Chapter 70: Don't defy the boss

"Niichan, where are we going from here~?"

"Somewhere good. And please stop talking in that ridiculous way... stop it."

"Hehe~"

I've had it with Ayaka-chan's annoying way of speaking.

Perhaps everyone around me sensed that I was starting to get genuinely annoyed.

"Hey, once you're over there, it's all over anyway. Don't worry about it, 'Guriguri Glasses.'"

A mysterious follow-up arrives.

Incidentally, my nickname during the journey had apparently been decided as 'Guriguri Glasses.'

It's probably because of the super ugly design of 'Coward's Glasses'...

I arrived at "Ihon Geidai" shortly after walking from there.

The area, surrounded by walls and chain-link fences, still retains traces of its days as a university, yet has been transformed into a magnificent fortress.

With sentries posted all around, the place was clearly designed not only to defend against "zombies" but also to resist human raids.

Thank goodness we didn’t have to face them head-on.

One wrong move, and we’d be riddled with bullets in an instant—just like a sieve.

Three armed guards stood at the entrance, which was formed by lining up abandoned buses.

Nobunaga casually waved and greeted them.

"Team Nobunaga, we're heading back!"

One of the sentries, sporting a pirate-like beard, replied.

"How'd it go?"

"We found one promising one. Plus, an idiot kid for good measure."

"The young one named Sagata?"

"Oh, him... uh..."

Oda glanced back.

Mr. Sagata has been following us ever since.

"Please... in a world like this, I can't survive on my own..."

"Ah... well, whatever. Let's just count him as one of us."

"Seriously?! Oda-san! Thanks a lot!"

"...Honestly..."

Leading with Oda's wry smile, we stepped into "Ihon Gakuen."

...And so.

'Woooooohhhhh……'

A young woman, chained by a collar near the entrance, greets us as a "zombie."

She’s probably about my age.

She keeps gnashing her jaws open and shut, reaching out toward us with her hands. Her arms stretch just short of our reach, slicing emptily through the air.

'OOOOOohhhhh……'

The female "zombie" lets out a mournful groan.

"What is that?"

As I ask,

The boss's pet

And Takeda says, sounding bored.

The woman we first captured—what was her name again? Kamizono or something like that. Young, and quite the model-type beauty, right? She was the boss's mistress for a while, but one day she claimed she bit herself and turned into a zombie. … Apparently, she was originally a lesbian. Hmm? What's wrong with you… hey?

I grabbed my sword and approached the pitiful 'zombie.'

Using the fastest draw I knew, I shattered the 'zombie's' brain.

Everyone except Saio stared at me in shock.

"W-what the hell... 'Guriguri Glasses,' didn't you even listen to what I said?!"

"I did listen. I made my decision based on that. There's no benefit at all to having a 'zombie' here. Isn't that right?"

"Mad dog!"

Oda clutched his head.

"Damn it. I'm going to report this incident to the boss."

"Go ahead."

"There's a room for new members. It's the building marked 'Clubhouse' a little further down. You two stay there for now."

▼

What surprised me slightly was the group of people present within the premises.

I had expected to find some kind of suspicious group, since I'd heard they'd been abducting only young girls, but instead I saw a mix of people—men, women, and children of all ages, just like at the "Sakagake High School" shelter.

"……What's wrong?"

The man who'd volunteered to guide us, a man named Akai, called out to me.

"Oh, uh… I guess ordinary people are here too."

Then Akai gave a sly smile.

"What? Did you think there'd only be some guy and a young girl here?"

"Well... I guess..."

"Then that means our plan's working out just fine."

"Plan?"

"What was it... uh, the boss used some fancy words, like 'information manipulation' or something like that. Basically, if we make people think we're a group of murderers, then the others will be scared, right? It's important to create that kind of fear if we want to keep this place safe."

"Hmm..."

Honestly, I thought it was a straightforward and logical approach.

"But they really are kidnapping women, aren't they?"

"Partially. But the guys around here are mostly idiots, so if we just kidnap one, they'll naturally exaggerate the story on their own. Leave it alone, and soon every woman around here will be considered kidnapped. The boss does like women, sure, but he can't possibly sleep with dozens in a single day."

"Is that how it works?"

"That's right."

Akai laughed heartily.

"In truth, I hear the women I bring here are all grateful. Just endure for a little while every few days, gazing at a ceiling stain, and the rest is pure luxury. They'd be glad to switch places with you....It would've been nice if the boss had understood such matters too."

As he said this, Akai slightly blushed.

What on earth is this... I'm stunned.

"Here, look."

The building they arrived at, guided by Akai, was marked with the words "Clubhouse."

It was likely where the club rooms had once been gathered.

At the entrance, several middle-aged women chatted while preparing congee.

"Oh, Akai-chan. Is this a new member?"

"Who knows. The one on the left killed the 'zombie' that used to be the boss's pet..."

"What's so bad about that? It's fine, it's fine. There were kids who couldn't sleep peacefully just because of that thing. Honestly, we should be grateful it's around."

"Hey, don't say stuff like that in front of the boss."

Akai smiles wryly.

"Ah, whatever. Probably fine. Even that Oda guy tried to stab the boss when they first met. But now he's one of the top members. The boss is lenient with talented people. And from what I've seen, you definitely fall into that 'talented' category."

"Really, thanks."

"Frankly, you could try a bit harder, Sakaeda. If it weren't for Mr. Oda saying something, you'd have been kicked out by now."

"Y-Yes, sir! I'll do my best—my life depends on it!"

Sakaeda snaps into a rigid, straight posture.

"Also... about that girl... I'm not sure what to do with her."

Akai gives a wry smile, glancing at Saya.

"Boss isn't into younger girls, and he doesn't seem to like idiots much either."

"Ehehe~. I was called dumb."

Sayuri-chan, your act is over now. Seriously.

"...What should we do? Are you going to take care of her?"

I shrugged.

Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to allow her to stick around with us.

"If that's acceptable, we've already been traveling together since we got here. Even dogs and cats develop feelings."

"Is that so? Then I'll let Oda know."

Aoi approaches the woman among the older ladies who appears the eldest.

"…Auntie, could you give this child some work? Something like chopping vegetables?"

"Welcoming. We're always short-staffed here."

"Then it's settled. …Leave the rest to me."

With that, Aoi turns away.

When we're about to head to the "Clubhouse,"

"Oh, right. I should let you all know first."

"What is it?"

"It means 'Don't defy the boss.'"

For a split second, his serious expression makes me flinch, thinking he might have figured out my true identity.

"Even though I'm an idiot, I'm gonna say this. He's smart—smarter than anyone else. He might've heard some bad rumors about us before coming here, but forget those. Everything he does is necessary to protect our group....And you guys are already part of our team....You get what I'm saying, right?"

Just as I was about to give a vague reply,

"Uh! Thanks a lot!"

Sakata said, his eyes sparkling brightly.

His gaze was like that of a fresh graduate who’d just secured a job at a top-tier company.

"Alright. See you later then."

And with a playful wave of his hand, Aoi walked away from the spot.