— — — — — —
The three-woman squad was working together flawlessly.
Eirin Yagokoro had always been a master of teaching according to one's strengths.
Saeko Busujima specialized in swordsmanship—so she took the front line.
Rika Minami was a crack shot—long-range suppression was her job.
And Shizuka Marikawa, the slightly airheaded one, was in charge of support and healing magic under Eirin's careful instruction.
"Mhm."
Saeko nodded seriously, her cool, striking face all focus. "I can feel it. Every zombie I kill sends energy into my body. But… around ninety percent of it disappears without a trace. Only the last ten percent stays, strengthening my body and spirit power."
"As long as it works, that's what matters. Let's get started."
"Right."
After exchanging a few words with Rika, Saeko stood ready. Shizuka raised her hands, layering buffs over both teammates in shimmering light.
Then—
With a sharp flash, Saeko's yokai blade left its sheath, streaking forward like cold lightning toward a distant zombie horde.
Meanwhile, Rika's sleek pistol had already shifted into a glowing blue Gatling gun.
Ratatatatata—!
Endless bullets tore through the night.
The three of them moved with near-perfect rhythm.
Their goal was simple: wipe out every zombie on the planet. All of them.
A task like that wouldn't be finished anytime soon—but the stronger they grew, the faster the hunt went.
And strangely enough—
Even though Shizuka was just healing and throwing buffs, she was still getting "experience points." Somehow, that felt just a bit unfair.
---
City Lord's Mansion
Kira lounged comfortably, chatting idly with the little princess in his arms—Kaguya Houraisan herself.
Then, suddenly—
"What is it, Father?" Kaguya tilted her head, noticing the pause.
Kira smiled, eyes narrowing slightly as he focused. "The plan worked. My Trait successfully replicated the effect of Eirin's spell. Even better."
"Well... I'm not sure if it's stronger," he said thoughtfully, "but I can clearly feel my Authority of Plague increasing—slowly, but steadily."
"So that means…"
"Saeko, Rika, and Shizuka killing zombies is feeding that power back to me, little by little. It's raising my plague control over time."
"That's wonderful!"
Kaguya's laughter was like a clear chime, her tiny frame radiating elegance.
"With this method, Father," Kaguya said happily, "you'll master your plague power even faster."
"Yeah." Kira nodded with satisfaction.
Plan complete. AFK mode: activated.
Then he grinned mischievously. "Alright, Kaguya. Be honest with me—what exactly did you ask Shizuka to bring back for you?"
"Eh?"
Kaguya blinked, feigning innocence so shamelessly it was almost cute.
Kira raised his hand and gave her a gentle bonk on the head.
Bonk.
"Oww—! Father, that hurts! My poor head…"
She hugged her little head pitifully, eyes wide and teary.
Kira chuckled. "Don't try to play dumb with me. I'm not mad—you can just tell me what you wanted."
"Fine…"
Kaguya puffed up her cheeks. "I asked Shizuka to bring me some game discs, cartridges, a PlayStation console, and… some manga. Maybe a few light novels too."
"Mm-hmm. That's what I thought." Kira wasn't surprised in the least.
Lately, she'd been disappearing for days, holed up somewhere in Eientei—and he'd already guessed why.
Apparently, his lovely little daughter had evolved early… into the NEET Princess herself.
He still remembered when Shizuka first arrived here, arms full of manga and light novels.
"Alright, fine." Kira sighed, half amused, half helpless. "Just don't overdo it. If Eirin comes knocking because you played yourself into exhaustion, I will have to start setting time limits."
"Don't worry, Father. I'll manage my time wisely," Kaguya said with the confidence of someone who absolutely would not.
Of course, Kira didn't believe a word of it. "Who do you think you're fooling, Kaguya? I know you too well."
Still, there wasn't much point stopping her.
After all, for immortals like them—especially a true Hourai being like Kaguya—endless lifetimes could stretch on without end. Finding something to do with all that time was a blessing in itself.
He just hoped his smart, graceful, well-mannered daughter wouldn't fall so deep into NEETdom that all she ever talked about were anime and games.
...
The day passed quietly. Kira spent it reading, studying Eirin's notes, and accumulating knowledge bit by bit.
As for Kaguya…
The moment she thought of her new treasures waiting in Eientei, her excitement practically glowed.
By nightfall, the group came back after wiping out a lot of zombies. They talked things over, had dinner, and then the father and daughter duo headed to Eientei together.
Once they arrived, Kaguya quickly found an excuse and disappeared into her room—no doubt to dive headfirst into her growing hoard of entertainment.
Kira, meanwhile, walked straight to the medical wing.
"So, it worked? How's the effect?" Eirin asked, setting aside the vial she'd been mixing.
"Perfectly," Kira replied. "I confirmed it with Saeko. Every zombie they kill—ninety percent of the energy flows back to me, and the remaining ten percent strengthens their own bodies and spirit power."
"Just as expected."
Eirin nodded calmly. "That ninety percent represents the plague authority you spread through them. The other ten percent functions as their supporting energy—spiritual reinforcement."
"Exactly what I thought," Kira said, smiling slightly.
"Same procedure as last time," Eirin said smoothly. "Go clean up in the bath first. Then we'll start the examination."
"Got it."
.
.
.