Chapter 19: Settling In
I was currently sitting in the backyard.
Alone.
Relaxing.
Thinking.
Which was honestly a dangerous combination.
The cool morning air drifted through the garden as I leaned back against the wooden chair.
For the first time since the outbreak started, there weren't any screams around me.
No zombies trying to eat somebody.
No desperate escape plans.
No immediate life-threatening situations.
Just silence.
Peaceful silence.
The kind that gave people enough free time to start thinking.
Unfortunately, I was one of those people.
Looking around the property, I couldn't help but admit that we'd settled in surprisingly well.
Actually—
That might have been an understatement.
Food?
We had enough to survive for weeks.
Maybe longer if we were careful.
The convenience store alone had given us enough supplies to fill a room.
Water?
Still running.
And even if it stopped tomorrow, we'd already filled enough containers to keep us going for a good while.
Weapons?
That one was honestly ridiculous.
Between the firearms hidden throughout the estate and everything we'd gathered ourselves, we now had enough guns to arm everyone in the group and still have extras left over.
Not that we'd be using them much.
Guns were loud.
Loud attracted zombies.
And zombies were annoying.
As for the mansion itself—
Well.
This place was practically built for the apocalypse.
Tall walls.
Heavy gates.
Large grounds.
And just to make absolutely sure nothing got inside, we'd parked Bus-kun directly in front of the entrance.
At this point, even if a horde wandered over, I doubted they'd get very far.
Unless the zombies suddenly learned how to climb walls.
Which would be complete bullshit.
Overall?
Things were going well.
Suspiciously well.
So naturally, I was stressed.
Because contrary to popular belief, the apocalypse wasn't over just because we'd found a nice house.
The world was still ending.
People were still dying.
And unlike before...
I was running out of answers.
That was the real problem.
Up until now, I'd been navigating almost entirely on memory.
The school.
The bus.
Shidou.
I remembered enough to avoid the worst outcomes.
Or at least most of them.
But after this?
Things became fuzzy.
Very fuzzy.
I wasn't exactly what you'd call a hardcore fan.
I watched the anime years ago.
Years.
The fact that I remembered as much as I did was already a miracle.
Once we left this place, my ability to point everyone in the right direction would become significantly less reliable.
Sure.
I'd still have common sense.
Which, judging by some of the decisions people made in horror stories, was already a superpower.
But it wouldn't be the same.
I wouldn't know what was coming anymore.
Which meant I'd have to start adapting properly.
...
Annoying.
Then again, there was still one thing I remembered.
One particular event.
And unfortunately, it was one of the reasons I was currently sitting outside.
The little girl.
If memory served me right, she'd show up soon.
Or more accurately—
The situation involving her would.
The same situation where Takashi and the others decided to play heroes and rescue her.
I stared up at the sky.
Then sighed.
Because honestly?
I still hadn't decided what to do.
If the decision were entirely mine?
I probably wouldn't leave this house.
Not for her.
Not for anyone.
Now before somebody starts calling me an asshole—
Too late, I know—
Hear me out.
I'm not saying she deserves to die.
That's not what I'm saying.
But every time people talk about saving someone, they always conveniently ignore the part where somebody has to take the risk.
Somebody has to leave the safety of the walls.
Somebody has to burn ammunition.
Somebody has to potentially get bitten.
And if things go wrong?
It's not just the person you're saving who dies.
It's everybody who came with you.
That's the part nobody likes talking about.
We'd already passed countless people on our way here.
Families.
Children.
Parents.
People trapped in cars.
People running for their lives.
Did we stop for all of them?
No.
We couldn't.
Because if we tried, we'd still be out there.
Dead.
So what made this girl different?
Nothing.
Objectively speaking?
Nothing at all.
Which was exactly why this whole thing annoyed me.
Because despite all that logic...
I already knew what my answer would be.
I'd help her.
Not because it was smart.
Not because it was practical.
But because if I didn't, I'd spend the next few weeks thinking about it.
And that sounded even more annoying.
The bigger problem was how.
Because unlike the anime, our situation was completely different now.
Back then, they had motorcycles.
Limited supplies.
Limited options.
Now?
I glanced toward the garage.
Specifically toward Humvee-chan.
...
Yeah.
No.
I was absolutely not letting those idiots turn a simple rescue mission into an action movie.
Given the current group's collective decision-making abilities, there was a very real chance they'd somehow destroy half the neighborhood.
That couldn't happen.
Which meant there was only one solution.
I sighed.
"...Guess I'll have to do it myself."
Dangerous.
Stupid.
Potentially fatal.
In other words—
A normal Tuesday.
Thankfully, there was still plenty of time before any of that happened.
We'd arrived here ridiculously early.
Even after unloading supplies, securing the property, checking the house, and exploring half the estate, the morning was still young.
Meaning I had free time.
And if there was one thing I intended to do with that free time...
Well.
Let's just say survival wasn't my only goal.
My eyes drifted toward the mansion.
...
Actually.
Why not start now?
A grin slowly spread across my face.
"Hehehe."
Mission time.
____
---
"Yo, Takagi."
"Kyaa!"
Saya nearly jumped out of her skin when I suddenly appeared behind her.
Excellent.
A successful opening move.
"What are you doing!?"
She spun around and immediately hit me with her usual death glare.
A terrifying attack.
Unfortunately for her, years of anime had rendered me completely immune to tsundere damage.
Ignoring the hostility entirely, I tilted my head.
"Question."
"What?"
"What would you do if a zombie cornered you?"
Saya blinked.
"...What kind of question is that?"
"Just, you know... humor me."
She crossed her arms.
"Obviously, I'd figure something out."
"Bullshit."
"W-What!?"
Before she could continue, I reached into my waistband and pulled out a pistol.
Then placed it in her hands.
Immediately, she froze.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The sudden weight seemed to catch her completely off guard.
She stared at the weapon.
Then at me.
Then back at the weapon.
"Why are you giving me this?"
"What else?"
I shrugged.
"So you can protect yourself."
Saya frowned.
"I can already protect myself."
"No."
"I can!"
"No."
"Y-You—!"
I pointed at the gun.
"Then prove it."
That immediately shut her up.
"..."
"..."
"If you're really as capable as you keep claiming, learn how to use it."
Her expression shifted slightly.
Confusion.
Surprise.
A little disbelief.
"Why me?"
I looked at her.
Then shrugged.
"Because you're smart."
"...What?"
"You're a genius, right?"
She blinked, still looking stunned.
I continued.
"You'll figure it out."
For a moment, Saya simply stared at me.
Like she'd completely forgotten how to respond.
Honestly?
Fair.
Most of our conversations usually ended in arguments.
This was probably the first time I'd openly admitted she was competent.
Then again...
It wasn't exactly a lie.
She was smart.
Annoying.
But smart.
"I trust you."
The words slipped out casually.
Yet they seemed to hit harder than expected.
Saya's eyes widened slightly.
Then she looked away.
Fast.
Almost suspiciously fast.
"W-Well, obviously."
She pushed her glasses up, trying very hard to look composed.
"I am a genius."
"There she is."
"W-What does that mean!?"
I ignored the question.
Mission accomplished.
No further action required.
Turning around, I immediately started walking away.
"Wait!"
I kept walking.
"Hiro!"
Still walking.
"Don't just leave after saying weird things!"
Too late.
I was already descending the stairs.
Disappearing from sight before she could continue.
Behind me, silence lingered for several seconds.
Then—
"...Idiot."
Saya looked down at the pistol resting in her hands.
Heavy.
Cold.
Real.
For a moment, she simply stared at it.
Then toward the staircase where Hiro had disappeared.
"...Really weird idiot."
The insult came automatically.
Yet somehow, it lacked its usual bite.
Because in a world where trust was becoming increasingly rare...
Being trusted felt surprisingly warm.
____
---
Meanwhile, downstairs.
I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.
Then nodded to myself.
"Mission success."
A beautiful success.
A flawless success.
An absolutely magnificent success.
The kind historians would write about.
Probably.
Maybe.
"Now then."
A grin slowly spread across my face.
"Onto the next target."
The world may have ended.
But my original goal hadn't.
End of Chapter 19
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