The registration went smoothly. There aren't any cliched events of gym members testing Eishi's combat capabilities. Everyone he met so far gave him a nod when their eyes met.
He went to the fourth floor. He was expecting a burly middle-aged man to be the coach.
It turned out differently.
"Hiratsuka-san told me to take care of her student. Was that you?"
A girl wearing a sports bra and spats approached him. Her rich assets, toned abdomen, and curvy waist gave rise to an evaluation fitting the system's.
[Saeko Busujima]
Innate Talent: Blood Predator (SS, Unawakened)
Non-exclusive Talent: None
Life Level: Zero Order/Unawakened
Strength: 28
Agility: 34
Constitution: 28
Spirit: 15
[Blood Predator (SS, Unawakened)]
Details: The destined queen that exerts sovereignty over blood, be it friends or foes. She can use it to empower herself or to form various armaments suitable for battle.
Eishi kept this absurd status distribution in mind. He scrolled to the next page.
[Saeko Busujima]
Appearance: 98
Figure: 98
Temperament: 95
Purity: Intact, Can be bound
Overall Rating: SSS
'...What else should I have expected?'
She is the one with the highest score he had met. Eishi forcibly calmed down and nodded at her.
"How long have you been working out?"
She did not notice his gaze. Instead, she eyed the silhouettes of muscles beneath his school uniform.
"Quite some time."
"You worked hard."
Eishi didn't know what to say. Saeko noticed this and feigned a cough. His exaggerated temperament and the physique at the pinnacle of human limits briefly entranced her.
"How much do you know? We can't practice judo today. I don't have my uniform…"
*****
'Kendo… no, kenjutsu. Then several types of martial arts. No wonder her stats look like that…'
Eishi soaked himself in the cold bathtub. It contrasted his warm body, bringing him great comfort. The training today consisted of the basics. His over-the-top spirit along with his physique allowed him to learn the basics at a fast rate.
During that time, he also learned of Saeko's identity: a renown successor of a martial arts family. A year ago, she established her family's reputation once again in kenjutsu. It just so happened that their family owned that gym, hence she happened to meet Shizuka.
'This fusion world is really…'
Eishi thought of where the ACG Saeko came from. It was a story about several highschoolers surviving in a zombie apocalypse—the classic, most staple subgenre of the apocalypse.
He mentally ticked "zombies" in the list of what to expect during the apocalypse.
Climate change? Check.
Zombies? Check.
'What else could there be? Superpower fruits, mutated animals, red mist, blood moon…'
His mind wandered for a while. The more complicated this world was, the more he feared the apocalypse's danger.
If it was just a normal zombie apocalypse, Eishi has more confidence to survive.
It is evident it is not.
The "Time Dominator" in his panel explains everything. Zombies will not suffice when it comes to the prowess of the innate talents he saw. There are surely something else; dangerous beings far above zombies.
'I need to think of ways to make others more wary.'
Eishi didn't need to worry about Airi. Although he didn't tell her about the [Romantic Link], her voice can be heard so long as it is "strong" enough. Most importantly, he can appear right beside her at any time.
It was the others that he worried about. Ultimately, he lacked a lot of crucial information. He doesn't know how things will progress. He can only be cautious towards abnormal events.
Eishi finished bathing at this rate. He looked at the clock and saw it was 10 PM. The evil fire travelled down to his waist.
'My maid must be getting restless…'
Just then, he remembered something.
'I hope it's her.'
Eishi wandered around during lunch break. He left his notebook containing contingency plans during an apocalypse atop his desk. When he returned, it was gone.
Over the past few days, Eishi sensed others' gazes. They are interested in him. There are only a few oddballs interested in his small notebook.
And of those few, one of them was Utaha.
'I didn't notice it before, but now…'
He wasn't worried about it getting lost. It was, at most, a collection of contingency plans and escape routes. He wrote it once just for fun. It didn't include his mystical abilities as well as the SSS rated confidantes he encountered.
Eishi wasn't dumb. It would be his social death if someone found out about it. He's not self-destructive to the point he will write that on something that can be found by others.
Most importantly…
It's a bait.
Mahiru's daily interaction is going steady. Presumably, Saeko will take a similar route, but in the gym. Airi is self-explanatory; her daily maid duties will cultivate their relationship. As for Shino, two hours of ranked games suffice.
Haruno doesn't need much thinking, either. Eishi decided to continue playing his nonchalant CEO in front of her. The mysterious flair and endless wealth is enough to serve as a basis for it.
That leaves Shizuka, Megumi, and Utaha. Eishi doesn't have an idea how to interact with these three. He cleverly left the notebook in hopes of Utaha taking it. Her curiosity is more than enough to spark an interaction—one where Eishi is in the lead.
'I need to settle this before the exam week ends…'
*****
Unbeknownst to Eishi, the fish took the bait.
'Ah… Isn't this a handwritten map of Kanagawa district? And it's so detailed…'
Utaha's eyes remained glued at the opened small notebook atop her desk. Eishi's "transformation" during his three days of absence caught her eye. She immediately thought of a novel plot with a "counterattack" theme.
An unassuming and average guy becoming hot and famous, and then going off to fight against monsters in another world…
That was until Eishi's peculiar habit caught her attention. He always wrote something on his small notebook. Even when he gets called by the teachers, he would just answer their difficult questions correctly and continue writing.
Once again, it sparked another idea in her mind.
Utaha is already inspired to write a manuscript of it. The last remaining bit was the contents of this mysterious notebook.
What does it contain? Revenge plans? Reviewers? Shopping list?
The more she thought about it, the deeper she fell.
In the end, she "borrowed" Eishi's notebook when no one was looking.
'Ah, it's too embarrassing! How will I give this back to him?!'
A tinge of red flushed her cheeks. The mix of tension, anticipation, and guilt served to excite her more.
And so she did.
"Huh..?"
Its contents caught her off guard. It was a detailed survival plan in case of emergencies, or as the book called it, apocalypse.
Its first pages detailed the types of apocalypse. Zombies, endless winter, mutated animals, black fog, red mist, blood moon…
Then came the assortment of weapons readily accessible to civilians. For example, a shovel can be retrofitted into a long spear.
Finally, here is the list of possible shelters and escape routes throughout Yokohama.
'So he is an apocalypse enthusiast…'
The contrast between Eishi's cool appearance and passionate writing about the apocalypse made Utaha view him as an interesting person.
The only problem now is…
'How should I give this back to him..?'
*****
The light snow continued falling. Other countries experienced low-level flooding due to the relentless light rains. If it wasn't for sunlight still being present, it would have posed a greater problem.
The second day of the exam week ended. Eishi finished an hour in advance. He had the time to leisurely stroll the school hallways.
'She should make her move now, no?'
There is still one day left for exams. The remaining two days are career counseling and other miscellaneous stuff.
After that, it would be a week of mandatory attendance. There won't be any classes. End of school year parties can be done, more so to the graduating students. The week after that would be the graduation day.
Unlike before, Eishi has zero plans of preparing for university entrance exams. Although there was Haruno to take care of most things, he still had to settle one thing himself: firearms.
Japan has an extremely strict control of deadly weapons and firearms. It couldn't be acquired inside the country. When Haruno heard about it, she was very startled. But since it was Eishi's orders, she could only bite the bullet. She contacted a well-known international security firm.
In the end, firearm acquisition is possible if it does not enter Japan. It was seemingly a losing deal, yet Eishi agreed to it. His plan was pretty simple. He can store the firearms in the United States, book a flight, and personally store them in his spatial backpack.
In the off chance the apocalypse breaks out while he is still there, he can use the [Romantic Link]'s power to teleport right beside Airi.
As for the supplies of food, water, daily necessities, and medicine, it can be settled in Yokohama's warehouses. Heck, she also found a suitable "shelter" in Yokohama.
It was a medium-sized villa walled on all sides. Its front yard is the size of half a basketball court, not to mention it is five storeys tall. It also has an independent water and electric system. Only the plumbing system was connected to the city's sewage. It was bought at ten times its market price, removing any need for lengthy negotiations.
Having these results in a single day surprised Eishi.
'She's very capable. I wonder if her sister is the same…'
Just then, he happened to come across an acquaintance. Her shoulder-length black hair swayed with each step. The few students who also came out early did not notice her presence.
Eishi's eyes lit up. A hint of hesitation appeared in his heart. He desperately needed to "spark" an interaction with those potential confidantes.
'It's just an embarrassment. I can do this.'
He openly eyed the strolling Megumi. Then, out of all odds, he asked her something:
"Are you a ninja?"
"..?"
She turned her head in confusion. Seeing the "Prince" of Toyogasaki High ask that random question halted all of her thought process.
"I mean, are you training to become one? I noticed how low your presence was. So I wondered if, you know… you are a ninja."
"..Ah."
She let out a soft voice.
"I am not. I… am born this way."
The awkward, almost stifling conversation between the two almost urged Eishi to scream out of pure embarrassment.
'This is a deliberate approach! She must have thought of it…'
His internal monologue let some of his real thoughts slip out.
"It would be a pity if you won't become a ninja…"
His eyes widened after a belated realization. He could only sigh at this point.
"Is it interesting to become one?"
Megumi's question stunned him.
'That worked..?'
Eishi did not let go of this opportunity. The atmosphere between them shifted from awkward to natural.
"Of course. At least, if there's someone bullying you, you can simply smack the back of their head. Or, if you are running late to school, you can jump over the gate without the guard knowing…"
*****
Kato Megumi is the definition of plainness given human form. She has no personality. No notable traits. No notable presence. She is an "invisible" person who does not exist, yet also exists. She is a pure blank canvas.
Despite her beauty and temperament, nobody approached her. Megumi's very "self' fitted well with her innate talent. Perhaps, it is because of her "self" that she has this kind of talent.
Only now did she receive special attention. A brand new color dropped onto the pure white canvas.
'From back then… He already saw me.'
She did not say a word as he talked enthusiastically. The more Megumi listened to Eishi's bizarre yet plausible ideas, the more she agreed with him.
'Maybe training as one won't hurt..?'
It was the first time she found something she wanted to do.
"I am interested. What should I do first?"
Eishi recalled his insights on martial arts. There are different kinds of martial arts, though they intersect at some point. For example, most modern martial arts are derived from classical martial arts designed to kill.
It wasn't hard to formulate a theoretical training plan for a ninja.
"Stamina, footwork, body coordination, and reflexes. You can focus on these ones first. Do you have a LINE?"
"Yes."
"Let's be friends. I can send the optimal training plan to you…"
Just like that, Eishi managed to talk Megumi into becoming a ninja. Their talks lasted for some time. Consequently, the students who finished their exam saw the two talking in the hallway.
"She's pretty. Do we have a schoolmate like her..?"
"I don't recall seeing her…"
"Me too. How strange…"
Of course, there are also the grandmasters of gossip who saw this.
"So the rumors at Seijo High are false? Their Angel Goddess is not dating our Prince?"
"Hmph. I knew they were fake news. Maybe it was something else..?"
"Next day. Thank goodness I haven't discarded that love letter…"
Not once did their thoughts divulge to Eishi being a scumbag. His exaggerated temperament is akin to a built-in filter in their eyes. The charming and ideal Prince earned the admiration of the entire school. They will not tolerate any form of slander.
While a small-scale chaos was forming, Utaha's heart was filled with anxiety. She stole a glance at the empty seat not far from her.
'When everyone's gone, I can put it back inside the desk drawer…'