In the morning, after a not-so-peaceful night's sleep because of the constant gunfire from the Freedom guards outside of Rika's house against the horde of walking building materials that wandered inside the neighborhood, the group of main characters has gradually woken up from their beds with dark circles under their eyes and gathered around the dining table, where Zeno is already waiting for them while he is lazily having his breakfast.
Zeno's icy blue eyes watched the gathering group that barely got any sleep last night with amusement while the smell of his breakfast wafted through the room, cooked by none other than White Dream herself, who obediently cooked for Zeno after he asked her to cook for him like a spoiled brat, which also triggered the hidden command from Leila as White Dream mentioned how hopeless he was without his beautiful head maid Leila to pamper him and he should not be too lazy or he might set a bad example for their children in the future.
( AN: Leila is the clone of Kalawarna. )
Suddenly hearing an unexpected lecture from his beautiful Stand out of nowhere, Zeno was understandably baffled, but then he understood what was happening immediately after Leila's name was mentioned.
Zeno could only smile wryly as he slapped White Dream's butt softly in a misplaced retaliation against Leila's message, which caused White Dream to misunderstand his action and give him a subtle look to see if he wanted another milking session from her, to which Zeno immediately shook his head in denial of her inquiry—they are currently not alone after all.
"Morning~! It seems like you all have trouble sleeping, huh? How about you all eat something?"
Zeno greets the group with a smirk as he cuts the fried eggs on his plate in half with his fork before scooping the halved part into his mouth. He doesn't really care that on the dining table there is only his portion and nothing else for them to eat.
"..."
The group of main characters was quite speechless when they saw that Zeno only cooked for himself, but they can't really say anything to him since he's not their nanny.
Then, after they cooked and had breakfast together while listening to Zeno explain to them about how he got here at Rika's house and later joined by his guards, Zeno then began to casually describe the situation of Tokonosu City, which had become eerily silent since the sunrise, as the people that fortunately didn't become prey to the zombies had hidden themselves throughout the city, waiting for the uncertainty of rescue.
Next, Zeno then told them about the absence of important government and military personnel in Tokonosu City after he had his employees check out various government buildings in the city, which indicates that either Tokonosu City has already been abandoned or the decision-making individuals are all already dead and the government is now basically useless.
Whichever it was, the citizens are still pretty much on their own with no hope of the situation resolving itself anytime soon.
"..."
The group listened to Zeno in solemn silence, their appetites momentarily forgotten by how dire the situation is currently. There's no law and police anymore, so the danger level is double or even triple with the unhinged humans on the loose that can do whatever they want to one another.
"Well, currently there's a helicopter en route to pick me up at 10 AM. Would you all like to hitch a ride with me out of here?"
Like a ray of light in the darkness, Zeno suddenly mentioned that he could offer them a helicopter ride out of the city after he finished drinking a glass of milk, causing a flurry of surprised and astonished expressions from the solemn group around the dining table.
They all had just been told how severe their situation was, and now the path to salvation had suddenly shown up right after without even waiting for them to brood properly. They don't even know what face they should be making right now in this rollercoaster of emotions that Zeno put them in.
"But is the helicopter big enough for all of us?"
Shizuka, on a rare occasion of showing off her elusive intelligence side, voiced her doubt, her eyes filled with concern for the people they might have to leave behind if the helicopter was not large enough for all fifteen of them, including the guards too, of course. And unless it's a military transport helicopter, she doesn't think they can all board what she assumes is a commercial helicopter that's coming for Zeno and his guards.
"No, you don't have to worry about that; the incoming helicopter is pretty spacious and definitely large enough for all of us, and even if it isn't, the guards will still not be joining us; they have something else to take care of in the city."
Zeno cleared up Shizuka's worry with a smirk as he looked at the group, who collectively breathed a sigh of relief and visibly relaxed. Zeno then continues to speak from where he left off.
"So what is you guys' decision? I don't recommend you refuse, though, as the city will be quite dangerous with not just the zombies wandering around but also all kinds of unstable people who probably lost their minds from stress."
After Zeno finished, the group exchanged quick glances with each other. There was no hesitation in their eyes as they nodded their heads in agreement before they turned towards Zeno to tell him their decision that they agreed to go with him. The thought of being airlifted to safety outside of the city was too tempting for any sane people to pass up.
"Good, you all can come with me then."
Zeno just nodded in response, like it's a matter of course since he already expected them to agree with his offer.
After they finished breakfast in a more lighthearted atmosphere, Saya couldn't help but feel a sense of curiosity towards Zeno, who is a very mysterious man, as he never actually tells them much about himself, only the bare minimum of who he is.
As Saya looked at Zeno, who was talking with the two teachers about their struggles yesterday, she finally decided to ask the question that had been burning in her mind for a while now.
"Zavior-san, I'm curious about what you are planning to do after we leave the city. What is your goal now that the society is collapsing?"
Saya inquired directly, her eyes sharp and focused despite her blurred vision. She has a hunch that Zeno definitely has something big and ambitious in mind behind his casual demeanor.
"My plan?"
Zeno turned towards Saya with a raised eyebrow while the room quieted down as the others were also interested in his answer. Zeno makes a thoughtful expression for a couple of seconds before deciding to reveal his actual plan to them since it didn't really matter if anyone knew about it at this point. What are they going to do anyway?
"Well, I guess I can tell you guys, I'm planning to take over Tokonosu City after I go back to my company HQ."
He announced it with a casual demeanor, like he was just telling them he would go to the restroom and not just announcing something like taking over the city as the group stared at him with their eyes wide and their jaws dropping from Zeno's grand plan.
"..."
The silent reaction to such an ambitious plan is pretty loud, you could say. No one in the group expected him to have such a plan after all.
"H-Hoehhh~! You are amazing, Zavior-san~! I think you can do it~!"
After the initial shock, Shizuka suddenly giggles as she claps her hands in admiration like a kindergarten teacher who is cheering a little kid's dream of being the president of United States.
"Uhh… yeah... thanks, I guess?"
Zeno feels his cheeks warm as he chuckles dryly and wonders why he feels a bit embarrassed when the dizzy nurse genuinely praises him while the others watch the two of them with speechless expression.
"Ahem, anyway, with the current state of Japan, where the government officials have abandoned their posts or are missing and the military is preoccupied elsewhere doing who knows what, the citizens are in desperate need of the new management to manage them, don't you think?"
Zeno clears his throat and continues to talk about what he is planning to do, but the words "new management" sound pretty ominous to the group for some reason.
"I see.."
Saeko, who was quietly listening until now with a thoughtful expression, suddenly speaks up after hearing about Zeno's plan.
"I have a question: what kind of "new management" are you talking about, Zavior-san? Could you please elaborate more for us?"
Her question hung in the air, her tone a mix of skepticism and wariness. The idea of a zombie apocalypse was already surreal enough, but a city takeover by a mysterious company owner and his possible private army? It was the kind of scenario that belonged in a dystopian fiction, which most of the time results in a very brutal reign, so Saeko's caution is valid.
"...!"
Saeko's question causes some of the smart ones in the group to catch on to her hidden question and also look at Zeno warily, as they have seen what Zeno and his company are capable of, so if he actually turned out to be an evil corporation overlord, then it would be pretty bad for them.
"You ask the most important question, Swordgirl."
Zeno chuckled, taking a glance at the purple-haired girl who caught on to what he implied. Her clone will be quite competent, he thought with a smirk while beginning to answer Saeko, who looked mildly annoyed with the nickname.
"Let's just say that the current leadership of the world has proven to be quite... incompetent in managing the current crisis, so it's inevitable that someone with actual resources and manpower will step in. Someone who has a solid plan to ensure that humanity doesn't just survive but thrives in this new era with both real power and a firm hand, a very, very ironclad one."
His words were met with a tense silence, the group digesting the implications of what he was saying with a heavy feeling in the pit of their stomach. It was clear that Zeno had a very grand plan, more than they had originally thought—a grand plan that is not just for Tokonosu City or Japan but for the entire world, it seems.
But there's someone who's still clueless and can't read the mood as she made her presence known by asking about what is currently going on.
"Mmmhh~?? What are you guys talking about~?? Can someone please explain to me~?"
Shizuka, who can't quite catch up with the conversation, looks at everyone in confusion and pouts cutely, causing everyone to look at her with a wry smile because of her silliness.
Now the serious atmosphere is already destroyed by Shizuka. Zeno can only sigh with regret since he was having fun acting like a villain with a god complex, monologuing about his grand plan to the protagonist.
"Hah... whatever…"
Zeno shakes his head and then leaves the room while the group watches him walk away with complex feelings about him.