The familiar pragmatic evaluation of the system appeared in Eishi's eyes. As he had expected, all five of them possessed SS-rated innate talents: [Qilin Empress], [Evergreen Priestess], [Dragon Princess], [Earthbound Titan], and [White Tiger].
'How strange…'
Their talents sounded similar to Kuroneko's [Queen of Darkness], but that was SSS-rated. It was Eishi's first-time encounter with them as SS-rated ones.
'It won't be surprising to see them have a fusion skill or something…'
Pushing aside these thoughts, he then proceeded to examine the pragmatic evaluation of the system. Needless to say, all of them were SSS-rated. Their values existed around the 90's range. There wasn't anything groundbreaking like the clumsy Shizuka's 100-point figure, but the visual impact coming from the quintuplets make up for it.
In actuality, his gaze did not last long. Eishi's mind embodied the thousands of points in his spirit attribute. His thoughts move fast enough to the point everything could become slower in his perception. Still, the few seconds he stopped right in front of them pressured the five girls. The invisible tension within the air could be seen by anyone as long as they were not blind.
Only when Eishi shifted his gaze to Miko did they feel relieved.
He briefly looked at her status appraisal.
[Miko Iino]
Innate Talent: High Druid (SS, First-order)
Non-exclusive Talent: Spirit Boost (B, First-order), Regeneration (A, First-order), Mental Recovery (A, First-order)
Life Level: First-order, Seven-stars
Strength: 78
Agility: 79
Constitution: 77
Spirit: 110
'...How the heck did I not find her until now?'
He placed great emphasis on plant-based superpowers. Kaguya's superpower was game-breaking enough when added to his return chances. Over the past few days, they farmed over and over again, giving Eishi more supplies of second-rank evolution fruits. It is something that could be consumed until the fourth-order, greatly increasing his leveling speed.
'Did they hide it? No, it shouldn't be. Did they overlook her?'
Eishi's supplies were virtually infinite. He had given a part of it to the government for them to nurture a special group of espers. They would be the 'core' of the shelter in the future, whether they be in farming, management, combat, and so on. There was, however, a mandatory step for someone to enter that 'core' circle.
They must meet Eishi.
There are good reasons as to why they never publicly proclaimed Eishi as the leader of the New Tokyo Shelter. He himself never wanted the troubles associated with it. All he wanted was to have a pair of hands that would unconditionally carry out his orders. Exerting authority over the shelter's core officials is more than enough to maintain control… and that was what he did.
Though his resources are abundant, Eishi is not foolish to give them without any return. His meeting with these espers lets them know it came from him—that he is the true sky of this shelter. As of now, there are already more than a dozen espers supported in this way. Each of them had reached the second-order.
"I want to talk with you, Iino-san."
*****
The apocalypse is unforgiving towards anyone, child and elderly alike. Miko survived the initial outbreak purely out of luck. Her small stature and good agility allowed her to sneak into places within the Shuiichin Academy unnoticed. By the time the Zaibatsus sent people to clear the academy of zombies, she was one of the few who were luckily rescued.
Later on, she naively revealed her superpower related to plants. That was how the Shinomiya Clan "exploited" her. A single fruit in her hands could grow up into a dozen after a week. With Kaguya's presence, the Shinomiya Clan's fruit production is at the forefront throughout Tokyo.
Once the Shinomiya Clan was finished off, she was relocated into one of the residential areas currently opened up by the government. Miko had learned her lesson from before. Not wanting her freedom to be restricted, she said nothing about her superpowers. When people did not come to find her, Miko knew that Kaguya must have hidden this matter as well.
The amount of free time she gained allowed her to seek her father. The influence a high school girl like her could exert was limited, however. Miko did not find any useful clues, hence she decided to take work from the government. The 'free supplies' they gave her could barely satiate her hunger. Her previous experience working as an officer as well as her esper status allowed her to snag a managerial role in the clinic.
Everything went by peacefully until Eishi arrived. Though bewildered, she did not hold any bad feelings for him. Miko had complex thoughts about him. For once, he was the one who set her free from the Shinomiya Clan. On the other hand, she lived a life of comfort while she was being held captive. While she was made to work for fifteen hours a day, it came with good food and eight hours of sleep. Hence Miko could not decide how to truly treat Eishi.
Now that she was called aside to the clinic's private office, she inevitably felt a bit tense. The suffocating atmosphere coming off of him dealt heavy mental damage. Something as intangible as temperament manifested tangibly in his presence. Despite not doing anything bad, one would still feel the pressure of being around Eishi.
Eishi remained standing in front of the door. Miko meekly lowered her gaze to the floor, counting the number of lines designed onto it.
"I am certain you have your own story. But…" He paused before speaking, "Your superpower is of huge help to me."
"..!"
Miko's heart instantly turned cold. She dared not look at him more at this moment!
"I am offering you a job. Twelve hours in the farmland. There is an hour-long lunch break and one paid leave every month."
"???"
Eishi's sudden shift in attitude caught her off guard. She had prepared for the worst, being sent off to farm every day.
'Twelve hours? It… is not bad.'
Before she knew it, Miko found herself accepting Eishi's terms already. That was despite the fact he did not seem to have any intentions of letting her go.
"I will give your pay in the form of evolution fruits. If you want to exchange it for a favor of sorts, tell me."
The moment she heard about it, Miko did not hesitate to speak.
"I want to find my father! We lived together in Tokyo. I want to know where he is…"
Eishi listened patiently to her explanation with his hands behind his back. Turns out, Miko was stuck at Shuiichin right after the apocalypse began. She attempted to contact her father, but to no avail. When he heard that she attempted to find her father on her own, Eishi did not know whether to call her determined or foolish. Joining the government and revealing her superpower is enough to give her prestige within this shelter. Now that she falsified her superpower and worked on her own, it was unknown how long she would have been searching.
With Amane's presence, all it takes is a quick google search.
"Come with me. Your records need to get corrected…"
While Eishi and Miko were talking about things, the five sisters were talking about the earlier encounter.
"He's scary…"
The youngest of the five, Itsuki, could not help but mutter. Her hair was a brighter hue of red compared to the other sisters' faint pink. The star-like hairpins gave away her identity.
"I have seen him before. Isn't he that guy?"
Another one of the sisters, Nino, spoke up. Her butterfly-like hair ties and her somewhat sharp vibe emphasized her typical bluntness.
"The General Inspection Office."
Hearing these words jogged their memories. Their eyes held a trace of understanding; a "eureka" moment. Even the silent and withdrawn Miku showed visible changes in her expression.
"There is an official announcement about him." Nino added. "He is the head of special combat esper forces."
Eishi's fame had long spread far and wide throughout Tokyo. His feats were nothing short of god-like. To most ordinary people, espers are untouchable. Their physical power is stronger than most mortals. They also possess superpowers that could easily deal with them from a distance.
Hearing there was someone who could defeat hundreds of espers all by himself, the citizens of Tokyo felt scared. It wasn't until the government assigned him to an official position did they calm down. They even felt a heightened sense of security. With someone like Eishi present, would zombies and the likes still matter?
The five sisters were of no exception.
"So that man from before is a big shot?!"
The third of the five sisters, Yotsuba, blurted out. Her distinct bright orange, shoulder-length hair matched her liveliness.
"Don't get carried away. We don't know much about him. It's best to be silent whenever he comes."
Ichika could not help but remember. Her words and status as the eldest calmed the group of four girls. There was something she did not say to them.
'What kind of strength does he have..?!'
She possessed the innate talent of [Qilin Empress]. Aside from her transformed state that increases her physical attributes and affinity towards fire, she also inherited their capability to gouge out others' aura. It was another version of Eishi's [Lucky Eyes], but weaker.
Through them, Ichika saw the "threat" and "luck" Eishi symbolized. Had she not deactivated her talent swiftly, her sight would have been filled with nothing but black and golden light. It symbolized how huge of a "treasure" that he has, and that he was someone not to be trifled with!
Ichika barely withheld the fear and apprehension within her heart. Right now, she was the spiritual pillar of her sisters. Their mother died when they were young. Their father was the director of an entire hospital in another city. They were left with no one to rely on but themselves. If her sisters saw her look scared, they would have lost their composure too.
No matter how much Ichika carried this burden, she showed no signs of fatigue. Yet she was the only one who knew its weight… and how she wished they could go back to their normal lives.
'What should I do to have that power..?'
*****
"...No."
Miko lost all color in her face as she stood still. The entire conference room was so silent one could hear a pin drop. Right after agreeing to Eishi's terms, they went straight to Amane. With Eishi present, he prioritized it over other things and found Miko's father…
In a jar, that is.
Turns out, the Shinomiya Clan discovered Miko's father two weeks ago. He turned into a zombie and got killed by their combatants. They hid the news from Miko in order for her to focus on her job. Still, the Shinomiya Clan's remaining conscience pushed them to cremate the man and keep him in one of their unnamed graveyards.
Only after Amane exerted his [Omniscient Brain] were they able to locate him. All of these happened in the span of three hours. Miko's hopeful expression was crushed by the cold reality in front of her.
"I… I should leave first."
Amane, who was right beside Eishi, whispered. His eyes held a trace of pity and sympathy towards Miko. Her broken sobs already began resounding throughout the conference room.
"Thanks."
"...Mn."
Amane paused for a split second before leaving. He did not expect Eishi to change this drastically over the past five days. He was the one responsible for compiling his profile. He knew about Eishi's tendencies and his bad side. He was someone he found very punchable, fooling around with girls and the likes.
'People can change…'
Amane gave him the benefit of doubt and left without saying another word. Only Eishi remained inside the room. He witnessed Miko dropping to her knees, crying loudly while hugging the ash jar that contained her father inside.
'Parents…'
Eishi did not have any parents in this life. It was a stark contrast to the life he lived before. The only connections he had in this life was, ironically, his confidantes. They are the only ones he viewed as family, yet he was also the one who slowly grew unbearable as a person.
'...I hate myself.'