POV Hisashi Igou, Aka Somewhere in future Policeman Friendo
Walking behind Takashi in the aisles between the shelves of various items, he stared at his back.
And looking at Takashi, he realized that he no longer held a grudge against him or Rei; it seemed he had let go of his past resentment toward him and, thanks to that, regained his former self-confidence, which he once possessed.
Hisashi was happy about it, truly happy, but at the same time, he felt a sense of fear that Rei might break up with him to get back together with Takashi.
He wasn't blind to the fact that Rei still couldn't let go of her feelings for Takashi, and if things went right, she might dump him to go back to Takashi.
But he didn't want that. He had loved her since middle school, but he never tried to flirt with her. First, she was already Takashi's girlfriend back then, and second, that Isao Tsumugi was always watching over them both.
He shuddered, remembering what happened to the guy who relentlessly tried to hit on Rei, and then Takashi and Isao showed up, after which the guy was afraid to even look in Rei's direction.
"Hisashi…" He heard Takashi's quiet whisper and immediately tensed up. Looking at him, he noticed he was pointing somewhere ahead.
Looking in that direction, his hand tightened around the bat's handle.
There, up ahead, a dead woman lay on the floor, a huge pool of blood under her head, but that wasn't the most horrible thing. The most horrible thing was that the head of a small child was buried right in her belly; judging by the body, the child could only be 5 years old.
Disgusting munching sounds echoed quietly from that spot, and the child was too busy eating its mother's insides, paying no attention to the two guys standing nearby.
Looking at Takashi's face, he noticed it was greenish, and frankly, he felt sick too. His father had taught him certain things since childhood, including how to mentally project past events.
And now his brain was already automatically projecting what had happened. Most likely, the child was bitten by a dead person on the street or here in the store, but the mother was unharmed and wanted to hide somewhere in the store to wait for help. But she didn't make it, as the child turned into one of 'Them' right in her arms. She panicked and slipped, falling with her head hitting the ice cream freezer right behind her, and died instantly. Or if not instantly, then after the child began to devour her insides.
"Let's go, end this child's suffering." The words escaped his mouth without his permission. His previous disgust and horror hadn't disappeared, but were hidden deep inside him.
Takashi looked at him with despair—not hopelessness, no, but the kind where you know what must be done, but you're still terrified.
But he didn't flinch. With quiet steps, he approached the child, who continued to munch on its mother's insides.
His hand will not waver.
This little one has suffered enough; at least this way, he'll be reunited with his mother.
His bat whistled down onto the child's head, driving it with a sickening squelch into the woman's torn-open belly. But by the movement of its legs, it was clear it wasn't dead, so he did it again, and again, driving the bat into the child's skull. He kept doing it until he was grabbed by the shoulder.
"…sashi! Hisashi, snap out of it, he's already dead!" Takashi stood right behind him, holding his shoulder tightly. "Enough, Hisashi, stop…"
His hands trembled. He wanted so badly to drop the bat and cry, as he felt sorry for the child, and only now did a thought occur to him.
What happened to all the children in kindergartens and elementary schools? And… what about the newborns in maternity wards?
Thinking about it, his hands began to twitch. He felt bile rise in his throat. He can't save them, can't help them, and most likely everyone there is already dead, b-but… but someone must have survived, right?! Someone?! And if someone survived, they are probably waiting for help from the police, which no longer exists.
"Are you okay now?" Takashi looked right into his eyes, his face tense.
"T-Takashi… do you think… are there any survivors in the maternity wards?" His words made Takashi's eyes widen and realize the same thing he had, causing them both to tremble.
He began to feel despair and pity, like broken glass inside his body. Dozens and hundreds of children who had just come into this world today, who never knew their parents, never had friends, never learned the words 'mom,' 'dad,' 'love.'
And they will all die today.
"Bggghhaaa…!" He bent over and vomited on the floor, his lunch coming out, still undigested, with yellowish-green bile.
Takashi, unlike him, tried to hold back the release of his stomach's inner world onto the floor, and just breathed deeply, looking at the ceiling.
He heard the other guys also finding 'Them,' and the sounds of metal bats hitting skulls echoed from different spots. He couldn't just sit here while the others worked, so, gathering his resolve, he stood up and grabbed the bat.
"Let's go, Takashi, we can't stay here too long." He sighed and followed him.
There weren't many of 'Them' in the store, but not few either. Still, he and the guys dealt with all of 'Them' fairly quickly. Walking between the aisles, they found 'Them' just standing in place, reacting only when they got within a few meters.
Killing them became easier. His mind was now much more collected and calm, but thoughts about the deaths of the children still flashed in his head.
At one point, while he continued to kill 'Them' on autopilot, he met up with the other pairs in the center of the store, and they realized 'They' were all gone.
"Well, I guess we just need to move some shelves and coolers to the doors, right, Takashi-san?" Takuzo looked with trusting eyes toward Takashi, who nodded.
"Yeah, let's go. We'll do it quickly and tell Isao we're done."
He glanced at all the guys. None of them seemed particularly tired, nor did they look as shaken as he and Takashi, so he was glad for them.
There were only two doors in the store. One likely led to the customer restroom—or rather, one door opening into a hallway with two more doors—and the same with the second one, but that door probably led to the stockrooms, staff room, and so on.
He and the guys managed to lift the ice cream freezer and place it in front of the first door, and after catching their breath, did the same with the second door.
While they were lifting these heavy things, everyone managed to work up a bit of a sweat, the most coming from the Miyuri and Kurokami brothers. The latter was barely standing, and drops of sweat were literally dripping from the locks of his hair.
"A-alright guys, let's go…" Takashi led the way. His own hands were shaking and, by the look on his face, felt ready to fall off.
Oh-h, how he wished Isao was already finished. He just wanted to get on the bus and finally get out of here.
Third Person View
Walking out of the store, the guys didn't expect to see a fully armored bus in front of them, with Isao standing before it, arms spread wide, his claw-hands still hovering behind him.
"Ta-da! Our bus is now fully modified, and we won't have to worry about it breaking down because some dead guy bumped the bumper!"
There were metal square grates on the windows, almost half the windshield was covered, and the bumper had bull bars, also made of some metal. Overall, the bus was modified to easily plow through a crowd of zombies.
The tired guys could only stare in amazement at what Isao had created in what? Ten, fifteen minutes? His power was truly amazing.
"Okay, everyone back inside the store. We'll quickly discuss important things and get out of here!" He headed toward the store entrance, and the crowd of girls, who had been standing off to the side inspecting the bus, followed him.
The guys wanted to stay; everyone wanted to check out the bus's new look, to touch the metal, but they couldn't, and with a collective sigh, they went back inside the store.
Inside, he had already managed to create several large iron boxes and was waiting for them, looking toward the store entrance, his claws resting off to the side.
"Finally, now that everyone's gathered, we need to discuss a few things." He raised his first finger. "Right after this talk, you will call your sisters and brothers and parents, and ask where they are. If they answer, we will pick them up, no matter where they are." Isao's voice was unusually serious.
"And what if they don't answer?" Kawamoto asked in a worried voice.
"Unfortunately, then we won't be able to do anything. It will be easier for us right now…"
"But…"
"I understand what you want to say, but… it will be easier for us right now if we gather those who answer, whose locations are already known, rather than those whose whereabouts are unknown."
Kawamoto looked anxiously at Isao, as did the others. The atmosphere inside changed from calm to very much not-calm.
"Guys, I really understand that you're worried about your loved ones, but I can't help here. It's better for all of us to get to the Takagi Estate before nightfall, because then visibility will drop sharply, and it will just be harder for us to get to the Estate."
Many started fiddling with their fingers. Rei, Takashi, and Hisashi were slightly less worried. Of course, they were still worried about their parents, but knowing they had access to weapons and various body armor, helmets, and so on, they were much calmer.
"Second, right now we better grab a lot of canned goods here—all of them, actually. Fill those boxes with them, and then I'll load them onto the bus and we'll head out." Everyone nodded, although some still showed signs of anxiety.
"Then let's start, quickly. Divide the canned goods into one box, water into another, snacks and chocolate bars into another, and so on. Girls, grab what you 'need.' It will probably be hard to get 'that stuff' anytime soon." The girls blushed, except for Saeko, who headed toward the aisle with all the things she needed as a woman. Some girls followed her, while others went to different shelves and grabbed canned goods. The guys also split into several groups to gather everything faster.
"Uff-f…" Isao sighed and, thinking no one was watching him, quietly walked behind the counter, grabbed several packs of cigarettes, and went outside without telling anyone.
Though he didn't notice how one pink-haired girl spotted him leaving.
POV Saya Takagi
Hmm, it was funny how Isao thought he was being sneaky, despite his huge build.
Looking around and noticing no one was watching her, she went to the exit and also quietly left the store. She looked around, catching a glimpse of his jacket disappearing around the right wall.
Sighing quietly and gathering her thoughts, she tiptoed in the direction he had gone and peeked her head out just a little.
There, leaning his back against the wall, Isao was trying to light a cigarette, but the lighter wasn't even sparking.
"Tch, damn it…" He threw the lighter somewhere off to the side. The cigarette followed, and he just pressed his back against the wall, looking up at the sky.
And God, he looked good. His features were so perfect, his hair had long since fallen, replacing the usual hairstyle he'd worn all morning.
"Isao-san?" She stepped out of her hiding place, and he calmly turned his head toward her. "Why are you out here?"
"Trying to gather my thoughts, Takagi-san."
"No, no! Don't call me by my last name. You can just call me Saya-chan, since I owe you my life." She approached him and bowed perfectly, a full 90 degrees. "I wanted to properly thank you for saving my life, since I couldn't do it at school, for which I apologize, Isao-san."
"What? You don't have to, Saya-chan." She blushed faintly hearing him call her Saya-chan, and tried to shake off the blush by shaking her head.
"N-no, Isao-san. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be alive right now. You saved my life, and I am very grateful. Ask for anything, and I'll try to do it."
Please be bad, please be bad, please!
"Anything?" He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"M-hmm…" And the only thing that came to Saya's mind.
Don't look him in the eyes! Don't! Look at the wall instead. Oh, what nice concrete, very good, yep, and the color is so nice, grayish.
"You wouldn't mind kissing?" His question made her heart pound like crazy, but then, not receiving an immediate answer, he added, "Actually, no, I apologize, that would be…"
"Yes! I would like that, Isao-san! The moment you stood over me, I realized I fell in love with you, and all this time I couldn't gather the confidence to approach you."
"What?" He stared at her, mouth wide open. "Takagi-san, you've only known me for a few hours. If you feel like you have to repay me for saving your life, then…"
"No, Isao-san, I'm doing this because I fell in love with you when you saved me. The moment you snatched my life from the undead jaws of death, I realized one thing: I want to spend the rest of the life you saved with you." She bowed again, hoping for the best. "Maybe we don't know each other well, but your personality traits overshadow all that. In a short time, you've proven that you are confident, smart, capable, kind, responsible, and very caring. These are all the traits I would want to see in my man." Saya just couldn't shut up, but it was the truth.
Everything she said was true. These traits were the most important things she looked for in a man. Even if this man had nothing, she wouldn't be looking for a man for his money; she would have plenty of that.
She wanted a partner, someone she could trust her back to, someone she could lean on or hide behind as if behind an indestructible wall.
Honestly, she wanted someone capable of accepting her feelings and returning them a hundredfold. And even despite the embarrassment she felt in front of him, her rational mind told her he would be the ideal partner.
Not to mention he had superpowers, and in a pinch, she could always be sure he would save her and other people.
"Are you serious right now?"
Ah, what the hell, Tsumugi?! Is it so hard to believe a girl's word?! I'm literally telling you that I've fallen head over heels for you and want to spend my whole life with you, why the hell is it so hard for you to understand that?!
But she didn't shout that at him. Sighing, she listened to her cold reason, still feeling the burning blush on her cheeks. She straightened her back and, looking straight into the stunned Isao's eyes, said her word.
"Y-yes…" Her answer stunned him even more.
"Ah…" Isao scratched his neck, looking right at her. "Saya-chan, I'm sorry to say this, but I have one bad trait. I'm a pretty fickle guy, and I might cheat on you, so I don't think I'll be a good match for you."
Oh, he was so honest. Other guys in his place would already be bowing on the floor, but he was trying to talk himself out of dating her out of embarrassment and not wanting her to do this out of a feeling of debt. How sweet Isao was.
"I-I don't care…" Why won't you accept my confession of love?!
"Then you won't mind if I do this?" He stepped very close to her, her nose almost touching his torso, and then he bent down and just kissed her.
His lips were incredibly soft, not to mention his warm hands that pulled her close.
And oh, Heavenly Kami, she felt so good. She felt his tongue trying to enter her mouth and instantly surrendered, feeling his pressure.
And she just closed her eyes, accepting how he made her submit to his desire.
POV Isao Tsumugi, Aka The Too-Handsome Delinquent (Bcs of his trait that he got in chap 8)
He considered Saya Takagi many things—smart, talented, and generally beautiful, but sometimes rude—but never a girl who would fall in love with her savior.
But he wasn't going to complain. At all. When he asked the question, he thought he'd just embarrass her, and she'd curse him out, blow off steam, and go help the others. But he didn't expect her to just say, 'Yes, I wouldn't mind.'
Of course, he wasn't going to complain, as it felt really good right now. Blowing off steam like this was an incredible pleasure, since smoking cigarettes wasn't in the cards, and his pencils and paper weren't within reach.
His hands pressed Saya's miniature body to him, his tongue devouring her like a hungry animal. He desperately wanted to reach his hands down, but that would be fucking harassment, which he hated, so he just left them on her waist.
He watched as her eyes looked at him with adoration and love, which was really unexpected for him. Like, he absolutely did not expect this.
But their kisses were incredible. He could easily dominate her, and she accepted all of it. He did whatever he wanted with her tongue, and she obediently accepted it, and that, that was fucking sexy.
They breathed through their noses, finding no time to stop, too engrossed in each other. And then he felt her much smaller palm on the back of his own, and felt her gently, but forcefully, pushing it down toward her ass.
And that's when he lost it. It was no joke; in 18 years of his life on this earth, he still hadn't managed to fuck anyone—too busy with manga deadlines, fighting different bastards, helping his mom at the coffee shop, and other things. Plus, not to mention the reputation he had built in town completely repelled 99% of the girls he might have tried to start any kind of relationship with.
His right hand shot down with the speed of light, onto the backside of this cute pink-haired girl, and he squeezed.
Her ass was soft, her skin so delicate that just holding it felt like sinking his hand into a down-filled pillow. Squeezing it and playing with it, they both felt the arousal growing between them, the kind that made them want more and more.
"Mmmph…" Her moans were simply wonderful, soft girlish moans that she let out while almost letting my tongue penetrate her throat.
And he decided to stop, right here and now, before anything happened. He wanted to take her virginity in a more romantic place, not behind a convenience store. So he removed his hand from Saya's ass, to her indignant mumbles.
They both broke apart, understanding each other without words, realizing this place wasn't quite suitable for what they wanted to do. As they pulled their faces apart, a bridge of saliva stretched between them, from her to him.
"Th-thanks for y-your answer, y-you idiot…" Her voice was stunned and full of pleasure, as if she herself couldn't believe what had happened, but was enjoying it nonetheless.
"Anytime, beautiful." He gave her a cocky smirk, until he heard footsteps and wiped the smile off his face, but left his hand on her waist.
"Isao-san?" The guy from around the wall, the same one who asked the question on the bus. Saya pressed her face against him, and he could swear he felt the heat from her blushing face.
"Yeah…?" The guy had a blank face, without any emotion, but his eyes gave everything away: slight surprise, then slight pride, and finally, returning to its usual state, which had become adoration and submission.
"You can call me Oegi, Isao-san. I came to report that all the boxes are loaded, and also that everyone managed to call their parents to find out their locations. Everyone is waiting for you. Unfortunately, only some got answers, or rather, only about half of them."
"And your parents?"
"I grew up an orphan, Isao-san. I don't have parents." He said it, damn it, as if it were nothing, making him and Saya open their mouths in surprise.
"Um-m, okay. You can tell them to gather on the bus. I'll be right there, and we'll discuss everything on the bus on the way to my house." He nodded and left, and I looked at Saya.
"So, you're not against us trying this relationship?"
"What? Just try? Don't be an idiot, Tsumugi! You're already mine. And yeah, about your fickleness—I don't care what sluts you fuck, as long as you don't forget who was your very first woman, got it?" Her previous shyness just… vanished? Heh, cool.
"Yeah, yeah, cutie, but now we have to go." She huffed and turned away, leaving her ass defenseless, which I took advantage of and smacked her right cheek.
"Ah!" Moaning, she spun on me furiously. "What the hell, Isao?! That hurt! Next time, try to lessen the force of your slap a little!" She blushed, but continued to glare at me furiously, puffed up like a hamster ready for battle.
"Alright, alright, let's go. Everyone's waiting, and I still need to load the boxes onto the bus."
Mom, wait for me, I'm on my way.