January 17
At last, in the cramped stairwell, Miranda and Kyoko both gave out.
"Eek—!"
The sudden, violent loss of balance made Miranda shriek. Her strength failed her on the steps, and she slipped by accident.
"Hah—what?"
Kyoko, just ahead of her, felt the violent tug from behind and turned in confusion.
The concrete stairs had been worn down so badly that bare steel rebar jutted through them. Miranda's footing slid out from under her, and she pitched backward in panic, both hands letting go of the blanket they had been gripping. In the process, Brent and Takagi Kyoko were nearly dragged down with her.
Brent's legs slammed hard into the steps. Fortunately, Kyoko's reflexes were terrifyingly fast. One hand shot out to seize the stair rail beside her, while the other clamped down on Brent before she slipped free. Thanks to that, Brent's upper body avoided a second impact despite being unconscious.
Relying on her strong physique and astonishing arm strength, Kyoko managed not to be pulled down the stairs along with Miranda.
"Miranda, are you okay?"
After regaining her footing, Kyoko hurried down the stairs and rushed to Miranda's side.
"I think I'm fine. Hurry and pull me up."
Her voice carried a trace of embarrassment and regret.
Kyoko finally saw how ridiculous Miranda looked. She had landed right on top of the corpse of that grotesque creature, and now she was sprawled there like an overturned turtle—arms and legs in the air, unable to right herself.
Miranda had fallen down the stairs and hit the monster's body butt-first, which had acted as a cushion. On top of that, she was still wearing that thick riot armor and helmet, with her large backpack behind her as padding. Altogether, Miranda had gotten incredibly lucky and escaped without injury.
Kyoko hauled her back to her feet and checked her over. Apart from her clothes being even dirtier than before, Miranda seemed completely unhurt. She had not even twisted an ankle.
Thank God. Miranda's fine, Kyoko thought silently.
"Forget everything else. Let's get home."
"Yeah. Home!"
Neither of them spared another glance for the bizarre corpse on the ground or the inexplicably opened door.
This time, Kyoko stopped caring about anything outside their immediate survival. Enough was enough. Today had brought far too many accidents.
From then on, the road back was much easier.
Once they emerged aboveground, Kyoko and Miranda had finally escaped the cramped, dark, suffocating underground maze.
Anyone with claustrophobia would have wept with relief.
The air outside was cold, filled with whirling snowflakes, but to Miranda and Kyoko, dragging it deep into their lungs felt heavenly. The icy, fresh oxygen flooding through their bodies was like the finest antidote in the world.
It was like eating a Snickers at your hungriest moment—strength came surging back all at once.
Without looking back, the two of them hurried toward the place that belonged to them.
Kyoko knew every one of these apartment buildings by heart. The heavy snow on the ground reflected the faint starlight, and the flickering glow ahead marked the place she called home.
When they reached the circular landscaped island, the masterpiece Kyoko had constructed finally came into view.
All the defensive works she had laid out before had been buried completely under the snow. Nothing of them remained visible on the surface.
Fortunately, the safe path she had left behind had been deliberately made wide and slightly raised, so the two of them were still able to cross it.
This is it. It's finally over. Home. Warmth. The people I love. I'm back.
Standing downstairs, Kyoko and Miranda both looked up.
There was no need for Kyoko to tug the rope that would ring the little bell on the fifteenth floor.
Above them, Yurizono Huaxiu and Doris had already been straining their eyes toward the darkness for who knew how long. The instant they spotted the beam of light approaching from below, they ran down to the seventh floor. Once they confirmed it was Kyoko and the others, they immediately threw down the rope ladder.
After Brent was tied securely onto Kyoko's back, the two of them climbed into the safety of the building.
Huaxiu and Doris had originally wanted to help carry some of the backpacks and equipment, but both Kyoko and Miranda refused. At this point, even taking the gear off felt like a chore.
As they climbed the stairs, Doris, whose face was full of anxiety and fear, looked at the ragged state of the two women and the unconscious Brent, then blurted out:
"Big Sis, what happened out there? Why are you only getting back now? How badly is Brent hurt? What about everyone else?"
"Wait until we're inside before talking. This isn't the place for it."
Before the exhausted Kyoko or Miranda could answer, Huaxiu spoke first.
Compared to Doris—pampered, sheltered, still emotionally immature—Huaxiu, though the same age, had more tact. She understood better what was appropriate.
Was this really the time for questions? The three of them had fought through who knew what horrors to get back here. One of them was unconscious. How could they possibly have the energy to answer right now?
"Mm..."
Surprisingly, Doris did not argue. She only gave a small, quiet reply.
Neither Miranda nor Kyoko said anything else.
A few short minutes later, they were inside. The front door stood open, and all five entered one after another. Huaxiu came in last and shut it behind them.
The moment they returned to Kyoko's apartment, everyone seemed to sag with relief.
Well—everyone except Brent, who was still unconscious.
They laid her carefully on the soft bed. After checking her condition and confirming that she was not in immediate danger, Kyoko and Miranda finally relaxed.
Kyoko began stripping off the burdens hanging from her body.
She usually maintained her beloved "little princess" of a rifle with obsessive care, but now she did not even bother. She tossed it straight onto the table. The rest of her weapons and gear were even more brutally dumped into the corner of the room.
Once the gun was down, the backpack off, the armor peeled away, and the heavy outerwear removed, the result was obvious: during all that violent exertion, sweat glands had worked so furiously that it was practically as though they had washed their clothes while wearing them. Their entire bodies felt sticky and foul.
Since the room was warm and there was no danger of catching a chill, Kyoko stripped down until only something like a thermal bodysuit—close to long underwear—remained.
Miranda was far more restrained. Or perhaps just more "restrained" in the loosest sense. She only removed her upper outerwear.
Both of them, on the verge of dehydration and parched beyond words, grabbed a huge bottle of water and chugged it down in great gulps.
After replenishing some fluids, the pair collapsed sideways onto the sofa, limp as if all the bones had been pulled from their bodies—like octopus laid out on a serving platter.
They were exhausted.
Miranda just as much as Kyoko.
At that moment, Huaxiu and Doris came out of the kitchen carrying a large stack of dishes.
"Kyoko, Miranda—have you rested enough? Come eat something first!"
Huaxiu's face was bright with a deliberately cheerful smile.
"Yeah. We made everything and have been waiting for you this whole time. Big Sis, everybody, please eat something."
Doris obediently set the dishes on the table as well.
"Later. I don't have much appetite right now... You two go ahead."
Kyoko had just been through too much exertion and had absolutely no desire to eat. Eating immediately after intense activity was bad for the stomach; normally, you were supposed to rest for ten to twenty minutes and let your heart rate and breathing settle first, so your circulation and digestion could recover.
"Same here. I'm going to change clothes first."
Miranda's response was far more awkward.
That was all the two of them said.
Neither of them even touched the hot soup before Miranda, red-faced, fled upstairs to her room. On the way, she asked Kyoko for several pairs of pants...
Kyoko assumed all of Miranda's clothes were filthy through and through, so she simply handed her a full set. Whether they fit properly was another matter—but winter clothing was usually loose enough, and Kyoko and Miranda were about the same size in most respects.
Except for one very obvious difference.
Miranda, of course, would absolutely insist:
I did not wet myself, children. Absolutely not.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 132)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter140)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter95)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter165)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 145
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 135
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 95
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 155
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 125
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 105
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 62
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 80
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 80
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 62
Uma Musume: I Want All 65
I Can Copy Unique Skills 53
Summoning an Evil God, but the 41
Supernatural Multiverse 45
My Harem Is Indescribable 35
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 46
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 26
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 36
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