Kenthelion returned to the residence accompanied by Yuriko Takagi and her daughter, Saya Takagi.
As they entered the courtyard, he saw Shizuka Marikawa and little Alice playing with a small puppy, while Saeko Busujima was busy cleaning one of the rooms. The moment they realized Kenthelion had returned, Saeko and the others gathered around him with warm smiles.
Upon seeing Saya Takagi, Shizuka immediately pulled her aside excitedly and began chatting as if they were old friends.
Later that evening, the servants prepared a full course meal. Kenthelion invited all the girls to sit at the dining table. However, Rika Minami was nowhere to be found. As usual, she felt more comfortable staying in the military barracks than in the residence—after all, to her, the military base was already like home.
Shizuka Marikawa was in high spirits that night. She asked the servants to bring out all the wine and shouted joyfully, "Let's celebrate Saya Takagi's arrival tonight!"
Everyone else gave in to Shizuka's enthusiasm and joined the feast. They ate happily, and even little Alice had a good time—though she only drank warm water, about five or six cups, since the adult drinks were too hot for her.
After dinner, most of them were slightly tipsy and eventually returned to their rooms to rest.
Kenthelion, however, went straight to his study. Despite the dizziness in his head, he remained focused. One of his subordinates had sent a message earlier: a large number of primitive watercraft were approaching.
"Send troops to investigate immediately. If there are civilians on board, rescue them. Deploy the assassin legion we used earlier today. These might be the remnants of the American military fleet."
A few moments later, Yuriko Takagi quietly entered the study. She looked at Kenthelion for a moment before asking softly, "Mr. Kenthelion, what's on your mind?"
She had noticed something
"It's nothing—just a little irritated. Come on, let's drink," Kenthelion said as he looked at Yuriko Takagi pouring a glass of wine for him.
"Hehehe, irritated? Don't lie to me. I can tell something's off with you. Tell me what's really going on," Yuriko said, sipping her wine while giving him a sharp, knowing look.
"Hey, is there another navy fleet heading here? From which country this time?"
"If they come, just kill them. What else is there to think about?"
"You big-breasted, brainless woman," Kenthelion snapped. "We need to know where they got those ships, how many civilians are on board, where their base is, and how many people need rescuing."
He stared at Yuriko without saying another word. She knew what he meant—destroying and killing them all was the easy part. What weighed on his mind was: how many civilians had they captured?
You know, the genetics from the Highschool of the Dead world are pretty good for the Imperium Caelestis. Almost all the women have big breasts.
Sure, Kenthelion could create them artificially with technology, but why not have them naturally? That's even better.
Who wouldn't want to be an emperor seeing their people thrive—especially when the women of the Imperium Caelestis are naturally beautiful with perfect figures?
Besides, North and South America are almost fully under control.
Europe and the Middle East have fallen in less than a week.
The only places left are Russia, former Soviet territories in Asia, and China—still untouched.
But it's only a matter of time.
The Astra Militarum forces in America and Europe have already begun moving toward Asia and Russia.
"You bastard!" Yuriko Takagi snapped, glaring furiously at Kenthelion. She was clearly offended by his earlier teasing — calling her "big-breasted but brainless."
Kenthelion quickly raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry! That was a terrible joke. But honestly, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since we met."
As he spoke, Kenthelion gently reached for Yuriko's hand — soft, deliberate, and confident.
"How about... we talk about our matters first, before anything else?" he said in a low, almost whispering tone.
Yuriko frowned. "What do you mean? You haven't even told me where you really came from."
"But you didn't reject my suggestion earlier," Kenthelion smirked. "That means you're at least considering it."
Yuriko's face flushed. "You're such an incorrigible bastard."
"I'm just a man," Kenthelion replied, looking into her eyes, "who fell for an extraordinary woman. You say you're just an old woman, a wife and a mother... But to me, you shine with the grace and allure of experience. Your beauty is something only a real woman carries."
Yuriko fell silent, cheeks burning red. Kenthelion realized he was still holding her hand, and when he saw her gaze — shy, flustered, yet captivating — something inside him stirred.
Without hesitation, Kenthelion pulled her into a gentle embrace and kissed her deeply. That night, they disappeared into a private room within the command center.
The next morning, Kenthelion woke up alone. Yuriko was already gone. He knew she had left early, not wanting anyone — especially her daughter — to know what had happened between them that night.
---------
"Big sister, are we going to sleep here? And why are those older sisters crying?" Airi asked, looking at the women who were still sobbing after being rescued.
"Yes, Airi. We'll stay here from now on. But don't bother the sisters who are still crying, okay?" Kiriko Miyamoto replied softly but firmly.
Kiriko was furious after seeing those women being rescued by soldiers dressed in green — the Astra Militarium. She never expected that ships from other countries would start kidnapping women by tricking them onto their vessels.
She was also disappointed by the behavior of her own country's soldiers, who had done the same to those women.
Kiriko had heard from previously rescued women that they were treated the same way as the women in front of her now. Earlier that afternoon, she was filled with anger over the soldiers' conduct.
"Everyone, are you starting to get used to it here?" Kiriko asked, trying to calm the situation.
"Let's all rest now. They won't hurt us," she added.
"Are… we really safe now?" a young mother whispered, holding her baby close.
"I don't know… but at least there's no more screaming or gunfire," a middle-aged man answered, staring out from the tent.
"Who saved us anyway?" one woman asked.
"They looked like soldiers, but their uniforms were really strange. Not like the JSDF…" another said.
"And their weapons… when they hit the zombies, their heads just exploded," someone else added.
"Hey, did you see that huge flying ship? We were all taken inside that earlier…" a woman said, amazed and confused.
----------
At the Command Center
Kenthelion stood in front of a large screen, watching the endless tide of zombies heading toward Tokyo.
"Your Majesty, we've already deployed our troops at strategic points surrounding the city of Tokyo," reported one of his officers.
"You're free to do whatever you think is necessary. Consider this as preparation for the war against the aliens. I won't always be leading personally—everyone must get used to using Imperium Caelestis equipment."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
---
At the Beach near Haneda Airport
Yuriko Takagi walked along the beach with her son, Takagi Saya.
"Mom… where did you go last night? I woke up in the middle of the night and you weren't there," Takagi Saya asked, noticing just how beautiful his mother looked today.
"I had something to take care of last night, so I went out for a bit," Yuriko replied casually, giving a reasonable excuse.
"Mom… are you in a relationship with Kenthelion?"
Takagi Saya hesitated, lowering his head slightly as he asked the question.
"You… knew?"
"Mom, I saw you leave last night, and I followed you…" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. He had secretly trailed after her—and what he witnessed shocked him. His mother and Kenthelion… together in bed, doing things he couldn't unsee.