The Next Day.

"Everyone, this is my friend Rika-chan." – Shizuka smiled widely as she pointed toward the beautiful woman standing beside her.

Rika was a mature woman in her twenties. Her skin was tanned, yet that did nothing to diminish her beauty. She had long purple hair, striking red eyes, and a large, firm chest that, while not quite comparable to Shizuka's, was still impressive. Her figure was further accentuated by her toned rear and long legs. She wore a white sports bra under an unzipped green jacket, along with black military pants and high combat boots. A large bag rested on her back—no doubt carrying some kind of sniper rifle.

"Nice to meet you all. I am Minami Rika." – Rika smiled lightly as her sharp gaze swept across the group, lingering on Kojou and his companions longer than on the others. – "Thank you for taking care of my dear friend."

Rika was a well-trained soldier. It didn't take her long to recognize that Kojou and Saeko were abnormally strong—dangerously so. Her instincts screamed that they were the kind of people one should never provoke. If not for Shizuka's words and the fact that they showed no hostile intent toward her, she might have already drawn the pistol at her thigh and opened fire.

"Pleasure to meet you as well, Rika-san." – Takashi smiled politely, extending his hand warmly for a handshake. – "Please forgive us for intruding into your home and even taking weapons from it."

"There's no need to worry. I don't mind something that trivial, especially since Shizuka was the one who allowed you inside." – Rika replied with nonchalance, shaking his hand lightly. She had already heard the full story from Shizuka, so she wasn't bothered by their presence. As for the weapons, she cared even less—she couldn't use them all by herself anyway. – "By the way, were the only weapons you found the ones in the bedroom on the second floor?"

"Yes, the weapons we obtained were inside a safe in that room." – Takashi nodded, a bit puzzled, not fully grasping the implication behind her words.

"Minami-san!! Do you mean there are more weapons we didn't find?!" – Kohta exclaimed with excitement. The gun enthusiast immediately understood the hidden meaning in her statement.

"You must be Hirano-kun." – Rika examined him from head to toe. – "I've heard about you from Shizuka. I must admit, I'm impressed by your deep passion for firearms. And as I said, yes—there are other weapons hidden here. The ones in the second-floor bedroom were merely a decoy to conceal the real cache."

Shizuka had told her about Kohta's obsession, but seeing it firsthand left Rika slightly amazed. His attire, which mimicked soldiers from video games, was ridiculous yet strangely fitting for his eccentric personality.

"Are the weapons you're talking about stored in the empty space beneath that couch?" – Kojou asked, pointing to one of the sofas in the living room. Thanks to his sharp senses, he had already noticed the hidden passage beneath it. He hadn't said anything before since he disliked prying into others' secrets, and he hadn't even attempted to open it. Truthfully, he had almost forgotten about it until Rika mentioned weapons again.

"I didn't expect anyone to discover my secret room." – Rika blinked in mild surprise. The entrance had been concealed so well that even someone wandering the house would never notice it unless they already knew where to look.

"I stumbled upon it by chance. Don't worry—I never tried to enter or open it." – Kojou replied casually as he walked toward the kitchen. – "You all can continue talking; I'm feeling a little hungry."

This world lacked both magical and spiritual energy. Because of that, Kojou couldn't naturally replenish the magic he had spent erasing the zombies' corpses. While he possessed the rare ability to devour memories and convert them into magic—a power known as Scorched Banquet, which only a Primogenitor-level Vampire could wield—he chose not to use it here. Instead, he relied on eating food to slowly recover, even if it took far more time.

Scorched Banquet was a terrifying ability, one that came into existence when Kojou became the Fourth Primogenitor. In fact, the conditions of this world made it eerily similar to a setting ripe for Scorched Banquet. Those whose memories were consumed by it turned into zombies that hunted others, biting them to absorb their magic and memories—spreading the curse and creating more of their kind.

The difference, however, was crucial. Unlike the zombies of this world, victims of Scorched Banquet did not die permanently. Once the banquet ended, they returned to normal, albeit stripped of their memories. They lived, unlike the zombies here, who were doomed to almost certain death—or, in an incredibly rare one-in-a-million chance, could evolve into a Shito.

Kojou hadn't yet seen a Shito in this world, but he had already guessed its purpose. Its power was nothing but an inferior copy of Scorched Banquet: by planting its cells or DNA into humans, it could drain their life force and souls to gain magical energy. It seemed to be gathering strength to escape this world, because no sane being would destroy the very world it inhabited.

Even as Kojou sank into these thoughts, his body didn't stop moving. Before long, he had prepared a mountain of food to sate his hunger. Though he consumed massive amounts, every bit of it was instantly converted into magical power inside his body. That was why he needed so much—not merely to fill his stomach, but to fuel his existence.

...

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