Once the shoulder pads, chest guards, arm bracers, and knee protectors were strapped on, Utaha Kasumigaoka's curvaceous figure was transformed into something almost heroic.
Admiring her own reflection in the scuffed glass, she struck a gallant pose and laughed smugly, patting Sosuke Kitahara's shoulder. "From now on, kiddo, just stick with me. Big Sis will keep you safe."
"Cut the crap," Kitahara snapped, his face taut with urgency. "You and Yukino, search those corpses' bags. Haruno and I will check the next room. We've got five minutes tops before the horde catches up."
He wasn't in the mood for banter; the looming threat of the swarm left him restless. With Haruno Yukinoshita already geared up beside him, he gripped his blade and stepped out into the corridor. The hallway was eerily empty, every corner exposed to view.
"This way looks like an equipment storage," Haruno murmured, striding toward the right-hand side, past a stairwell choked with piled-up desks and chairs.
At the far end, a brown steel security door sat ajar. Haruno pushed it open, and inside lay the corpse of a young woman, no older than twenty. She was half-naked, sprawled on her side, terror and unwillingness frozen on her face. Kitahara gave her one glance, then turned away.
"They climbed up from here. The truck's still outside…" Haruno observed, heading for the window. The security bars had been sawed through, leaving a jagged gap. Outside, a white pickup truck rested by the river path, its bed stacked with gear: several riot shields, armor suits, and a ladder propped against the sill.
"Tch. They'd hoarded plenty," Kitahara muttered, withdrawing his gaze. Most of the shelves inside the storeroom were empty, stripped clean long ago. These riot shields and armor clearly hadn't belonged to the club; the raiders had brought them.
"Greedy bastards… swallowed more than they could chew." He shook his head with a cold laugh, then vaulted onto the windowsill. "Haruno, get the others. Grab only what's useful no junk. I'll take the truck and swing around to pick you up."
"Got it."
Haruno gave a brisk nod, tearing down a strip of curtain to cover the dead woman's body before hurrying out.
Kitahara slid down the ladder into the pickup's bed. He found not only armor and shields, but also fruit crates and bedding. So… even their scavenger lords had been forced to sleep in trucks. Life hadn't been kind to them either.
"Who's there?!"
Kitahara barked, whipping out his pistol and firing at the cab.
Crack!
The fake round punched a harmless hole in the glass. He cursed inwardly he'd forgotten Yukino still had the real gun.
A shriek erupted from inside the cab. A girl burst out barefoot, bolting like a startled rabbit. She didn't make it far before stumbling with a cry, clutching her backside and tumbling into the dirt. Panic overrode pain, though she scrambled up, dropped to her knees, and kowtowed frantically.
"Please! Don't kill me! I won't run again just don't kill me!"
"Quiet! I'm not with them."
His cold rebuke froze her. She lifted her tear-streaked face, blinking at his unfamiliar features. Cautiously, she wiped her cheeks with her sleeve. "…You're not one of them?"
"Didn't you hear me? No. Now, name."
The girl twisted her hands nervously. "I… I'm Rin Ka. Second-year at Chiba University…"
Her voice cracked, and then, desperately: "We need to run! Those people upstairs they're monsters. Armed to the teeth. If they find me, I'm dead!"
"Run? They're already dead. I killed them. Didn't you see me climb down from upstairs? And one more thing if you keep screaming like that, I'll put you down myself."
He jerked his chin toward the truck. "Get up. Talk while we drive."
"…R-really? You killed them?" Rin Ka stammered, scrambling to his side and clutching his arm. "They were terrifying… and you."
"If you don't believe me, climb up and look for yourself. Corpses are still warm." Kitahara cut her off, his expression unreadable.
He tossed the folded ladder into the bed, climbed into the cab, and started the engine. "Now who were they? Where did you come from?"
"I didn't know them before. I was at a government shelter…"
Kitahara's eyes narrowed. "A shelter? Official?"
"Yes. At first, soldiers protected us. We had food. There was hope. But a few days ago… they disappeared. Took almost everything and ran. Left us civilians behind." Rin Ka's voice broke as tears welled again. "After that, chaos. Two gangs fought for control. I thought we'd rebuild… but those men… they turned it into hell."
Kitahara frowned. Soldiers abandoning posts? Did that mean they'd been called to Narita? Or wiped out?
"You survived," he said flatly. "Why would they want you dead if you already gave them what they wanted?"
Rin Ka's face twisted, her hand unconsciously covering her hip. "You… you don't understand. I laughed when they wanted me to laugh. I obeyed. But they argued over loot here at the club. That woman wanted too much. They killed her. And then they turned on me. I was next. If a car hadn't driven by just then, they'd have slit my throat."
Kitahara studied her coldly. So they even tore each other apart.
"Shelter size?" he asked.
"A few hundred," Rin Ka whispered. "But it's falling apart. Few men dare to scavenge anymore. Those who go… most never return. Now even we women are forced outside."
Kitahara exhaled through his nose, lips curling. "Idiots. Building a nest in the middle of a corpse zone they'll die uglier than anyone. But…" His voice lowered, amused. "…if they're sitting on supplies, maybe I'll pay them a visit. Black against black."
He shifted gears, steering the pickup out of the alley.
Behind them, the sea breeze rolled in. Ahead, the coastal road opened wide, the horizon flashing with endless waves.
"Ahhh… finally. Air conditioning, music, and the ocean outside. Almost feels like we're human again," Utaha sighed from the back seat, her face bathed in sunlight.
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