The sky had been gloomy since dawn, and now the rain was finally beginning to fall. In the distance, thunder rumbled low and ominous.
Everything seemed normal until Tsukiko, who was lounging on a sofa by an open window, spoke up. "Ah! Yuzuki, look... your husband Ahiro is touching my breasts. Maybe he wants to drink my milk again?"
Without even looking over, Yuzuki replied dismissively, "But Mom... Ahiro is right there, talking to Ame about anime, so..."
"What? Really? Then who..."
We all turned to look, and a collective scream of terror filled the room. A hideous, distorted creature was pawing at her chest. One of its eyes hung loosely from the socket by a few remaining muscles, and its skin was grey, sloughing off in rotten patches.
"It's a zombie!" we shouted in unison.
Tsukiko scrambled away, putting distance between herself and the creature. "A zombie on this island?!" Miss Yurin questioned, her voice trembling.
"Stop! We have to throw it out!" Rin cried.
"Right! But who is going to do it?" Sayaka asked, looking around frantically.
"Aieee! Zombie!!" Ai shrieked, paralyzed by fear.
"Do something! Anyone!" Ame pleaded.
The zombie advanced slowly, dragging its feet. As it took one step forward, we instinctively took a step back. Suddenly, my eyes landed on a length of rope hanging on the wall as decoration.
"Ooh! The hunter rope!" I said, trying to inject a bit of dark humor into the panic. "Maybe Ai's mom used to beat Ai's dad with this when he flirted with other women? Ha! Ha! Ha!"
"You idiot! Stop your nonsense!" Rin barked at me.
"Hey! My parents were nothing like that!" Ai protested, even in the middle of the chaos.
"Wait! Ahiro actually has a good idea," Miss Yurin intervened.
"What?" We all looked at her, surprised. She grabbed the rope and tossed the end to me. "Ahiro! Catch! Hold it tight!"
"Uh, okay!" I caught it. "What are we doing?"
"We'll loop the rope around this zombie, hoist him up, and then haul him out of here!" Shiori suggested.
"Good idea!" the girls supported in unison.
Working together, we managed to snag the creature and pull it through the open window, dragging it out of the mansion. The zombie grunted and thrashed, but we ignored it until it was finally outside. However, the moment we looked out to ensure it was gone, our blood ran cold.
We weren't just dealing with one. We were surrounded by a horde.
"Ugh... Ahiro?"
"Yes?"
"Get back inside the mansion. FAST!!"
We jumped back through the window and slammed it shut, bolting the locks.
"Oh my god... the mansion is being surrounded by a zombie army!" Tsukiko said, her voice faint with shock.
"But... that's scientifically impossible," Hanako whispered, staring at the shadows pressing against the glass.
Suddenly, the lights flickered and died. The mansion was plunged into total darkness.
"What happened?" Yuzuki asked, her voice tight with nerves.
"Actually," Ai explained, "we've been running on stored electricity from the solar panels on the roof this whole time. But the battery is drained because it's been raining so hard today, and we used too much power yesterday."
"So what? It doesn't matter for today," Rin snapped, trying to sound brave despite the dark.
"But... I'm terrified of sleeping in the dark," Ame-san whispered.
"Oh no... what can we do? We can't even use the torch lights for that long," Miss Yurin added, her voice full of confusion.
"I have a solution! We have plenty of candles in the storeroom," Kagatani-senpai announced. "Wait here. Let's go."
"Can I go too?" I asked. Kagatani-senpai nodded, and I followed her into the gloom.
"Don't forget that there is still so much we don't know about this world," Miss Yurin said as we reconvened. "After all... we even saw a goddess in real life that day."
"That reminds me," Rin interrupted, "I've been wondering... what do '4K UHD' and '4K LHD' mean? The Goddess mentioned them to us."
Every girl's mouth dropped open.
"In what kind of world did you live?!" Rin shouted, baffled by the terminology.
"It's a fair question," Ame and Kagatari supported, nodding in agreement. "Yes!"
"The Goddess told us those things are forbidden for us," Sayaka reminded everyone. "So let's not waste time on it."
"Exactly," I said, trying to steady the group. "Don't be afraid. We're inside a concrete mansion, and those zombies are too weak to break in. All we have to do is wait it out."
A few moments later, Kagatani returned with a lit candle and a bag full of spares. Ai placed a candle in the center of the table between the sofas, the small flame casting long, dancing shadows against the walls.
For two hours, we sat in silence. The only sound was the muffled groans from outside. Miss Yurin checked her watch; it was 3:21 PM, but without the sun, it felt like midnight. The zombies had reached the walls now, their scratching and thumping against the glass becoming a constant, annoying rhythm. To block out the sight of them, Rin drew the heavy curtains tight.
Suddenly, Yuzuki leaned toward Rin, her expression serious. "There is something big we've discovered..."
We all leaned in, eager to hear a breakthrough. Yuzuki usually never said anything so strange.
"According to Shiori's team," Yuzuki whispered, "when a female is injected by their serum—Monster x Harem—she loses control."
Shiori stopped her and added, "Yeah... she kisses her closest male partner. That means... Ahiro, right?"
"You're right. So?" Sayaka asked.
"It means... Rin is in love with Ahiro!"
The room went silent. Our eyes went wide, darting between Rin and Ahiro.
"What the heck are you talking about?!" Rin screamed, her face turning beet red. "That thing you've gotten... you chicken!"
We could see Rin's anger boiling over, prompting Miss Yurin to try and intervene. "Calm down, Rin! Maybe the chemists are wrong somehow?"
"No! We're certain because before Rin, we tested it on a female cat," Shiori explained. "After she drank it, she tried to kiss every male cat on this island during mating season!"
"Ew! You're really nasty!" Ai grimaced.
By then, Rin had reached her breaking point; she looked like a volcano ready to erupt. She stood up abruptly and lunged toward Yuzuki. Raising her hand, she swung for a heavy slap—aiming straight for Yuzuki's cheek. Yuzuki instinctively braced herself, covering her face with her hands.
Suddenly, a sharp SLAP! echoed through the room.
But when Yuzuki opened her eyes, she realized she wasn't hurt. Everyone stood frozen in shock, staring at the person who had actually taken the blow.
I looked into Rin's wide, regretful eyes. "You..."
"Yes, it's me," I said firmly. Truthfully, I had stepped in because I couldn't stand to see any of my companions getting hurt.
"Why—why did you come up here?!" she shouted at me, her voice cracking. "Why did you stop me from slapping her?!"
I smiled at her, trying to ease the tension. "Because... it was my dream to lead a harem life, and it's finally coming true. I've experienced so many new things with all of you. I've tasted a woman's milk—and on the other hand, my own mother never even allowed me to drink hers; I was raised as a baby on cow's milk. My first kiss was with you, Rin, and I've shared a bath with you girls. The first was Kagatani-san, then Ame-san... I've felt your 'marshmallows,' and my second kiss was with Shiori-san... so why would I allow you girls to be harmed? After all, I'm on a lonely island full of girls; it's my duty to protect you."
The girls were stunned into silence by my speech.
"Sorry... Ahiro-kun," Rin whispered. "And sorry, Yuzuki-san."
"Don't worry," Yuzuki replied softly.
"Oh my! We've given you that much? I'm so happy!" Tsukiko chimed in.
"Oh, Mom!" Yuzuki groaned, embarrassed.
"Psst! Ahiro, come with me," Rin said, her voice dropping to a gentle tone. "I'm going to clean that cut on your cheek; it's bleeding a little."
"No! I'm his maid! I should do it!" Kagatani insisted.
"No, give her a chance," Miss Yurin said, holding Kagatani back.
"Okay, I'm bringing the medical box," Ai added, scurrying off.
"Oh my! These students are so lovely," Miss Yurin remarked with a smile. "I wish my daughter could find a man like him."
"Mom..." Yuzuki sighed.
In a quieter corner of the room, Rin cleaned the mark on my face and carefully applied a bandage. "Okay. It's done."
"Thanks," I said.
"Don't. It was my fault after all... and from now on, you're my first friend, okay?" she said, her face turning a deep shade of crimson.
"Yeah, sure. We already are friends—and not just the two of us. We're all friends, and you girls are my first friends."
She looked up, surprised, and then smiled. "Yeah... we all are friends."
Suddenly, a strange noise erupted from outside. It wasn't the thunder this time.
"What is it?" Hanako asked, her voice filled with surprise.
We all crowded around the window, peering through the glass. Outside, we saw a figure moving through the rain, slaying the zombies with such ease it looked like a piece of cake.
"Whoa! What—or who—is that?" Yuzuki questioned.
After cutting down the last of the brutes, the figure suddenly moved with a burst of speed toward us. Before we could react, she crashed right through the glass, landing on a table and then sliding onto the floor.
The figure spoke up quickly. "Don't fear. I'm a human. Please... let me come inside."
We stood up and stared. Before us was a stunningly cute girl with long, flowing blue hair and eyes to match. She was wearing clothes that looked completely unnatural for this world—like something out of a fantasy story.
"Guys, can you believe her?" Hanako asked, looking at the rest of us.
"I'm not sure," Miss Yurin admitted.
"Let her enter," I said firmly.
"Why?" they asked.
"Because... she is looking cute, so..."
"Ahiro, you're always making jokes!" Ai teased.
"No, he's actually right," Miss Yurin supported. "The Goddess mentioned that people from other multiverses—places where worlds have been erased—might be coming here. Maybe she's one of them."
"Okay... Team Hanako agrees," Hanako said, signaling for us to help her.
We approached the girl and saw that her costume was torn in several places from the battle. Much of her leg was exposed, and her outfit was tattered. But the most striking thing was what she was holding: two swords that matched the color of her hair, their hilts designed like blooming roses.
"Come in," we allowed her.
I thought to myself: An Isekai girl with a sword! This means the real action has finally arrived!
END