*CRACK!*
A zombie's skull exploded like a ripe watermelon as Kaito's enhanced fist connected with its face.
"Boom! Another one bites the dust!"
Kaito Kazuri grinned like a maniac while shaking zombie brain matter off his knuckles.
His broad shoulders and athletic build made him look like he belonged in a boxing ring instead of fighting undead freaks.
*ZAPPP!*
Blue lightning crackled from Haru's fingertips, frying three goblins at once.
"Could you not celebrate every single kill? We've been at this for two hours."
Haru Shizuure adjusted his half-zipped hoodie, his lean frame making him look like the kind of guy who'd rather be playing video games than incinerating monsters.
*GLOW!*
A soft green light surrounded Yui's hands as she healed a scratch on Kaito's arm.
"Boys, please focus. There are still more coming."
Yui Naguya pushed her dusty glasses up her nose, her twin braids bouncing as she moved between her teammates.
The C-tier medical kit on her shoulder was a huge upgrade from the basic first aid supplies she'd started with.
Her healing abilities worked more like enhancement boosts for regeneration rather than instant magic fixes, so having proper medical tools was essential.
*ROAR!*
Another wave of monsters crashed through the treeline like nature's version of a zombie parade.
Shadow wolves, mutated bears, and some weird bird-lizard hybrid that looked like evolution had a stroke.
"Man, these things just keep coming."
Kaito cracked his knuckles again, the sound like gunshots in the forest air.
His C-tier gauntlets glowed with enhancement magic, boosting his already impressive Level 13 strength stats.
"It's like someone opened a portal to monster hell and forgot to close it."
"That's basically what happened, genius."
Haru rolled his eyes while charging up another lightning spell.
His C-tier staff crackled with electrical energy, perfectly channeling his Level 11 magic abilities.
"The apocalypse started with portals, remember?"
*WHOOSH!*
His magic tore through a pack of dire wolves like they were made of paper.
"I know that! I was being metaphorical!"
"You were being stupid."
"... Can you guys please save the bickering for after we survive this?"
Yui sighed while casting a barrier spell around their position.
The translucent dome shimmered like soap bubbles but could stop a truck.
*THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!*
Monsters slammed into the barrier and bounced off like drunk idiots walking into glass doors.
"You know, this whole situation reminds me of when we were kids."
Kaito dodged a shadow wolf's claws and uppercut it into next week.
"Remember how our parents used to drag us to those business conventions?"
"Oh god, don't remind me."
Haru zapped another monster while grimacing at the memory.
"Three Japanese families trying to navigate American corporate culture while their kids ran around causing chaos."
"... H-Hey, we weren't that bad!"
Yui protested while healing a burn on Haru's sleeve.
"We only got banned from two hotels."
"It was three hotels, and you know it."
"The third one doesn't count. That fire wasn't entirely our fault."
*BAM!*
Kaito's punch sent a mutated bear flying into a tree trunk.
The impact made a sound like a sledgehammer hitting concrete.
"Those were good times though. Our parents were all co-workers at that tech company, and they got along like they'd known each other forever."
"Probably because they were all equally insane."
Haru's lightning magic lit up the forest like a rave gone wrong.
"Remember how they'd stay up all night playing tabletop games and arguing about fantasy novels?"
"While we hid under the hotel beds eating room service."
Yui smiled despite the carnage around them.
"Moving to the US was scary, but at least we had each other."
The trio had been inseparable since grade school.
Well, technically high school now, but who was counting when the world had gone to hell?
Their parents worked for the same technology firm and shared an obsession with fantasy games, sci-fi movies, and conspiracy theories about government cover-ups.
When the company transferred all three families to America, it felt like the end of the world.
New country, new language, new everything.
But having your best friends go through the same shit made it bearable.
"Being the weird foreign kids definitely made us stick together."
Kaito's voice carried a hint of nostalgia as he crushed another zombie's head like a grape.
"Everyone stared at us like we were aliens."
"We kind of were aliens."
Haru's magic crackled with more intensity as memories surfaced.
"Three Japanese high schoolers trying to figure out American teenage drama while our parents worked sixteen-hour days."
"A-At least the other kids thought we were cool once they realized we could help with their math homework…"
Yui's barrier flickered as she divided her attention between fighting and reminiscing.
*CRACK!*
The translucent dome shattered like glass, sending rainbow fragments scattering through the air.
"Ehe… Got distracted."
"Focus, heal-bot!"
Kaito grabbed a fallen tree branch and swung it like a baseball bat.
*THWACK!*
A goblin's head sailed through the forest like a home run ball.
"Strike three, motherfucker!"
*SIZZLE!*
Haru's lightning turned the remaining monsters into crispy critters.
The smell of burned flesh and ozone filled the air like the world's worst barbecue.
"Area clear. For now."
As the immediate danger passed, Yui's expression grew a bit sadder.
"D-Do you think our parents are okay?"
"..."
"..."
The question hung in the air like a lead balloon.
None of them had heard from their families since the apocalypse started.
Phone lines were down, internet was spotty, and travel between cities was basically suicide.
For all they knew, their parents could be dead, turned into monsters, or worse.
The silence stretched on until Haru cleared his throat.
"... Knowing our parents, they're probably having the time of their lives."
His voice carried forced optimism, but there was genuine belief underneath.
"Think about it. Fantasy monsters, magic, adventure, danger. This is literally everything they spent their free time obsessing over."
"Holy shit, you're right…"
Kaito's grin returned as he imagined his mother Yuki charging into battle with manic enthusiasm.
"My mom always said she was born in the wrong century. She wanted to fight dragons and explore dungeons."
"My father used to joke that modern life was too boring."
Yui managed a small smile.
"He'd probably see this whole apocalypse as the ultimate adventure."
"My parents were always planning for doomsday scenarios anyway."
Haru chuckled while kicking a goblin corpse.
"They had bug-out bags, survival guides, and enough conspiracy theories to fill a library."
The mood lightened as they remembered their parents' quirky obsessions.
Three families of nerds who'd found each other in corporate America and bonded over shared weirdness.
"So what were you guys doing right before all this started?"
Haru asked as they began walking back toward camp.
"I mean, the day we met Nero and Aurelia in that convenience store."
"H-High school finals."
Yui groaned at the memory.
"I was cramming for my biology exam, trying to get into the medical track program."
"Same, but computer programming class."
Haru kicked a rock down the path.
"I was three days into coding my final project, some stupid inventory management system."
"Baseball season."
Kaito flexed his biceps like he was posing for a sports magazine.
"The coach said I had a shot at the varsity team if I could stop striking out every other game."
"And then the portals opened and everything went to shit."
"Best thing that ever happened to us, honestly."
Kaito's statement made the other two stare at him like he'd grown a second head.
"What? I'm serious! Before all this, we were just stressed-out high school students with no idea what we wanted to do after graduation."
"Now we're stressed-out monster fighters with no idea if we'll survive the week."
"But we're doing it together."
Kaito's voice carried genuine warmth.
"And we're getting stronger every day. Level 13 and climbing, baby!"
"Show off."
Haru muttered, though his Level 11 stats were nothing to sneeze at.
"At least I'm not stuck at Level 8 like our resident healer."
"H-Hey!"
Yui protested.
"S-Support classes level slower! … P-Plus, my Enhanced Regeneration Boost skill is way more useful than your stupid Lightning Bolt spam!"
"My 'stupid Lightning Bolt spam' has saved your ass more times than I can count."
"A-And my healing has kept both your asses from becoming monster food!"
"... Speaking of which, thank god for Nero and Aurelia."
Yui's expression brightened.
"Remember how terrified we were when those zombies cornered us in that store?"
"I thought we were dead meat."
Haru shuddered at the memory.
"Then this random guy shows up with a literal angel and saves our asses like it's no big deal."
"Nero was so calm about the whole thing."
Kaito laughed.
"Meanwhile, we're screaming like little kids and he's just standing there like 'oh, more zombies, how inconvenient.'"
"And Ms. Aurelia was so graceful."
Yui sighed dreamily.
"Like a warrior goddess from one of our parents' fantasy novels."
"Graceful? Dude, she was terrifying."
Haru's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Beautiful, yes. But also like a divine blender of death with wings."
"That stoic face of hers still gives me nightmares."
Kaito visibly shivered.
"She looks at you with those golden eyes and you can't tell if she's thinking about protecting you or calculating the most efficient way to turn you into human confetti."
"Like a gorgeous Terminator sent from heaven."
Yui giggled at Haru's comparison.
"I mean, I love her to pieces, but watching her fight is like witnessing a beautiful massacre."
"The way she moves through those monsters was pure art."
Haru nodded appreciatively.
"Deadly, terrifying, absolutely pants-wetting art."
"Remember when she smiled at us that one time? With blood on her armor?"
Kaito's eyes went wide at the memory.
"I think I aged five years in that moment."
They walked in comfortable silence for a while, each lost in memories of their first meeting with the unlikely duo.
Nero had seemed so ordinary at first glance.
Just another survivor trying not to die.
But there was something about the way he carried himself, the confidence in his voice when he said they'd be safe.
And Aurelia was like something out of a dream.
Beautiful, powerful, and completely devoted to protecting the people she cared about.
"How do you think they're doing on their mission?"
Yui asked as the camp's perimeter came into view.
"Knowing those two? They probably turned that plant monster into salad by now."
Kaito grinned.
"Nero's gotten scary good at fighting, and Aurelia could solo an army."
"They better come back in one piece."
Haru's voice carried genuine concern.
"This place wouldn't be the same without them."
*Crunch… Crunch… Crunch…*
Their boots crunched on fallen leaves as they approached the camp's main gate.
But something was wrong.
"..."
The usual sounds were missing.
No voices calling out greetings.
No children laughing.
No adults arguing about work assignments.
Just silence.
Heavy, oppressive silence that made their skin crawl.
"Where is everyone?"
Yui whispered, her voice barely audible.
Her hand instinctively moved to her medical kit, ready for whatever nightmare they might find.
The camp stretched out before them like a ghost town.
Empty buildings stood with doors hanging open.
Guard posts sat abandoned.
Even the central fire pit that always had someone tending it was nothing but cold ashes.
"This doesn't make sense."
Haru's hands crackled with nervous energy, his staff glowing with defensive magic.
"There should be at least forty people here."
"Maybe they all went on a supply run?"
Kaito brain fully suggested, to which Haru laughed sarcastically,
"ALL of them for a supply run?"
Kaito didn't bother refuting, instead, his gauntlets were already charging up, ready for a fight.
The entire camp didn't just disappear for groceriesband even a muscle brain like him knew that.
"Y-You guys… we should stay alert."
Yui's voice was steady despite the fear in her eyes.
"Something's not right here."
"... No shit."
Haru's grip tightened on his staff.
"This feels like one of those horror movie setups where everyone's dead and we're about to join them."
"Except we're not stupid enough to split up and investigate alone."
Kaito's fists glowed with enhancement magic.
"We stick together, no matter what."
*CREAK!*
A door swung in the wind, the sound echoing through empty streets like a death knell.
The trio moved closer together, weapons ready, every sense on high alert.
*Step… step… step…*
Slow, deliberate footsteps echoed from between the buildings.
Someone was walking toward them with the casual pace of someone taking a leisurely stroll.
A figure emerged from the shadows between two abandoned buildings.
Upon seeing the figure, the trio's eyes went wide.
"!!!"
And it's especially so for Yui.
It's someone they recognized.
Someone who should have been somewhere else entirely.
"T-There's no way…"
Haru's voice cracked with disbelief.
All three teenagers stared in shock as the familiar figure continued walking toward them with that same unhurried pace.
This wasn't possible.
This person shouldn't be here.
… At least, not that they were aware of.
***
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