Declaration of War

"Ok everyone, since the messenger had already left with my little message..." Ryo said while looking at everyone. "We have work to do"

The reason why Ryo was in a hurry to work things out was simple. Even with everyone that had drank the Liquid Virus, they were still twenty-ish to a hundred or so. Even if not everyone had guns, it would be their disadvantage.

"Kouta, take Karma, Niki and Isami and place traps all over the area" Ryo ordered before grabbing Rika and Kururu and moving towards the house he had repurposed as his work-space. "I'm going to give us an advantage"

*

As Ryo and the group worked on setting up the defenses of the village, Sugou Nobuyuki was drinking a glass of whisky while playing with a woman that sat on his lap. She was a random girl that threw herself at him in search of comfort. Some people looked at her with disgust, but Sudou didn't care. After all, she was doing whatever was best to survive... and he reaped the befits.

It had been about a day since they sent Shingo as a messenger to the village where Riku's group was missing. He was wondering if Shingo would return at all when he heard some sounds from the entrance of their hideout.

"Nobuyuki-sama, I bring news from the village" Shingo said as he bowed towards Sugou, the box held with both hands being showed in front. For some reason, Sugou felt like that box didn't hold what he wanted it to. "Give me the box and tell me what they told you"

"Well..." Shingo didn't really know how to explain that Ryo hadn't paid any mind to him, but did his best to sound good.

He explained how, as soon as he arrived, he had at least 20 guns aimed at his head. Then a young man, who didn't look a day older than eighteen, approached the scene walking slowly. As soon as he appeared he ordered everyone to lower their weapons and the obeyed his order immediately. That was when he learned he was the leader of the settlement.

"But that kid wasn't there when we first raided them!" Shingo explained before realizing he wasn't the only one. "In fact, there were also a few other's that weren't there before, around ten people"

He then retold how they sat at the entrance of the village and how there was a fucking wolf sitting beside the "kid". Sugou asked if he was sure if it was a wolf, but the only answer he got was that if it wasn't it was a huge husky never heard of before.

"I told him everything you told me to, down to a T" Shingo said while smiling wryly. It was clear that something hadn't gone as Sugou expected, but he didn't know what. "He was sipping tea without even looking at me, and his expression was a thoughtful one"

"Why does it seem like there is a problem, then?" Sugou asked, getting impatient. Shingo gulped audibly at that before ansering. "Well... he... he didn't listen to anything I said"

At that moment Sugou wanted to punch Shingo so bad that he actually did.

*SMACK*

"What do you mean he didn't listen?" Sugou asked, angry and bewildered on equal amounts. Of course he would be angry when he heard a kid would ignore his peace proposal, but if he was the leader, he should've at least heard what they had to say, right? "Exactly what I meant, Nobuyuki-sama. I asked him if he was listening and he honestly said he wasn't"

"Then what the fuck is in the box?" the leader of the Panderers questioned Shingo. The poor punk idiot answered honestly. "I don't know, I didn't check. But the kid said his answer was in it"

Sugou had already stood Shingo's stupidity for long enough, so he kicked him in the face and asked another man that was by the side to get rid of him. Shingo immediately began screaming for mercy and help, desperately so. But no one batted and eyelid for him. Consumed by curiosity, Sugou decided to check the box. It surprisingly smelled of perfume and weighed about five and a half kilos (11lbs).

Not being able to hold his curiosity back, Sugou opened the box.

"THAT MOTHERFUCKER!" he yelled as soon as he saw what was inside. Rushing off to who knows where.

The woman, curious about what made Sugou so angry, checked what was inside the box, only to scream in horror. Riku's severed head, with a severed dick in his mouth. Those were the contents of the box. And if that wasn't enough to know what Ryo meant, the full had many words scribbled on it. From P̶a̶n̶d̶e̶r̶e̶r̶s̶ crossed out, to "I like to suck cock" with a heart drawn on each end.

It was clear what the "message" meant. It was a declaration of war.

*

"*achoo*... the message must've arrived" Ryo said as he helped Yugo till the small plot for their first batch of home-grown vegetables.

Yugo, curious as he was, decided against asking what exactly was in the box. He was sure that it would be something that would make him have a disgusting mental image, and he would rather avoid it. A couple of minutes later, the area was properly tilled and ready for whatever they wanted to be planted.

"Do you have any seeds, Yugo?" Ryo asked the second guy he could call friend. Yugo just brushed the sweat off his forehead. "Tomato, butternut squash and bell peppers"

"Not really the best combination, but all are edible and healthy" Yugo explained as he took a sip out of a bottle of water Ryo had just cooled. Ryo received the bottle from him and before taking a swig himself, he spoke. "How long do you think it'll take for them to grow?"

Yugo seemed to be thinking about it for a while, but reached a conclusion quite quickly. Butternut squash would take at least three months to grow, bell pepper around the same time, while tomatoes grew in between fifty or even eighty days depending on what kind of tomatoes they were.

"That's good to know, we will be producing our first independant food soon" Ryo commented with a satisfied smile on his face.

They only needed to expand the area and get some animals and they would be able to live self-sufficiently. They could even prepare an area dedicated specifically to rice -even though Ryo could summon a lot of it-.

Walking away from the "agriculture plot", Ryo went towards the entrance of the village. Kouta and the others shoul've already been ready with the traps by then, since they had been working at it for almost an entire day.

"Ah! Ryo-sensei!" Karma yelled when he saw Ryo approaching. Ryo raised a hand to greet the kid, before getting serious. "So, how are things here?"

Karma, instead of answering, just walked towards a tree and moved his feet forwards. Ryo already knew what was going to happen thanks to his <Presence Sensing>, so Karma's attempt at surprising him was futile. When the tree-trunk began falling towards Ryo, he simply stopped its momentum with his hand.

"I assume this means the traps are all ready?" Ryo asked while holding the tree. Karma smirked at that and nodded. "Yup, I'm pretty sure nobody can surprise us without losing at least twenty people!"

"That's good to hear" Ryo said before letting go of the tree and smirking at Karma. "Now get this tree back where it was"

*

Later that same day, Ryo was talking to the girls over a nice meal cooked by Shouko.

"When do you think they will attack, Dear?" Saeko asked as she gracefully took a bit of rice to her mouth. Ryo gulped the food in his mouth before answering. "Tomorrow night, I'm pretty sure"

"And why is that?" Saya asked, curious about the thought process behind his prediction. Ryo smirked at her and answered with a cocky attitude. "Saya, guys like this are short tempered when they feel like someone steps on their pride"

"That is how I'm sure he will be here tomorrow night" he finished his statement before taking another bite. Shouko put her chopsticks down before signing something at him. "Will we fight... people, again?"

Ryo just sighed when he saw what she said. It wasn't something he really wanted her to experience, since she was without doubt the most innocent amongst them. If he was a devil, Shouko was an angel. Alas, some things needed to change in such an environment. And Shouko's innocence was one of those.

"I am afraid that that is indeed the case" Ryo signed to the deaf girl. She lowered her head, taking a deep breath, before lifting it and signing once again. "I want to help... I don't want everyone to always protect me"

"*sigh*... Don't worry, you're already helpful as it is... none of us can cook so well" Ryo said with a warm smile after sighing. He understood how she thought but, if he had to be honest, he would rather protect her forever than her having to come in contact with blood herself.

The one to break the heavy atmosphere that lingered over their dinner was none other than Rika, the best person to have around in such circumstances.

"So... we going to war?" she asked merrily, as if it was an everyday matter. Rei tensed a bit hearing that and looked at the veteran. "Any advice, Rika-san?"

"Hmmm... aim to kill and don't get hit" the tanned bimbo said confidently, as if it helped at all. The one who spoke after that was the mood setter in most conversations, Yuriko. "Anyhow! Why don't we get a good night's sleep? We'll need to be in top shape tomorrow!"

"Says the first one to jump on Ryo's bed" Saya shot back to her own mother, making her blush at being caught like that.

Thankfully, the heavy atmosphere was nowhere to be seen. Ryo stayed a bit later, talking to Shouko about many things and teaching her as much as he could of his experience. He felt like he had to be that older figure for the girl, and he pretty much already treated her like a younger sister.

'To think I would have yet another lil' sis...' Ryo thought, admitting to the fact that he had a reason not to want Shouko close to the fighting. He just wanted her safe. 'Then again, that applies for all the girls so... I can't treat her differently'

After smoking a cig while thinking of stuff to clear his mind, Ryo left to sleep, sure that the next day, the trees would nurture and grow in bloody soil.