Chapter 41: Zombie fungus
“……Well, I already knew that anyway”.
Honjo blushed, ashamed of blurring that out. The girl in front didn’t say anything.
"Ah, emm……ah, I didn"t mean that. I am Honjo Yumi. I came here about a week ago”
"……Ah, you are the rumored princess. I am Midou Kaede”
(TL note: I don’t know why but those names Midou and Kaede appear in all my novels. Midou in Inma and one of my R15 novels and Kaede in both R15 novels)
Kaede said convincingly. She then looked at Honjo, who stood there and was apologizing.
“I´m so sorry, I don’t really have any reasons for being that well known”
"Ah, no……"
Honjo knew that negative rumors had been spreading throughout HQ ever since she first set foot off the helicopter. She didn’t feel bad about it, and yet she felt hurt at same time.
"……Midou-san is majoring in pharmacy?”
Honjo knew that the awkward silence couldn’t continue, so she just spewed up a random question from the top of her head
She figured that Kaede was doing a job that involved medical care. One of the reasons were that she was wearing a white coat, but the obvious hint was that she was also familiar with medical manufacturing methods.
"Yeah……I think that my majorouring subject will be biological functional science. I am studying in the field of load-adaptive microbiology”
"……I see"
Yumi didn’t understand anything, but she nodded without a blink.
“In other words, I´m investigating the blue fungus. For example, when the fungus produces antibiotics, I then try to find out how the cells functions and moves to be able to make the antibiotics. With that information, I will try to make better fungus”
That was a much more comprehensible explanation than what she previously said, but it was too technical and only “That is amazing” came out.
"……Umm? But then, what you´re doing now is unprofessional, isn’t it?"
She wasn’t an expert on anything professional. It was a matter of fact that humans were ignorant. That was why Maple did not mocked the bow. However, she always thought that there was not a single smart person here.
Therefore, the question she got was unexpected.
"……That’s right. Originally my job is to examine the fungi. So if you are doing this to…………I’m sorry, I won’t bother to you anymore”
Kaede talked about the cause as if it was something out of hand or worse.
She hadn’t overlooked Yumi.
(……Admittedly, I had to do it. I´m bound here, which is frustrating）
It was safe if she just stayed here. She would be happy if she stayed here……or she could give it up and leave. For the past week, Honjo had been forced to do everything that she was told to do.
It was certainly safe here. It was safe, not frightening and she would always have enough food to eat. She would have been content. However, it was all meaningless if there was no Kazuya.
Kaede was definitely similar to Yumi. Kaede was worried that her future actions might be affected if she was uncareful, but there was also a feeling of confidence that made her think that everything will be fine. (plot armour)
"Midou-san"
Kaede stopped walking away and turned as a formal expression towards Honjo-san.
"What??"
"Do you……want to team up with me?"
Kaede frowned at Yumi´s suggestion.
“I want to go outside. I want to……there is someone I want to see”
Kaede didn"t flinch and only listens silently.
“Midou-san, there’s something that you can’t do here, right? ……Do you want to join me?”
Kaede didn’t answer.
If, by any chance, Kaede told this to someone, then it would be difficult for Yumi to escape.
They needed some weapons and food to get out, they were going to steal them. There was no great patrol at the equipment room. It was one of the worst guarded areas out there, but if someone didn’t want to fly the helicopter like she did when she came here, then it won"t be easy to get out of here.
It may have been premature……but in front of Honjo who began stress, Kaede smiled a little.
“I’m sorry, I need to rephrase myself. You’re not a princess. You’re an unbelievable person”
"Theeennn…!”
“Yes, I am also dissatisfied with the current situation and I also want to leave"
“Hooray!”
Yumi who couldn"t hide her joy griped Kaede´s hands and shook them forcefully.
“Once again, Honjo Yumi! Thank you in advance!”
“Yes, my best regards. I’m fine with just Kaede”
"You can call me Yumi then!"
Yumi, after a week, finally made a friend. Now she didn’t have to worry even if she was in front of Kaede.
Kaede’s lips were drawing arcs, which seemed like she didn’t only think about Honjo alone.
“Let’s move and talk inside this room. I’ll give you a cup of tea"
"Thank you very much"
Yumi was guided to the room by Kaede and stepped into the laboratory. There were many unknown machines and a lot of paper had acc.u.mulated……this room was really messy.
Honjo sat on one of two chairs in the room, while being careful not to step on the paper that was scattered all over the floor.
"I’m sorry, I don’t have any good tea leaves with me”
Kaede, who entered the room a little later, put cups, that had tea bags floating in the hot water, in front of Yumi and moved some doc.u.ments before she herself sat down in front of Yumi.
"……Peach tea……nice aroma”
While stirring the tea with a teaspoon, she closed her eyes and tried to smell the aroma from the teacup.
She might have been used to the smell, but for Honjo who loved peaches, she really appreciate it.
Next she put sugar into her cup and stirred it, before gently tasting the tea without burning her tongue. The smell that drifted into her nose was satisfying.
“Speaking of which…Kaede-san, what are you going to do outside?”
Kaede was dissatisfied with the current situation as well as Honjo and said that she wanted to leave. However, why exactly was she dissatisfied?
She said that her specialty was investigation of fungi, I wonder how it was possible to do it. However, for amateurs there were plenty of facilities here, and it seemed like it would be possible to examine the fungus. Or was there a more specialized facility somewhere in the area?
Kaede replied briefly to Honjo who had asked the strange question.
"I want to get the zombie fungus"
"Hot!?"
Because of those few unexpected words, Yumi burned her tongue unintentionally.
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Chapter 42: Strategy meeting
"Are you okay?!”
"Ah, yes. Just burned a little……”
Yumi blew on the warm cup to slowly cool it down. After a.s.suring that the temperature of the tea had sunk to a more comfortable temperature did she resume drinking the tea.
“So, what is this zombie fungus? Is it like a virus?”
DNA strings lined up in her head.
Fungus and virus are totally different things, bacteria were also another type organism so Kaede had to think a lot before she opened her mouth. So she could explain it easily to Yumi.
“Virus and fungus are different categories and unlike fungi, viruses aren’t organisms. Therefore a fungus that is attached to a zombie……if organisms are present and survive properly, they may be able to reproduce themselves”
"If the zombie fungi is a new species then we have to research it. If it is an already existing species, then we can use the same fungus for an antidote.
That sounds easy, but of course it isn’t. Although, It isn’t good enough to have the result of saving one human alone and even if the antidote can be released it may be years and decades before it is done. Even if a magic bullet can be made, the possibility that it will work for all humans is almost zero.
However, as a researcher, Kaede wanted to create a slight possibility.
"What? But if the virus and the fungus are different, can the virus be fixed by antibiotics?"
"They don"t work. You need an antiviral drug for viruses. ……So it’s only a hint. But I’m still going to do things even if this make me unprofessional”
It might be Kaede"s researcher pride, but Honjo stopped asking for further details.
Not all of human actions are meaningful or rational. Therefore Kaede could sympathize with Honjo who had witnessed Kazuya, who had been bitten by a zombie and jumped off a roof as a form of suicide, and still want to see him.
“You can’t do that research here, can you?"
"Yes. That’s why I’m going to leave”
Honjo had looked through the laboratory. In this room where there were several unknown machines and doc.u.ments that were scattered all over the place as well as some unnatural s.p.a.ces.
When she moved, she can see parts of floor that were burned and some who were still white where not even dust could be seen. Perhaps in the past, these machines might have been necessary for research. The scattered doc.u.ments also collapsed and fell down on the floor, but you could also see untidy stacks of papers and material as if Kaede threw away what she didn’t need.
Yumi observed Kaede.
She was the only researcher in this huge building. I understood that she was an excellent researcher from her behavior, but perhaps she wasn’t.
Of course it could also just be her imagination, something Yumi should keep for herself, but it seemed to her that Kaede hated the emptiness.
“Wait a moment”
Kaede drank warm black tea dramatically while speaking and arose from her seat.
In the meantime, Yumi was concentrated on the peach fragrance…it reminded her of the peaches that she ate with Kazuya.
When Kazuya got back from the underground, there was nothing strange. For some reason he had changed his clothes, but at the same time Yumi thought that it was probably because his previous clothing had been sweaty and dirty. Yet, she knew it was because he had been bitten.
She was aware of Kazuya’s lies before the fatal mistake, but it was now too late.
(……No, at that time, Matoba-san hadn’t been bitten and he had reached the top safely. If not, he couldn’t have been able to move because of the pain）
Yumi remembered the tough act that Kazuya had put on as she blushed a little.
(Matoba-san was so kind…I’m sure he had pulled something. It was better to be with Makoto than with him）
And she also remembered Kazuya praising Makoto.
The difference in age to Yumi might have might have become some sort of complex for Kazuya. He probably thought that it was better for Honjo to marry a younger person instead of himself. Kazuya was such a man.
(So this time, I’m ready……）
Kaede who had come back unnoticed spread something on the desk, somewhat roughly so it could bring Yumi back into reality.
“I made you wait.”
"It is a map of the region."
“Let’s first make things clear on each other’s goals.. If the places we want to go to are in some way, the same. We should act together”
That said, Kaede pointed at a spot between the SDF base and the shopping mall and she said.
"My university is here. I don’t know what the contents are, but they have a good lab, so my goal is here”
“Kaede is a university student…?”
It was not visible from the white coat and her junior high stature that Kaede was a university student…no, if you could say that she had a junior high student´s face, then she was undoubtedly be surprised by her uncomfortable appearance.
“I’m a graduate student. I got a job offer here for the time being, but I also have to show face”
Yet, she was all alone. Yumi felt like saying that, but she didn’t.
“We’re here and this shopping mall is my goal”
"You said you wanted to see someone. ……There?"
"Yes……"
Like Yumi, Kaede didn"t want to be a sitting duck, she wanted to take action.
"I see. Then it’s great luck that we are heading in the same direction”
Yumi nodded in agreement. It went without doubt that both of them were safer together than alone. If they shared, they could carry more supplies and could make choices together if and when something happened.
The problem was not that the direction was the same but the distance. Kaede had to go all alone for the remaining distance of her trip.
Although Yumi who originally planned to go wasn’t worried that much, Kaede who couldn"t go alone in her position, raised a voice.
“Then……I hope that you will have your base in the laboratory……we can have our supplies and goods over there……and we can go to the shopping mall together and go to the university with three people…then again, I wonder if a shopping mall is all that safe……”
While watching the map, Honjo laughed at the moaning Kaede.
“I’m all right, Kaede-san. I don’t have any problems going on my own”
"Is that so? Well then……”
The plans were laid out by Kaede as she urged to make concrete operation.
Yumi wanted to meet with Kazuya alone. Moreover.
(….. If it came to the worst, then the result would lead me to… i would have to……）
The dark emotions that acc.u.mulated in herself were trapped in the bottom of her heart.
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