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Chapter 58: Arrangements for the Girls
"Sekihan (red bean rice)?"
At the dining table, Busujima Saeko stared at the breakfast prepared for her in surprise. She lifted her head, shooting Suyan a curious glance.
"Sekihan, huh? How enviable."
Takagi Yuriko rested her cheek in her palm, fixing her purple eyes on Suyan. Speaking half in jest and half in earnest, she added, "I wonder when Suyan-otouto will make a bowl of Sekihan for me to eat?"
In Japan, Sekihan held a very specific cultural significance. It was traditionally cooked to celebrate joyous occasions—birthdays, school admissions, promotions, and marriages.
In this particular context, Suyan had prepared Sekihan for Busujima Saeko to celebrate the consummation of their relationship last night. In their culture, a woman's first time was certainly a milestone worth celebrating with this dish.
The implication behind Takagi Yuriko's words was crystal clear. She was either deliberately teasing him, or she genuinely wanted him to take her down so he could cook her a bowl, too.
Truthfully, Suyan wasn't a huge fan of the dish itself.
To him, it tasted a bit strange and didn't suit his palate. Japanese Sekihan was made by steaming glutinous rice and red beans, then topping it with sesame seeds and salt. It was savory, not sweet, which felt weird to him.
He didn't quite understand the appeal, but he respected it. Or rather, he respected Busujima Saeko, the woman bound to him for life.
Naturally, Suyan had also prepared a bowl of Sekihan for Minami Rika, whom he had conquered later that night. But judging by her current physical state, she wouldn't be getting out of bed to eat it until noon—or perhaps even dinner time.
"Why don't you come to my room tonight, then?"
Facing Takagi Yuriko's flirting, Suyan didn't show a hint of timidity. Instead, he counter-attacked with a bold proposition.
After all, only a Xiao Chunan—a little virgin boy—would feel embarrassed by a woman teasing him to this degree. Suyan was far past that phase; he was a highly experienced veteran.
At least, compared to Takagi Yuriko—an older woman with zero practical experience—he certainly was.
"Huh?"
Takagi Yuriko froze completely.
Perhaps it was because of the comment Suyan had made back at the Takagi estate—claiming he didn't like older married women acting like children—that she had mentally categorized him as an immature boy.
She had almost forgotten what he and Minami Rika had been doing out in the hallway just a few hours ago.
It seemed she had shot herself in the foot.
Her breathing hitched, growing slightly ragged. She nervously brushed back her hair and awkwardly tried to change the subject. "Suyan-otouto, earlier you asked me how long I thought this zombie crisis would last?"
"I've observed these creatures you call zombies. They move slowly, their reactions are sluggish, and they lack eyesight, relying entirely on sound to hunt."
"Except for the terrifyingly infectious nature of their bites, an ordinary, armed adult shouldn't have any problem dealing with several of them at once—as long as they avoid getting bitten or surrounded."
"If the zombies we face in the future are all at this level, then with our modern level of technology, wiping them out entirely won't be a difficult task."
Since she had changed the subject, Suyan didn't press the issue.
In fact, he thought her analysis was incredibly logical. It made perfect sense.
But she was missing one crucial detail—or rather, it wasn't something she could possibly know.
The worlds of anime often defied all logic and reason. In a sensible world, a crisis caused by such weak, sluggish zombies would be contained almost immediately. Yet here, these exact same weak zombies would somehow bring countless nations to complete collapse.
It defied all logic. It was as if the collective IQ of the entire human race had plummeted drastically the moment the zombies appeared.
Suyan looked at the mature woman and said, "What if I told you that this crisis will engulf the entire world, and that it won't stop?"
"That's impossible." Takagi Yuriko shook her head, refusing to believe it.
"It doesn't matter. For now, just operate under the assumption that everything I'm saying is the absolute truth."
With that, Suyan dropped another massive bombshell. "Also, very soon, a nuclear missile will detonate in the airspace above Tokonosu City. The resulting radiation—or rather, the electromagnetic pulse—will instantly disable all electronic and mechanical equipment in the entire city."
"A nuclear missile?"
Takagi Yuriko's heart clenched violently.
If the zombie crisis truly reached an irreversible point, she could believe that the authorities might resort to dropping a nuke to wipe Tokonosu City off the map. But hearing someone state it as a looming reality still sent a shiver down her spine.
After all, almost every citizen of Japan had a lingering fear of a "Little Boy" in their hearts, especially given the history of the Hiroshima region.
"Is this… precognition? Can Nen actually do something like that?" she probed carefully.
"You can just assume I have an ability similar to that."
Suyan didn't bother denying it. In a way, having foreknowledge of the anime's plot was essentially the same as precognition.
He continued, "But you don't need to worry too much about our survival supplies, because I prepared for this well in advance."
"For meat, I bought out a commercial cold storage facility a while ago. The food reserves inside are enough to feed us for over a decade."
"I even infused the warehouse's automatic backup generators with my Nen to protect them. Even if an EMP hits, the generators will continue to run without a hitch."
"Our vegetable reserves are a bit lower, and the texture will degrade slightly after being frozen and thawed, but it's not a major issue. We still have enough to last a very long time."
"Furthermore…"
Suyan proceeded to outline every single preparation he had made prior to the outbreak.
Takagi Yuriko listened with rapt attention.
Busujima Saeko, on the other hand, showed zero interest in logistics. She just quietly ate her Sekihan, casting admiring glances at Suyan. She didn't speak, but her eyes clearly screamed: My man is amazing.
As for Marikawa Shizuka? She was busy stuffing her face, entirely oblivious to the conversation. Suyan wasn't even sure if she realized he was talking.
"What do you need me to do?" Takagi Yuriko suddenly asked.
In her eyes, Suyan's preparations were incredibly thorough. Even she couldn't think of any better additions on the spot.
She also knew that Suyan wasn't just telling her this to put her mind at ease; he could have kept his mouth shut and it wouldn't have changed anything. Since he was sharing this classified information, he definitely had a role in mind for her.
Suyan gave her a straightforward answer: "I want you to manage our logistics and rear support."
His reasoning was simple. Now that Takagi Yuriko had awakened her Nen, she possessed a baseline level of self-defense. It made perfect sense to hand over the tedious task of managing their supplies to her, especially since the cold storage facility wasn't too far from their current base.
He couldn't be expected to handle everything himself, right?
Even though his Contract ability relied on marriage vows as its Vow and Limitation, a relationship—whether built on love or survival—required mutual effort. It couldn't just be a one-way street where he did all the heavy lifting.
Suyan finalized his assignments:
Busujima Saeko was responsible for killing zombies and aggressively leveling up her strength.
Marikawa Shizuka was assigned to teach Minami Rika how to awaken her Nen autonomously, while also providing technical guidance to Takagi Yuriko on basic Nen applications. Later, if Miyamoto Rei and Takagi Saya eventually learned Nen, Shizuka would instruct them as well.
Takagi Yuriko would manage the logistics and supply distribution.
As for Miyamoto Rei and Takagi Saya, he would decide their roles once they woke up. But temporarily, they would assist Yuriko with logistics. Eventually, he planned to teach them how to cook, slowly transferring the culinary duties over to them.
Suyan presented his grand plan to the group.
"I object!"
Hearing that she was being given actual work, Marikawa Shizuka's ears perked up. She jolted, immediately raising her hand.
Exercising his absolute veto power, Suyan flatly denied her. "Objection overruled."
Hearing this, Shizuka suddenly felt as if the delicious breakfast in her bowl had lost its flavor. She went back to eating, looking utterly despondent.
"What about you two?" Suyan shifted his gaze to the two purple-haired women in the room.
"I have no objections," Takagi Yuriko was the first to state her stance.
Managing an operation like this was child's play for a woman who had practically kept the Takagi estate running. Now that her Aura Nodes had been opened, both her physical stamina and mental processing speed were significantly higher than before.
"I'm with you as well." Busujima Saeko naturally had no reason to complain.
"Good." Suyan nodded in satisfaction. He turned to Busujima Saeko. "Saeko-senpai, finish up your breakfast. Once we're done, we're heading out for today's mission."
"To kill zombies!"
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