Fuyuka Yukino got up very early.
She did not really care about what people were saying in the group chat.
Originally, she planned to do what she always did. Eat breakfast, then go out to buy groceries.
But the moment she sensed danger, she gave up on that idea.
It was instinct.
A sharp, icy warning crawling up her spine.
Outside was dangerous.
Now was not the time for her to leave.
"This is bad. If it's dangerous outside, I should tell Natsuki Yuu."
Fuyuka suddenly realized.
In the apartment building, she did not know many people. Natsuki Yuu happened to be her neighbor.
So she hurried to the balcony in a rush.
"Ah!"
The sight below startled her so badly she flinched.
Only now, with her usually slow reactions, did she finally understand.
Those things down there were monsters.
"So many… monsters!"
"Mrs. Snow Lady!"
Natsuki Yuu noticed her.
"Outside is dangerous. Go back to your room, quickly."
"Natsuki!"
Fuyuka looked at him, lounging around as if nothing mattered. Then she realized how frantic she must have looked just now, and that he had seen it all. It completely ruined her usual composed, married-lady image.
Her cheeks immediately flushed.
"Mrs. Snow Lady, did you come out because you saw the messages in the group chat too?" Natsuki Yuu asked, unable to help himself.
"What group chat messages?" Fuyuka asked back, confused.
"Oh, nothing." Natsuki Yuu waved it off. "Mrs. Snow Lady, are you short on food? I have some here."
His attitude toward her was clearly different from how he treated everyone else.
"T-That… no… it's fine. I don't want to trouble you…" Fuyuka stammered, shy.
"It's not trouble. We're neighbors. We should help each other."
Natsuki Yuu stepped closer.
And at that moment, he saw her status panel.
[Fuyuka Yukino]
[Looks: 90/100]
[Figure: 95/100]
[Traits]
[Widow: A lady living alone (Dependency is harder to raise, but every 10% increase grants one Critical Chance. After ten Criticals, you will receive a 100x Critical Reward).]
[Yuki-onna: A non-human identity with power beyond humans, but it must be used with caution.]
[Socially Awkward: Mrs. Yuki-onna isn't good with people.]
[Gentle and Kind: A gentle, kind Mrs. Yuki-onna.]
[Cursed Ring: Only those who possess the Cursed Ring can control Mrs. Yuki-onna. (When Dependency exceeds 90%, the host will obtain the special item: Cursed Ring.)]
[Dependency: 5%]
"So it's true. You can only see a heroine's traits when you're close enough."
Natsuki Yuu stared at the panel, then nodded in satisfaction.
Even if her Dependency was hard to raise, she gave a reward every 10%.
And after ten times, a 100x Critical Reward.
That was absurdly good.
And once those traits transferred onto him, they would become special effects on his own body.
Plus, there was a Cursed Ring.
And this Mrs. Snow Lady had a special power of her own.
The more he looked, the more perfect it seemed.
Only… for now, she was a difficult target.
Because she was not human.
That alone bumped the difficulty up an entire tier.
"Natsuki… d-don't stare at me like that…"
Fuyuka could not handle the way he kept looking at her.
Her face went hot, and she turned and ran straight back into her room.
"She ran just like that. Seriously?"
Natsuki Yuu sighed.
"I feel like husband treats Mrs. Snow Lady differently," Mashiro Shiina muttered, tossing in a quiet comment.
"Of course I do." Natsuki Yuu smiled, looking almost excited. "She's Mrs. Snow Lady."
Mrs. Snow Lady…
When would he finally take her down?
…
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Ichiro Honda killed another Blood Corpse.
He was getting crazier and crazier.
His entire body was splattered in blood, his eyes wild and feverish.
He had no idea the two behind him had already slipped away.
"Huh? Where'd they go?"
Ichiro scratched his head.
"Whatever. Doesn't matter. I'll keep killing."
Up ahead, he saw a Blood Corpse slamming its body against a door.
He charged, swung his baseball bat once, and smashed its head open.
"Trash!"
Ichiro realized these Blood Corpses had fragile skulls.
One hit, and they burst like watermelons.
The only problem was the blood.
It sprayed everywhere.
He wiped his face, but he did not know the blood would not wipe off at all.
If anything, it only spread more.
"This looks like the Inukai unit…"
When Ichiro saw the nameplate, something dark and restless rose inside him for no reason.
Bang bang bang!
"Hey! Inukai! You home?"
He kicked the door hard several times.
With behavior that violent, Kaoru Inukai obviously did not dare open it.
She was even afraid he might force his way in.
"Open the door! Open it, damn it!"
Ichiro's face twisted.
His repeated kicks also drew the attention of Blood Corpses throughout the building.
"Aaaargh! Aaaargh!"
They moved slowly up from the lower floors.
"Hahaha! Good! Come on!"
Ichiro rushed in like a madman.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
He smashed heads one after another.
Even when a Blood Corpse grabbed him and bit into him, he did not fear it at all, as if he had lost the ability to feel pain.
"What a lunatic," Mr. Yoshino snorted, pressing his ear against his door.
"Isn't that perfect?" Mrs. Yoshino stood behind him, hands on her hips. "If that lunatic clears out all the Blood Corpses, we'll be safe."
"Hmph. Once we're safe, we'll go to that foreigner's apartment and steal his food."
Mr. Yoshino's face was twisted with spite.
What he wanted was not just food. He wanted to break that man's hands.
"I'm gonna pee on his head."
The Yoshino kid limped over, holding his groin.
"And I'm gonna smash his balls!"
He clenched his jaw, swearing revenge.
…
"W-Wow! So many eggs!"
Mashiro Shiina half-knelt beside the table, staring at the mountain of eggs in front of her.
Natsuki Yuu had not expected it either.
He had casually used a food bundle, and it had produced not one egg, but an entire pile.
They could not finish them.
Not even close.
"Food's piling up more and more."
In the apocalypse, the sense of safety food gave you was something nothing else could replace.
Natsuki Yuu snapped a photo of the eggs on the table.
Then, on purpose, sent it to Yukino Yukinoshita.
His account had not been accepted by her, but Mashiro's had.
"Want to eat some eggs, senpai?"
The moment Yukino saw the message, she realized it was from Natsuki Yuu.
"That guy…"
She lay on her bed, clutching her stomach as hunger cramped it. Then she forced down another huge bowl of water.
Water could not fill you.
It only made the emptiness sharper, more painful.
But Yukino had no choice.
There was nothing to eat.
Not a single bite left in her apartment.
"So, senpai… do you want to eat eggs or not?"
Natsuki Yuu sent another message.
"I won't eat them. I'd rather starve to death than eat your food."
Yukino forced herself to act tough.
"Oh? Then…" Natsuki Yuu replied. "How about a sausage?"
A photo popped up.
A sausage with its wrapper torn open, glossy and tempting.
It looked delicious.
Meaty.
Plump.
And shamelessly suggestive.
Yukino's mouth watered instantly.
"So infuriating…"