The Daily Life of the Demon King

Chapter 217 - 217: Takagi Estate and the Foolish Father

Alex sat behind the wheel of the bus, confidently driving it toward the Takagi estate. However, to reach Saya's home, they had to cross a bridge where chaos had broken out during the early days of the apocalypse. Police officers, trying to control the flow of people, had refused to let anyone through, which ultimately led to pandemonium and allowed a horde of zombies to overrun the crowd.

Alex brought the bus to a halt in front of the bridge. The road ahead was completely blocked with abandoned cars and crawling with the undead. Narrowing his eyes, he assessed the obstacles and decided it was time to test the efficiency of the snowplow he'd installed. But first, he turned to his passengers:

"Hold on tight, as you can see, the bridge is completely blocked. We'll have to plow our way through," Alex said, glancing back at the girls.

"Are you sure the bus can handle this?" Rei asked cautiously, trying not to hurt his pride. "I mean, I trust your skills, but you've been working on it all night."

Alex grinned widely.

"Heh, you're about to see what a true apocalypse machine looks like. Now grab onto something, because it's going to get bumpy!"

The girls, realizing Alex was serious, grabbed hold of whatever they could. They already knew better than to underestimate his driving. Meanwhile, GIR, MIMI, and Stitch rushed ahead, eager not to miss the show.

Alex smoothly pressed the gas pedal and aimed the bus straight down the middle of the road. The first car in their path split in two as the snowplow smashed into it. The girls felt the bus shudder with every bump, the sound of metal crunching and smashing filling the cabin.

By the time they crossed the bridge, they left behind a trail of mangled cars and debris scattered across the road. Alex nodded, clearly satisfied with how the bus had performed.

"Perfect. Crash test passed," he remarked with a smug smile.

The girls looked like they'd just been on the wildest roller coaster ride. Rebecca, on the other hand, seemed delighted and quietly giggled, already imagining herself behind the wheel. Brunhilde, as usual, remained composed, not even bothering to hold onto anything, as if the entire bumpy ride had been a mundane experience for her. The other girls, however, looked pale—except for Saeko, who seemed calm despite her disheveled hair from all the shaking.

"Next time, please don't hit every car you see," Shizuka said wearily.

"That was a test! I needed to make sure the snowplow could handle it," Alex replied with a smirk, waving her concern off.

"Shizuka's right. Test or not, stop smashing into everything," Saya chimed in, her face still a bit pale.

"Don't worry. Next time, I won't be the one driving," Alex said, turning around with a lighthearted smile.

The girls exchanged glances. Their eyes landed on Rebecca, who eagerly nodded in response to Alex's words. No one wanted to experience a ride with her behind the wheel, considering her personality and the bus's capabilities. Even Brunhilde, who always remained calm, silently supported the consensus.

Each girl began mentally competing for a spot on Alex's motorcycle, deciding it was better to endure a high-adrenaline ride with him than face Rebecca's relentless driving. Meanwhile, Alex, oblivious to the silent battle unfolding behind him, continued driving the bus forward.

Leaning slightly forward, he spotted the grand Takagi estate in the distance. It loomed large, though it was modest compared to Alex's own mansion in Orario, which resembled a lavish palace thanks to the extravagant whims of the two goddesses living there.

"You've got a big house, Saya," Alex remarked with a slight smile, glancing at her.

Saya scoffed, looking out the window.

"What does it matter if it's big when my parents are always too busy? My dad's obsessed with his political career, and my mom runs a bunch of companies. My childhood was spent surrounded by other rich kids who tried to suck up to me because of my family's influence. The only exception was Takashi. But even he turned into a moody idiot."

Her voice sounded irritated, and her gaze expressed disappointment. Alex silently glanced at her, trying to find the right words but chose to remain quiet for now, focusing on the road. The Takagi estate loomed ever closer.

Alex let out a heavy sigh after hearing Saya's words. He understood her feelings all too well—being surrounded by people who cared only about her parents' influence, not her as a person. From the anime, Alex remembered Saya's personality during her childhood and doubted those spoiled children of politicians and the wealthy could handle her. The only exception was Takashi, who, to put it simply, became her first friend.

Even so, Takashi's later behavior as a moody teenager drove Saya away. A similar situation occurred with Rei, leading to the events that shaped their relationship. However, Alex had no intention of interfering in Takashi's romantic affairs. There was no point; even a blind man could see that both Rei and Saya were clearly interested in Alex himself.

The other girls, seeing the Takagi estate for the first time, couldn't hide their astonishment. Rebecca, however, regarded it with some skepticism, thinking such a massive house for a family of three—not counting servants and guards—was simply pointless. As for Brunhilde, she was entirely unimpressed—having seen the castles of gods, the Takagi estate seemed utterly ordinary in comparison.

"Hey, Pinky," Rebecca began, turning her head to Saya. "Are you telling me guys have been hitting on you since you were a kid?"

"I told you to stop calling me 'Pinky,' you green menace!" Saya snapped, flipping her braid arrogantly. "And yes, at social events or high-society gatherings, guys were constantly trying to approach me. But my father always scared them off. It only took a few words from him to make them scatter like frightened puppies."

"Or maybe they just couldn't stand your snobby 'self-proclaimed genius' attitude. Isn't that right, Pinky?" Rebecca smirked, her grin widening.

"Well, excuse me if they were all spoiled idiots!" Saya flared up, sharply turning toward Rebecca. "All they could do was spend their parents' money, brag about their expensive toys, and talk about where they vacationed or who they dated. They had less brains than a baboon in mating season! And for the last time, stop calling me 'Pinky,' you green-haired pest!"

Rebecca burst into laughter, which only infuriated Saya further. Alex watched their bickering through the rearview mirror, marveling at how easily Rebecca could rile Saya up. He just shook his head, half-listening to their argument.

"If we're talking about geniuses, doesn't Alex fit the bill?" Rei said thoughtfully. "Where else would you find someone who created two intelligent combat-ready robots and also geeks out over weapons from anime and games?"

"There's no comparison!" Saya snapped, flipping her braid back in annoyance. "GIR and MIMI are technologies decades ahead of their time. Those spoiled rich kids can't even come close."

"Wow, you're making me blush," Alex quipped with a smirk, glancing over his shoulder. "If you know what you're doing, you can create more than just robots."

"Oh, shut up already!" Saya shouted, pointing at him angrily. "You and your 'If you know what you're doing' are driving everyone crazy. If it were that simple, we would have colonized Mars by now!"

"Well, it's not my fault that most people are just... How should I put this..." Alex paused, clearly

He placed it on the table, and Soichiro looked at the strange object with curiosity.

"And what is this?" he asked, picking up the cube.

"A bomb," Alex replied calmly. "As much as you talk about your people's loyalty, the human factor always plays a role. Anything can happen. So, if you realize you've been betrayed, or if you're surrounded with no way out, activate this cube. It will blow up the entire warehouse and the mountain with it and send you straight to Valhalla."

Soichiro was silent, inspecting the cube in his hands.

"I'll explain how to use it," Alex continued. "Just think of it as Plan B."

Soichiro listened carefully, realizing that Alex was right. Things could always go wrong. After a brief moment of thought, he accepted the offer, understanding that this would allow him to end everything on his own terms.

Alex sighed inwardly. He was helping Saya's father go straight to Valhalla, and it stirred a strange feeling in him.

To be continued...