Satoshi stared into his drink. Even the mushroom "tea" in his glass couldn't calm him down right now.
Yuka, sat across from him, frowned and tapped the table to get his attention. "Hey, Satoshi. Why are you spacing out?"
Looking up with a bit of surprise, Satoshi realized that his sister had been watching him, her own drink untouched.
After a moment, Satoshi sighed and placed his head in his hands. "I'm just not sure what we're supposed to do."
Yuka scoffed and pulled out a notepad and slammed it on the table.
"Look, I wrote it down for you. 'Find the Perfect Life shelter. Ask how to stop the black-eyed girl.' It's pretty clear what we have to do."
Satoshi rubbed his face and shook his head. "I know what the mission is, but we have no idea where this shelter is. It could be a fairy tale. I mean, a whole underground city? That can't be true."
"Fairy tale or not, we're got to find it." Yuka tapped the notepad. "We can't let our shelter down, not after the last attack. The ordinary mutants might start to realize that the black-eyed girl is leaving us unable to fight back and try to wipe us out."
"I know that, but..."
Satoshi was interrupted by someone pulling over a chair and taking a seat next to him. When Satoshi turned to look, he realized that the man who had arrived was his friend Yoshiki.
"Well, I've got good news and bad news, Satoshi."
"Is the bad news that you haven't seen a bottle of hair dye in over a decade?" Yuka asked, a smirk on her face.
"Shut it about that. That joke was never funny." Yoshiki shot a look at Yuka, but she didn't flinch. Yoshiki sighed and turned back to Satoshi. "Listen, I'd really like to come with you, Satoshi..."
"But your wife won't let you." Satoshi finished for him, knowing the rest.
"Yeah. She's been real protective ever since her sister died on the surface. She doesn't want anyone in our family to be stalkers anymore." Yoshiki sighed and placed a pack on the table. "However, I was able to get you a few things. Food, ammo, spare filters, and so on."
"Thanks, Yoshiki." Satoshi grabbed the pack and smiled at his friend.
"I also asked around a bit about that shelter you need to find, the Perfect Life shelter." Yoshiki leaned on the table. "The problem is, most people think it's a fairy tale. We haven't heard from that shelter in a decade or more, so it can't be the beacon of hope the stories claim."
"I'm hearing a 'but' coming..." Yuka noted before taking a sip of her tea.
"Well, I met a guy while I was asking around. Traveller, probably a scavenger or a stalker for another shelter. He said he knows a way to the Perfect Life shelter, and he'd be willing to guide you there."
"How much?" Yuka asked without hesitation.
"He wouldn't say..." Yoshiki sighed. "Look, just ask for Yuuya Kizami. You'll need to talk to him yourself."
Satoshi patted Yoshiki on the shoulder. "You did what you could, Yoshiki. We'll go talk to this Kizami fellow."
Yoshiki nodded and stood up. He shook Satoshi's hand before leaving.
"Well, looks like we have a lead." Yuka noted as she stood up. "I'll take the spare gear Yoshiki gave us. I've got room in my backpack for it."
Satoshi slid the pack over to Yuka and stood up. "Let's find this Kizami guy before he leaves. If he's a traveller, he may not be here for long."
Yuka's eyes went wide as she looked at something behind Satoshi. He turned around to find himself face-to-face with a man, one with worn features and disheveled hair.
"Are you the Mochida siblings?"
Satoshi nodded slowly. "That'd be us. Are you... Yuuya Kizami?"
The man rubbed his chin for a moment before nodding. "That is correct. I heard you needed to reach the Perfect Life shelter."
"That's right." Yuka interjected from behind Satoshi, walking over to stand between the men. "You know how to get there?"
"Yes." Yuuya pulled out a worn map and laid it on the table. He began to point out and show paths along the map. "We're here. The Perfect Life shelter is over here. Ordinarily, people take a long way around this place in the middle, since the watchmen and demons attack from this spot. But there is a quicker way through this route."
Satoshi looked at the map and tried to visualize the places depicted. He was not a stalker or a scavenger, so his experience with the surface was limited. "What makes this route safe? It's close to where the watchmen have their lair."
Yuuya rolled up the map and put it away. While his coat was open, Satoshi noticed a large survival knife strapped to Yuuya's chest. "There are some ruined buildings that the mutants don't dare enter."
"Why not?" Yuka asked, shrugging.
"Because these buildings are haunted." Yuuya frowned and looked away.
"Ohhh..." Yuka nodded slowly, her voice oozing sarcasm. "That'd explain it."
"I'm not lying." Yuuya rubbed his forehead. "This place may not be home to mutants, but it is still dangerous. However, I am not affected by the ghosts in that place. I can guide you through it safely."
Satoshi nodded and checked his pocket for spare cartriges. "How much is it for passage both ways?"
"Keep your bullets." Yuuya waved Satoshi's hand away. "Save them for the mutants we'll surely encounter when we near the Perfect Life shelter. I have plenty of ammunition for my weapons."
Satoshi was surpised that Yuuya would refuse payment, but he reluctantly nodded and took his hand out of his pocket to shake Yuuya's hand. "Shall we be off, then?"
"Yes. We should leave now, so that we reach the ruin before dusk. You'll understand better when we reach the ruin." Yuuya pulled a gas mask from his pack and nodded to Satoshi.
"Well, off on the adventure, right?" Yuka quipped as she gulped down the rest of her tea.
Without another word, the three packed their things and left the safety of the shelter. Within minutes, they were under the glaring sun, the heat amplified by the radiation in the air. After making sure their gas masks were working and their weapons were loaded, they stepped out into the wasteland.