By the way, since last chapter we are officially done with canon HOTD. From now on, this is my story 100%, bar the characters of curse and of course.
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Ryo went back to the bus with Shouko on his back, asleep. She was too tired from the sudden rush of emotions she had felt, but the moment Ryo offered her a piggy-back, she fell asleep with her head comfortably placed on his shoulder. The feeling she got from Ryo was weird to her, because it felt like her mother's warmth, but it had the calmness of her grandma and a the same time she felt secure, something she had never felt so strongly before. That was the only reason she could fall asleep.
Ryo laid her in the back and asked Hiratsuka and Shizuka to take care of her. When he was about to begin driving though, Rei approached him.
"I'm proud to say I fell for you" she said before kissing him, quite boldly at that, in front of everyone. "You really are too good of a man"
Miku might've gotten a bit jealous, so she immediately ran to him and kissed him too. Ryo chuckled wryly at their actions. He would be lying if he said he didn't like it, but at the same time he needed to take things more slowly with each of them and build a proper relationship. He had seen a few harems among the Anime he had watched and a few novels, and he didn't want to be that jerk that forgot about one girl and left her alone for a couple months... or years if the novel was chinese.
Thinking about said things, he decided to do something as soon as he arrived at the Estate again. He had been putting it off for a few days already, and he wanted to take care of it swiftly, rather than urgently and hurriedly.
*
The trip back took six hours in total. Ryo was sure by then that he needed to do two things. One was limit the amount of people that would travel on the bus, and two was to make more mods to it so it would be more comfortable to be in it. Ryo wanted to make his bus into the ultimate "Apocalypse Traveling Machine". He had the blueprints... in his mind, that is.
As soon as they arrived, Ryo was received by a tackling Yuriko, who envolved his head in her massive jugs while saying how much she missed him. Apparently, two days apart was the limit for the lovely milf. Saya on the other hand, was much more reserved, but she still went towards him when her mother allowed him to get up from the ground. In a very meek way, she gave him a kiss in the cheek and tried to get away. Ryo hugged her faster than she could though.
Miku and Rei immediately grabbed the mother and daughter and took off, quickly followed by Hiratsuka and Shizuka. Saeko just stood there and left after a while. Ryo took a mental note to talk to her after everything had been settled.
Now he felt the actual dread of being a leader. As soon as everyone else came out of the bus, Yuriko and Saya began retelling him the happening of the last few days. Bar the occasional zombie that walked by, everything had been peaceful. They still had open rooms and the food he had brough last time wa checked by Saya, who was now in charge of "logistics", as she called it. Yuriko herself was in charge of people problems.
He was so happy with the work they both had done that he kissed Yuriko again and gave a short peck to Saya, making her blush redder than an apple. Some people who were watching had different reactions. Most men respected Ryo for being able to make so many girls fall for him, while some ladies envied them. Only a minory chastised him as a player, but Ryo didn't know and wouldn't care anyways.
"Ok, first things first" Ryo said, getting serious. He would have time to frolic around with his girls later. Now he had to work on the Estate and make it as best a pace as he could. "We have to accomodate the people we brought back"
"Matsushima Cho, Kiriko and Tadashi Miyamoto were police officers before all went to hell. They can be of help in keeping things in order and most important, they can be trusted. They're good people, so the job will do them good"
Yuriko nodded and took mental note of his words. After all, that was her area of work. She was in charge of accomodation as well as management.
"Then, we need to set some rules. I can't allow people to act like the world hasn't gone to shit because they are safe inside the walls that surround the Estate" Ryo said before putting a hand on his chin and striking a thinking pose. "Of this I will take charge myself. People are bound to listen to me more intently and take my words more seriously. They know I don't hold my punches when someone steps out of line. If you have to, just spread rumours about..."
He told Yuriko and Saya what had happened in the mall, both Shizuka's attempted r*** and the kid he had thrown off the building. He did it as both a test and a show of trust. He trusted them enough to tell them he had killed a kid, and he tested them to see their reaction. Yuriko remained unaffected, while Saya flinched but recovered soon. He was happy to see that. Other people he didn't care too much, but if they thought badly of him he would feel very hurt.
"We need materials. Metal sheets, wood planks, water resitant materials..." he said as he began to think about where to find those, and he added when he remembered the stores he was thinking of. "We should be able to find those at any nearby Homac or Keiyo D2"
"These are for reinforcing the structucture around the Estate and making things safer. We know zombies are bad, but the worst threat are humans at the moment. As much as it pains me to say this, most humans will reveal twisted wishes in this situation. Soichiro and Shido are the best examples I can think of"
Saya was the one who took note of his words this time. After all, making inventory and checking supplies was her job. She quickly thought of his words, but realized they were true. People like Shido or her father that could manipulate people into doing their bidding were the most dangerous, and right below them were the people who did their bidding for their own personal pleasure.
"The last thing we have to think about is clearing all the zombies in the area" he said with even more power to his voice than the previous orders. "Of this one too, I will take care of personally"
Saya was feeling extremely giddy at the thought of having such a capable boyfriend. Which girl wouldn't? Yuriko too, was giddy. But her reason was totally different than her daughters. Seeing her man acting so dominatingly, showing how capable of a leader he was, made her feel hot and bothered. She loved the manliness Ryo oozed unconsciously. And the other girls did too, they just didn't know exactly what that feeling was.
"We can do that later..." Ryo said as he noticed Yuriko blushing and pressing her legs together slightly. Of course, he did so by getting closer to her and whispering in her ear, his tone suggesting pleasure. Then he got serious again. "The last thing I want from you two is to train someone to do your job when you are absent"
"Huh?" x2
Mother and daughter were both extremely confused by his words. When they went through them in their mind, they realized what he meant.
"We're traveling with you from now on?" they both asked at the same time, still mildly shocked. Ryo just smirked at their confusion and answered. "Yeah. I can't leave you two here alone, so instead I will be leaving Kouta in charge of decisions with the Yamada mother and son doing your job"
They felt extremely happy when they realized just how much Ryo cared about them. Saya wasn't even in a relationship with him, and neither had she confessed her feelings, but he was already thinking of her as his woman! Yuriko on the other hand was happy because that meant she could talk more with the other girls and bring them into "Ryo's boat of happiness", as she called it.
Ryo had unknowingly gave a different meaning to "The Drippin' Bus".
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Short and to the point, but it shows a different side of Ryo, who is now acting like an actual leader while still being playful with his girls.
To most of you out there waiting: You will love next chapter. But next chapter is next chapter, and it isn't coming until tomorrow cause I'm sleepy as fuck.