Chapter 2
Night had already fallen, and I was resting on the couch.
My daughter slept peacefully on my chest, her soft, rhythmic breathing filling me with peace—though the sounds outside disturbed that calm.
One, two, three, four, five, six…
In my mind, I counted the zombies I could hear walking near the house.
Thirty…
The number kept increasing by the second.
I sighed. "I think I'll go relax my muscles."
Before getting up, I gently moved my daughter and laid her on the couch so she could keep sleeping while I went outside.
Jumping over the fence in one swift motion, I began walking to the other end of the street, where I spotted a group of zombies—twenty in total—standing still.
As I got closer, I found a 50 cm steel rod near an abandoned car.
This will do.
I hadn't brought my wooden bat with me.
The zombies began moving toward me—they must have spotted me.
It didn't matter; the steel rod was more than enough to fight them.
Two zombies approached from my right.
Crack!
With the rod, I smashed their heads easily.
Two down, eighteen left.
Huh, looks like the noise stirred things up.
The zombies started moving faster than I'd seen before.
Are they evolving little by little?
If that's the case, they'll become a much greater danger in the future.
Crack!
Crack!
I stopped worrying about that and focused on what I came here for—killing zombies.
Crack!
I swung at the ones coming from behind me.
More arrived—thirty more joined the party.
I jumped onto one zombie, using it as a stepping stone. My left hand grabbed its head while my right hand swung the steel rod like a sword.
Swing!
Several heads were severed from their bodies.
Then I smashed the head of the zombie I'd been standing on with a strong kick, propelling myself onto the wall of a nearby house.
Fifteen left—or so I thought.
More zombies were approaching from different streets, drawn by the noise.
Seven… fourteen… nine…
Uneven groups coming from all directions—now forty-five zombies total.
And in the distance, I could see even more on the way.
I'd turned this place into a danger zone for anyone.
I looked at the steel rod and considered the situation.
Crash!
With the little superhuman strength I had, I snapped the rod in half.
I had to clear this place out.
Crossing my arms, I reshaped the halves into a different kind of weapon—blades to eliminate the crowd faster.
Tensing the muscles in my legs, I prepared to run at full speed and finish what I had started.
The zombies didn't stand a chance.
One, two, three, four…
Severed heads hit the ground, spilling foul blood across the pavement.
Twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four…
I cut down ten zombies per second with ease. Before I knew it, I was out of danger—seventy zombies lay on the ground, their heads split in half.
Thump-thump
Why…?
I pressed my right hand to my chest, feeling the pounding of my heart.
Old memories flooded back—memories of when I used to enjoy killing people without caring who they were.
Blood splattering across my face, staining my suit—that's how I always ended up when indulging in genocide for sheer fun, to fill the emptiness of my life.
And now I was doing the same.
Though zombies were no longer human and had become a walking plague that terrified others…
I leapt onto the roof of a nearby house to get a better view of the area.
In the distance, I saw lights shining on the bridge we had abandoned because of the dead vehicle traffic—police were having an intense discussion with a group of civilians.
Looked like a protest.
"What kind of stupidity are they protesting about in a situation like this…?"
[•••]
"We are the people! This is the fault of our government and the Americans! This is the fault of their new weapons development! They are the ones responsible for spreading the killer disease! We're going to tear down this system!"
Shouted a man in a black jacket with a star embroidered on the back, a bright orange bandana covering his head. He stood at the front of the crowd, clearly the leader of the march.
"They're going to pay! Say it with me!"
Nearby, a short-haired woman held a microphone, speaking to a cameraman who was broadcasting the events on Onbetsu Bridge live.
"We're back on the air. Police are still holding the blockade at the bridge! A group of people has started protesting against police action!"
"We still don't know what organization they belong to…"
"Killer disease…" Komuro stared in disbelief at the nonsense the people on TV were saying about the current state of the world.
"I guess it wasn't 'them' after all."
Hirano had assumed the bridge trouble was caused by zombies, but when they turned on the TV, they found out the commotion at Onbetsu Bridge was for an entirely different reason.
"Is he saying that 'they' are the result of a collaboration between the American and Japanese governments to develop a new weapon?!"
Komuro protested angrily at the man's words.
"That's insane! The dead are rising and attacking the living—there's no scientific explanation for that!"
"They're just trying to stir up hysteria," Hirano replied calmly. "Or maybe… is this one of the effects of the disease? They're leftist radicals, right?"
"Definitely leftist radicals trying to drive everyone crazy over the disease. Not that different from right-wing fascists. This disease is horrible."
"So that means you're the same, Komuro," Hirano added with a big grin.
"People my mom works with must be doing the same thing," Komuro sighed. "It's pathetic. They don't do anything to stop bullies at their school, but they take the time to protest against the war… My mom's a first-grade teacher at Onbetsu Elementary, across the river. Her students probably haven't been able to escape… they're just kids."
"Your mom's a leftist? Is she in the Communist Party or something?"
"Of course not! She's still young!"
BANG!
"Wait! Don't shoot! This girl and I are still alive! We're alive!"
But then the girl in her arms suddenly looked up and bit the woman's neck.
"HAH!"
Tears streamed down her face.
The girl who had fallen to the ground got up and lunged at more people.
The onlookers began to panic.
"This is the fault of the damn system!" the protest leader shouted, seizing the moment to claim he was right all along. "And we as citizens will rise against them!"
"Please stop this needless violence!"
A policeman, seeing the chaos, grabbed his partner's megaphone and addressed the protesters.
"Hey, film that guy," the reporter whispered to her cameraman.
"Please, leave immediately. You're all in danger here," the officer said calmly.
"They just want to trick us!" the leader shouted back. "They're just trying to hide the government's conspiracy with the Americans!"
"I'll give you one more chance," the policeman's tone darkened.
"Fight the system! Fight the system!"
"In order to fulfill my final duty to my government and headquarters, to maintain public order, you've left me no choice," he said, hand reaching for his holstered pistol. "The legality of this is questionable, but orders are orders."
"Eh?"
BANG!
On TV, they watched as the officer shot a civilian. The reporter turned in shock to see the scene behind her.
The channel cut to static and then to another scene.
"They switched the feed," Hirano said.
"This looks bad. They won't be able to do anything about 'them' until sunrise," Komuro replied.
"EE!" Hirano jumped when arms suddenly appeared behind Komuro.
"Ah, eh." Komuro blushed when he saw Marikawa's nearly bare chest.
"Kooomuuroo-kuuun." Marikawa pounced on Komuro and kissed his cheek.
"S-Sensei?! Are you drunk?!" Komuro exclaimed, blushing.
"Just a liiittle bit, fufufu~ ah," Marikawa slurred, glancing at Hirano. "Kohta-chaan."
"Chan? Uh, um. Haha." Hirano didn't mind the suffix—his eyes were fixed on her shapely figure as she came closer.
"Mmm!" Marikawa gave him another cheek kiss, making Hirano's nose bleed.
"Don't talk so loud. Lower your voice," Komuro said seriously, trying not to blush.
"Whaaat? Nooo! It's so quiet out there it's scary, so I'm going to talk like this!"
"Hirano, go keep watch." Ignoring her protest, Komuro hoisted Marikawa over his shoulder. "Here we go…"
"Ah. Okay, okay." Hirano, still dazed from the cheek kiss, walked into the wall.
Meanwhile, Komuro carried a drunken Marikawa on his back.
"Hyan♥!" Marikawa squealed when Komuro's cold hands touched her backside. "You're touching my butt! Komuro-kun, you're such a pervert♥♥. We can't do that…♥"
She playfully toyed with his hair.
"It's so soft…" Komuro felt her breasts pressing against his back. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this…
"What are you enjoying?!" Rei's angry face appeared before him.
"N-Nothing," Komuro denied, blushing.
"Ahh, with Takashi we're three people."
"Huh?" Komuro was confused—then Rei collapsed to the floor.
"You've been drinking too?"
"Well, I was tired. And so much happened today. And Hisashi is dead…" Rei began to cry.
Komuro's expression soured.
[•••]
Komuro entered a room, laying Marikawa down on a futon on the floor and covering her with a soft blanket.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of his childhood friend Takagi sleeping on the couch. Her slender, curvy body made him blush after a lingering glance.
Then something clicked in his mind.
"Where are Alicia-san and Muramasa-san?"
Before going to look for whatever Marikawa's friend had been hiding with Hirano, he knew Alicia had been in this room, invading her father's personal space as she slept against his chest.
He stepped out onto the balcony to check from there.
From above, he could make out the silhouettes of many zombies lying on the ground, their heads split in half. In the darkness, that was all his eyes could make out—nothing else on the streets.
He decided to get binoculars.
[•••]
I began to hear terrified screams from the people on Onbetsu Bridge.
"Things just got much more dangerous."
The zombies were attacking and biting the uninfected, while others—luckier—managed to escape.
A man climbed into a tractor with crawler tracks and drove forward with the steel blade, forcing several people to jump aside to avoid being crushed.
Now the crowd was fleeing for a different reason.
"That's right—if they reach the middle of the bridge, the infection will spread! If they get that far, we'll open fire without warning! Do we have your approval? What's your answer?"
Bang!
That policeman's action was surprising. Whatever he was trying to achieve before dying, it worked—the people began to obey, no longer making pointless demands.
I leapt away, hopping across rooftops. I'd just witnessed a rare act of human courage.
"So more zombies are headed this way…"
Now I had a problem.
My heart hadn't stopped racing.
The wild pounding in my chest was an issue.
The only thing that could calm it was killing people—and zombies only satisfied a small part of that urge.
I'd have to kill hundreds of them to truly settle it.
And I could only see about seventy-six in the area.
I sighed. "I wish I could fight someone…"
Swing!
I started slicing through zombie skulls again, hoping it would quiet my heart.
Thanks to my agility, I didn't get blood on me. I couldn't risk even a drop touching my skin.
"AAAAHHH!"
Hmm… I heard a scream from that direction.
Jumping to another rooftop, I spotted a brown-haired man trying to escape a group of zombies. He didn't make it—they tackled him and began tearing him apart.
Huh…
A father and daughter were also fleeing that way.
If it hadn't been for the girl's scream, I wouldn't have noticed them.
I moved closer to see what might happen.
Quietly crossing rooftops, I arrived above the house they had entered.
"Daddy, where's Mommy?"
"We'll meet Mommy later. Come on, over here."
The man was trying to calm his daughter.
Knock! Knock!
"Let us in! Please! I can't run anymore and leave my daughter behind!"
"Go away! Find somewhere else to stay!"
"I'm begging you! You don't have to take care of us—just let us inside, for my daughter's sake!"
Silence. No response. His face darkened.
"Daddy…" The girl's sadness made it impossible for me to stand by and do nothing.
"I'd recommend you not try that."
"Eh?!"
They jumped at my sudden voice. The man gripped his pipe wrench tighter—likely planning to smash the door and force his way in.
"For now, hang on to me," I told them.
Grabbing each of them by the arm, I leapt back to the rooftop.
I looked at the man. "I understand your desperation. I also have a daughter to protect. But desperate moves like that could cost your daughter her life—don't make the same mistake twice."
It was the first time I'd had this kind of conversation. I'd never spoken to anyone about being a father.
"Even so… right now I only see options I'd rather not take." He glanced at the wrench in his grip. "I don't want to become a…"
A killer, hmm.
"Someday you will. As you can see, people are desperate to live. They'll commit atrocities to survive… just like you were about to."
That seemed to hit him like a knife to the heart.
"Thank you. If that had happened, I'd have been haunted for the rest of my life."
I sighed. Memories of a younger "me" came back—times when I'd killed myself inside over the urge to murder my own family.
"No need to thank me. But we should get off this roof. You wouldn't want to sleep here, right?"
"Thanks again for your help."
He bowed, and his daughter did the same.
Haah… fine, I thought. I'd told him not to thank me, but he did anyway.
"The good thing is, this house connects to others. Follow me. Oh, and my name's Senji Muramasa."
"I'm Akio Maresato. And this is my daughter, Alice Maresato."
With introductions done, we moved on.
[•••]
"Mr. Muramasa rescued a father and his daughter," Hirano said, having watched Senji's actions through his sniper scope.
Bang!
He fired, clearing the path ahead of Senji.
The shot startled me, but I quickly spotted where it had come from—and who had taken it.
"Komuro, go help Senji-san!" Hirano shouted.
Zombies were gathering near the house they were defending.
Komuro smiled.
"What are you doing?! At least take the shotgun!"
"I don't know how to use it!"
He hurried off.
"Takashi?" Rei asked from the stairs, dressed lightly, confused.
"I'm going to help Senji-san. He's rescuing a father and daughter."
"I'll go with you."
"No—you guard the entrance. I'll go to the other side of the street on the bike."
"But…"
"So you're going," Saeko said, watching in only an apron and underwear. "The man's made his decision," she added with a smile.
"Sorry, Busuji… Saeko-san. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't."
Komuro had first seen the pair fleeing. He'd had a serious talk with Saeko, disagreeing with her cold words—but now, seeing Senji's actions, he understood.
He would help because, even in this brutal world, compassion and humanity had to prevail. Rescuing them was a way to keep that spark alive.
"I knew that already," Saeko said proudly. "We'll handle things here. Don't worry—just go."
"Takashi."
"Hm?" Komuro, hand on the light switch, looked at Rei.
"At least take this." She handed him a revolver.
He took it firmly.
"Don't overuse it. Gunshots will attract more of 'them.'"
"The bike's already loud."
"True, but… gunfire will draw even more, and you might not get away."
Ignoring the worry, Komuro headed to the bike.
Rei noticed the concern on his face.
He pulled on his fingerless leather gloves, letting determination replace hesitation.
Zombies approached the gate—Rei and Saeko opened it.
"Augh."
The zombies advanced.
Brrrum!
Komuro charged through them on the bike, the sound drawing them away as he sped down the street. Rei and Saeko shut the gate to keep others from getting in.
"What the hell was that noise?" Takagi asked, woken by the bike.
"Something good," Rei replied with a smile.
"What?" Takagi was confused.
Komuro's speed let him reach Senji quickly, though he had to dodge zombies on the way.
"Senji-san!"
[•••]
This kid's impressive.
Hearing his shout, I moved.
Grabbing the man and his daughter, I dropped carefully from the roof.
Setting them down, I spoke.
"Go with the kid. I'll handle 'them.'"
"Right."
"Thank you, sir!"
"Don't worry—just run."
Komuro skidded the bike to a stop.
"Get on—we'll head to our shelter. Senji-san, don't overdo it. Come back quick."
Heh, looks like the kid's starting to understand me.
"Alright, I'll follow you—so speed it up."
Brrrum!
Thanks to my speed, I kept up with the bike easily.
"Wow! Mister, you're so fast!" Alice said in awe, while Akio stared in disbelief.
"Mr. Muramasa, you must not be an ordinary human."
"You're not the first to think that, haha."
"Senji-san, where's your daughter?" Komuro asked, almost making me stumble.
"What do you mean? She was sleeping on the couch." I raised an eyebrow.
"She wasn't there. I didn't have time to search, but… I don't think she's still in the house."
Tsk… what's she doing now?
"Keep going—I'll search nearby. If she's not inside, she's up to something."
"Got it."
I leapt back onto the rooftops for a better view.
No sign of her. I moved to another area—still nothing.
No trace of Alicia anywhere.
My steps blurred across the rooftops, too fast for an ordinary eye.
Still no luck.
"Where have you gone, Alicia…"
[•••]
"W-Who are you?!" the woman gasped, her voice weak and trembling.
I looked at her with cold, empty eyes. She lay on the ground in a pitiful state, breathing raggedly, her face smeared with dirt and blood.
"I have no idea how someone from Little Garden ended up here," I muttered to myself.
The wind whispered through the trees. Even in the darkness, I knew this woman didn't belong to this world—a realization that made my heart race and sent a chill down my spine.
Someone must have found a way to reach this place, where I'd been enjoying my time with my father.
If so… the Gift Game had become dangerous for him. His enemies might try to enter just to kill him.
The choice was clear: I had to kill this woman so she would never return.
"W-Wait! Let me live! I have nothing to do with you or what you're doing in this world! AAAAAHHHH—!"
Crack!
I broke her neck. It wasn't my fault—she was just unlucky to end up in the world where I was enjoying myself with my father.
For now, I'll continue the Gift Game. But if I sense it becoming dangerous for him, I'll have no choice but to cancel it. I can't let my fun and happiness put him in danger.