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As a transmigrator, Rosen had automatically assumed that the other members' worlds were still in pre-plot stages.
Classic Highschool of the Dead setup: the outbreak starts at the school, Saeko escapes with the main cast, they crash at the busty "three-no" teacher's house, then it's just your standard apocalypse survival story.
But reality? Saeko had already escaped the school and was now holed up in a safehouse.
[Shut-in Angel: "We're all friends here. If you're in trouble, we'll help however we can. Even if we can't fight, we can at least send you food and drinks."]
[Shut-in Angel: "Even if you never step outside again, we can totally keep you alive."]
[Saeko: "Thanks, but if there's a way, I'd rather end this apocalypse quickly."]
[Magic Old-Timer: "Too bad I can't teach you magic remotely. If you could learn flight magic, those viruses wouldn't even be able to touch you."]
[Saeko: "I don't have any magic in my body. Even if you taught me, it wouldn't work."]
Frierene's world ran on something like a traditional RPG system—mage, cleric, priest, warrior, hero. Your class depended on talent, and mages were especially picky about it. Some people could spend their whole lives training and still end up bottom-tier.
[Shepherd: "By the way, who are you with right now? The original main cast from the anime?"]
[Saeko: "A few familiar faces—Shizuka Marikawa, Saya Takagi, and Rei Miyamoto. Komuro and Hirano aren't here."]
[Saeko: "Since I knew the outbreak was coming, I paid a bit of attention beforehand. Turns out, not long ago, Komuro and part of the school took part in some corporate science experiment and left before everything went down."]
[Bad Woman: "So there's your divergence from canon. Normally, Komuro would never leave Tokonosu City early."]
[Shut-in Angel: "See, newbie? Now you get what I meant earlier. When I realized I couldn't flex my meta-knowledge, I was depressed for days."]
[Blizzard from Hell: "Oh, so that was your angle from the start?"]
[Saeko: "Even without Komuro, I still knew the outbreak was coming. If I hadn't been carrying a real sword that day and only had a wooden one, I never would've made it out of that zombie swarm."]
[Bad Woman: "Gotta say, Saeko adjusted fast. Most people wouldn't even swing at zombies, let alone decapitate them."]
Rosen, having watched Highschool of the Dead, knew exactly why.
Back in middle school, Saeko had been followed by a creep after class. She'd led him into an empty alley and beaten him half to death with her training sword.
That was when she realized she had a violent streak buried inside—and started wondering if she was a monster. From then on, she grew quiet and reserved.
But, as the saying goes: stay quiet too long, and you either snap or go twisted.
When the apocalypse hit, Saeko—repressed for years—finally let loose.
While the others kept chatting, Rosen marveled at how much the plot had shifted.
Still, someone like Saeko, trapped in a world like hers, probably had a higher chance than most at accepting his contract and becoming his thrall.
And if not her, well—Shizuka Marikawa and Saya Takagi were good candidates too.
Not to mention Shizuka's friend, Minami Rika.
In anime worlds, ugly women were practically mythical creatures. So Rosen's contract requirements were set: females only.
Sure, there were plenty of capable men out there, but his cheat was his own business. If he suddenly ended up with a few random dudes in his harem roster, he wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
It wasn't discrimination—he was a man himself—it was just that, when there were plenty of women around, why not keep things easy on the eyes?
He glanced at the chat again.
They'd moved on to everyday girl talk.
Rosen stayed quiet, closed the panel, and stepped back onto the balcony.
The power surge from unlocking his cheat had cleared all the nearby evil spirits.
He couldn't help the upward twitch of his lips—he'd finally stepped into the extraordinary.
The ground was maybe five meters down. The thought of just jumping hit him hard.
He gripped the railing, hesitating.
After all, with thirty-odd years of life experience counting both worlds, he knew that a normal person dropping from that height would be lucky to escape with just broken bones.
But feeling the strength in his body, and seeing no one around, he vaulted over and leapt.
Two seconds later, he landed solidly on both feet. No pain—just the thud of contact.
Yeah. Definitely a superhuman now.
Only problem? The brand-new sneakers he'd bought a few days ago were totaled.
"..."
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