Given a second chance to relive her life, Shizuru is more than determined to live her life and protects Natsuki in a world where there is no order and where the undead roamed. "Natsuki, if your love is all I had in this life, that would be enough till the end of time."
"What happened?" Shizuru held on to Natsuki. Nobody noticed them given that their movement was small and that the rest were preoccupied with the Undeads outside, no one noticed Natsuki's abnormal behaviour.
Natsuki whispered, "I tried to use my Mental Ability to 'see' what was happening outside. There is a group of Wielders outside the shop. They are the ones attracting the Undeads. But someone in that group seemed to notice my Mental Ability. She 'looked' my way just now".
Shizuru frowned, worries etched on her face. It would do them no good for Natsuki to expose her Mental Ability. Natsuki's second ability could be their trump card for survival.
"Don't take unnecessary risk next time. You will just pretend you are only an Ice Wielder." Shizuru whispered. "It is the apocalypse now. We will try to avoid exposing our ability. It would not do us good if others know about your ability."
Could that person be a Mental Wielder too? Shizuru wondered. Since when did Mental Wielder become so common? They only went out hunting Undeads and they met another Mental Wielder?
Natsuki nodded her head as she patted Shizuru's hand. "I know what to do. Don't worry."
While Shizuru and Natsuki were whispering to each other, Yukino strode to the front and gathered everyone's attention, "It is dangerous here. This shop is not going to restand the Undeads' attack. We need to leave this place as soon as possible. Something is happening outside and it is attracting the Undeads. We need to take this opportunity to leave here. What do you all think?"
"Why can't we just stay there? We should just stay. Who knows, the Undeads will be gone after awhile." Someone from the front argued.
"You must be crazy to think that." Haruka snorted as she rolled her eyes. "There are so many Undeads outside and there will still be a few who will stay behind. And when night comes, there will be more."
Someone cursed. "Damn it! I shouldn't have gone out with her! She is sending us to die."
And there was murmur of agreements.
Yukino's face darkened. So it all boiled down to this. She had taken in a group of blood suckers.
Shizuru observed from the side. It was time for Yukino to recognise that she had taken in a group of parasites. She will be digging her own grave by giving in to them. Kindness would just get her killed.
Yukino closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. At one point or another, she had to take a stand.
Yukino opened her eyes, a gleam in her eyes. She could not be giving in to them forever. "Let's vote. Those who want to stay, can stay in this place. Those who want to leave, can follow me. I am leaving this place before it gets dark."
A tense silence followed Yukino's declaration.
"What do you mean?" The man who argued to stay earlier on asked. "You brought us here and now you are abandoning us?"
"I am not. I am telling you that it would be safer to leave this place before it gets dark and so we should leave."
"Bullshit!" The man spat as he pushed through the crowd and confronted Yukino and grabbed her by the collar. "You brought us out here and you are leaving us. Now you want us to go out to where the Undeads are!"
"The only way for us to survive is to leave this place." Yukino replied calmly. "And so I am leaving."
"Bitch!" The man raised his fist, ready to swing it at Yukino.
Others stood and gasped.
Haruka's face paled and rushed to Yukino. But it was unlikely she would reach Yukino in time.
Yukino remained calm despite the fact that a fist was flying at her.
But before it could touch her face, an earth wall rose up quickly from the floor to hit the man on his chin, pushing him backwards.
The man stumbled back. He had nearly forgotten that Yukino was a Wielder. She had been so accommodating to them that he had forgotten that she had special ability. He had taken for granted that she would protect them.
"Who else has a problem with leaving?" Yukino glanced around the room. Many avoided her eyes, especially those who had earlier on accused Yukino of abandoning them. "I would not force you to leave. You can stay but I am leaving. For those who are leaving, please come over this side."
"We are leaving too." Natsuki grabbed Shizuru's hand and moved to Yukino's side. They were the first to join Yukino.
Of course there was no reason why Shizuru and Natsuki would disagree. There was little chance of them surviving if they stayed here. But if worse comes to worse, she will teleport the two of them into the Earth.
Everyone voted their preference, to leave or to stay.
The majority voted to leave and to force their way through the Undeads.
The plan was for Yukino to build a series of walls chest level high to block the movement of the Undeads and the rest will gather around to kill them. After which, Yukino will take the font and force their way out while Natsuki takes care of the back. Natsuki's attack and defense were strong enough, which meant that more people would likely survive if she covered their rear.
Everyone gathered together, staring at the glass panel.
The glass panel rattled and finally collapsed under Undeads' assault and hordes of Undeads rushed in.
Yukino quickly built up walls and the rest rushed up to attack. Natsuki built up a series of walls behind Yukino's walls to strengthen them. And right after that, Natsuki quickly crystalised multiple bullets, letting them fly straight at the Undeads, killing a number of them.
But Natsuki's control over the ice bullets was still weak. If Natsuki had more control over the direction of the bullets, most of the Undead would be dead by now and they could easily escape. But because her control was limited, it only had the effect of slowing them down, rather than taking out all of them.
Everyone took the opportunity to dash past the dispersed Undead and out of the door. But the Undead quickly caught up with them.
Many did not stop to attack the Undeads. Escaping was their top priority now and one after another, they ran out of the door towards the open space.
And it wasn't long when they found the reason that drew the Undeads away from their place.
Not far away from them was a group of young men and women taking the opportunity of the hot afternoon sun to venture out of their safety to hunt for food, indirectly saving Yukino's group from being overwhelmed by the onslaught of Undeads.
The two groups instinctively gathered together, seeking safety in numbers. As if following an unspoken instruction, the two groups nodded at each other, threw a series of attacks at the Undeads and moved towards the direction with the least number of Undeads. Most of the Undeads were gathered at the North. So as long as they pushed through and moved towards the South, the likelihood of them surviving would be higher.
Even though those people in the other group were relatively younger, they already had five to six Wielders in there, with the majority of them with offensive power like fire attack. It was no wonder they dared to venture out for food. Their high attack capability enabled the majority of them to survive with no casualties.
In the end, most of them managed to escape from the Undead hordes and retreat to a residential area further down South.
There were Undeads here but they quickly took care of it. Although the smell of fresh meat will soon attract more Undeads to this area.
Undeads who were closer, smelled their presence and started moving towards them. Not planning to dwell on it, everyone quickly ran into one of the residential houses and locked the door behind them.
The two Undeads in the room were quickly killed off by the ones who came in first, while the ones that came in last locked the door and started sealing off the door and windows. And it wasn't long before they heard scratching sounds coming from the door. The Undeads were already outside. And given the increased loud sound, it seemed that more and more Undeads had gathered.
Everyone was panting by the time the whole room was sealed and Undeads gotten rid of.
With windows and doors sealed, the whole room was dark.
There was a sizzle and a Fire Wielder lit up a fireball in his palm.
The house seemed rather crowded with twenty to thirty people in it. And things weren't looking good for Yukino's group. Her group lost quite a number of people to the Undeads along the way and it was discouraging to see that the other group was still rather well intact.
Regardless, they have more important things to take care of. It was getting dark soon. Undeads were three times more dangerous during nighttime than daytime.
Yukino approached the other group and broached the subject directly. "I think we should work together looking at our current situation."
There were only about fifteen people in the group and amongst them, a young lady in her early twenties responded. "I agree. We need to work together."
That was the lady who "looked" at Natsuki's direction when she used her Mental Ability. She had dark colored hair and a pair of beautiful yet sharp turquoise colour eyes. Somehow Shizuru felt that she looked familiar.
Natsuki pointed out the person to Shizuru and she glanced at the woman, who was in the midst of discussion with Yukino.
Despite her age and gender, she was apparently the leader of the group. That was rather surprising.
For some reasons, the number of female Wielders tends to be far lower than the number of male Wielders. And interesting to say, she saw quite a number of female Wielders in that group.
"We will just keep our distance from her then."
"Hey Natsuki and Shizuru! It has been a while! How are you?" Mai had spotted them earlier on but didn't have the opportunity to talk to them until now, when everyone was in a safer place.
"Yes it has been a while." Shizuru smiled. "What are you all doing here?"
"We are students from the Cardair Technology University, here to hunt for some food. Man~ food is running out fast so we need to replenish them." Mai explained. "What about the two of you?"
"Same. We were looking for food too. But our luck ran out when we were surrounded by the Undeads."
Mai smiled and pointed at Natsuki. "Looks like you are doing quite well! An Ice Wielder."
"Wielder?" Natsuki feigned confusion. It would be better to pretend that they didn't know anything lest they suspect where they received their information from. It would be impossible to tell them they received their information from Shizuru's Earth. "What's that?"
"Yup. Wielder. Or ability user. That's what we call it." Mai explained as she opened her palm to reveal a small flame dancing in the middle. "The day the Undeads appear, some surviving humans developed unique abilities and we call them Wielders. I am a Fire Wielder. Yuuichi here is Metal Wielder."
"That is great!" A heartfelt reply from Shizuru. Both Mai and Yuuichi seemed to be nice people. And given that they had always been friendly to both of them, Shizuru hoped that they could maintain this friendly relationship, especially given that this was the apocalypse. Having more friends was better than having more enemies.
"Who is that?" Natsuki asked, gesturing towards the turquoise-eyes woman. It would be nice if they could find out who she was. But it seemed as if she knew Natsuki was looking at her, she looked over in Natsuki's direction.
Natsuki nodded politely at the lady.
"Oh her?" Mai smiled at the lady. "She is the leader of our group. Her name is Lena Sayer. She is an Electric Wielder. Very strong and powerful ability user. That's why she is our group leader."
Shizuru nodded her head.
It looked like Yukino and Lena had more or less decided on their plans.
Both groups will camp at the second floor, the highest level of this residential place.
They moved in single file up the stairs, knocked on the door, and hearing no response, broke it down to enter the room.
Once the door was broken down, an Undead leaped forward and pounced on the nearest human. But the Undead was swiftly terminated by experienced Wielders.
Everyone busied themselves with clearing up the place before finding a spot to rest.
"This is the other Wielder in my team. Kuga Natsuki. She is an Ice Wielder." Yukino brought Natsuki to the other group and introduced her to Lena.
Lena acknowledged Natsuki.
It was rare to find new female ability users, let alone finding three in one day. For males, the likelihood of finding Wielders was three out of ten males, and that was low to start with. And for female Wielders, it was even rarer.
"I am Lena Sayer. Nice to meet you." She shook Natsuki's hand.
"Nice to meet you too." Natsuki gave a quick shake before withdrawing her hand. "Kuga Natsuki."
It was evening and the sky was turning dark. A few defence Wielders strengthened the doors and windows.
In addition to Mai, there was another female Wielder in Lena Sayer's group. She was a Space Wielder, capable of storing a large amount of items. And this ability was particularly useful when they had to venture out to source for food and material. This Space ability was different from Shizuru's Earth. Shizuru's Earth allowed humans to enter and exit the Earth and living things to grow and thrive there. But for the Space Wielder, she can only store non-living things inside. Nothing can grow inside the space.
It was close to dinner time and the Space Wielder was teleporting food from her space. Most of their resources were stored in her Space. And it wasn't long before the scent of food filled the air.
But on Yukino's side, there was only silence as everyone gathered at a corner, dejected. They had no food to eat. The contrast was even greater as the other group gathered around a portable stove, happily chatting away as they ate. The smell of food permeated the air and Yukino's group could only watch as the rest ate their food. The contrast couldn't be greater.
Both groups went through the apocalypse but one survived rather well but the other could hardly make ends meet.
A number of people in Yukino's group were feeling rather disgruntled.
Yukino could easily see the contrast between the two groups, but there was nothing she could do. The other group had more Wielders. They even had a Space Wielder which allowed them to store huge amounts of food. But they only had two Wielders. It was obvious they would lose out.
Yukino sighed and looked at Haruka. "Gomenei Haruka-chan. We didn't have any food to eat."
"Tsk" Haruka rolled her eyes. "I don't need any food today. I am on a diet."
Yukino searched through her bag and took out a few clothes and used them to exchange for some food from the other group.
She took the food and shared it among her group. It wasn't enough and at least it was better than none. But of course it was nothing compared to the feast the other group was having.
Shizuru and Natsuki were not picky eaters and took a few bits of the food.
But within minutes into eating their food, Mai approached Natsuki and passed her a plate of heated canned meat and rice, courtesy of Lena Sayer.
Nobody in Lena's team objected to it. But the Space Wielder looked particularly unhappy.
Shizuru wasn't too happy either. Her face was dark as she ate the food. She found it difficult to swallow the food. The food tasted rather bitter in her mouth.
This brought back memories of her previous life where Natsuki has to trade her body for medication for Shizuru.
The two of them sat in a corner and ate the food. Others saw the additional food, but were hesitant to approach the two of them for a share. All they could do was to stare longingly at the food. Had anyone approached them for food, Shizuru would have been more than willing to give away the meat and rice.
"What's wrong?" Natsuki asked as she placed a piece of meat in Shizuru's bowl.
Shizuru took the meat and tore into it, munching on it, putting extra effort into chewing the food.
"Nothing."
Shizuru continued to chew on the food.
Chew.
Chew.
"That Lena Sayer." Shizuru finally stopped chewing and said, "I don't have a good vibe about her. She can't be giving out food for nothing."
Natsuki nodded her head. She agreed. It was apocalypse now and food was scarce. No one would willingly give out food for nothing.
"There is nothing much we can do for now. It will be very awkward if we outrightly reject her food. And it's best that we maintain some form of cordial relationship with others during the apocalypse. What we can do now is to be careful of her."
Shizuru nodded her head. At least Natsuki was on the same page as her, though for different reasons.
"We need to. Who knows, she could be lusting after you." Shizuru said as her frown deepened. That was what happened in their previous lives. Takeda started off by taking them in and offered them food and safety before finally pressuring Natsuki to sleep with him in exchange for continued protection.
Natsuki just smiled but did not say anything to contradict her.
A jealous Shizuru looks cute. Natsuki thought.
The two of them quickly finished the food and spent the remaining time resting. They needed as much rest as possible.
It was getting dark at night and night time was a dangerous period.
It was a time when the slow Undeads became fast and agile. And their sense of smell and sight became sharper. It was once estimated that the Undeads were three times more dangerous at night.
Night time had arrived and more and more Undeads gathered outside their house.
The sound of the Undeads scratching and banging on the house rang loud and clear in the silent house.
Everyone was silent, as if this could reduce the likelihood of them being discovered.
The sound got louder and louder. The whole house seemed to be vibrating from it.
The whole atmosphere was tense.
Yukino added another layer of earth on the door, her whole body taut with tension. She wasn't sure if they could survive tonight. She inched closer to Haruka. If there was anything she could do, it would be to delay the entry of the Undeads and allow Haruka to have a head start in escaping.
They heard something crash in the silent night.
The metal gate to the house collapsed under the onslaught of the Undeads.
Everyone in the room quickly stood up, shoulders tense and eyes alert.
They could hear the groaning of the Undeads getting louder and louder.
Someone whimpered.
Another held back a sob.
Lena Sayer glanced at Yukino. "We need to discuss our escape plan."
There was a brief discussion before Lena walked to the front and gathered everyone's attention.
"Alright everyone, listen up. There is no need for me to sugarcoat the whole thing. We are all aware of the situation now. The situation is getting very tricky. It is not a matter of if they get in but a matter of when. But when they finally break in, we will try to delay their entry as much as possible and the rest will escape via the second floor window. Yukino-san will build a slide from the window as our escape route. Once we escape this room, run for the next best hideout possible. Just run. Tonight proved to be a dangerous night." Lena paused as she glanced at the sky through the window. "Let's pray that everyone survives."
Shizuru's pupil dilated when she glanced in the same direction as Lena.
Many people in the room gasped when they saw the blood red full moon hanging in the sky. So bright and red that it practically cast the earth in blood, turning places eerily red.
Nobody here knew exactly the significance of a blood red full mood. But the sense of foreboding was strong.
Nobody knew the significance except for Shizuru.
Blood moon was not supposed to be this soon! It was just two weeks into the apocalypse!
Shizuru thought.
In her previous life, Blood Moon only appeared half a year later. Things were accelerating.
During the appearance of blood moon, Undeads became more dangerous. They were faster and stronger. Some might even mutate to form higher level Undeads.
A loud crash broke the silence.
Someone screamed.
Many were already gathered near the window. The moment Yukino completed the slides, they pushed and tugged to be the first to escape from the incoming Undeads.
Yukino held Huruka back and allowed the rest to rush down.
While many thought they could survive by being the first one to escape, they were wrong.
The moment they reached the ground level, the surrounding Undeads rushed towards them, tearing into them.
When the Undeads were more or less preoccupied with the feast, Yukino signalled Haruka to follow her down.
She had deliberately allowed others to go down first to distract the Undeads so that Haruka and her would have a higher chance of escaping.
Many might have called Yukino heartless if they knew what she did.
But Yukino had looked at those who pushed to rush down the slides earlier on. They were the ones whom she took in to protect them from the Undeads. Yet they hardly looked back when they escaped.
Looking at what they did, she had more or less given up hope on them.
It was like filling a bottomless pit. To them, it didn't matter how much she had done to help them, or what she had done for them. To them, it wasn't enough. That kind of self entitlement just made her feel sick.
There was an extent to how much Yukino can do for them.
Yukino turned over and glanced at Lena. Lena's team was completely different from hers.
"Natsuki and I will clear the front." With that she slid down and began clearing the way for those who are still on the second floor delaying the Undeads.
Natsuki and Shizuru quickly followed.
Yukino raised several earth spikes, human height high, that pierced through the skulls of the Undeads, finally terminating them.
Natsuki's ice bullets weren't as accurate. So she focused more on building walls that stopped or delayed the Undeads' movement.
When most of the people had vacated the room, Yukino and Natsuki led the way to find a better hideout.
About 400 metres away from them was a bank, a possible hideout for tonight. But a short distance took them nearly an hour to arrive.
The Undeads were rushing at them. Had it not been the strong attack power of Lena and Mai and the teamwork between Yukino and Natsuki, it might have been impossible for most of them to survive the Blood Moon.
Lena slammed the bank vault shut, locking them inside.
They made it inside. Though they lost a number of their teammates along the way. This was the worst hunting trip they had so far.
Natsuki and Shizuru moved to a corner and sat down.
"Are you alright?" Natsuki asked as she quickly searched through Shizuru's body for potential cuts. Shizuru didn't have any ability and was only using her naginata as a weapon. It was very dangerous for Shizuru.
Shizuru shook her head and assured Natsuki. They were lucky. It wasn't as bad as she expected. Perhaps it was because the apocalypse had just started and the Undeads were weak to start with. Give the Undeads a couple of months and they would be different during a Blood Moon.
Natsuki gave out a sigh of relief and then sat next to Shizuru and intertwined their fingers. Lucky Shizuru was safe.
Lena took in the number before her. Only fifteen of them survived. And among them were the four newcomers from the other group.
"It looks like only the four of you from your group survive. Would you like to join our base? We are from the Cardair Technology University. After the apocalypse, we use our campus ground as a base for living and defence against the Undeads."
Shizuru glanced at Natsuki and she nodded her head. They already had plans to join one of the bases here. So Lena's invitation came at the right time.
As for Yukino and Haruka, they didn't have to think long. Looking at how strong Lena was, it was definitely safer to join her base.
It was late afternoon when Lena led the group to their base.
It was quite impressive. Shizuru thought as she observed the infrastructure before her.
The original campus had walls built around it. But now, they had extended the height of the walls and built trenches in front of walls.
The various entrances were also narrowed to limit the accessibility with guards standing there.
"We need to do a check on you before you can enter the compound. You can either choose a full body check or quarantine in the waiting room for 5 hours before you enter the base." The guard stationed at the entrance spoke.
Many, in fact all, chose for a full body check. But both Shizuru and Natsuki preferred the 5 hours wait instead. Only the other half had the rights to see their bodies. That was their belief.
Knowing they will be separated here, Lena approached Natsuki. "If you are looking for a team to join, you can always find me at the admin block. Or look for any admin stuff and they will direct you to me. We will always welcome you." Lena paused before glancing at Shizuru. "And your friend too."
Lena nodded her head before walking to another gate for her body check. The Space Wielder was waiting there for Lena. Her face was none the happier when she saw Lena approaching Natsuki.
Shizuru narrowed her eyes at Lena.
Shizuru and Natsuki followed a female guard to an empty quarantine room. Rarely do they have people choosing to wait 5 hours before entering the base.
Humans infected by the Undeads virus will show signs of infection within 5 hours. So the waiting room was to ensure that no infected human slipped into the compound.
This base was quite well organised. Shizuru thought.
At about the third hour, there was a commotion outside the room.
"Do you know who I am? How dare you treat me that way!"
Muffled reply.
"I don't care. I demand to enter the compound now!"
Muffled reply.
"I will get you fired and kicked out of the base! Get your filthy hands off me! Do you know who I am?"
And then the door to their quarantine room opened.
It was someone familiar.
It was the young lady who publicly accused Natsuki of stealing her ring.
The moment the young lady turned and saw them, her face darkened. She had thought the apocalypse would have killed them. She quickly turned to the guard while pointing towards Natsuki and Shizuru. "I want you to get rid of these two women! I want them off the compound now!"
"Anyone is allowed to enter as long as they are not infected." The female guard was getting impatient from all the unrealistic and selfish requests from this person.
"Then get me out of here. I don't want to be in the same place as these two. The air stinks when they are around." The young lady said as she waved her hand in front of her nose.
The guard frowned and rejected her request. "This is the only room available. Either you stay here for 5 hours or you go for a body check."
The young lady's face turned red, embarrassed by the rejection. "How dare you ignore my request! Do you know who I am? Do you know who is the leader of this compound? I am his fiancee! How dare you search me!"
"Our leader, your supposed fiancé, would still have to go through all the checks himself, let alone his so-called fiancee. It is a rule that he sets and it applies to everyone." The guard rolled her eyes and turned to Shizuru and Natsuki. "You time here is up. You may leave the room now."
Natsuki raised an eyebrow. They were only here for about 3 hours. But she wasn't going to argue with the guard. She didn't want to stay in the same room as this 'oujio-sama'.
Once they exited the quarantine room, there was someone to pick them up and bring them to their room. It was a hostel in the University and was now used as rooms for newcomers.
"I am Higurashi Akane, in charge of female lodging." A woman with brown shoulder length hair introduced herself to them. "This is your room. For newcomers, it is free to stay in this room for free for 2 weeks. After which you are required to pay rent. But you can also earn the right to stay in this place by going out for hunting missions and use the food you found to exchange for room stay. The basic currency used is one pack of biscuits and the mode of transaction is barter trade. Because you are newcomers, you are also given a loft of bread every two days, for a week. Food is scarce, so people have to earn their keep. The compound doesn't keep freeloaders. The details can be found in the newcomer handbook. I will leave you to read the booklet in detail." Akane passed them a copy of handwritten notes and turned to leave. But she paused after taking a step. She turned back to them and offered her help. "If there is anything you are not sure of, you can always approach me for help. I stay in the room in level 6." It paid to be on friendly terms with Wielders.
Shizuru closed the door after Akane left, leaving the two of them in the room. The compound was much more well organised than she thought. To set up such a complex system within a week of the apocalypse was commendable.
Shizuru and Natsuki took some time to pack their rooms before leaving their room to take a look at the compound.
Cardair Technology University was a very beautiful place before the apocalypse. The school was well known for the artificial lake, half the size of a football field, built near the hostel. There was also a large scale nature reserve for animals next to the campus.
Just as they were walking past the lake, Shizuru stopped in mid-track, as if entranced. She frowned and stared blankly at the lake.
"Shizuru?"
There wasn't any response from her.
She stared at the lake intently.
Natsuki glanced at the direction which Shizuru was looking at but could find nothing.
"Shizuru!" This time louder and Natsuki patted her shoulder.
Shizuru blinked twice before realising she had been staring at the lake for a while.
"What happened?"
Shizuru frowned. "I wasn't too sure. It just feels like there is something in the lake, calling out to me. But I can't exactly put my finger on it."
"Do you want to check it out?"
Shizuru paused to think about it.
"Maybe we can check it out at a later time. At least we won't stand out too much and will be less obvious. We don't want to draw too much attention to us."
They will visit this place at night.
The moment they reached the canteen, someone came up to them.
"Hey there! Shizuru and Natsuki!" Mai waved at them. "Come! We are at the top. Join us."
And without waiting for their reply, Mai dragged Natsuki with her, Shizuru following behind.
They walked past the mass canteen and then up the staircase to the second level. If the first level was for the masses, then the second floor was for the exclusive.
There were dining tables but fewer and better looking ones.
A number of tables were already occupied. It seemed there was a gathering here. Shizuru glanced around. There were approximately 20 people here. Shizuru and Natsuki knew a few of them since they survived the Blood Moon together. There were also Yukino and Haruka. Shizuru nodded her head at them.
But Shizuru's face darkened immediately when she saw Lena Sayer.
She was hoping that they had part way earlier on.
Lena nodded at them but her attention was solely on Natsuki.
A muscle on Shizuru's face twitched.
But apparently, Shizuru wasn't the only unhappy one here. The space Wielder's face was black the moment Lena asked Mai to search for Natsuki and bring her here.
"You are late! That was very rude for newcomers, making all of us wait." That comment came from the Space Wielder. "Don't you know the importance of punctuality?"
The accusatory tone had Natsuki and Shizuru narrowing their eyes.
While Natsuki was not the confrontational type, she was not the type to take things lying down if others attack her first.
"Firstly, we are not aware that there is a meeting. And secondly, we came here not for the meeting. Since we are interrupting your meeting we will leave first." Then Natsuki turned to Mai and nodded at her. "See you. We will make a move first."
Mai glanced at Lena. She was the one who asked her to find Natsuki. But now Natsuki was leaving.
Lena gave Mai a look.
Mai got the hint.
"Yeah hahah…" Mai laughed as she scratched her head. "Er… there must be a misunderstanding. Ah hahaha. We were planning to meet. And then we suddenly thought of you and you appeared. It was so coincidental. Ah hahaha."
"Come. Join us for dinner. We are planning a hunting mission." Lena added.
The Space Wielder's face darkened immediately. She caught the exchange between Mai and Lena. She didn't understand why Lena was so fixated with that Ice Wielder and so eager to get her on board. There were many other more powerful Ice Wielders around and Space Wielders like her were rare. So it didn't make sense to be fixated on a normal Ice Wielder.
Much as Shizuru hates the idea of having to dine with Lena Sayer, she wasn't ready to burn the bridges now and in front of so many people, especially when there were people who were more than willing to see conflicts between Lena and the two of them. Shizuru glanced at the Space Wielder. They were still not powerful enough to face full blown confrontation yet.
Something flashed across Shizuru's mind and then she smiled.
Before Natsuki could say anything, Shizuru wrapped her arms around Natsuki's and said, "Alright. We will join you all, if it is not too troublesome for everyone."
Mai quickly followed up with Shizuru's statements. "That's great! Come, take a seat first. We are all gathered for a briefing. After that we will have our dinner"
"Come! Sit here!" Mai gestured to the table where she was sitting.
Shizuru glanced at the people seated in this table. Mai was seated with Yuuichi, Lena Sayer, the Space Wielder. There were only four people sitting at this table and it was the front most table. It seemed that this was where key personnel sat.
Shizuru shook her head and politely declined and gestured to where Yukino was. For a healthy digestive system, Shizuru needed to distance Natsuki from Lena Sayer. Otherwise she would be busy fending Lena off Natsuki during dinner.
Shizuru and Natsuki quickly went to the table at the far end and sat down next to Yukino.
But just as they sat down, two men walked up the staircase and stood in front of the room.
The low murmur that had been taking place throughout suddenly stopped.
Both Shizuru and Natsuki looked up.
Shizuru's face darkened once again.
What is he doing here now? Shizuru thought.
And for a moment, Shizuru panicked and turned to look at Natsuki.
The lack of recognition on Natsuki's face calmed Shizuru down.
It seemed like Natsuki didn't know who Takeda was. And Shizuru was going to make sure it remained this way.
They were going to leave this place.
Takeda waited for the murmurs to die off before speaking. "Good evening everyone. It is good to see everyone again. I will not beat around the bush. There is a reason why I gathered everyone here. As you know it is the apocalypse now. Food is scarce and dwindling but our population is growing. So we need to find more food. And this is the reason why I ask you all to come here. I am assembling a strong team to go to the nearby town to search for food. If we succeed, participants can stay in their lodging for free for four months and three pack of rice, 5kg each."
There was a sudden uproar upon the announcement of the rewards. Everyone was talking about it.
Three packs of 5kg rice might not seem like a lot during normal time. But it was even more precious than life during the apocalypse. Three packs of rice was sufficient for them to eat for at least a month!
But those who were more level headed would have realised that this deal was too good to be true. The higher the rewards, the more dangerous the mission.
"Of course, attempting such a mission can be dangerous. If unfortunately a participant died in the process, his designated recipient will receive the rewards on his behalf."
This announcement created another uproar, this time much louder than the previous one.
"Of course, I will be honest with you, the difficulty level of the mission is high, which is why the rewards are high too. Do spend some time thinking about it. I won't expect everyone to sign for it given the difficulty level. The sign up period is three days later and we will move off one week later. Please think about it carefully. In the meantime, let's have a good time enjoying our dinner."
Shizuru made sure the two of them kept a low profile throughout the dinner. They only left after Takeda left the dining hall with Lena.
Shizuru and Natsuki walked back to their hostel.
As they walked, Shizuru glanced at the back and noticed something.
A smile flashed across her face.
Suddenly, Shizuru tugged at Natsuki and stopped her. "There is a park, let's take a look."
"A park? Now?" Natsuki asked. It might make sense to visit a park at night during normal time. It was a popular dating site for couples. But now was the apocalypse, who knows what could be lying in the dark.
But Shizuru did not reply and instead pulled Natsuki into a path that led to the park.
Once they were in the park, Shizuru pulled Natsuki to a tree and placed her hands, one on each side of Natsuki's face.
"Shizuru?"
"Shhhh… don't talk, let me kiss you." And then Shizuru bent over and kissed Natsuki.
Suddenly there was a loud gasp from a corner.
Shizuru turned and looked over.
The Space Wielder was standing there in shock, her hand covering her mouth.
Shizuru raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here? Are you following us?"
The shock quickly gave way to disgust.
"Oh my god! Both of you are disgusting! How could two girls be kissing each other! The two of you are lesbians! How horrible! I am going to tell Lena!"
Having declared her horror and disgust, Elliott Chandler turned quickly, wanting to share what she saw to Lena. She was sure Lena would be disgusted too and disappointed as well.
They were childhood friends and had known each other since they were thirteen. She knew Lena well. Lena always had a clear sense of what's right and wrong and would not permit such unnatural relationships. She was sure!
Just as Elliott was about to walk off, Shizuru gave a sarcastic laugh and asked, "Are you sure it is disgusting? Ara… I wonder who is the one who gets overly jealous when Lena-san invited Natsuki for a meal?"
A panic look flashed across Elliott's face as she turned around to face Shizuru. "What do you mean?" Elliott struggled to calm herself. "What are you implying?"
"Nothing. Just some observations on my side." The smile on Shizuru's face widened.
"Stop spreading nonsense! You are lesbian but doesn't mean everyone is like you! Disgusting! I am going to tell everyone about the two of you!" Elliott spat and walked off, her steps hurried as she struggled to distance herself, or perhaps, running away from the truth.
"Is it ok if we let her go away like this? Natsuki finally spoke.
"By all means, let her go ahead." Shizuru encouraged.
Natsuki studied Shizuru's face before saying, "You knew she was following us just now? That's why you decided to visit the park and kiss me there."
Shizuru pecked Natsuki's face and smiled. "Very clever!"
"Why? Won't this put us in a disadvantage?"
Shizuru shook her head. "We have too many secrets that we cannot share with others. It would have been better if others stay away from us."
And for Lena Sayer to stay far far away from Natsuki. Shizuru thought.
After the altercation with Elliott, the two of them returned to their room, resting in preparation for the night.
It was after midnight when the two of them stepped out of their room again. They quietly left their room and moved in the direction of the lake.
Before the apocalypse, there would still be streetlights to guide the passerby. But now, it was complete darkness. They could only make out where they were going with the help of the light from the moon.
The surrounding of the lake was completely different from what they saw during the broad daylight. White mist surrounded the area, making it difficult for people to see beyond. And the mist was especially thick nearing the center of the lake.
Shizuru glanced at the surrounding. "We will walk around the lake and take a look at it. But be careful, we don't know what is causing the mist."
The two of them followed the path around the lake. The mist was thicker nearer the center.
As they took a corner, they heard a rustling sound and then a person suddenly appeared from the bushes.
Surprised flashed across all their faces when they came face to face with each other.
Natsuki tensed, crystalising ice bullets in the air, ready to send them flying at the person.
Shizuru's face darkened. This was the worst case scenario.
The surprised look on the newcomer's face turned to joy when he saw Natsuki.
"Natsuki!?" The man walked up to Natsuki and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Shouldn't you still be in Tokyo? What are you doing here?"
In Tokyo? How does he know Natsuki was in Tokyo? Shocked, Shizuru stared at his face, trying to find some answers on his face.
On the other hand, Natsuki frowned and took a step back, away from him. He was too close for comfort. She didn't know who this guy was.
Natsuki's movement woke Shizuru from her thoughts. Shizuru stepped in to put some distance between Natsuki and Takeda.
"Watch yourself. She doesn't know who you are."
It was then realisation struck. "Gomenasai. Gomenasai… I forgot to introduce myself." Takeda quickly apologised. "I am Masashi Takeda. Cardair Technology University is the name of this compound and I am fortunate to be the leader of this compound. I am not sure if you remember me but I remember your kindness many years ago. I was injured during a car accident and you helped me and accompanied me all the way from the accident scene to the hospital and stayed with me until my family came. I tried looking for you after that and didn't have the opportunity to say thank you to you."
"I see." Natsuki nodded her head coolly and remained where she was, with Shizuru standing in between them. "It was just something any normal person would do. Appreciation noted."
Natsuki glanced at Shizuru and nodded at her.
"We will make a move first." Natsuki grabbed Shizuru's hand and sidestepped Takeda.
"Wait!" Takeda quickly turned and tried to grab Natsuki's hand.
Just before he could touch her, Natsuki quickly pulled her hand back.
"What do you want?" Impatient evident in her tone.
Takeda opened his mouth and then shut it. He wondered how he should approach this. He really wanted to get to know Natsuki.
Just as Takeda was about to speak, Shizuru interrupted and locked her arms with Natsuki. "Ara… if I interpreted this correctly…" Shizuru paused coyly. "I think Takeda-san likes you and wants you to be her girlfriend."
Shizuru did not expect to meet Takeda so soon again. She was hoping that they could leave Cardair Technology University before Takeda noticed Natsuki. Unfortunately lady luck wasn't on her side. So rather than allowing Takeda to keep on hoping that he had a chance with Natsuki, it would be better to burst his bubble now. So that they could get rid of him once and for all.
Natsuki's frown deepened. To be honest, Natsuki did not have a good first impression of this Takeda guy. He seemed rather frivolous from Natsuki's perspective.
"Yiyeah….haha…" Takeda scratched his head. It was kind of embarrassing for someone to point it out. He coughed and straightened. Since the cat was out of the bag, there wasn't anything to hide. He might as well be clear. Anyway, he felt that he had a good chance with Natsuki. He was the leader of this compound and he would be able to provide for Natsuki.
"She is right. Natsuki, I really like you, ever since the first time I saw you. Would you like to go out with me? We could start off as friends if you want and slowly progress from there on."
Shizuru's eyes were cold as she observed by the side. That was how Takeda was liked. He would first appear to be genuine, friendly and non-threatening. But slowly, he would pressure Natsuki into agreeing to be his lover.
"It would not be possible." Natsuki outrightly rejected his advance. "I already have someone I love and we are together."
"You already have someone you love and are together?" Takeda asked, disbelief evident on his face.
There wasn't what the report said. The private investigator he hired to keep tap of Natsuki told him that she was single and had no romantic attachment! There wasn't even any single guy hovering around her!
"Hai." Natsuki replied and lifted their entwined arms for Takeda to see.
Takede frowned and tilted his head, puzzled over what Natsuki wanted him to see.
"Shizuru and I are together and we love each other very much. We are leaving now." Without waiting for any reply from Takeda, Natsuki and Shizuru turned and moved off.
Shock, Takeda stood there motionless for a while. And before he realised it, he was chasing after them and pulling at Natsuki's arm.
"Stop it! I already told you I am not interested!" Ice bullets crystalised in the air and the temperature around Natsuki plunged.
"Gomenei." Takeda quickly raised his hands in surrender and gave an apologetic smile. "I didn't mean anything! I understand!" As if to mean what he said, he took a step back.
"There is a reason I stopped you. I want to warn you. I came to this lake because I heard there is a mutated plant here and want to eliminate it. It is dangerous here so it is safer if you leave now."
"Mutated plant?"
"Hai… we call it Anomalous Plant. I heard it is a level two mutated plant. If we don't eliminate it while it is still weak, it will be harder for us to do it when it's level is higher."
As they spoke, the mist became thicker until it was close to impossible to see three feet in front of them.
Sensing that something wasn't quite right, Takeda quickly turned to Natsuki and asked her to leave.
But it was too late.
Tentacles like object shot through the surface of the lake, aiming straight at them.
Takeda quickly ducked behind a tree while Natsuki leaped towards Shizuru, covering her with her body and at the same time raised an ice wall in front of them.
They could hear the sound of the tentacles slapping against the ice wall. Lucky for them, Natsuki's ice wall was thick enough to sustain the attack.
"Go! Hide behind the trees!" Natsuki whispered and pushed Shizuru towards a tree. "It is not safe here."
Shizuru resisted and grabbed hold of Natsuki's shirt. "What about you?"
"I will stay to fight."
"No! I will stay too!"
"You can't! It is dangerous here! I will be distracted if you are here!" Natsuki crystalised a series of bullets in the air and aimed at the tentacles like thing, severing it. "Go!"
Shizuru clenched her teeth and turned, moving into the bushes to hide behind a tree. At this moment, there was nothing she hated than the fact that she had no ability.
At the same time, Takeda had already crystalised an ice katana and wielded it, slashing at the incoming tentacles.
Now that Shizuru was safe, Natsuki could focus on the attacker.
It was not animal tentacles that attacked them. It was more like the elongated leaves of the seaweed that stretched from the bottom of the lake to attack them.
The attack was relentless and Natsuki saw no sign of it ending. When Natsuki used her ice bullets to sever the leaves, new ones would continue to grow from the severed part.
At this rate, it will be a game of stamina, which Natsuki feared they were going to lose.
"We need to work together." Takeda proposed as he moved towards Natsuki. He knew they had a slight advantage when he saw that Natsuki was an Ice Wielder.
But just as Natsuki was about to agree with him, she saw a movement from the corner of her eyes and quickly turned.
Shizuru was slowly wading into the lake, the water knee level high.
And at that moment, Natsuki's heart skipped a beat as her knees weakened.
"Shizuru!" Natsuki shouted, her brain furiously trying to find a reason as to why Shizuru was voluntarily walking deeper and deeper into the lake. "Shizuru! Get out of there!"
But Shizuru only stared ahead, as if in a trance, walking herself deeper and deeper into the lake.
The attack on Natsuki and Takeda weakened when Shizuru slowly entered the lake.
With this weakened state of attack, Natsuki left Takeda and ran towards Shizuru.
But Takeda quickly grabbed Natsuki by the elbow and pulled her back.
"Don't! It is dangerous to venture into the water! The Anomalous Plant is in the water."
"Let me go!" Natsuki struggled but Takeda held firm. "I said let me go! I need to stop her."
The water level was now up until Shizuru's neck. Within seconds, Shizuru will be completely under water.
Natsuki broke free of Takeda's grip and ran towards the lake.
But before she could dive into the lake, Takeda caught hold of Natsuki again.
"It is dangerous."
"Let go of me!" Natsuki struggled at Takeda.
The water was up to Shizuru's chin now.
"I will go instead. You will wait here. I will go get her"
Without waiting for Natsuki's reply, Takeda turned and dived into the water.
The prophet had prophesied that today was the best day to eliminate this Anomalous Plant and a chance for him to level up his ability. He was currently at the peak of level one, just shy of entering into level two. To further strengthen his ability, the prophet suggested that tonight was the night.
A glint flashed across his eyes.
And this was also a good opportunity to eliminate that girl. With her gone, he would have a chance to get close to Natsuki. Since he did his best to save her girlfriend.
He swam forward and saw Shizuru being grabbed by the ankle and dragged down by the Anomalous Plant.
Takeda randomly shot out a few ice shreds that disappeared into the bottom of the lake. He waited for a few more seconds before resurfacing to catch his breath. Then he dived down again.
He held his breath and watched Shizuru disappear into the murky bottom. There was a smirk on his face. He wanted to see her dead with his own eyes.
He stayed in the water for a full two minutes before resurfacing, gasping for breath.
Desolations clearly etched on his face as he struggled to pull himself up from the water.
The hope on Natsuki's face sank when she saw Takeda emerging alone.
"Gomenei…" Takeda apologised as he struggled to catch his breath. " Gomenei. I couldn't save her in time. The Anomalous Plant was too strong for me."
Natsuki's lips trembled when she heard the news.
"No… She must be somewhere." Natsuki whispered as tears wet her cheeks. "She is alive somewhere. I am sure. I have to go down and find her." Natsuki said and was ready to dive into the lake.
But just before Natsuki could do that, Takeda grabbed hold of her and pulled her back.
"Listen to me Natsuki. That monster pulled your friend into the bottom of the lake. I saw it."
"No…no... No! Don't say it!" Natsuki furiously denied it and pushed Takeda away, covering her ears.
Takeda moved to pull her hands away. "Listen Natsuki…"
"No! It is not true! Let go of me!"
Suddenly Natsuki stood up, hope on her face. "Shizuru can swim. She is a good swimmer. I need to go and find her."
Takeda looked torn as he seemed to struggle with his words. "I saw what happened, Natsuki. When I tried to pull your friend free from the tentacles, it grabbed your friend by the throat and tried to suffocate her. I… I saw her took her last breath. Gomenei Natsuki."
Takeda was adamant in ensuring that Natsuki was aware that Shizuru died.
"No! It cannot be! No!" Natsuki continued to shake her head as tears fell down her cheeks."It cannot be… Shizuru..."
"My condolences Natsuki."
Takeda stood there and watched Natsuki shaking her head in denial.
Target destroyed, objectives achieved.
With Shizuru dead, Natsuki could finally focus her attention on him. There would not be any future between two girls anyway. Natsuki should be with him. He was a strong Ice Wielder and the leader of this compound, which Takeda planned to develop into one of the strongest compounds. And Natsuki will be standing next to him when that happens. A future with him would be bright.
Takeda glanced down at Natsuki. She was still crying. But it didn't matter. Soon she would forget about the girl.
He bent down and carried Natsuki a few feet away from the lake. He didn't want Natsuki to venture too close to the lake.
"Stay here. I will try to get help to see if we could retrieve your friend's body." Takeda gave Natsuki a hug before leaving. He would like to stay here with Natsuki to comfort her and give her a shoulder to cry on. This would give him more credit. But he was worried that Natsuki would not give up unless she saw her friend's body. Rather than allowing her to keep hoping, it would be best to end the hope immediately and focus her attention on him. He was her only hope.
"I will be back soon."
Takeda gave Natsuki a glance to ensure that she was still there before departing to find more help. With more help, he might even get rid of the Anomalous Plant too.
Natsuki was just staring at the lake motionless, her eyes glazed. She could not believe that Shizuru was gone. They were laughing about 30 minutes ago and now she was gone. This was too surreal.
10 minutes had passed and Natsuki was still seated there, not moving an inch. She didn't know where to go and what to do now that Shizuru was not with her.
There was something inside her that was hoping that perhaps Takeda was wrong. That perhaps, Shizuru was still alive.
15 minutes later, tears started trickling down her face. That was too long for Shizuru to stay underwater.
Natsuki let out an anguished cry and buried her head in her knee.
Suddenly there was a splash.
Natsuki looked up quickly, her eyes glistening with hope.
And indeed, Shizuru broke the surface of the lake, gasping for air.
"Shizuru!" Natsuki got to her feet and quickly dived into the lake and pulled Shizuru to land.
"Shizuru… Shizuru… Shizuru…" Natsuki whispered repeatedly as she pushed Shizuru's hair away from her face. She could feel the warmth of Shizuru's skin. It was real.
Shizuru was alive!
Natsuki bent down and hugged Shizuru tight. The contract gave further assurance to Natsuki that Shizuru was indeed alive.
Shizuru managed to gather some strength and pat Natsuki on the back.
Just then sounds of footsteps could be heard.
Shizuru quickly grabbed hold of Natsuki and teleported them into the Earth.
Once inside, Shizuru collapsed onto the floor and lost consciousness.
Natsuki quickly carried Shizuru into their bedroom and placed her on the bed.
She checked Shizuru's body but everything was normal. No injury.
So all Natsuki could do was wait for Shizuru to wake up on her own.
While Shizuru slept, Natsuki took a towel and wet it with warm water and wiped her body before dressing her in warm clothing. The least she could do now was to keep Shizuru dry.
Natsuki took out a pouch containing crystals collected from Shizuru's Earth and placed one on Shizuru's hand. The crystal melted immediately and absorbed into her body.
And then Natsuki pulled a chair next to the bed and waited, waiting for Shizuru to wake up.
12 hours had passed and all the while Natsuki sat there staring at Shizuru. She had been too naive, thinking that her ability is going to protect the two of them. But she was wrong. She was still too weak. She needed to be stronger. Stronger so that she could protect what was most precious to her.
As Natsuki sat there contemplating what she could do, Shizuru's eyes fluttered and slowly opened.
"Shizuru!" Natsuki quickly leaned over. "Are you alright?" Natsuki ran her fingers through Shizuru's face, checking for signs of fever.
Shizuru nodded her head and gave Natsuki a reassuring smile.
"Thank God you are alright. You scare me!" Natsuki hugged Shizuru tight. "I thought I lost you! Do you know what dangerous it was then!"
There was a startled look on Shizuru's face before her face softened. She could feel Natsuki trembling.
"Gomenei Natsuki. Gomenei..." Shizuru rubbed her hand over Natsuki's back, trying to reassure her.
Shizuru pulled Natsuki onto the bed and wrapped her arms around her and whispered, "I am fine Natsuki. I am alright." Shizuru repeated again and again until the tremble finally stopped.
The two of them laid on the bed in silence, feeling the warmth of each other, to reassure each other that the other party was safe and sound. It was something they had not done for awhile - to just lie with each other and enjoy each other's warmth and company. They had been rushing each and every day to survive.
Shizuru broke the silence.
"Ne Natsuki. Gomenei… Sorry for giving you a fright then. I was just tired and lost consciousness. Look…" Shizuru pulled away and opened her palm to reveal a miniature water plant in the middle of her palm.
Curious, Natsuki scrutinised the plant. The miniature plant had three long leaves and the leaves were slowly waving in the air.
Natsuki glanced at Shizuru before gently reaching out to touch the plant. And in response, the plant rubbed one of its leaves against Natsuki's finger.
Surprised, Natsuki took a closer look at the plant. It was the Anomalous Plant that attacked them earlier on!
"What is it doing here!?" Natsuki looked at Shizuru, surprised on her face.
With a satisfied smile, Shizuru announced, "It belongs to me now."
"Belong to you?"
"Hai… belong to me. I captured it. It seems that I do have an ability. My ability was to control plants. Not just any plants but Anomalous Plants. And I think I know what happened this afternoon when we walked past the lake. Something seemed to be pulling me as we bypass the lake and now I realise it was actually this Anomalous Plants. Because my Ability was to control Anomalous Plants, my frequency was more sensitive or attuned to them. The plant also noticed my presence and wanted to devour my power. So later in the night, when we visited the lake the second time, this plant released a mist targeting me, disrupting my focus while controlling my movements. I was aware of what was happening but had no control over my movement. Gomenei Natsuki. I heard your call but I wasn't able to stop. It must be very scary for you then. Gomenei..." Shizuru reaches out to grab Natsuki's hand.
Natsuki shook her head and squeezed Shizuru's hand. "It's fine Shizuru. It's fine. At least you are safe now."
"Ne Natsuki…" Shizuru frowned. "I was conscious when I was dragged down the lake. I saw Takeda diving into the lake. But he only stayed in the water and watched me dragged down by the plant. He did nothing to save me. And all the while he was smiling as he watched." Her eyes narrowed as Shizuru recalled to Natsuki.
"WHAT!?" Natsuki jerked up right. "He didn't try to save you? He told me he tried but the Anomalous Plant was too strong for him!"
Shizuru shook her head. "He did nothing. He watched as the Anomalous Plant engulfed me in its leaves and then he swam up."
"That bastard!" Natsuki struggled out of bed and turned to Shizuru. "Teleport me out of the Earth Shizuru. I want to find him. How dare he! How dare he stood by and did nothing when the Anomalous Plants tried to kill you! He lied about this. He said he tried his best."
Fury burnt within Natsuki. She nearly lost Shizuru because of him! Natsuki clenched her fist. If Takeda was in front of him, she would have driven her fist into his face.
Shizuru quickly pulled Natsuki back and shook her head. "This is not a good opportunity. This is not a fight between you and him. Takeda is the leader of this compound. He must have a certain reputation or capabilities and caliber to be the leader of this compound. Few would trust our words if we confront him about this. And if this escalates to a fight, he has the whole compound backing him, which puts us at a complete disadvantage."
"But I can't let him go scot free! He tried to kill you!"
"This is not the right time. There will be opportunities." Shizuru stood up to hug Natsuki. "When it is the right time, we will take our revenge." Shizuru's eyes glowed a dark red when she said that.
She will take her revenge for what he had done in this life and previous. She wanted him dead!
The two of them stayed in Shizuru's Earth for three full days trying to sharpen their abilities. The past few days they spent with Yukino-san and Lena-san had shown them how weak they were when faced with the onslaught of Undeads. And their encounter with Takeda only emphasized the danger they were in. Not only do they have to defend themselves against the Undeads, they also had to fend off danger from other Wielders.
If they want to survive, they have to be stronger.
A/N:
It has been a trying time for everyone and I hope everyone is staying safe :)
Take care everyone.