January 22
In the middle of a snowy winter, there was nothing quite like holding a steaming cup of hot tea in your hands to warm yourself. Once the heat was no longer scalding, you could take a sip and let it spread through your body.
Perfect.
Unfortunately, Shoko was getting none of that comfort.
She had already gone through nearly a whole pot of brown sugar ginger tea, yet she was still curled over, clutching her lower abdomen in pain.
It felt as though something inside her were being torn apart, wrenching at the tenderest part of her body over and over again. She had the Hygiene trait—under normal conditions, good sanitation was supposed to reduce illness and physical suffering. Menstrual pain might be an unavoidable biological reality for women, but this was far too much.
If someone had offered Shoko a choice between this humiliating half-crippled state and returning to a battlefield covered in wounds, she suspected she would have chosen the battlefield without hesitation.
A strong body was useful, yes. It helped her endure external injuries and recover quickly. But pain that came from inside the body was another matter entirely. That was beyond brute strength, beyond endurance, and in some ways it was worse. Her body had entered one of those "recovery priority" phases on its own—trying to restore itself as fast as possible—but the price was several days of miserable debilitation.
For example, the normal amount of blood loss during an ordinary cycle for most women was around 20 to 60 milliliters.
Shoko had lost an entire cycle's worth of blood in a single morning.
That was not normal.
There were still streaks on the floor where the mop had passed. She had managed to avoid leaving "tomato sauce" all over the bedroom floor, but the bathroom and the living room had ended up marked with a trail of blood droplets like some kind of grotesque game path indicator.
How long would it take for all that blood to be replenished through normal hematopoiesis? How much food would she have to eat to replace that loss? Her head was still foggy, yet she had already begun worrying about future food consumption.
There were still plenty of supplies back at their old home in Nihonmatsu. There were small villages scattered through the Azuma mountains too, and those could be searched later. There were other sources of food, other possibilities… at least in the short term, she did not need to panic.
And besides, they were not planning to stay here forever. Once the northern corpse tide had passed, Shoko fully intended to return to the home they had left behind—or move on to some other town. She had no intention of simply sitting around and waiting to die.
That much, at least, she could still think through clearly.
Even so, this amount of bleeding was terrifying.
If this kind of blood loss happened several more times…
…Shoko might really have to start living like a vampire.
If she ever found herself unable to replenish fresh blood quickly enough through normal nutrition, she might be forced to buy blood bags matching her blood type directly from the system.
"Life really is hard…" she murmured.
Even that soft sigh trembled faintly. She pressed the hot water bottle harder against her abdomen, hoping it would dull the pain just a little. Right now, there was nothing in her that resembled the woman who could go toe-to-toe with special infected like a one-woman army. At the moment, Shoko looked more like a long-ailing patient than any kind of superhuman. Her face was pale, her waist bent, and the way she shuffled along with one hand pressed to her stomach made her look no different from an old person leaning on a cane.
But even like this, Shoko still had not put her work aside.
Ye Ling was out in the living room waiting for her Japanese lesson. Shoko, you can't collapse here.
Compared to the morning, at least her condition had improved a little. Her legs no longer gave out so badly that she could barely stand. She could make it to the living room on her own now.
At nearly ten that morning, Ye Ling had woken her. Shoko had dragged herself to the table and, hunched over, written out a list of practical Japanese vocabulary and simple phrases Ye Ling would need for daily use.
She had kept it ruthlessly concise—only the things Ye Ling actually needed to function in the group: routine commands, common words, short responses. No honorific variations, no grammar paradigms, no polite forms, no past or progressive tenses. Since this was a crash course bordering on heresy, she had not even bothered with the kana syllabary. The goal was speed and utility, nothing more.
Once she finished, she had returned to the bedroom, downed some more ginger tea, and stolen another short nap.
Now, after waking again, she checked the time, glanced at the real-time map, confirmed there was no immediate danger, and then took a few sips from the insulated mug before heading out.
When she pushed open the door, she found a pink-haired fox-creature sprawled on a rug near the fireplace, Ye Ling's face nearly pressed into the pages of the makeshift Japanese cheat sheet Shoko had written for her.
The fox wasn't asleep again, was she?
Shoko, one hand still over her stomach, felt irritation flare.
She had gone to the trouble of writing those notes while half-dead, and had even discussed it with Miranda and the others so Ye Ling's workload could be reduced, leaving her more time to study. And this was how Ye Ling repaid her?
Right—Shoko was hardening.
Not in the lower-body sense.
Her fists were hardening.
Still, when she considered her own condition and Ye Ling's help earlier that morning, she restrained herself. Normally Shoko was a rational person, but this was not exactly a normal day. Menstrual hormones made people irritable, anxious, moody. She knew that perfectly well, and even with her unusually strong constitution, she still had to exert conscious effort just to remain clear-headed. Under ordinary circumstances, she probably would have walked right over and smacked the lazy fox.
"Wake up. Wake up. Ye Ling—are you that tired? Are you feeling unwell, or…?"
She started with a question rather than a reprimand. If the fox was really slacking off on purpose, then…
…then Shoko would suspend lessons for three days and sentence her to chopping wood from morning till night. On top of that, every carpentry job outside would be hers.
Ye Ling jolted awake as though struck by lightning.
"G-Gaocheng-laoshi, I've already finished studying!"
Sweat prickled down her back.
She sounded exactly like a student caught sleeping in class. Which, in fairness, was exactly what she was. She had indeed studied for a while before dozing off—but only enough to leave a few blurry, fading impressions in her mind. Before sleep, the knowledge had at least existed as a few dark marks on the page; after waking, it was as though an eraser had rubbed most of them away.
Damn it.
Why was sleep so terrible?
Why did it erase knowledge like this?
Shoko narrowed her eyes.
This fox was lying to her.
A small, definite notch dropped her opinion of Ye Ling. Mistakes were one thing, but lying was another.
Still hugging her arms to her stomach, Shoko sat down on the sofa, her expression cool and a little dangerous.
"Good. Then don't look at the notes. I'm going to give you instructions in Japanese. You will carry them out based only on what you've learned. If you really studied it all, this should be easy."
Ye Ling's body gave a tiny shiver.
Oh no.
"Go left. Squat down. Crawl forward…"
The moment had come.
Shoko would have preferred to bark the commands sharply, but her body would not let her. Instead, she delivered them in an almost absurd contrast of stern expression and soft, quiet voice.
Even so, Ye Ling obediently performed her little routine under scrutiny.
While Shoko was testing Ye Ling indoors, the rest of the group was busy outside strengthening the defenses around the house. Inside, Huaxiu was sorting through what the previous occupants had left behind. Most of the furniture was in excellent condition, and there was a surprisingly large stockpile of disposable supplies—reasonable enough, since this place had once been a lodge rented out to tourists.
Food, on the other hand, was another matter. Most of it had spoiled. Huaxiu had to layer multiple masks over her face to deal with the stench as she sorted and disposed of the rotting leftovers.
Out among the trees, Miranda, Brent, and Doris were hauling back thick logs. Yesterday's barbed-wire perimeter was not enough. It could slow intruders down, but it could not truly stop infected creatures. Even a single zombie dog could clear that low wire obstacle if it wanted to.
Because the surrounding woods provided abundant timber, and because the maintenance shed contained several felling axes, Shoko had already decided the day before that they would build a proper wooden wall about two and a half meters high between the wire and the house. It would at least keep ordinary infected out of the immediate perimeter, and prevent the nightmare of creatures breaking through during the night and giving them unnecessary trouble in their sleep.
The three women carried the cut logs back and stacked them with the rest of the timber they had already collected. This was the sum of a whole morning's labor. The forest nearby already showed a raw, fresh gap where trees had been felled, pale stumps still bare of snow. If you walked close enough, you could smell the damp sap.
Now the three of them sat atop one of the felled trunks, pausing to rest. In a little while they would head back inside, clean off the wood chips clinging to them, and eat lunch. For now, they simply looked out at the scenery. Thin snow still drifted through the air. Far-off white hills lay silent beneath the winter sky. They drank in the cold, clean mountain air.
Ah.
A life without infected harassing them really was good.
Supplies were plentiful. The team was getting along. If only phones, TVs, computers, music, movies, games—all the other ordinary comforts—still worked, this place would practically be paradise in the apocalypse.
None of them had imagined their journey would turn out like this. None of them could have guessed they would find someone like Shoko to lead them. And perhaps none of them had expected themselves to adapt so well either. Girls who had once grown up pampered, never really wanting for anything, were now hauling logs and building walls without complaint.
Maybe that was simply what the apocalypse demanded. In a world like this, anyone who refused to change, anyone who clung stubbornly to old habits and weaknesses, was already halfway dead.
However you looked at it, they had all become real survivors.
Miranda's once carefully manicured fingers were now beginning to callus. Her skin still looked pale and fine, but healthier now, less delicate.
Brent took a huge bite out of a Snickers bar she had pulled from her belt pouch and said to the others, "Ladies, shouldn't we take a look around the area? Now that we've finished what Miss Shoko assigned us, we actually have a little time. We could scout the rest of the resort."
"Yay! I'm going! Definitely!" Doris brightened instantly. All signs of fatigue vanished in a flash. But after speaking, she still looked at her sister for permission. Brent's suggestion alone was not enough. Miranda had to agree.
"You two go ahead and take a look," Miranda said after a moment. "I'll stay here. Someone needs to remain behind to keep watch, just in case. Shoko's still sick."
"But—"
"No buts, Doris. Just go with Brent."
"…Fine, Sis."
Doris obeyed, though she clearly was not happy about it.
As the two of them left together, Doris's dissatisfaction only deepened. Lately it felt as though her beloved sister was drifting farther away from her.
Brent, carrying her sniper rifle, led Doris toward higher ground. There was a standalone cottage there, with a frozen pond behind it.
"How do I fix things between us…" Doris muttered inwardly as she walked. Everything else around her—the crisp air, the strange beauty of the mountains, the unfamiliar new home—barely registered.
"Watch out!"
Brent's voice snapped through her thoughts.
Doris felt herself yanked backward.
What was Brent doing?!
Then she looked and saw it.
A hunting trap.
A huge bear trap lay half-buried beneath the snow, its metal jaws still visible, brutal and sharp. Judging by the size of it, if someone's leg got caught in there, it would probably break outright.
"Brent, what do we do?"
Before Doris could say more, Brent covered her mouth.
Then Brent made a quiet shushing sound and pulled her down behind a nearby snowbank, pointing toward the frozen lakeside grove.
Only then did Doris see it.
There was someone over there.
Someone was breaking the ice and drawing water.
A survivor.
A living local.
We have to go back and tell the others.
With that, Brent led Doris quietly back toward the house.
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 142)
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 (Chapter181)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter103)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter192)
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 173
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 166
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 110
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 190
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 165
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 156
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 81
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 102
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 120
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 80
Uma Musume: I Want All 95
I Can Copy Unique Skills 84
Summoning an Evil God, but the 66
Supernatural Multiverse 83
My Harem Is Indescribable 75
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 81
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 75
Still playing traditional Honk 55
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 60
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 57
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 45
Transmigrated as Sukuna 55
Checking In in Demon Slayer 60
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 65
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 35
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 35
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 39
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 58
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