(POV Rika)

"Haaa... damn! If the colonel knew from the beginning that the boy wouldn't accept the first offer then he didn't have to make it...

Perhaps none of this would have happened and we would not have so many problems... now it has only made the situation worse and we have to pay more to get those resources that we need "

I was leaving the mansion where Shisuka was now staying here in Kinato with her little boyfriend… this peculiar couple was really somewhat uneven, but strangely, no one seemed to care about this now.

Well, it's not that I don't understand the people, surely they now worry more about having something to eat than the fact that a 27-year-old woman is dating with a 12-year-old boy...

Besides, the eyes of that child is not that they seem so innocent. The first time I saw him, he seemed like a cute person I'd like to hug… I mean, someone I should protect. But when I saw him interact with the leaders of Kinato in his camp, I could realize that he was someone with a fairly developed mentality and that was not according to his appearance.

So I probably shouldn't blame Shisuka that much for falling in love with that little one… I might even be a little jealous that she could have someone to depend on. Compared to that boy if I look at the men around me, I can't help but think that he stands out among them all ... he's someone pretty cute and him seems to have a good character.

The residents of the camp seem to just want to get close to me because they surely think that by being by my side they can have a better life and with much less worry.

On the other hand in the military barracks, or they are sweaty gorillas or little men who look at me with admiration for my position of lieutenant colonel...

...maybe I should start worrying since the best man I've seen so far is only 12 years old. I wonder if spending too much time with Shisuka could have affected me? No, it's not fair that I blame her. The truth is that I always liked things that look pretty...

Sunk in my thoughts, I arrive at the military headquarters before I know it. Now I have to report to the colonel about things that happened at that boy's mansion.

I go in and go straight to the coroner's office and when I open the door to this place after knocking and having the consent to enter, then I do just that.

There, sitting behind his desk was the colonel... besides, there was also his stupid son who seeing me while runs his eyes all over my body. He's a really nasty guy... I think he should take that boy's advice because someone else might end up killing him.

Even I have that thought when I look at him and the only thing that prevents me from doing that is that his father is my superior. Just remembering when the colonel tried to talk good things about this trash to see if he could match us, that makes a chill run down my spine.

God, I'd rather have to go and scream in front of the whole camp that I like a 12-year-old boy than to have to be together with that bastard.

"Lieutenant Colonel Rika, it's good that you came back. Please tell me if that boy accepted our proposal."

"Dad! What are you doing giving that little bastard more weapons! What you should do is try to kill him."

"Be silent fool! I have no time for your stupid complaints!

Please tell me what that boy said, Lieutenant Colonel Rika "

"..."

When I go inside the first thing I see is an argument between father and son, I can not blame the guy by keep grudge to that child watching it the swollen and red scar unpleasant on his forehead, but yes I can say that it is useless for being unable to defend himself of someone who he is practically triple in age.

On the matter of him wanting to kill the boy, I must say that I'm a little worried about that since Shisuka is attached to him... well, I would also feel very sorry if he died. Besides, it doesn't seem right that we attack him so he can take his things, after all, it was his camp that struggled to get those resources.

So listening to the dialogue between the two of them, I can't help but remain silent thinking about all this until the colonel addresses me again after rebuking the fool.

"...Colonel, the first proposal we gave him was dismissed in an instant by him after reading it..."

"Well... we already expected that, but we didn't lose anything with trying to do it. So then he accept the second one, we'll have to pay a little more for things but that's something that can't be helped."

Curse! His thought that we would lose nothing by trying that now did things more difficult for us! Everything would have been much better if he only tried to gain the boy at first!

"...unfortunately that is not the case, Colonel. When he read the sheet of the things we would pay for half of the resources he offered, he take it as if you were making fun of him. So, if we want to get those things now we will have to pay a little more for these "

I had to intervene to correct the colonel of his optimistic thought that he had , it almost seemed that he was preparing to count the things that we would get... logically I did not want to make things worse between both sides and that's why I use softer words than the boy and in addition to also skip some things.

The colonel is baffled a little by my words and receives the sheet of paper where I made the corrections of what the boy asked while do an expression of doubt. He begins to read it and his brow frowns more and more as his eyes go to another line, then he finally bangs his fist against the table and screams.

"Damn !! That damn greedy brat !!"

"Dad, that's why I told you to just kill him!"

The colonel breaks the sheet after reading it and in the next instant being annoyed, he curses the boy trying to vent his anger. Then his foolish son does not lose the opportunity to try to make his father fulfill his wish, but what worries me is that this time when he puts his eyes on him, he says nothing and it seems as if he was considering it.

"Stop saying stupid things! You do something and go find the other lieutenant colonels, we have to discuss things again!"

"Y-yes!"

It is a relief that in the end it seems that he managed to calm down a bit and acted sensibly. Several minutes after that guy leaves, people of the same rank as me arrive one after the other until we are all reunited.

Upon learning of the boy's new demands, most of them don't take this in a good way and even gain some animosity against him.

"He may just be testing us and see if he can get more from us, so if we ignore it, it is probably he will be who is looking for us to make a deal.

In this way, perhaps we can even make him lower his demands so I think we should wait a bit and see what the boy's reaction is "

"Unfortunately, it is not that we can wait much, Omura ... we can lose more soldiers for the food shortages and join another faction. No, somthing even worse, join the group of that child"

"I agree with Lieutenant Colonel Minami's opinion, we must first make sure to keep our group together, otherwise the rest will not make sense."

After talking with us for a while, there are several who are around the think that the idea of

Omura is very feasible. I also think that if we stop showing interest in wanting to make a deal, then there is a possibility that what he says may happen.

But honestly, I see this very unlikely to happen... they have not seen that boy and so they do not understand him. I think that instead of waiting, he will probably move to put more pressure on our group and even things can get worse for us...

It is good that there are also some who have priority with stabilizing our group where things have gotten a little bad due to food shortages. With Yagami and Minami's comment that she is the other woman here, the others also take this concern into account.

"Well, I think Lieutenant Colonel Omura's idea is good, but as Minami and Yagami say, we can't afford to wait for a long time. So we'll just wait a week, if the brat doesn't contact us then we will have no other choice than accept their conditions "

"" Yes, Colonel ""

All agreeing with the suggestion of the colonel, we answer with the habit created here in the militia to respond to a superior and then with the subject finished, everyone returns to do the things they did before being called here.

For my part, I just hope that things don't get worse this week… lately things have changed a lot in a short period.
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(POV Shido)

It had been three days after that boy and his group arrived in Kinato and then I began to worry about some things since not everything was what I expected. At first I thought that child was just like those fools around me who take pleasure in having women and while they can play with them then they don't care about the rest of things.

Also if I played my cards right, thought that I could please him and in return get some advantage from his camp. That's why I chose several women with a prominent appearance to be the servants of that house, I even had to convince those idiots to give them to him after they saw the girls I had taken from among the residents... in truth, sometimes I just want to kick their ass to get them out of this camp.

They are like a group of children who immediately start fighting when they see a new toy with which they can play and entertain themselves...

Well, leaving those idiots aside, the girls I put in that mansion two of them were hired to act as observers and also see if they could gain the child's confidence to control him a little.

But the only thing I got from them during this time is that he seems to be really just concentrating on carrying out the mercenary shop as he had told me. Besides, it seems that it is not easy for them to get closer to him since the girls around him avoid this...

...there is also the possibility that they will only tell me a few unimportant things and they have sided with that brat, after all, there were only some women who I promised them a better life here.

To be honest, the things that I can offer and what that guy can give them will most likely easily exceed my offer with which I hire these women.

...Maybe I'm just being too paranoid and I just have to wait a bit for my plans to take effect. Well, for now that group has not done something that they have not told me themselves, they have followed their words and just concentrated in their shop without giving much importance to the rest of the camp.

The next day after the meeting and that the 7,500 people leaving Kinato, only about 300 residents went to that mansion either out of curiosity or because they were interested in this store. Apparently, they offered to lend some crossbows so that they can marry rats with less risk and greater efficiency.

Then those who went hunting seem to have had good results and at least they could return carrying a pray on their backs. The only requirement for the loan of this crossbow and arrows was to give what appears to be a kind of crystal that these animals now have and also half of the rat.

At first I thought those residents would complain about such demands, but contrary to my expectations they readily accepted. Well, they lent them the crossbows and also each group was accompanied by some of their soldiers who are very well equipped, there is also the fact that these rats are not small and half remain enough for 2 individuals to have a good meal.

But most importantly, the risk of hunting rats in this way had greatly decreased so it was not difficult to think that even though they had to pay with half their prey, this was worth it as they had a better chance of keeping their lives during hunting.

Therefore, the next two days the people who visited that store multiplied and now the number of residents that go since the sun rises to go hunting rats almost reaches one thousand...

And that is my concern at the moment, its influence in the camp is growing rapidly... I must see how things progress in the coming days. I may have been too naive to think that I could control his camp and instead brought a wolf to my own home...

Although in case the worst happens and they try to gain control of Kinato, I still have the option to side with them and join their group. At least my relationship with that boy is better than that silly colonel, so if that boy takes control of this camp then it may not be so bad.

Since he could not divide himself to handle two places at the same time, then he has to put someone else to lead one of them. So if I can earn his trust and things go well, even I would end up taking over Kinato.

As a politician I am used to and it is not very annoying to have someone to report things to, in exchange for losing a little my freedom to do everything I want, I can gain a place to control... it is not something so bad.

So it is best to continue with the idea of

putting myself on the side of the boy and gain his confidence even more, I have to overcome that pair of idealist of the Takagi at least, doing that may I also be able to influence the boy as I had thought initially…

" Mayor, someone from the Tokonosu group came... it's Mrs. Takagi, she says that wants to talk to you about some things, what do you want me to do? "

"...let her in and guide her here"

The man I had taken as my apprentice since before the apocalypse enters my office interrupting my thoughts, Arata was someone useful with a good head and above all someone sensible who knows what he has to do and what not.

Although the truth is that he was simply a replacement while my stupid son who died gained some experience in the world and could take his place, unfortunately this was just a failure that ended up dying.

It was not good for a stranger to know too many secrets that could put me in a bad position, but the good thing was that this could be controlled a little by making him stain his hands a little with the things I did and in this way could not take advantage over me with that.

...but I must say that what people say has some truth, one should not mention the devil because then he will appear.

Not long after, my apprentice Arata returns with that woman who when she sees me, smiles at me and makes a nod in greeting. While she is a visual delight for a man, the truth is that I prefer to have to deal with her husband... that guy has a simpler mind and is easier to deal with.

"Good morning, Yuriko-san. I didn't expect you to come to see me, which is what happens, does your group need anything or had a problem? "

"Good morning, Shido-san. No, our group has not had any problems, it's just that Alexander-kun asked me to come and see if you could help him with an issue."

"...what an issue, if it's not something that affects Kinato then I'll do my best to try to do it. After all, Alexander-kun has helped this camp a lot."

"He wants some establishments like bars and things like that to be opened here in Kinato, he is a little worried about the depressing atmosphere this camp has and he thinks that doing this may perhaps improve the situation a bit .

Of course, he is not interested in being the one to administer these… whether it be Shido-san or someone in his group who does it will suffice. As you may have noticed, the people who are going to hunt rats have increased and these people having a full stomach will surely want to find some way to vent all they have been through.

So we believe that creating establishments like this can improve the environment in the camp. But for this is need other things, a currency to do business and therefore the camp needs to hire people to do various activities and get a payment for this.

As for what things need to be done here as work, that is better than Shido-san thinks about it, now you have the resources to carry this out and it is better for people to do some activity than simply give them a part of these "

"...I see, it may be better to do it that way, but perhaps there is some inconvenience if the other Kinato groups refuse"

"Don't worry, Shido-san. Miyamoto-san's side agrees with this, so even if the military side opposed them they couldn't do much."

The suggestions of this woman were not bad, it was better to have the residents with encouragement since in this way the pressure they can exert towards other groups is greater. I just have to make them see that the person who gave them a better life is me and then they will follow my words even more .

"I really must say that Yuriko-san is a great leader, I only get ashamed in front of you"

"Fufufu, this is just something that Alexander-kun has asked me to tell you, I am just the messenger"

"I see, without a doubt Alexander-san is a very intelligent person… please tell him that I will try to carry out those things as soon as possible"

"Okay, that was all I wanted to say. So I retire to can inform him about this."

After Yuriko leaves, I quickly call Arata and we begin to plan how to accomplish this. If things go well, my influence on Kinato residents will be as solid as a stone and even if the Tokonosu group takes control of the camp, it will be difficult for them to put me aside.
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Hello everyone!!

I had not realized that the links can not be copied by someone who told me that, now they are also in the description, I think there can be done.

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Is seems that WN is baned the word (p-a-t-r-e-o-n), so "*******" is (p-a-t-r-e-o-n) without "-"