"So, Orion, how'd you end up here anyway?" Rio asked him. "Almost everyone in the surrounding areas has already moved to the settlement near Shichirigahama Beach. Why didn't you go there?"
"That's because I just came out of a bunker," he said. "When people started turning, I immediately went in. I only came out now that my supplies are finished. He could only hope that Mai hadn't told Rio about too many details regarding him. If he didn't have much trust in Mai, he definitely had no trust in Rio. Especially the confusing vibe that she had. He was a lot more wary of her than he was of Mai.
"Oh?" Rio asked with a concerned look. "Did you have trouble adjusting? Sakurajima-senpai said that you were out alone killing zombies."
He noticed her hand moving and resting over his towel, and after careful deliberation, came to a shocking conclusion. Rio was hitting on him.
That guy did say he had a girlfriend… she should be up for grabs in that case. No! Remember what mom taught you, Orion. Never stick your dick in crazy. I have to understand this woman before I end up in some kind of trap.
"It's fine," he smiled and gave a vague response. "I used to take fencing in the past. Now, with the system, I have been able to get a good sword technique down."
He glanced over to Mai and noticed that she seemed indifferent despite hearing his lies, as if none of it had anything to do with her.
"What about you guys?" He asked. "I get that Sakurajima-san has reasons for staying, what about you and your boyfriend?"
He was trying to get a reaction out of Rio with those words.
"Oh, Kunimi?" She raised her brow. "No, we aren't together. His girlfriend is in another country at the moment; she was on vacation with the family. We couldn't get to her even if we tried in our current situation." Her hand on his thigh started moving higher, making him tense up for a moment before it started moving lower as she followed an oscillating motion, constantly teasing him.
I swear, she's trying to embarrass me by getting me hard…
"Is that so? Good to know," he said with a smile, playing along with her words and actions. "Do tell, though, what made you think that Nodoka's situation might be curable? She's, after all, pretty much the same as other zombies right now."
"Not really. The knowledge that we actually have about the brain is frighteningly little. I have seen how, for other zombies, even if they are not hurt, it barely takes days for them to start rotting from the inside. The virus completely kills the body instantly, but Nodoka's situation is different. Her organs are functioning fine, and even her brainwave patterns are present. Merely suppressed to the point of being in a vegetative state. That is the level of consciousness she has as a zombie. It might have to do with her getting the system just as the zombie virus took over her body, but that's just conjecture."
"I see…"
"Sakurajima-senpai hasn't really told me about your next plans yet. Are you going to the settlement?"
"Yeah, probably," he nodded. "If you are also planning to go, we could travel together. It would be safer to work in a group."
"No, I think we're going to stay and keep Sakurajima-senpai company," she said, glancing at Mai, who was quietly sipping her tea. "We've been there before, though. It's a…safe place, that's all the good I can tell you about it."
"What do you mean?"
"She means that they are less of a settlement and more savages," Yuuma said, finally coming out of the bathroom, looking fresh. "It's better if you explore the place a little first before you actually join them. Still, it's a very big settlement. They have gathered most of the survivors from the entire Yokosuka belt south of us to Hiratsuka west of us and Yamato in the north. Last I heard, they were planning to make a move on a small settlement in Yokohama to bring those survivors in as well."
I don't know any of these places… I'll try to ask Mai later. I don't know if this is a lot or a little…
"I doubt you two avoided going there by simply asking ot be left alone. They don't seem like the type to accept refusal."
"They aren't," Rio shook her head, scooting closer to Orion such that their arms touched. "Sakurajima-senpai helped us evade them."
"It's a big settlement," Mai finally chimed in. "The largest in Kanagawa."
Okay, that gives me a better perspective. I do know how big this prefecture is… Thanks, Mai.
"The main reason that all these people joined the settlement is because they have the weapons necessary to take care of these endless hordes of zombies," Yuuma said. "They are strong, and they can indeed give the people the protection needed from these endless hordes of zombies."
"About that," Orion said. "Doesn't it feel a little weird that there are so many zombies everywhere? I get that this is the apocalypse, but after six months, a significant number of them had to have been killed. What's the deal? Every morning, I see more and more zombies crowding the streets as if they are truly endless. Japan's entire population might not be as much as the number of zombies in the prefecture if every street is as densely populated as these."
"You aren't the first person to think of that," Yuuma sighed. "But for now, we don't have any concrete answer for that. We can only push the thoughts to the back of our minds. At least I, for one, can't imagine what would happen if zombies were capable of reproducing."
"You think zombies can fuck?" Orion asked, only to receive a glare from the silent Ice Block on the side for his crass words. The glare was a lot more intense than he'd expected from a simple joke.
Oh yeah, Nodoka is also a zombie…
He gave her an apologetic look before noticing the inviting look Rio was giving him.
Control yourself, woman, maintain some decency. These two are your friends, not mine…
"I'll go get dressed," he tried to stand up, but Rio seemed to have no intention of letting him go that easily and squeezed his thigh.
I will not be trapped, you thot!
He decided to reciprocate her brazen actions and grabbed her breast, accurately pinching her nipple with controlled force, and twisted the little nub. Her grip loosened as she let out a surprised yelp, allowing him to take the chance to stand up.
A chill went down his spine as he noticed Mai's disgusted look at his action, while Rio showed him a pitifully aggrieved look that only seemed to be inviting him to go even further if the excitement in her eyes was anything to go by. Still, he shook his head and went into the bathroom to take another shower and change his clothes.
Either this chick is just horny, or I have become the target of a thirst-trap. Seriously, there are far too many inconsistencies in her behaviour. I need the inspection rune as soon as possible to identify these kinds of things. This Rio chick is the most suspicious, but Mai and Yuuma are in the same boat. For all I know, they might have learnt about my descent through some means and been stationed here to take care of me. While unlikely, I can't let them catch me off guard and need to maintain my persona as someone mysterious who can at least take two of them down if the need ever arises. Mai is an outlier, and is the least suspicious though, so I shouldn't worry about her—not that worrying can help much. Even now, she would be able to kill me by making me ignore the sound my the bathroom door opening.
He did eventually gather himself and went back out, this time choosing to sit away from Rio, with Yuuma between them. Rio didn't particularly seem interested in the jock and was calmly leaning back while keeping her gaze stuck on him.
"Since you aren't planning to join the settlement just yet, what are you going to do, Orion-san?" Yuuma asked, grabbing a biscuit from the table and munching on it.
"Hearing what you've just said about that place, it's better to go in strong. I think I'm going to level up for a while before joining them. I'm going to spend the next week clearing zombies and exploring the area. Maybe I'll see if there is any source of these endless waves of zombies."
"Hmm," Yuuma nodded. "I'd recommend at least getting to level fifty if you want to have any sort of leeway with those guys. Oh, by the way, I'm not sure if you noticed, but levels take the same amount of experience whether you go from one to two or from fifty to fifty-one. So you don't need to be too stressed about it."
"Huh, I hadn't noticed…" Orion raised his brow.
These levels seem awfully close to Origin Energy. Makes sense, considering my gear was made by referencing their system. But by that logic, Mai's level should probably be in the hundreds, considering how long she's been here. But then why would he estimate a week to reach level fifty? By the logic of origin energy, I have long crossed level two hundred…
He glanced at his panel to confirm.
Name: Orion Vaelor
Exile Gear: Infinite Dream
Specialization: Creation
Origin Energy: 162.84 Units
Physique: 26.84
Matter Limit: 9 KG
Techniques: (Expand)
Knowledge: (Expand)
With the amount of Origin Energy he had in storage after today, and the amount that he had consumed for dreams. He had long crossed the level two hundred mark and should be approaching three hundred.
A week, he says, for level fifty right…Conservatively, I'd put that at a twenty-to-one ratio. With twenty units of Origin Energy getting you get up by one level. Fifty levels would need me to gather a thousand units. What I'm curious about is how much a level increases the physique and those skill points…I'll ask Mai when I have the chance.
"Sounds like a plan," Orion nodded. "Do you guys want to join me? Having someone with more experience should keep anything unexpected from happening."
"Sure."
"What's in it for me?" Countering Yuuma's instant approval, Rio asked for some benefits.
"What do you want?" Orion asked, not addressing the suggestive look in her eyes. "As long as it's something I can help you with."
"Don't forget it," she said. "I'll let you know when I need something from you."
Orion nodded, glancing at Yuuma, who had a zen expression on his face. Either the man was used to Rio's mannerisms and didn't care, or he was a real-life dense anime protagonist who couldn't read the slightest cues when it came to women.