'336 times the normal human…'
Eishi took a look at his increasingly exaggerated attributes.
[Eishi Hiraoka]
Innate Talent: Time Dominator (SSS, Third-order)
Non-exclusive Talent: Spatial Backpack (1,510,000 Cubic Meters), Constitution Boost (S, Second-order), Weak Electricity (A, Second-order), Spirit Boost (B, Second-order), Metal Sharpening (A, Second-order), Clairvoyance (A, Second-order), Regeneration (A, Second-order)
Life Level: Third-order, One-star
Strength: 649 > 729 (844 > 948)
Agility: 643 > 723 (2,122 > 2,386)
Constitution: 945 > 1,025 (3,119 > 3,366)
Spirit: 1,115 > 1,595 (1,445 > 2,074)
Ten was the measurement for an average human. Twenty are for elite athletes. Thirty are for the pinnacle human athletes and specially-trained special forces units. Part of the reason why espers are darningly strong lay in their 'potential' to surpass these attributes just by eating.
Eishi's lowest attribute is his strength, yet even that is 94 times the normal human.
'Should I..?'
His thoughts shifted to the dormant red comets where the 'insects' came from. Eishi's intentions are simple: to carve a 'safe' territory around his villa. This extends to the entirety of Yokohama.
The insect swarm cleaned off most of the zombies on the surface. Only the stronger mutant ones remained, though they can be easily killed by one of Eishi's women.
'I'll do it, but not now.'
Most qualified 'confidantes' possess an S rated talent, though this depends on a character's 'relevance' to the story. Everyone around Eishi, save for Mrs. Yuigahama, are 'major characters'. Hence their talent's ratings are high. This was the pattern he found for these confidantes.
As long as they survive—with their Purity unsullied—a 'safe territory' is bound to attract them. Eishi wouldn't even need to move himself; they will all come to him. That was the point of establishing a survivor group.
'I should put it aside for now. I'll get screwed over if they are stronger than I thought…'
*****
Eishi's level-up did not cause a stir. Everyone living in the villa knows he is undefeatable—both in real fights and in bed. They are fortunate they can barely 'match' his pace with their growing physical body, lest they would have been knocked out in half an hour. Just by looking at Mrs. Yuigahama's first-time with Eishi tells everything. She couldn't walk properly until she was healed by Mahiru!
It was different for those outside. Eishi led them to clear three blocks within the villa's vicinity. The mutated zombies that survived were exceptionally strong, yet they all fell the moment they faced him. Being first-order or second-order made no difference to him.
Head-on clash? His body slices through them in one strike.
Innate talent clash? Their heads simply fall faster.
This 'clean-up' operation lasted one day. One of the biggest contributions went to the teams that gathered information regarding the mutated zombies' locations. Having a clear goal made the entire trip easier.
Eishi picked up dozens of evolution fruits along the way, but none reached the second-order. He could no longer progress his other talents with first-rank fruits.
The only other gratifying thing was the spreading 'reputation' of him. The forces underneath him are all at the seven-stars and above. They are all leader-level figures in other survivor groups, yet they all answer to Eishi's beck and call. This reputation led to the increase of survivors wanting to join their group.
To that, Eishi left all the work to Haruno. Her eyes easily saw through those with malicious intentions, those who remain neutral, and those who are sincerely in awe. They only took in the latter two. Those who develop malicious intentions are swiftly dealt with.
With Haruno's experience and innate talent, managing a big group is a trifle. Saeko acts as her 'guard' along with other girls on a rotation. This gives them more 'experience' in handling apocalyptic human affairs.
Eishi can be rest assured and enjoy a "shut-in" life… just like now.
Two pairs of white legs are placed atop his lap. The softness of the large sofa could not compare to the comfort brought by massaging these two pairs of legs.
"Hm…"
Eishi looked at the sleeping Airi. Her bright pink underwear is fully exposed. Her towering chest is barely hidden by a white t-shirt. Her hands are placed under her head, with her entire body positioned sideways.
He then looked on his left side. Mahiru wore a pair of dolphin shorts along with her t-shirt. Her eyes are glued intently to her phone. Her frown could not be hidden, only to be broken down by Eishi's touch every now and then.
Having two pairs of legs to 'play' with is much more entertaining than playing with a phone. Eishi had long thrown that habit to the gutter.
"...Nobody is responding to my messages anymore."
"Your classmates?"
She nodded.
"Three days ago, there were still two of them. Now…"
"Don't think about the worst case. Maybe their phones ran out of battery. Maybe they lost them. There is a lot that could happen."
This was the main reason why he no longer bothered with phones and the Internet.
Things were still lively fifteen days ago, but after the insect swarm, many discussion threads and social media platforms lost their liveliness.
Cities who did not have a functional government structure and enough ammunition faced an even higher fatality rate. They cannot do anything against the insect swarm. They cannot escape them either, turning into nothing after they pass through. It could be said that the 'zergs' changed the trajectory of this apocalypse's development. What was meant to be a zombie apocalypse turned into an alien invasion disaster.
"What about your parents?" He asked.
"The same as before."
Mahiru's parents live in Kyoto. They are fortunate to have joined an official shelter built by government officials. That shelter was stronger than Yokohama's due to an SDF base retaining most of its personnel and facilities.
"...They did not send any other messages."
"..."
Eishi met Mahiru's slightly tearful golden eyes. Her family problem was so huge her parents did not even bother asking about her safety. Only when Mahiru took the initiative to contact them did they reply. Even then, they did not seem to care about her at all.
His hands paused before continuing to rub her legs.
"I will make you happy, Mahiru."
No other words needed to be said. Her tearful eyes turned gentle, teardrops falling from their corners. Mahiru could not hold back and crawled up to hug him. Her lips sealed his, containing the deepest emotion she could manifest: love.
A bright red dot appeared on the 'menu' at the corner of his sight. Eishi's attention did not linger there for long, focusing on placating the vulnerable Mahiru. His hands held her waist as they moved beneath her shirt. She started a desperate assault on his tongue, as if wanting to do it forever.
It wasn't until they separated that she began panting. Eishi's leg touched Mahiru's dolphin shorts and discovered it was very moist.
He looked at the sleeping Airi guiltily. Eishi moved her legs from his lap. Mahiru's moist and dazed eyes replaced them as she sat on his lap.
Mahiru soon began another round of breathless kissing…
*****
'This sofa…'
Eishi pulled up his pants. The obvious sexual scent reeking out of the sofa made him panic slightly. He glanced at the unconscious Mahiru. Her shirt was tucked upwards, exposing her fair chest and toned abdomen. Then, he met Airi's dazed look.
The chaos started by Mahiru ended up with Airi waking up. She watched them intently, her face burning red, before she swapped on Mahiru after she was tired.
'She's shy, but she's also bold at times.'
The only women who did a double-entendre were Haruno and Saeko. Everyone else could not help but be embarrassed. Megumi's numerous cases of not being noticed while having sex cannot be counted.
Eishi had expected Airi's 'reaction' to be as 'cliched' as the R18 ACGs he saw, though it was not. Her movements and sensation, however, match those immaculate R18 ACGs.
"Your family… how are they now?"
"My sister is still alive… but she is in dire straits. My mother… I could not contact her."
He fell silent.
He has a lot to do with Airi's family problem. Eishi caught her step-father using aphrodisiacs to drug her. He ended up being sentenced to lifetime imprisonment, mainly because of Eishi's enhanced resources at that time.
Airi's family is a huge mess. Her biological mother, Akitsuki Kayoko, remarried years after the death of her husband. It is none other than Akitsuki Kouzou, a man with a high-paying job in a pharmaceutical corporation.
Due to the hasty nature and rather 'distasteful' chemistry between Airi and Kouzou, she always acted snarky. She felt that her step-father was hiding something creepy that gave her 'chills'.
It remained unfounded until the attempted sexual assault at the park occurred. Eishi ultimately ended up saving and taking advantage of her, unlocking the first boon he needed in the impending apocalypse.
He asked Airi to hide the matter of her step-father's imprisonment, though it did not last for long. Her mother came to Yokohama's police station and created a huge scene. She publicly called Airi out as a liar, cutting off all familial 'ties' with her. Only her sister, Marina, believed her words.
"The last time you contacted her, wasn't she with her boyfriend?"
"Mhm. But that boyfriend of hers… is no good."
Airi explained the things she heard from her sister.
In the first few days of the apocalypse, her boyfriend acted relatively well. The two lived on the same floor of an apartment complex. He checked on her safety every day, going as far as to deliver food to her.
That lasted until the fourteenth day. Marina never left her home after the blood rain. She also conserved her phone, leaving it off most of the day. She also did not join the LINE group at their apartment complex.
She didn't hear about her boyfriend's rampant behavior until a stranger messaged her about it.
Turns out, he became an esper. The first thing he did was to fuck women. The first few ones are willing at first, but as he became stronger, he started brazenly forcing himself upon other women. He would beat up their boyfriends and husbands, staging a 'play' to satisfy his vain ego.
Things reached a turning point when he accidentally killed someone. Marina's boyfriend no longer let them off with a beating.
He killed them.
Worse, he accepted a group of underlings who continued spreading evil under his name. The girls who surrendered to him at first were distributed to them heartlessly, treating them as expendable goods.
For some reason, he kept up a facade during his daily visits with Marina. Up to now, she never confronted him about it, though she no longer accepted the food he offered nor opened the door for him.
"She told me he is already suspicious. When the worst comes, she can only escape through the windows…"
"...Where does she live?"
"A-ah..?"
"We'll save your sister."
"B-but…"
A heavy weight bore across Airi's chest. She never asked for Eishi's help nor did she raise this concern. Her sister, Marina, lived in Tokyo. It is a three-hour drive from Yokohama's expressways. The zombies and insects impacted her mind greatly.
If Eishi had set out just because of her words and fell into danger…
She won't be able to accept it.
Airi resolved herself to carry this burden alone… even if she dies trying to save her.
"No buts. I can see it in your eyes. You want to save her. Am I still your boyfriend or not?"
The implication was clear. Eishi, despite his scummy moves, has a bottom line in taking women in. His time, attention, and affection are not a one-time thing. He wanted to capture their hearts wholly—to be his lifetime lovers whose gentle gazes are solely on him.
Eishi is that greedy.
Airi bit her lower-lip, her eyes already letting out tears. Now, she knows what Mahiru felt two hours ago. Eishi's confidence touched the depths of her heart. She knows he will act on his words.
An unprecedented sense of security and warmth flooded her. She buried her face on Eishi's neck.
'I ignored others' issues, right. I can take care of them now.'
He thought of his newfound strength. As long as it wasn't related to zergs and zombie nests, Eishi can help others settle their family's safety.
Seeing these women smile never fails to make him feel satisfied.
Airi did not create an outburst like Mahiru's. She fell asleep on his shoulders, her short and abundant frame clinging to his chest.
'Those notifications…'