to ignore them.
Clearly, it wasn't the case now.
Eishi acted before it could get any worse.
"We need to talk about the deployments in the coming two weeks…"
The formidable aquatic monsters soon became his diversionary sandbag.
*****
"I remember this place before…"
A somewhat disheveled-looking girl walked together with a bunch of other survivors. Her originally vibrant golden twin-tails were stained with dirt and smog. Her pristine face was hidden by a layer of dirt. Her dried-up sweat clung closely to her skin, making her feel uncomfortable. The freezing cold made her shiver. The already thick multi-layered jacket she wore only reduced it by a fraction.
They carried all sorts of things in the carts they were pushing. Some of them are construction materials, while there are others carrying boxes of biscuits and instant noodles. A group of five espers escorted them along the way. They did not only carry guns, but also cold weapons. Seeing someone carrying a spear, sword, and daggers was the norm in Yokohama City.
It has been twenty-nine days since the apocalypse came. Everyone who got to survive at this point knew the do's and don'ts. They were already filtered out by the three consecutive crises that came upon them—zombies, insects, and fellow humans.
It wasn't just the girl that had that surprised look. Other people also bore that inquisitive look. They all came from the 'Villa Survivor Camp', the base primarily supported by Eishi. It started with a group of people with Saya and the ditzy Shizuka. The riot incident that same night made Eishi's threshold and criteria for his survivor camp much stricter. They had to get past Haruno's [Spirit Eye] first, followed by the survivor camp's recruitment staff doing an interview.
Even with these restrictions, they absorbed 50,000 residents in total. It seems like a large number at first, but Yokohama's original population was seven million. Due to Eishi's existence, Yokohama's survival rate is at 1.25%. It is right above Tokyo's recorded 1.1%, and far above the rest of the cities who couldn't even go past 1%.
Out of 875,000 or so survivors, almost everyone had heard of Eishi's reputation. Dominating at the city hall, establishing a survivor camp with a stable supply of food and water, his 'Valkyrie Squad' obliterating every other rogue esper group…
By this time, his survivor camp attracted way too many people. The strict and tedious filtering reduced them down to 50,000. Shockingly, 10,000 of them eventually became espers. As if that wasn't enough, the survivor camp also released a full classification of espers—from first-order up to the theoretical ninth-order. It helped establish a sense of power for those who were still blindly grasping their limits. The city hall also adapted this classification with no qualms whatsoever.
The most shocking of them all was the survivor camp's 2,000 second-order espers. The city hall's second-order espers were at dozens at best. That disparity was more than enough to showcase the survivor camp's capabilities.
The ones who were accepted were honored. The ones who did not turned towards the second-best option, which was the city hall. Despite their lesser strength, they have a third-order esper at their helm. They are also an official organization who frequently collaborated with Eishi's survivor camp.
"...like we are back before the apocalypse."
The girl's mindless muttering triggered conversations within the group.
"The number of zombies cleared out… it should be in the millions at the very least."
"Clearing millions of zombies… hiss."
Their brains turned numb at that thought. Eliminating millions of zombies in the span of a month was something not even modern weaponry could achieve. The combination of espers and insect swarms achieved what they could not.
"You haven't heard about that yet, no?"
The one who spoke was a middle-aged man with a clean cut. His somewhat lanky build revealed his previous identity as a businessman. He gave off an air of pride, as if he was the one who accomplished something huge.
"Hiraoka-san left the city and went straight to Tokyo."
"Tokyo?! That's an hour-long drive! I heard from my in-laws that the main highways are stuffed with cars. If he detoured…"
Staying in Yokohama City was dangerous enough. Nobody thought to head to other cities. Doing so is a clear road towards death!
The more people talked about it, the further Eishi's feats spread. Even the escorting espers couldn't help but extend their ears, their loyalty towards the camp owner increasing further.
The disheveled girl went completely silent. She thought of her mother who was left to deal with the survivor camp's daily food supply. Her work was very tedious but they couldn't let go of it. The role of a 'cook' earns them 'Merit Points', the currency used within the survivor camp. She could also bring home 'freebies'. Food was not a problem for them. They could even take a bath once every three days.
Still, it could not curb the growing thoughts inside the girl's head.
'The Valkyrie Squad…'
Just like any other girl in Yokohama, she looked up to the Valkyrie Squad. They are strong women who could hold their heads up high. They didn't bother hiding the fact that all of them are at the third-order at the very least.
'If I could join them…'
The twin-tailed girl, Eriri, couldn't help but look down at her toes. They are very visible. A suffocating sensation filled her chest, making her dissatisfied.
Just as the Valkyrie Squad's strengths are an open-secret, so were the 'requirements' in joining them. One of them was eye-catching:
To be Eishi's girlfriend.
At this point, everyone suffered a lot. The cases of sexual assault were in the hundreds, if not thousands. If left unchecked, espers grow more lustful. The ones inclined to doing evil would have their desires amplified further. The living experience of 'women' in the city was extremely traumatic. Most became slaves used to vent out sexual frustration. The small parts were clever and made themselves look as unattractive as possible. Finally, the lucky minority became the girlfriends of powerful male espers who treated them greatly.
Every member of the Valkyrie Squad is a stunning woman. They all possessed a special type of charm that would turn heads once they passed by. It is also rumored that every one of them could take a bath three times a day. Their bodily fragrance is greater than a bunch of perfumes, subtle yet relaxing to the nose. They are all bonafide goddesses, all because of Eishi.
Nobody could imagine how much resources were given to them. Heck, even the surviving families of these Valkyrie Squad members lived a good life. These two are the reasons why Eriri was so tempted.
As the daughter of the Foreign Affairs Minister, she knows a thing or two about socialization. She had seen women seducing high-ranking officials to climb up in status. Her feelings toward them are a mix of loathing and pity. Eriri loathed them because she felt it was cheap; pity because they had no other option.
They are completely unlike her who could choose any career she wanted. That was how she became an underground doujinshi artist. Ironically, Eriri wanted to take that path now.
A sense of apprehension appeared in her mind, only to be reduced to nothingness by their survival experience in the past month. The price to their guaranteed safety and power was sickeningly cheap—only her physical body. Eishi is also a good person in her eyes. Eriri would have burst into anger if she had known of a 'scummy' guy who had ten-plus girlfriends before, but not now.
She couldn't contact her father. It was only she and her mother who were together. Her trusted childhood friend turned out to be a scum who would sell them out to others!
Compared to him, Eishi's tangible accomplishments were as high as the heavens.
Hence, Eriri signed up on the 'reserved' Valkyrie Squad members. A part of it came from her eccentric superpower. Another came from her beauty. All that was left was Eishi's response.
Eriri sighed at these thoughts of hers. She didn't stop pushing the carts to their destinations. Though there are no official announcements yet, everyone could feel the air of war descend. This led to a bunch of speculation. One thing remains certain, however.
It won't be peaceful for long.
'When would the next crisis arrive..?'
*****
"Good. I will be sending another convoy a week later."
Beep-!
Eishi soon ended the call. He had finished settling the convoy sent over to Tokyo. They drove in bulky bank transfer cars. There are also a full-hundred of second-order espers overseeing them. These espers came from Eishi's survivor camp. Their loyalty is filtered out by Haruno, hence he can rest easy.
His orders to the three farming goddesses were simple—to produce third-rank fruits at the fastest speed possible. Resources are not a problem as they brought thousands of second-rank fruits. The most prioritized fruits were the attributes (i.e., physical/spiritual), followed by Sun's Essence. Then comes the S-rated fruits.
For this mission, Shino formed a contract with each of the convoy's members. That includes Takashi and Rei. That way, there won't be people consuming Eishi's fruits without permission. The ones at Tokyo are already under Shino's contracts.
'That skill is as broken as always…'
The [Heavenly Contract] skill is one of the most useful auxiliary superpowers to date. However, it also consumed one of Shino's slots for SS-rated talents. Eishi always kept her sacrifice in mind. Her slightly petite build showcased her fine muscle lines. Her proactiveness when it comes to having sex is at the top percentile within this villa.
'She's going toe to toe with Saeko…'
Eishi recalled this aspect of hers and felt his body turning hotter.
'What if these two team up..?'
Instead of being scared, he would accept them with open arms. His 20,000-point constitution was high enough for him to support his indulgence. Eishi himself doesn't know where his limits lay. He has a feeling, however, that a gunshot to the heart or the head would be healed in an instant. That was how absurd his constitution was.
Just then, he recalled something.
'The reserve team selection… I can't let them wait for long.'