Chapter 86: Kids These Days
With her freshly upgraded intelligence, Rose settled down significantly, her former volatility replaced by a newfound, tranquil composure.
She didn’t bother to argue with Jenny or retaliate against her subtle provocations, opting instead to calmly focus on the fried chicken on her plate.
After picking the savory meat clean, she looked down at the remaining bone. Her lingering monster instincts urged her to crunch right through it—after all, it was a satisfying, crunchy snack—but after observing the surrounding humans setting their bones neatly aside, she reluctantly tossed hers onto the edge of her tray.
Prior to the system upgrade, she wouldn’t have hesitated to devour the bone whole. Now, however, she understood the subtle art of ’acting’ like a normal human.
And honestly, pretending to be a human was far easier than being a demon. At least in her opinion.
The rest of the feast proceeded in relative peace. Jenny refrained from pushing her luck any further, and everyone cleared their plates in contented silence.
Despite her lingering anxiety, Vivienne felt a warm surge of pride seeing how much everyone enjoyed the meal she had painstakingly prepared.
"Thanks a lot for the food, Vivienne," Fredrinn said, offering a warm smile and a polite nod toward the busty beauty.
She smiled back, her eyes softening with genuine relief. "No, no, it was really nothing. I just cooked a bit of food. The real thanks belongs to you and your group for coming to our rescue. If it weren’t for you, we might not have survived the day."
"Yeah, thanks for saving us... and then almost taking my teacher’s head off," Ash muttered under his breath from the side. The moment the words left his mouth, he felt Rose’s crimson gaze narrow dangerously on him, and he instantly clamped his lips shut, staring at the floor.
Several other students chimed in, echoing their heartfelt gratitude until the conversation naturally shifted to the logistics of their escape.
Counting the students and faculty currently huddled in the cafeteria, there were roughly ten survivors. Fredrinn’s group numbered six, including the passed-out Charlie back in the vehicle.
Fitting everyone into a single transport wouldn’t be an issue at all.
"What about the survivors back at the storage room?" Jenny asked, resting her chin on her hand in thought.
"That won’t be a problem," Aadav replied, shaking his head calmly. "A standard yellow school bus can easily seat over sixty people. With the fifteen or so waiting back at the storage facility, we’ll still have plenty of breathing room."
"Sounds good to me," Fredrinn agreed with a nod. He didn’t claim to be an expert on mechanics or vehicle specs, so he was more than happy to defer to those who knew what they were doing.
"Then all that’s left is siphoning the gas from the abandoned cars outside and fueling up the bus," Max added, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
Before anyone could suggest a different plan or ask him to join the grueling manual labor outside, Fredrinn took charge of the assignments. "Alright then. Rose and I will go with Aadav to inspect the condition of the bus. Max and Jenny, you two take the Ash kid and the other capable survivors to start gathering fuel from the surrounding vehicles."
Aadav opened his mouth, a protest bubbling in his throat. The idea of being alone near a bus with a literal demon and a man who might be just as unhinged made his skin crawl. But looking at Fredrinn’s calm, imposing stance, he swallowed his complaints. Disrespecting the leader of the squad was a quick way to get his teeth kicked in.
Rose turned her head toward the trembling teacher, her pale lips parting slightly as her dark gaze locked onto her. "Vivienne can show us the way to the bus?"
Vivienne nodded hesitantly, a lump forming in her throat as she felt the unnerving, predatory weight of Rose’s attention.
Seeing the teacher’s distress, Jenny stepped in with a smooth smile. "I’ll come along too. Vivi will probably feel a lot safer with another woman in the mix, right?"
"Y-Yeah—I mean, no, I don’t mind at all!" Vivienne stammered, clearing her throat to regain her professional composure. "But... it would be very nice if you came along, Jenny. The more the merrier."
"Then I’m coming too—" Ash blurted out, stepping forward defensively.
"Nah," Fredrinn interrupted smoothly, clapping a heavy, friendly hand onto the boy’s shoulder. "We need the strongest guys out front clearing the debris and handling the heavy fuel cans. Siphoning gas isn’t easy work, Ash, and we’re relying on smart, capable guys like you to lead the charge out there."
Fredrinn maintained an earnest, encouraging smile, looking at the teen as if he genuinely believed every word coming out of his mouth.
Ash blinked, caught entirely off guard. He glanced from Fredrinn to Rose, who gave him a surprisingly supportive nod. A wave of misplaced motivation washed over the eighteen-year-old—he could already picture himself returning triumphant, bathed in praise from Vivienne and the rest of the school for his heroic labor.
"Hah... fine. I guess I’ll have to do the heavy lifting for the team," Ash sighed dramatically, shaking his head. He strutted past Fredrinn, giving Max a patronizing pat on the shoulder. "Let’s go do some real work, my friend."
Max’s lip twitched as he stared at the arrogant teenager, but he simply let out a tired, long-suffering sigh.
’Hah... kids these days,’ Max thought to himself as he gathered the other young men. ’I finally get where you were coming from, Susan... Now I see why you didn’t want children. Let’s just hope you’re still alive out there so we can meet again... I promise I won’t ask you to make babies with me this time...’
With the work details sorted, Max led Ash and the rest of the male survivors out toward the parking lot to begin the grueling task of collecting fuel.
Fredrinn chuckled quietly under his breath as he watched the kid walk off with his head held high. He then glanced sideways at Rose, pleasantly surprised by how naturally she had played along with his subtle manipulation. Her upgraded intellect was already paying dividends.
Turning back to the teacher with a smooth, effortless charm, Fredrinn gestured down the hallway.
"After you, Miss Vivienne."