Late at night, inside the dimly lit apartment building.
A single scream suddenly shattered the long, uneasy silence.
Mrs. Oda stumbled out of her unit in a panic, crying for help as she ran.
Behind her, a zombie drenched in blood staggered forward.
Its movements were stiff and uncoordinated, like its limbs no longer belonged to it, but the crimson-soaked body and the beastlike ferocity on its face filled Mrs. Oda with bone-deep terror.
That monster was her husband.
Oda Ebisen.
"Help! Somebody help me!"
"Open the door!"
"Ahhh, please, help!"
Mrs. Oda slammed her fists against a neighbor's door, pounding like her life depended on it.
"Mrs. Oda?"
Karen Inukai opened her door while holding Kotarou in her arms.
Mrs. Oda burst inside and slammed the door shut behind her.
"Quick, please! Don't let him in!"
Her face was pale with fear.
Karen still had not processed what was happening when the door suddenly shook.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
She looked through the peephole and saw the zombie outside, its flesh mangled and smeared, still ramming itself against the door.
Karen screamed and accidentally let go of Kotarou, dropping the little dog to the floor.
"What is that?!"
Karen's mind went blank.
"It It It's my husband…"
Mrs. Oda sobbed, voice trembling.
"Mr. Oda? Why did he become like that?"
Karen asked.
"I don't know…"
Mrs. Oda sucked in a shaky breath, crouched down, and hugged herself as she cried.
"Just now… he suddenly turned into this…"
The memory of her husband lunging at her flashed through her mind, and fear squeezed her heart until it hurt.
"Mrs. Oda," Karen said, stepping closer to comfort her, "don't don't be too scared."
Karen was frightened too. The Mr. Oda outside was clearly no longer human.
"Woof! Woof!"
At that moment, Kotarou barked sharply at the doorway.
Karen turned and saw something that made her stomach twist.
A thick, reeking stream of blood seeped in from beneath the door, spreading across the floor like a living stain.
"Kotarou, don't touch that!"
Karen quickly called him back, then grabbed Mrs. Oda and retreated.
Only a little blood made it inside, and the pounding on the door slowly weakened.
It was not until the impacts faded that Karen and Mrs. Oda finally dared to breathe again.
Once she believed she was safe, Mrs. Oda collapsed onto the sofa, shaking with lingering dread.
Karen poured her a glass of water and tried to steady her with soft words.
Then, the building group chat exploded.
Property manager Tarou Kameda:
"Everyone, do NOT go outside. Lock your doors and windows. Anyone soaked by the blood rain will turn into horrifying Blood Corpses!!!"
"Ahhhh! Help! What do I do?! My wife turned into one, she's in the living room!"
"I got bitten, it hurts! Somebody save me!"
"Waaaah… waaaah… how did it become like this?!"
"It's over. I'm done for. I'm going to turn into a Blood Corpse!"
The group chat devolved into pure chaos.
While the entire building panicked, Natsuki Yuu looked oddly satisfied.
"Mashiro-chan, you're almost there. Put a little more effort in."
Mashiro Shiina was drenched in sweat, breathing hard, completely drained.
"Mashiro… Mashiro… I can't… I can't anymore…"
She had already given everything she had. The relentless "treatment" had wrung her dry.
"Mashiro-chan, you can do it."
"Don't give up, Mashiro-chan."
"Push through, Mashiro-chan."
"You really are the best little toy, Mashiro-chan."
Under Natsuki Yuu's slow, coaxing pressure, Mashiro finally gathered herself, trembling as something inside her snapped into place.
Like a dam breaking.
Like a flood rushing free.
Natsuki Yuu did not hold back, finishing the final step with cold precision.
A scream ripped through the wall.
"No! It hurts! It hurts! I'm going to break!"
"Please, no… please, don't!"
"Help! Someone help me! Waaaah…"
The sound came from next door.
Natsuki Yuu had neighbors on both sides.
One was Mrs. Yukinoshita Fuyuto.
The other was the Kobayakawa household.
The screaming was coming from the Kobayakawas.
It was Mrs. Kobayakawa's voice.
But her situation had nothing to do with Natsuki Yuu's.
She was not doing anything shameful with her husband.
She was being torn apart.
Her husband had turned into a Blood Corpse, and he was biting her again and again.
The savagery was so intense that even through a wall, Natsuki Yuu could hear it clearly.
"Next door is really something," he muttered, then glanced down at Mashiro. "That's quite a commotion, Mashiro-chan."
Mashiro's eyes were unfocused, dazed, her mind still drifting. She reflexively murmured, "Yes…"
Natsuki Yuu tapped her sharply, snapping her back.
"Don't talk nonsense. Mrs. Kobayakawa is in danger."
Mashiro blinked, her throat hoarse.
"Danger?"
"Mr. Kobayakawa became a zombie," Natsuki Yuu said lightly. "You would've become one too, Mashiro-chan."
"I didn't," Mashiro whispered, voice soft and sweet. "Thanks to you, Natsuki-kun."
They stayed close for a while longer, until the sounds next door gradually quieted.
Then they stopped completely.
Natsuki Yuu and Mashiro fell silent, listening.
Only wet chewing remained.
The ugly, final sound of flesh being eaten.
It was enough to tell them what happened.
Mrs. Kobayakawa was gone.
Mr. Kobayakawa had fed well.
"Natsuki-kun…"
Mashiro's voice shook. She was scared.
"Relax, Mashiro-chan. With me, you're safe."
Natsuki Yuu saw her dependence value climb past 85%.
Curled in his arms, Mashiro clung to him as if he was the only warm thing left in the world.
"Tonight, I bet nobody in this building will sleep."
Natsuki Yuu showed her the group chat.
It was filled with Blood Corpse sightings, desperate pleas, and people losing their minds.
Even the breaking news updates were now about the apocalypse, the blood rain, and the Blood Corpses.
Online, it had already exploded.
Mashiro's small body tightened. She pressed herself closer to him, as if trying to disappear into his chest.
"Don't be afraid. Rest."
Natsuki Yuu's voice was almost gentle.
"Tomorrow will be a new day."
Mashiro could not understand why he was not afraid at all.
A Blood Corpse was literally next door. It had just killed Mrs. Kobayakawa.
Wasn't he afraid it would break in?
Natsuki Yuu flicked her forehead.
"Stop thinking. Sleep."
"Mm…"
Mashiro obediently closed her eyes.
Natsuki Yuu smiled to himself and opened his personal info again.
"As expected. There's another trait."
[Awaiting Development Lv.1]
[Effect: Increases one Critical Hit against Mashiro Shiina. This effect can also be used on other heroines, slightly raising dependence.]
The effect made Natsuki Yuu quietly thrilled.
One extra Critical Hit, and it could be used on other heroines too.
And he planned to use that Critical Hit immediately.
The Blood Corpse outbreak had begun. The more resources he had, the safer he would be.
The roulette wheel spun.
Countless rewards flashed before his eyes.
When it finally stopped, Natsuki Yuu's eyes widened.
A gun.
A handgun.
A standard police sidearm appeared in his hand.
Seven bullets in the magazine.
Only seven rounds, but if everything went right, that was enough to kill seven Blood Corpses.
"I've never used a gun before," Natsuki Yuu thought. "Hopefully my boosted stats will make my aim a little less embarrassing."