Sup! Enjoy new chapter!
Special Greetings to DreXy, Primal Lord, Ghostwolf928, carl hoffmen, Alexander Spoor, Akshay P Raj M, Xavier Luna, White Wolf, Austin, Damon Potter, SoraOS, eric, MrZoop, Exactingspoon, Ken Chau, Kevin Saunders, Victor Gealtach, Danny Fowls, Gracieop, Red_Valstrax!
————
POV: Saya Takagi
Saya sat in the car to her mother's left. Her father… he was in a different vehicle with his former subordinates. Just moments ago, they had all faced a mutant—one her mother had killed with ease—and now everyone was sitting there as if nothing had happened!
It… it made her hate herself. When that mutant appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the car leading the way, she had… frozen in fear. Unlike her mother, who had stepped right out of the vehicle.
Only yesterday she had encountered one like it—the one that had sent the person she held incredibly dear flying through the air. A person she valued above all else.
The man she loved, who was stronger than anyone else… and that mutant had almost killed him with ease.
The same fear that had gripped her heart then returned when this similar zombie mutant appeared, but this time, the fear squeezed tighter. Isao wasn't there to defeat this monster and save her...
Her body refused to obey her mind. All she could do was stare through the windshield as that creature held a car above its head. She felt her mother leave the car, then Isao's mother… but her? She did nothing. Because… because… what could she even do against a creature that had almost killed even Isao?!
She hated herself for that fear. Saeko, unlike her, hadn't been paralyzed. No, quite the opposite—she had run straight toward the danger. Saya remembered Saeko getting into the car at the very back of the motorcade, yet the moment the monster appeared? She was right there.
She loathed that feeling in herself. She hated herself for being afraid.
That was why she sat in silence now, processing everything. Just thinking.
Why was she afraid? Was there even room for fear in her heart now that she had received such great abilities from Isao? It was goddamn embarrassing…
And so what if her ability wasn't as "strong" as Saeko's? Raw power doesn't always determine the winner. Sometimes, victory goes to the one with more imagination, intellect, and cunning in how they apply their gift.
Saeko's ability allowed her to create wind blades. Meanwhile, Saya had a much more versatile power: Ink Creation and Manipulation!
She could shape it into swords, knives, or other weapons, harden it, and hurl it anywhere! She could create a pressurized blade from liquid ink and cut through anything! If she thought about it long enough, she had far more ways to use her power than that "cow" did!
She… she had just gotten nervous when she saw the mutant and couldn't help her mother and the others. Yeah… that was it.
Turning toward the window and looking at the sky for an answer, she saw the raven flying above, circling and watching over the convoy.
Oh, there was Isao's raven, the one he called a familiar—though Shikigami would be more fitting. Wait…
Saya strained her mind, trying to recall someone she had read about. A character from Naruto, wasn't it? He wasn't very memorable compared to Naruto or Sasuke, but he had a very interesting ability… his name was Sai!
Yes! She smiled, noticing her mother looking at her because of the sudden expression, which made her turn away in embarrassment.
"Did something good happen, dear?" Her mother's voice was warm, but it couldn't hide a trace of lingering concern. Not worry about their situation, but worry for her.
It warmed her heart. Though she still didn't understand how her mom could be so calm about a damn mutant. Sure, it was easy to handle this time, but this thing appeared only a day into the outbreak! What about tomorrow? Next week? Six months from now? At this mutation rate, these zombies would be a nightmare in a month or two!
Ugh… there was that anxiety again. She was just grateful she had power now. And now that she had a solid idea for her ability, the anxiety subsided a little, though it remained buried in the back of her mind.
"N-no, I just had an idea on how to better use my power. It's still just an idea… I don't even know if it will work." Her voice was quiet, but everyone could hear her. Kotobuki, sitting opposite her, let out a small smirk, only to get a light swat from her mother. Kotobuki pouted and turned away while Kyoko-san gave an awkward smile. Her own mother took her hand supportively.
"Saya-chan, you are a smart girl. If you have an idea, you can make it happen. You just need to try." She smiled, and Saya felt a surge of joy from the support. She nodded.
"Yes, mom…" It was a bit awkward having this happen in front of others. But… wasn't Kyoko-san basically her mother-in-law now that she was, well, Isao's wife? She forced herself not to feel shy. It would be stupid to feel awkward in front of her every time in the future.
She needed to get used to it. The sooner, the better.
POV: Isao Tsumugi
He drove down the street, mentally mapping out the route to rejoin the motorcade that had left the Takagi estate.
The slight unease he felt earlier hadn't vanished, but it had receded into the background, allowing him at least a moment to relax.
Honestly, speaking through the Crow was difficult. Making it talk was exhausting for both him and the bird.
Whatever. Right now, he was just glad his mom, K-imoto, Saya, Saeko, and the others were okay. Using the Chaos Gacha to awaken Yuriko's ability had been the right call.
He needed to work on finding more trustworthy people to awaken. The more "Awakened" on his side, the safer they all were.
The problem was… he worried that among these people, some might be unscrupulous—fucking treacherous snakes who could cause immense damage to him and his loved ones. Though… that problem was mostly solved by one ability: Cor Leonis.
Cor Leonis showed him those who truly saw him as an ally. It wasn't a 100% guarantee they would remain a subordinate or friend forever, as it only showed their feelings in real-time. If their opinion of him changed in the future, it would be a hell of a problem, and he had no desire to use Cor Leonis as a constant loyalty test.
"Something wrong? You look worried, Isao-kun." Kiriko-san's voice came from right next to him. She was in the passenger seat, while Rei—still looking a bit depressed—sat in the back, staring out the window at the passing buildings.
"No. Or rather, yes, something happened, but it's solved now." I answered without looking at her. This goddamn Hagmaxxing was a problem, especially combined with my other traits that boost my looks. It was a massive problem.
I saw it with Yuriko. Just imagine: some punk kid shows up, challenges your husband to a duel with "Everything" on the line, and your husband agrees without thinking. Then the kid beats your husband unconscious in front of his men in his own home.
A normal woman would have called the police a hundred times. But she just smiled at me after my speech—not to mention the looks she gave me after I awakened her powers.
And damn it, that was after… what? Thirty minutes? An hour? That's all the contact we had. He didn't want the same thing with Rei's mother while he was already having issues with Rei herself. Fuck!
So he tried his best not to think of Kiriko-san as a beautiful woman, which was… impossible! Because she was a beautiful, sexy woman who radiated this… "delinquent" aura?
It was hard to explain. She seemed like the type of woman who would smack your ass just to wind you up, then break down while being taken from front and want you to hold her hands while "making babies."
And it was complicated. No way in hell was he going to mess with married women! Especially the one whose husband is the father of the girl who confessed her love to him!
Fuck, it was just problems piled on top of problems. First, the mutant zombies—thankfully the Gacha gave him the ability to use other people's Special Tickets, otherwise he wouldn't have even let the others go to the mall. He would have gone for Rei's mom himself, then back to the estate, and only then to the mall. Then there's the evacuation zone at the elementary school; he felt Takashi's mom and Hisashi's father were there, along with Rei's father!
Then there was Shizuka's friend at the airport. If they were at the airport, the military would be there, and they wouldn't just let him play "Leader." But since he promised Shizuka, he had to try and save the people there too.
In short: many problems, very little time.
"Did something happen with the others? The ones heading to Tokonosu Plaza?" Kiriko asked. I had given her a brief rundown, so she knew about the convoy.
"Yeah. They ran into a mutated zombie. A 'Brute' type." I knew that besides super-muscular zombies, there would be other types. They just needed time to evolve.
"Wait, a 'Brute' type?" She glanced at me with a confused look, pouting her full pink lips. "There are other types of zombies?" I swallowed hard, keeping my eyes fixed on the road ahead.
"No... well, not yet. But just because we haven't met them doesn't mean they don't exist. It's only a matter of time before they mutate and appear. I'm sure of it." The sheer certainty in my voice seemed to convince her. She nodded and leaned back.
"Well, if you're sure… I guess we just have to be prepared." She stared at the car's ceiling for a bit, then turned her head back to look at her daughter. "Come on, Rei. Don't be sad. We'll go get your father sooner or later."
Actually, I would go save her father, but her speaking for me was a bit rude. I needed to discuss this with the others first—Saya and Yuriko. Saya was effectively my "brain," and Yuriko was the one my new subordinates looked up to. Plus, I needed to have a word with Souichiro himself. "So stop being gloomy."
"I'm not gloomy, Mom. I'm just thinking about things." Rei shook her head, her dark eyes looking toward us.
"Hmm, and what could my little 'robot-daughter' be thinking about?" Kiriko smiled. I looked in the mirror and… I just realized Rei had two ahoge that looked like little antennae.
I've been around Rei for almost ten years and I'm only just noticing her hair looks like antennae?! What the hell? How did I miss that?
"Mom!" Rei shouted, embarrassed and indignant, while her mother burst into loud laughter.
I smiled too. It was cute, after all… and proof that despite the changes brought by her Trait, Rei was still herself. It was reassuring.
I stepped on the gas. In a few more blocks, we would reunite with the convoy.
And then, they would finally reach the Tokonosu Plaza, where they could properly discuss their plans.
———
My Patreon:https: //www.patreon.com/2FSukuna?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/sukuna2f