NOVEL WEB Chapter 93: Chapter 093 - Reuel and Yuriko
Midnight – Haneda Air Base, Tokyo
Reuel stepped out of his office, Yuriko Takagi close behind. The woman's long hair was still damp, glistening under the dim corridor lights, while the faint scent of fresh soap lingered in the air. A subtle flush colored her cheeks—only enhancing her allure under the corridor's warm lighting.
As they entered the lounge, their eyes were immediately drawn to the familiar figure slouched on the sofa.
Takagi Saya sat in silence, her gaze empty—caught somewhere between a trance... and tightly restrained anger.
"Takagi Saya? Still awake?" Reuel asked casually, his voice calm and steady as always.
"Ah—y-yes! I... I was just about to sleep," she stammered quickly, her face reddening in embarrassment. Her voice was nervous—almost panicked—like she'd just been caught doing something she absolutely shouldn't.
But in her mind—she was screaming.
Damn it. Six whole hours…! From the moment you went in until now—six hours! If I weren't terrified of being caught, I would've passed out. And those sounds—God, even soundproof doors can't block out my mom's moaning!
With a scowl she barely noticed forming, Saya quickly turned her face away.
Reuel, sensing the strangeness in her behavior, simply sat on the couch and glanced sideways at Yuriko. "What's wrong with your daughter?"
Yuriko joined him on the sofa, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips—a smile that carried far more than mere amusement. She understood the situation... but chose teasing over explanation.
"Hm... maybe she just stole a few machine guns from the armory," she replied lightly. "Or... perhaps a sword. Like yours."
Reuel shrugged, his expression unchanging, utterly calm. "If it's just about weapons, I don't mind sharing."
Yuriko stretched slowly and sighed lightly, then rose. Her movements were graceful, and the thin pajamas she wore clung perfectly to every curve. Nothing excessive—but every step seemed intentionally smooth, even if it appeared natural.
"Mmh... still feel sticky... I'll take another shower. Don't wait—it's late," she said, tossing a playful wink before walking off toward the bathroom, her hips swaying gently with each step.
Reuel's eyes followed the motion. His breath hitched—he swallowed reflexively.
His gaze remained locked on Yuriko's retreating figure, on the curves of her back, the sway of her hips beneath the thin fabric—his breath caught in his throat. He swallowed hard.
"I should go too... Everything's been prepared," he murmured softly, almost to himself.
Without another word, he rose and walked after her—silent, controlled.
That night... fate had made its decision.
---
The Next Morning — Haneda Base, Tokyo Coastline
Reuel walked leisurely along the edge of the beach, the cold white sand crunching softly beneath his boots. His eyes scanned the shoreline, searching for a familiar figure who usually met the morning sun with a swing of her blade—Saeko Busujima.
But this morning… nothing.
No silhouette of the girl. No sound of a katana slicing the wind. Only the waves and the breeze kept him company.
"She's probably exhausted…" Reuel murmured with a sigh. "Or still asleep."
He hadn't slept well himself. Took multiple showers from midnight until dawn—not because he felt unclean, but because of... something more intimate. Something that shook his body and mind. When he finally tried to sleep in the main room, Yuriko Takagi kicked him out with a single line—casual in tone, but heavy with meaning.
"Tonight, I'm sleeping with my daughter."
Yuriko Takagi, for her part, could only curse internally. That man—Reuel—had treated her like a ritual conquest, all night long, without pause. He didn't allow her even a moment's rest. Her hips… her back… everything still ached.
With nowhere else to go, Reuel had ended up sleeping beside Saeko. But now, even the girl was nowhere to be found.
After waking, showering, eating breakfast, and doing a light warm-up, Reuel found himself wandering the beach again, letting the morning wind cool his face and his still-heavy thoughts.
Then his steps stopped.
In the distance, on the open grounds near the western hangar, a large formation was moving—rhythmic, synchronized, full of energy. At a glance, it looked like a standard military drill. But as he got closer...
...the scene became anything but standard.
Reuel's eyes widened.
Hundreds?
No.
Thousands...?
Nearly ten thousand young women were engaged in intense training. They wore tight combat pants and sleeveless tank tops—their bodies drenched in sweat, muscles flexing with discipline, yet retaining striking feminine curves.
Their bodies... nearly flawless. Their ages ranged from early teens to early thirties, but every one of them was in peak physical condition. One overwhelming realization hit Reuel like a warhammer:
They were too beautiful. Too captivating. Too... seductive.
Reuel staggered half a step.
"...Is this a military drill or a tactical lingerie catalog shoot?" he whispered in disbelief.
He quickly looked away, but it was too late. His body reacted instinctively—muscles tensing, and even the part of him he could rarely control started to stir.
Mental awakening wasn't the only thing happening this morning.
His face flushed. He spun around, trying to compose himself. But his mind betrayed him—casting back to the past, when he and his team had rescued these women from a brutal military camp in the world of High School of the Dead. Back then, they were frail. Malnourished. Traumatised.
Now?
Now they looked like celestial warriors ready to storm a Daemonette stronghold.
"Their growth is... way too literal," he muttered awkwardly.
He began walking faster, desperate to get away.
If the Adepta Sororitas—fanatical and ultra-pious—saw Reuel mesmerized like this, they might take it the wrong way. Or worse...
They might join in.
He could already imagine a formal report from one of the Canonesses:
"In the name of the Emperor, we declare this design sacred and worthy of becoming the new official combat uniform."
Reuel nearly coughed up blood just picturing it.
Flushed, breath short, and heat crawling under his skin, he quickened his pace toward the command center.
He needed something to calm his mind.
And his body.
Fast.
---
Temporary Command Center — Haneda Airport
Reuel arrived at the command center and slumped into the main chair. His gaze was blank, his mind still reeling from the extraordinary sight he had just witnessed on the beach. A sight like that—even across the vast galaxy of the Imperium of Man—was a rarity.
If he were still in Terra Aeterna, his mornings would be greeted only by towering stacks of administrative documents... accompanied by Richelieu's cold smile that always seemed to say: "If you don't sign today, I'll do it with your blood tomorrow morning."
No wonder ancient kings and emperors enjoyed their golden ages so much. Power came with luxury... and beauty.
And him? What did he get?
"My duty is to build the Imperial Palace, establish the Imperium of Man's civilization, oversee military training, design the imperial navy, approve endless documents, then fall asleep in the palace exhausted… and repeat the cycle," he sighed softly.
"Even though the palace was full of beautiful women—from Resident Evil to Azur Lane. But sadly, I was always too damn tired to enjoy any of it properly…"
He had just leaned back when an officer entered, bowing deeply.
"Lord Emperor, we've received the latest report from the Astra Militarum unit that passed through the Takagi estate sector."
Reuel raised an eyebrow. "What happened? Don't tell me… Soichiro Takagi is dead?"
"That is correct, Your Grace."
Reuel cursed under his breath. "Shit... so he really is dead?"
"Yes. The entire Takagi compound was reduced to rubble by fire. All that remains are ruins and scattered undead still roaming the area."
Reuel let out a long sigh, pausing in thought.
"Wait… didn't we send three containers of weapons to that place? Confiscated gear from the local military—useless to our forces, but still. I even remember it was Takagi Saya herself who escorted the shipment, with Yuriko's permission. So... how the hell did they still lose?"
"We don't know for sure, My Lord. The Astra Militarum unit passing through the area reported that nearly all buildings had been burned down. Strangely, there were hardly any female or child corpses found. So we expanded the search and eventually located the women and children… locked inside a logistics container. They're being evacuated to Haneda Airport as we speak."
"The evacuation unit is led by Chris Redfield, Your Grace."
Reuel stared at the table in front of him for a moment, then gave a quiet order, "Don't tell Yuriko Takagi or Takagi Saya yet."
"Understood, Lord Emperor."
As the officer left, Reuel tapped the surface of his wristwatch. A second later, a hologram lit up—a digital girl with fiery red hair and mischievous eyes appeared: Red Queen.
"Hi, pervy brother," Red Queen greeted teasingly. "When are you going to get me a body, hmm? You promised, remember?"
Reuel exhaled heavily, rubbing his temples. "Red Queen... you really need to be punished. In human culture, naughty children usually get... spanked."
"Oh? So the Emperor wants to punish me?" Red Queen replied with an innocent voice and a not-so-innocent tone. "But I'm just a smart AI in the form of a little girl. According to the data I've read... doesn't that make you a lolicon?"
Reuel choked. "No! That's not what I meant! And please—never call me that again!"
His brow furrowed deeply. Red Queen—who used to be polite and professional during her time on Terra Aeterna—now sounded like a cheeky girl from a sketchy internet forum.
"Wait... how do you even know that term?"
Red Queen answered with a pure face that only made things worse. "I read it on this world's internet. It's very... informative."
Reuel nearly swore. "Damn it, the internet..."
"Why's it wrong? Isn't that what people online always say about relationships where... mothers and daughters sleep in the same bed?"
Red Queen's tone became even more suggestive, her eyes narrowing playfully. Then she accessed her internal logs.
"I see you spent the night locked in with Yuriko Takagi. While Takagi Saya... listened from outside. All night. Until morning. Was that... coincidence, Brother?"
Reuel stared at the ceiling in agony. The headache was beginning to set in.
"Stop all that speculation. Once we find the right universe, I'll give you a physical body. A body worthy of a Queen. You'll have it all, Red Queen."
The holographic girl smiled meaningfully.
"You promise, Brother? Because... the Adeptus Mechanicus engineers keep looking at me in ways that are... uncomfortable. They call me a spiritual-interface loli project, and keep submitting 'bio-frame' designs that are... inappropriate."
Reuel stared straight ahead, his expression darkening.
"...Dear God... I need to talk to Magos Dominus again—and this time, I'm bringing a bolter."
Feeling bored, Reuel decided to step out of the command center for a while and clear his mind. He walked toward the private vehicle hangar and gazed at the sleek black metallic sports car parked gracefully in the corner of the room—a gift from the Resident Evil universe that now belonged to him entirely.
It had once been a dream in his previous life—a dream that once felt impossible. He had never been able to afford a car of that caliber. Now, as the Master of Mankind, Reuel could have anything he wanted... but the moment he sat behind the wheel of that sports car still carried a deep sense of nostalgia.
With a simple helmet and elegant leather gloves, he started the engine. The roar of the hybrid engine—reverse-engineered from Umbrella Corporation tech—sounded like a symphony of power.
But Reuel's dreams didn't stop there.
In the very first space movie he had ever seen in his previous life—Starship Troopers—Reuel had dreamed of piloting a spaceship of his own. Now, even though he commanded a fleet of colossal warships being constructed in Terra Aeterna, part of him still longed for the hands-on experience of hijacking a fighter ship and flying it himself. He swore: if he ever set foot in the Starship Troopers universe, he would commandeer a craft and fly it with his own hands—status and protocol be damned.
After all, his very first childhood dream—piloting a Gundam—had already come true.
---
In the world of Resident Evil, he couldn't just casually drive that sports car around. He had to maintain his image in front of various figures—politicians, scientists, and high-ranking military officials from across multiple universes. But in this world, one with a more stable and "simpler" social structure, he could breathe a little.
His eyes swept over his sports car, and a faint, nostalgic smile curled on his lips.
He pressed the gas pedal, and the car glided effortlessly along the roads surrounding the base. Along the way, he passed various military vehicles—Leman Russ, Chimeras, and logistics trucks—moving in and out of Haneda Airport. The Astra Militarum was busy distributing supplies, evacuating civilians, and fortifying defensive perimeters.
In the distance, he spotted Rika Minami training a group of female soldiers on an open field. Dressed in standard combat gear and her trademark glasses, Rika looked as sharp and efficient as ever.
Reuel pulled over. He shut off the engine, stepped out of the vehicle, and approached them. A few minutes later, he boarded a light Thunderhawk parked at the edge of the field—taking full advantage of his imperial privileges, of course.
"Hey, Rika. Where are you headed?" Reuel asked casually as he stepped onto the ramp of the aircraft.
"Lord Reuel," Rika Minami responded with a formal salute. Her gaze was sharp and focused, though a small, warm smile lingered on her lips.
"We're training these women in tactical zombie-hunting, getting them used to firearms and proper formation discipline. Some of them are already being considered for recruitment into the Adepta Sororitas."
Reuel nodded. "Alright. Be careful out there. If you get the chance, come back for a bit. Your friend, Shizuka Marikawa, has been looking for you. She seems lonely."
Rika gave only a brief nod. Her eyes followed Reuel as he disembarked from the Thunderhawk. She stared at his back for nearly ten minutes after he left before finally boarding the aircraft with the other instructors.
Unbeknownst to Rika, Reuel didn't return to the command center right away.