Other than the sound of water, there didn’t seem to be any other noise for a while.
Food was taken out of the bag. There were three teenagers who had their eyes glued to the food. Including a boy who stood up to get it.
At first, I handed out an energy bar, and the three of them shared it. Then I took out some canned food and a plastic bottle.
I took out a bottle of tea and opened the canned mackerel simmered in miso, teriyaki chicken, and canned tuna.
The three of them started to stare at the canned food intensely while biting on their bar. The three of them finished it as I broke my chopsticks and wolfed down the food.
Yuusuke looked at his food with the feeling of a starving stray cat asking for food. After he finished the first can of food, the girl from the group of three hesitated to eat from the second can of food. The other two were already almost finished eating the second can of food with no sense of guilt. The girl finally began to eat in peace after I took out a heap of canned food from the bag.
The girl picked up a piece of food that one of the boys dropped. Although they were hungry, I ate while watching the girl take care of the boys.
When we finished our meal, we all sighed in relief.
While Yuusuke beated the bag lightly, he says,
“Was that enough? How was it?”
“Yes, it was good. Thank you for the meal!”
The girl sat straight and lowered her head. I was tempted to do the same when the boys beside me also lowered their heads. They seemed to be well-disciplined.
“Is there any chance that the S.O.S. outside was yours’?”
“Oh.. no. But it seemed like it was right?”
I was about to answer when suddenly they started to tell their stories..
Their group of people were attacked by a group of zombies on their way to the refuge and escaped into this supermarket. At that time, they were separated from their parents.
At the beginning, they were holding out in the supermarket, but as the food supply decreased, people went out to look for food. n.o.body ever came back. Since the girl had two younger brothers, she was not able to go anywhere.
Yuusuke continued to listen silently as she explained her story.
Her statements were very logical. She was also a pretty girl. She seemed like the cla.s.s representative of an honor cla.s.s. She was an impressive girl.
When she finished talking,
“I see.. it must have been very hard.”
Yuusuke said with a serious tone.
“Umm…. Yeah..”
I remembered that I didn’t tell the girl my name.
“I forgot to mention, I am Yuusuke Takemura, and you are?”
“Oh.. thank you. My name is Mitsuki Fujino. This is the second eldest out of the family, my brother Takashi.
“Thank you. My best regards to you.”
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});It seemed like a very well disciplined family to exchange names with. When Yuusuke bowed, the two brothers did the same. Mizuki let out a smile. When the introductions were over, Mizuki was a feeling a little shy.
“Is Mr. Takemura here to help..?”
They asked Yuusuke who seemed like an ordinary person to make sure, but he shook his head,
“I’m just pa.s.sing by.”
“…Is that right..? Is the outside safe now? We haven’t seen the outside for a while.”
“Well.. not really.”
Yuusuke didn’t know what to say. I did not intend to tell them that the zombies did not attack me.
“You might be able to go outside, but it’s still dangerous, as they’re still wandering around down there.”
“..Really? Can you take us along?”
“That’s impossible, having more people makes it more dangerous.”
It was something I said on the spot from my bad habits. n.o.body understood the behavior patterns of a zombie. Mizuki stood still and spoke,
“The only place safe for my brothers are..”
“Impossible. There is no such place. There is no safe place and even the refuge was full of zombies.”
Even if I let them live in the apartment next to mine and bring food to them regularly, it would be too much work. If only it was just the pretty girl. It was different with some elementary students though. It required a lot of effort to keep them all safe. They had some essential information, but it was not enough to hold up a fort.
“I only took food and escaped because I was trying to avoid these things. I can’t afford to stay with you.”
“Really…”
Mizuki’s face darkened.
The younger brothers overheard and became silent. My expression is nearly the same as before.
They were being too disciplined. When I held out against them, it was different than how they did it. They were afraid.
Even Mizuki was afraid. Food was becoming more rare in the supermarket. They would start having thoughts of escaping reality.
Although the girl looked smart, the situation was still driving her into a corner.
“Oh, I’ll get more food. I’m going to be gone for a while. If I find a human that can help, then I’ll tell them to come here. Is that okay with you??”
Mizuki blinked and stared at Yuusuke’s face.
She lowered her head deeply and said,
“….Thank you very much. I am very sorry for being so selfish.”
“It’s okay. Help will come soon. Keep holding out.”
Yuusuke stared at Mizuki as she lifted her head up…
While he thought of never coming back.
–Chapter 11 End–