Another "breather." Sometimes, even heroes need some break.
Enjoy this; please PM, review, like, follow etc. I appreciate every support.
Update: Finally, I revised and edited this chapter! Let me know any crazy scenario in the next chapter! And yes, the updating of my story continues!
Girls Dead Rise
Chapter 7: In Dreams
Fortmart Warehouse
Between Los Santos and Los Angeles, California, USA
7:15 AM; July 9, 20XX
The train slowly started to stop, as it groaned in its tracks. A few girls struggled with the engine, trying to halt it without breaking it. The others waited for the train to stop. Some just casually played around; a few were playing volleyball or even card games while waiting for the train to stop. A few daredevils tried to get down before the train safely stopped, but their leaders stopped them in their tracks.
"I want to get out!"
"Don't! It's too dangerous!"
"Can I just..."
"No!"
Unbeknownst to all of them, an animal noticed the train, and stalked it. The animal thundered through the forests, making audible noises through both its feet and its mouth. Fortunately for it, the train was making loud noises, muffling its sounds.
Suddenly, it stopped cold. On top of the cargo container, a girl with a teddy bear in her arms looked around, apparently sensing something. After tense moments, the train passed by, and the animal noticed a figure similar to the girl beckoning her. She came down, and the animal resumed its chase.
"Finally!" said Katyusha.
The train screeched to a halt, and they managed to stop at the warehouse, right by the parking lot. Miho and the commanders of each team looked up at the warehouse, with Katyusha on top of Nonna.
They stared at it.
The Fortmart Warehouse looked like a colossal white building complex, with blue stars and red stripes covering the top of the ceiling. Even from a distance, the girls could tell that it was gigantic; in fact, it looked more like a mall than a warehouse.
"Nice," Naomi said whistling. "It sure looks patriotic."
"Never heard of Fortmart," said Katyusha. "Nonna! What is it?"
"I have no idea," Nonna bluntly replied, causing the little girl to pout.
"You don't have to react all the time," said Miho. "You're not the only who's on edge."
"Fine..." she replied with a groan. "You're too nice, Pirozkhi. Speaking of that, what is Fortmart?"
"Fortmart," said Mako, as she checked her smartphone. "It's a new chain of retail business that is posed to outdo even Costco and Walmart. Wait...no signals here."
Everybody sighed, externally and internally.
"Well," said Kay, trying to cheer everyone up. "It's back to square one! Let's go and loot, as Miho said."
"Yay!" everybody agreed.
Some of the girls simply jumped down, while others carefully climbed down. Regardless of how they came down, all of them left the train, glad to be out and away from the chaos of the previous areas. All of the girls then started to walk towards the warehouse.
"Wait!" both Miho and Maho called out.
Everybody turned around.
"Before we go," began Miho. "Well...who's going to look after the train?"
Silence.
"Isn't it safe here?" Anzu finally asked. "I mean, we're in the middle of nowhere."
"And speaking of that," Mako said. "Isn't it odd to find a warehouse in the middle of the mountains?"
"She's right," Nonna said, looking around.
Everybody also looked around. Miho and a few girls noticed that the grounds had visible cracks.
"It's obvious," said Mako, crouching down to inspect. "That the earthquakes somehow moved the warehouse far away from its original location."
"And it just happened to be nearby the train," said Hana.
"How was that even possible?" asked Erika. "This makes no sense at all."
"We're lucky, this time!" Anchovy screamed out, causing everyone else to chime in agreement.
"I don't think it's luck," said Miho, as a ray of magenta light passed by in the distance. She eyed it; Miho suspected that only she could see it. She also vaguely heard a growl.
"Luck or not," said Hana. "Let's go and see what we have to eat..."
Grrrrr...
"How about this?" said Miho, giggling. "First, we establish a perimeter, where we check any routes, then we start looting. Agreed?"
"Agreed!" everybody answered loudly in unison.
"Girls!" Miho screamed out, as the Chi-Ha-Tan girls suddenly just ran. "Make sure you..."
"...get some guns before going out," finished Maho, as she and her whole team wrenched out the MG 34 guns from their Tiger I. Miho's own team, noticing that Miho had a gun, decided to take out the last MG 34 out of their own tank, with Yukari caressing it like a beloved tank.
"Oh yes!" she began. "The 7.92 mm MG 34! One of the most reliable machine guns ever made during its time..."
She trailed off, upon realizing that most of her team, the Kuromorimine girls, and a few others were giving her weird looks.
"...sorry," she replied.
Erika, Ritaiko, and Mauko stared at her. Maho kept her stoic face, but found her oddly amusing, while Koume giggled at her.
"Weird girl," Erika whispered to her other comrades, Mauko and Ritaiko, who agreed with her.
"Girls!" Maho roared, causing even Kinuyo to notice, and call out her own team to come back. "Miho is right to have a gun at hand. This is apocalypse, so we need every weapon we get."
Everybody agreed, but one hand raised up.
"And you?" asked Maho.
"Oono Aya!" said Aya. "Do-do we have to kill people?"
Silence stilled the air, except for a few birds chirping in the woods.
"Hopefully not" was the reply from Maho.
A good number of girls shivered.
"This is apocalypse," said Miho, the barrel of her gun pointed down to the ground, as she held it at ease. "So, we need to get the guns out."
"Everybody, ready?" Maho called out.
"Yes!" all of them roared in affirmation, as they started to climb up their tanks.
"Another MG 34!" Yukari called out, as the Turtle Team took out the sole machine gun from their own tank.
All teams, except Miho and Maho's (who already took theirs out), started to wrench out the machine guns from their own tanks, or what they could. They also gathered up the ammunition packs they stored, too.
Miho and Yukari held the team's machine guns, while Maho and Erika both held their team's machine guns, which were identical to that of Miho's. Yuzu carried her Turtle Team's machine gun.
The other girls, however, seemed to have a hard time taking theirs own.
"Unfortunately," said Darjeeling, as Rosehip tried to get the Churchill's gun out. "Churchill's machine gun is not designed for portable use."
"It's stuck!" Rosehip groaned.
"You act like the Duck Team," remarked Mako, as she went up to the Churchill. "Always acting before thinking."
"Duck? Am I a duck?" Rosehip asked.
"No-no," Mako groaned, a little annoyed. "Duck is one of our teams."
"Ah!" Rosehip replied, saluting her. "Mako, you must be the expert driver! I heard from a few superiors of mine that you drove the tank that won the tournament. Congratulations!"
"Not that much of a deal," said Mako.
"Well," said Rosehip. "I wonder how my family of 18 fare at home."
"You have 18...family members?"
"Sure! I do, Mako...Mako-san?"
Mako stared at the ground. Although her face did not change, the mood surrounding her gave off an aura that even Rosehip noticed.
"Oh," she realized. "Mako-san, sorry."
"That's OK," Mako managed to say. "I have only one family member left, my own grandmother."
"You have...just one?" Rosehip asked, as she stepped down from the tank. Her tone went from outright enthusiastic to subtly concerned.
Darjeeling overheard the conversation, and quietly watched from behind the Churchill.
"Yeah," Mako sighed. "I actually wish I had more alive to this day."
"I actually wish the opposite," said Rosehip, sitting on the Churchill. "Come, sit here."
Mako nodded, and sat on the Churchill. Miho and her team overheard them, and quietly eavesdropped on them.
"I have 18 members," said Rosehip. "And seven of them are siblings."
"Seven siblings?" asked Mako, her jaws gaping. Saori noticed her face, and was surprised.
"Yeah," Rosehip said. "Sometimes, I wish that I had fewer, so that my parents would notice me more."
"I wish the opposite," said Mako. "I want more family, so that I feel loved more."
"Huh? How is that possible?" asked Rosehip, pouring her tea from a teapot. "Want tea?"
"I feel lonely," Mako admitted, as she silently took the cup and sipped. "Frankly, I wish that I had seven siblings like you."
"Why?" asked Rosehip.
"My parents...from an accident," said Mako.
"Oh," said Rosehip, looking down at her teacup. "Sorry about that."
"Thanks," said Mako, lifting up the cup. "Cheers?"
"Cheers!" said Rosehip, and they clinked their cups and drank.
Miho and Darjeeling both watched, with a few of their own members watching by. They smiled, as the two started to get into a funny, random talk about meeting their own families.
"Mako sure looks happy," said Saori. "I haven't seen her smile that wide in a while."
"Yes," said Miho.
"Rosehip sure looks mature," said Darjeeling. "She has standards."
"Yes," said Orange Pekoe, who just came by. "To be honest, I am surprised at her sudden change in behavior."
"Mako must have gone through something," said Darjeeling, as she walked away to meet Miho. "Right, Miho?"
Miho nodded.
"We got it!" roared a multitude of voices, as the girls managed to wrench out their own guns.
"Be careful with them!" Miho called out, as she jogged towards them. "They're guns, but they can be fragile!"
"Hehe," Rosehip giggled, as she heard Miho and her team check the others. "Guess you'll join her, right?"
"Right," said Mako, handing her the teacup and walking away. "Thanks for the tea."
"You're welcome," said Rosehip. "Mako-san."
"Call me Mako," said Mako.
"Oh," said Rosehip, blinking. "Isn't that inelegant?"
"There is no elegance or inelegance," said Mako. "Just an honest conversation."
Rosehip smiled.
"Cheers!" she replied.
"Cheers," Mako said, smiling back.
"We got the guns!"
Miho and Maho both checked the girls and their guns. The Duck Team had two 6.5 mm Type 91 guns, held by Akebi and Shinobu; although the leader Noriko wanted to hold one, the guns were a little too large. The Rabbit Team held out two 7.62 mm M1919A4 machine guns, held by Azusa and Ayumi.
"M1919A4!" cried out Yukari.
"M19191...A4?" asked the Rabbit Team girls.
"Eh..." began Yukari. "Nevermind."
The Mallard Team proudly held out two 7.5 mm Reibel machine guns, fitted with pan magazines. Gomoyo and Pazomi both held it, giving the appearance that they were Sodoko's bodyguards.
"Aren't you spoiled?" teased Mako with her blank face.
"Shu-shut up!" Sodoko groaned. "This is apocalypse, you know!"
The Anteater Team took out the sole 7.7 mm Type 97 machine gun, and the three girls were tossing it back and forth like a toy ball.
"Girls!" Miho called out to them, giggling nervously. "It's not a toy, you know?"
The Leopon Team pulled out their two MG 34 guns.
"Looks like the MG 34 is the most popular type of machine guns," Erika remarked. "At least that means that we know what ammunition to get."
"We can't get ours out!" Erwin called.
"Or at least we can't find them!" Caesar joined in.
"Leave it alone!" Miho answered. "Not all StuG tank destroyers have it."
All Hippo girls moaned, as Miho and other commanders surveyed more guns.
"One M1919A4, one M2 Browning, two Breda, two DT, two MG 34, and two Type..." began Miho.
"Type 97 machine guns!" the Chi-Ha-Tan girls screamed, bowing down quickly, making Miho sweat a little at their dramatic response.
"Sorry," said Aki. "Our BT-42 has none."
"None is neither alone," answered Mika, playing on her kantele.
"OK," said Miho, as they gathered to show their machine guns. "Since a few of us do not have guns, we have to share and divide our guns. That way, each team has at least one gun to use."
Most of them nodded in agreement. Some, however, felt uncomfortable.
"I understand," said Maho. "It's not easy that we have to share. But I personally chose to stay with you all, since you all are a part of Senshadou. In my school, we "advance forward," but we do it together. Agreed?"
Everybody nodded, then started to split up the guns and ammo in their tanks.
"Good thing we brought some," remarked Saori. "Else we would be totally defenseless."
"It was an odd request," Miho said. "That the President tell us to bring the ammo, in order to showcase our weapons. We originally brought enough to showcase at a military camp..."
"...now, we're using them to protect ourselves," finished Maho, patting her sister's right shoulder. "Miho, can I-"
"Commander!" Erika screamed. "We need some help here!"
The two sisters looked at Erika. She and her teammates were having a debate over the MG34, whether the one from Kuromorimine is better than the ones from Oarai's own tanks.
"Oh boy," she groaned. "Sorry, Miho. But let's go and help them out."
"Hehe," Miho giggled. "Sure."
Fortmart Warehouse
Between Los Santos and Los Angeles, California, USA
7:45 AM; July 9, 20XX
"That took longer than expected!" Alisa roared in disbelief.
Miho and Maho both silently agreed. The girls started to argue over who could use which guns. While everybody agreed that each team should have at least one machine gun, the arguments arose over how to share the guns. There were 22 machine guns, and 15 teams. St. Gloriana's own machine guns were of the Besa kind, but fitted to be used on tanks, not to be detached. However, the ammo used for it could be used for MG 34. The Hippo Team had no machine gun, so had to get it from others.
"We still get to keep both of our guns," Mako grunted. The Anglerfish Team, the team of Miho the de facto leader of the surviving group, kept their MG 34 machine guns, due to the team having five members. All of the girls generally agreed that bigger teams should get at least two guns, and the smallest teams one.
"Us too," Momo grunted, holding the sole MG 34 of her Turtle Team's tank.
"Just one is good!" Noriko said, as Akebi alone wielded the Duck Team's Type 91. Her team decided to give the other Type 91 gun to the Hippo Team, who gladly accepted it.
"Hopefully we can survive," said Azusa, as her Rabbit Team's Ayumi and Aya both held their M1919A4.
The Mallard Team's Sodoko proudly but nervously held her team's sole Reibel gun; they decided to give the other one to the Kuromorimine team, because they gave one of their guns away, and needed one more.
"That's a weird way to share guns," remarked Nekota, wielding her Anteater Team's only Type 97 gun.
"Hey!" Sodoko cried out. "At-at least Kuromorimine was noble enough to share, so why not?"
"And we shared ours!" Nakajima said, as her Leopon Team's Hoshino confidently displayed their MG 34.
After inspecting them and their weapons, Miho looked at the other teams.
St. Gloriana's Rosehip and Orange Pekoe each held one MG 34 gun, while Naomi of Saunders leaned on her M2 Browning, with Alisa panting on the side (the gun was quite heavy). Pravda's Nonna and Nina each held a DT machine gun, while Chi-Ha-Tan's Haru Tamada and Hosomi each wielded a Type 97.
"Why is Anzio the only team with TWO guns, despite having only four girls?!" roared Alisa, forcing Naomi to pat on her right shoulder just to calm her down.
Anchovy and Carpaccio stared at the roaring girl, holding the Anzio's very own Breda 38 machine guns.
"Alisa," Miho said, feeling a drop of sweat or so on her back. "We decided that they could keep both of their guns, remember?"
She only pouted in response. Kuromorimine's own team had Maho and Erika both holding an MG 34 and a Reibel gun respectively, the latter from the Mallard Team.
"Why did you give that team your MG?!" roared Katyusha, piggybacking on Nonna as usual. "They don't deserve a gun!"
"Relax," said Miho. "This is apocalypse, and we're all in this together."
"Still," growled Katyusha. "I am NOT letting them 'borrow' our guns!"
"That's why we had Kuromorimine lend them one of their own," said Koume, feeling awkward at the rising tensions between the Pravda and Jatkosota teams. The latter team's Aki was holding the MG 34 in her arms, careful to keep it strong and well-cleaned. Koume leaned away to ask Mauko.
"Mauko," she whispered. "What happened between those two?"
"One time," Mauko whispered back. "Jatkosota used a loophole in a Senshadou rule, allowing them to 'borrow' a KV-1 from the Pravda's own team. Despite that, the Pravda girls are furious."
"Well," Koume said, feeling sweats on her back. "It's apocalypse, so I honestly think that the Jatkosota's reputation for...stealing is actually good for the apocalypse."
"Just watch your back," Mauko warned her. "Don't let them steal your life."
Koume gulped in response.
"That's a little extreme," she replied.
"Just warning you," Mauko curtly said back.
"Gi-girls," Miho said, trying to calm the tensions. "There is no point in arguing about stealing or whatnot. We're in this together."
"Hmmph!" Katyusha groaned. "At least you're here, Pirozkhi. You led us through, so I trust your judgment. Jatkosota! You are free, but be warned!"
Katyusha silently glared at Mika, who calmly continued to play her kantele.
"Ahem," Maho cleared her throat, and everybody looked at her in response.
"It looks like we got the guns," she said. "OK, let's go."
"Hooray!" everybody yelled, glad to have finished up their gun-sharing business.
"Girls!" both Miho and Maho roared, but to no avail as a horde of hungry humans swarmed past them, ran through the parking lot, and slammed into the metallic doors.
"Ouch!" came the multitude of screams and groans.
Miho, Maho, and a few smarter girls shook their heads in disbelief.
"Guess we're the mavericks here," grunted Erika, as her team and a few others casually walked towards the warehouse.
"GUTS!" the Duck Team girls roared, as they tried to open the metallic frames. They did not budget.
"Can't you guys check the locks first?" asked Erika. "You guys are..."
Erika was about to say "stupid," but Maho glared at her, silencing her.
"The locks are off," Maho said nonchalantly. "We just need to open the door up."
"Who's the strongest here?" cried out Noriko. "Duck Team! Everybody who can, help us!"
The strongest of the girls heeded her call, and together managed to lift up the door. It helped that a few of them cheered them, while the Leopon Team took out their repair tools, and checked the edges for anything that hindered the opening.
"Push!" Noriko continued.
"Push!" Maho called out.
"Panzer...vor!" Miho screamed, and the door finally hit the point, and it mechanically opened the rest of the way.
"Whew!" Nina sighed, dusting her hands. "That felt a little harder than the KV-2's own shells!"
"Wait!" Miho and Maho both called out, as the few girls tried to dash in. "Let's check every entrance and exit here! Then, we all come together and report!"
The others agreed, and split based on their teams. The girls dashed along the walls, and checked every corner and square of the warehouse. Not long after, the girls all came together at the only door that was opened.
"All doors are sealed shut and tight!" all of them declared.
"Well then," said Miho. "Are we ready? We're going to need a lot of stuff, so we'll have to split up and quickly get everything we'll need for now."
"Wait a minute!" Katyusha objected. "What do we really need right now?"
Her question left everyone silent. She pouted on top of Nonna's shoulders, as usual.
"I..." she began. "Well, we will just find what we want as a team."
"Eh?" Katyusha replied. "That simple?"
"Agreed," replied Maho. Her response shocked everyone.
"Eh?" Erika asked. "Wait a minute, that sounds too broad!"
"We will find what we think we need," said Maho. "But by team each. Then, we will decide whether we need something else more. It's obvious what we need: food and supplies. If possible, we'll find ammunition or weapons to use. Ideally, we should..."
Maho tried to think, her face frowning.
"We need some tools to customize into zombie-killing weapons, right?" Miho interjected.
"Really?" asked Katyusha. "And not find ammo for our tanks?"
"Do you really think," said Maho, frowning and glaring at her. "That we'll find WWII-era ammo in an American warehouse like this?"
"Eh..." Katyusha trailed off.
"It does not take much thinking," Maho said. "To realize that most Americans are used to warehouses that sell food and supplies, not necessarily weapons such as ammo for our machine guns. We'll have to search for those elsewhere, if we're lucky."
"Are the roads safe?" asked Azusa, raising her right hand. "Is that why?"
"We saw no road," Maho bluntly replied. "So, we're safe. That is why."
"And you expect us to know about this?" asked Katyusha. Maho glared at her, silencing her.
"This is our first zombie apocalypse," said Maho. "We need some time to relax. A calm mind thinks better than a panicked one. There are no roads, and no zombies or looters around. For now, we're the only ones, and we're far away.
Everybody nodded in agreement.
"Onee-chan..." Miho began, realizing that Maho was concerned with everyone.
"So," Maho said, grinning. "While we have a little peace time, let's celebrate!"
"Celebrate!" chimed in Miho, causing everyone to cheer.
"Eh?" Erika objected, after realizing what was going. "Nishizumi-san! We're in a zombie apocalypse, you know?"
"Sometimes," she replied. "We need a break."
Everybody cried out in agreement again.
Erika fidgeted, then noticed that all of her other teammates, especially Koume, were really content.
"Oh well," Erika shrugged, sighing. "I trust your judgment this time."
"Ready?" Miho and Maho both called out. "Get set...go!"
Fortmart Warehouse
Between Los Santos and Los Angeles, California, USA
8:15 AM; July 9, 20XX
"I think that was actually a good idea," said Erika. "At first, I was not sure. But now, without any danger right now, everybody looks happier."
Indeed, she was right. Even her own team appeared genuinely content. Everybody split into teams, doing what they would do as a team. It was pretty easy to see who was looting, and who was leading.
The Anglerfish Team and the Kuromorimine Team both stayed at the only open entrance, taking turns to send two at a time to get what they needed. Right now, Miho sent Saori and Yukari, while Maho sent Koume and Mauko. Already, the two teams gathered more than enough supplies of their own, ranging from canned food to portable batteries and flashlights. They gathered up their supplies in separate batches, based on the teams. Miho and Maho's teams put their supplies at the entrance, acting as a mini-blockade in case of sudden attacks.
"These should last us for a while," Maho noted, analyzing a can of tuna.
Suddenly, Miho started to sing a little bit of Panzerlied, humming some tunes of the song.
"Now that I think about it," said Erika. "We normally sang the song only when we had to. Miho sang the song, regardless of what was going on."
Koume came by, dropping her supply of bratwursts. Overhearing her, she joined Miho, humming along with her as she dusted her hands before walking away. Maho smiled, and hummed along, as they checked their supplies.
"Well..." Erika looked at Ritaiko. She shrugged, and the two joined with the humming.
Hana smiled at the change in the mood, while Mako just dozed off.
Mauko suddenly stomped in, and dropped a small pile of machetes. The clanging sound woke up Mako, who eyed the blades and backed away.
"Americans sure like to act tough," remarked Maho, eyeing one of the machetes. She shivered.
"Honestly," she continued. "I don't know which is scarier: the zombies that bite you, or the Americans who can nuke you."
The other girls giggled nervously.
"Well," Maho noted. "Since we got more than what we need...Erika and Ritaiko!"
"Yes!" both girls saluted her.
"Go and have fun," she replied.
"Eh?" they asked her.
"Go and find what you want," she told them, winking. "That's an order."
"Eh...OK," they replied, and walked nervously away. Maho sighed.
"Sometimes," she admitted. "Miho, I wish that we were a lot more open."
"What do you mean?" Miho asked.
"Well," she began. "It's obvious why you had to leave Kuromorimine..."
Miho smiled nervously, but nodded in agreement.
"Hey," Maho said. "Hana-san and Mako-san, mind if you can go? We want some personal time."
Both girls nodded, and moved away, more like Hana dragging Mako. Miho smiled, as Maho pulled over two chairs.
"Alright," Maho said, as they sat down. "Let's talk."
Fortmart Warehouse
Between Los Santos and Los Angeles, California, USA
8:15 AM; July 9, 20XX
"Wo-ho!" cried out Rosehip. She zoomed past girls after girls, who initially gathered up supplies based on their teams. Each team pulled at least one cart, filling each with as much as they could. It was sort of obvious who was who, based on their carts...
The St. Gloriana girls calmly marched around, looking for their own supplies. They were also holding their tea set, with a kettle of hot tea on the cart. Orange Pekoe held a teapot, while all the others held their teacups and plates.
"All is fair in love and war," Darjeeling remarked, as she passed by displays after displays of food and merchandise.
"Abandoning one's morals in love and war...You really mean it, right?" asked Orange Pekoe.
"Except for survival," replied Darjeeling, eyeing slabs of salmon. She placed her set on the cart, picked a package of fish up, and inspected it.
"Guess the electricity still works here," remarked Assam, as Darjeeling piled five packages of freshly cut salmon into the cart. "And we have to eat those fast, if you want to."
"I will cook them," said Darjeeling. "I will cook them with love and elegance."
Orange Pekoe and Assam stared at each other, their faces as pale as snow.
Rukuriri peeked at them, and gulped.
"DARJEELING-SAMA!" Rosehip roared, snapping the girls out of their state.
"What is it, now?" Orange Pekoe and Assam both groaned, while Darjeeling piled three large bags of French fries.
"I found them!" she roared again, charging back. "And we got-eww. French fries? Why are they called 'French' in America?"
"That's what they call here," replied Darjeeling. "We prefer to call them 'chips,' not 'fries.' And you are right; they're not actually from France, anyway."
"And why are you so excited about?" asked Orange Pekoe.
"I found tea!" she declared. "And one that we could not get!"
"Our school is rich," said Assam curtly. "And this is America; what could they have?"
Rosehip smiled, and flashed a small box out.
Darjeeling dropped her bag of fries, which crunched on the floor. Orange Pekoe dropped her teapot, which Rosehip saved by diving at it, using her hands to save it. She quickly placed it on the cart, and blew quickly on her slightly burnt hands. Rukuriri and Assam both dropped their teacups and plates, which shattered on the floor.
Rosehip grinned, holding the box out.
"Da...Hong...Pao tea," stammered Darjeeling, reaching slowly at the box.
"Darjeeling-sama, yes!" she saluted her, giving the box. Darjeeling shook, as she tried to carefully look at the box.
"We reserved a supply for this to come," stuttered Assam. "And it hasn't come for three months. And...of all the places...an American warehouse has a...supply of this here?"
"But it could be a faux variety," Pekoe tried to explain away. "I mean, so many American products are cheap and rip-offs of authentic ones."
"This one is not..." Darjeeling replied. "Recently, the Chinese government added a special, semi-invisible print on it, which is added only to this type of tea..."
She pointed at what looked like the picture of a Chinese natural monument, then flashed at it with a special lighting pen. In clear English readings, it read: THIS CERTIFIES THAT IT IS THE DA HONG PAO. ON PAIN OF PUNISHMENT IS THIS PRODUCT BE TRULY CERTIFIED AS DA HONG PAO. ENJOY IT WITH EASE.
"Do you need anything?" Rosehip asked, jumping up and down.
"Just...go and do whatever you want," Darjeeling said curtly.
"Yes, ma'am!" she roared, and dashed away, oblivious to the shocked faces of her superiors.
"Mm?" the Saunders girls passed by the British-themed girls.
"St. Gloriana?" asked Kay. "Darjeeling? Darling? Hey?"
She waved at the commander's face, frozen in shock. Kay looked down at the box.
"Oh," Kay realized. "Da Hong Pao tea. We also ordered a supply, but it hasn't come in three months. How did this American warehouse manage to get a hold of this?"
"Hello?" Alisa asked the girls, waving at them. All four St. Gloriana girls were as still as stone.
The Saunders girls looked at each other, shrugged, and walked away.
"We saw Rosehip," said Naomi, calmly blowing her gum. "Let's go and find her."
"Wonder what she did to them..." Alisa wondered out loud.
"Here is more tea!" Rosehip continued to burst out, as she rushed back and forth. She climbed up and down on the pallets and steel railings, without using any ladders. She climbed up and down with surprising agility, while trying to keep her teacup balanced on her plate.
"Here it is!" she screamed out, pulling away at the plastic wrapping to take out boxes after boxes of tea. "Darjeeling...Orange Pekoe...Assam...Rukuriri...Where is mine?"
She checked all around the alley. The Saunders girls, however, stared up at her.
"Hey!" Kay called out to her.
"Yes?" Rosehip answered, dropping down and holding her teacup.
"How does she keep that cup steady?" whispered Alisa.
"Beats me," Naomi replied back.
"You're Rosehip, right?" Kay asked.
"Yes!" Rosehip saluted her, almost spilling her cup. "I am Rosehip, proud commander of the Crusader tanks of glorious St. Gloriana Girls High School!"
"You must be a sunny sort," remarked Kay. "Say, how did you even enter St. Gloriana?"
"With determination!" she yelled out, saluting. The cup almost spilled again; Alisa and Helena both eyed it nervously.
"You know," Naomi said calmly. "I am surprised that of all the girls, you managed to enter St. Gloriana. It is a rich school, rather famous for its rigid selection process."
"Or infamously rigid," whispered Alisa to Helena, who shrugged.
"Anyway!" Kay said, clapping her hands. "Alisa, you got my clipboard?"
"Ah, yes!" Alisa declared. "Here it...wait, I forgot our cart!"
Kay put her hands in a facepalm, while Naomi merely rolled her eyes, as Alisa dashed away.
"I will help her," Helena volunteered. "I should have watched it, too, since I was with her and the cart the whole time..."
She jogged to the opposite direction of Alisa, so that they could sweep the area better. Girls after girls walked back and forth, at first in teams, then more individually.
"OK," Kay sighed. "Naomi, why don't you go and help the others?"
"You bet," she replied, and walked out.
"So," Kay said. "Let's just get to the point. No professional or formal introductions needed. Are you interested in joining our club?"
"Eh?" Rosehip asked, blinking. Her cup finally spilled a little amount of tea.
"I am surprised," said Kay. "That you did not spill your tea when you're moving around, but you seemed amazed at my response."
"Well," Rosehip replied, taking out a large number napkins from her pouch, and wiping the floor. "I am...confounded by that request."
Her tone suddenly changed from outright enthusiastic to subtly nervous. Kay noticed that.
"Oops," Kay said. "I am sorry about that."
"No-no!" Rosehip shook her head, as her voice suddenly changed back to her usual self. "It's just that...you remind me of Darjeeling-sama when you said that."
"Eh?" Kay asked. Inside, she was wondering how was that even possible.
"How do I say this?" Rosehip wondered aloud. "Kay-sama, I remember hearing rumors of my result. I was confident the whole way through nonetheless, not bothered by the rumors and all. However, when I got my results, I was in!"
Rosehip raised her left hand in salute, the tea still inside the cup.
"However," she said, as she lowered her arm down; her voice also slightly lowered. "I did not realize the full implication of it all, until I heard rumors about Darjeeling. Apparently, a number of people questioned her decision to let me in. I learned that Darjeeling drew the final vote."
Rosehip's demeanor notably dropped. Kay noticed streams of tea pouring down in bits and bits, creating a tiny puddle on the plate.
"Admittedly," she continued. "I was worried about what will happen to Darjeeling-sama. I was worried about her status and all."
"You're not worried about yourself," Kay replied. "But worried about Darjeeling and others above you, right?"
Rosehip nodded very violently; to Kay's amazement, despite her body movements, not a single drop of tea spilled over this time.
"I go wherever Darjeeling leads me!" she declared, lifting up her right arm this time. "And I shall keep going for the sake of St. Gloriana!"
"Well," Kay giggled, handing her an envelope. "You're free to keep that. You can do whatever you want with it. It has three choices inside; it's up to you."
"Thank you, Darjeeling-sama!" Rosehip declared, bowing down violently. Kay giggled, as she saw Rosehip run off.
"Wait!" Kay called.
"Yes?" she came back, with a huge smile on her face. The tea still did not spill.
"Here you go," she said, handing her three boxes of Rosehip tea.
"Ah..." she gasped. "Th-th-THANK YOU SO MUCH, Kayjeeling-sama!"
"You're welcome," Kay replied, as she let Rosehip run off for good this time.
Kay sighed in relief, big smile on her face.
"What was that?" Naomi asked, coming back with a rare look of surprise on her face. "Even I am amazed at what just happened."
"She apparently likes Darjeeling," Kay said, turning around. "In fact, she mixed up my name with Darjeeling. Apparently, I remind her of Darjeeling somehow. Well, we're different, but similar enough in a way."
"What about the letter?" Naomi asked, glancing at her other teammates bringing in their own cart, full of American food and whatnot.
"I gave it," she replied. "An invitation with three choices: to transfer to Saunders, a free 30-day pass to visit Saunders, and a check of six million yen."
"Six million ye..." Naomi blinked. Her bubble gum, which she normally popped, deflated, reflecting her shock.
"Yeah," Kay said, shrugging. "If we manage to survive, that is."
"What if she loses it?" Naomi asked, as the rest of the team arrived.
"I can get more," Kay replied, shrugging. Naomi rolled her eyes, in order to avoid face-palming in front of her other comrades.
"OK!" Alisa roared. "We finally found this cart!"
"Good," said Kay. "Then let's go on a Crusade!"
"Eh?" Alisa and Helena both asked, while Naomi silently understood.
"They say that all is fair in love and war," Kay replied, cheerfully jumping away.
All except Naomi were confused by their commander's sudden cheery manner.
"What happened to her?" asked Alisa.
"She got a great compliment," Naomi answered, and followed Kay.
The two remaining girls looked at each other, and just followed their commander.
Fortmart Warehouse
Between Los Santos and Los Angeles, California, USA
8:30 AM; July 9, 20XX
"Man!" Mauko moaned. "After getting all the supplies we need, I am bored!"
Mauko sighed, as she found herself "alone." Girls after girls dashed by her from left and right, as the girls searched items after items, as if they were going on a binge shopping.
"Man," Mauko moaned again. "What's up with this?"
She glared at some of them, as they apparently acted "immature" in her eyes. The Rabbit Team girls squealed over a set of useless dresses, while the Hippo Team girls were wearing all kinds of faux armor for show. The Turtle Team was just cruising around, with Anzu reclining in the cart, eating her dried sweet potato chips.
"Oh yeah," she realized. "They were the ones who wedged their tank into my Maus before."
Mauko got her nickname from the fact that she was the commander of the Maus, the largest tank that was allowed to be fielded in her sport. However, she had no grudge towards them, since she did not see them at that time.
There was one team that got her nerves, and she now saw them.
"You..." she gritted her teeth, stomping towards four girls practicing volleyball together, who were also using the pallets and steel railings around them. Mauko could tell that they were doing something called parkour, which was a type of "sport" that emphasized on passing through obstacles.
"I remember we had a class with that," mumbled Mauko. "And on the first day of the class, all of us failed it spectacularly. Except Miho."
She suddenly stopped in her tracks.
"Is that why she left us?" she whispered to herself, musing. "I could tell that she was different from the start. She was the only one to even pass the first test of parkour class. I wonder..."
Suddenly, a volleyball flew at her face, hitting her forehead dead on.
"Ouch!" she snapped, grabbing the fallen ball and trying to puncture it with her bare hands in anger.
"Oops!" Akebi cried out, running towards her. "Sorry about that, miss."
"Eh," Mauko said, momentarily forgetting who was facing her. "It's OK, mistakes can hap-"
"ARHRHHHGGGG!" she roared, upon realizing who was facing her. A few veins visibly popped in her forehead.
Akebi stared down at Mauko, blinking curiously. Her other teammates came along, and they recognized who it was in front of them; they sweated a little in response.
Grinding her teeth, Mauko glared at the Duck Team in front of her. She remembered how the girls used their tank to wedge into the top of her tank, preventing it from turning its turret. Her Maus tank had a huge body, large enough for a smaller tank to get on top of it. Unfortunately for her, the Duck Team used that to their advantage, immobilizing her tank long enough for her Maus to finally be caught dead (a single shot from Miho's tank took it down for good).
Silence filled the air between the two factions, as girls in the background screamed and squealed. Mauko continued to glare at the four girls in front of her. The Duck Team, however, just stared down at her. Only Noriko looked up at her, being shorter than Mauko.
"Meeting us here is your doom again," Mauko finally growled. "Light tank."
She shot the volleyball back, which Noriko caught with ease.
"It's a medium tank!" the girls groaned in response.
Awkward seconds passed, before Mauko managed to restrain her emotions and say something more...professional.
"We are in the middle of apocalypse, you know," said Mauko. "You can practice parkour, but I don't know about volleyball, you know."
"This," Noriko proudly displayed the volleyball. "Is how we keep our spirits high, training us mentally. I mean, it's all about having GUTS!"
She raised her right fist, and her teammates raised theirs.
"GUTS!" they all cried.
Mauko blinked.
"Eh..." Mauko trailed off, eyeing the girls. Noriko was shorter and slimmer than her, but Mauko realized that she was the leader of the Team. All other three were way taller, and way more robust, than she was. She eyed Taeko and Akebi a little more closely; she felt a little bit of jealousy, as she realized that they had...ample chests.
"Hmmph!" she finally pouted. "Duck Team, why don't we settle this score once and for all?"
"Eh?" the girls asked.
"We'll finish our 'battle' from the Maus kill last time," said Mauko, cracking her knuckles. "Let's do a physical fistfight. That way, we can train for the real apocalypse, and we can settle personal scores. If you win, I will stop calling your tank 'light.' If I win, I have the right to call your tank 'light.' Deal?"
The girls stared at each other, then stared at Noriko.
"DEAL!" she replied, smiling. Her smile threw Mauko off; she was surprised to see her look so happy.
"That's a great idea!" Noriko declared. Mauko glimpsed Shinobu, the tallest girl with a slim figure, facepalming.
"Akebi!" Noriko said. "Why don't you challenge her?"
"Eh? Me?" Akebi asked. "Oh...OK!"
"GUTS!" the others cheered, as Akebi faced against Mauko.
Mauko stretched and crackled her fists again, trying to get her body ready for a literal fight. She then stared up at her opponent.
Other than Noriko, Akebi Sasaki was actually the shortest member in her team. However, she was only a little shorter than Taeko and Shinobu; apart, Akebi looked quite tall for a Japanese girl. She also had a large bust, and her robust posture made her look quite attractive. Her blond hair completed her appearance, making her look more like someone from Saunders.
Mauko growled, trying to intimidate her opponent. Akebi gulped.
"Let's do this," said Mauko, preparing her arms. "I have martial arts training, specializing in punching and kicking of sort. I know how to take down a girl bigger than myself!"
At least, hopefully, she thought. She remembered that last time, a girl taller than her almost beat her down.
"Well..." Akebi said nervously. "Let's...have a good fight."
"It's on!" Mauko roared, flexing her arms. "Kämpfe mich!"
"Campy mick?" asked Akebi, puzzled.
Mauko facepalmed.
"It's German for 'Fight me!'" groaned Mauko. "Let's just go!"
She decided for a "Blitzkrieg" punch, in order to quickly dominate her larger opponent. To her shock, Akebi just stood there, eyeing how Mauko's right fist hit her abs directly. Mauko felt the girl's stomach, and realized that despite its smooth appearance, it was shockingly firm like wood.
"Eh..." Mauko pulled back, trying to think of another move.
Akebi blinked, then readied her fists, except that she held her body in a posture that Mauko suddenly found familiar...
"This is NOT a ballet lesson!" Mauko roared, as Akebi gracefully tiptoed and swayed her limbs, dodging Mauko's punches by climbing up the walls and jumping.
"Um," Akebi replied. "I am just warming up."
Mauko rolled her eyes.
"Then," she began. "Let's use our surroundings, and fight!"
"OK," Akebi casually said, and jumped on top of Mauko, who anticipated the pounce and grabbed Akebi's arms.
Fortmart Warehouse
Between Los Santos and Los Angeles, California, USA
8:35 AM; July 9, 20XX
"Of all the things you can do," said Erika. "You girls just had to fight."
"Huff, puff!" the two girls in the fight panted.
Mauko slightly knelt, still standing on two feet, her hands on her knees. Akebi, however, stood taller, but leaned with one arm on the right steel railing.
"Man!" Mauko managed to say. "That was...was that even a fight?!"
"More-like-a dance!" Akebi panted. "I kept kicking you..."
"...I kept punching you..." Mauko groaned. "But you kept jumping away..."
"I tried to take you down!" Akebi declared. "And you somehow..."
"...dodged," Mauko finished, and the two collapsed on the floor, kneeling still. The Duck Team came to her side, while Erika and Koume both knelt to check on their own teammate.
"Are you OK?" asked Erika.
"Fine," panted Mauko.
"Not hurt," noted Koume. "Same for you, Sasaki-san?"
"Just call me Akebi," Akebi panted. "But Mauko sure was great!"
"Great?" moaned Mauko. "Why...are you...praising me?"
"It was a nice fight," said Akebi, recovering enough breath to speak normally. "I miss feeling like a hero for once."
"Eh?"
"Well," Akebi began. "How can I say this?"
She got up, walked towards Mauko, and extended her left hand at Mauko. Confused, Mauko slowly raised her arm, and Akebi lifted her up.
"I've had a self-image issue," she admitted, smiling. "You had a way of fighting that made me feel...energized."
"I was just fighting," Mauko grunted. "Just to release all of that frustration inside of me."
"Well," Akebi said. "I admit that your frustration somehow made me feel that...Oh, how can I say this? Your fighting improved my self-esteem."
"Eh?" asked Mauko. "Now that you say it, I feel much better, too. But I am confused as to how my anger got transferred to you, and you feel not angry, but more confident."
"It's GUTS!" Noriko explained. "We do not act like a robot; we just move forward!"
The Duck Team girls held their hands in a hand-stack.
"Let's go!" they declared, and ran away to gather more supplies. Akebi waved at her.
"See you later, Mauko-chan!" she cried out.
"Y-yeah," said Mauko, waving back. "Sasa...Akebi-chan..."
"Strange girls," remarked Erika.
"But fun ones," replied Koume, giggling.
"That was actually fun," Mauko admitted. "I wish I could fight them again, but as equals this time."
"Just go and do your business," Erika groaned.
"Yes ma'am!" Mauko saluted, then marched off.
"But that felt good," Mauko mused, once she was out of earshot. "I want to talk to her again. Now, should I still call their tank...Hmm, I haven't thought of what happens if we have a tie, but oh well."
She ran off, jumping a little and spinning around.
"Wait," she realized. "Why am I-Akebi! How dare you teach me ballet!"
Fortmart Warehouse
Between Los Santos and Los Angeles, California, USA
8:45 AM; July 9, 20XX
Miho walked away from Maho, after having a long, VERY long talk. It was mostly nothing important, yet Miho felt that it was VERY important.
"Miho," she remembered her last words. "No matter what happens, I will protect you to the best of my abilities. I stayed down, all because they did not go after you. It's one thing if I know that they will try and save all of us, but saving me and my team only? I felt it was fair to stay with you all."
"But why? Can't you return with reinforcements?"
"We live together, we breathe together, we die together."
"We live, breathe, and die together," Miho mumbled the last words, as she strolled by the shelves after shelves of goods and merchandise.
Miho closed her eyes, and visions of everything came to being.
She saw customers after customers happily strolling about their business, pulling their carts after carts, chatting incessantly or complaining while shopping. Kids of all ages and sizes sat on the carts, rode them, or just dashed around the place like one gigantic playground.
Now, Miho opened her eyes, and saw her own teammates...acting like kids and adults.
Miho giggled nervously, as her own teammates went a little crazy with some clothing at a girl's clothing section. Saori yelled like a devout fan over a set of "cute" attire that was supposed to attract boys, while Hana gazed at a beautiful green dress, embedded with images of flowers. Yukari lifted up a giant military uniform, the type worn by Navy SEAL elites, her eyes glittering with awe. Mako, however, just gazed at a sign that said: ALL-PURPOSE CLOTHING. WEAR THIS, AND YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WEAR ANYTHING FOR LIFE.
"I like this one," Mako said, holding it out.
"That's too plain," Miho giggled at a distance, as Saori dragged Mako away from the attire.
Miho then looked around. The Hippo Team was in their cosplaying phase, wearing all kinds of samurai and ninja outfits. The Rabbit Team tried out a variety of weird headgear, ranging from fancy hats to rabbit ear headbands. The Turtle Team just...lazed around as usual. The Duck Team was practicing parkour, as they jumped throughout the steel walls and railings. The Anteater Team was gazing at a set of batteries and electronics that could allow them to play their games indefinitely. The Mallard Team was frantically running around, yelling about "order" and whatnot.
"Hey," Miho asked Sodoko. "Where is the Leopon Team?"
"They went back to the train," replied Sodoko, as she continued to yell at the Hippo Team and the others. "They're checking it."
Miho nodded, and left her in peace. The St. Gloriana girls mostly strolled around, behaving like ladies at a wedding, except for Rosehip, who dashed back and forth, piling up the cart with supplies. The girls with her mostly focused on tidying up their cart.
The Saunders girls now piled two carts full of food; Miho wondered how they even managed to do that. One cart was full of hamburger patties, steaks, salmon fillets, chicken nuggets, and other food items that Miho guessed were American in origin or so.
Miho then passed by three carts full of cooking merchandise and food. Pasta boxes, pizza bread, jars of tomato sauce, pesto containers, and slices of mozzarella cheese were obviously the type that only Anzio would be interested in.
"Not fit for the apocalypse," Miho giggled nervously.
Suddenly, two carts passed by her. One was full of food and items; the other had mostly a tall chair, tied into the cart with safety belts and tapes. Sitting on top was Katyusha, so that she was above everybody else. Nonna calmly pushed her commander's cart, with Katyusha proudly smiling.
"I am so above you all!" Katyusha roared.
"Not during the apocalypse," Nina whispered to Miho, who giggled nervously, as they all passed by her.
The Kuromorimine girls were mostly by individuals, trying to obey their commander's orders to "act individual" for a while. Apparently, as Miho could tell, most of them were struggling.
Mauko and Ritaiko both were trying to shop around, like normal girls would. However, they resisted the urge to come together, and tried to find what they liked in their personal free times. Erika hid behind walls after walls, looking at Maho.
"Seriously?" Miho asked, coming behind her. "Maho wants you to act normal, for once."
"Ah!" Erika screamed. "Miho-san! Stop that!"
"Just act normal!" Maho roared in the distance. "You have as much free time as you want. Now, just enjoy it!"
Erika groaned, and limped away. Miho wondered who was scarier: the zombie or a girl who did not know how to use her free time.
"Guess we're still as usual," Koume giggled, as she came along. Other than Maho, she was the only Kuromorimine girl who genuinely enjoyed her free time; her cart had some pretzels, bratwursts, steel pipes, and machetes.
"I am surprised that you're still at Kuromorimine," Miho said.
"Well," she admitted. "It's thanks to you that I stayed. I owe you one."
Miho smiled, as a group of girls stampeded throughout the area.
"Those charging fanatics!" Momo roared, pushing the cart in which Anzu was reclining on. "Can they learn some manners?"
"Yeah!" chimed in Sodoko, both girls gritting their teeth at the Chi-Ha-Tan girls crashing through the areas like wild bulls.
"What are they even doing?" asked Momo.
"Guess they're enjoying some free time," Miho inferred. "Say, I haven't seen Mika and her Jatkosota team."
"They're at their tank," Sodoko replied. "Katyusha raged about them 'stealing our KV-1' and something. Maho told them that one of them should stay away from each other, in order to avoid further conflicts."
"Both agreed, and Jatkosota went to the tank," Miho finished, and both Sodoko and Momo nodded in affirmation.
As the girls went to their usual antics, Miho silently walked towards the open entrance. The piles were now higher up, filled with both necessary and unnecessary goods; Miho smiled.
"At least we have some freedom," she noted. "Before something bad happens."
She went through the piles, and went out. The sunlight outside blazed the area, the asphalt on the parking lot radiating out an intense heat that felt like that of lava. Miho walked through, finding herself sweating profusely. She walked towards the train, which was not far away; however, Miho realized that carrying supplies would be problematic in the heat.
"Mika!" Miho called out to the girls, who had a giant tent set up next to their tank.
Mika waved at her, playing her kantele still. Aki was fixing the tent, while Mikko was just lazing in the shade.
"What brings the wind here?" asked Mika.
"I am curious about what you all were doing," she replied.
"Still blowing in the wind," Mika continued, playing her kantele. "But let's get to the point."
Miho blinked, as Mika's voice suddenly changed in tone.
"I think it was you," Mika said, her eyes starting intently at her. "Who wished for us to have dreams, right?"
Miho blinked, then gasped.
"How did you know?" asked Miho.
"I guess," she replied. "I still felt a little guilty back at the Parade Warehouse."
"Don't," Miho replied, waving her hands, blushing. "At least you all understand, now."
"Thanks," Mika said, her voice changing back to her usual self. "But the world flows like the oceans of the cosmos."
"Hey!" Aki said. "We brought a little too many tents like these! What should we do with them?"
Miho looked back. Maho was coming out, apparently curious of where Miho went.
"I have an idea," Miho said.
Fortmart Warehouse
Between Los Santos and Los Angeles, California, USA
9:00 AM; July 9, 20XX
"Much better," said Katyusha, as she and other girls started to transport their goods. "Man, I did not expect you to be so good at this, Mika-san!"
"Well," began Mika. "It was-"
"Hey!" Aki and Mikko both called out, deliberately distracting their commander. "We need some help here!"
"The wind blows elsewhere," Mika replied, as she hurried along.
"You like her more now, Katyusha-sama?" asked Nonna, as she was one of the few still setting up the tents.
"Nope!" she replied. "Well, maybe a little more. But I still am thinking about that KV-1!"
"At least she helped us," Nina said, putting up the tents. "This is a great idea."
It sure was. Miho directed some of the girls to set up the tents provided by the Jatkosota Team. Although there were not enough tents to provide full shade, the tents created a loose path of partially shaded areas, allowing the girls to transport their goods back and forth, instead of doing it in the full blistering heat.
"I am so glad that everything went well," said Miho, watching the teams work together.
"It was your idea, right?" Maho said, petting her sister. "How did you know?"
"I was afraid of some small conflicts," Miho answered. "Like Katyusha angry at Mika. And her team had spare tents. I don't know how they had that many, but I found out that they had enough to make a partially shaded road of tents."
"And that allows all of us," said Maho, petting her still. "To carry our goods without getting blistered by the heat."
"Or seared into meat," joked Miho, leading to laughter from both girls.
"Good thing we're still not meat," Maho said, who stopped petting but now laid both of her hands on Miho's shoulders. "I am proud of you."
"Eh?"
"Miho," she continued. "It was because of you that I decided to do what I believed was important; we flee together, we work together, and we hopefully can get out of this apocalypse together."
"We live, breathe, and die together," Miho said, tears falling down.
"Miho," Maho said, facing her this time. Their eyes both met.
"If I am not there," she said. "I hope to see you in dreams."
Miho wept.
Well, this chapter turned out to be so long, I split this chapter into two: In Dreams is the title for now. I originally wanted it to be "Sharing the Dreams I," but let me know.
Thank you for all your support!