The stench of rotting flesh lingered long after the last moan had faded. The store floor was a battlefield, littered with broken shelves, blood-slick tiles, and corpses stacked in uneven piles. The silence that followed was heavy, pressing against everyone's lungs like invisible weight.
Kenji sobbed softly in a corner, arms wrapped around his knees, his face buried against them. His shoulders shook with each ragged breath.
Taro leaned heavily against the counter, knife dangling from his grip. His ribs were wrapped in makeshift cloth, stained dark with blood. He exhaled slow and pained, avoiding Imura's gaze.
Daichi crouched near the doorway, spear balanced across his lap. His eyes scanned the shadows outside, jaw clenched, his posture screaming vigilance.
Rin sat apart from them all, on a toppled shelf. Her blouse clung damply to her chest, sweat and blood smudged across her pale skin. She leaned forward, elbows resting on her thighs, her gray eyes never leaving Imura. Sharp. Silent. Accusing.
Saya stayed closest, practically glued to his side, her body trembling even as she leaned on him like a lifeline.
Imura sat calmly among them, crowbar resting across his knees, his expression a mixture of boredom and amusement. His clones flickered faintly in the shadows, keeping silent guard.
The system had gone quiet.
But his thoughts had not.
He studied each of them, measuring, weighing, deciding.
Kenji: weak, pathetic, but clinging tighter with every test. Fear was a leash, and Imura had wrapped it around the boy's neck perfectly.
Taro: strong body, weak will. He followed orders but lacked fire. A tool, useful only until his body gave out.
Daichi: sharp, disciplined. The kind of man who might try to challenge leadership someday. Dangerous, but controllable if broken right.
And Rin.
Defiance smoldered in her gaze, even as exhaustion dragged at her body. Every movement she made—wiping sweat from her neck, rolling her tense shoulders, brushing her thigh near the rip in her jeans—was calculated resistance. She wanted him to see she wasn't afraid.
She wanted to prove she couldn't be owned.
Imura's lips curled in a private smile. The more you resist, the sweeter it'll be when you kneel.
Saya broke the silence first.
"Imura…" her voice cracked softly. "W-We can't stay here. The smell… it'll attract more of them."
Imura turned his head slightly, his dark eyes landing on her. She flinched but didn't step away.
"You're right," he said evenly. "But we're not moving until I say so."
She swallowed, nodding quickly. "O-Okay. I'll listen."
The system flickered faintly.
[Bond Progression: Saya → Fearful Dependency ↑]
Kenji finally lifted his tear-streaked face. His lips trembled as he whispered, "Why… why didn't you help me right away? I thought you were going to let me die…"
Imura's grin widened. "I was."
Kenji froze.
"I wanted to see if you'd fight back or curl up like a worm. Turns out, you can stab an eye when you're desperate. Not completely worthless after all."
Kenji paled, shaking harder. But his gaze never left Imura.
The system pulsed.
[Bond Progression: Kenji → Fearful Dependency ↑↑]
Rin's voice cut sharp through the room.
"You're playing with them."
Imura turned his eyes on her. "So?"
Her jaw clenched, her blouse tightening against her chest as her breath grew heavier. "They're not tools. They're people."
Imura laughed softly. "People? Don't fool yourself. Out there, people are corpses waiting for their turn. Tools, though? Tools can be sharpened. Tools can survive if their master wills it."
Daichi's hand tightened on his spear. Taro turned his face away.
Rin leaned forward, her gray eyes burning. "And what about me? What am I to you?"
Imura didn't look away. He let the silence stretch, let her chest rise and fall with her quickened breathing, let the others shift uncomfortably under the weight of his pause.
Then he smirked. "A blade that hasn't realized it's already in my sheath."
Rin's nostrils flared. Her jaw set. But she didn't answer.
The system pulsed faintly.
[Bond Progression: Rin → Resistant Survival Instinct ↑↑]
The night deepened.
They scavenged quietly, pulling food and bottled water from the store's ruined shelves. Taro collapsed early, muttering about his ribs. Daichi kept watch, silent and sharp. Kenji drifted in and out of whimpering sleep.
Rin stayed awake longest, her cold gray eyes lingering on Imura whenever she thought he wasn't looking.
And Saya pressed herself close to him, trembling with fear but unwilling to let go.
Imura leaned back against the wall, crowbar across his lap, eyes half-closed.
He didn't need sleep.
He had all the time in the world to break them.