Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.
Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.
The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.
"Speech"
Time*
Arc 1: Mental Illness - Chapter 8
The next day*
It has been over 8 hours, and I feel more than rested, which only makes me more certain about the superpower from insomnia.
However, it would be best for me to stay awake a while longer, just to confirm a theory I have in mind before I write down my thoughts on what the superpower of insomnia might truly be.
"Morning, Touhou." Saeko greeted me, handing me a mug of warm water. "I'd make you something else to drink, but I don't think we have that luxury anymore."
"It's fine. The fact that you're doing this on your own is already enough for me to appreciate your kindness." I said calmly as I accepted the mug and slowly took my time drinking it. "Is everyone awake?" I lowered the mug after finishing the last of it.
"Yes, so what's the plan for today?" Saeko asked, placing a hand on her hip as she looked at me expectantly.
"Are you asking for advice on what the group should do, or are you asking what I plan to do while you all tag along?" I asked, staring directly into Saeko's eyes.
"Would it be possible for us to follow your lead? As you can probably tell, this group isn't really a group at all. Most of us are just going with the flow… and trying to move on from our emotional outbursts, disappointing as that may sound. You seem to understand what the logical choices are, rather than acting based on your mood." Saeko answered slowly, watching my facial expression carefully for any kind of reaction.
"I wouldn't say I only follow the logical choice." I said slowly. "If you don't remember what happened before—how I broke someone's finger, even if I did fix it in a way—that was still an emotional outburst on my part, brought on by a headache."
I rose from the chair and headed into the kitchen to wash the mug, putting it away only after I had carefully dried it.
"Even then, you have far more control over yourself when you're not being pushed to your limit." Saeko said as she picked up a mug of her own from the kitchen counter and sipped from it slowly.
"You only see what I want you to see." I walked back to the front, picking up my briefcase and the sniper rifle. "And sometimes, the logical choice is far, far harsher than any decision made in the heat of emotion."
"If it means increasing our odds of survival, I wouldn't mind." Saeko said, setting the mug down before lifting her gaze to meet mine with calm, unwavering eyes.
"So, is it just you, or are the others willing to follow my lead as well?" I asked Saeko, glancing over her shoulder just in time to see Takashi and Kohta being forcibly awakened by Saya, who slapped both of them across the face without the slightest bit of hesitation.
"I can't believe you two stayed asleep the entire night without giving Touhou his turn to rest while the two of you took shifts keeping watch." Saya hissed angrily, glaring at them with open irritation.
"Hey, it's not our fault. He never woke us up even once during the rest of the night." Kohta said, rubbing his cheek in pain as he tried to reason with Saya.
"Just ignore her. After all, it seems she's fallen for that bastard. There's no way she'd treat us with even the slightest bit of good faith." Takashi scoffed, turning his head away as he avoided looking at Saya.
Saya's body trembled with rage, and for a moment, she looked ready to give Takashi a sharp tongue-lashing. But at the very last second, she noticed me watching and slowly drew in a couple of deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down.
"I do not have the time or energy to deal with you any further… Komuro." Saya spoke Takashi's last name slowly at the end, making him flinch. "Our lives… we won't be able to live the way we did before yesterday. So get that through your thick head. We can't just do whatever we want anymore without risking the… zombies coming after us. Do whatever you want, but don't end up causing problems for the rest of us."
Letting out a deep sigh, Saya turned and slowly made her way into the kitchen, where Saeko quietly handed her a mug of warm water to drink.
"I hope you don't look down on me. I am a genius, you know." Saya said, staring at me intently before taking a slow sip from her mug. "As long as you don't throw us to the zombies, I, at least, will follow your lead—within reason."
"As long as you don't scream like you did last night." I began, causing Saya's face to flush red—whether from embarrassment or rage, I couldn't quite tell. Still, I continued without pause. "I won't throw you out as bait or anything like that. After all, it's much easier for me to draw the zombies away without running into too many problems. Instead, I'd rather have you use that genius brain of yours to come up with better plans on the spot—like whether we should raid multiple houses and bring the supplies back here, or choose a single house to stay in for the day and move on from there."
That seemed to make both Saeko and Saya relax somewhat, and I looked at them dully before setting the briefcase down on the counter. Opening it, I pulled out two loaded magazines and slipped them into my pockets, realizing that the single magazine on my belt wasn't going to be nearly enough after giving it a bit more thought.
"Well… if it isn't too much trouble, could we go to my family's place? I just want to check on them…" Saya said as she set her mug down and rubbed at her elbow, a troubled frown settling on her face. "It's not too far from here—just across the river, near Higashi Hill."
"That's fine." I nodded, making Saya's face light up at once. "How about you?" Turning my gaze toward Saeko. "Do you have any family nearby?"
"My father is out of Japan. Besides, there is no need for me to worry about his safety. He was the one who taught me how to wield a sword from childhood onward." Saeko replied evenly. "I have no objections to us looking for Takagi's family first."
"What about the others?" I asked, glancing between Saeko and Saya.
But before either of them could say anything, Shizuka walked down the stairs barely dressed, though at least not naked like last night. Ignoring everyone else entirely, she headed straight into the kitchen and made herself some coffee, seeming completely lost in her own little world if the dazed look on her face was anything to go by.
Not even a minute later, a half-awake Rei came downstairs with a cheerful smile on her face, but that expression faltered the moment her sleepy brain registered the handprint on Takashi's face.
"Takashi—!" Rei was about to scream, but I covered her mouth with my right hand before a sound could escape. At the same time, I caught her left index finger with my other hand, holding it in a way that made it painfully clear I was ready to snap it if she forced the issue.
"Lucky for you, I'm in a good mood." I lied through my teeth, because I didn't feel anything even remotely close to good at the moment—aside from the fact that I wasn't waking up with a headache for once. "Do not raise your voice the moment I let go of you."
I let Rei go, and she quickly rushed into Takashi's arms. He pulled her close and glared at me, yet he didn't do anything beyond shooting me a filthy look.
I walked back into the kitchen just in time for Shizuka to let out a long sigh of relief before giving everyone a bright, almost carefree smile.
"So, what's the plan for today?" Shizuka asked, looking straight at me and drawing everyone else's attention in my direction as well.
"We're heading out to Higashi Hill to see whether Takagi's parents are still alive." I answered.
"Uh, does that mean we'll be leaving this place for good?" Kohta asked quietly, a trace of unease slipping into his voice as he looked around at the house.
"Most likely, yes. Sooner or later, there will be more zombies, more people raiding these blocks for resources, and more desperate raiders from farther away expanding the range of their search." I answered Kohta's question, leaving little room for false hope.
I shut my briefcase, then picked it up along with the sniper rifle before heading out, leaving the others with little choice but to follow after me.
"By the way, that Humvee outside—do any of you have the key for it, or are we going on foot?" I asked as I stopped at the front door and turned around to look at everyone.
"I have the key, and I can drive it." Shizuka said cheerfully as she pulled the key from the cabinet above the stove. "I'll just need some help loading the vehicle with everything we need—especially the medicine."
"I'll clear out the zombies near the front. Everyone else should pack up anything we might need." I said, giving the group a slight nod before unlocking the front door. Then I stepped outside and began dealing with the remaining zombies still lingering nearby, while most of the others had already drifted away toward the noise coming from the bridge.
Luckily for me, I only needed a single magazine to kill all the zombies out front. After reloading, I unlocked the metal gates and moved on to deal with the other zombies farther off in the distance, making sure the area was as clear as possible before the others came outside.
I used that time to feed fresh rounds into the empty magazine while keeping a watchful eye on the others as they loaded up the Humvee.
"Why are you bringing a dog with us?" I asked Takashi the moment I spotted the troublemaker being carried along. "You do realize that this dog was most likely the reason so many zombies ended up here last night, don't you?"
"This is Zeke. He stood guard and did his best to protect Alice from the zombies last night." Kohta said with a faint smile, rubbing Zeke's head before continuing toward the Humvee with a bag of clothes in his arms. "I'm the one who gave him that name. It comes from the American military—it was a codename used for the Zero Fighter aircraft during World War II. Besides, I think we'll need him to serve as Alice's emotional support dog."
"What Hirano said. Zeke is Alice's emotional support dog." Takashi said, staring at me with a smug, almost defiant look as though daring me to argue further.
"You clean it. You feed it. And you rescue it whenever it ends up in danger." I said, giving Takashi a dull, unreadable look before returning to the half-finished magazine and pushing in more bullets one by one. "The dog could be useful as bait, too."
Takashi opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off before he could say a single word.
"Alright, people. Time to move. And I'm sure not all of us can fit in the Humvee, so I'll sit on top and keep watch for zombies while Shizuka drives." I ordered, ignoring the look Takashi was giving me as I made it clear there was no room for debate.