In a flicker of displaced air, Son Goku appeared before Alice, his leg sweeping out in a blur to send the encroaching zombies sprawling back. He scooped the trembling girl into his arms. "Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice uncharacteristically gentle.
Suddenly held against the chest of a strange man in an orange gi, Alice blushed a deep crimson and shook her head silently. Her wide eyes drifted past him to her father's still form by the gate. "Papa…" she whispered, her voice breaking.
Following her gaze to the tightly shut door, Goku's expression darkened. "The people in there," he stated more than asked. "They did this to him?"
Alice gave a small, definitive nod. "Mm-hm."
Cradling her securely, Goku walked to her father's body. With a casual point of his finger, a small ki blast excavated a respectful grave in the garden soil. He laid the man to rest, then helped Alice place a handful of plucked wildflowers atop the fresh earth.
He then lifted her into the air. Turning a single finger toward the silent house, he fired a thin beam of energy. With a deafening BOOM, the reinforced front door exploded into splinters. The catastrophic noise acted like a dinner bell for every zombie in the vicinity; a groaning horde immediately shambled toward the gaping entrance. Within moments, the terrified screams of the occupants echoed from inside, soon choked off into silence.
"Your father is avenged," Goku said, his tone calm as he gently ruffled her hair. "You'll stay with me now. I'll keep you safe."
Alice stared at him, her sorrow momentarily eclipsed by awe. "Big Brother! Are you… are you Ultraman? You can fly and shoot light rays!" In her young mind, only such heroes of justice possessed such powers.
"Heh, something like that. So you can count on me." Goku smiled.
"Mm!" she agreed, a fragile trust taking root.
Carrying Alice, he flew back to the apartment balcony, touching down beside Saeko, who had witnessed the entire scene.
"Alice, this is Saeko-neechan. She's… my important person," Goku introduced.
"H-hello, Saeko-neechan…" Alice whispered, shyly hiding behind Goku's leg. The trauma of the day had left deep scars on her young heart.
Goku placed a reassuring hand on her head. "It's alright. She's with me, so she's a good person too."
After some quiet comfort, Goku had Saeko take the exhausted girl to rest. Overwhelmed, Alice was asleep within minutes.
Stepping back onto the balcony, Goku watched the relentless shambling figures on the streets below and shook his head with a sigh. "Gotta finish this 'mission' fast. Can't even get a proper night's sleep in this world. What a pain." For the safety of the girls, he would be standing watch.
Bored, he pulled up the interface of his Dimensional-Hop System.
Energy Points: 10,678
A new notification pulsed softly:
Companion Travel Protocol Unlocked. <<
Criteria Met: Gained acknowledged devotion from a designated story heroine.
Function: For a cost of 10,000 Energy Points, you may permanently bring one such companion to your Primary World (Universe 7).
"Seriously? It costs points to bring someone back? What a scam," Goku muttered. He shrugged a moment later. "Ah, well. Ten thousand it is. When the time comes, I'll just clear out a city or two. Gotta be a few hundred thousand of those zombies in there… heh."
---
At dawn, the girls stirred. Noticing the slight, careful way both Shizuka and Saeko moved, Rei, Saya, and Takashi exchanged complex glances but wisely held their tongues.
After a hurried breakfast and retrieving a few extra firearms from the apartment's stash, they headed for the private garage. Shizuka tapped a code into the keypad, and the heavy door rumbled open. She strode proudly to the side of a hulking, matte-black vehicle.
"Well? What do you think? It's practically a tank," she beamed.
Takashi let out a low whistle, running a hand along the armored flank. "Just what kind of friend do you have, Shizuka? Military-grade weapons in the house, and now this… a limited-production amphibious Humvee. This isn't something you can just buy."
Before anyone else could move, Alice darted past and clambered inside. "Wow! These seats are so big and soft!"
The other girls piled in, and the spacious interior immediately felt cramped—Goku and Saeko hadn't even entered yet. "It's a bit tight. Here, Alice-chan, come sit on my lap," Takashi offered, lifting the girl and freeing up precisely one seat.
"Perfect fit now," Goku declared, sliding in and pulling Saeko down onto his lap. "Alright, Shizuka, let's move!"
Saeko flushed but made no move to resist, settling against him.
From the middle row, Saya muttered under her breath, though not quietly enough, "…Disgustingly lovey-dovey."
Saeko merely smiled over her shoulder, her voice playful. "Would you like to trade places, Saya-chan?"
"W-who would want to?! Baka!" Saya shot back, her face turning scarlet as she spun to stare out the window.
The powerful Humvee roared to life and surged onto the deserted road. They hadn't traveled far when Alice, peering intently out the window, suddenly pointed and cried out, "Goku-niichan! Look! People over there!"
All eyes followed her finger. A short distance ahead, five figures shrouded in heavy coats and hoods were being driven back into a corner by a pressing crowd of zombies, fighting with desperate, panicked swings.