"Click, click…"
The sound of the rifle running empty. Haizaki reacted immediately, swapping magazines. But clearly, the mutants weren't going to give him that time.
Two mutants lunged wildly, snarling, intent on tearing Haizaki apart.
Haizaki's muscles tightened. He swung the rifle with all his strength.
"Thud…"
The impact was heavy. The mutant let out a beast-like howl.
The recoil from the strike made Haizaki's right hand ache. At that moment, another mutant had already closed in.
Yukino instinctively shouted, "Careful…"
But from her position, she couldn't fire. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the mutant Haizaki had knocked back struggling to rise. She gripped the gun with both hands, aimed, and pulled the trigger.
"Bang…"
The mutant fell dead.
Haizaki raised his leg, habitually kicking forward, then grabbed a nearby chair and smashed it down on another mutant.
One strike.
Two strikes.
Seeing the mutant unable to rise for the moment, he quickly retreated, moved closer to Yukino, and took the pistol she handed him.
"Bang…"
The mutant collapsed, no longer twitching. Only then did Haizaki relax.
By now, nearly twenty mutants lay across the first floor. But outside, more kept coming, heedless of casualties, forcing their way into the villa. Instinct drove them to tear Haizaki and Yukino apart.
"Will this never end…"
The barred windows on the first floor finally gave way under repeated blows. Two mutants poured in, while three more appeared at the stairwell.
Two directions. Five mutants, snarling, rushed at Haizaki.
"Ratatatat…"
He held the trigger down, bullets spraying wildly. Each mutant hit, fluids splattering.
"Behind you…"
Haizaki was only one man. He couldn't cover every direction. A mutant, wounded but still mobile, suddenly leapt with unimaginable speed, slamming into Haizaki.
"Damn it…"
Haizaki cursed. They had intelligence.
He instinctively tried to turn his gun, but the mutant seemed to realize the weapon in his right hand was the greatest threat. Its strong left arm pinned Haizaki's right hand. Its face split into a grotesque grin, mouth opening wide as it lunged downward.
Black-and-white fluid dripped steadily.
Cold…
Haizaki refused to give up, trying to fight back. But… it seemed hopeless…
"Awwooo…"
At the critical moment, the husky charged at full speed, slamming into the mutant's head. The female wolf leapt, biting savagely at its neck.
Haizaki seized the chance, rolled free, turned, aimed, and pulled the trigger.
"Bang…"
The mutant collapsed, shot through the body.
Haizaki rose, face grim. He had almost been finished. And after such close contact with a mutant, he couldn't be sure he hadn't been infected with the crystallization virus. No wounds, hopefully. But if there were… he didn't dare think further.
Yukino fired two shots toward the stairwell, hitting one mutant.
"Yukinoshita-san, get into the bedroom. Duke, you too, quickly…"
There were still five or six left. Judging from the footsteps upstairs, Haizaki estimated.
Yukino didn't hesitate, obeying his command. Flustered, she turned and ran into the bedroom. The husky and female wolf were still locked onto a mutant, biting hard.
"Duke, stop. Get inside."
Haizaki heard the mutants charging down the stairs. If they didn't retreat now, it would be too late.
"Awwooo…"
With a howl, the wolf and dog bolted, rushing into the bedroom with incredible speed.
Haizaki bent, grabbed a grenade, pulled the pin, and hurled it toward the stairwell. He slammed the door shut, pulled Yukino behind the wall.
"Boom…"
The explosion thundered. The urgent footsteps were replaced instantly by screams.
Howls echoed.
Haizaki didn't open the door. He rummaged through his backpack, pulled out another pistol. Thankfully, he had brought spares. Otherwise, bullets alone would have been useless.
"Bang, bang…"
The door suddenly shook under impact. A simple lock couldn't withstand the mutants' full force.
"Crash!"
The door burst open. Yukino, standing near it, was caught in the shockwave.
"Ugh…"
Pain shot through her body, forcing a cry.
Haizaki rolled sideways, raised his gun, aimed.
"Bang, bang, bang…"
The first mutant's skull shattered. The second was hit in the chest and head.
As the mutants at the doorway fell, Haizaki quickly rose, fired again to finish them, then moved to the door to check the stairwell.
One mutant writhed in a pool of blood, not yet dead. Haizaki, expressionless, pulled the trigger, ending it.
The flashlight illuminated the hall. Haizaki scanned the situation.
Outside the villa, sounds of fighting reached him. He frowned. That noise… it seemed…
Carefully, he approached the window, looked out.
In the moonlight, a black bear was battling two mutants. Its massive paws swung heavily, each blow landing solidly. It grabbed a mutant and smashed it brutally. Its fur and fat served as armor. The mutants' bites barely harmed it.
"Thud…"
One mutant was slammed to the ground, eyes rolling back, limbs stiffening, dead instantly.
The other was swatted back four or five meters. Haizaki fired.
The mutant collapsed.
The black bear had come to help them. Whether out of gratitude or some other reason, its actions clearly showed goodwill.
"Roar…"
Noticing Haizaki, the bear growled once, then dragged its massive body away.
Haizaki didn't stop it. Animals remembered kindness. Even if four or five more mutants made little difference to him, the bear's fierce battle warmed his heart.
Giving it honey before, saving the husky, had been the right choice.
Haizaki returned to the bedroom, closing the damaged door.
"Are you alright, Yukinoshita-san…"
Now he finally had a moment. His face showed concern as he asked about her condition.
"I'm fine. Just got knocked a bit."
But her back burned painfully. Still, Yukino didn't dare touch it to ease the pain. If Haizaki saw, it would be too embarrassing.
"Let me check your back…"
Noticing her discomfort, Haizaki quickly grabbed her clothes and lifted them. He didn't realize how inappropriate the action was.
But unlike Haizaki, Yukino cared less about her injury than about her shame.
"No, don't…"
She quickly grabbed Haizaki's hand, stopping him from lifting her clothes further. Her back, exposed to the air, felt cold—but more than that, she felt shame. Her face burned hot.
"Ah, sorry…"
Only then did Haizaki realize how inappropriate his action was. He quickly let go, placing both hands in front of himself to show he had no ulterior motives.
But thinking back on what he had just done, he felt deeply embarrassed. He had looked exactly like some pervert trying to violate a girl.
"I didn't mean it."
Yet Haizaki felt the explanation was weak.
"I know."
Yukino lowered her head slightly, speaking softly. Once her clothes were back in place, her sense of shame eased somewhat. She didn't blame Haizaki. She understood he was worried about her. But his action had pushed her sense of modesty too far.
"Um…"
Her voice was quiet.
"Could you move aside a little? I want to go out."
Haizaki was pressing her against the wall, and she couldn't leave without touching him. Especially now, after the battle, with the air thick with blood and smoke, Yukino instead caught the distinct masculine scent of Haizaki himself. It made her want to move away.
"Sorry, excuse me…"
Haizaki quickly stepped back. In his haste, he nearly tripped over a mutant's corpse. Stumbling, he instinctively reached out, and Yukino caught his hand.
"Thank you…"
"It's nothing…"
She shook her head. But tonight's events made Yukino realize that beneath Haizaki's calm exterior was a gentle heart. He worried, he grew tense—he just didn't usually show it.
"Rest for a while. I'll check the villa…"
Haizaki spoke, then took the flashlight to inspect the villa again. He knew this was also a way to escape the awkward atmosphere.
The hall was in chaos—corpses strewn across the floor, blood flowing, forming a deathly scene like a CG image. The flashlight beam swept over each mutant as Haizaki checked again to ensure they were truly dead. Dead mutants were the best kind.
He had nearly fallen to them earlier. Without Yukino, the husky, and the female wolf, he might have become their prey.
Haizaki walked to one mutant, nudged it with his foot, and rolled it over. He realized their appearance was very similar to humans. But the biggest differences were their blue-white eyes, slightly bulging, mouths split open, cracks across their faces and bodies, and their skin…
Haizaki pressed his shoe against it. The skin wasn't soft like a human's. It felt more like plastic, glass, or frost.
Crystallization? The word flashed in his mind.
"Yusuke-kun, do you know what they are?"
"They should be derivative creatures of the crystallization virus. This is my first time encountering them."
"The Eastern Union didn't have them?" Yukino asked casually. She didn't notice Haizaki's brief flash of tension.
"I don't know. At least, I never encountered them in the Eastern Union."
Eight minutes later, Haizaki confirmed all mutants were dead. A total of thirty-two crystallization mutants.
If not for the villa's sturdy doors and barred windows, he might have protected himself but not Yukino. Thinking of this, Haizaki felt relieved.
"Let's rest in the villa next door!"
They couldn't stay here tonight. The heavy smell of blood might attract beasts. As for mutants, Haizaki guessed all nearby ones had already come. Their total numbers weren't large. If they were, they wouldn't have gone undetected during the day.
"Not leaving directly?"
"If we leave now, where would we go? We'll decide in the morning…"
Yukino nodded. At least Haizaki hadn't chosen to stay in this villa, which made her feel better.
But most importantly, Haizaki needed to dissect these crystallization mutants.
The villa's door had been warped by repeated impacts. After struggling for over a minute, Haizaki finally managed to open it. He and Yukino carried their supplies to the villa next door.
Inside, Haizaki locked the door, checked each room upstairs, shut all doors and windows, and finally chose a room deeper inside on the first floor.
"Tonight, you'll sleep here."
"And you?" Yukino instinctively asked.
"I'll stay in the living room. Even if mutants probably won't come again, someone needs to keep watch…"
"Duke… can't?"
"I'll guard. I'll feel more at ease. You can sleep peacefully."
"But…"
Not being in the same room with you, I won't feel safe. But Yukino couldn't say that aloud.
"Forget it, we'll stay together."
Haizaki remembered Utaha's trauma response. Now Yukino had shadows from the crystallization mutants. If she were alone, she might not sleep at all.
"Mm."
Yukino breathed a little easier.
After settling the husky and female wolf, under the flashlight's glow, they tidied the bedroom enough for rest.
When finished, Haizaki yawned. After the fierce battle and tension, he wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and sleep.
But there was still one thing he had to confirm. During the cleaning, he had made up his mind. After being tackled by a mutant, he needed to check if he had any wounds—if he might be infected with the crystallization virus.
He had to tell Yukino. This was the foundation of trust. Only by confirming he was fine could he truly relax. If he kept it hidden, thinking it was nothing, he might not only doom himself but also harm Yukino.
"Yukinoshita-san, I need your help with something."
"What is it, Yusuke-kun?"
She had just been about to slip into her sleeping bag, but looked at him curiously. Haizaki's serious expression usually meant something important.
"I might have been infected with the crystallization virus… please check me, Yukinoshita-san." Haizaki spoke earnestly.
Hearing this, Yukino felt her vision go dark, her expression stunned.
Haizaki… infected with the crystallization virus? That… that was impossible.
She suddenly recalled the moment Haizaki had been knocked down by a mutant. Why had it come to this?
Her heart was instantly filled with regret and guilt. If only she had been stronger, if only she had killed more mutants, Haizaki wouldn't have been knocked down.
As his companion, she bore undeniable responsibility.
…
-----
Gimme your stones, please.
ദ്ദി(ᵔᗜᵔ)