Chapter 41: Kindness in the Apocalypse

When people are under extreme stress, time always seems to fly by. For Sosuke Kitahara and his group, who had just narrowly escaped death, this felt especially true. Before they realized it, night had already fallen outside. When Sosuke returned to the office, he found Yukino Yukinoshita sitting alone. Seeing him stride in, she tilted her head and asked, "Sosuke, did you find anything to eat?" "Just some bottled water and biscuits." Sosuke placed the plastic bag on the table and had barely sat down when the wooden door to the inner room swung open. Haruno Yukinoshita and Utaha Kasumigaoka walked out. Haruno scowled, saying, "The food and water in the rooms have been completely cleaned out. There were only a few empty instant noodle cups left on the floor, and even the pantry was completely empty." "Oh? Where did you find these bottles of water?" Haruno asked, visibly relieved. "Found them in the conference room. There was a zombie locked inside, and none of those people dared to go in," Sosuke replied as he pushed the bottles toward them. Then he pulled out three packs of compressed biscuits from his bag and handed them out. "We'll have to make do for tonight. If it comes to it, we'll decide what to do tomorrow." Compressed biscuits, an old but reliable product, had evolved from simple emergency rations to more palatable, balanced options. Their dense texture and low water content meant they were far more filling than ordinary food of the same volume. At this point, everyone was starving. Food that would have been unappealing in normal times was now devoured eagerly. This office was different from the others. It came with a rest area, complete with a folding bed, bedding, and pillows. But none of the girls wanted to sleep in there alone. They felt safer staying together, so they brought the bedding out to the main office and laid it on the floor. Sosuke stood by the window, arms crossed, his brows furrowed as he stared outside, feeling like he had overlooked something. Yukino and Haruno leaned against each other on the sofa in silence. Even Utaha, usually good at pulling all-nighters, sat wearily on the bedding, staring blankly. They all seemed like empty shells, their souls barely clinging to their bodies. "Sosuke, this is for you." Haruno gently nudged the sleepy Yukino, walked over, and handed Sosuke two small sausages. "I secretly kept these. I was saving them for Yukino and myself in case of emergencies." "Then you two should eat them. I'm already full." Sosuke lightly pushed the sausages back toward her, shaking his head. But Haruno insisted, "You worked the hardest today. If you hadn't helped us, Yukino might not have made it. You should have them." "Then let's split them evenly. There are two anyway." Sosuke broke one in half and handed it to Utaha. "I'm going out to check for any more potential problems. You all should rest early. I'll take the night watch." "You're worried?" Utaha gently bit into the sausage. "The fire door is only blocked by a wooden plank. It would be easy to remove. I'm worried something might happen tonight. If someone tries something, this office, being closest to the door, will be the first danger zone." "I'll take over the second half of the night shift," Haruno offered. ... In the quiet office, Yukino, unable to sleep, got up from the bedding, her legs moving awkwardly as she blushed. She glanced at her sleeping sister, hesitated, but didn't wake her. Both Sosuke and Utaha were nowhere to be seen. Biting her lip, Yukino quietly pushed open the office door, gripping her wooden stick as she crept toward the restroom. But after just a few steps, she regretted it. The restroom was near the fire door, and to avoid disturbing the zombies, the lights in that area had been turned off. It was pitch-black, and the phone light barely illuminated a small patch in front of her. To make it worse, Toji's corpse still lay nearby, sending chills down her spine. Yet, the more she feared, the stronger her urge to pee became. Yukino deeply regretted drinking so much water during their panic in the afternoon. Yukino clutched her face in distress. The corridor was dead silent. Steeling herself, she turned and slipped into the nearby office area. How many people had ever considered peeing in an office? Yukino hadn't not until now. But desperate times called for desperate measures. She quietly moved to a spot behind a desk where the glass windows couldn't reveal her. She reached under her pleated skirt, pulled her underwear down to her knees, and just as she was about to squat, she suddenly heard footsteps. Yukino hurriedly pulled up her underwear, her heart leaping to her throat. Tap, tap. The footsteps approached steadily. It sounded human. Relieved, Yukino noted that zombies' shuffling steps were easy to distinguish. Still, she didn't dare stick her head out to see who it was. Fortunately, the person didn't come toward her but instead stopped by the window. Under the moonlight, two shadows stretched across the floor. "Sosuke, I... I don't know how to describe how I feel right now." Hiding under the desk, Yukino blinked in surprise. That was Utaha's voice. And the other person must be Sosuke. What were they doing here in the middle of the night? On the other side, Sosuke gazed into Utaha's clear, glimmering eyes and took the handgun from her hands, gently wiping the surface. "Let me guess. Is it because I didn't help those men this morning? I waited until the zombies killed them to take their guns. Or is it because I killed someone so suddenly?" "I don't even know," Utaha shook her head, her brilliant eyes reflecting the moonlight. "Deep down, I know you must have your reasons. You're not the type to kill indiscriminately." "But... did it really have to come to this? Isn't it too... inhumane?" Sosuke met her gaze and saw the confusion in her eyes. He silently checked her trust level. It was still at 90%. "Sigh." Sosuke sighed. He could pretty much guess what was going on. Utaha, despite her sharp tongue and ability to pierce straight into others' weaknesses, was actually just like Yukino a kind-hearted girl deep down. This kind of kindness, caught between peace and the apocalypse, was one of the hardest emotions to handle. In the apocalypse, people who stubbornly clung to kindness usually faced three outcomes: The lucky ones found trustworthy companions who supported each other. The slightly less fortunate ones faced betrayal or danger, survived, but became irreversibly hardened. And the most tragic those whose kindness didn't bring friendship but humiliation, betrayal, or death. Sosuke pulled a chocolate bar from his pocket and handed it to her. "So, Utaha, what do you think is the most important core for a team to survive?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going. The story's already ahead on Patron. Go there if you want to catch up faster! [email protected]/_theon Change @ to "a"