"You'd better stop sulking and find a way to be useful."
He looked up at her in annoyance.
Ms Hayashi was not impressed. She barely even stopped her notetaking.
"What?" she asked, her voice laced through with contempt. "Did you think you were still in school where I get paid to put up with your shit and be nice to you?"
His ears reddened in embarrassment at having his words thrown back in his face. He wished he had something to do to occupy his hands—so she wouldn't see them fidgeting nervously. But he was just here to be muscle, and there was nothing to be moved currently.
She pounced on it.
"Oh?" she crowed, feigned surprise in her voice. "The great Takashi Komuro did not think of that, did he?"
The annoyance was back in her voice again—redoubled.
It was someone else who answered.
"Of course he didn't."
His eyes flew to the speaker—Ms Marikawa. There was no hint of the ditzy persona on her face—just a dry matter-of-fact certainty. She glared at him like something weird under her boots.
"The stupid boy thought that it went only one way," she continued. "'The world is ending, so I don't have to listen to my betters.' Well idiot, did it ever occur to you that your betters don't have to listen to you too?"
"That man is not my better!" he protested. He hated the way his voice caught at the end.
"Of course he is," Ms Hayashi insisted. Ms Marikawa had gone back to her note, scribbling down whatever information she was gleaning from the medical supplies, obviously done with the conversation. "We have a defensible place because of him. We have what to eat because of him. We have a means of contacting the outside world because of him…"
"And Saeko," he interrupted.
"The fact that you think that those two are not the same faction just highlights your utter stupidity, Takashi," said Ms Hayashi. If she was annoyed with the interruption, she didn't show it. "This is not a game. We do not get any do-overs. If I have to choose between your pride and my life, I will choose my life every single time."
He hunched into himself, shoulders pulling inwards. "It's alright. I don't want to talk about it anymore."
"Well—tough," she replied. "I do."
"It's not my fault! He just took over like he was in charge of everything! We aren't kids anymore!"
"Is that your hang-up?" she asked. "Being treated like a child? Then grow up!"
He could feel the conversation slipping.
He needed to take it back—needed to land a hit before she dismissed him entirely.
"Why are you on my case, huh? Yeah you want us to survive bla bla bla, but Naruto is not the only way to survive."
"In this school right now, he might as well be," she shot. "After all, you're still here aren't you?"
He knew he should shut up.
But he couldn't.
Not now. Not when she was looking at him like that.
"Well, at least I didn't lead him on, only to dump him in the end," he shot back, fists clenched as he shot to his feet in anger. "How can you rely on a man you dumped, huh?!"
The room grew frigid, inventory forgotten.
"Well well well, Takashi, didn't you learn anything from what happened in the meeting?" asked Ms Shizuka, chuckling darkly. Ms Hayashi's face had shut down completely, nothing but a blank look on it.
"If she wants to remain in my face, then she can't complain when I fight back," he retorted, glare still firmly on the former ping-pong instructor.
By chance, the light from the fixture hit her at an angle that obscured her glasses, making them look opaque, and casting her face in shadow.
"You really do think you can now play in these leagues, huh?" said Ms Hayashi, her voice soft, deceptively calm. She lifted her head, her eyes as hard as rock.
The room felt strangely oppressive. The heat in his head allowed him to ignore it.
"What 'leagues'?" he retorted. "The leagues of has-beens, failed doctors, and cripples? That league?"
The two women looked at him, nothing on their faces.
He saw Ms Hayashi glance at the school doctor over his shoulder. She exhaled, slow and quiet. Her fingers relaxed around her pen and she shook her head, as though losing interest in the whole matter.
Something about the way Ms Hayashi sighed made his stomach twist. But he shoved it down.
He heard a page turn behind him and he looked, turning to Ms Shizuka. Her face was back to the slightly ditzy look she wore by default, the tip of her tongue poking out as she scribbled with concentration.
Feigned concentration, he was sure
"Get the next set of bags," Ms Hayashi instructed. "You'll learn—or not."
His face threatened to break into a smile, but he kept his cool. They'd attacked him, and he'd held his own, making them back off and change the topic in defeat.
He'd take his win and be gracious with it—like a real man. He'd watch his back though—women always fought dirty.
'It's been two days since the world went to shit.'
People always said that she didn't look like the type to keep a diary. In a way, they were right. After all, 'Miku Yuuki' writing in a cute little diary wasn't exactly an image she could picture.
And I'm Miku Yuuki!
But, she did love to surprise everyone.
Besides, why should only the cutesy types get the benefits of journaling? They already play life on easy mode, after all.
She quite properly ignored the fact that she was a hypocrite to complain about easy mode.
Takashi came back from the storage room in a good mood. Whatever the two women said—or did—must have worked wonders.
What? Some people might find the idea of a sinking ship romantic!
She was totally not looking at Rei.
She continued to allow her mind to wander even as she typed in her diary entry.
At any rate, if the older women decided to ride the Takashi express to 'cheer him up', then Rei might as well pack it up. All the mooneyes in the world could never compare to a good deep tissue massage. If she couldn't compare with those two bombshells, then Rei was absolutely cooked.
She put away her fantasy and brought her attention back to her phone screen.
I can't believe that this will be a luxury in three months…
If she was alive in three months, that is.
Who am I kidding? If I make it past a month, I'll throw myself a party.
Her first attempt to ingratiate herself with Naruto failed—but not as totally as one might imagine. Who would have thought that the one-armed man was such a kind man.
She was testing a couple of things with her request.
First, she needed to know if he could be led about with his dick.
From the rumours about him and Kyoko, it was, admittedly, a very good dick. The poor woman had walked about with an absolutely dickmatised face for weeks, riding a massive high.
Maybe even literally.
Then, for some reason, the woman had an attack of common sense and called the thing off.
Not sure if anyone made me look like that without even knowing that I'd ever be able to, or even be willing to call it off.
Big ups to Kyoko for that, but she needed to be sure.
Second, she needed to see that he was not a psychopath who'd gladly use her and justify it by claiming it as what she truly wanted or some such bullshit.
Saya had kinda rained on that, but she got her answer.
Kinda.
He refused her offer, but for the right reason. Seemed simple, but men were foolish like that sometimes, grasping the most difficult things but missing the easy stuff.
Then Takashi had to go blow his load all over the room.
She was watching the room—and unlike most people, who she was sure were watching Naruto, she was watching Saeko.
And the monster knew.
If her plan to survive was to get off the ground, she had to be sure that the crocodile pretending to be a demure girl didn't see her as encroaching on her territory.
Because she was watching, she saw it—the flash of something absolutely terrifying in Saeko's eyes when Takashi lunged for Naruto's back.
Her dagger was still in the table— a reminder that the girl was not joking about her man.
Even if none of them know it yet.
That would be amusing to watch happen.
Still, Miku was not discouraged. For now, she needed to focus on rapidly changing herself
Be useful. Necessary. Someone that can't easily be cut off.
With a bit of patience? Well…
Saeko will just have to learn how to share.
It wasn't personal.
It was survival.
And survival meant winning.
Her next competition would be Shizuka and Kyoko. They were both adult women, and rumours had them both with Naruto previously—even if she could only confirm it for Kyoko.
Sure she could beat an uncle's wife and steal his affection with nothing more than vague promises and risque pictures, but Kyoko and Shizuka were on another level.
Shizuka, more than Kyoko. After all, Kyoko has to have been unmarried for so long for a reason.
Thankfully, she was paired with the remaining girls for her task, and she had the chance to evaluate them. Unless Saya was playing a horrifically long game—and she wouldn't put it past the girl—then there was no competition there. Momo might as well be a cucumber.
No wait… A cucumber could at least theoretically fuck things.
Momo might as well be a potato.
Her survival plan A was on the road. She just had to beat a crocodile, and two big tiddy mature women.
…
She'd best start working on a plan B.
"That will not make you the least hesitant of accepting the protection of monsters now, will it?"
His chuckle as he turned his back on her felt like mockery of her ideals—of the ideals of her parents.
"Oh no… you will remain on your soapbox, floating above the rivers of blood your monsters will shed for you."
How arrogant!
The man was infuriating.
He thinks he is always right. Others are not even worth engaging with—all because he has a monopoly on violence.
The really infuriating thing was that he was right—at least for now.
Do I really want to prove him wrong though?
She had been forced to think—truly think—about the things she argued for. The world was ending. Her ideals put her on the path to Hisashi's death.
She didn't want to be like him. But what if he was right about that too? What if she had to be, just to survive and protect her loved ones?
If I was more pragmatic—more selfish—would Hisashi still be alive?
The thought tormented her all day. After the perimeter check, she was a bit caught in two minds about what to do.
She could not go to the roof—that would place her with Kohta, who was there when she argued with Mr Uzumaki. She—rightly, as far as she was concerned—took his silence as agreement with Mr Uzumaki's position.
She could not go to the store to help with inventory—Takashi was there, and she had no interest in seeing him right now while her thoughts were in turmoil.
She would not join Saya and the other girls in 'information retrieval'. The silence there would be almost oppressive, and she did not want to subject herself to it.
So, what should I do?
In the end, she did what she always did when she was confused.
Train.
She had the whole place to herself—just more signs of a world that was falling apart.
She ran through her strength training, allowing the pulse of blood in her ears and the sweet exertion of her muscles to pull her mind away from her troubles. For a time, it was just her, her body, and the mat. Sweat dripped from her and on to the mat as she balanced on her forearms in a plank, her eyes on the large clock on the wall opposite her. Her world narrowed to just the burn in her core and the second hand of the clock.
Time!
She dropped and rolled on to her back, breathing hard. She'd been slacking for two days, but that had to change.
One more.
She started the routine again, working her way through her strength and conditioning exercises until she was back at the plank, watching the second hand as sweat trickled into her eyes.
One more!
She lay on her back panting, allowing her body to cool down. Yet as she rested, the feeling of dissatisfaction began to creep in. The pleased feeling of progress she always had after a grueling workout was absent, leaving her feeling hollow, tired, and adrift.
She knew why that was. The image loomed large in her mind, despite her struggle to keep it out.
Saeko Busujima.
To think that I once thought of us as peers…
She kept replaying the last scenes of the meeting in her head.
She didn't see Saeko move at all. She was not on her radar until the thunk of her blade being stabbed into the table as a warning.
In the argument during the perimeter check, the girl was silent, amused as she watched her.
Like a child…
She had not seen either of them fight—Naruto or Saeko. But the longer they stayed in this new world, the more it seemed like they shed their careful masks, showing more of what was underneath.
I used to think that the difference between Saeko and I was mere random chance—something I could bridge with hard work and determination.
But now, she was no longer sure.
She was, in the end, a sportswoman trying to become a combatant.
Saeko was a combatant playing at being a sportswoman.
There was no doubt in her mind who had the advantage in this new world.
What was the point of training? In the end, people like Saeko—like Naruto—would dictate how things would go by the force of their arms.
Maybe I can be one of them?
Did she want that?
There was more than one type of strength. She had to believe that.
That was the only way forward for her. If she did not like the world, if she did not want to be dictated to, she just needed to become strong.
Strong enough to stand beside them.
And where does that leave her parents? Her family?
Takashi?
Had she really given up on finding them? Her father was unreachable via phone, and now, only the satellite phones worked reliably for communication. Her mother never had a phone—always hated them.
All she had left from her old life was Takashi.
Takashi—who was setting himself up as some sort of opposition to Naruto and Saeko.
Takashi—who would die if she did not manage to find a way to get to him. To make him listen to her.
She rolled into her cooldown stretches, her mind clear for what felt like the first time in ages.
First, I become strong enough to stand. Then I save my family and Takashi.
Sounds like a plan.
Her face might not show it, but she was quite mad.
That stupid boy… To think that he would say such a thing.
In the end, Kyoko simply let the matter be, so she had no choice but to comply—for now. But she was never going to see the boy as one of them. If he was willing to go so low just to avoid the scolding for his stupidity, then why should she care if he died?
She would put it—and him—out of her mind.
Permanently, she hoped.
Their medical inventory was actually quite good. Anything that required more than what they had on ground would probably already require an actual hospital, so the person would be shit out of luck.
After inventory, she'd gone to join the girls on information retrieval. She saw Rei through the window overlooking the ground floor—cranking out exercises like a mad woman.
Mad? She thought. Very soon, all of us would likely need to be at that level of minimum fitness just to survive.
Not today though. She had no intention of tiring herself out tonight.
There was a new person in the group—Hiroshi, the school chef.
Naruto and Saeko were still out. The violence must make the two feel like they were on a date.
They must have found him. I wonder who else is here on the campus too…
It was not a question that concerned her too much.
She idly tried a number she had been attempting to call since yesterday to no avail. To her surprise, it rang.
The person picked on the first ring. "Shizuka!"
"Rika!" she cried, true joy in her voice for the first time in days. "I was so worried!"
Rika laughed at the other end of the line. "Worried about lil old me? That's my line to you, you crazy bitch!"
The two laughed as they exchanged pleasantries. The rest of the girls in the room looked at her strangely, her joy overpowering her ditzy mask for the first time that they could probably see.
"Where are you, Rika?" she asked.
Rika sighed. "Can't say, unfortunately—it's classified. How about you?"
"So shameless," Shizuka replied, laughing again. "You won't show me yours but you want to see mine?"
"Shizuka…" whined Rika.
"Alright alright," Shizuka capitulated. "I'm still in Fujimi High. We found a place to hole up."
"What?" exclaimed Rika, her voice losing all humor. "You can't stay there long term, Shizuka. These zombies are really concentrated there. You need to get out of there as soon as you can."
Shizuka's heart skipped a beat. "How long do we have?"
"Less than eight weeks," replied Rika. "Six, more realistically—at least according to the simulations. You need to get out of there."
Shizuka sighed. Naruto's priorities seem to make some more sense now.
"Are you still there, Shizuka?" asked Rika.
"Yeah…" replied Shizuka. "It turns out that Naruto agrees with you."
"Wait who? Naruto?" asked Rika, something in her voice.
Shizuka replied. "I've told you about him before, yeah? He's that cute one-armed teacher."
All other girls looked up at her again with reactions ranging from exasperation in Saya, to outright alarm in Miku.
What, you little minx? You thought you were the only one who'd like that all for herself?
"Shizuka," asked Rika after taking a deep breath. "Tell me you're not talking about Naruto Uzumaki."
Huh?
"Yes?" replied Shizuka, drawing out the word.
"One armed redhead with three whiskers on each cheek?"
"Yes?"
"He's the one you're with?" asked Rika, urgency creeping into her voice.
"Well, not just him," Shizuka replied. "There's Saeko…"
"Full names, Shizuka." snapped Rika
"Okay okay sheesh… There's Saeko Busujima, Saya Takagi, Rei Miyamoto, Momo Kawamoto, Miku Yuuki, Kohta Hirano, Kyoko Hayashi, Hiroshi… I'm not actually sure of his last name? And Takashi Komuro."
Rika sighed, but more in relief. "Well, you lucky bitch. You have the daughter of the most important man in Japan right now in your group, and what sounds like Busujima's heir. You're probably in the safest part of Japan currently, zombies aside."
"Busujima?"
"Yeah," replied Rika. "Big shot black operative. His redacted file entries are larger than my entire career file."
"Wait…" she stepped out, shutting the door and running to the other room for some privacy. "Black op? As in spy shit and stuff?"
"More like 'explosion' stuff and shit," replied Rika. "Takagi is the most influential diet member still in the country, and the highest ranking noble still alive."
"What about Naruto?" asked Shizuka.
"Who's that?" replied Rika.
"I'm serious, Rika."
"Fine," said Rika. "But you did not hear it from me."
"Deal. Now spill!"
"From what I've heard, he's a favoured private military contractor," began Rika. "Officially, he doesn't even have a name. But, my partner swears that he's real. His work is the cleanest in the country—if you want someone to disappear, they literally will. He's rumoured to be in Takagi's employ, but also works for anyone who can afford him."
"Naruto?" asked Shizuka, shocked.
Her mind flashed to the first time she saw him—all those years ago as part of her trauma rotation.
"His confirmed kill count is in the hundreds, at the very least," Rika continued.
"Are we talking about the same person? One armed redhead with whiskers?" asked Shizuka again.
"Yes," Rika said simply. "The very same."
Damn.
She looked back, trying to see if there was anything in the last two years that he'd been working at Fujimi that might be reinterpreted to even hint at any of this.
Nothing.
Rika continued, unaware of her epiphany. "He's likely there for Takagi. But, if you're with him and he's on your side… Well, let's just say I wouldn't bet against your odds."
Damn.
She was starting to see his reactions in the meeting in a different light.
Maybe Saeko wasn't just threatening Takashi. Maybe she was showing off for Naruto while telling him that there was no need to handle Takashi by himself?
Maybe she was already positioning herself as someone who would look out for his interests?
"Shizuka?"
"I'm here," Shizuka replied. "I just… Damn."
"Yeah," agreed Rika. "But he's on your side. If it were me, I'd have him eating out of my hands."
"I could," replied Shizuka. "But… I'm just trying to wrap my mind around what you're saying."
"You could do that and wrap your legs around that too babe," remarked Rika. "You've always been great at multitasking."
"Shut up! What if someone overhears you?"
So what?" asked Rika, unconcerned. "I'm looking forward to a good group massage session when I finally track you down but if you still don't have him then, I'm sorry girl, but I've always leaned more towards good wood over good carpet."
"You're just a slut Rika," Shizuka laughed.
"I did learn from the best," Rika shot back. "But seriously," she continued, "get him in your pocket fast. Takagi will want to use his strength as a resource to rebuild, and you need to be right in there before any other vultures start circling. And keep a slot open for me."
"Saeko has her eyes on him," Shizuka said. "The poor girl may not know it yet, but it's true."
"So?" asked Rika. "That girl can't handle him alone if the rumours I hear about him are even half true. Even you can't."
Is that a challenge?
"Is that a challenge, Rika?" Shizuka said playfully. "You know men—they always exaggerate these things."
"That's the thing," said Rika. "It's women here that are saying that. They actually had a rotation for the man—masked it as an experiment or some such bullshit."
Well… Damn.
Naruto and Saeko finally returned in the late afternoon.
Everyone was already getting exhausted—not by work, but by the atmosphere pressing down on them. To be completely honest, the work was not engaging enough to mitigate the stress of worrying. Besides someone like Rei, who could—and did—just throw herself into training until she was exhausted, every other person was feeling it. The novelty of the newest member had sort of worn off, and all that was left was worrying.
Everyone was gathered in the vehicle bay of the sports complex. Naruto was talking with Hiroshi in tones that were too low for her to overhear. Saeko stood some way off them, a small, pleased smile on her face.
She's acting like she went on a date.
Takashi was in the corner. He had what he must have thought was a cool expression on his face.
Just makes him look constipated.
The fool. She would keep his words in mind. Idiots like him always messed up in the end—she just had to be patient, and to be there.
People seemed to forget—that she was short didn't make her less of a Takagi than her father.
Maybe Takashi will be my object lesson on that to those who can read that sort of thing…
Speaking of that, she glanced at Shizuka out of the corner of her eye. On the surface, the woman was the same. One had to be very careful to note the almost unconscious predatory gleam in her eyes when she looked at Naruto.
And when she looked at Saeko too, for that matter.
The gleam wasn't even hidden in Miku's case. The slut had straight-up chosen her survival strategy. She was built for it, but the pickings were looking kind of slim.
What she needed to do was subtly introduce the idea of 'sharing' to Saeko's mind. The girl was a dangerous woman, but naive in some ways. A whisper here, a nudge there, and Saeko, Shizuka, and Miku would be hers, and through them, another aspect of Naruto's loyalty.
She herself had her eyes on Kohta. He was rich enough that he could be an asset to the family name, and had that nice, subtle gleam of ruthlessness in his eyes—barely there, but enough to hint at a diamond in the rough. His lack of experience simply meant that she'd be in charge of their relationship.
As it should be.
Momo didn't matter except as a bargaining chip for later use against her family. If she could tie her to her faction? Fine.
And it was her faction, no matter what her father thought.
Your mistake, father, was leaving me in a situation where I could establish myself as separate from you in Naruto's mind.
That was why she barely called home. That was why she did not push for going to the Takagi estate.
It was safe, but that was all it was.
And fortune favors the bold.
Was it right? Well, as heir, it was her responsibility to position the Takagi house in a place where it would benefit the most. Right now, that was as a separate branch from her father.
One might say it is not just right, but inevitable.
She would have tried to seduce Naruto herself if she thought she could control him that way. It was impossible, of course. The man had some silly notion about repopulating his clan, but through only one woman. Despite being whored around—in the name of research, of course—he had only pursued a relationship with one woman she was aware of.
And I am very aware of what happens in the life of my retainer and future Daimyo.
The woman, Kyoko, was nearly past the time where she could have children—useless, at least to her, in ensuring Naruto's clan expanded and thrived.
Under her benevolent influence, of course, with Naruto as hers.
And Naruto was hers, regardless of what he or her father thought.
Or at least, he will be.
Of course, wielding him was another matter altogether. She may not have seen all the reports her father did, but she saw enough to know that Naruto was either simply pointed in a direction and let loose, or given a job with minimal moral dilemmas.
If you wanted a drug lord who was entrenched in a bunker killed? Naruto was your man. If that same warlord had a family with little children who also needed to be silenced? Well, you'd be lucky if Naruto didn't have you as his next target.
If only the man could be reasoned with. If only he could be… guided.
In any case, the man was the key to her emancipation from her father, and gaining power—actual power—for herself. In a sense, this zombie apocalypse was a godsend. It opened up avenues she would have found closed to her before. The first time Naruto was introduced to their family, she was there. He'd introduced himself as a shinobi. While her father heard correctly that he was an assassin, she heard the truth—that he was looking for a partner in the light. Someone who could give him direction, legitimacy, and freedom to do his own thing.
Her father could only do two of those things. He was ruthless, but not flexible enough to work Naruto's freedom into something that would also benefit him. So he sought to curtail that freedom, and Naruto, whether he knew it or not, chafed under that bridle.
Her father would never have agreed with her plan. He was too careful—too methodical. If the world had continued as it was, he might even have been right.
But now…
Well, she was never a woman of talk—only action.
Naruto clapped once. "Alright everyone, let's come together."
He waited for everyone to focus on him before he began. "I'll brief everyone this evening on what we've done and where I think we need to go next. But for now, I have a mission I want us to accomplish."
"All of us?" asked Miku. She was eager to join him the last time, so she would relish this.
I hope she's not an adrenaline junkie…
He nodded. "Yes, all of us." He reached into his pocket for a piece of paper folded on itself. Opening it up, it showed a crude map of the school. He placed it on one of the crates in the bay. "Come on everyone. Come closer."
They huddled closer to him, Saya right beside him with Saeko on the other side. The atmosphere had picked up, and some excitement was building.
"We want to raid the cafeteria," he began. "We have three of the electric carts just outside—Kyoko will drive one, Hiroshi will drive the second one, and Shizuka will drive the third."
He looked around to make sure they were all paying attention. They were.
"Rei and Momo will be with Kyoko, Saeko and Miku will be with Shizuka, and Takashi will be with Hiroshi. Rei, Saeko and Takashi—your jobs will be to provide quiet protection in case of any zombies. Momo and Miku—you will be there to provide extra hands and muscle when required."
"What will you be doing?" Takashi asked, scorn in his voice. Even now, he insisted on playing those games that would-be delinquents played with teachers.
Oh well, that's on him, I guess. As long as he does what he is supposed to do.
"I will provide screening and a QRF for any zombies you cannot handle," he said. "Remember—silence is absolutely crucial. Too much noise, and we will bring them to us."
Saya snorted, drawing attention to herself. "Are you sure Takashi can do these things?" she asked. "He's quite the loud mouth, as we all know."
Takashi puffed up to respond, but he silenced him with a glare.
He turned to Saya. "Takashi will do what he needs to. If he can't, Hiroshi will be able to compensate better than anyone else. You and Kohta however will remain here to man the doors. I will take one of the wireless in-ear communicators. I need you to alert me on zombie movements via CCTV monitoring."
Pointing at the map, he noted some markings. "These mark the areas we have herded zombies to in the campus. This does not mean that there are no other zombies anywhere. It does mean that the closest concentration to us is in the classroom area, and the largest is in the administrative block area."
He stood upright, face hardening as he addressed them all. "This is not a joke or a game. If you mess up, you will die. Worse, you will take someone else with you."
He loosened his hold on his intent a little bit—just enough for even these civilians to feel it.
"If I tell you to do something, you do it—no questions asked. No arguments." Everyone had unconsciously taken a step back from him. "Don't try to be a hero. Do exactly what you are told, and do your best."
He reigned his intent back in, turning to the door. "Let's move."