A female reporter appeared on the screen, seemingly trying hard to hide her panic.
"We are reporting on the latest situation regarding a mysterious virus that is sweeping Japan—no, the entire world. This virus, which has just been named the MK Virus or Man-Killer, because it only infects men and has a 100% fatality rate."
The female reporter delivering the news seemed to be trying hard to maintain a composed expression, but her voice couldn't hide the anxiety.
"Symptoms include a change in skin color to purple, non-stop vomiting of blood, and death within three hours of infection. So far, over 124,432 men have died in Japan overnight."
"Researchers have not been able to determine the exact cause of this virus, and the World Health Organization (WHO) is racing against time to find a vaccine. However, the spread of this virus is too fast, so it is estimated that all men in the world will be infected in less than two weeks."
The reporter paused for a moment, then continued in a trembling voice.
"We urge all men to stay home and minimize contact with the outside world. May luck be with us all."
After that, the television screen switched to a regular commercial.
"..."
The Nakano quintuplets and Fuutarou were stunned. They couldn't believe what they had just heard.
"W-What does this mean?" Itsuki asked in a trembling voice. Her hand clutched the bottom of her skirt tightly, showing how tense she was.
"This is impossible. Only men are infected?" Miku said with a pale expression. "Could this be a failed biological experiment virus? Or a chemical weapon from a country?"
"This must be a hoax. The media loves to exaggerate." Nino denied, but her tone couldn't hide the doubt and fear in her mind.
"It can't be true, right? That kind of thing only exists in fiction." Biting her lower lip, Yotsuba tried to think positively.
"..."
Ichika, who usually played around and was mischievous, was speechless for a moment.
Seeing that no one responded, Yotsuba lost the smile on her face.
"We can't just sit here! We have to find a way out!"
Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, the door remained unyielding. After all, Charlie made the door out of steel using Earth Spirit Art. Although Yotsuba's physical fitness was above average for normal women, she couldn't break the door with raw strength alone.
Suddenly, Miku spoke softly, but her voice was enough to make everyone fall silent.
"Since the MK Virus only infects men, isn't Dad also at risk of being infected?"
Those words were like a hard blow that silenced the room.
"Dad…" Itsuki murmured in a trembling voice, her face looking pale. In an instant, she lost her appetite even though she wasn't full even after breakfast.
"It's impossible… Our dad is a doctor. He won't be infected." Nino tried to convince herself.
"..."
However, no one answered. Fear and anxiety were clearly etched on all their faces.
"Oh no! Dad!"
Hearing the conversation of the Nakano quintuplets, Fuutarou realized that he couldn't be indifferent because this involved his father.
Clenching his fist, Fuutarou started knocking on the door loudly.
*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*
"Let me out! I want to check on my father!"
*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*
He knocked harder, almost pounding the door with his fist.
"You bastard, don't pretend you can't hear!"
However, there was no answer. There were no signs of the door opening, or even a response from Charlie.
*BANG!*
"Motherfucker!"
Fuutarou kicked the door in frustration, his breathing becoming irregular. He clenched his fists tighter and hit the door once more. Fear and anxiety dominated his mind. His father was out there, possibly in danger, and he was trapped in this place unable to do anything.
"Let me out… I beg you…" His voice weakened from exhaustion.
After a while, his body started to tremble from exhaustion. His physical fitness was very poor due to years of only reading books and rarely exercising. In fact, he was only slightly stronger than women, and he was weaker than the average high school student.
Fuutarou finally sat on the floor, leaning against the cold door. His breath was ragged, his face lowered to his knees.
"Damn… damn…" He muttered, filled with anger and despair.
Yotsuba, who had been watching him from the beginning, approached hesitantly, separated by a glass wall.
"Uesugi-san… Are you okay?"
Fuutarou lifted his face slightly, his eyes looking at Yotsuba with frustration.
"No, I'm not okay. How can I be okay when my family might… might…" He couldn't finish his sentence.
"Just ignore him, Yotsuba. Instead of worrying about a weak man like him, it's better to find a way to persuade Charlie Avalon to release us. With the emergence of the MK Virus, Dad must be worried about not finding us."
Nino didn't think much of Yotsuba's concern for Fuutarou. She just thought it was because of Yotsuba's kind nature, unaware of the hidden implications.
"What should we do..."
As soon as the topic of their father was brought up, Yotsuba stopped paying attention to Fuutarou. She and her four sisters gathered to discuss a way out.
❀❀❀
On the other side.
As Charlie watched the news while cooking breakfast, the kitchen knife he was holding fell to the floor. His face turned tense, his eyes fixed on the TV screen in the living room, which was showing a report about the mysterious virus known as the MK Virus.
Still wearing an apron, he left the kitchen and walked towards the sofa where Aishia was sitting.
The news report was over, and Charlie felt his chest filled with anger.
"Damn it! There's no mistake, this is the Abyssal Devourer's doing! MK Virus? There's no such thing in the Gotoubun no Hanayome storyline! This is truly a disaster!"
Charlie rubbed his face, trying to calm down. But his mind kept racing.
"No, I have to stop the spread of this MK Virus. Otherwise, what's the point of protecting the protagonist and heroine if humanity goes extinct if Uesugi Fuutarou only man left?"
"Uesugi Fuutarou is just a weak man. He won't be able to impregnate many women to continue the survival of humanity."
Remembering Fuutarou's poor stamina, Charlie opposed the idea of making the other party a stud. The chance of success for this plan was less than 10%.
In his previous life, he had discussed in a forum about Fuutarou being unable to keep up with Yotsuba's sexual desires. No matter from which perspective, physically weak Fuutarou couldn't satisfy Yotsuba, who had the physical fitness of an athlete.
Many people agreed with him. The proof was that there were quite a few Gotoubun no Hanayome NTR doujins and novels, which told the story of Yotsuba cheating on Fuutarou because she wasn't sexually satisfied.
"No, now is not the time to think about that kind of thing!"
Realizing he had gone off topic, Charlie shook his head.
"MK Virus… where have I heard this before?"
He started trying to remember something, his brain working hard to connect all the information he had ever read or experienced. However, he failed to find any clues.
"The MK Virus originated from the Shuumatsu no Harem series. It was an artificial virus created by Kihara and the UW Japan council. In the original story, the virus was designed to selectively kill men." Aishia said calmly.
Charlie looked at her in surprise.
"How do you know all that?"
Aishia turned to him, her jewel-like eyes looking full of certainty.
"Did Charlie forget? I know all your memories. You might have forgotten some details because it's been a long time, but I have perfect access to every memory you've ever experienced."
Charlie nodded in admiration.
"So that's it… Good job, Aishia! You really helped me at a time like this."
He reached out to stroke Aishia's hair as a sign of appreciation. The girl closed her eyes for a moment, accepting the compliment without much expression.
"The mastermind behind spreading the MK Virus to the world is Kihara or the UW Japan council. I have to find them and stop them as soon as possible."
Not knowing whether eliminating the mastermind behind the spread of the MK Virus would stop the pandemic that had already occurred, Charlie at least wanted to try.
If failed…
"Stop overthinking. First, find the mastermind!" He said with a dangerous glint in his eyes.