POV Takashi Komuro
Takashi was restless.
Of course, how could he not be restless when he saw that zombies were capable of evolving, not to mention the fact that it hadn't even taken much time.
Because since the beginning of the epidemic, or... catastrophe, he didn't know what to call it, only a few hours had passed, maybe 4-5 hours, and evolving zombies were already appearing. And that was terrifying.
Not to mention that the person he considered the strongest among them had strained himself to defeat them. He glanced at Isao, who was lying across the seats, arm thrown over his head to cover his forehead and eyes, sleeping.
Isao hadn't rested since lunch, working for their well-being, saving everyone who needed saving—as long as they weren't bastards like Ishida and Tsunoda—but even so, he had saved a lot of people.
And he was grateful for that. His faith in him, already huge, had soared to the heavens. That was why he had been speechless when that big guy's blow had nearly knocked Isao unconscious.
One hit, and Isao almost passed out. In that moment, he felt an incredible terror, the kind of terror that made you stand there, unable to move, not even allowing you to take a single step.
That's why he was restless. If Isao died because of monsters like that, then it would be the end for them too. And if more monsters appeared that were just as strong... or even stronger, they would die. But not as long as Isao was with them.
So he sighed, trying to calm the trembling in his body, and looked around the cabin.
In the morning, the bus had been a little less than half full, and now there were more than 20 people sitting here. In the eyes of many, hope and faith burned, and he immediately understood who all that faith was directed at, because he himself believed in the same person.
But even so, somewhere deep in his heart, he knew that... he also wanted some kind of superpower. Because who wouldn't want to have a superpower?
Really? Who wouldn't want to have a superpower that would make them strong, and allow them to be confident that they could protect their own family, loved ones, and significant others? Especially at a time when everything was crumbling right before their eyes?
Anyone would want a superpower that allowed them to be confident in themselves, because then no one would have to worry about the safety of their loved ones.
But right now, he could only believe in Isao, and also believe that his mom was okay, that Rei's and Hisashi's parents were also okay, and that they would all meet as soon as everyone gathered together and was safe.
And that's why he had to keep believing in Isao, because only he could help create a place that would be safe.
Yes, other people could help too, but Isao's ability to create metal was incredibly useful.
The bus lurched from side to side several times, making him and Hisashi, who was sitting next to him, grab the back of the front seats.
"God... she's a terrible driver." He heard Hisashi's voice.
"Yeah, but she's the only one who knows how to drive a bus, so we don't have a choice." Hisashi looked at him doubtfully, then glanced at the two men they had rescued from the hospital.
"What about them?"
"Are you kidding?" This time, he looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "One has a broken leg, and the other doesn't even know how to drive a regular car. I already asked him."
"Hah..." He sighed tiredly and leaned back. "Where are we even going?"
"Most likely to the bridge, to cross to the other side of the river and get to the Takagi family estate."
"Ah... does Marikawa-sensei know that? Did Isao tell her?" This made him think, and he couldn't remember anything. He was too tired from the whole day and couldn't remember at all if Isao had told Marikawa-sensei.
"Okay, let me through..." Takashi stood up and moved into the aisle, then headed forward, feeling Hisashi's gaze, and then how the gazes of other people also began to cling to his back.
A few short seconds later, he was at the front of the bus, where the first row of seats was, where Kyoko-sensei, Saya, and Takuzo with his girlfriend were sitting. Marikawa-sensei was in the driver's seat.
"Sensei?"
"Yes, Takashi-kun? What happened?" She answered without looking at him, continuing to steer.
"You're heading to the bridge to cross to the other side of the river, right?"
"Yep, yep, don't worry about it!" She waved one hand, continuing to steer with the other. "I remember Isao-chan saying we need to get to the Takagi estate, since Saya-chan's parents will be working on securing the place!" He noticed a bad expression flash across Saya's face for a moment, the kind that appears when someone is deeply hurt, but she immediately hid it, making him doubt his own eyes.
"Ah, well, okay then, Marikawa-sensei. About how long until we get there?"
The sun was already starting to set, and they needed to get there soon.
"Another ten or fifteen minutes," she exhaled, carefree and happy. "It's so nice when there's no traffic and no people honking all the time."
He looked at her a little suspiciously, because... because there was no traffic because many people were, well, dead? And she didn't seem too worried about that... yeah, there was definitely something wrong with Marikawa-sensei.
"Well... I'd better go back then..." He said this quietly and left just as quietly, not drawing her attention.
Walking back to his seat, he saw the man with the broken leg sit down next to his daughters and say something to them while they hugged him. He smiled, feeling a small bit of happiness, because today they had managed to save many people, including children.
There were several children on the bus right now; half of those they had saved at the hospital were children. And despite the horror they had experienced, their eyes still shone, and that was gladdening.
Hisashi moved further down the seat, letting him sit down.
"Did she say anything?"
"Yeah, no need to worry about it, she knows where she's going."
"Well, then everything's fine..." His words were cut off by a stomach growl, and they both looked down at their stomachs. Hisashi grabbed his, rubbing it a little. "And god, we need to eat. I'm so hungry."
"Tell me about it. We've been going since lunchtime, running all over the place, haven't even had anything to drink or any snacks."
"Yeah..." Hisashi fell silent and looked at him for a while, making him feel awkward.
He realized that he had been talking to Hisashi like he used to, before he got mad at him for starting to date Rei. And it felt good; he felt like he had gotten his long-lost friend back.
And he needed to apologize for all the time he had been bitter at him, completely ignoring him or answering him rudely.
"Takashi..."
"Hisashi..."
They both looked at each other in confusion.
"You can go first, Hisashi." He nodded to him.
"Yeah..." He took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say... sorry... sorry for starting to date Rei right after you two broke up, for stopping talking to you, and not even telling you first about how I felt about her... but I just couldn't bring myself to do it." He looked at Hisashi in surprise. Hisashi had his fists clenched on his knees, staring at them. His voice trembled slightly and was filled with remorse.
"I... I forgive you. But why didn't you want to tell me?"
"Dude, first of all, it's weird to confess to your best friend that you want to date his ex," Hisashi looked at him like he was crazy. "And second, I was scared."
"Of what? Me? C'mon, I wouldn't have beaten you half to death!" Hisashi swallowed, shaking his head.
"I wasn't scared of you. I was scared of him..." He slowly raised his hand and pointed his finger at the sleeping Isao. "Ever since middle school, he's been watching to make sure Rei was always with you. And you remember those times when he almost killed the guys who came up to her?"
"Y-yeah? But he didn't do it, did he?"
"Because you two didn't mind it! Or rather, you two just stopped talking, so he let me start dating her. You two are like little siblings to him, that's why he cares about you so much."
"Dude! Shitty comparison, that's disgusting!"
"But accurate! You don't realize how caring he is because you're used to it. But I see it. He worries about you just like he worries about his little sister, just a lot less, but still more than he cares about other people."
"..." He just listened to Hisashi's words without interrupting, because... he was right.
After their first meeting, Isao had always been there for him and Rei, always watching over them like his juniors. He remembered how he taught him to fight properly, teaching him some boxing moves he knew from somewhere, although he didn't remember Isao ever saying he trained in it in gyms, or anywhere.
But still, he was grateful to him.
And sitting in front of him was his friend, still awkwardly silent, waiting for him to say something.
"I... I also wanted to apologize for how I treated you these last few weeks after you started dating Rei. She's a grown girl... and I couldn't be mad at you and her for starting to date..." Why did he feel like Isao would smack him on the head for these words? "More precisely, I wanted to apologize for being rude all this time, ignoring my friend who I've been friends with since middle school."
"You... you don't have to apologize, Takashi..." Hisashi sat with his head down. "What you did was completely deserved. It's all my fault..."
"But I'm still apologizing for it, so you have to accept it, as my best friend." He smiled at Hisashi, seeing his eyes shine as he started to smile too. "So, do you accept?"
"Y-yeah, of course!" He raised his hand, and he slapped it.
"Friends?"
"Friends."
POV Kyoko Tsumugi
Kyoko felt bad. How could she not, when she saw her child almost die, trying to help and save them all?
She watched him breathing heavily as he dozed, resting.
And only now did she realize that he had probably been running around since this morning, trying to save as many people as possible.
Her little baby, her little hero, who in her eyes was still that little boy who always tried to look older than his age, always pensive about something.
To her great sadness, he never shared what was on his mind. And when she asked, he never told her, just brushing it off with "it's nothing," and that made her feel worried.
But looking at him right now, she saw how much he had grown. He even had a girlfriend! If, of course, the pink-haired girl was who she thought she was. But she wasn't against it; it was obvious how much the pink-haired girl clung to him.
"Ko-chan, who is that pink-haired girl?" She asked her daughter, pointing to the girl sitting in the front row, which made her girl's face twist a little. "You don't like her?"
"N-no..." Her daughter forced a smile. "That's Saya Takagi."
"Takagi? As in, Soichiro Takagi?" Ko-chan nodded, making her eyes go wide. "Um, honey, your brother didn't seduce the daughter of one of the country's toughest politicians, did he?"
"No. She's the one practically falling at his feet..." Her voice was full of jealousy for her brother, and it made her smile. Her daughter was jealous of her big brother, how cute. Ko-chan was so clingy with him.
"But why?"
"He saved her, like a hero from some manga." Rolling her eyes, Ko-chan crossed her arms and leaned back against the seat.
"Sweetie, why are you so angry at her?"
"Because Isao is mine. He was always my Ani, and he will always be my Ani!" Kotobuki hissed fiercely, making her eyes widen in surprise.
"But, he won't stop being your brother if he starts dating a girl..."
"Yes, he will stop being mine if he starts dating a girl. We were always together, and he never needed a girl. Why should that change now? Huh?"
"Because he's grown up, just like you. Someday, despite the horror happening to the world, he'll find a girl he wants to make his wife and start his own family. And you'll find a guy who will become your husband, and you'll start yours. But that doesn't mean he'll stop being your brother, right?" The more she spoke, the greener Kotobuki's face became.
"N-no... I'll only accept Rei if she becomes his wife, and even then only because I've known her for years. But everyone else? They can go their own way and not even think about him." She stared in surprise at her daughter, who had never been so fierce and jealous. Kotobuki had always been a sweet girl, so she was surprised to see this side of her.
"But..."
"No buts, Mom. He's mine and I'm his. We always have been and always will be together. That's it, I don't want to talk anymore." Kotobuki frowned and sat silently.
"..." She stared at her, shocked, her mouth open, trying not to let her jaw drop.
She had noticed how clingy Kotobuki had been since middle school. The way she would lie with Isao, cuddling on the couch. How if he went out with a "girl," that girl was only Ko-chan or Rei. The way Kotobuki always wore his clothes.
And she thought it would pass with time, not paying much attention to it. She definitely should have worried about it when she saw what type of manga, with what kind of tags, Kotobuki was reading.
But, she thought it was just fantasies. The fact that she herself read practically the same thing, just with slightly different tags, didn't mean anything! She knew how to separate reality and fantasy!
And the idea that Kotobuki loved her brother as not-a-brother couldn't be real, for God's sake! It was just... impossible!
She loved her children and would support them in anything, but not this! Because it just wouldn't bring them anything but short-term happiness.
People become couples because they love each other and want to build a family. And the ultimate result of any family is the birth of children! And that would be unavailable to them, since they are brother and sister!
Oh hell, damn it, what was she supposed to do in this situation? How could she get through to her daughter that fantasies should remain fantasies, and you shouldn't try to bring them to life? How?!
She wasn't going to use herself as an example, was she? A single mother over 30 who uses a purple-colored rubber thing while reading hentai with questionable tags and say that she doesn't bring those fantasies to life!
That would just be a disgrace for her. She could say that society wouldn't approve, but she was seeing society collapse with her own eyes. And just the same, she saw how people were rallying around Isao, and it was clear that under such brutal new circumstances, many would just turn a blind eye to it.
Moral values would start to fall because of this whole catastrophe. And she believed that after some time, cruelty would increase several times over, if not by a dozen. And people would eventually start killing each other, raping, and enslaving, all because of the harsh external environment, when people would have to be harsh to survive.
After all, that's why people in the past were cruel—because the external environment was cruel and, for the most part, incomprehensible, unknown in a word.
There were no televisions, computers, or phones with which people from other countries could communicate with each other, share their cultures, and finally understand that people, for the most part, are the same everywhere.
But that would change over time. She knew that Isao would rally people around him, creating one large group with its own rules and norms. And somewhere out there, there would be some other person who would create their own group with their own rules and norms. And if people from these two groups met, they might be hostile at first because of their different norms, which would cause misunderstanding and enmity between them.
Her point in all this was that... people in some groups might not give a damn about incest. And she was fucking praying that the people around Isao would be against something like that, because it wouldn't do anything good for them, especially for Isao and Kotobuki.
After all, the joy of a family is in one's own children, those who will be endless pieces of themselves, continuing to pass their pieces on to another generation.
She just... god, she was so confused right now. She didn't even know what to say to Kotobuki... what if she talked to Isao and he made his sister see reason? He had to do it.
Isao had always been a smart boy. He never needed to be asked to be taught something or to go to any extra courses, as he learned everything himself.
He started making good money back when he was thirteen or fourteen! He didn't need to be told that hanging out with a bad crowd was bad, as he was the one the bad crowds were afraid of. He didn't need to be told that drugs were bad. He didn't need to be told that talking to strangers was bad. She didn't have to worry about anything with him at all.
He was an incredible boy, and later a young man, who always took care of her and his sister. If his sister so much as coughed, he would immediately start thinking about what medicine to give her. She still remembered the time when she got very sick and wasn't able to get out of bed for a whole week.
Back then, he had to take care of the cafe himself, take care of her, his mother. He even skipped school for her, and she remembered those times with warmth.
At the time it happened, he did everything for her. Woke her up, fed her, gave her medicine, took her to the toilet, washed her as if she were a little girl. And she was so grateful to her baby for that, and it was then that she realized one thing.
Her little baby had long been an adult man, who, even so, took care of her, always listening to her and her opinion like a little child. That was exactly why she called him her "little baby."
And she had to talk to him abou—
The bus began to stop sharply, tires screeching, making everyone almost fly forward. But they managed to keep themselves safe, except for one person, who was her son, who had fallen to the floor.
"Ow, fuck!" He stood up, holding his head, biting his lip. Then he looked around the cabin and saw her gaze and the gazes of the other people, among whom were children. "...I mean, ow, painful?" After an awkward silence, he sighed tiredly and, muttering to himself, went to the front of the cabin.
POV Isao Tsumugi
Waking up by hitting my head on the floor sucked. And even with some traits, it was a little painful. He thought about this as he approached the front of the bus.
"So, what's going on, Shizuka-san?"
"Oh, sorry for waking you, Isao-chan! But there's a traffic jam here that doesn't look like it's going to move." He wanted to give her an unimpressed look, but held back and looked where she pointed. And he saw... a long motherfucking traffic jam. It looked as if all the cars in the city had gathered on this bridge, and then all the drivers decided to get out and stage a small protest, shouting restlessly as they gathered at the very front of the jam.
They were lucky there were no zombies nearby, because they would all be dead. Not to mention that... damn it, the sun was already setting.
"Does anyone have a watch? Tell me the time." He asked, looking at no one in particular, and an instant later got an answer from Kyoko-sensei.
"It's almost seven PM, Isao-kun."
"Fuck, we can't sit here this whole time." He grabbed his head, and then realized one more thing: he couldn't use his power until he rested properly, ate, and slept. "Oh, fu-uck, the situation is getting even worse than I thought several seconds ago."
"Why? What happened?" Saya stood up looking at me with concern.
"I can't use my metal control powers to move our bus to the other side of the river. Not until I'm properly rested." The faces of many who heard me became a little gloomy at this, but they didn't say anything, as it didn't stop the flame of faith in their eyes from extinguishing. "Okay, does anyone live near here? A house where we can all go and rest and eat?" I looked around the cabin, and no one raised their hand. "Seriously? No one?"
"Um..." Shizuka-san got my attention, making me look at her with a raised eyebrow. "My friend has a house not far from here, but it doesn't have enough rooms for this many people. Unless we all sleep on the floor in every room."
I thought about it for a bit. Her friend's house couldn't have enough futons, so we'd probably have to get others from neighboring houses. Oh hell... even to rest, I have to work. When will this end? Just let me draw my manga and relax in my free time, hugging my teddy bear, who was K-imoto.
"That'll work. So, let's go there? We can go in, right?" At my words, Marikawa nodded, pulling keys from somewhere.
"Of course! My friend doesn't visit this house often, but I have the keys and can go in sometimes!"
"Hah... then let's go. Drive there." She nodded again and started to reverse, turning the wheel. "And please, this time, start to slow down in advance."
"Okay, master driver, I'll do just that!" She nodded mockingly, and then delivered one phrase that made me sigh tiredly one more time. "By the way, the fuel is running out! What's left is only enough to get to my friend's house!"