Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.
Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.
The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.
"Speech"
Time*
Arc 1: Mental Illness - Chapter 4
"Sure." I agreed, gently placing Shizuka down on the couch. She immediately giggled again, arms tightening around me as she refused to let go, clinging on as if she had no intention of moving anytime soon.
I then glanced to the side of the couch and spotted Saya Takagi. She was wearing a light blue tank top and black sports shorts, sitting stiffly as she stared back at me with narrowed eyes. Her glasses rested on a small table beside her, making her expression look even sharper without them.
Before I could say anything to Saya, she suddenly slouched deeper into the couch. Her eyes closed, and within seconds, she was softly snoring, completely out cold as if the tension had finally caught up to her.
"Do take the chance to rest. I'm just preparing the food." Saeko said from the kitchen, her calm voice carrying over as she continued working.
"Yes, how about we rest?" Shizuka grew a little more touchy as she ran her left hand slowly across my chest, lifting her gaze to stare directly into my eyes with an unmistakably expectant look.
I struck the back of Shizuka's neck with precise accuracy, using Flawless Execution. She went limp instantly, the bottle of alcohol slipping from her grasp as the towel fell away. Without reacting much, still under the influence of Flawless Execution, I casually laid Shizuka down beside Saya and retrieved the towel, covering the school nurse before stepping back.
With that done, I picked up my handgun and walked into the kitchen, taking a seat on one of the stools. I focused on settling in and keeping my composure, deliberately ignoring the boner Shizuka had caused.
"So is it just you three girls, or are there others?" I asked Saeko, my tone casual despite the fact that I already knew the answer.
"No, there are three more of us—two boys and another girl. They're upstairs, I think." Saeko replied as she opened the fridge, pulling out the ingredients she needed to prepare tonight's dinner.
"And no one's helping you cook? Or even preparing the ingredients?" I raised an eyebrow as I asked. My gaze drifted to my handgun as I removed the magazine, opened my briefcase, and calmly fed fresh rounds into the nearly empty clip. Once it was full, I slid it back into the handgun.
"I'm sure everyone is exhausted from dealing with everything today. Especially… Them…" Saeko said softly, her expression tightening into a faint frown as she stared down at the ingredients laid out on the kitchen counter.
"Them?" I looked briefly confused before the realization clicked. "You mean the zombies?" I continued, tilting my head slightly. "If that's the case, why call them them when we all know what they are—zombies, the undead, and the like?"
"I honestly don't know." Saeko admitted. "Someone started calling zombies them, and the rest of us just followed along." She let out a quiet sigh as she slowly began cutting a carrot. "I guess most of us just wanted to keep a semblance of what our lives could still be, as if zombies were never a thing."
I cracked a faint smile but stayed silent, my eyes sweeping over the kitchen first, then the living room. My gaze lingered briefly on Shizuka and Saya before finally settling on Saeko.
"So how long are you guys planning to stay here?" I asked Saeko, deliberately keeping my focus on the conversation and ignoring her current attire as she continued working in the kitchen.
I silently blamed the creator of this world, while also feeling the strange urge to give the guy a pat on the back for it at the same time.
"I honestly have no clue, but I do hope it won't be too short. It's only been a few hours since we settled here." Saeko said as she took out a large pot from beneath the counter. She rinsed the inside, wiped it dry with a rag, and set it carefully on the stove, preparing for the next step.
I hummed to myself for a moment before pulling out my other journal, the one containing the written Official Rules, and began jotting things down carefully.
3rd Official Rule: It is perfectly normal for me to effortlessly recreate video game characters' combat-related feats, so long as I am doing so through Flawless Execution.
Something snapped in me, leaving me momentarily baffled. After a brief pause, I steadied myself and began writing again.
So it seems the 3rd Official Rule doesn't grant me instant knowledge of fighting techniques, nor the combat experience of various anime characters. Instead, it simply makes my body feel lighter—more responsive, easier to move and control.
Once I finished writing, I slipped the journal back into my briefcase and grabbed my handgun just in time to hear someone shouting from upstairs.
I glanced over at Saeko, who had stopped cooking mid-motion. She frowned toward the staircase, her hands still as she listened, clearly unsettled by the noise coming from upstairs.
"Should we do something about this? That shouting's going to attract the zombies here—if it hasn't already, thanks to that fool firing like crazy outside." I said to Saeko.
Almost on cue, a shotgun blast thundered from outside, followed by some random guy screaming at the top of his lungs, his voice raw with adrenaline as he fired again.
"It's fine… with how loud the others outside are being." Saeko said as she resumed cooking. "Of course, if you wish to do something about it, you're more than welcome to try." She turned her head slightly, offering me a small, knowing smile.
"Pretty sure your friends upstairs might mistake me for some random robber who decided to break in." I said casually, my tone dull. "Especially after seeing a house full of beautiful women."
"Such a charmer." Saeko replied, a soft giggle escaping her at the end. "And yes, I wouldn't be surprised if they think you're a robber—considering none of them came downstairs to check who slammed the door."
"In my defense, I was more concerned about Miss Marikawa's well-being." I said, looking at Saeko with a serious expression.
"And not because you were hoping for more than a thank you, correct?" Saeko said as she lowered the flame on the stove. She then turned around, leaning forward just slightly as she met my gaze, one eyebrow raised in quiet amusement.
"Never said such a thing." I replied, not feeling even a hint of shame. "Anyway, it seems like your friends upstairs have quieted down."
Saeko hummed softly. "Yes, it seems so." She gave a slow nod, her eyes lingering on me for a few seconds longer before she finally turned back to check on the food.
A few hours later*
Suddenly, gunshots rang out from upstairs, snapping me out of my focus on Saeko as she cooked.
"It's—a—little—girl! That's different!" Someone shouted from upstairs, their voice sharp with righteous conviction.
I stared blankly at Saeko, who now wore an awkward smile, as if unsure how to even respond to what we'd just heard.
Then came the sound of someone running down the stairs. Takashi Komuro burst into view, stopping short when he noticed me, confusion flashing across his face. A second later, his eyes drifted to Saeko's current attire, and he promptly flushed a deep, unmistakable red.
Not a second later, someone else hurried down the stairs—Rei Miyamoto. She looked just as startled as Takashi, clearly rushed and half-awake, her clothes rumpled as if she'd come down in a hurry. Dressed only in a tight pink tank top and white panties.
Unlike Takashi, who was fully dressed in his black school uniform with a red T-shirt underneath.
"What's going on?" Saeko asked Rei and Takashi as she shut off the stove, turning fully toward them with a serious expression.
"I'm going to go help a little girl." Takashi said quickly, turning his gaze away from Saeko as he answered, his voice hurried and earnest.
"Then I should come too." Rei said to Takashi, stepping forward as if the decision had already been made.
"No. You guard the front gate. I'm going to bust in there on the motorcycle." Takashi said with a confident smile. Rei looked back at him, concern clear in her eyes as she processed his plan.
"Do you not recall that loud noises attract zombies, Komuro-san?" Saeko narrowed her eyes at Takashi. "And a motorcycle will certainly draw even more of them toward us."
Saeko stepped to the side of the kitchen counter, reaching down to grasp her wooden sword, her expression calm but unmistakably firm.
"I've got to say, Saeko—your friend here seems willing to risk everyone's lives over a single rescue," I remarked in my dull tone. My gaze flicked briefly to Rei before I looked away again, disappointment settling in as I recalled exactly what kind of person she was.
"What do you mean by that?!" Takashi shouted, rage flaring in his voice.
"Wow. He didn't even deny it." I said with a hint of surprise, glancing at Rei once more before shifting my gaze to Saeko and then back to Takashi. "And why would you have her guard the front gate? Does she suddenly have the strength to keep zombies from forcing it open?"
Both Takashi and Rei frowned deeply, their expressions hardening as the implications sank in.
"I don't need to explain myself to some random guy who showed up out of the blue!" Takashi snapped, his emotions clearly getting the better of him. "Come on, Rei! I need to save the little girl before they get to her!"
"Zombies." I corrected calmly. "I certainly hope that's what you mean—if you're referring to the danger the little girl is actually facing."
"SHUT UP!" Takashi roared, looking ready to charge at me if Rei hadn't grabbed him and pulled him back, glaring at me as she struggled to keep him in place.
"Come on, Takashi. Ignore him. A little girl needs your help." Rei said, her voice firm but steady.
Takashi calmed down somewhat, though he still shot me one last glare before turning away. He reached up and snatched the motorcycle key from the hook near the front door, his resolve clearly set.
Saeko didn't say a word as she watched Takashi leave—not even when Rei pressed a small revolver into his hand before he went.
I rose from my seat and walked toward the front door, Saeko following close at my side. We arrived just in time to see Rei standing by the front gate, a cluster of zombies already nearby. The moment Takashi started the motorcycle's engine, their attention snapped toward the noise, and they began shambling in her direction.
Rei opened the front gate just wide enough, allowing Takashi to drive through before quickly shifting her attention back to the approaching zombies.
I fired quickly as I spotted several zombies about to slip through, while Rei struggled to close the front gate on her own, clearly pushing herself to keep them out.
"Just letting you know." I whispered to Saeko. "We could've handled this far more easily—draw the zombies away, then climb back over the walls instead of using the motorcycle."
I glanced over my shoulder, noticing Shizuka and Saya finally starting to stir, both waking up after all the noise and commotion outside.
"Why didn't you say that earlier?" Saeko asked, looking at me with a blank, unreadable expression.
"Because I'm the stranger here. And I'm pretty sure you already have a leader in this little group of yours." I said with a shrug.
Saeko didn't respond, falling silent.