The apron benefits weren't seen, but Altair enjoyed Shizuka's playful tackling.
Following Altair, Shizuka didn't experience much panic; she returned to her friend's familiar villa. After some initial fright, she relaxed and immediately pulled out some alcohol from the fridge to start drinking.
As a result, after drinking beer, she got drunk and directly pounced onto Altair, clinging to him and rubbing against him.
Saeko, on the other hand, remained much quieter. According to her, as a woman of the Busujima family, one must always maintain etiquette, which somewhat reflects the family's constant elegance.
However, Saeko felt very grateful to Altair. The zombie crisis came too suddenly, and she was a bit dazed. When Altair told her to go directly to the infirmary if she encountered a situation like this, it gave her a clear goal to aim for. Along the way, Altair also protected her; even though she didn't think her strength was very strong, she couldn't face the crowd alone.
The most important thing was that she had previously attacked Altair, but was defeated and spared by him.
Saeko was deeply influenced by the Busujima family's philosophy. To put it simply, she was a very traditional person. Besides having the potential of a killer, she was a very traditional woman. This led to her intense gratitude and even admiration for Altair, who had spared her life and saved her.
However, Saeko wouldn't go drinking. There were only three of them; since Shizuka got drunk, she needed to stay sober to handle the aftermath.
After Shizuka clung to Altair for a while, Altair enjoyed a bit of unexpected benefit. After giving Altair a taste of her affection, Shizuka fell asleep, and Altair helplessly carried her upstairs to the bedroom.
When Altair returned to the living room downstairs, Saeko had already cleaned the dishes on the table. Even though they were just temporarily staying for one night, she chose to finish the basic chores.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Seeing Altair come down, Saeko nodded at him.
"It's nothing."
Altair waved his hand, indicating it wasn't a bother at all; in fact, he wouldn't mind a bit more of such affection.
Though his dear wife, Hestia, would give him such benefits daily, the scale of this was still significantly different; it was simply too much.
"By the way, I haven't apologized for last night's incident. I'm really sorry."
Facing Altair, Saeko directly knelt, bowing deeply to him.
"No need for that. It was just a bit of sparring."
Altair waved his hand again, indicating he didn't mind. But Saeko was very concerned; she still knelt on the ground, slowly raising her head to look at Altair.
"Altair-kun, would you like to hear my story?"
Altair crossed his legs and sat across from her.
"Go ahead, I'm listening."
Altair knew what Saeko would say, that she had psychological issues after previously using the fishing method and injuring someone severely. However, since she wanted to share, he would listen.
So, as Altair anticipated, Saeko began to recount her past.
Altair sat quietly on the floor, listening intently until she finished, then met Saeko's anxious gaze. She was waiting for Altair's response, hoping for his evaluation.
"Altair-kun, do you think I'm a terrible woman?"
"Terrible? No, not at all. I think there's absolutely nothing wrong."
This was a great opportunity to boost Saeko's confidence; how could he let it slip by?
"For some people, crime becomes too easy, which instead encourages their arrogance. Punishing these criminals should be more stringent."
"Just think about it, if it had been another girl discovered at that time instead of you, the outcome would have been completely different. That girl could have suffered and had her entire life ruined."
From a legal standpoint, Altair's response was reasonable, but Saeko wanted to hear something different.
Listening to Altair, she wanted to say something, but Altair didn't give her the chance and continued speaking.
"Moreover, I don't see anything wrong with you in this situation."
Altair lifted his chin towards Saeko.
"Although I was a bit confused when you suddenly attacked me last night, I think your personality is fantastic! You just enjoy fighting. For someone from a family of swordsmen like you, not having that desire to fight would be unusual. What you need is simply someone who can engage you in combat."
Given Saeko's combat ability, ordinary people in this world simply weren't her match; of course, they were just ordinary people.
Just because someone has the potential of a killer doesn't mean they will become one. After all, this was an ordinary world. If there hadn't been a zombie crisis, Saeko might never have had the opportunity to harm someone again in her lifetime.
This was precisely what Saeko wanted to hear. Gaining Altair's recognition made her extremely happy; she smiled at Altair and even knelt before him again.
"Altair-kun, I really appreciate it. In this chaotic world, I hope to rely on you more in the days to come."
Her words sounded like those of a newlywed wife, which felt very novel to Altair. Such lines, which seemed like they belonged only in anime, were now presented to him; it felt wonderful.
Being able to say such things meant that Saeko's confidence had been fully restored.
"No problem, just give it to me!"
Altair responded, thoroughly satisfied.
Having established a connection with his ex-waifu, he felt unbothered.
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