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POV Isao Tsumugi
We all got out of the vehicle, K-imoto instantly came up to me, taking my hand, and I smiled at her.
Honestly, it felt like I hadn't spoken to her for a long time, even though we were just sitting together yesterday discussing this and that, but for some reason... it felt like it was ages ago, probably because things had been moving too fast.
But I didn't care; I needed my daily dose of K-imotium, so I released the hand she had just been holding, pulled her close, and hugged her to me.
Mom, who had just gotten out of the Humvee, looked at her with suspicion for some reason, and the hand holding the family photo album tightened slightly.
And Saya looked at K-imoto with jealousy, coming up to me with a glance that said, "hug me," and who was I to reject my little pink-haired princess's embrace?
The way she blushed when her mother looked at her with an understanding smile was cute.
"Let's go, Isao-kun, I'll show you your..."
"Excuse me, but first, I need to check on all my people, and it's better if you show my little sister and Saya what you wanted to show." I loosened my embrace and released Saya and K-imoto, who nodded, looking at me, and then glared at each other jealously. Yuriko herself froze, and I could feel her gaze fixed on my back as I walked toward the bus, from which many people were already starting to exit.
"Ah, I can't believe we finally made it!" Takashi stepped out of the bus, stretching his arms up and cracking his back.
"I don't think we can stay here for long." Hisashi came out right behind him, looking at Soichiro's people with slight distrust. "Unless you forgot who Sai's father is."
"Hmm... that might be a problem, but Isao-san will definitely do something!" Takuzo's voice was full of trust in me, causing Hisashi to look at him and Takashi to snort.
"Of course, but we can't just put everything on him." Takashi looked around and saw me approaching. "Hey, Isao!"
"Guys," I waved at them. "I hope you had a good trip and there were no problems?" As I said this, I looked at one of Takagi's men, who grimaced when he saw my gaze. But as soon as I gave him a more focused look, he immediately tucked his head into his shoulders and walked past me without lifting his gaze.
"Honestly, Tsumugi, I don't like something about this place..." Hisashi was slightly worried. "Souichiro-san is a patriot of our country, yes, but at the same time..."
"He's too militarized and too conservative... dreadfully conservative." My voice was serious, and the guys looked at me attentively. "But that's not necessarily bad. Yes, I might not like him, but he has enough resources to at least hold out for some time."
"Um, Isao-san..." Kōta, who also managed to get off the bus, raised his hand as if he were in school.
"Yes? Do you have a question, Kotah?"
"Of course, I wanted to ask..." He swallowed slightly and looked at the walls that fenced off the Estate. "Honestly, I don't think these walls can hold back zombies like the one we met at the Hospital. What do we do then...?"
I looked at him and realized he was right. These walls wouldn't be able to protect us from zombies like the Bulky type from Hospital, not to mention that other types of zombies might appear, proving to be more diverse than the Lumberjack. And among them, there might be a type capable of leaping over fences a mere 2.5 meters high, and then...
My gaze fell on all the people I had saved—mothers holding their children, walking toward the tents provided by the Takagi family—and in front of me were my people.
Takashi, Hisashi, Takuzo, Kotah, Rei, Shizuka, Hayashi-san, and another dozen or so. Their eyes were looking my way as if I were the only one who could save them.
And I realized one thing.
We still weren't safe. Even though the Takagi Estate was marked as a "safe zone" in my mind, we weren't safe, because the safety we were currently in was illusory, like sand in one's hands.
Damn it.
"I... I need to think." Most of the eyes turned to me became anxious. "Don't worry too much. I'll figure something out. For now, rest, talk, and eat. And yes, share some supplies if you want, but don't give everything away. We'll need it ourselves later. Takashi, you're in charge of this, and Kōta, you look after the car with Yamada."
They nodded, and I sighed, turned away from them, and walked toward the mansion.
I need to think.
[H3]Takashi Komuro's POV[/H3]
He watched Isao's retreating back, feeling the cold creeping up his spine.
All this time, it seemed like Isao always had a plan, but now, looking at his back, he realized one thing: right now, Isao had no plan.
And that was a little scary, but... Takashi believed Isao would figure something out; he had to have some power to help him with this.
"Takashi, so what do we do?" Takuzo looked at him. "Isao said we should share the supplies."
"Yes, but he said it was at our discretion, and... we need those supplies more ourselves. I think Soichiro-san will have more resources, and they don't need our supplies."
"But..." Rei wanted to say something, but Takashi interrupted her.
"Rei, right now, food is gold, and if we give it away every time we come to crowded places, there will be nothing left for us and our people." Takashi knew Isao thought the same way—he knew that Isao thought of all the people he saved as his own, and everyone else was like a stranger to him. "It's better for us to guard the bus and the Humvee. Yamada, Kurokami, stay with Kotah; don't let anyone even approach the Humvee or touch the weapons in the trunk." All three nodded and went toward the Humvee. "Ōegi, Totsuki-kun, Shiōzaki-san"—Totsuki was a middle schooler, and Shiōzaki-san was a man, both of whom we saved at the hospital. There was also Ozawa-san, the father of two girls with a broken leg, but let that man rest with his daughters. "Please, you better look after the bus." The "please" was addressed to the man; Takashi didn't want Shiōzaki to think he was some kind of jerk. "Don't let anyone go inside and rummage through the boxes."
They all nodded and also went toward the bus. The man stood at the first door, completely blocking it with his body, just like the two guys who also stood in front of the second door.
"Hisashi, let's go talk to Isao."
"Wait, Takashi-kun, can Marikawa-sensei and I also come?" Marikawa-sensei pressed against Hayashi-sensei, looking in his direction and raising one hand. "Otherwise, it'll be bo-o-oring here!"
"Oh, I want to too. I don't feel comfortable here at all." Miku Yukii stepped forward, and the other girls stood behind her. Their faces were slightly nervous, and he felt that something was wrong.
Looking around, he realized the reason for their nervousness: the way most of the men here were looking at them as if they were meat, even though all the girls except Marikawa-sensei and Hayashi-sensei were high school students. His face naturally twisted, and he sighed.
"Alright, everyone follow me. Those I chose for guard duty, stay and look after the car." Saying this, he walked toward the mansion, feeling many following him. Here, he noticed Kōta clutching a weapon to himself. "Kōta, look after the car. Don't let anyone take it or what's inside."
"Yes, Takashi!" Kotah nodded furiously, grabbing his weapon in a different way; it seemed like it would be easier for him to use it like that.
Nodding to Kotah, he walked on, and Hisashi caught up with him.
"What do you think Isao will say?"
"Honestly, I don't know, but he's probably thinking about where we could go. He definitely doesn't like it here."
"Well, you know, I don't like being at the base of a man who is a nationalist either—don't interrupt, Takashi." Hisashi spoke before him, not giving him a chance to talk. "We sometimes listened to his speeches, and... most of them aren't very kind."
"Hmm..." He just hummed. "Only one person's opinion matters right now: Isao's. And he's thinking about it now. We can either stay here or start driving to a completely different place."
"Yeah... I just hope that place will be safe."
"Uh-huh..."
"...what do you think about our parents?" For the first time, Takashi heard fear in Hisashi's voice—slight, but as sticky as glue.
"I... I don't know. Rei's mom is probably at home, but her dad? He was at work. You saw how she tried to call him, and... I don't know where Mom is. She should be at work..." His own voice was deceptively calm, but who knew better than him that it was all a facade? He was damn trembling with fear for his mother's safety.
"Yeah... Dad was at work today too, although he looked a bit tired..."
"We have to talk to Isao. We need to pick up our parents before we head to a safe place that will become ours..."
"..." Hisashi's silence was his answer. Yes... they needed to talk to Isao. Why the hell couldn't they have done it yesterday?
No, a stupid question. Searching for two adults all over the city is harder than picking up more than a dozen people from places that are already known.
Damn it... Takashi felt like he had betrayed his mother, but... damn it, damn it!
Yesterday, he didn't even think about it. He just moved by inertia, went with the flow, but now, where they are in a place that is more or less safe, when he is more or less fed and rested?
Thoughts of his mother made him tremble with worry. The same was true for Hisashi, as well as for most of the people whose faces he saw.
Yes, most of their people hoped their loved ones were fine, but not knowing made them worry, and this uncertainty made their thoughts turn to darker places—places where there was only pain that they didn't want to accept, because they couldn't believe in the truth... or falsity of it.
But... at least they were all alive, and it was all thanks to Isao, his strength and timely control, along with his determination and his own personality, around which all the people he saved rallied.
As soon as they entered the mansion, they were met by a man in black clothes with a serious face.
"Are you Takashi Komuro?" His voice was deep and smoke-worn, as if the only thing he had done his whole life was smoke cigarettes.
"Yes?"
"Your leader, Isao, it seems, has been allocated a place on the second floor. As soon as you go up the stairs, turn to the right, the sixth door on the left." He pointed to the stairs which were dozens of steps away from them.
Takashi nodded to the man and walked forward. The man watched him for a while, then sighed tiredly and went somewhere on his own path inside the mansion.
Going up the stairs, he heard the small phrases of all the girls who were following him. Here and there, they threw around words, talking calmly, and he felt a sense of relaxation.
Because it meant that he was doing everything right. He was saving people with Isao; they saved many, and that was good, very good indeed.
Hisashi next to him also relaxed, casting aside his worries... the only question was how long it would last.
Reaching the second floor, he turned right and walked, looking out the window, but he heard the sound of running ahead and looked there.
And he saw Saya, who ran into one of the rooms holding something suspiciously like a map.
He quickened his step, just like Hisashi, and in just a few steps, he entered the room, easily opening the door.
And there he saw Isao, standing with his hands braced on the table and looking at the map, examining it carefully.
"...the temple complex near the mountain is good, but the zombies..." Saya stopped speaking, standing right next to Isao, also looking at the map. Isao's little sister was nowhere to be seen, nor were his mother and Saeko-san.
"Zombies are a problem, a huge one, especially if evolved ones like the Lumberjack start appearing much faster and in much greater numbers. Unfortunately, we will have to discard all good options for a base that are on land..."
"Then... Kotsu Island will do." Saya reached out to the map with her hand holding a marker and marked the island, which was not far from the coast of Tokonosu Beach. "It's quite medium-sized, but only a little over a thousand people lived there. They got electricity from solar panels and wind turbines, so even if something happens to the power plant, we will have a place to get energy. Supplies there should be enough for more than a hundred people, at least for the first few months."
"..." Isao examined the map for a while, and then patted Saya on the head. "Your cute little smart head!" And began to stroke it, causing Saya to close her eyes and accept the pats.
"Isao?" His voice caused Saya to sharply jump away from Isao and furiously blush.
"TAKASHI! YOU HAVE TO KNOCK WHEN YOU ENTER A ROOM! DO YOU HAVE NO MANNERS?!" He winced at her scream, as did everyone standing in the hallway.
The only one who wasn't affected by it, or pretended not to feel anything, just shifted his focused gaze onto them, was Isao.
"Takashi, Hisashi." He nodded to those behind him. "Let them settle in the next room, and then you two come here. We need to discuss some things."
"And when you come in here, knock!" Saya looked at him with rage, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but she froze, feeling Isao's hand on her shoulder.
"Come on, Saya, we need to discuss a few more base options, or where we can get medicines, clothes, and much more." She turned away from him, looked at Takashi, and nodded, and instantly transformed, examining the map.
"Then this place will be..."
Takashi sighed and turned to the people standing behind him, trying to peek inside the room, and cleared his throat a few times, drawing their attention.
"Isao said you should be in the other room." He addressed them, noticing how the faces of most of them slightly wrinkled.
"Mou! But I wanted to be with Isao! And we're adults too, and I also want to discuss important things with him!"
"Takashi, let Shizuka and Hayashi-sensei in." Isao's voice came from inside the room, this time sounding much more commanding than before.
And he did so, and then led the others to the second room. Knocking and opening the door, he saw Kotobuki, Isao's little sister, lying on the couch, Saeko-san dressed in a kimono, as well as Isao's mother sitting on the bed with the newest adopted daughter on her lap.
He let all the girls inside and was about to go back to Isao, but Rei grabbed his hand.
"Takashi, let me be there too." She looked at him, and he looked into her eyes—slightly worried, nervous, but as beautiful as ever—and he sighed, realizing he couldn't refuse her.
"Alright, let's go..."
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