28 Family and status
"Have you finished talking with your friend? I was a bit worried for a moment, but Hirano-kun said it was better to leave you two alone."
Matsushima said relieved as she handed me back the radio. It seems Kohta acted quickly and got them out of there before they saw too much. He probably came up with some excuse when I drew my sword, maybe said they saw it wrong or something.
We were sitting next to the Humvee that I pulled out of the inventory without anyone seeing. Well, I was next to the Humvee; the girls had pulled Saeko into the car and were talking about what the fight was about. But with the door closed, it was hard to hear.
Kohta and Takashi took Alice and went to play with her. Asami also volunteered to go with them, so the three of them were a few meters away playing tag. It was funny how Alice really seemed to be winning, and not them letting her win.
I took my eyes off the massacre that Alice was making of Kohta's pride and turned my gaze back to the black-haired policewoman.
"It was nothing, really. But what about you, what did you and Souichiro decide?" I said, changing the subject. I don't want to explain why the fight happened or why Saeko now kept calling me master; that's enough...
[GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: DS slavery? I didn't think you were so eccentric. Do you want me to look up some tips on the internet for you? (Innocently asking Iron Man emote).
[GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: Now I understand why you're so fixated on those chains. I thought it might be the runes, but apparently it's for something else... (Iron Man emote saying eureka!).
[GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: Now I know what I'm going to send you for your birthday: a latex bodysuit. What do you think? (Innocently asking Iron Man emote).
I could mute him, of course, but that meant he won. I'd rather die than admit that. At least the others were silent. Dumbledore didn't say anything, probably out of respect or something. He was the friendliest, aside from Red.
Fukasaku, I don't know. The toad was old; from what I remembered, he was almost a thousand years old or something like that. I also didn't know much about his personality, so I don't know why he didn't comment. And Jiraiya... I really don't know if it's good or bad that he didn't comment.
If I ended up finding an Icha Icha with my name written on it and something about BDSM, I unfortunately would have to leave Naruto without his sensei, for the greater good.
Taking a deep breath, I ignored the messages from the idiot with the last name Stark and focused on the conversation while listening.
The black-haired policewoman thought for a moment and raised her finger to her chin as she responded.
"I gave Souichiro-sama the coordinates of the mall. He said he could come with a rescue group in about three hours, maybe a little more." She seemed relieved, probably with the promise of rescue on the way.
She looked at me with a somewhat admiring and confused expression before asking me, "If I may ask, where do you know Souichiro-sama from? Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course." She waved her hands quickly as she realized that I might interpret the question wrongly.
But seriously, "Souichiro-sama"? Either she had fallen in love with the guy in less than ten minutes of conversation, or he had enough influence for even an ordinary policewoman to know and admire him.
Usually, I would guess the second option, but considering it's Japan, the first one was equally likely, so I wouldn't assume anything.
"Because I'm not Japanese, perhaps?"
I raised an eyebrow as I asked. Most people, from what Saya told me, thought her father was an ultra-nationalist. Even Saya thought so, so it wasn't surprising.
I could see that she blushed a bit, embarrassed that I figured out the reason for the question, but I didn't comment and continued.
"He's an acquaintance of mine, so to speak." Calling him a friend would be revealing; calling him a father-in-law was too early. Let's stick with acquaintance for now. "We don't talk much, but that's what it is."
I leaned against the Humvee as I glanced sideways into the car. I'm glad I positioned the camera at an angle that didn't show the inside of the vehicle, as I didn't know why or how Saya and Saeko ended up shirtless while glaring at each other.
They were almost kissing at this point, growling at each other, their breasts touching, while Rei and Shizuka looked at them from the corner. Rei seemed to want to say something but ended up staying silent as she watched, and Shizuka just seemed to want to end the conflict.
They looked like two "predators" staring each other down, if I could say so, with Saeko being a mature panther facing a lion cub that somehow managed to make the panther step back.
I looked away. As sexy as the scene was, I didn't want anyone else to see. So, I walked away from the Humvee, calling the policewoman to walk with me.
Before the car went out of range of my inventory, I manifested two T-shirts, one on Saya's lap and one on Saeko's lap, so they would realize that if I noticed their state, others could too.
With that done, I turned my attention back to Matsushima and resumed our conversation as we walked. I intended to resolve everything here in no more than half an hour and get back on the road.
We didn't talk for long. She just thanked me for helping her, even though I hadn't done anything other than call Saya's father, but that's okay. I just nodded as I bid her farewell and watched her return to the mall.
Returning to the group, I could see that the girls had already left the Humvee, dressed, for some reason, in the T-shirts I threw on them earlier. Shrugging, I approached while speaking.
"Everything is basically resolved here, your father," I said, pointing at Saya. "He should be here in a few hours. The mall group will just be waiting. We're leaving in ten minutes. Take the time to grab something to eat and use the bathroom. We have a road ahead of us."
Receiving various nods from the group, I turned and let them do their things. In the meantime, I called Souichiro again.
"Devas, if you're in the loop about the rescue group for the mall survivors, I'm already organizing them. Over."
Straight to the point, I see, but that's not what I was going to talk about.
"It's not about that; there's a guy in the mall group who gives me a strange vibe, so keep an eye on him if possible. Over."
"How strange? Over."
I remembered the feeling the guy in the black hat gave me before. "Strange like he seems like a rapist, the way he looked at Shizuka, the nurse in my group, doesn't sit well with me. Over."
I won't judge the guy for crimes he hasn't committed, but I still didn't like him. With this, Souichiro could keep an eye on him if something happened.
The line went silent for some time before Souichiro spoke.
"I understand... as you must know, I don't like that kind of person. What does he look like? Over." We're two of a kind, my friend, we're two of a kind.
I gave the description of the guy in the black hat to Saya's father before hanging up and telling him that Saya would call tomorrow to talk to her mom and him.
Returning to the car, the group was already settled. It was basically the same formation as always, with Shizuka and Alice in the back seat. This time, Rei was there again, playing with the little girl.
Beside them, the two cursed ones, as Kohta and Takashi were once again sitting on each other's laps. It was starting to make me feel sorry for them at this point, but it was still funny.
Saeko had taken the front passenger seat, and as always, Saya was on my lap. The only real difference was that when I started driving this time, Saya was intentionally rubbing against me, and many times she looked at Saeko while doing so.
I ignored the little cold war between the lion cub and the samurai panther while focusing on the road, but before that, I commented aloud.
"Kohta, I thought you'd like to stay with the mall group while waiting for Saya's father."
It didn't take long for the voice of our group's shooter to come from the back seat.
"Nah, Asami-san knows how to take care of herself; she's a good policewoman, and her senpai, Matsushima-san, is experienced, no need to worry."
I just sighed as I pulled Saya closer to me and hushed her to be quiet so I could drive more easily.
"You know that's not why I asked, Kohta, you know that. But I'm glad you came with us." I could practically hear his smile from the back seat.
"I couldn't leave you guys; you're my friends." He had a happy tone as he spoke. "And in the end, Asami-san will be in the Takagi property; I can talk to her later."
I just nodded as I smiled; this was just one of the reasons why Kohta was one of the three characters whose names I remembered in this world.
The rest of the trip was normal; I drove at a good speed, so we arrived at Rei's house just before dusk, with the sky already tinted orange.
Getting out of the Humvee, I equipped my armor while the group got ready in case there was a fight. I parked right in front of her house, so Alice and Shizuka could stay in the car without problems, but just in case, I left Kohta as a guard on the roof of the Humvee as we entered the house.
There wasn't much tension; the place seemed untouched, no bloodstains or signs of a fight, but no sign of the spear girl's parents. I could see Rei getting worried since there was no sign of her parents, but Saya was the savior, the tsundere was the one who found a note on the kitchen table. A note written by Rei's mother.
The note was from Rei's mother, basically saying that she had gone to the nearby high school and sought shelter there with a group of survivors. I could see Rei visibly relax with this, as now she knew that at least her mother was safe.
We didn't waste much more time there before returning to the Humvee and heading to the school where Rei's mother said she was in the note.
It took about five minutes to drive to the location written in the note. Upon arrival, the differences were visible; what used to be a normal school was now more fortified, with wooden stakes over the walls surrounding the property.
I parked the Humvee a few meters from the main entrance, as there were several improvised wooden fences stained with blood around it. It wasn't the best defense, but it seemed to be working. Getting out of the Humvee, I had to hold Rei by the collar of her blouse, preventing the girl from running to the main gate of the school.
Before she could protest, I pointed upwards, where there was a small watchtower. It was kind of far, but I could see what seemed to be a person with binoculars.
"Let's not rush, Rei; let them come to us." I didn't want to take the risk; it was better to wait for them to come out than to enter what would be their base.
It didn't take long for the school gates to open. I really doubted they would do that, but I understood why soon after. A woman, she must be between thirty and forty years old, came running towards us without hesitation when she saw us, or rather, Rei.
I didn't even need to tell Kohta not to shoot, as the resemblance between the two was undeniable. She looked like an older and more mature Rei. Well, I guess Rei looked like her younger mother in this case. Basically, the only difference being the shorter hair, and Rei was clean, while her mother seemed tired and wore worn and dirty clothes.
I didn't restrain the spear girl this time when she tried to run; I just let her go and hugged her mother while they sat on the ground, crying in each other's arms. It was a touching scene, seeing mother and daughter reunited; I could see small smiles on everyone's faces as they watched.
I let them stay there for a while before approaching. It was getting dark, and as beautiful as this reunion was, I really didn't want to stay here after nightfall.
Approaching the mother-daughter duo, I stopped a few inches from them before clearing my throat to get their attention, and they turned to me.
I started by introducing myself. "Nice to meet you, Miss Miyamoto." I didn't know her first name, so Rei's last name would do for now. "I don't want to spoil the reunion between you and Rei, but it's getting dark. Can we go inside?" I pointed to the school, which curiously had the gate closed.
The older version of our group's spear girl simply shook her head in denial and stood up while helping her daughter to stand. She looked at me for a moment before starting to speak.
"Kiriko, you can call me Kiriko." She seemed tired but still posed strongly, probably for her daughter. "There are two Miyamotos here; it'll get confusing, so call me by my name." She observed me for a moment before continuing.
"I don't think you'll be able to enter, neither can I, for that matter. They're too paranoid; I've been trying for some time to get them to go out and seek help, but they refuse." I could see the bitter look on her face and her disappointment.
"They think the government will come to help them at some point, so they don't need to leave, just wait where it's safe." I just nodded in disappointment at her words and helped her get on the Humvee to sit; it would be tight, so I took things out of the trunk, and the boys could go there until we found a place to stay.
"I'm Devas, by the way, sorry for not introducing myself earlier, but I don't like the night, so I prefer to get off the streets as soon as possible."
I said as I began to drive, with the boys in the trunk of the car, making enough space for Saya in the back seat, so the pink-haired tsundere was with Alice while Shizuka helped Rei examine her mother for injuries.
Taking advantage of the fact that Rei's house was nearby, I drove there to spend the night. While the girls went to the shower, the boys and I made dinner, or rather, I did, as these two would probably burn water while trying to boil it.
The stream had disconnected moments ago; there were few viewers today, but I knew why. Dumbledore said that the Hogwarts teachers were getting ready for the start of the school year tomorrow, and Red quickly mentioned that they were busy with classes.
JackMom, or who I thought was, Sally Jackson, hadn't entered for a while. I'll ask her if everything is okay next time she enters, and well, there were the Marvel viewers, of which Stark was the most present. I imagine the others were busy doing what Stark should be doing.
I had to stop my train of thought when the girls came back and basically kicked me out of the kitchen.
"My house, my rules. Rei and the girls told me that you've been helping the group since all this started." The matriarch of the Miyamoto family said as she pushed me into the living room. "Go sit down; I can't in good conscience let the benefactor of my family cook in my house."
I just let her push me and sat down on the sofa. I could protest by saying that I had already finished preparing the ingredients, but at this point, I don't think she'll listen to me, so I just sat there and waited.
With my time now free, I let my mind wander until I remembered that I hadn't properly checked what Analyze: Item had given me about Saya. Pulling my phone from the inventory, I quickly accessed the information.
First of all, the page was different; it was more comprehensive, so to speak. I knew the stream had an "intelligence" that roughly followed what I wanted, so it's not too hard to imagine that at that moment, the stream showed me only what I wanted to know, which, in this case, was if Saya was okay.
Now that I had no hurry and my mental state was calmer, I imagine the stream no longer saw the need to summarize the status and gave me everything it had.
---
[Name: Saya Takagi.
Title(s): Princess Takagi. (+)
Age: 18 years.
Race: Human (HOTD). (+)
Gender: Female.
Mana: In the process of activation.
Current status: Healthy (+)
Racial Traits: (+)
Abilities: (+)
Description: (+) ]
---
It was quite a bit, much more than I expected from the stream, really, but it seems I was wrong about that. The first thing I noticed was that there was a (+) symbol next to some parts of the status; you didn't need to be a genius to figure out why.
Hovering my finger over the symbol and clicking on it, the status section expanded.
---
[Princess Takagi - Ranking F]
Description: The princess of the Takagi family, a yakuza family with a not-so-old but not-so-new history.
Function: Slightly increased influence with yakuza allies, slightly increased respect with yakuza allies, slightly increased fear caused to yakuza enemies.
---
Well, that changed things. I didn't know if this was something that existed before I came to this world or if it was something "applied" after I arrived.
Reading the title more carefully, it didn't seem really impressive, aside from being clearly ranked F, the title didn't seem to provide anything extraordinary, since Saya was indeed the princess of the Takagi family. So, I didn't know if the title increased this status or just quantified this status in some way for me.
Secondly, Saya's mana, which I remembered was "Inactive" before, was now in the process of activation, perhaps due to the potion or something else? I really didn't know.
The third thing was the race, clearly marked with (HOTD) on the side. I didn't need to think much before concluding that it was the name of the anime, in this case, the current world. Highschool of the Dead.
Clicking on the symbol surprised me even more than the title.
---
[Human (HOTD) - Ranking D+]
Description: A common human from most worlds with a small difference.
Function: Slightly decreases inhibition (HOTD). Slightly increases libido (HOTD). Slightly increases resistance (HOTD).
---
That explained a lot. Saya was human, that was clear, but apparently, humans across worlds were different; those of this world were basically normal, except that they were more promiscuous, which was to be expected, really.
So, I imagine that humans in Dumbledore's world are more focused on magic, those in Red's world are more physically focused, something related to the aura they talk so much about, and those in the Marvel world, I really didn't know how they could be, but I imagine they are the strongest of these three.
With just these two pieces of information, Analyze: Item was already worth the huge price it cost to analyze people, and there was even more. Moving on to the next, her current status, which said healthy.
---
[Healthy: Due to ingesting a potion that stimulated the organism and then a "substance" rich in mana concentrated from another world, the activation process of the host's mana was initiated.
Estimated time: 38 days, 21 hours, 58 minutes, and 23 seconds.
Slightly hungry but less than expected due to having consumed a "substance" richer in mana than the normal food of this world. ("Satiated")]
---
I didn't even need to think to figure out what kind of "substance" this was. It seems that the mana I had in my semen wasn't enough to fully activate Saya's mana, but it was enough to energize her, who would have thought.
I massaged my forehead while waiting for the slight redness in my cheeks to disappear. I'm glad the stream is off. Stark may be many things, but he's not stupid. It wouldn't take long for him to connect the dots and figure out that I was the thing with mana from another world, so clearly, this "substance" had to come from me.
Funny how this seemed to have come out of a hentai script or game. Now I could activate people's mana just by them drinking my semen. What's next? The taste of my cum being delicious to whoever tries it?...
Sighing, I moved on to the next part of the status. Racial Traits.
---
[Beauty (Female) - Ranking C-]
Description: Most, if not all, women of this race are born with beautiful and pleasing physical aspects; unfortunately, this does not apply to men.
Function: Moderately increases beauty (Female). Moderately increases breast size (Female). Greatly increases pleasure during sex (Female).
[Sexual Instinct (Female) - Ranking C-]
Description: Humans in this world have better instincts when it comes to anything sexual, quickly learning about themselves and their partners.
Function: Moderately increases everything related to something sexual.
---
Humans in this world were a complete joke, unbelievable! I was indignant to this point; all the advantages they had were related to sex? They had mana in the atmosphere, for God's sake! Wasn't anything related to that?!
I had to take a few seconds to calm myself before moving on to the part that interested me the most: the skills.
Clicking on the symbol next to the skills, a huge list appeared; there were various, most of them being common everyday skills, such as:
---
[Study - Ranking D-]
Description: Saya is a model student; she strives in all areas to be the best in school.
Function: Slightly increases focus while studying. Slightly increases learning while studying. Slightly decreases the difficulty of learning.
---
There were many similar to these, like cooking, reading, running; there were a lot, but they were all basically between ranks F- and D+, none really surpassed that.
And, finally, the description, which was basically this, a description of Saya; I briefly read it before closing it, aside from the fact that it was really long, it didn't say anything more than I didn't know from living with Saya.
I took a deep breath as I let my body relax on the couch; I had spent some time reading. Glancing at the clock on my phone, about half an hour had passed, and by the smell coming from the kitchen, the food should be almost ready.
I spent a few seconds just absorbing the information that had fallen into my lap before a thought hit me. Could I analyze myself? Was that possible?
Of course, Saya alone had cost almost nine thousand SP. I would probably be more expensive, but from what I discovered with Saya's status, I didn't need to analyze a person a second time since the status updated based on how the person was.
Pointing the phone at my hand and using Analyze: Item, I expected an astronomical number, something like a hundred thousand, two hundred thousand SP, but no. The stream seemed to have a twisted sense of humor. No price had appeared; it just opened my status directly.
---
[Name: Devas Asura
Title: The Streamer. (+)
Age: 21 years.
Race: Human (Origin) (+)
Gender: Male.
Mana: Active (Flow: Constant) (+)
Current Status: Healthy (+)
Racial Traits: (+)
Abilities: (+)
Description: (+)]
---
I just laughed at that. Seriously, all this time I could use Analyze: Item on myself and didn't just because I didn't think of it...
I had to take a deep breath again as I calmed myself. Damn stream that didn't explain anything. Of course, I hadn't even tried to use it on myself, but there was literally "ITEM!" next to the function. Was I supposed to imagine that I could use it on myself?
I only used it on Saya out of sheer desperation, it wasn't even something planned, just instinct more than anything.
I took a few more deep breaths before focusing and clicking on my title. I thought it might be "Programmer" or something like that, but no. It was "The Streamer."
I really don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this.
---
[The Streamer - Ranking EX]:
Description: The Streamer, the one watched by all beings, the one who can go to all worlds, participate in all stories, see everything, know everyone.
The threads of fate do not bind you; your being is hidden.
Function: Grants total immunity to omniscience, clairvoyance, reading of fate, alteration of fate, mind reading, mind alteration, soul reading, soul alteration, and adaptation to all types of energy (Mana, ki, chakra, nen, reiatsu, ETC….)
---
"...What the hell?!"
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Yay! We finally reached the home stretch of HOTD (It should end earlier; I thought of a way yesterday to conclude the first arc and start the new one, so it shouldn't take long).
Anyway, Devas finally saw Saya's status, and I remember someone had commented that it seemed kind of expensive and useless, but no, I had already planned what the status would be like for a long time, one of the first things I thought of.
First of all: The status basically says what the person is; it's not something that really changes anything. An example would be Saya herself; she is the "princess" of the Takagi family. The title just says that; it's not something really cool. But it's not an absolute rule; there are exceptions, like Devas himself.
His title is something I thought about for a while; I just didn't know where to put it. I ended up deciding on it as a title; it's what will allow him to go to the worlds you all love so much (40K, Worm, BloodBorne, Tensei, Mushoku, Marvel, FATE), without being erased from the timeline by the higher-ups of those universes.
Not to mention his race, which is something I really liked when I wrote the description, but well, that's for the next chapter.
Well, that's it. As always, if you liked it, comment; if you didn't like something, comment; if you have questions, comment; if you have theories, comment; and if possible, give a review of the story. Thank you, everyone. Good night and happy reading.
[PS: A small spoiler about the next world for those who can't take more HOTD. The next world also takes place in Japan, but in the past. It'll have more action.]
