Nanri

The apartment near the river was quite close. It was not quite as Shizuka Marikawa had said, just a couple of steps away, but it was not far off.

As night deepened, everyone jogged for more than ten minutes to "Shizuka Marikawa's female friend's apartment," where a two-story building came into view.

The tall walls and black-painted iron gate looked reassuringly secure at a glance.

After spending some more time clearing out the Dead Bodies nearby, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief once they entered the apartment. Their nerves, taut for half the day, could finally truly relax.

When they reached the second-floor living room, Hirono Toda plopped straight down onto the floor. The past half-day had exhausted him badly. Though he had trained at Blackwater before, that had been a long time ago. Now, he spent all day holed up at home playing games and watching anime.

Even gym class left him half-dead from exhaustion. It was already impressive that he had lasted this long. If the Goddess were not beside him, he would not even want to move. He would rather just lie there until he died.

"Oh dear, oh dear, I'm so dirty. I'm going to take a bath." As she tugged at the hem of the skirt she was still not used to wearing, Kurumi turned to Komuro Takashi. "Would you like to come too, Junior?"

"Gulp~" Looking at Kurumi's alluring figure and the breathtaking smile on half of her exquisite face, he imagined the scene for just a moment before his nose began to itch, and some unknown liquid involuntarily started to trickle out.

His gaze darted away slightly. Seeing Miyamoto Rei's expression that clearly said, If you dare agree, I'll kill you, he swallowed and replied stiffly, "T-Tokisaki Senpai, you're joking. I'll go observe the Dead Bodies from the balcony instead."

Just as he turned to head for the balcony, Kurumi threw herself onto Busujima Saeko with a wounded look on her face. "Oh my, are we not charming enough? Komuro is leaving a room full of pretty girls to go admire the scenery by himself! What should we do?"

Kurumi's seductive voice reached Komuro Takashi's ears. Her aggrieved expression reflected in his pupils, and in his dazed state, he nearly opened his mouth to apologize.

Kurumi narrowed her wine-red eyes slightly. On the virtual panel, the Charm Mark was glowing with a faint pink light.

(It seems that once I become transcendent and advance to the Alpha rank, this Charm Mark will be able to completely control ordinary humans... If I want to control high-level creatures, I'll probably have to specialize in this. But should I choose it? After all, it's an entirely unfamiliar path...)

Though she was thinking about something else, her expression shifted to astonishment as she said, "Could it be that Komuro is gay?" Then she looked at the bewildered Hirono Toda. "Then Junior Hirono should be extra careful~ You're the only boy here~"

Hirono Toda looked toward Komuro Takashi in alarm, only to meet his eyes. Thinking of the "ambiguous" smile Komuro had given him earlier while they hunted Dead Bodies together, his body shuddered violently...

His short, fat body sprang up like a coiled spring. When he looked at Komuro Takashi again, his eyes were filled with terror and an added trace of wariness. He backed away several steps helplessly, as if only distance from Komuro Takashi could make him feel safe.

"I'm telling you, even if I were gay, I wouldn't be interested in someone like you!" Komuro Takashi's face darkened, and the words slipped out before he could think. Only after saying them did he realize... there seemed to be something... wrong with that?

Hirono Toda crouched in a corner. From behind, he looked like a round, plump ball, and even Kurumi felt as though he came with his own special effects—black-and-white ones, of course.

Faintly, they could hear him muttering, "Am I really that bad? What's wrong with being a fat otaku? I'm not eating your rice. Even men don't want me..."

Hey, hey, hey! Young man, your thoughts are dangerous. Are you planning to abandon your Goddess and step through the gate to a new world?

Even Miyamoto Rei began to doubt him. (Takashi... could he really be gay? Was it because I wasn't by his side during that time? He was going through puberty, his hormones were raging, and with nowhere to vent the fire in his body, he ended up falling for boys! This is all my fault...)

The more Miyamoto Rei thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Her eyes were full of resentment as she looked at Komuro Takashi. She had already decided that after bathing today, she would wear something seductive and see whether he still could not...

"Hehe, Junior, are you really not coming? We're going in now~"

Kurumi's enchanting voice echoed beside his ears. Komuro Takashi felt that she was just like the succubi of the Middle Ages, tempting away human souls!

If she truly wanted to seduce a man, even the purest holy son would probably be unable to restrain the turmoil in his heart!

If Kurumi knew that Komuro Takashi had imagined her as a lowly succubus, she would probably toy with him to death, leaving him to die without even knowing how he had died.

Those who insulted the Goddess deserved to die!

"All right, all right, Kurumi, stop teasing him." Busujima Saeko lightly tapped Kurumi's little head.

"If you still don't come in, then stay on the balcony."

Hearing that, Komuro Takashi finally let out a breath. Fighting Dead Bodies had not left him this exhausted, but her next sentence immediately put him on edge again!

"Oh, right. I'll leave a gap in the bathroom door for you~ But don't you dare peek~ Otherwise..."

A faint smile remained on Kurumi's exquisite face, but her eyes had turned icy, devoid of the slightest emotion!

"Y-Yes!" He shuddered and instinctively stood ramrod straight, barely short of saluting.

Watching Kurumi slowly approach the bathroom, Komuro Takashi turned and headed straight for the balcony, dragging Hirono Toda along with him.

Outside the second-floor window, the cold night wind swept past. Komuro Takashi touched his back with lingering fear and found that his shirt was already soaked with cold sweat.

He walked to the railing, rested both hands on it, and looked into the distance...

Even though it was only a small city, the nights were usually not brilliantly lit, but plenty of lights would still be on.

Besides, it had only just gotten dark. Every household should have had its lights on, gentle wives preparing warm bathwater and dinner, well-behaved children already home from school, and husbands supporting their families cramming onto the subway...

But now... everything had changed. It had become so unfamiliar. This... was only the first day, yet the government had shown no sign of rescue. The bridges leading out of the city had been blocked by the police and the Self-Defense Forces. What were they supposed to do?

Where... was humanity supposed to go from here?

As he thought about it, he gave a self-mocking smile. Since when had he become so sentimental, even worrying about "humanity"? Normally, all he worried about was Rei. Maybe his grades, too? Which university should he apply to?

(Humanity has ruled Earth for nearly ten thousand years. We will never be brought down by this disaster! After all... humans are known as the most adaptable creatures!)

The night wind continued to blow, while the roars of Dead Bodies drifted in from afar... They had probably found more "prey."

The television in the living room was still broadcasting the news. Everything was about waiting for rescue, explaining the cause, and how they were already working on it... What use was that?

The human heart was unfathomable, and conflicts over interests never ceased. To survive, people could do anything...

The television showed drone footage of the bridge they had crossed earlier.

It was once again surrounded by Dead Bodies, packed densely together. Every "person" wore ragged clothes, with bits of flesh and blood at the corners of their mouths. Their pupils had rolled upward, and their grayish-white skin was terrifying to behold. Some of the "people" were even still gnawing on corpses...

And the government called it a disease... Killing Sickness!