Chapter Fifty-One: Men to the Left, Women to the Right

“Back already?” Saeko Busujima lifted her head, gazing at Ryu Mengchao standing before her.

“Yes, I’m back.” Ryu Mengchao looked at Saeko Busujima, a smile spreading across his face.

“So, you’re leaving now, aren’t you?” Saeko Busujima glanced at the spot where Ryu Mengchao had been sitting; Qi Xiaoxiao was gone. A premonition surged in her heart, as if the man before her would disappear at any moment. She didn’t want to believe this feeling, yet somewhere deep within, a voice whispered that she was about to part from the one she loved.

Tears began to well in the eyes of this strong woman, warm and clear, tinged with reluctance.

“I will come back,” Ryu Mengchao said, reaching out instinctively to wipe away the tears at the corners of Saeko’s eyes. “Saeko, at this moment, you are truly a woman.”

“I have always been a woman,” Saeko replied, her cheeks inexplicably flushed. “And I will be here, waiting for you to return. Ryu Mengchao…”

She spoke softly, stepping forward and burying her head against Ryu Mengchao’s chest. Her tears quietly soaked through his shirt, glimmering faintly in the sunlight.

“The women of the Busujima family never break their promises.”

“And neither do I.”

Ryu Mengchao looked at Saeko Busujima and removed the sleeve blade from his right hand.

“This is a token, and a vow.” He took Saeko’s hand and gently raised it, slipping the sleeve blade onto her wrist. Guiding her arm, he lifted it slightly.

A soft sound rang out as the sleeve blade sprang from Saeko’s wrist.

“Left for men, right for women.”

Ryu Mengchao smiled, raising his left hand. Left and right, the two sleeve blades lightly touched, sparkling in the sunlight, as if mirroring the vow between them.

“I’ll wait for you to return.”

“I promise.”

Ryu Mengchao turned around, his head held high. The wind brushed gently across his face; in that fleeting moment, he felt Saeko Busujima’s presence slowly enveloping him.

Some savor the tenderness of this moment, while others endure torment—as if on a precise scale, when one side rises, the other must fall.

Takashi Komuro was the side that fell.

The torrential rain had just ceased, leaving the entire Takagi estate looking like a battlefield, scorched marks everywhere. Scattered zombies wandered freely in the courtyard.

Suddenly, Takashi Komuro’s steps halted.

Soichiro Takagi appeared before him. His clothes were tattered, and his blade, dulled from slaying too many zombies, was nicked and worn.

“You’re Takashi Komuro, aren’t you?” Soichiro Takagi’s gaze was murderous as he stared at the young man. “You’re the one who called me about Saya, right?”

His long sword came crashing down, sending sparks flying from the ground.

“Why didn’t you save her then? Or was it all done at the behest of that Chinese man, calling me to lure me out, so I’d leave my fortress?”

Takashi Komuro was so intimidated by Soichiro’s fury he couldn’t speak. He took a deep breath and finally managed to muster the courage.

“No… I…”

“‘No’ what? Enough explanations! My wife is dead, my daughter is dead, my subordinates are dead…” Soichiro Takagi strode step by step towards Takashi, his blade slowly pressing against Takashi’s face.

The cold edge of the sword hovered just a breath away from Takashi’s skin.

“What else do you have to say, traitor—traitor to the Yamato people!”

Takashi Komuro was speechless, frozen—not by Soichiro Takagi’s sudden madness, but by the figure looming behind him!

A white silhouette leapt down from above; sunlight draped across his back like a cloak, shining so brightly one could hardly keep their eyes open.

With a wet, sharp sound, a burst of blood erupted from Soichiro Takagi.

A leap and kill.

Ryu Mengchao twisted his wrist, stood up, and looked at Takashi Komuro.

“You survived?” Ryu Mengchao observed him calmly. Takashi’s face bore a long gash from the Japanese sword, blood pouring from the wound.

Takashi remained still. The pressure Ryu Mengchao exerted was far greater than Soichiro Takagi’s. After all, Soichiro—this right-wing militarist—was now nothing more than a corpse.

Makoto Itou’s words echoed in Takashi’s ears, along with his twisted, hateful expression.

Remember my resentment, and let it be passed down forever!

Takashi Komuro felt as if Makoto’s ghost stood beside him, screaming hoarsely at him.

“I’m asking you.”

Ryu Mengchao stepped closer, the sharp sleeve blade pressed directly to Takashi’s throat.

“Do you want to know the meaning of life? Do you want to truly live?”

To live…?

Takashi closed his eyes, feeling blood slowly trickle down his face, dripping onto the ground. The meaning of his existence, surely, was to pass on that hatred forever.

No hesitation, only excitement.

A gleam flashed in Takashi’s eyes.

“I do!”

The words had barely left his lips when Ryu Mengchao heard Baiya’s voice.

“Executor, the Highschool of the Dead storyline has concluded.

Guardian for the Highschool of the Dead dimension confirmed:

Saeko Busujima.

Original protagonist Takashi Komuro has lost hope in the world and agrees to participate in the Lord God’s Game.

Transmission will begin soon. Please prepare yourself.”

Ryu Mengchao smiled, listening to the countdown echoing in his ear.

10

9

8

…

3

2

1

A white light flashed before Ryu Mengchao once more.

When he opened his eyes again, the Lord God’s Space appeared before him.

He called up the system panel, looking at the amount in his prize pool.

Prize points: Seven hundred thousand.

“An extra hundred thousand, probably the points I spent creating the Highschool of the Dead world,” Ryu Mengchao mused with a shake of his head. Compared to manipulating people’s minds to achieve his goals, he wasn’t as adept at orchestrating the bigger picture, the overall strategy.

If he had a strategist, his prize pool would likely have another three hundred thousand points. It seems even psychologists aren’t omnipotent.

Ryu Mengchao laughed quietly to himself, raising his left hand gently.

A soft metallic sound—the sleeve blade sprang from beneath his wrist.

There was no light in the Lord God’s Space, but in the reflection of the silver sleeve blade, Ryu Mengchao seemed to see Saeko Busujima’s smile.

Serene, gentle, like the smile of the kindest wife.

Left for men, right for women—the way engagement rings are worn.

But none of that mattered anymore.

Ryu Mengchao’s gaze turned sharp as he looked at the Lord God’s Space.

One more storyline world, then the Lord God’s Space team battle would begin.

He would never lose—never!

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Today I had classes all day… So I could only leave this chapter to the scheduled update bot.

And… I really enjoyed writing the Academy arc, managed to include almost everything I wanted~

Thanks to Kiririn☆, Yu Chen’ai, and yangqiwei for your rewards.