The auto repair shop was mostly intact — metal shutters rusted but operational, the main floor littered with dusty tires and tools. At the far end, a corner room bore faded kanji for "社員用浴室" — Employee Bathhouse.
Kanami peered inside. "The boiler still looks intact. Maybe… we can finally wash off all this stink."
Takiya sniffed her own shirt and gagged. "Oh my god, yes. I feel like I'm fermented."
Godou-sensei found the generator controls and flipped a few rusted switches. The pipes rumbled, then sputtered — steam hissed from vents, warm and sharp.
Kanata gave a soft chuckle, slumping against the workbench. "Hot water. I thought I'd never see it again."
---
Later, in the garage workshop...
Takiya sat on an overturned crate, dipping a cloth in hot water and wringing it out. Kanata, shirtless and bruised, sat with his back to her.
The deep gash across his shoulder blade was angry and red.
"You're lucky it didn't get infected," she murmured, dabbing gently.
Kanata winced, but didn't move. "You're good at this."
"My brother used to get into fights. I always patched him up," she said. Then, after a pause: "You move just like him sometimes."
Kanata turned his head slightly. "That… a good thing?"
Takiya hesitated, then smiled faintly. "He was brave. But you? You're stupidly brave."
Their eyes met — just for a second too long.
Her hand lingered on his bare shoulder.
Then: creak.
The garage door slid open. Serizawa stepped in, holding a towel.
Her eyes narrowed as she saw the two.
Kanata quickly reached for his shirt, while Takiya cleared her throat and stood.
"Just patching him up," she muttered.
Serizawa said nothing — but the look she gave Takiya was not friendly.
---
Meanwhile… The Bath
Steam curled upward in the tiled room, softening the cracked mirrors and fogging the small glass windows. A miracle in this ruined world: a working bath.
Kanami was already inside, her cheeks flushed pink, submerged to her shoulders. She let out a long sigh of bliss. "Heaven. Actual heaven."
Godou-sensei stepped in next, wrapped in a modest towel. She adjusted her glasses, trying not to meet anyone's gaze. "It's strange," she murmured. "Being clean again feels… unnatural now."
Takiya joined last, hair tied in a loose bun. She smirked. "Let's take our time. Who knows when we'll get this chance again?"
Kanami eyed the others and grinned, mischief brewing. "Sooo… who do you think Kanata likes most?"
Godou turned red instantly. "K-Kanami, this isn't the time—!"
Takiya rolled her eyes. "You think he has time to even think about that?"
Serizawa entered silently and lowered herself into the bath without a word.
Kanami smirked. "That's not a no~"
They all laughed — even Serizawa let a small smile slip.
Then Kanami stood to reach the soap — and slipped.
"AH—!"
With a shriek, she crashed forward — right as Kanata walked past the half-closed door carrying towels.
The next seconds were a blur: a splash, a crash, a yelp—
—and Kanata landed face-first between Kanami's thighs, the towel in his hand flying into the water.
Everything stopped.
Steam rose.
Kanami's face turned crimson.
"KYAAAAAA!!"
Kanata scrambled out, water flying, slipping and falling again on the tile. "I-I didn't see anything! I swear!"
Godou-sensei, gripping the wall to stay upright, gasped out: "Why were you walking near the bath!?"
"I—towels! I thought it was empty!"
Takiya stared, then burst into laughter.
Serizawa's eye twitched as she muttered under her breath, "Idiot…"
---
Later that night…
The bus had been refueled. The engine was partially repaired. But the group had settled into the repair shop for one more night. Safer than risking the road again in the dark.
Kanata sat alone near a workbench, wiping down one of the knives he'd sharpened.
Takiya approached, her damp hair now braided loosely over one shoulder.
"You okay?" she asked.
He nodded. "Yeah. Just… thinking."
She sat beside him, not looking directly at him. "About Serizawa?"
Kanata blinked. "What? No—"
"She's watching you like a hawk lately," Takiya said, a slight smirk tugging her lips. "Don't act like you haven't noticed."
Kanata looked down. "It's not like that. I just want us all to get through this alive."
Takiya nodded slowly, then reached out — her fingers brushing his hand.
"You remind me of my brother," she said softly. "The way you fight. The way you don't give up."
He stayed still, listening.
"But… you're not him. You're Kanata." Her voice shook just slightly. "And that's harder to ignore each day."
Kanata turned toward her, surprised by the vulnerability in her voice.
Their eyes met.
She leaned in — barely — as if weighing something heavy.
But then: voices echoed from the other room. Godou-sensei calling for help with the boiler.
Takiya pulled back, lips curling into a half-smile. "Go. Hero duty calls."
Kanata stood, eyes still on her. "Takiya…"
She waved him off playfully, though her gaze lingered a beat too long. "I'm not going anywhere."
---
As Kanata left the room, the cool air bit at his damp collar.
The night outside the repair shop was silent. But in that stillness, something inside Kanata was shifting.
Scars healing.
Steam clearing.
And something warmer beginning to stir.
---
To be continued