Chapter 1 - Journey's Beginning
On a desolate road, a small car drove through the empty streets, dodging human-like figures that lingered on the ground. Inside the car, five peoples, four girls and one boy, sat quietly in their seats, once in a while gazing at the apocalyptic scene outside.
"Hoi, Yuki!" the driver, a girl of long purple hair tied in a twintail, turned to the backseat. "Where do I turn?"
"Um, let's see…" sitting at the back between two peoples, a short pink-haired girl, answered. "Right. Third District, Fifth Block. Right at the next junction," said the girl, Takeya Yuki is her name.
"Gotcha."
"Hey, Kurumi-chan," Yuki spoke again.
"Yeah?" Ebisuzawa Kurumi, the one driving the car, said.
"Graduation trips are fun, aren't they?"
"Whoa!" the car suddenly turns sharply to the side due to Kurumi being surprised at the sudden question.
"Don't talk to the driver when she's driving," reminded the girl with short white hair that Yuki lands on when the car made the sudden turn.
"Sorry, Mii-kun…" Yuki apologised to her. Her name is Naoki Miki by the way, and she's one year younger than the others in the car.
"Hey, Ri-san," moving from her previous position, Yuki next asked the person with long brown hair sitting on the front passenger's seat. "Graduation trips are fun, aren't they?"
The person, who's name is Wakasa Yuuri and the big sister figure of the group replied with a kind smile. "Yes, they are."
"Hoi, Yuki," Kurumi voices from the driver's seat while her eyes were still on the road. "Why don't you go talk to Yuuta or something? I'm trying to focus driving here if you didn't notice."
Yuki bit her lips in embarrassment. "Ah, but Yuu-kun's asleep you see…" she then pointed to her left. Residing there was a boy with slightly spiky black hair and the sole male in the car. "And I don't want to wake him up."
"What… he's still sleeping?" questioned Kurumi with a tone of disbelief. "I can't believe it. How did he manage to sleep with having you talking loudly next to his ears?"
"It's certainly mysterious," Miki remarked. "Just as mysterious as why Yuuta-senpai decided to be your boyfriend."
"H-Hey! That's mean, Mii-kun," protested Yuki on her underclassman's comment. "Yuu-kun wants to be with me because I'm cute and I loved him too, that's why!"
"Yuki-chan…" Yuuri spoke from up in front. "Keep it down, please. You don't want to wake him up, don't you?"
At this time, Yuu-kun, or to say his real name Kiriha Yuuta, woke up from his slumber and rubbed his eyes to rid himself of any remaining sleep. "Yawn… Why so noisy?"
"Ah, sorry Yuu-kun," Yuki immediately apologised, again. "Kurumi-chan and Mii-kun were talking so much that they disturb your sleep."
"Hey!" Both the accused persons shouted at her.
"Don't push the blame on us. You're the one who's talking too loud."
"That's right, senpai. Take responsibility for your actions."
Yuki shrank in her seat upon the angry auras of Kurumi and Miki. Yuuta meanwhile, just waved his hand in a lazy manner.
"Don't sweat it. I'm not one to care for such trivial things, after all," Hearing that, the two then returned to focus on their previous activities, namely, driving and gazing out of the window, respectively.
"So, Ri-san," Yuuta spoke to initiate a conversation. "What do you think of our supplies? Are they still sufficient to support us?"
"Hmm, let me think…" placing a finger on her chin, she thought for a good ten seconds before replying. "Since we did bring many things from the school, including large amounts of food, I could safely presume that we're in the green for the moment. As long as we use them wisely, they should keep us fed for a month at least."
"I see…" absorbing the information, he asked Kurumi next. "How about the car's fuel, Kurumi? Is it still enough for a long distance?"
"The fuel? Let's see…" staring at the fuel meter, Kurumi did some basic calculations and estimation before answering. "With this amount, I don't think we're fit to go for a long length of time. It will be barely sufficient to get us to the College, though. Including all the blockades and detours that we need to go through, of course. So, unless we found a working gas station or some cans of fuel, that's about as far as we can go."
"Is that so…" Yuuta muttered. 'So, it's not really enough to go all the way to Randall Corporation it seems. And I was hoping to check on the place for at least once to see if Dad's really there and alive. Guess I'm out of luck, huh?'
"Why do you ask all this, Yuuta?" inquired Kurumi whose words brought him back from his deep thoughts.
"Ah, nothing really. Just asking," Yuuta responded quickly so as not to reveal his intentions. It's not like he's hiding something important, right?
Stopping near a convenience store, Kurumi parked the car in front of the building.
"That's as far as we go for today," Kurumi said, tired after driving all day.
"Good work!" exclaimed Yuki.
"Looks like it'll take longer than we expected," spoke Miki. "It looked so close on the map…" she pointed at the position of the college.
"It's thanks to all these blockades."
"Yeah," Miki agreed with Kurumi.
Opening the car door, Yuuta exited the vehicle. "Well then, I'll go and check the place out first."
"Wait," voiced Yuuri. "You can't go alone."
"Heh, so… who wants to come with me? Raise your hand!" Yuuta asked.
"Hai hai! Me!" as desired by him, Yuki was the one to raise her hand at the offer.
"And the chosen one is… Takeya Yuki-san!" shouted Yuuta as if he's the announcer of a game show. "Now please come out and claim your prize, a short exploration trip with me, Kiriha Yuuta!"
"Yay!" Yuki stepped out of the car and held Yuuta's hand. "Now, off we go!"
"Go!" the two then walked normally to the store's entrance.
"H-Hey, be careful you two!" Yuuri, surprised at the speed of events, could only give a word of warning before they entered the shop. "Honestly, those two."
Meanwhile, Kurumi chuckled at Yuuta's and Yuki's actions. "Even in this situation, those two still act the same as before. It's almost like they're made for each other."
"That's… true," replied Miki with a tone of disappointment. "They compliment each other so well despite their differences."
Hearing both Kurumi's and Miki's opinion, Yuuri giggled and agreed with them. "I hope they'll stay that way for a long time, for their sakes," then her voice lowered. "…and ours too."
"It's pretty desolate in here," commented Yuuta on the condition of the store's inside. "There's barely any consumable supplies left."
"The mangas all gone too!" Yuki shouted in shock when she approached the bookshelf.
Yuuta shook his head. "Really… that's what you're worried about first? Though I should've expected that." Looking at the other parts of the store, he said to her. "I'll go check the back. Stay where you are, okay?"
"Okay. I'll clean the place up," she replied. Placing back a book she's reading before, Yuki then get's her hands on a broom. Sweeping the floor of dust, she also picked any trash and inserted them inside a plastic bag. All while Yuuta was inspecting the dark sides of the interior for any undeads.
When Yuuta returned from his inspection, relieved that there weren't any of the undeads in the shop, the first thing he sees was Yuki cleaning the place. The sight brought a strange feeling inside his chest, one that he didn't know the meaning of. So, he did the one thing that he knew he should be doing in this situation.
"Hey, Yuki…" she turned her head to him. "Do you want any help with that?"
Yuki smiled at him. "I'll appreciate it, Yuu-kun."
"This feels so much better," Kurumi remarked as she lay at the floor inside her sleeping bag. The other girls were also doing the same at the moment.
"It's pretty rough sleeping in the car, after all," spoke Miki. "Though I feel sorry for Yuuta-senpai since he's stuck with patrolling the outside."
"He willingly chose to do that, so you don't have to feel bad," Yuuri stated. "That said, I also feel thankful to him for cleaning this place for us."
"Wait, that's not true at all, Ri-san!" exclaimed Yuki. "I was the one who did most of the work."
"What… there's no way that true, right?" Kurumi asked in disbelief over the statement.
"Yes, you must be joking, senpai," accused Miki.
Yuki pouted at the accusation. "That's so mean, Mii-kun. It really is the truth."
"Well, if that is what you say then I guess we've got no choice but to believe you," said Yuuri, though Yuki could see that she's not believing her so much.
"Mou~ You're all being very mean to me, you know," Yuki turned her body so that she faced the entrance. "If only Yuu-kun is here,"
"Then what, you want him to sleep with you?" laughed Kurumi at her own suggestion.
"That may not be such a bad idea," unfortunately, Yuki seemed to be seriously thinking about those words. She rubbed her chin as she mulled over the idea. "Then we can get closer than before!"
"Yuki-chan…"
"Yuki-senpai…"
Yuuri and Miki both stared at her with open mouths, unable to believe the words that just came out of her lips.
"Hoi, you did realise what sleeping with a guy means, right?" Kurumi asked after several seconds of silence.
"Of course I do!" exclaimed Yuki. "It means we're sleeping together, in the same bed, next to each other. What more is there to it?"
The three girls facepalmed at her naivety. Shaking her head, Yuuri commented on Yuki's condition.
"You still haven't changed much, Yuki-chan."
"Yes, still the same senpai as always," said Miki.
"I don't know whether I should feel sorry or wary on Yuuta," Kurumi stated.
"Well then, it's getting late so why don't we go to sleep now? We've got to rise early tomorrow after all."
At Yuuri's suggestion, the girls all tucked inside their sleeping bag. After saying 'good night' to each other, they slowly closed their eyes.
Staring at the ceiling, Yuki blinked once again. The night was still black and the only light illuminating the dark was a flashlight shining from Yuki's front.
"Fuwa~"
Lifting the upper half of her body, Yuki glanced to her sides. In their sleeping bags, Yuuri, Kurumi and Miki were still sound asleep.
Rising on her feet, she took the flashlight and started walking to the entrance.
"Yuki-chan… what are you doing?"
That is until a voice stopped her in her tracks. Turning around, she gave her reply to the owner of the voice.
"Ri-san, um, I'm just going outside for a while. I want to see the stars," the response was given in a not so convincing manner.
"No, I won't allow it. You can't go outside all alone at night," Yuuri spoke sternly.
In the darkness, she could see Yuki smiling. "But I'm not alone, right? Yuu-kun's out there and he'll take care of me, so you don't have to worry."
"That's…" Yuuri paused. She had forgotten that Yuuta is outside the store, patrolling for any danger. "You're right. I forgot about him."
"Then, can I go out, Ri-san? I'll make sure to stay close beside Yuu-kun," her eyes were glinting with an eagerness that Yuuri suspects is related to something else other than star-watching.
"Yes, you can go, Yuki-chan," Yuki's smile grew wider. "But please wear something more appropriate for the occasion. You're not going to meet him wearing just that, right?"
Pausing, Yuki looked downwards to her attire, a transparent pink negligee with yellow shorts. A blush crept on her cheeks as she realised her current state of attire.
"I-I-I'll wear my jacket now!" scrambling, she went to her bag to get her pink hoodie jacket.
Watching the scene, Yuuri could only sigh at her friend's antic.
"Waaahh, so tired."
Plopping myself on a wooden bench placed just outside the store, I set down my sword beside me. Stretching my body, I sighed as the fatigue began to affect my body. Leaning onto the bench, I stared at the scene in front of me.
Even in the bleak darkness of the night, I could make out the figures of the undeads marching down the streets. Since the sun had set hours ago, their numbers are not that many, only a handful of them. However, one shouldn't take them too lightly, lest they'll regret it. It is for that reason that I'm patrolling to begin with, looking for any signs of danger from them. Thankfully, they don't seem to approach this place so much and the few that does were quickly silenced by me.
It's certainly a weird sensation, silencing them I mean. The moment my sword made contact with them, I felt… something flowing from inside me. It all started after Yuki used my sword to revert me back to normal. However, it's a different sensation. While at that time the feeling was comfortable, calming and overall good, afterwards, I felt a sensation of power, strength and… I don't know… potential?
'Come to think of it, I think this is the same feeling I had when I first used the sword against them, even before I met the girls. It's just that I only know the difference when Yuki used it,' rubbing my chin, I asked aloud. "What could all this mean?"
"What means are you talking about, Yuu-kun?"
"Wah!" I immediately moved to the side, startled by the voice. Looking at my right, I noticed that it was only Yuki, wearing her usual nightwear and carrying a flashlight. She's also peering close to me, too close that I wondered how I didn't notice her before.
"Ha… so it was just you, Yuki," calming my heart down, I turned to her and ask for her purpose of being outside. "So, what are you doing here?"
She took a seat on the bench and I scooted away to give her some space. "Well, I want to see the stars. I always want to know how pretty they are."
"The stars?" I glanced upwards into the empty night sky, or what I thought was empty.
"Wooh…" mouth gaping wide, I stared at the scenery in front of my eyes. The stars, no longer hindered by air pollution coming from the smokes of cars and factories, were shining brightly against the black night sky. The contrast was great, how the many dots of light were twinkling like pearls and in the background, the dark sky, a canvas for the gathering of glimmering stars. The view from the bench was so clear, as clear as the view from the countryside where my grandparents reside. I even felt a tear dropping from my eyes at such a beautiful scene.
"Isn't is beautiful, Yuu-kun?" turning to my right, I remembered that Yuki was sitting beside me. I felt embarrassed for forgetting about her presence but she doesn't seem to mind, eyes also locked on the scenic view. "I never knew they could be this pretty."
"Yes, you're correct," I responded. "Such a sight was always covered by the smokes from industries and vehicles. Since almost no one's using them anymore nowadays, the atmosphere had cleared greatly, allowing us to see this view."
"Heh…" was all she said, pink eyes still fixed on the night sky. Taking advantage of her distraction, I tore my sights from the stars and her. Resting my left arm on the armrest and supporting my chin with the hand, I looked in front of me again, mind rewinding back to the thought I had before.
'I wonder what secret I don't know about this sword,' I glanced at the sword in question. 'Heck, now that I think about it, I don't even know its name and never bothered giving it one. I wonder if it actually had one originally since even my grandfather doesn't know. Dad may know, but he never told me once before. Well, if he did turn out still alive I could just ask him. If not, then I can make my own name for it. Let's see, what name would suit this sword best?'
"Yuu-kun, why are the stars…" Yuki turned her head, wanting to ask a question to Yuuta but noticed that he seems to be in deep thought. She knew from the looks of it that Yuuta's thinking hard about something but she still pouted in a selfish manner at his ignorance to her. Nevertheless, however upset she was feeling, she realised that surprising him would not work so well. So, she decided to catch his attention as subtly as she can.
Grabbing Yuuta's right hand, Yuki took notice of how cold it was. Perplexed at the sensation, she inquired Yuuta about it.
"Ne… Yuu-kun, you're hand's so cold you know."
"What? My hand?" I was brought back from my pondering by Yuki's words. Staring at my left hand, I didn't notice that it had dropped in temperature. 'Maybe I've stayed too long out here.'
"Ne… Yuu-kun," Yuki spoke to Yuuta once more to bring his attention to her. However, he's still thinking deeply, albeit on a different matter now. "Mou~ you're so cold, Yuu-kun."
Turning my head to Yuki, I saw her pouting her face at me. The sight was cute, I admit, but somehow her statement irked me a little. And so, I brought both of my hands and touched her cheeks.
Then I pulled on them.
"Hey, that's not what you should say to your own boyfriend you know," I grinned as I watched her funny face. "Do you know how hard it is to take care of you?"
"Ha ha, stop it, Yuu-kun! Stop it!" protested Yuki but I just kept on pulling her cheeks. It's only after a minute when I let go of them.
"Ow… that hurts…" rubbing her now sore cheeks, Yuki pouted once more. "Yuu-kun, you meanie."
"Hey~ want me to pull on them again?" I threatened with an evil grin. She quickly shook her head before unexpectedly reaching for my right hand.
Caressing the hand with her cheek, she exclaimed. "Hey, your hand is warm now, Yuu-kun. How strange."
"Really?" I asked, also confused. "Well, of course it's warm, just like my heart when I'm with you."
Hearing Yuuta uttered those words, Yuki blushed. "T-That's embarrassing you know." Then, she sneezed and wiped her nose with the sleeve of her jacket. "Brr… it's cold."
Looking at her shivering, I realised how thin Yuki's clothes were. Even with her jacket, there's no doubt the temperature is too much for her body to take. So, I did the most gentlemanly thing that I never thought I would have the chance to do.
"Here, Yuki. Wear this," taking off my own black jacket, I dropped it onto her head. "You'll get a cold otherwise."
"Ah, thanks," looking at the clothing that Yuuta had given her, Yuki proceeded to wrap it around her body. Even in the cold air of the night, the jacket was warm and had a trace of Yuuta's smell on it. Sniffing on the piece of fabric, she felt herself calming down from the scent.
Watching at Yuki sniffing on my jacket, a massive blush rises onto my face. 'Gosh, it's really embarrassing to look at,' I thought as I hid my face with one hand. Peeking through my fingers, I noticed that she's smiling as she wrapped the jacket closer around her frame. Even though I'm currently feeling very embarrassed about her behaviour, a part of me was also feeling happy for managing to make her smile widely as now. Instinctively, I reached for her body and pulled her close to me
"Eeep!" she squealed when our bodies touched. "W-What are you doing?"
"Why? Can't I enjoy being close to my girlfriend once in a while?" I said with a smirk on my face. "Or could it be that you don't like it?" with a tone of mock disappointment I asked. "Well, it's your choice then."
"Wait!" Yuki exclaimed when I was just going to withdraw my arm. "It's not that I don't like it, I'm just surprised, that's all. I also like being close to you."
"Good to know then."
A minute passed later when Yuki began feeling comfortable in Yuuta's embrace. Being still very sleepy, she rested her head on Yuuta's shoulder before closing her eyes, drifting to sleep with a peaceful look on her face.
Smiling, I stared at Yuki's sleeping expression. Somehow, she reminds me of Ruiko, what's with her mannerisms and personality, not to mention their heights. I chuckled as I pictured how Ruiko would react if she knew that my girlfriend is the same size as her. I sure hope she doesn't start calling me a lolicon.
Lifting my head up, I turned around and glanced at the store's entrance door. "Ri-san~, Kurumi~, Miki~," I spoke in a sing-song voice. "Don't you three should be in bed at this moment?"
Right after I said those words, I immediately heard the sound of something falling on the floor, along with the sound of a couple of footsteps going away from my position. 'Did they really think I couldn't sense them from here?'
After the sound of those steps are heard no more, I looked back at Yuki's face. Parting away some of the hair covering her face, I kissed her forehead lightly. "Good night, Yuki. Sweet dreams."
"Waahh…"
Yawning widely, Yuki pushed her eyes open as she took notice of her surroundings. Rubbing her eyes, the first thing she noticed was how hot she's feeling. The second was the pressure being afflicted from her left side. Turning her head in that direction, she came face-to-face with the sleeping face of Yuuta. Immediately, a blush manifested across her face at the close proximity between their faces.
Not wanting to let the others see her in this situation lest they tease her endlessly about it, Yuki tried to wriggle her body away from Yuuta. Unfortunately, Yuuta's hold on her pretty much results in trapping her in the position.
"Yuu-kun, wake up," unsuccessful in her endeavour, she next tried to wake Yuuta from his slumber. Shaking his body, the action doesn't seem to have any visible success since Yuuta's eyes were still closed, as they usually were when he's sleeping.
Sighing, Yuki next moved on to tickling him. It didn't work, as evidence from Yuuta's still peaceful look. The only difference was that his face twitched a bit, but that's all there is.
Again, Yuki let out a sigh. 'Yuu-kun's really a sleepyhead.' Furthermore, she could see that the sun had already risen from the horizon. If she didn't hurry up soon, the others are really going to see them.
Then, an idea entered her mind. It's a bit risky and embarrassing but if it can wake Yuuta up, she would do it. Steeling herself, Yuki closed the distance between her and Yuuta, their lips so near. However, that was not her objective(it's still too much for her), her true destination was Yuuta's right ear.
Her lips brushed softly against his ear, she whispered smoothly and seductively into his eardrum.
"Yuu~kun~, wake~up~"
The effect was almost immediate, with Yuuta opening his eyes and rising from the bench before falling on the ground in just two seconds while holding his right ear. "Y-Yuki, w-what are you doing?" he asked shakily, a massive blush on his face.
Watching Yuuta suddenly being embarrassed, Yuki grinned evilly and said with mock disappointment, mirroring Yuuta's tone from the previous night. "I just want to try saying that to you. What, don't you like it, Yuu-kun~?"
"I-I-I" his voice was still stuttering, trying to register what just happened to him. "I… don't mind it…" he sighed. "But could you not do that so suddenly first thing in the morning? I thought I was gonna have a heart attack you know."
"Ehehe. Sorry sorry," Yuki then walked to Yuuta and extended her hand. "Good morning, Yuu-kun."
Yuuta excepted the hand. "Yeah, good morning to you too."
After getting back up on his feet, Yuuta proceeded to stretch his body, flexing his limbs to get rid of any sleep. Granted, he's most probably going to doze off again in the car but the preparation is what matters.
Meanwhile, Yuki sat on the bench, content with watching Yuuta performing his morning exercise. That is, until she remembered that she needs to be inside the store before the other girls realised she still hasn't returned to her bed.
Getting up, she made her way to the entrance before Yuuta spoke to her. "Ah, Yuki. You're going inside already?"
"Yes."
"Then, can you please tell those girls standing behind the pillars not to eavesdrop on our conversation next time? I don't think they got my message last night."
"Ha? What do you mean, Yuu-kun…" Yuki wanted to inquire before she spotted a white colour moving from the corner of her eyes. She blushed as she began to understand the meaning behind Yuuta's words. "Ha… ha…" she quickly stepped into the store and saw the three girls just about to get back into their sleeping bags. "What did you see?!"
Outside the store, Yuuta chuckled at her reaction as he grabbed his sword and followed Yuki into the shop.
After Yuki had finished lecturing Yuuri, Kurumi and Miki about eavesdropping on other peoples, she made them promise never to do it again. The three didn't really want to make the promise but one look from Yuki's angry expression and they quickly gave their word. Several steps behind Yuki, Yuuta just laughed at the scene.
Now, Yuki had gone back to her normal expression and sitting in the front passenger seat of the car. Next to her on the driver's seat was Kurumi, just about to start the car and begin their journey for the day.
"Don't touch anything in front, okay?" Kurumi reminded Yuki.
"Okay, but… I wanna see what this does," said Yuki as her finger hovered near the radio.
"Got it, got it. You can put on some music if you want."
"Yay~" opening the dashboard drawer, Yuki took out a CD case and inserted the disc inside the radio. Then, she pressed a button. "Like this?"
For a second, the radio was silent and you can even hear Yuuta's slow breathing as he sleeps at the back. Then, a voice suddenly emitted from the speakers, startling the girls and especially Yuuta.
"Hello? Can anyone hear me?" the voice spoke. "This is Megurigaoka Station 111! To all you people out there who survived the world ending- How are you doing?"
"What the heck did you just put in?" asked Kurumi.
"Um, this," Yuki showed her the CD case, titled 'Easy Rider'.
"What?" Kurumi looked in confusion.
"Well, it's not like anyone can hear me, anyway. Sigh… my bad," the voice kept speaking. "Anyway- 111's broadcast starts now!"
"Hey, isn't this the radio?" Miki suddenly spoke from the back.
"Ah…" Kurumi realised.
"Let's start the day with a pick-me-up!"
"It is. It's on A.M.." stated Yuuri after looking at the frequency.
"Our first number, from Das Beste's 'Descended From Heaven Number 3', 'War Never Ends'!"
"Does this mean…" Yuuta, eyes fully open now, said.
"There's still someone out there!" Kurumi finished his sentence.
As the music starts playing, the five cheered and high-fived each other.
"Thank you all for listening," the voice continued after the song ended. "It's been really quiet, lately, too quiet. It doesn't hurt to be a bit noisier! This is station 111! No matter how tough the going gets, I'll be here to give you hope and music! See you all tomorrow!"
And with that, the transmission ends for the day.
Greetings, so we meet again, or could this be our first meeting? Well, I doubt it. Anyway, welcome to the sequel of my School-Live story 'School-Live with Kiriha Yuuta', 'Outside-Life'!
I'm pretty sure the title would tell you all you need to know about the premise of this story which is basically the adventures of the School-Living Club after they graduated from the school. This story will follow the manga storyline, well some of it according to my tastes. Of course, some details are going to change, whether slightly or greatly.
Also, a word of notice. Yuuri's little sister, Ruu, will not appear in this story. If you've read the manga to several chapters after the girls moved on from the school, you'll understand why I don't want to include her. I'm not really a fan of confusing characters, no matter how hypocrite I may sound now. Don't worry, though, a Ruu will join the group some time later in the story. Who it is, I'll leave it for your own interpretation.
Finally, this story will become more ridiculous as time pass, especially near the ending. How ridiculous you might say? Think Gurren Lagann ridiculous. And I mean it. However, it also means that the story will become more awesome, again, according to one's own perspective.
This author's note had become too long it seems, so I'll just stop here to keep myself from spoiling anymore. That said, look forward to future chapters as I'll try my best to keep writing as fast as I can. See you later everyone~