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She froze in fear as the sun illuminated her surroundings, the sound of the car's engine becoming perfectly audible as it parked. What kind of idiot would drive such a crude monstrosity? It would attract every zombie for miles! Ignoring the notification, Laurel rushed to the window, hastily moving the furniture she had placed in front of it just in time to witness two men and two women walking towards her house. A blonde woman was thrusting a knife into the head of one of the zombies that had been drawn by the noise.
Unfortunately, she knew very well who they were. Things were happening too fast, and she wanted to cry again when she realized there was no time to grieve.
The protagonist, along with the first two members of the harem, as well as his friend.
— fuck, Fuck, Fuck— Walking back and forth, Laurel was still wet from the shower, spreading water all over the wooden floor of the room. Grabbing a towel to cover her own body, just in time to slip on the water and fall on her butt.
— Fuck! — She cursed, groaning in pain. This had to be one hell of a poorly written soap opera; of course, she would be in that position when she met the protagonist. She hurriedly stood up, slipping again before steadying herself on her feet, and quickly grabbed a random dress to get dressed in time to hear the downstairs door open. Laurel threw on a long coat to cover her lack of a bra and panties. She wouldn't be caught in a crappy harem or embarrassing scenes! Not on her watch!
Was this the dreaded fate of an Ecchi protagonist? Laurel's face flushed with anger and embarrassment as she closed her coat even tighter. Limping across the room toward the bed, where she had hidden a knife under the pillow, she couldn't help but feel ashamed of being scared by a zombie. But she was Laurel, obsessed with survival. If anyone could thrive in the apocalypse, even without powers—because the succubus system was complete rubbish—it would certainly be her. Moreover, Eve was the protagonist's sister; he had to protect her, even without sleeping with her... right?
In all her years of life, it was the first time she wished she hadn't jumped from erotic scenes to heroic ones and had instead paid more attention to the damn book's plot.
Slipping the knife into her coat sleeve, she tried to calm herself, reminding herself that they were not enemies.
Running downstairs, she continued to fumble with her legs, which were still shaking with fear, even though she didn't know the cause.
— Eve? — The worried male voice was so deep that she instantly knew who it was.
Her heart seemed to race as fast as it did when she killed that zombie. She froze for a moment, reminding herself that she was in control and breaking free from the spell of the cursed protagonist's voice.
— You need to prepare yourself, in case she isn't... — The voice that followed was also male, but indifferent and clear. This was the protagonist's college friend, as far as she remembered.
— Shut up, he doesn't need this crap. — The footsteps approached as a woman's rude voice interrupted the man. The woman's voice was piercing, much like the protagonist's, causing her to flinch. Rethinking her plan, it seemed wiser to maintain a healthy distance from all harem members and the protagonist.
— Let's calm down, everyone. — the fourth voice was sweet and soft; it must have been their childhood friend, Laurel cherished scenes with her. She was gentle and sensitive.
— Quiet! — The calm she had been trying to maintain shattered when he spoke again. Laurel opened and closed her mouth, leaning against the hallway wall. Could she attempt to act out, to pretend to be someone she wasn't to feel safe? It didn't seem like a viable solution, but it was the only thing that alleviated some of her fear. People were scarier than zombies, she was certain of that.
— Hello — Her squeaky voice made her cheeks heat up as she stumbled toward the stairs. Naturalness certainly didn't come easily to Laurel, but she smiled nonetheless—a sweet smile on her heart-shaped face that tinted her cheeks pink. — Hello, brother. — Laurel brushed her wet hair out of her face and pushed it behind her ears before waving to her brother downstairs.
Derek, the one who made her feel uneasy every time she glanced at him, was undeniably attractive. There was something about him that drew everyone's eyes in the room back to him. His dark hair, usually impeccably styled, had a few strands out of place. Those piercing eyes, she despised them. As the owner of a harem and the protagonist, he exuded charisma, with a confident expression and a seductive smile that masked the cunning and calculating nature she knew he possessed. To Laurel, it all seemed cliché yet undeniably attractive, from the way his jeans hugged his waist, outlining his long legs. She couldn't help but wonder if he was the succubus here, but she assumed that as the protagonist, he was naturally meant to be attractive from every angle. Wearing simple jeans and a white shirt, with a revolver holster strapped to his thigh, he looked as though he was ready for a photo shoot.
She tried to recall how Eve behaved, but it wasn't as if she had actually bothered to read all that rubbish. Oh, how furious she was. Why not "Hobbit"? What kind of sin had she committed?
— Eve. — There was the living sculpture of perfection in that universe speaking. Eve had forgotten that people actually spoke and expected a response. Derek lunged towards her, pulling her into a crushing hug. — Are you well. — The hug trapped her arms against her own body.
— You too. — She pulled away from the hug, feeling like a crushed worm, though Derek himself didn't seem to have any intention of ending it.
She forced a smile at him.
— Eve! — Laurel didn't react instantly, as it wasn't her name, but she snapped back to reality when she was hugged by the owner of the soft voice, her childhood friend... Elizabeth? Eliza? The woman enveloped her in a strong hug.
Right, she was Eve.
— I'm so glad you're okay! — The stranger's hug was softer and more pleasant, reminiscent of something she had only experienced from her grandmother, which made Laurel want to pull away immediately.
— I feel the same. — Laurel stepped back from them, wrapping her own arms around herself in a comforting hug as she took a better look at them.
— Great, you found your precious Eve, let's go. — The one who spoke was the strong-willed blonde woman with large breasts that rivaled Eve's, a face with sharp and delicate features resembling a living Barbie doll. Just like a doll, she was tall. Laurel tried to avoid looking at her breasts again; they seemed magnetic. The woman was dressed in skin-tight leather pants, with gun holsters on both legs, and a red tank top underneath a faux army coat. Laurel didn't recall reading any spicy scenes with the woman, but she knew she had seen her in some scenes.
— We already talked about this, Briar. — He practically spat out her name. — Let's stay to rest tonight, maybe find a quieter car. — Laurel observed how the protagonist's friend seemed to despise Briar, the blonde woman. It was another one that she had forgotten the name of, but unlike the protagonist, he really seemed to be his age; an attractive young university student who, like each member of the small group, appeared charismatic and smiling. His dark hair had a modern cut, short on the sides with a small pompadour. She knew she hadn't seen him in the novel she read, probably because of his eyes, which were too expressive for his own good but matched his relaxed posture. Unlike the other two, he dressed in modern clothes that certainly wouldn't be suitable for fighting.
— That's what we agreed upon, Briar — Elizabeth? Eliza? He was the only character besides the protagonist that she recognized, even if it was just from some spicy scenes at the beginning of the soap opera. — Don't be angry, please. — She, unlike Eve and the girl with cat ears, had a smaller, more delicate bust, with every detail about her screaming fragility. Light brown hair as well as eyes. Laurel had a better idea of her; everything about her screamed female protagonist... well, if it wasn't a harem, but who knows? She could be the endgame for him. She wore a... flowery dress that could be called demure in the damn ecchi world Laurel was in.
She felt acutely conscious of what she was wearing, the dress similar to Eliza's (Beth?) one that was sure to look obscene soon. Laurel hadn't actually looked in the mirror—she thought it was a dream until then, who the hell looked in the mirror in a dream?—but she could see her huge breasts when she looked down. Laurel closed her coat even tighter.
Error! Error! The user is going against the universe! Error! Error!
Laurel staggered as intense pain hit her.
Level 1: Pain Resistance.
Reduced resistance!
Holding herself against the closest thing to her, she smiled through a cold sweat.
Level 1: Acting.