SUP! How y'all doing boys? Hope you're doing well, and… The long-awaited chapter after quite a long break, thanks for your waiting!
Have pleasure while reading it!
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POV Kouta Hirano
Kouta was still trembling from a mix of fear and excitement. Scarcely half an hour ago, the vehicle he was in had been completely seized by a mutated zombie, and instead of freezing in terror… he acted!
For the first time in his life, fear didn't control his body. He didn't lock up, he didn't panic—nothing! He just acted!
And no, this wasn't like back at the School. When he and the others were there, those were just simple, ordinary zombies that were easy enough to kill. But this was a full-on mutated zombie, one that held the entire vehicle he was in above its head—and fearing nothing, he simply opened the door and started firing into the eyes and mouth of that bastarly creature!
"He-he!" He chuckled softly, feeling a surge of pride in his actions wash over him, and returned to observing the parking area from his high vantage point.
He sat on the roof of the Shopping Mall, clutching a weapon—a weapon he had modified thanks to the powers he received from Isao-san!
It was nothing short of incredible. As soon as he received the power from Isao-san, his head was immediately flooded with ideas on how to improve weapons using scavenged materials, even if the weapon itself lost its aesthetic appeal. These were ideas that likely would never have crossed his mind before he got these powers.
And now, the semi-automatic weapon that was "good" before but had its share of minor issues was now simply spectacular!
He was grateful to Isao for this… though he was still a bit intimidated by him.
But despite his fear of Isao, Kouta… admired him. The way Isao didn't get overly nervous about things, the way he could talk freely with girls, and his overall confidence—not to mention his audacity and the way he went alone against a crowd of people just to stand up for him, the "fat four-eyes" Kouta....
No one had ever stood up for him before, and when Isao did it… he nearly burst into tears, because finally, he was useful! Finally, he had a weapon and felt like he wasn't just some fat schoolboy everyone could bully. And then some guys wanted to take away the one thing that finally made him feel not useless! If it wasn't for Isao, they might have actually succeeded, and Kouta Hirano, the expert marksman, would have turned back into the "Fat Four-Eyes."
"When it comes to shooting, I only trust Kouta; he's the most accurate marksman I know."
He had been replaying those words of Isao's in his head for a while now. Ever since they left the Takagi Estate, they hadn't left his mind; in the car, those words were all he could think about.
Those weren't just empty praises, because he and the others saw how confidently Isao said them—as if what he was saying was the absolute truth. Such trust in his skills?
No one else, aside from his family, had ever shown him that kind of attitude. His classmates thought of him as some Otaku—though they weren't exactly "super cool" themselves—and most girls looked at him like he was some freak, even while claiming that "looks aren't the most important thing" and "the soul is what matters" to imply a guy shouldn't just look at a girl's appearance. For the rest of it, even he himself sometimes… no, often, doubted himself. But Isao believed in him and his skills. In that moment, he realized one thing.
That he was a fool.
All this time he had been afraid of Isao, thinking he might start bullying him at any moment, completely ignoring that even back at school when they crossed paths in the hallway, Isao never said a word against him or looked down on him. He felt so damn ashamed of it.
And now he knew it was stupid to fear Isao, as the man wouldn't do anything bad to him unless Kouta himself did something bad to others.
So, to justify the trust Isao had placed in him, he sat on the roof, scanning the surroundings. If another mutated zombie like before appeared on the horizon, he wanted to be able to report it as early as possible.
"Ah… what are you doing?" He heard a slightly nervous voice nearby—a female voice.
He turned toward the voice with a stiff, wooden motion and saw a cute policewoman with short brown hair and the brightest blue eyes he'd ever seen.
"E-eh… I, well, I'm scouting the area..." Truthfully, he just got flustered because this officer's eyes were so damn beautiful! And… there was the fact that she was the one who started the conversation! That usually didn't happen to him!
"Oh, so you're looking around to spot zombies? You're doing a great job!" She clapped her hands, making him blush. "Asami noticed that no one else in your huge group did that!" Her voice was cheerful, and you could hear the recognition in her tone, making him blush even harder.
"Well, that's because they're busy setting up the Mall so people can be comfortable…" He noticed that despite his intense blushing, he wasn't stuttering much, and he was grateful for that—otherwise, he'd look like a fool.
"No, no, Asami noticed it! She's just saying that no one really thought about looking around. Maybe it's because of these… walls?" She looked at the wall around the parking area with her mouth wide open, a look of pure disbelief. "A-h… where did these walls even come from?!"
"The walls? Takuzo-san raised them. He has an ability that lets him build walls out of any materials. Well, I think so; he said something like that." He explained what he thought he knew, and she just looked at him with even wider eyes of disbelief.
"No, no! You must be joking, …" She trailed off, not knowing what to call him.
"Kouta. Hirano Kouta, Asami-san." The moment he said it, she stared at him for a few seconds before abruptly turning away. He managed to catch how her cheeks flushed slightly.
"Uh… Asami forgot to introduce herself again… my name is Asami Nakaoka… you can call me Asami-san, Kouta-kun." She turned back to him with slightly red cheeks and a smile, which in turn made him blush.
"Sure, Asami-san…" Don't blush, you idiot!
In the further conversation between them, he explained how Takuzo did it and generally told her how they all ended up here.
3rd Person POV
People in black military uniforms bustled back and forth through the shopping center, carrying out various tasks. Most people were working on several areas at once, organizing food zones, rest areas, and a medical office.
And right now, in the medical office organized in one of the accessory shops on the second floor, sat Shizuka, who was…
"So bored..." She was practically lying on the table, head resting on her arms. They had finished setting up this med-room only ten minutes ago—moving out all the unnecessary shelves and bringing in several comfortable single beds for anyone who might end up wounded.
Not to mention they had taken everything from the medical room at the Takagi estate, so now they had IVs, syringes, bandages, and general first-aid supplies.
The problem with her current mood was just one thing: there were no wounded or sick people yet, so she sat idle, bored in her loneliness…
The door swung open, and Shizuka lifted her head to see who it was. She saw Kyoko Hayashi holding two paper cups with something hot inside, judging by the steam rising from them.
"I knew you'd be here, Shizuka." Smiling, she walked to the table and sat on the opposite side, placing a cup in front of Shizuka. "Here, have some coffee. You won't believe it, but our people have already set up the food court, and some are already working there preparing various food and drinks." From the tone of her voice, you could tell she was surprised by how quickly everyone had started working together.
"Oh, thank you, Kyoko-san!" Shizuka took the cup and took a sip. "Ah… that's exactly what I needed right now. You said people have already started working?"
"Well, yes, people have started at the food court, and it's almost lunchtime anyway…" Hayashi fell silent for a moment, staring into space, which caused Shizuka to look at her with concern.
"Did something happen, Kyoko-san?" Shizuka's question made the older woman flinch back to reality. She sighed, holding her cup and taking a large gulp.
"I'm just… to be honest, I'm just surprised at how calm everyone is… everyone is so peaceful, as if we aren't literally living through the apocalypse. And most importantly… I'm the same way. I don't feel any anxiety, fear, or nervousness—and that is the cause of my concern!" She said this, looking Shizuka in the eyes.
"I…" The blonde wanted to say something, but couldn't find any words to support her colleague, leading to an awkward silence between them.
"You know… in moments like these, it seems to me that… Isao really is some kind of Kami, or at least a mortal incarnation of a Kami. Don't you feel the same?" Saying this, Kyoko lowered her head, not noticing Shizuka's surprised look. "There's always this aura around him… dangerous, sharp, but at the same time so… caring and soft. An aura that says he'll protect you if you're in trouble, yet judge you if you do something bad. And he himself is just a sight to behold! Where else could you find such a strong, capable, and caring young man who can also make you feel fifteen or twenty years younger!" The woman in glasses chuckled somewhat lustfully, then raised her head to Shizuka, who was blushing as she watched her.
"What are you talking about, Kyoko-san?!" The indignant voice made Kyoko look at Shizuka with a hint of mock hurt.
"Oh, come on, Shizu, you were shamelessly flirting with him yourself just yesterday! You have to leave us older women at least a little room for maneuver!" She pointed a slender finger at Shizuka, causing her to turn away with burning cheeks. "Though if I were you, I wouldn't stop. After all, in times like these, being with a man like that means you'll live a grand life! Honestly, just being close to him is enough—didn't he give you various powers just like his other peers?"
"Y-yes…" The only thing Shizuka could squeeze out was that one word, while other thoughts raced through her head.
"See! If you were like me, sitting somewhere on the sidelines, the chance of getting powers would be zero, but you got lucky!" She sighed in light resentment. "But that's whatever… the thought that hasn't left my head all day is… what would it feel like to have his body on yours? And before you say anything! He's a grown young man now, he's eighteen. And… you saw Saeko-chan's walk, her look, and her general behavior yesterday after she and Isao went for the futons. You can't tell me you don't know what they were up to." Kyoko's voice took on a more conspiratorial tone, forcing Shizuka to turn back to her.
"Yes, but still… that's their business, and it would be quite rude to pry…"
"Oh, who's prying? I'm just saying I'd like to try sleeping with him…"
"Ah?!" Shizuka gasped in shock, her mouth hanging open.
"No, I know you've had those thoughts too, Shizuka. Honestly, all women do! You saw how Yuriko was eyeing our young leader, despite her husband standing literally ten meters away!"
"N-no, I honestly didn't notice… is that true?" Shizuka leaned forward with interest, not wanting to miss a single word.
"Word of honor, colleague to colleague—she was literally trying to please him in every way possible!"
"That's quite…" Shizuka wanted to finish the thought, but Kyoko didn't let her.
"It's only right! Isao-sama is practically a god who also wanted to help them all, and then her husband wanted to take him as a servant. It's his own fault for failing to grasp the level of danger our leader poses, thinking he's just some little boy. He brought it on himself; now he'll have to accept that his wife will be catering to Isao, who humiliated him, rather than to him." She took to defending Yuriko's actions, all while praising Isao in a tone that brooked no argument.
"Maybe you're right in some ways…"
The further conversation was full of various other gossip, most of it involving Isao's presence.
POV Kyoko Tsumugi
She had just come out of the kitchen of one of the food courts organized by the people. After helping them prepare lunch—and, of course, setting aside some of the same simple food she'd prepared with the others on separate plates—she went to look for her son. Isao… had vanished into thin air as soon as they arrived at the mall. And her daughter, who was also wandering somewhere… oh wait, there she is!
"K-imoto," as Isao called Kotobuki, was sitting right on a bench by the food court entrance. She was lightly tapping her feet on the floor, watching the people pass by. But the moment Kyoko looked at her, she sniffed the air and snapped her head in her direction, making Kyoko sigh at her daughter's new traits.
After receiving power from her older brother, she had gained cat-like features… and that included not just the tail and ears, but everything else cats have.
"Mom!" She flew over to her, snatching the plate of rice from her hands. "Feh, only rice with tomatoes?"
"Well, it was the simplest food we could feed people right now, daughter. And besides, your brother likes tomatoes." She chuckled, looking at the sour expression of her youngest child.
"He likes them when he has a salt shaker handy to season those big, bland red berries, but he doesn't eat them plain very often." Her tail, which had been swaying slightly, went dead still, and her ears stopped twitching, perking up instead.
"Well, then we're lucky your brother eats everything his mommy cooks. Do you know where he is?"
"Actually, I eat everything Mama cooks too..." Ignoring the plastic fork on the plate, her daughter grabbed a small sliced tomato and popped it into her mouth. "Ani is in an office right now. I saw Kiriko-san and Yuriko-san going there, so follow me, Mom." As soon as K-imoto said that, she spun 180 degrees and walked off, leaving Kyoko to sigh and follow.
At least the changes in her hadn't been that extreme.
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