For a moment, the three people sitting opposite them could not process Shino's words.
During these two short minutes, Asuna received reports from the others about the encirclement of this villa. They did not come with the three, instead staying outside to look out for any changes.
"...all gone! They dropped dead the next moment we saw them!"
The trembling voice coming from her earpiece brought her out of daze. Her eyes stared at the tall man standing at the center of the room.
"Will you spit everything out or die just like others? Take your pick."
Eishi's leisurely tone resounded across the room.
The terrified man did not take another second to choose as he shouted:
"I-it's the Shinomiyas! They wanted to wipe you out!"
No amount of torture methods could take as much information as what Eishi did. The inexplicable manner of which his comrades died shook him to his very core. He was afraid he would not just suffer death, but something far worse.
The man's hectic explanations went on for minutes. Eishi managed to get a better grasp of the situation.
First, the situation was much worse for the government than he thought. It would take another week at best to thoroughly destroy them. No matter how strong Hachiman, an SSS rated esper, the early stages of growth screwed him up. Only Eishi, with his countless resources, could get out of this weak stage in a flash.
Second, the Zaibatsu faction housed powerful espers. The man repeatedly emphasized how there were teams of espers whom professional mercenaries and ex-SAT members (Special Assault Team) could not defeat with hot weapons.
Third, they feared Eishi would stir up trouble and went straight to using their precious high-level hot weapons in an attempt to wipe him out in one go.
Lastly, they are preparing for another stage of the apocalypse.
'Animals…'
Eishi thought of it before, but hearing it from the man was something else.
Due to the zombies' appearance, most land animals weren't able to survive. They were treated as zombie snacks right from the get-go. However, the same could not be said for aquatic animals.
Zombies did not place much attention on the sea. They would rather roam the land to find life. The same went for the insect swarm. Their main priority had always been to consume zombies and humans alike.
In short, the seas and oceans were left untouched. The momentary eleven-day-peace was simply a short buffer period. It brought humanity time to breathe, but it also gave those unsupervised aquatic creatures to crawl their way to the top of the food cycle.
The Zaibatsu faction saw this matter very clearly. They wanted to settle the New Tokyo Shelter as fast as possible to prepare themselves for this upcoming disaster.
Eishi did not mind the trio overhearing their discussions. At some point, Saeko returned to the living room and caught a whiff of what had transpired.
"How was it?"
"Their blood has higher quality."
Another discovery to the esper system was the appearance of a 'major' function at the third-order. Eishi gained the power to reverse time while halving the required spirit to maintain his control.
For Saeko, it would be the existence of 'synthesis' and 'blood bank'. Her superpower involved controlling blood. There are ranks to it, corresponding to the esper system. Higher rank meant more flexibility and tougher durability.
'Synthesis' allows her to gather the blood of zombies and humans alike and combine them together for a blood supply of higher rank. 'Blood bank', on the other hand, removes her reliance over blood bags and setting up the battlefield. It is a portable storage space for storing blood.
Eishi's rampage against the three-hundred-man espers was not without harvests. He gained useful vehicles, hot weapons, ammunition, and the likes. The exploitation did not end there as Saeko went ahead and sucked their blood dry.
Three hundred first-order espers amounted to a hefty amount of blood corresponding to the third-order when synthesized. It was a small amount compared to the blood returned through Eishi's return chances. Nevertheless, they are not one to waste things just because they had them.
Seeing Eishi still in the 'talks' with another group, Saeko sensibly left after dragging the terrified man away.
Before he could speak, Asuna went ahead of him.
"Hiraoka-san, we accept your offer."
*****
The entire morning passed by peacefully for the SAO group. They temporarily took shelter in one of the vacant houses nearby. Asuna wisely positioned themselves near the villa—Eishi's villa.
When they regrouped and had a meeting, everyone was staring dumbstruck at the table piled up with varying fruits. The attraction coming from them made it clear these are the same fruits they ate to become stronger.
"I accepted Hiraoka-san's offer."
Asuna's words came off as no surprise for the others. Nobody chose to act up either. She already revealed this possibility to the group yesterday.
Hiraoka Eishi, a highschooler-turned-esper capable of defeating hundreds on his own. He easily dealt with Nobuyuki's force, one that sent the entire SAO survivor group into shambles.
Facing the prospect of going under such a figure, they felt a slight resistance at first. Coupled with the first wave of 'sponsorships', none held any other ideas anymore.
While Asuna was coordinating with the group in an otherwise cramped residential house, Suguha went outside for a breath of fresh air. Her eyes flickered with complex thoughts, recalling everything that had transpired until now.
'Asuna-san is on another level…'
Asuna is Kazuto's official girlfriend. They went through a lot inside Aincrad (i.e., Sword Art Online). Out of all odds, they managed to come back alive inside the death game. A series of coincidences spiralled everything outside the original trajectory, allowing Asuna to escape the fate of Nobuyuki's experimental subjects.
It was also then did Suguha face the complex situation she found herself with her brother… no, her cousin.
Throughout her lifetime, her parents hid the fact that Kazuto was adopted. In Suguha's mind, Kazuto had always been her brother.
Prior to the Sword Art Online incident, Kazuto discovered this fact and slowly built a distance between him and Suguha. It wasn't until much later did Suguha discover this fact, leading to the two to become estranged in various ways.
Still, it does not remove the fact that Suguha treated Kazuto like a brother. Seeing his skeleton-like body laying on the hospital bed was just as painful as not being able to do anything to help him.
Things happened differently from her expectations when Kazuto cleared the game. Their relationship remained as estranged as ever. When Suguha found herself falling for a fellow Alfheim Online player, she was shocked (once again) to find out it was her brother.
The already complicated relationship between the two turned worse. Add to that Asuna's presence—in contrast to her absence in the original storyline—and it became a perfect recipe for disaster.
With the apocalypse's descent, Suguha thought she could mend their relationship… and it was working. The two managed to gradually fix their messed up sibling connection.
This did not remove Suguha's inferiority complex towards Asuna, however.
What does she have that I do not?
How did she become close to him when I could not?
How is she helping him while I am not?
Suguha's complex reached its peak once they faced Nobuyuki's minions. Asuna managed to out-maneuver their enemy, allowing their disadvantaged group to survive much longer than what it was supposed to.
She saw Asuna's brilliance, the very same charisma and skill that led them through countless dangerous events inside the floating iron castle.
Suguha lost hope in comparing herself against her. All she could do is to help her brother-turned-cousin as best as she could, ensuring the safety of their family and himself.
That was when they met Eishi.
Suguha learned the meaning behind "mountains beyond mountains". She thought Asuna was impeccable enough—a godly leader of her own right.
Eishi overturned their common sense.
'A sharp sword, no, more than that..!'
Standing in his presence alone gave a suffocating, suppressing effect. His extraordinary temperament is backed by an outstanding appearance.
Through her experiences in kendo, Suguha likened him to an experienced enemy. The difference was that he is not restrained by the rules of kendo. Eishi would do anything to win.
It is how things are in the apocalypse.
Suguha saw through Asuna's hesitation when faced with his offer earlier. It wasn't until Eishi showed them that he is powerful—that fooling them with tricks is meaningless to his stature—that she accepted his offer.
A different impression other than inferiority took root in her heart.
Awe.
'If I have his power…'
*****
During the afternoon, Hachiman's team returned to talk with Eishi.
"...Shit."
"Shit… indeed."
Everyone inside the vehicle heard of the three-hundred-man encirclement via the Prime Minister himself. While their influence is far inferior to the Zaibatsu faction, it is difficult to hide the events that had transpired when four military helicopters exploded early in the morning.
More shockingly, it was said to have been done quickly.
The Prime Minister's office swiftly dispatched Hachiman and his team back to Eishi.
As for their decision…
'Entrusting the nation's fate to a highschooler… it is absurd as he says.'
Itami received Kuwahara's understanding gaze. He, too, felt just as incredulous at the Prime Minister's decision.
After all…
They chose the option Souichiro did not.
The team was quiet throughout the small ride. It did not take long for them to reach the villa.
Unlike before, they were greeted by an unfamiliar girl. Her pitch-black gothic dress, though ruined, did not remove the air of eccentricity around her.
Kuroneko bit onto the pear-shaped fruit before letting out a nod.
'She just..!'
Hachiman sensed the anomaly in their shadows. He tensed up instinctively.
"Hm."
Kuroneko did not say anything else as she opened the gate behind her.
'Hiraoka-san… These should be the government.'
She did not have much respect for the government. In her eyes, they were the one who almost claimed their lives.
The familiar surge of power came right after consuming the pear that she ate. Her body let out terrifying popping sounds, though she herself did not feel pain from it.
Once the transformation was completed, Kuroneko grasped her hands into a fist. It is unscientific for an arm as frail and thin as hers to contain such power, yet it did.
Just then, the surge of heat redirected her thoughts elsewhere. A tinge of blush appeared on her cheeks as she shook her head.
'Why am I like this..?'
The last time Kuroneko recalled something close to this sensation was when she went on a masturbation spree a few years back. She felt guilty every time she thought of it, but she could not help but do it every now and then. This urge seems to have become stronger when she became an esper… and so she did.
Kuroneko recalled the few times she sneaked a peek into Eishi's arms. They are definitely similar to the ones in the manga. Not an otome manga for its preference to thin boys. Eishi is someone who walked straight out of a magazine's front cover.
'No, no, this is not the right place..!'
*****
Eishi saw off the departing group. A sense of satisfaction brewed up to his chest.
'I'll see to it for now…'
The contents of their negotiation far exceeded his expectations. The Prime Minister's Office accepted the first option—to completely become Eishi's people. It is no longer a matter of mutual cooperation, but that of subordination.
Having learned from his previous lessons, Eishi did not let this newfound sense of 'authority' corrupt his mind.
Just like before, he gave away evolution fruits for starters. He expected them to have a second-order esper by the end of this day.
Having known of the existence of "Amane Fujimiya", the government's classification of espers is just as clear as his. They merely kept others in the dark, using this 'vagueness' to their advantage.
Without a proper classification, esper classifications remain as an unknown field. Espers won't be able to self-identify their worth, curbing instances of arrogance from arising.
'Japan's ruler… well, it is Tokyo for now.'
Eishi rubbed his forehead as he heard of the situation in other cities. There are only some who maintain contact with the Prime Minister's Office. The rest had either rebelled, overrun by civilian espers, or wiped out by zombies.
He never planned to restore everything all by himself. All Eishi wanted to do was for them to collect new types of evolution fruits. That, and the possibility of meeting more qualified confidantes.
Having the New Tokyo Shelter in his grasp is enough to fill his current confidante slots.
Just then, Eishi felt a pair of soft mounds on his back. He turned around and saw Saeko burying her face to his back. Her arms became locked on his abdomen; her hands creeping steadily to his waist.
"I want to do it."
"...Alright."