Beta read by Shigiya, Darklord331, Maglad and Gamercrusher55.
Next update is Steel Eyed Faker
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-Tokonosu-
(Early in the morning)
It hadn't been long since he discovered the undead, and so far, Cu failed to find any other victims or even a clue about what sparked this mess. Sure, he had a few theories rattling in his noggen, but without proof, they were just guesses.
If he didn't figure this out fast, though, he had a bad feeling that things were about to get a lot worse.
"You're not going to school, boss?"
His musing was interrupted by the person next to him, the gangster-looking guy he met on his second day in town. This was the same guy who begged him to spare him after confessing to only working with small gangs due to financial issues and supporting his little sister at school.
Yoshito still wore the durag over his head and the necklaces, and his overall appearance remained the same after their last meeting.
Cu took another chip. Both of them were eating a couple of snacks in an old Kei car that looked like it would fall apart at any moment. Rusted in some areas from the outside, smooth tires that offered little to no grip on the road, and a broken door handle with wires sticking from the side.
Yet it still ran reliably, after all, it got him to the shrine and back to Tokonosu without much issue.
"Took myself a day off," was all he said, calmly listening to some of the western rap songs Yoshito loved. "And quit callin' me boss, will ya? Sounds bleedin' odd. If some idiot heard ya, they'd be thinkin' I'm in with the Yakuza. Already had run-ins with the cops, don't need more trouble on my plate. Kyoko might genuinely try to strangle me in my sleep if she found out."
"Got it, aniki!"
Oh well, it was better than the alternative, and he was older than the guy, so he wasn't technically wrong.
"You know, for someone who just lost the brand-new car your boss lent ya, you seem awful happy with this one." He recalled when they first met, Yoshito would hang out with the group where the leader had them as a driver and would even let him keep the old car when it was time to go home. "Did you buy it or nick it?"
"Hahaha! Come on, aniki, don't say that. I'm seriously paid for this thing fair and square. Used up some of my savings from the gang work. My grandparents would haunt me if I lied about that."
In that case, the savings must not have been very much to begin with. The two-decade-old car his father had looked at least ten times more valuable and in better condition than this one.
"My friend had this lying around for many years, I bought it at an extremely cheap price and spent the rest of the money on replacing the engine and the wiring and even got some of these comfortable seats."
The man had a point; the seats were in good condition and were more comfortable to lie on than the ones in Kyoko's car, but still, the thing he sat on was barely bolted down and would rustle in place at each turn. The guy was certain that he saw a piece of rusted lug nut falling off the tire a few minutes ago.
"You sure sound like you have a lot of confidence in this car."
"Of course I do! It may not look impressive, but this baby can survive an apocalypse, let alone a peaceful town like Tokonosu. "I even got this new radio with that money you gave me."
"Friendly advice: don't put so much trust in a tin you just bought recently, especially when being held together with hopes and prayers."
"I trust it!"
The Irish man chuckled at his enthusiasm, while he himself did not have that much funds to support this guy, he had enough to just compensate him whenever he could as he did not want to take advantage of him whenever he needed his car. Of course, it meant sacrificing a few beers he could have bought with that money, but Yoko had several in stock, so he would just secretly drink there if his fridge was empty.
"How's your sister, for that matter? And your family overall, last time you said they were pretty sick."
Yoshito let out a heavy sigh, running a hand over his durag. "This damn town's getting pricier every year, thanks to that asshole mayor. Between that and the medical bills, I'm lucky I even had enough to scrape together for this car. Had to fix it up just to keep it running. Can't let my sister stress about money, though—she's got enough on her plate with school. But try finding a decent job looking like me," he said, gesturing to himself. The tattoos certainly didn't help, along with his overall thuggish appearance and height, made him look like someone who would cause trouble.
Which baffled him a bit, he saw the man's sister, a small cute gal with red hair like Momo that resembled a little angel and was very polite. He truly wondered if these two were really related or whether or not he was adopted.


"Cheer up, things will work out for you in the end, I am sure of it." Cu said with a forced smile, keeping his eyes on the road and going silent for a moment until he heard Yoshito mutter something under his breath.
"Another one missing."
"What?" Cu asked, relaxing against the chair with the wind blowing on his face. Having almost fallen asleep but forcing himself to stay awake.
"More missing posters, look."
Slowing the car, he pointed at a bus stop. On the nearby signboard, multiple posters could be seen, all of them of missing people, and all of them had recently been added.
The sight made Cu frown.
Perhaps it was unrelated, but he did not remember seeing so many of these when he first came over. Not to mention the timing made it that more suspicious. "Does it happen often?"
Still, best to ask someone who grew up around these parts.
"Kinda. Even in a town like this you have your regular johatsu cases pop up with people just… vanishing. Or murder cases, people escaping from violent relationships, human trafficking, rapes, kidnappings, you name it. It's not as bad as the numbers in Tokyo from what I heard, but it is a bit strange."
"How so?"
"It's just… I feel like there are more and more of these posters lately. Look over there," he pointed at a phone poll where multiple posters were present, all of them recent as well. None of those on the posters were part of the group that trashed the shrine, but most were very recent. "The majority are students with the few being adults. What's really weird is that you won't hear anything about this on the news, not a fucking word, these politicians are keeping us in the dark I tell you. Probably got caught by the Yakuza to be sold off outside the country or maybe even the Triade, heard that those groups have a monopoly in the slave trade."
The conversation kept rolling as the car rumbled down the road, neither of them in any particular rush. About twenty minutes later, Yoshito pulled over a block away from Ishio High School. The place was a complete circus—reporters shoving microphones in every direction, parents yelling over each other, and cops looking like they'd rather be anywhere else.
"Tch, it's worse than I thought. The whole neighborhood gathered here and even the cameras are rolling." Yoshito mentioned as he got out of the car, scowling which made a few passerbys immediately avoided the duo. "Why even come here? If the girl is sexy enough then I suppose it makes sen—ouch!"
The man was silenced by a slap at the back of his head. "Idiot, I didn't come here to mess around with any girls. As for the reason, you remember what I told you yesterday?"
"The missing brats, yeah I remember." He answered, not really showing much concern about the missing people. Cu didn't mention about the undead, only about finding a dead body. "You see this kind of stuff regularly on my side, kids with powerful parents or those who got involved with bad eggs going about causing trouble and being your typical assholes. They end up going too far and someone dies by accident or because someone forgot to hold back, and then they all scatter like rats, dropping that tough facade shit and hiding under their mother's skirt and whining to their wealthy daddy's to fix it."
"Sums it up, though these ones most likely got involved in something that ight be really bad news for the entire city if not taken care of quickly." Leaning against the hood of the car, accepting a cigarette handed to him, Cu continued to observe the school in front and any entry points he could use. "So unfortunately for them, they'll have to deal with me."
"Is it really that bad?" He was asked this question, this time with a more worried expression from the other side. "Can't you just let the police handle it? I heard the Takagi are involved with this, you just don't mess with them no matter who you are. They'll drag those kids out whether they are screaming bloody murder."
Cu chuckled, that was what he was worried about most. People who had no idea what an undead was and getting bitten by them. It did not matter if those kids were killed later on or not, for the infection would have already started to spread by now. That was if the infection was even transmitted by bite. It could involve a curse for all he knew. "Tell me, do you believe in the supernatural?"
"Supernatural? Like ghosts and stuff?"
"I guess they are part of it, but more specifically things like undead or zombies if you'd like."
This answer clearly took him by surprise as he stared at Cu for a few moments before exhaling a puff of smoke while looking upwards. "Shit man, that's scary stuff but they are one of my favorite genres to see in movies. My sister and I will have Friday nights where we'll watch something like that."
"And if that were to become reality?"
He puffed his chest then exhaled a cloud of smoke, showing a confident face. "Weird kind of question, but since you asked… then I'll crush them all with ease! Whether it be with a knife or gun, those things can only walk slowly, super easy to deal with. Don't know how those characters in movies always struggle so much, like, it's not like a quick shot to the head is that hard."
The former Servant of the spear wanted to shake his head at the man's naivety. "Saying is much easier than actually doing it. While one undead is not a threat, a thousand of them, tens of thousands or even millions will easily overwhelm anyone, no matter how strong or fast they are. But you're missing something, what if someone close to you were to become an undead?"
Yoshito's mouth froze in place, unable to provide an answer he became uncomfortable with that idea, frowning and showing clear aversion to that idea.
"Like hell I would let that happen, my sister is too cute to become a zombie and I'll fucking kill an army of them if they even tried." He shook his head, perhaps trying to get rid of a thought that he did not like. "In any case, why even bring this up? Don't tell me those brats involved with zombies…"
"Hahahaha!" That ended up making the blue haired man laugh at how close his friend was to the bullseye. "You won't believe me even if I tell you why I want to find them, it's easier to just show you next time. In any case, while we wait for a bit, how's my order going? Is it gonna be ready anytime soon?"
"Yeah, though my friend asked for more time. For some reason the materials he ordered from the outside haven't arrived and not a single fucker is picking up his calls — but the shaft is already done and all that remains was the spearhead, which he's just going to make with local materials to save time. But he wasn'tnot the only one, I also lost contact with a few of my friends in the States. All of them went radio silent man."
Cu furrowed his eyebrow, checking his phone where he read a few messages from his parents from yesterday. Giving him an update every so often and asking him how things were on his side. Yet yesterday they also mentioned how they won't be able to contact him for a few days, something about the cell service in their area needing maintenance.
He tried sending a single message, but it was not received from their end. A single tick appeared on his side, last seen online for almost half a day.
"..."
A hint of paranoia that originally would not have been present at any other day started to gnaw at his mind. Not a pleasant sensation in the least, he hoped it was just a simple issue getting resolved in a day or two. There was no other way to check on them even if he wanted to, all of his old friends were in that area.
"You have a scary fucking face." The sudden remark from Yoshito shook Cu away from his trance, pocketing his phone and discovering he was being stared at warily. "You didn't have that kind of face back when you were fighting the gang. Anything happened?"
"It's nothing, also, heads up." He waved the latter's worries away. "Hm?" Just as he was about to walk towards the school and find a path inside, a familiar figure approached them. Wearing a large coat and having the same scowl on his face as his daughter.
"Why aren't you at school?"
"Ooooh, good morning to ya, Tadashi!" A grin stretched on Cu's face as he saw the police officer who detained him on his second day here and funnily enough the father of his 'disciple' Rei. "Should have known you were going to be here, I hope Rei got home early yesterday."
"Don't you dare bring her up," the middle-aged man hissed, his tone sharp enough to cut through steel. His glare shifted to Yoshito, who stiffened under the scrutiny. "And you—I remember you. Last time I saw your face, you were in that alley. Paramedics had to clean up his mess while you where just standing there. Now here you are, hanging around another school when one of you should be in Fujimi. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slap cuffs on both of you and toss you in a cell where you belong?"
"Didn't get enough sleep yesterday from the looks of it, you're just as grumpy as Rei during her mood swings."
"I told you to not speak about my daughter!"
Yoshito flinched in place, looking absolutely terrified while Cu tried to calm the policeman with an easy going smile. "Oh calm down will you? I was sick and Yoshito here felt bad for what happened last time and took it upon himself to make it up to me. So we were just going to the pharmacy and then saw this commotion here. I don't think you'll be worried about two random people when you have more important things to worry about."
Tadashi squinted his eyes at that answer, continuing to look at him in the eyes for a few more seconds before sighing. "Fine, you're not worth the effort. But talk about my little girl again and I will handcuff you to the bed frame of a jail cell."
Just as snappy as his daughter, at least now he knew where she got her personality from. The looks must have been from the mother's side and she was definitely a looker from the pictures that Rei showed him.
"You seem very against the idea of both of us hanging out."
"I prefer for her to focus on her studies more than making friends with a delinquent who couldn't help himself from causing a lot of issues on his second day." He said sternly, "I already have enough to deal with, I don't want you to drag her down."
Drag her down, that was the last thing he would do and the girl was too stubborn to fall for such a thing in the first place. Though he could understand why the father was so worried, she was his daughter after all. "Rei is a smart girl, she'll figure out what's best for her. I won't force any decision on the gal. In any case, mind filling me with what's happening here?"
"None of your business," he answered dismissively, "This isn't something a student should get involved with, so just go back home. Despite my feelings, I can tell deep down you're a good kid, so don't get into trouble and cause unneeded worry for your guardian… also stay away from my daughter."
Cu raised an eyebrow, "What if she is the one approaching me? Her entire goal so far has been to beat my ass during sparring, I doubt she'll back away easily, that gal is as stubborn as a mule. Wonder where she got it from."
"Watch your mouth!" Even if those words were mentioned angrily, he saw the man's mouth twitch upwards, almost forming a smile. "Hah, I pity the woman taking care of you."
"C'mon, I make sure to not cause too much stress to Kyoko as well." He watched as Tadashi scoffed before leaving, paying them no more attention until he recalled something. "When you go back home, can you tell Rei that I appreciated the bento box she made for me, but she really needs to add more meat in her diet."
"She did what!?" Horror showed on the father's face as he turned around and rushed at Cu, grabbing him by the collar with clear murderous intentions in his eyes. "You bastard, are you dating my daughter!? I'll lock you up in a jail cell!"
"Calm down pops, I'm actually being serious here. With how often she pushes herself, that girl barely listens to me whenever I tell her to rest or follow my advice. So if you don't want her to see herself get injured during training, best she follows what I say. Unless You are able to convince her to stop sojutsu."
The middle-aged man scowled, looking at the boy as if he was going to strangle him at any moment. But with how many eyes were on them and the fact that the cameras could turn towards them at any moment, he was forced to let go while grinding his teeth.
But just as he was about to leave, Cu had one final thing to say to him.
"I know we started out on the wrong foot, but I really am not going to make her life harder. She's a good girl, her temper could use some work but overall, she's not a bad person. If she starts to get involved with bad company or some shitty scumbag wants to make her school life hell… I'll give them a good beating in your stead." Tadashi's eyes widened, staring at the boy with surprise as he most likely hadn't thought the latter would be aware of that side of the story.
"You…"
"She's the one who told me if you're wondering, I didn't force her or anything like that. It's already hard enough for her to go to school with practically everyone afraid to approach her because of Shido, that is why let's both of us make sure she gets to have an enjoyable year." He said sincerely, getting the other one to calm down and let go of him. A complicated expression flashing on his face as he broke his gaze and looked downwards.
"You have no idea, kid. I can't make it up to her when it is actually my fault as to why she's in that situation in the first place." He whispered quietly, the prior intimidating presence completely gone leaving behind nothing but a weary father.
Cu sighed, slapping the latter's shoulders. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself, moping around won't make things any better. I don't care what you did or how this even happened in the first place, but as long as you're willing to put in the effort then that's all I care about. Just treat her like you would always do, don't act pitifully as it will affect her. She is more perceptive than you imagine, try to smile a bit will you?"
The policeman was taken aback, finding himself speechless to say anything else. After a few moments of mulling over something in his mind before taking a deep breath.
"...You're a good kid." He proceeded to pat Cu's shoulders as well. "I'm still going to warn you to not get too close to her, let her focus on her studies first before doing anything else. Got it?"
"These pants aren't coming off around her anytime soon, old man. But what if she is the one who is coming at me?" He said playfully come on getting a reaction out of Tadashi who regained his prior demeanor and this time left them with big strides.
"You'll have to go through me first, you fucking brat. Just make sure she doesn't get in any trouble at school… and here is my number in case Shido tries anything else."
That earned a chuckle from the Irishman, feeling both amused and happy that they could come to an agreement. They're interaction had been witnessed by the stupefied Yoshito who hadn't uttered a single word the entire time. His knees trembling the entire time, "Holy shit, aniki, you are banging the girl of the guy who arrested you!? That's so aweso—ouch!"
Whatever he was about to say afterwards was quickly put to a stop with the help of another slap to the back of his head.
"I ain't fucking Rei for that reason, we ended up meeting each other by pure chance. Also, chin up, we need to move." He pointed at the entrance of the building, the crowd of journalists and parents being told to leave by policemen. Several cars with the teachers leaving the premises with the students soon walking out from the gates.
From one of the cars, he found a familiar face and pointed at him. "There, the white car, that's our guy. Follow him, now." He ordered, getting in the car with Yoshito following along with a large grin on his face.
"Count on me, aniki!" Quickly getting inside the rusted Kei car, he turned the key a couple of times. The vehicle took a few attempts to turn on, and the engine made a couple of worrisome noises but turned on the end. His foot slammed the gas pedal, the tires screeching as he swerved around and rushed to catch up. "Let's goooooo!"
"Hahaha!"
Cu laughed at his enthusiasm, grinning as the car nearly struck a lamppost but managed to dodge it at the last second. Attracting plenty of concerned and shocked gazes from the reporters nearby as they left the area,
They tailed the white car, keeping a careful distance to avoid detection. Cu's eyes narrowed as he recognized it - the same one that was always parked next to Shido's. Had to be that creepy gym teacher who taught at both schools, the one who couldn't keep his eyes to himself during stretches.
Whatever this guy knew about the missing students, Cu intended to find out. One way or another.
"Oi, careful there buddy. Prison's not my idea of a good time, and I doubt you can afford to replace this rust bucket."
"Don't sweat it, I'm an excellent driver!" Given how they nearly ended up crashing against a store, a pedestrian and an actual police car, Cu highly doubted that claim. Not to mention the traffic camera a few blocks back that definitely took their picture. "Whereis this geezer going?"
The white car in front of them took a turn that did not lead back to his school, taking on a completely different direction and heading north.
"Not to Fujimi from the looks of it, strange. Keep following him, don't get too close though, he will grow suspicious."
The road they were on led to the outskirts of Tokonosu or more accurately at the upper end where the large multi-storey buildings and standard homes started to be replaced with villas and large empty lots filled with trees and parks. He recognized the place, having visited with Rei not that long ago but never this far.
"Damn, just what the hell are they paying to the teacher at your school to have a house in this area?"
"There's no reason to believe he's going back home, probably meeting someone. Stop the car." The white car came to a halt and so did they, Yoshito taking a turn and going out of sight before parking within the forest with the rusted appearance of the car perfectly blending with the surrounding foliage.
From there they saw the bald teacher get out of the car and head towards the door of a large villa where a man in a suit came outside with a bag in hand.
"What now?"
Cu opened the door, giving him an unreadable stare. "You can come with me, stay here in the car or go back home. I'll be questioning the old man a bit. The topic is a bit sensitive and could get you in trouble. Personally, I think it would be better if you went back home, this is a dangerous matter and I don't want you to put yourself in danger for my mess."
At first, Yoshito hesitated, but after further debating, he nodded. "If this is about those students, then I'll come with you. The last thing I want is for my little sister to be on those posters. There have been too many disappearances lately, and I don't want her to be next."
Cu nodded at him before the two headed in.
{Break}
Wakisaka felt absolutely horrible since early this morning, a head splitting migraine, constant wave of nausea and his body burning up as if he had a high fever. Taking on some painkillers that help early in the morning to continue his job as usual and not be absent, with the Takagi family getting involved, he knew putting any kind of suspicions with his actions would not be ideal.
So best to keep up the facade and continue on with his job as usual.
"Four million yen as agreed upon, you will get the other half wired to your account when you leave the city and keep your mouth quiet. Say a single word to the police, then you and all of us will be in jail regardless of how much you plead with them — this is the Takagi family we are talking about. I hope you make your choice wisely and keep your nephew away from the media as we discussed as well."
The man who spoke to him, a butler serving the family of one of the kid's parents who owned a construction company.
This morning, he received a call about a topic that made his stomach churn and his state worsen. The more he conversed with them the more clear it became that they also wanted the same thing as him. For all parties involved to stay quiet even offered hush money for him to do so. Wakisaka did not refuse the deal. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him to take the sum and leave the country as soon as possible.
Staying hidden in this place would only buy him so much time until he would be eventually tracked down, his actions under the bridge still haunted him and the horrific scenes surfaced whenever he closed his eyes. This place was cursed, staying here was not an option and quitting his hard-earned job at Fujimi had to be something he needed to do.
"Yes, you will not hear from us from now on, no from the boy. You have my word, by next week I will be gone from Japan."
No one was aware that his nephew had also died, and he did not intend for them to find out while he was still alive. So, using the excuse that the boy wanted to stay hidden, he managed to strike up a good deal with this family and came to collect the fee. Before the weekend, he planned to give his resignation letter at Fujimi and leave with severance pay on top of that.
Where could he even go?
A few ideas roamed in his mind, having some connections in China that could help him go under the radar for a year or two before he could think about returning. But none of his friends over there were picking up his calls this morning, not even any of his emails were answered which left him worried they were purposefully ignoring him after hearing about the news.
'W-Wait, they wouldn't know about the murder in the first place!' Paranoia grew within and affected his judgement, he wanted to keep a clear head but the pain made it hard to think.
"Then we are done, have a good day sir." The butler said before slamming the gates at his face, leaving the bag filled with cash at his feet.
Even the parents couldn't be bothered to come out and talk to him themselves.
Wakisaka's eyes turned wide with surprise when he saw the large amount of cash inside the bag, seeing it had a bigger impact than knowing about the amount and his heart couldn't stop racing with joy. "In… In a few days, in j-just… hn! Just a few more days… and all of this will be behind me… I can be free. Cough cough!"
Weakness gripped at his limbs, with more and more fits of coughs in the past hour.
Right as he was about to head back into his car, a surge of pain engulfed his body and he nearly fell onto his knees. "Argh!" Black spots appeared within his vision, along with the overwhelming urge to vomit. "Shit! Shit! Shit!"
Not wanting to make a scene in the area, he quickly forced himself to get up and run within the forest, away from any prime eyes with a bottle of painkillers and other medicine to help with his issue. He felt a burning sensation coming from his left palm, reaching to his forearms and onto his shoulders, slowly creeping closer to all over his body. As if hot magma was running across his veins.
"That fucking kid, even when he's dead, he is finding ways to make my life a living hell! Just as fucking troublesome nephew!" Leaning against a tree, he vomited his guts out with bile and blood coming out of his mouth. "Uuuurgh! Kah! It hurts!"
Retching for a good minute, nothing but blood and his stomach acid staining his chewed lips.
The site looked horrific and for some strange reason, his mouth started to salivate. His vision growing more hazy, his fingers getting numb more and more, along with a deep-rooted hunger starting to creep up. "Hn!" Opening the bottle with trembling hands, most of the pills fell onto the ground. "Damn it!" He tried hastily to collect whatever he could, even those that were stained with his vomit.
About to swallow them whole until he heard a voice from behind.
"You don't seem to be in good condition, Wakisaka-sensei." his heart came to a sudden stop, a chill going up his body as he slowly turned around to find a familiar boy squatting right behind him with a curious look on his face. "Yo."
"Aaaaaaah!" A terrified screen escaped his mouth, feeling no different to a criminal being caught red-handed as he scrambled backwards only to hit the back of the tree. A myriad of emotions swirling within his guts only for it to slow down when he recognized the newcomer's face.
"Y-You… you're that new student from abroad, S-Stephane?"
"It's Seth or Cu, pick your favorite." Cu said dryly, "at least you remember me somewhat, I thought you would not, given how often you tend to check the asses of all the girls in my class to pay any attention to the boys. A bit of a surprise to find you around here, least of all in this state. Need help?"
Panic stricken, he tried to ignore the pain coursing through his body and hide it from the boy. "You shouldn't be here! Wh-Why aren't you at school!? I can call the cops and have you deported back to your country for breaking the rules!" He stuttered over his words a bit, saliva flying everywhere while hoping to scare the boy away.
But that only earned a yawn from him, not even looking the slightest bit concerned.
"Bit of an overreaction there sensei. Besides, I already met a cop on the way here, we had a good talk. Though I don't think it's a good idea for you to call them, that's a lot of cash you have there. Would be a shame if they tried to question you about where and how you got it and ended up taking it. We wouldn't want that, would we?"
This unnerved Wakisaka, for the boy was right. With his condition growing worse and how he had dropped the pills, he just did not have the luxury to stay here and try to talk things out with him. So with a large shout, he turned around and ran past Cu towards the path he took to come here. The blue haired Heroic Spirit gave him an unimpressed side eye but didn't go after him.
"Hah… hah… hah! Oof!"
Unfortunately for him, his eyes that kept looking back expecting for Cu to give chanse failed to spot another person standing in front of him. Colliding against the wall of muscles that stopped him in his tracks and fall tothe ground once again, shaken and groaning.
"It ain't polite to ignore my brother there, geezer. Don't think you're getting your ass out of here till he says so." Yoshito warned, hands inside his pockets and putting on an intimidating face which made Wakisaka feel suffocated. "Try this stunt again and I'll break your legs."
Cu walked over and shook his head, "Maa, Maa. No wonder you can't land a job with that attitude. Anyways, don't be scared, we're just to ask you some questions. Also as a student I am concerned with your health, sensei. Yoshito here can get you to the hospital in a matter of minutes, he's a good driver."
"Yeah, like he said!"
Just what the hell was going on here!? Wakisaka tried to make sense of it all, wondering why the new student and this gangster were after him. Then the realization that someone must have slipped the word of him getting the money became the conclusion. 'That fucking butler ratted on me! They want me dead!'
He wanted to scream in anger, go back and make those people regret their decision by ratting them out to the Takagi regardless of his fate! But now… now he needed to find a way to survive.
"P-Please, mercy, y-you can have the money but don't kill me! Please!" He begged, forcing out tears and pressing his head against the ground.
"Ah shit, look at what you've done. He thinks we're the bad guys. You're just too mean lookin' man."
"Sorry, aniki!"
The two spoke while he continued to beg while hoping for an opportunity to present itself where he could slip away without getting caught. Staying in this town for another day was no longer an option, he would leave immediately regardless of how suspicious his actions would look with the local powers.
He would be long gone the moment they tried to find him.
"We're not here to mug you, sensei." Finally, for what felt like ages, Cu spoke to him. "We just want some answers, I really don't care where you got that money.."
"What?"
Was the boy telling the truth? He couldn't say, not like he had any options though and was forced to cooperate regardless. "F-Fine, tell me what you want quickly. I-I'm not feeling well and need to go home to rest…"
The black spots within his vision continued to multiply increasingly faster than before as his heartbeat rose. The bottle in his grasp was empty and he could not even take the pills that helped him ease up these symptoms. Whatever infectious disease that boy gave him, Wakisaka swore to curse his name hundreds of times after leaving this place.
"I know one of your relatives was in the same group as Izumi Kenji. That name ring any bells?"
"—!"
That name was no different to a death sentence, someone he wanted to stay away as far as possible and never get associated with. The murder of the boy by the hands of his late nephew's group spelled only trouble for him.
How did a random foreign student manage to get hold of this information!?
"I-I don't know what you're talking about! I have no association with Kenji! I always focused on my work and never had any close connections to my nephew or… or anything concerning his private life. So please, l-let me go! I-I can't help you…!"
The only response was a low, haunting whistle. It drifted through the air, carried by the wind rustling through the towering trees.
Wakisaka trembled, his breath coming out in short, uneven gasps. His back pressed against the rough bark of an old cedar, its surface digging into his skin through his sweat-drenched shirt. He could barely breathe let alone see with his vision growing more hazy.
The ground moved and contorted, looking like quicksand about to engulf him entirely. He felt their gazes on him, staring intently and he prayed to all the gods that they believed his words.
A chuckle cut through atmosphere, casual yet laced with something that made his blood run cold.
"Oh, really?" Cu's voice was light, a bit amused. "Guess my ears must've been playin' tricks on me, 'cause I could've sworn I heard you agree to keep your mouth shut with that other lad. Do ya think I'm mad, Yoshito? Mad enough to just imagine a whole conversation?"
The henchman's voice chimed in, "No, I heard it too."
Cu let out a thoughtful hum. "Huh. Does that make us both crazy, then?"
"Eh… I've been called crazy before, but I don't think I am."
"Fair enough."
A cold gust of wind whispered through the trees, making the branches creak. Wakisaka shuddered—not from the cold, but from the sheer, suffocating presence of the boy in front of him.
Cu took a slow step closer, even with his vision the sight of his smile remained clear. But there was something present there that made his fears grow by the second.
"You heard him, sensei. We all heard it. Lying really isn't your strong suit, is it?"
The forest suddenly felt smaller, the towering trees pressing in, suffocating. Wakisaka had nowhere to run.
"Let's cut to the chase. I'm looking for the people who were there the day Kenji died. Your nephew was one of them—hell, he was close with them, wasn't he? So just tell me where to find them, and we can all walk away happy. Sounds fair, right?"
"—!"
Wakisaka stiffened. Kenji was long dead and pushed inside the river. They were wasting their time searching for a corpse which had mostly likely turned into fish food by now. But they couldn't know that. If they did…
His mind spun. The others, though… he did know where they were. Not that he cared about them, or the families who had shoved hush money into his hands. His life mattered more, and going to any length to keep himself was just the most logical action to take.
His body betrayed him, his knees nearly buckling as he forced out a desperate plea.
"H-He… Uhn!" His voice cracked, his hands gripping at the bark behind him like it could save him. "If I tell you… y-you'll let me go? I-I'll even give you the money!"
Silence.
But somehow, the stillness was more terrifying than any threat.
"If I am satisfied with the answer, then yes. And like I said, I'm not interested in the money, just give me an honest answer. I'm reaching the limit of my patience." Cu said, his previous laid-back tone replaced with a chilling one.
"Yes! Y-Yes, I'll tell you everything! The Tachibana family, t-the one who owes the construction company is the one you should be looking for! They m-made a deal to take the boys out of town discretely and should be in a bus now. M-My nephew is with them, you'll find him there!" He hastily said, trying to sound as genuine as possible. It was not a complete lie, so he should be in the clear. "Hah… hah… hah…"
His state kept getting worse, saliva dripping from his mouth and his teeth gnawing against one another with enough force it hurt his sore jaw.
He became horrified when recalling the state his nephew was in before death, the paralles between both of them now made him question just what kind of disease that boy got infected with to make him this miserable. Regardless, the man knew he needed to seek medical attention as soon as possible before leaving.
"A bus going to another town? Ah shite." For some reason, Cu did not receive that answer well, and the latter frowned and looked over the horizon. "Yoshito, how fast can you get to the main road leaving Tokonosu and catch up with the bus?"
"Um, if it just left now then we can catch up to it. Probably will need to break a few traffic laws for that and run every red light we come across."
A smirk secretly stretched upon his face, they took the bait and all was left was for him to be let go!
"I-I told you everything, so please let me go now." He pleaded again, already halfway up and stumbling away from the two until his left arm was grabbed. "NO! You told me you'll let me go! I told you everything!"
Trying to pry his arm away proved fruitless, they were held in a vice grip by what felt like a machine. Wakisaka was not weak, he trained his body regularly due to his aging body and had gotten pretty confident in his strength. So for a boy half his age to ignore his efforts so easily raised a lot of concerns and shock.
"Say, mind telling me what happened to your arm there?" Cu said, pointing at the black stain on his left palm. The entire limb was swollen with patches of darkened skin and blisters that made it look quite sickening to anyone. Even he could not bare to see it, there being any sensation left over there did not help.
But he could still move his digits weirdly enough.
"N-Nothing, just an injury I got and it b-became infected."
"How did you get it?" Cu asked again sternly, applying more force in his grasp yet still Wakisaka felt no pain. Something which the former took notice of with how his gaze sharpened. "Are you feeling any different? Got the urge to ea̶t̸ ̵m̵e̵? Bí̷̢̮̻͋̓t̸̘̮̟̿͆e̸͈͑̏ ̴̢́́̚m̸̧̟̗̿͆é̸̺? Anything?"
His voice started to get more and more hard to discern, a constant ringing in Wakisaka's ears making it hard to listen. His behavior growing erratic along with his movements, his nails digging into the dirt all the while a strange urge grew within him.
"S-Shit, aniki! B̴̩̬͒̽̚l̷͓̀o̷̘̾o̷͎̞̾́ḑ̴͎̓͑ͅ, the geezer's eyes are b̷l̷e̸e̸d̶i̸n̸g̸."
While the other started to shout with shock and even fear present in his voice, Cu just stared at him in the face with eyes that grew colder and more freighting from what little consciousness remained active in Wakisaka's mind.
"Aah, I see now. You're turning right now, aren't you? And it looks like it's that kind of infection."
"... N-No… j-just… Illness." Even his words could not come out correctly, his jaws no longer obeying his will and nearly biting off his tongue. "L-Leave… me… lone"
Cu sighed, taking a step back which would have made the man ecstatic. But no longer did he feel that, his mind and body growing increasingly numb with all thoughts becoming harder to form. He was terrified, wanted to ask them for help, but none of that came out of his throat other than a nonsensical gurgle with more blood oozing from his mouth.
Everything became dark around him, for even if it was morning, it felt like he was stranded in the dark room with no light.
As his consciousness faded, a hunger was lit up deep within his body. No longer trying to escape, his body moved on its own purely driven by instinct.
"It's too late for you."
"Watch out, aniki!"
.
.
.
"Watch out, aniki!"
Cu did not need to hear Yoshito's warning, for he was already out of the way a second before Wakisaka lunged at him with his mouth wide open ready to bite him. A monstrous moan coming out of his throat as he wriggled on the ground.
"Tch, so that's how fast it changes someone huh…"
Truthfully, he had already seen the infection from the beginning, but didn't immediately associate it being the cause of turning someone into an undead. But the moment he started to change, Cu carefully analyzed every bit of change from the outside and even examined every detail within his body.
Once more, not a single trace of Magical Energy anywhere.
"Waaaaaaah! Aniki! Save me!"
Yoshito on the other side ran behind Cu, hiding behind him while watching the now undead Wakisaka get up from the group and make his way towards them. There was no life within his eyes, his skin becoming pale and both saliva and blood dripping from his mouth.
"It's a zombie, a fucking zombie!"
"Don't scream next to my ears! I can hear you well enough!" Cu said, massaging his ears while keeping his eyes on the undead in front of him. "Don't be too scared, they don't seem to be able to run. So you can just dodge them next time."
"Next time? THERE ARE MORE OF THESE FUCKER—Gah!"
"I said don't shout near my ears!" He reminded him with a quick slap at the back of his head again, then facing what was before a living person. "So, do you believe in the supernatural now?"
Got a hasty nod from the man, for someone so tall he was now no different to a frightened puppy trembling behind him. Now using him as a shield which was hilarious in its own way. Shaking his head, he focused on the present and grabbed Wakisaka by the throat just like he did with Kenji.
"Look out!"
Yoshito grew horrified at his action, especially when the zombie started to claw at his face and hands. But much to his shock, the thing could not leave a mark on his skin whatsoever, it couldn't even rip out his hair no matter how hard it pulled.
"Sorry about this, sensei. I was really about to let you go had you not been infected. Even if you were a pervert, you were not that bad of a teacher, hopefully things will be better for you in the afterlife. You probably got that infection from another undead you killed or escaped from, probably yer nephew." He squeezed his hand hard enough to crush the undead's neck in an instant, making it grow limp. Though his eyes continued to stare back at him and the mouth tried to bite the hand.
There were no emotions left within then, no reaction to any pain or anything — just pure hunger like Kenji's case. With a flick of his finger, a rune formed in the air and engulfed the man, burning him and his ashes into nothingness.
He turned around and looked at the stunned Yoshito, the latter's mouth hanging open with no words coming out of it. More taken aback by the usage of his rune magecraft than the appearance of a zombie.
"We better get a move on, we should reach that bus before it gets too far, there is a chance that the source of this is inside." He said while tapping his friend's shoulders, "I'll tell you about rune magecraft later. Oh, yeah, magic is real… and so are ghosts, so there's that. Let's hope that they don't get involved too."
"..."
{Break}
(Half an hour later)
"I'm starting to regret agreeing to accompany you, aniki." On their way towards the path the bus must have taken, Yoshito couldn't help muttering out loud. "I would much rather deal with the Yakuza or even the Russian Mafia then fucking zombies of all things! How the hell is this even possible!?"
Cu who had been comfortably enjoying the ride shrugged, "Trust me, I'm trying to find the answer to that question as well. They can't just appear out of nowhere for no reason, there has to be a source or something that led to its creation. That's what I'm hoping to find in that bus and stop before it's too late."
"Wait a minute… is that why the Takagi family are so restless lately!? They all knew zombies were real!? Are they magicians like you!?"
"Eyes on the road!" Cu shouted when the man took his eyes off of the road and nearly crashed against the mountain side. Unfortunately the side view mirror got crushed and fell off. "No, they aren't aware from what I know and they are not magecraft users. Just the head of the family has a stick up his ass but he seems like a good guy."
"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, zombies are real… I'll have to evacuate my family from Tokonosu and.. and…" He started mumbling, worrying about their lives and how this would ruin his sister's education. Sweating like a pig and barely able to concentrate on the road ahead, Cu just kept looking for any signs of the bus.
Things were getting messy quickly, he could not tell just how many cases like the late teacher were around the town currently. For all he knew, hundreds of people could be infected and about to turn at any moment. He could not just go on the blood path and barge into every single building searching for them and kill immediately, it was impossible no matter what tactic he used.
But at least he could attempt at slowing down the rates of the spread and hopefully find the source of it all.
"There! Aniki!"
Fortunately, Yoshito was paying enough attention on the road to find the bus on another road further down the mountain that was splitting off to the right. "Shit, why did it take that road? We'll never be able to reach them in time even if I turn around now. W-What should we do!?" He was panicking, understandably in Cu's opinion. He did not blame him at his erratic emotions for this was the first time the man was dealing with this situation. Only time would make him calm down and unfortunately, he could not spare any efforts to do so as well.
Especially when he saw quite a bit of commotion going on from within the bus with blood splattering against the windows.
He was already too late.
"Don't stop driving, go as fast as you can! I'll handle this." He opened the door and pulled himself on top of the roof with surprising flexibility. The wind pushed against his hair as he made sure to not fall off the thing by accident.
"Aniki!?"
"Just keep driving!"
Yoshito was right that he would be unable to catch up with the bus even if they tried to go back. It would take ten minutes, and by then, the bus would be impossible to track down. Descending the mountain to reach that road would most likely just destroy the car in the end. This piece of junk could barely hold itself on a regular road.
This only left him with one option.
"If I grab it from the side… no, it might just tear the piece off rather than stop the thing. But if I try that method…. Hah… this is gonna hurt."
In the next moment he leapt off the roof of the car, jumping headfirst with Yoshito screaming his name with pure horror. The sound of screaming reached his ears and he finally got a glimpse of the bus driver whose body leaned against the wheel.
Completely unresponsive and most likely dead. More blood spraying everywhere and covering the front windows as well.
"Hn!" Cu landed on his feet, knees bending slightly to absorb the force. The moment he straightened, the glare of headlights swallowed his vision. The bus hurtled toward him, its engine roaring like a beast bearing down on its prey.
Yet, he didn't move.
Taking a deep breath, he arms spreading wide in an open stance to absorb as much force as possible.
Crash!
The metal screamed as the front of the bus crumpled against him, its reinforced frame warping like tin under his sheer resistance and around his figure. The windshield exploded into a rain of jagged glass, covering his skin but not slicing through, mixing with the spray of hot, fresh foreign blood. "Hngh!" Cu gritted his teeth, his jaw tightening as the crumpled front made it hard for him to get a good hold of the damn thing.
His boots scraped against the asphalt, nearly giving way as the sheer momentum of the vehicle threatened to drag him under — shredding apart within seconds and leaving him barefoot.
But he just dug in.
Muscles coiled, his core bracing like an iron pillar. His feet burrowed into the asphalt itself, carving deep trenches as he forced the bus to a screeching halt even with the tired that continued to spin. The ground cracked beneath the strain, the smell of burning rubber thick in the air the tires skidded violently, desperate to keep moving.
"Ha!"
With another burst of strength, his arm grabbed onto the steaming engine before ripping it out halfway through in one motion, fire and oil dripping all over his face. The thing finally stopped moving and he was free to let go.
"Hah, damn… hah… still not fully there yet." He breathed deeply, feeling strains and sore spots all around the body from his action. Wobbling in place for a moment as his injured feet covered in cuts and bruises that were stuck within the asphalt, pulling himself out before taking a moment to recover and gather his senses. Looking down at his arms, there were more wounds along his limbs, thankfully no broken bones
Cu was fully aware that there was still a way to go before he reached his peak state from when he was alive — his body continued to change and began reverting to his old self bit by bit over the years.
Thankfully he did not need to handle such a thing a decade ago otherwise it would have been very troublesome.
"I just… bought these clothes… hah…"
Still, despite his haggard state, he made his way to the door, pushed it open and walked inside without wasting any time. He didn't really hold out any hope to find survivors within.
"Tch," just like he expected, it was already too late. Dozens of bodies laying on the ground with chunks of their flesh missing, most of them were adults with the only people who resembled to be around his age at the back having already turned into undead.
Flesh and blood already filling their mouthes. Four students, going by their clothes, they must have been the lot he was searching for. The Tachibana kid and his little gang… all of them already long gone. And from the looks of it, they were no different to the last two undeads he dealt with, just as lifeless and hollow.
"Not the source then." Frustration laced his voice, every time he felt progress was made it led him to a dead end. This thing couldn't have just appeared out of thin air, it had to come from somewhere or brought in by someone with malicious intent or even accidentally.
"Uuuargh!" One of the undead zombies who had lost his legs crawled up to him and grabbed onto his ankles. Cu swiftly put the thing out of his cursed fate with a stomp, making blood cover his face and clothes.
"Alright, let me put you all out of your misery. I'm done here." His figure blurred, going from one end of the bus to the other with several decapitated heads held within his grasp. Their headless bodies dropping to the ground the next moment.
At that moment, he felt no joy or happiness from stopping these undead from spreading to another town, for nothing guaranteed there were not others roaming around already causing chaos in other areas.
The realization that this could be happening in his home country where his parents were further dampened the atmosphere. Uncertainty, regret and anger brewing within his mind at how powerless he felt at that moment.
With heavy steps, he left the remains of the vehicle after setting it on fire. Hoping back up the mountain to find Yoshito looking at him as if he were a monster.
Shaking like a leaf.
He gave him a smile, perhaps not being the best choice with all the blood on him.
"Let's go back, I'm tired."
.
.
.
The ride back home took another hour, the entire way back none of them spoke a word and state completely silent. The interior was filled with the stench of blood, though Yoshito was too numb to care at this point.
By the time they reached his apartment complex, the sun already started to set making the sky turned a deep orange color.
"Will you be alright?" He asked with concern over his state.
"I'm fine, I heal quickly, they'll be gone in a day or two anyways."
"Damn man, I… I don't know what to say. What do you think I should do?" He said, finally gathering the courage to address that topic. "I don't want to those things anywhere near my family if more of them appear. I… I will go crazy if something were to happen to them, aniki."
"I can't give ya a sure way to keep 'em safe all the time-I'm pretty much in the dark about a lot myself. But listen, if you ever feel threatened or worried for their safety, bring 'em to me. Either here or over to Kyoko's place. Sure, you can even bring 'em here tonight if you want-I've no problem with that."
"... Can't I send them out of town with the cash we found?"
He could come up in fact it was a good idea but once again, there was no guarantee that more of these undead were not roaming other places. At least if they were close by, he could try to save them.
"Perhaps it's safer for them to stay in a less populated area for now, keep your eyes and ears open about any information. I can add a bounded field around your house, just think of it as a temporary measure for now but it won't help in the long run." He got a confused look from Yoshito, most likely wondering what a bounded field was though he immediately nodded his head.
"Whatever you think works, if it's magic or whatever voodoo type shit you can do, I'm all for it. As long as it can keep them safe, then I'm happy. For now, I'll keep my eyes on my sister and she won't be going out alone anytime soon. I know someone who has connections with this chick from the US military, maybe I can buy a few guns from him to keep my folk safe."
The Irishman hummed in agreement with the plan, as long as it provided any measures of safety and ability to fight back. "If you see one, shoot it in the head, don't hesitate or it will kill you or infect your family. Don't bother using a knife or any melee weapon, you don't have the skills to do it." He left these words before leaving the car, closing the door and watching Yoshito drive off in the distance.
"What a day," he whispered, having made progress with what he initially wanted but the results were anything but satisfactory in his opinion. The more he uncovered the more dangerous and out of control this entire thing revealed itself to be.
All of this was happening far too quickly for his liking, and unfortunately, he did not have the luxury or ability to stop time.
As he made his way up to the floor where his apartment was, the sound of several things falling to the ground reached his ears as he found an orange just roll up to his foot. Taken aback, he looked ahead to find a familiar orangette high school girl standing in front of his apartment with a bag filled with vegetables and fruits lying next to her feet.
Oh right, the dried up blood, oil and shards of glass on him were still present on his body and messy hair.
Shock and disbelief plastered on her face as she looked at him, at his messed up appearance more accurately.
"... Um, I can explain."
For some reason, this situation felt oddly familiar.
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.