Chapter 9: No Choice

Hikigaya Hachiman.

Senpai.

As expected, when mentioning him, you can't forget his dull looks. His eyes resemble those of a dead fish, his posture is slouched, and let's not forget his messy hair. There are also those creepy remarks of his, and his disregard for a maiden's heart.

Sometimes, I can still smell those nasty guts... Yuck! Senpai, I swear! Only you could come up with such a gross plan!

However, even with all those flaws of his... Senpai is kind.

Even when his own life was at stake, he chose to save me.

When he was about to be eaten by the zombies, he pushed Yukko-san to safety first.

When he could've gotten to a safe place, he never forgot his sister, and rushed to find her without a second thought.

When his sister's condition worsened, he chose to go look for medicine by his lonesome. He would not endanger anyone else. He would do it all by himself.

And so, I watch that hopelessly kind senpai leave the house, the destination being the pharmacy.

"Take care of Komachi. I'm counting on you, kouhai."

He flashes a confident smile, but the worry in his eyes never fades. That senpai is truly hopeless, trying to act tough for the sake of others.

Sadly, I can't find it in myself to call out his bravado. And so, my response is an optimistic one as well.

"But of course! You can count on me, senpai!"

He offers a carefree wave of the hand, and finally takes his leave.

And then there is silence.

A moment passes, and I finally move to lock the door, before barricading it shut with the table that we had carried here from the kitchen the first day we got here. I place some chairs there as well for good measure. Confirming that the door has been sealed shut, I allow myself a breath of relief.

"Iroha-chan...?" a soft voice suddenly calls out from behind me. Turning around, I meet the tired gaze of a pale Komachi.

(She looks even worse...)

"Where's gomi-chan?" she asks, a dizzy, yet worried expression clouding her features. And calling senpai 'gomi-chan' of all things, is she really in the right state of mind right now? Well, she does look rather tired. Not one to correct a sick person, I leave those thoughts be.

"Senpai... he just left for the pharmacy." I answer honestly, it's not as if Senpai hadn't informed her of his plan. Still, to say that Komachi was calm when she first heard of his plan would be a lie.

As expected, even after calming down, she is still not on board with his plan. However, no longer is she angrily using Senpai's name as an insult, now she just holds a resigned frown

"He really did it, huh...? Damnit, you better come back safe, Onee-chan."

"Don't worry, Rice-chan." I say with a confident smile – sadly, a bravado of my own – while calling her by a nickname that is no doubt a testament to our shared time together, even if it's only been a couple of days.

And as to why I call her 'Rice-chan' of all things? Well, her name kinda resembles that of the Akitakomachi cultivation of rice.

In any case, Rice-chan needs to be cheered up right now! Just look how sad she's become due to that good for nothing brother of hers!

"Senpai is strong, you know. He will make it back in no time."

All things considered, that is not a lie. He can handle himself with a machete, that much I have seen for myself. Though the best, or perhaps the worst, of his qualities, ought to be that he makes some truly ridiculous plans on the fly, and they actually work!

The guts incident just resurfaced my mind... and I want to take back my praise. Damnit, senpai! Even though I understand why you did it, have some tact, like, seriously!

"Iroha-chan... thanks." she offers a weak smile.

"Now then... let's get you back to bed, Rice-chan."

"Hu-h...? But I just woke up...!" a weak response and a tired voice. No doubt she is very sick.

"You sound even worse than you look, Rice-chan. And you look really, really bad. Besides, Senpai told me to look after you. It's the boss's orders, the boss's orders!"

"Aw... come ooon...!"

And so, I drag a protesting Rice-chan back to her room.

(Be safe, senpai.)

Looking around from my hiding spot – an abandoned car on the side of the road – I eventually catch sight of the pharmacy.

I had to avoid several dozen zombies to reach this place. Still, in face of the even larger horde of zombies gathering in front of the pharmacy, that was a breeze.

Seriously, why are they gathering here of all places!?

Sighing, I rummage through the bag. Thankfully, I had considered a possibility like this, and so brought a few items as a countermeasure.

Before long, I find the perfect tool for my plan. It is nothing special, and a certainly useless item when it comes to killing zombies. Still, as a distraction, it will do nicely.

The plan is simple. I throw this ceramic cup as far away from the pharmacy as possible, and hope that it makes enough noise to attract the zombies. When it is done and the zombies are successfully distracted, I make a run for the pharmacy.

A simple plan, easy.

At least, that's what I try to tell myself. Unfortunately, I am a pessimist. And so, I can't help but feel that something terrible is going to come out of this.

"I have no choice, huh?"

I put the backpack back on and prepare myself for the worst.

(Please work!)

I throw the cup – and it collides with one of the cars parked on the other side of the road. Better than the mere noise of a cup breaking, the car's alarm sounds off as well.

Unfortunately, such noise is not only loud enough to attract the zombies nearby, but also the zombies that are further away.

There is no doubt in my mind, an even bigger horde is sure to gather.

(Damnit! Why did I have to go for the caaaar!?)

Seriously, am I trying to get myself killed here?

I shake my head, there is no longer any room for regrets. I must adapt to the situation at hand and make the best of it.

It takes a while, but eventually most of the zombies reach the car.

(I must be quick. Who knows how long it will take for them to get bored with the car.)

With my goal set, I make a run for the pharmacy.

Thankfully, I make it there without any incident, and move for the door.

(Yes! It's unlocked!)

Since the apocalypse began during the day, the pharmacy was left open. If it had been after work hours, I would be left with a locked door and no way in. Correction, no convenient way in – I could still break in through the windows, but seeing as a large horde had gathered here today, the noise made by such an act would make it a suicide mission.

Thanking my lucky stars, I quietly enter the pharmacy.

Some time has passed since then.

There are good news, and there are bad ones as well.

The good news? I got the medicine.

The bad news? The zombie horde is larger than ever, and because the car alarm has stopped, they are now crowding the entire street, even the front of the pharmacy.

"Well, shit."

Ah, did I mention the worst news? That's right, the zombie horde is not the only problem I face.

Turning my gaze to my right, I meet a pointy, golden crown with three rubies etched upon it, within my hand. If it hasn't been made obvious yet, I am about to put on the crown. After all, how else will I get back to Komachi in time? Obviously, I could wait out for the horde to leave, or at the very least for it to disperse until only a couple remain.

Unfortunately, I don't have that much time.

"Komachi's waiting for me. I have no choice."

If I go with the safer option, Komachi will have to wait a long time before she gets her medicine. If that happens, her condition might worsen, and I can't bear to imagine what would happen to her then.

I can't lose her.

I refuse to lose her!

And so, the crown finds its way on my head once more.

"Gaaah!?"

The zombie bites me. Still, my daughter is holding my hand, and my motherly duty surpasses my pain.

I kick the zombie away and make a run for it.

"Hold tight, Keika!"

That cute, young, blue-haired daughter of mine. She has inherited my hair color and my grey eyes. I know what the zombie bite does to a human, I've seen it for myself after all.

Luckily, Keika had been asleep when the transformation had hit her father, which was also when when his life came to an end by my hands, when faced with no choice but to do so. The alternative would've cost not only mine, but also Keika's life.

And so, there is only one thing left for me to do - get Keika to safety before I turn into a zombie.

"Mommy!" she shouts as she finally realizes what has happened to me. Fortunately, she does not know that the bite is not just a simple bite. It's best she doesn't find out what fate has in store for me.

"Don't worry about me, Keika! I'm fine, just keep hold of my hand and run!"

And as to how we ended up in this situation in the first place? Well, for starters, when the apocalypse first began, I, Keika, and Satoshi, her father, had all payed a visit to the dentist. Keika had a spoiled tooth, unfortunately.

To think that the apocalypse would start right after, and we would have no choice but to stay hidden at the dentist's for several days due to a horde of zombies swarming the place, not to mention my dear Satoshi getting infected as well?

Eventually, the zombies left. Thus, the two of us sneakily made our way out of the dentist's, and made our way home, to find the rest of Keika's siblings. There is no way in hell I wouldn't look for the rest of my children, damnit.

And then, a group of zombies started chasing us out of nowhere.

And now that I look further ahead, I can only tremble in fear for my daughter's safety.

For an even bigger horde awaits us there.

I am not a person that would usually curse. Rather, I am not a person that would curse in front of children, especially if they are my own.

However, the hopelessness of it all can break even the strongest of wills.

"S, shit!"

"Mommy! I'm scared!"

(Think, Kena! Think, damnit!)

I look to my left, and then my right. No matter where I look, the zombies are approaching us.

(D, damnit...!)

In the face of this hopeless situation, follows resignation and despair.

"...Keika."

"M, mom?" she looks teary eyed at me. My next words, it hurts my soul to even think them.

"Close your eyes, dear." at least, those are the words about to leave my mouth, but the loud noise of breaking metal and loud wind keeps it shut.

Instead, I turn towards the source of the sound.

"What!?"

There, I find a young boy with wild hair and a strange crown on his head, laughing manically while blue light engulfs his hands.

"Hahahaha! You fools that stand in my way – eat these ice winds! Hahaha!"

And what follows next, is something out of my wildest dreams.

Its magic.

The crown is here, and so it begins...

Well, anyway, here are some answers:

Kiyotaka Uchiha – Now that the world is infested with zombies, and she doesn't know how to drive, Yukinoshita couldn't have gotten that far from Chiba anyway. Also, she lives by herself, so finding her family is also a must. Also, she must worry about survival and all that other stuff. Besides that, don't worry, I'm not much into the Yukinoshita ship either, since the canon story already has that. Though, I'm not saying it couldn't happen either. After all, I haven't exactly decided how romance will go in this story yet.

Ozkarus – It might happen, who knows?

Fernando917 – He owns the Crown from Adventure Time, remember? As long as he has that, how is he to escape the fate of an eternity of madness? Well, let's find out as the story goes on, perhaps there is a way? Or perhaps... there isn't. (Dun Dun Dunnn – scary sound effect!)

Hachiman fan – While vampires hadn't crossed my mind before, it is certainly an interesting idea.