The smell of reheated ration paste filled the morning air.
They'd huddled around the half-buried fire pit, the sky a bleak wash of grey-blue, with ash-colored clouds drifting lazily across the horizon. Yue had already heated water using a salvaged can over the coals. The girls sat quietly, each eating from their own metallic food tray.
Lin stirred the grey sludge in his bowl, trying not to gag.
The texture was somewhere between old porridge and industrial cement. It tasted like someone had tried to flavor cardboard with powdered sadness.
Still, calories were calories.
"So, uh... good morning," he said to no one in particular.
Yuzuki perked up immediately, still chewing. "Good morning, Producer-sama~! I had a dream I was back on stage! But, like, all the lights were mutant eyes and the audience was wolves. Kinda scary. But still kinda sparkly!"
Sierra snorted. "Sounds like my last breakup."
Celestine was whispering a soft chant into her bowl before eating, like she was giving thanks to some long-dead god of canned despair.
Lin glanced across the fire to Yue, who sat quietly, her food untouched.
Her eyes were fixed on the embers. She hadn't said a word since they'd started eating.
"...Yue?"
She didn't respond.
Lin shifted awkwardly. "Um. You okay?"
Her eyes flicked toward him—barely a glance—and then back to the fire.
"Fine."
"You sure? You, uh... look like you're thinking about something."
"I am not."
"...Right."
There was a beat of silence. Lin scratched his head, unsure if he was supposed to just drop it or not. Her face was unreadable as always—cool and flawless like a porcelain doll. Still, there was something off today. Her usual robotic focus was... softer. Distracted.
"I mean," he continued weakly, "if you, uh... want to talk about something, I'm all ears. Not that I'm good at talking. Or, like, listening. But I can try. I mean—"
"I said I'm fine," Yue interrupted, not unkindly, but firm.
Lin immediately shrank a little. "O-okay."
Yue went back to staring into her tray. Still not eating. Still quiet.
Celestine broke the silence next, murmuring, "There is no shame in silence. It is where the soul speaks loudest."
Sierra grunted. "Or it means someone's on their period."
Yuzuki gasped. "Sierraaa! You can't say that!"
"What? We're in a fucking wasteland. You think tampons respawn out here?"
Yue finally took a small bite of her ration, but her gaze remained unfocused. She didn't blink when the steam hit her face. She didn't react when Lin offered her a napkin from the kit.
She didn't say it, but Lin felt it—like a pressure in the air. She had heard something. She'd been too quiet. Too still.
Had she overheard him talking to ESI last night?
He felt a cold lump form in his gut.
But she didn't bring it up.
And he didn't ask.
"Okay then," Lin said quietly, going back to stirring his ration paste even though it was already half-eaten. "Just making sure you're alright."
He didn't press further.
Because honestly... he didn't want to know the answer.
***
The cracked highway stretched endlessly before them, the sun beating down like a heat lamp over a rat cage. The wind kicked up loose dust, biting at their skin and stinging their eyes. Lin's hoodie clung to his back with sweat. His thighs chafed. Every muscle in his legs screamed.
He was dying.
At least emotionally.
"Fuck," he muttered, dragging one foot in front of the other, crowbar strapped to his backpack like some fake-ass cosplay prop. "My balls are gonna rot off in this heat."
Sierra glanced over her shoulder, walking backward for a moment. "You want me to check for you, pretty boy?"
He nearly tripped. "N-no! I—I was joking! I'm totally fine!"
She laughed, tossing her strawberry-blonde ponytail. "Relax. If they fall off, I'll just glue 'em back on."
"G-glue—?!"
"Super glue, duct tape, whatever's lying around."
"Don't tease Captain-samaaa~" Yuzuki chirped, skipping a step with annoying idol energy. Somehow she wasn't even sweaty. Her torn fishnets and armored skirt fluttered as she danced between cracks in the asphalt. "He's trying his best~!"
Lin muttered something about dying in silence and focused on the horizon. Every step forward was hell. His calves felt like bricks. His lips were dry. His lower back was beginning to ache from the goddamn crowbar and the bottle of warm water sloshing in his side pocket.
Yue walked ahead of them all—silent as usual—scanning the terrain with those icy eyes of hers. Not even a bead of sweat on her face. It was like she wasn't even human.
Maybe she wasn't, technically.
Celestine was humming to herself, her bare feet coated in gray dust, holding her ceremonial shawl around her like some ancient priestess. She hadn't said much for hours. Occasionally she'd stop to stare at dead shrubs or cracks in the pavement, then mutter something about "resonance."
Lin was too tired to ask.
The only thing keeping him going was the faint hope that something—anything—was ahead. Food. Shelter. Shade. A chair, maybe. Or a dirty, dusty bathhouse with lukewarm water and zero mutant wolf attacks.
Please, God, just a fucking chair.
Then Yue suddenly stopped and raised a closed fist.
Everyone halted.
"What's up, Ice Queen?" Sierra asked, wiping her forehead with the hem of her tank top.
Yue pointed silently at the horizon.
Lin squinted. He saw... shadows. Not people. But shapes. Buildings? Maybe?
He stepped up beside her, nearly stumbling as he pulled a small pair of cracked binoculars from the gear kit.
His hands trembled slightly as he peered through the scratched lenses.
And there it was.
In the shimmering heat waves and dust haze, something finally appeared.
A row of structures. Tilted. Cracked. Windows shattered. A toppled radio tower behind them. Signs in faded Mandarin and English. A rusted gas station. A convenience store. Maybe even a clinic or a small warehouse.
It wasn't a city.
But it was something.
"Oh shit," he whispered. "Guys. I—I think that's a town."
Yuzuki gasped and clapped. "Sugoiii~! A real town?!"
Sierra yanked the binoculars out of his hand and looked. "Looks half-dead. Could still be crawling with shitheads or mutants. But... not bad."
Celestine stepped forward slowly, eyes wide. "A graveyard of dreams, left to rot beneath the sun..."
Lin blinked. "...That's one way to put it."
He turned to Yue. "Is it safe to go in?"
"No movement," she replied, still scanning the area. "No heat signatures. No noise. Minimal risk."
Lin tried to hide the relief in his voice. "Alright then. Let's head in. Carefully."
The girls nodded and adjusted their gear.
As they began walking again, Lin found himself half-limping beside Yue.
He stole a glance at her profile. She didn't say a word. Didn't smile. But her pace slowed slightly to match his.
"...Thanks," he muttered.
She didn't look at him, but after a moment, she replied softly, "You're not used to this."
"N-not yet," he admitted, cheeks burning. "I mean, I've done, like... hiking in college once. We did a two-hour trail in Hangzhou. There was a bubble tea shop at the end."
Yue didn't laugh. She just said, "We will find shelter. You will recover."
Lin nodded. "Right. Shelter. Maybe even a bed."
Sierra overheard and smirked. "Hope it's big enough for five."
He blushed furiously. "I—I meant like—individually—like separate beds!"
Yuzuki giggled. "Aw, Captain-sama is so pure~!"
Celestine whispered something unintelligible about "shared warmth beneath broken ceilings," but nobody had the energy to ask what the hell she meant.
As they approached the outskirts of the ruined town, Lin's heartbeat picked up.
Something told him things were about to get a lot more complicated.
***
The town lay before them like a corpse stripped bare.
Rust-eaten signs creaked in the dry wind. A burned-out convenience store sat slumped beside what might've been a pharmacy. Shattered windows, collapsed rooftops, and graffiti scars marked every wall. Somewhere, far off, a bent streetlamp buzzed weakly with dying voltage.
The five of them crouched in the shade of a collapsed billboard.
Lin adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "S-so... uh, I think... we need to split up."
Yue turned her head sharply. "Unwise. Splitting our forces increases vulnerability. Unknown threats may still remain."
"We'll cover more ground," Sierra cut in. "If we stick together, we'll waste daylight clearing the same rooms. This ain't a fucking field trip."
"But if something attacks us—!" Yuzuki whined, clinging to her bat like it was a plush toy. "What if there's zombies or big slimy things? Like the ones in those hentai games?!"
Celestine gently patted her head. "If our fate is to be consumed by writhing filth... then we must meet it with dignity."
Lin's face turned beet red. "N-not helping, Celestine."
"I'm being literal."
"Even worse!"
Yue crossed her arms, her voice icy. "This is reckless. He is not combat-capable."
"He's got me," Sierra said, throwing a cocky wink. "I'll protect our little virgin prince."
Lin flinched. "I'm not—okay, maybe I am—but that's not the point!"
"Then decide," Yue snapped. "We waste time."
The tension was climbing fast.
Lin's mouth went dry. All four girls were staring at him, waiting. His heart pounded in his chest. He felt like a kid being forced to pick teams at recess—except this time the wrong call might get someone killed.
He swallowed.
"W-we'll split into two groups," he finally said.
Everyone went quiet.
"We'll draw lots," he added quickly. "That way it's fair."
Yue stared at him for a moment, unreadable. Then she gave the faintest nod.
Sierra cracked her knuckles. "Finally, some balls."
Lin grabbed a small piece of torn cloth from the gear pack and ripped it into five strips. Two of them, he tied knots into. He then held the bunch out like an offering.
"Okay... whoever gets a knot is in my group. Group A. The other two are Group B."
Yuzuki bounced on her heels. "Like a gacha roll!"
"Please don't say that," Lin muttered.
One by one, they drew.
Yue pulled a blank.
Sierra grinned as she unfolded hers and held up a knotted strip. "Lucky me."
Celestine followed next—blank.
Yuzuki opened hers and squealed. "Knot~! Yay! I get to be with Captain-sama~!"
"Fuck," Lin whispered under his breath. He glanced at Sierra. She was already smirking.
"Welp. Guess it's me and the idol brat. Let's go, boss man."
Lin cleared his throat, trying to project some kind of fake authority. "O-okay. So, Group A—me, Sierra, and Yuzuki—we'll search for medical supplies. That building down there looks like it might have been a clinic."
Celestine gave a slow nod. "Then Yue and I shall find a vehicle. There is a station by the crossroads."
"We meet back here by sunset," Lin said. "No exceptions."
"Copy," Yue replied, already turning to go.
Celestine gave a little bow. "If I do not return, sing for me beneath the ash trees."
"...Please don't say ominous shit before we split up," Lin said.
Sierra clapped him on the back hard enough to make him stumble. "Relax, pretty boy. What's the worst that could happen?"
He looked at the town, at the blackened windows, the bullet holes, the dried blood on the concrete.
He didn't say a word.
Q: Would you choose to stick together or split up?