"Can you come with me to have lunch together?"
"Sure."
Shiryu didn't refuse even though he knew Saeko didn't just want to take him to lunch together, but talk about things that had to do with what he wrote in his diary.
Still, in the eyes of his classmates, Saeko and he seemed to have an unusual relationship.
They were dating!
Saeko even invited him to have lunch together.
Soon, rumors that the two of them were dating spread in the school. Many boy friends who were Saeko's suitors felt heartbroken and unhappy with Shiryu.
Shiryu doesn't know this and won't care because soon, the world will change and the human order will collapse.
At one of the gazebos in the school garden, they sat down and ate their respective bento.
"Shiryu-kun, I heard you're a very famous novelist."
"That's true, but I'm not sure if I'm that famous."
He acted humbly while eating a sandwich filled with sausage, pickles, lettuce, egg, sauce and mayonnaise.
His gaze was fixed on the beautiful woman Saeko and as a healthy boy, he sometimes could not control his own eyes from glancing at her breasts.
They were big.
Yui in his class was even smaller than her.
No wonder Saeko was so popular.
What boy in school didn't like her figure?
Shiryu was no exception.
"Fufu. You're humble, Shiryu-kun." Saeko giggled, she noticed that Shiryu's gaze occasionally fell on her breasts, but she thought it was normal.
And unlike the gazes the other boys gave, his gaze made her a little happy. Maybe it was because she wanted to form a team with him.
As long as he was interested in her, it was unlikely that he would refuse.
"Still, did you only eat that for lunch?"
In no hurry to get to the main topic of conversation, he stared at the sandwich in Shiryu's hand.
"Um, is there anything wrong? It tastes pretty good, I always buy it at the convenience store near school."
In other words, Shiryu always bought his lunch.
Every day, he actually always ate food he bought from outside.
He was too lazy to cook by himself except for cooking instant noodles when he didn't want to go out.
"Even so... Doesn't your mom cook for you?"
"My parents are dead."
Saeko's expression froze, she regretted asking about that and hurriedly said, "Sorry Shiryu-kun, I didn't mean to..."
"It's okay, I know."
Shiryu waved one of his hands casually, he really wasn't sad or angry just because of that.
He was used to living alone.
However, Saeko felt guilty and the way she looked at the boy in front of her became softer.
In this situation, a woman tends to increase their affection for a man.
This was an unintentional advantage for Shiryu.
"You're a growing boy, you should eat more healthy and nutritious home-cooked food. How about you eat my lunch, Shiryu-kun?"
"I cooked it myself and made more than one serving for you."
She untied a black lunch box that was quite tall. It turned out to contain two lunch boxes.
The beautiful senior handed one of them to him.
Shiryu was stunned, "You made a bento for me? Thank you Saeko-senpai but why? It's the first time we've met and you bothered to do this."
"Isn't it obvious? I've read your diary this morning."
Just like Yui, Saeko admitted that she was the owner of a copy of his diary.
"Ah... So that's it." Perhaps because it was the first time a girl had made a bento for him, Shiryu was a little moved and embarrassed.
For a moment, he even forgot about his diary.
"I'll happily eat it, but before that—"
The diary suddenly appeared in his hand and he started writing under Saeko's gaze.
A copy of Shiryu's diary also appeared in Saeko's hand and she couldn't help looking at what he wrote.
[Another one of the heroines I know from a zombie-themed anime, Saeko invited me to have lunch together today.]
[To be honest, I'm both excited and embarrassed because it's the first time I've been asked to lunch by a pretty girl.]
[I even forgot to update my diary immediately because while we were talking, I couldn't help glancing at her face many times and... Cough!]
[Saeko has an amazing figure. In the original work, she's also actually my favorite female character.]
I'm his favorite character?
Does that mean he likes me?
Seako felt embarrassed, especially when she heard the other things Shiryu wrote about her.
He wrote all that in front of her isn't he embarrassed himself?!
What she didn't know was that Shiryu was willing to endure embarrassment in order to increase his word count and get rewards from the diary system.
[She's so nice, when we first met, she made a bento for me. Oh my, this is bad. Saeko-senpai, you're going to make me fall in love with you because of this! How sneaky!]
You're the one who couldn't resist falling in love with me, why are you calling me sneaky?
Saeko's lips twitched.
She had the urge to pinch Shiryu's face who was so focused on writing in his diary.
What surprised her was that he wrote down all those embarrassing things with a serious expression.
[Just kidding, I know it's just her good intentions for me but seriously, I might have fallen in love with you! Saeko-senpai, you must take responsibility.]
"Cough! Cough!"
Saeko was reading while eating her lunch and she regretted it, she choked when she found out Shiryu wanted her to take responsibility.
That's shameless!
How can you hold me accountable for that?
She hurriedly drank and slightly glared at the boy in front of her.
"Saeko-senpai, sorry. I was too excited, this is my habit whenever I write a novel and writing a diary seems to be no exception."
Shiryu apologized and closed his diary.
"I forgive you for this time, Shiryu-kun." Saeko sighed and hesitantly asked, "But did you mean what you wrote in your diary?"
"Of course! From the beginning, I wrote this diary honestly for the sake of my credibility in the hearts of the chosen people."
Shiryu really did.
He did not lie and if there was something he needed to hide, he chose not to write it in the diary.
After all, he also needed privacy.
"I see. Hurry up and eat your lunch that I made for you and tell me how it tastes."
Saeko stopped glaring at Shiryu, she was also still smiling but changed the subject.
She was embarrassed, okay?
Shiryu did not urge Saeko to continue their previous topic of conversation and tasted her homemade bento.
It consisted of rice, tamagoyaki, stir-fried vegetables and some lettuce leaves.
"How delicious! Saeko-senpai, you're such a good cook, I suddenly envy your future husband."
"Shiryu-kun, just eat quietly and don't tease me."
"Okay."
Shiryu smiled amusedly before eating heartily.
Saeko narrowed her eyes slightly.
This boy was getting bolder in teasing her.
However, she was happy to hear that he liked the bento she made for him.
A while later.
The main topic of conversation between them finally began. Shiryu also knew what Saeko might want from him and patiently waited for her to take the initiative.
"Shiryu-kun, I'll get to the point now. Before the disaster you mentioned in your diary begins, I'd like to form a survival team with you."
"Do you mind?"
Shiryu's guess was correct.
Saeko wanted to make a team or a group with him.
It must be because not just because he was the owner of the diary, but because she knew he had a golden finger (Diary System) that could give him powers that exceeded those of ordinary people.
In other words, this beautiful senior wanted to rely on him.
As a man, he was happy of course.
"Saeko-senpai has bribed me with her delicious bento, how could I possibly object? I agree."
Saeko was relieved, unlike what she expected, Shiryu was easier to work with. She did not deny that the bento she made for him was a bribe from her.
Because it was true.
Even so, she just smiled slightly and said, "That's good. Shiryu-kun, do you have any other plans like making preparations before the disaster begins?
Shiryu held his chin before shaking his head. "No, my top priority is to write more words in my diary so that I can get some superpower rewards or something."
"....." Saeko blinked her eyes. "Are you sure what you'll get is superpowers?"
"Well... System, I mean the diary says it's random. There's also the possibility that I'll just get normal abilities or items."
"That sounds a bit unreliable. What will you do if you only get useless rewards?"
Shiryu couldn't argue that the rewards from the system were rather unreliable.
System: [....]
You have to defend me a bit, host.
"I'm not sure."
How can you not be sure!?
You don't have any other plans other than getting rewards.
Saeko massaged her eyebrows, "While earning rewards, perhaps we can gather supplies of food and drink. We should also look for a suitable place to serve as our stronghold when the disaster begins."
"A hiding place!? My house might be suitable for that."
Did you hear everything I said well?
Saeko felt that Shiryu was only excited about making his house a hiding place.
However, she didn't refuse as long as it was really as he said.
By the way, was it just her or was she relying on him in this situation? Still, Shiryu was two years younger than her, it was probably natural.
For now, cooperating is the important thing.
[Host, I think Saeko is more suitable to be a team leader than you.]
System, it's too soon to judge!
Wait for me to gain the power of Superman, Saitama, Uchiha Madara or maybe Boboiboy Galaxy.
At that time...
The possibility of getting such a reward was very low, System thought. But she didn't want to discourage her host, so she chose silence.
"Then, I'll be moving into your house tonight. Is that alright?" Saeko dropped a bombshell that would make her suitors at school panic
"Senpai, you'll be living with me from now on? Sure, my house has many empty bedrooms. I'll help you carry your things."
Shiryu's eyes lit up, he suddenly realized because Saeko decided to make a team with him.
The two of them would have to live together.
"Thank you." Saeko did not refuse the help of her junior to carry her belongings.
But before she returned to the topic of gathering food and drink supplies.
Shiryu wrote again in his diary.
The copies of Saeko's and the other heroines' diaries were automatically updated as well.
[Saeko is more aggressive than I thought. It's our first time meeting, but she already wants to move into my house.]
What are you writing!?
Your words will make others misunderstand.
Saeko complained in her heart.
[But it's natural, she has asked me to make a team to survive the upcoming disaster.]
[I agreed and made my rather large residence our hiding place!]
The other heroines were shocked.
Saeko moved very quickly.
While they still doubted whether what Shiryu wrote in his diary was true or not, she had formed a team with him and would stay with him.
It made many of them unable to calm down.
They were a little panicked.
Because were those zombies really going to appear?
If so, they might as well join Shiryu's team.
Shiryu didn't realize it, but he had made the other heroines feel rushed.
Right now, he was only satisfied to see the number of words he had written reach over 3000.
Soon he would be able to do the Gacha!
He closed his diary and looked back at Saeko's beautiful face.
"Are you done, Shiryu-kun?"
"Ehem! Let's continue, Senpai." Shiryu pretended to cough and said.
Saeko was a little numb.
The boy in front of her looked polite on the surface, but when writing... He seemed to have no shame and no restraint.
He even called her Saeko very intimately in his diary.
Saeko sighed, she would not discuss that topic for now and continued their conversation until the lunch break ended.
Shiryu basically agreed to all her plans including gathering food and drink supplies.
But for that, he told Saeko not to worry by saying, "Just leave the food and drink supplies to me. I just need to order them in bulk online and within a few hours, they should all be at my house."
What about the money to buy all that?
Saeko certainly asked about that.
Shiryu replied did she forget? He was a popular novelist and had made a lot of money from the sales of his novels since he was 7 years old.
Especially his novel "Sword Art Online", each volume sold over a million copies.
Saeko admired him for making so much money at his age.
Of course, Shiryu also did not hesitate to buy various materials and tools to improve the defense of his home.
He even bought portable solar panels and a standalone power generator so that he could still use electricity even if the city grid went down when the time came.
To install all of that, he of course hired the services of many people. In less than an hour, he had spent over 50 million yen.
The speed at which he spent that much money made Saeko sweat a little.
Her junior was so rich!
Even without superpowers, he at least didn't have to worry about starving and lived comfortably in his home.
It made her confident that she made the right decision to team up with him.
[Shiryu: I've ordered everything we might need.]
In class, Shiryu sent Saeko a Line message and even showed his all the proof of purchase.
Before parting ways during the lunch break, they must have exchanged contacts.
[Saeko: Shiryu-kun... Should I call you young master?]
[Shiryu: Because I have a lot of money? I prefer Saeko-senpai to call me "husband".]
[Saeko: Pfft! That's a funny joke, Shiryu-kun.]
I'm serious.
Shiryu refrained from sending the message. Not because he was embarrassed, but because his neighbor Yui kept staring at him and making "Jiii~" sounds.
Worried that she would tell the teacher who was teaching in front of the class that he was playing with his cell phone under the desk, he put his cell phone away.
"Kashi-san, do you have something to say to me?"
"I... Hmph! No, nothing."
Yui snorted, she obviously wanted something from him but hesitated.
She was a bit of a tsundere.
Shiryu had a guess. Did Yui want him to invite her to his team? Unfortunately, he was not a yasashi protagonist (too nice a protagonist) who was willing to help anyone.
At least not before he had enough power to protect himself and others.
But after thinking for a moment, he decided to write something down on paper and gave it to Yui.
Yui was surprised and couldn't help but accept the paper from Shiryu's hand. After she read the contents, she widened her eyes and looked at him with a complicated look.
Their exchange was witnessed by several students in the class.
The boys were gnashing their teeth.
It's not enough with a beautiful senior like Saeko.
Shiryu, you're also still flirting with Yui.
You bastard!
Protagonist Junichi felt uncomfortable, he didn't realize when looking at Shiryu and Yui closer than usual, there was a transparent green hat that appeared above his head.
...
After school hours ended.
Shiryu and Saeko reunited.
In the school corridor, the two of them walked side by side while ignoring the various types of stares from other students.
"Senpai, are you sure you'll help me with this?"
"Yes, I happen to have a pretty good relationship with her and will introduce you to her. That way, you can write things about her and speed up the process of getting rewards, right?"
What Saeko said made sense.
Long story short, apart from talking about their plan to survive together, they had also talked about how to get him rewards faster.
Actually, Shiryu had a plan about that. After all, he knew anyone who might have a copy of his diary. In his class, there were even a few other girls besides Yui.
But unlike Yui, they seemed to pretend not to have a copy of his diary.
He could have gossiped about them, but Saeko suddenly offered her help in that regard.
She asked who were the people s
he suspected had copies of his diary at school. Among the names he mentioned, Saeko knew one of them quite well and wanted to bring it to him.
Shiryu didn't refuse and here they were now. Or rather, in front of the door of the school health room.
"That's right. Please help, Senpai."
"Un, leave it to me, Shiryu-kun."
Saeko said that with a gentle expression.
I've decided, she'll be my wife, Shiryu thought.
As for the protagonist in the original work?
That boy doesn't deserve it.
Saeko didn't know what shameful thing her junior was thinking, she opened the door of the school health room and entered with him.
...
A/N: If you're complaining about the protagonist giving too much information in his diary. Don't worry, this is only temporary. It's like being honest about things to increase the trust of the heroines who hold copies of his diary. Shiryu was more cunning than it seemed to others.