"The sky's almost bright… Do you think they might not come after all?"
On the second floor of the villa across the street, Yui's room had the perfect view of the Coaster's rooftop. Setting down her binoculars, Haruno stretched lazily while Sosuke Kitahara blinked his sleepy eyes open, parting the curtains and squinting into the dim light. A few rays of dawn had already pierced through the clouds, casting a faint glow over the quiet neighborhood.
"Let's wait a little longer. The sun's not fully up yet…"
Sosuke glanced at the clock on the wall it was exactly 5:30 AM. He raised the binoculars and began scanning the surroundings. There weren't many zombies around the villa, just a few wandering aimlessly along the road, completely unaware of the four people quietly observing them from inside.
At around five, just as dawn broke, the group had crossed over to this building and cleared a few lingering zombies inside. Since then, they had been holed up in this spacious, well-positioned bedroom.
"Sosuke, where are we headed next?"
Yukino blinked as she got up from the bed, stretching lightly and adjusting her clothes. "What's your plan? You might as well share it now."
"I get it… you want to go to Yamanashi, don't you?"
Sosuke chuckled, and Yukino's cheeks flushed. Being seen through made her visibly flustered. Meanwhile, Utaha Kasumigaoka stood before the vanity mirror, giving her hair a satisfied flick.
"Yamanashi's on the other side of Tokyo, the complete opposite direction of Chiba," Utaha noted. "With the yacht gone, we'd have to take a long detour."
"We could still cross Tokyo Bay using the undersea expressway and pass through Yokohama to get there," Yukino offered, arms folded and biting her finger. "But that highway is over ten kilometers long… two-thirds of it is a submerged tunnel, the rest is bridge."
"There's no rush. We'll go to Yamanashi… just not yet."
Sosuke took a sip of water, about to explain when Haruno straightened up with a sly smile on her lips.
"Hold on. Let me guess. Let's see if I'm right," she said, eyes glinting. "If Yamanashi has an official survivor outpost, then people will naturally gather there. But the outpost can only hold so many. You're thinking… about Narita Airport, aren't you?"
Sosuke blinked in surprise, impressed. She'd figured it out. When she looked to him for confirmation, he gave her a thumbs-up.
"Smart as always, Haruno."
Tucking her loose hair behind her ear, Haruno's face turned thoughtful. Yukino and Utaha exchanged glances, Yukino frowning slightly. "Did I miss something? What are you two talking about?" Utaha simply lowered her gaze and started thinking it through.
"Strictly speaking," Sosuke said, standing and rolling his shoulders, "I'm targeting the weapons stored in Narita Airport."
Seeing their confused looks, he quickly added, "We can't go to Yamanashi empty-handed. Once there are more people, it'll get chaotic fast. We need something to keep others in check some kind of deterrent."
Yamanashi was far from Chiba, but as an early government-designated gathering point, it was a valuable destination. The core element in all these settlements? Labor. Backed by such an outpost, Sosuke could secretly grow his influence.
Yukino's expression shifted, realization dawning.
He was waiting for the Self-Defense Forces to retreat from the airport...
…or for the airport to fall.
"How long do we wait, though?" Yukino asked quietly. The idea made her uneasy, but she understood. In the apocalypse, weapons were invaluable. And since the airport was under strict military control, there was no way they could just walk up and ask nicely.
That would just get them shot.
Sosuke slowly shook his head, staring off into the distance. The sky beyond the window looked unusually heavy right in the direction of the airport. Just then, his eyes narrowed.
"They're here."
The three girls rushed over and peeked down. Four people crept along the villa's outer wall, moving stealthily. The one in front was clearly the woman from last night slender and cautious. The three men behind her, however, didn't match the build of the car thief from before. This was a different group.
Haruno suddenly gasped. "No way… That's Hayama-kun! Yukino, look! The other two look like Soubu High students too they're wearing the uniform!"
…
"Hey, I thought we were looking for food? Why are we messing with cars now?" Hikigaya Hachiman muttered, dead fish eyes scanning their surroundings.
Behind him, Hayama Hayato held a steel pipe, lips pale and trembling as he followed nervously. The woman leading the group glanced back and said, "Just looking out for you newbies. You wanted to head into the city, right? Want me to file a request for that?"
"Come on, Hachiman," said Tobe. "We finally made it here safely. Don't make things harder. The city's basically hell on earth now…"
Hayama jogged ahead and gazed at the locked gates of the villa, worry etched into his face. "Back when the internet was still working, there were tons of reports about zombies. Yukinoshita and the others never came back. I wonder if they're even still alive."
"Hah… they're probably dead already," Hachiman said softly, eyes shifting.
His mind wandered to the Service Club's ice queen. They hadn't known each other long, but still… The memory of that first day of the outbreak watching classmates fall, then rise again as monsters still haunted him.
"Come to think of it, that idiot Bikki probably bit the dust too. Never saw her again after she bolted from the school building."
Trailing behind the others, Hachiman dropped his gaze, lost in thought. Then, resolutely, he whispered something only he could hear.
"I don't care about anyone else… as long as Komachi's still alive."
"You think you can just waltz into someone's house without permission?"
A soft voice rang out from behind them.
It was Haruno and Sosuke's group.
Before she could finish her sentence, all four newcomers flinched in shock, practically jumping out of their skin as they scrambled for their weapons.
Haruno just smiled faintly. "What? Planning to get violent?"
"Ah! Haruno-san… and Yukinoshita you're both alive?! That's amazing!" Hayama blurted, eyes wide with relief.
The others visibly relaxed as well. Yukino, however, narrowed her eyes.
"Hayama-kun, keep your voice down. Or do you want to attract every zombie in the neighborhood?"
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