When Saeko opened her eyes again, the dim void had vanished.
Instead, she found herself back in her assigned room. Waiting inside was Rei Miyamoto, pacing nervously until her gaze snapped toward the sudden shimmer of resurrection.
"Saeko-senpai!"
Rei rushed over, relief flashing across her face. But then, as if remembering something, her joy faltered. She stopped in front of Saeko, lips trembling.
"…Senpai. You too, didn't you?"
Busujima Saeko straightened, her burgundy eyes calm as ever.
"Yes. I became… a slave."
"U-um…"
The word itself made Rei flinch. Slave. She couldn't even bring herself to say it out loud so easily.
But Saeko's voice was steady, unshaken, as though it were nothing more than a fact.
Rei lowered her gaze, fingers tightening around her skirt.
"So… what are you going to do, Saeko-senpai?"
Her voice was cautious, carrying an inner struggle.
On the surface, she rejected the idea of being a slave.
But deep down… she wanted to obey.
This contradiction gnawed at her, left her troubled and confused.
Saeko, however, stared directly into her eyes. The sharp, swordlike intensity in her gaze made Rei falter, her guilty conscience forcing her to look away.
The corners of Saeko's lips curled faintly. She had already seen the answer hidden in Rei's heart.
"Rei," Saeko said evenly, "the Master… he seems to be something like a zombie monster in human skin."
"!!"
Rei's eyes widened in shock.
"Z-zombie monster? But that's—"
"What you see is only the surface he allows you to see," Saeko cut her off, her tone calm and absolute. "He is not human."
"..."
Rei stood frozen, her mind reeling.
Her fantasy had always been of a cold yet beautiful man—handsome, powerful, untouchable. Never once had she imagined her Master as a monster wrapped in human flesh.
And yet…
The memories were real.
That gentle voice guiding her.
Those steady hands carrying her back to her room.
The warmth of a blanket pulled over her shoulders.
Even if he was a monster… he was still her Master.
Saeko, standing quietly before her, watched the shift in Rei's expression with sharp perception. She was not someone who could hide her feelings well.
The confusion drained from Rei's eyes, replaced instead with something sharper. Determination.
The look of a swordsman who had finally chosen a path.
"…I see."
Saeko smiled faintly at the change. She exhaled, then spoke with surprising softness.
"Forgive me, Rei. I lied. The truth is…"
Her voice dropped.
"…Master told me himself. He is human, not a monster."
"Eh?!"
Rei blinked in shock, the determination she had just built up wavered for a moment.
"I only said that to give you a push," Saeko admitted. "You seemed lost. I wanted to force you to face your own feelings."
Her burgundy eyes glimmered faintly in the dim room.
"And now… it seems you've found your answer."
Miyamoto Rei froze, but then her expression shifted.
She understood.
At first, she had been confused — tangled in her own fantasies, her own ideals. But after Saeko-senpai's words, her heart was steady.
"Saeko-senpai… please don't tease me with lies like that." Rei pouted, her voice carrying both reproach and relief.
Busujima Saeko's lips curled into a faint smile.
"At the very least, Rei, I stand in the same place as you."
"Eh?"
Rei blinked in surprise. The same stance…?
That could only mean—Saeko-senpai also acknowledged the Master.
"But… why?" Rei asked softly.
"Why?" Saeko tilted her head, her burgundy eyes narrowing as if amused. Then, with a small, knowing smile, she answered:
"Perhaps… because the Master is my ideal type."
"Ehh—?!"
Rei's brain stalled. Was that a joke? Or was she serious?
But before Rei could ask, Saeko had already turned away, sliding the door open.
"Come. Let's gather with Shinobu and the others. We need to discuss the fifth floor."
"…???"
Rei stood behind her, her head swimming with question marks.
Saeko-senpai was impossible to read.
Meanwhile, in the Tower
Yami Tsukishiro leaned back against the tower's crystalline wall, more than satisfied with his newest acquisitions.
As expected of the world of Highschool of the Dead—truly the "breast-shaking apocalypse." Busujima Saeko and Miyamoto Rei were both extraordinary talents… and, admittedly, rather satisfying to the touch.
But business came first.
After resolving Saeko's contract, Yami immediately used the new dungeon summoning reward.
A chime echoed.
[Ding! You have obtained the S-class Meme "Word Spirit." Would you like to fuse immediately?]
"…Another meme?"
Yami raised an eyebrow. Memes were tricky. He didn't like them much, but their utility was undeniable.
"Fuse it."
Light surged around him as the integration began.
In the next instant, knowledge flooded into his mind.
"…So this is it. Not the dragon clan's 'Word Spirit' like I expected. Something even stranger."
The system unfurled its description before him:
[Meme]: Word Spirit (言霊)
[Rank]: S-Class
Abilities:
「Word Spirit: True」 – Words become reality.
Speak, and it manifests. Example: say "Fire," and flames ignite from nothing.
「Word Spirit: False」 – Words erase reality.
If something exists, declaring it false can make it vanish.
「Word Spirit: Proverb」 – Words bind life itself.
Convince, command, or deceive—living beings will accept the Word Spirit as absolute truth.
Yami exhaled, a crooked smile forming.
"…This isn't just practical. It's downright broken."
The True Word created existence.
The False Word erased it.
And the Proverb Word bent hearts and minds.
It was a power that rewrote reality itself—with nothing more than his voice.
"…A little bit like hypnosis, but on steroids."
He chuckled softly.
"Guess I'll have to be careful with what I say now."
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 100 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.