Under the cover of night, Riku returned to their temporary base. He held his precious daughter in his arms, while Saeko Busujima walked faithfully by his side.
The base was a luxurious villa.
"Darling!"
Alice burst through a portal that appeared suddenly. She lunged toward Riku like a starving wolf, trying to throw herself into his arms. Riku stepped aside quickly, caught her by the arm, and tossed her onto the sofa.
"Can't you see I'm holding little Klee?" Riku said. His tone was helpless.
Alice let out a high-pitched, whiny, "Ying ying ying." She covered her face, pretending to sob. "Typical! You have a daughter and you don't want me anymore. Men are all the same. You treat women as nothing more than tools to continue your bloodline."
That was a heavy blow.
However, Riku remained calm. He sat on the sofa, holding his daughter, and replied, "It doesn't matter. The child is already born, so you have served your purpose. The next one will be more obedient, and the next one will be cuter."
"..."
Saeko Busujima and the other women who had stepped out of the portal fell into a stunned silence.
What was this? A battle of wits between husband and wife? The exchange was so intense that it felt as if the world itself was shaking.
The two stopped arguing. Alice reached out a small hand and purred, "Darling~~~"
"I know what you are asking for, but I don't have it either," Riku said. He set his daughter down and spread his hands.
"Eh?" Alice tilted her head, looking surprised. "Isn't the neighboring universe a technological one?"
Riku shook his head. "Quite the opposite. It is mystical—perhaps even mythological."
Riku explained the nature of the [Saint Seiya] universe.
"So it is *that* universe," Alice realized. In that case, it was a waste of time. The technology in that world was not important.
Riku understood what Alice wanted, but there was no need to talk about it. As he always said: the result would be fine. As for the process? Do not ask.
Riku turned his attention to the other women. Everyone was there.
There was the mother-daughter duo with pinkish-purple and pink hair: Yuriko and Saya Takagi. There was the tan-skinned and snow-skinned pair: Rika Minami and Shizuka Marikawa. Finally, there was the girl with the high ponytail and chestnut-brown hair: Rei Miyamoto.
Including Saeko Busujima, the [Highschool of the Dead] group was complete.
"My Lord!" the five women said together, bowing respectfully.
Riku nodded with a smile. He did not ask anything else.
Later, after Saeko had tucked little Klee into bed, Riku lay down with Alice. Alice had just finished dressing up as a little frog. Riku asked curiously, "What about Takashi Komuro and Kota Hirano?"
Had the main group of six been changed? Had Rika and Yuriko taken their places?
"How else do you think this universe ended up completely broken?" Alice grumbled. "I checked. The entire planet, aside from those six girls, is nothing but zombies."
"Completely broken..." Riku thought for a moment. He decided not to overthink it. He asked casually, "How far has the progress gone?"
"I have already figured out the central nervous system of the zombies."
Alice felt tired, but she perked up instantly. She sat up and gestured as she explained.
The [Highschool of the Dead] universe was a weak one. It was still a newborn universe. Aside from the humans born on Earth, there were no other intelligent species. Yet, it had still managed to collapse.
Alice had studied it. Her original plan was to clear out the zombies and then try a different approach: controlling them.
Zombies did not get tired. To Alice, that was a perfect workforce! She used the central nervous system to control the zombie population and used the 'magic circles' provided by her darling to harvest 'Cosmic Energy.' She wanted to build up technology and use that to create more Cosmic Energy, creating a cycle.
The final step had a problem, but Alice did not think it was a major issue. They would continue with the first two steps. If that failed, she would just find another way to 'farm' and harvest the 'Cosmic Energy.'
"Impressive!" Riku gave her a thumbs-up. As expected of Alice; her ability to cause trouble and her skill were top-tier. It had only been three months, and she had already reached this stage.
"As for those six girls, they have good potential. With some training, they can all stand on their own," Alice said. She meant, *You can trust me to get the job done.*
Riku smiled. "Alice, you were just scared, weren't you?"
"Who said that? How could that be? Darling, don't talk nonsense!" Alice immediately shook her head. She insisted that she was not scared at all.
"Shall we continue?"
"Bring it on!"
In the end, Alice was defeated. She tried her best, but she could not satisfy the 'Lord of the Universe.' She felt sorry about that. Of course, defeat was defeat, but she would never beg for mercy. That was out of the question!
The next day, Riku woke up, but Alice said she was taking a few days off to rest. She had been defeated after her challenge, and her body needed to recover.
Saeko Busujima took little Klee out to play. As for the other five women, Riku did not play favorites. He taught them all about the Cosmo and planted a seed within each of them.
Whether they could make those seeds grow? Riku was not entirely sure. He would take it slow. The system was one thing, but individual talent was also important.
Of course, Alice had planted a 'Core of the Universe' in all six of them, so they were all considered 'family' now. Their lives would change, evolving from short-lived beings into long-lived ones. They could work hard over time. If it did not work out, being a 'flower vase' was fine too.
As for the [Highschool of the Dead] universe, the gains from 'Saeko Busujima' alone were already amazing.
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