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In another room of the castle, Saya Takagi sat at a desk, staring at the documents spread out before her with a pensive look.
"As I thought… this won't work."
She set the papers aside and walked to the window, pulling back the curtain. The city beyond was shrouded in smoke and chaos. She let out a weary sigh.
"Looks like there's only one option left."
After a moment's hesitation, Saya pushed her glasses up and straightened her back, her expression sharpening with resolve.
"Guards."
The door opened immediately, and a uniformed man entered, bowing with utmost respect."What are your orders, Lady Takagi?"
"I want to convene an emergency meeting. Notify all squad captains."
Saya turned from the window, her face solemn.
"Yes, at once."
The man gave a quick nod and hurried out.
"Senpai Saeko… you've really left me with a hell of a problem," Saya muttered, rubbing her temples before gazing back out the window at the gray sky.
Minutes later, in the castle's grand hall, the squad captains sat around a long table, waiting quietly.
Saya took her seat at the side of the head chair—the vice commander's position.
If one looked closely, it was easy to notice: most of these captains had once been bosses of different yakuza groups.
When Saeko Busujima crushed those gangs, they vanished from public sight. Some said they'd been wiped out in secret. Others claimed they'd fled in shame. Rumors flew, but no one knew the truth.
And now, a year later, those vanished bosses had reappeared—not as gang leaders, but as Saeko's unit commanders.
The room was silent until the heavy doors swung open. Saeko strode in with her usual sharp, commanding presence.
"Big Sister!"
Every captain leapt to their feet, standing tall and shouting in unison, their eyes filled with reverence.
Saeko walked past them, her heels echoing on the stone floor, and sat gracefully at the head seat.
"It's been a year. Welcome back, all of you."
Her gaze swept over them, firm and assessing, before she gave a small nod of approval.
"We're honored!"
The captains answered loudly, pride written all over their faces.
"Sit."
Her voice was soft, almost casual, but carried weight.
"Yes, ma'am."
They all sat in unison.
"Let's begin."
Saeko turned to Saya, who rose immediately, clutching her prepared documents.
"Everyone here is family. No need for small talk. Let's get straight to the point."
The captains nodded knowingly, already focused.
"Now then," Saya said, scanning the room. "Here are your assignments."
Takagi Saya paused for a moment as she scanned the papers in her hand, then spoke with crisp authority:
"Send out the search squads and the escort units. Sweep the entire city and bring back every bit of food you can find."
"Question. Why are we doing this? Are our food supplies running low?"
One of the squad leaders raised his hand slowly, his expression full of doubt.
Saya adjusted her glasses with a push of her finger, flipped open the file, and replied in a calm, precise tone:
"According to my calculations, the food we have stored right now could last us a full year."
She let the words hang for a beat before continuing.
"But—"
Another squad leader had started to rise but sat back down the moment he realized she wasn't finished.
"All those calculations were based on a fixed population. But we're taking in more and more refugees. The population keeps growing."
"And when the population grows, so does food consumption. The only thing not increasing is our supply."
"At this rate, our food will start running out. Without fresh supplies, we'll eat ourselves into starvation."
"My rough estimate is this: if our numbers keep climbing, our stockpile won't last more than three months."
The room fell silent. No one could argue with her reasoning. Every word cut straight through their doubts.
"Since no one has a counterargument, that settles it," Saya said, her voice final and sharp.
"Also, one more thing: while searching for food, if you come across anyone alive and uninfected, invite them to join us."
Saeko Busujima, who had been watching the roomful of silenced men and women, added that part calmly but firmly.
"Yes, ma'am."
Everyone nodded.
"Good. With that settled, I'll move on to the second order." Saya's tone hardened again.
"The refugee zone outside the castle walls is swelling with people. Different backgrounds, different tempers—one spark could turn into a riot."
"So every squad needs to keep their eyes open. If anything happens, crush it immediately, no hesitation. We cannot afford lingering problems."
"Also, recruit from among them. Offer small rewards, give them responsibilities, let them help us manage the camps. That way we can free up our own people."
"Lastly, every bit of weaponry and ammo must be reported accurately. If the refugees get their hands on stolen weapons, it'll cause chaos we can't contain."
"Remember this above all: before dealing with outside threats, we must secure our home."
"....."