Chapter Text

"There's no need for goodbyes or funerals, when we have each other's love and memories in our hearts. And as long as we can pass down that love and happiness to the people we care about and to the next generations, I think we can live forever, in a weird way. Love is the most important thing though. If we pass on love... I know the world is going to become a better place, no matter how hard it is today. So... pass on love and hope, not hate."

- Shidou Kei's final words and will.

Hear

The

Ringing

Echoes

"Just because something isn't a lie does not mean that it isn't deceptive. A liar knows that he is a liar, but one who speaks mere portions of truth in order to deceive is a craftsman of destruction."

- Criss Jami

Prologue Arc

"Divergence"

For this period between graduation and matriculation, we're not considered students. We don't belong anywhere. We aren't attached to anything. For some reason, that makes my steps feel lighter… anyway! We're going on a field trip together! There's no way it wouldn't be fun!

Despite the fall of Megurigaoka Private High School, perhaps due to an inability to fully comprehend what had occurred, Yuki had remained in high hopes and spirits.

The graduated School Living Club had for the first time in over half a year had an active goal to work towards. The "Randall Corporation" and "St. Isidore University." The ones who created the serum, and a fleeting chance at meeting other survivors.

The truth was, there was no master plan in set for the School Living Club. Reach the University, hope people were there, and try to learn more about the outside world. At the very least, investigate buildings made by the mysterious corporation. And if it was a dead end? Venture onward and onward. After all; they were graduates now, adults. Adults who had to find their own path in the world, even if none were being presented to them.

Well, until now there hadn't been a clear path.

Good morning, it's another wonderful day! Well, not that I would know, I can't see outside from here. This is Station 111! Thanks for tuning in again today! Hey, listeners… if you're tuning in, why not try paying me a visit? There'll be tea and sweets for those who visit!

The girls had made the decision to detour from the plan to head to the University in favor of possibly meeting another survivor sooner! It was a no-brainer for the School Living Club.

"Look! We left footprints!"

"Senpai, what are you doing!? Help us out, will you!"

"S-sorry-!"

Yuki's behavior might have been difficult to cooperate with at times, but none could deny their love for the pink-haired girl and the hope she brought. It hadn't taken them long to find the broadcasting station; and it was built like a fortress! Kurumi figured a bomb could drop on it and it'd probably be just fine. She briefly considered calling for Rii to help open the heavy bomb hatch, but the three were barely able to pry it open.

"Isn't this… a bit much for a broadcasting station?" Miki asked, looking at her seniors.

"Tell me about it, jeez!" Kurumi complained, wiping sweat off her brow. Ever since learning about the school, the vaccines, and now St. Isidore, Kurumi was beginning to realize that Megurigaoka City was… unusual, unnatural. And this location added onto it. Like the entire city was made for this disaster. But she pushed the thoughts aside, clenching her shovel.

"You're being too tense, Kurumi-chan!" Yuki said with a little grin as they climbed down. "She's gonna be a nice person, I'm sure of it!"

"Y… yeah," Kurumi said, forcing a smile. They didn't know anyone out here. She seemed friendly on the radio, but…

She looked over at Miki, who nodded. They had no idea what people outside the school were like. So, she stayed on guard. While unarmed, Miki was ready to fight if need be. "I'm opening the door," Miki announced, the other two girls following in after.

The interior was a small and simple recording studio, a shelf filled with CDs and a poster for decoration. Miki walked over and saw a coffee mug, still hot. "Kurumi, Yuki…"

Where is she? Kurumi thought, noticing a door. Is she using the restroom or something? Should we stick around and wait? If we surprise her, it could be a prob—

"Heeeeeeeey! Miss DJ! Where are you!?" Yuki yelled, causing Kurumi and Miki to jump.

"Y-Yuki-senpai, you scared us-!" Miki complained, giving a little pout as Yuki rubbed the back of her head nervously.

"S-sorry… I just really want to meet her; you know?"

"Well, we don't want to scare her!" Kurumi replied. "We should—"

"Didn't anyone ever teach you to knock first?"

The door to their side opened, and there smiling was a young woman in her 20s, seven earrings in each ear.

"Let me guess. You came for tea and sweets, right?"

The three girls couldn't hide their excitement with the grins on their faces.

"Its soooooooooooooooooo good! Red bean paste mochi!" Kurumi and Yuki had said in unison, savoring ever moment of the treat.

It was the first time in months the girls could have such luxuries, and they were all enjoying themselves. Once Rii was inside the radio station, the DJ had prepared some green tea for the group, and as promised had also provided them with sweets: store-bought (or likely stolen) mochi still unopened! The girls had wanted to mind their manners, but even Rii was getting into it and succumbed to gluttony.

"Been a while since you had something so good, huh?" The DJ asked with a little laugh, watching Yuki put two into her mouth at once.

"Yuki-chan, please watch your manners! You too, Kurumi!" Rii scolded, plopping another into her mouth, her fifth.

"Hey, we deserve to pig out, alright?" Kurumi said, eating her sixth piece of mochi. "I never thought I'd be able to eat mochi again!"

"Eat up! That stuff was going to start going bad soon anyways… it's the last of it though, so savor it. Whatever we don't eat, it gets thrown out!" The DJ said, eating a piece of mochi herself. "Man, its been a while since someone actually stopped by! I thought everyone had either found their own groups or moved on by now…" The DJ looked them up. "You're all pretty clean… where you from? I try to keep tabs on most of the groups in the city…"

"We just graduated!" Yuki said happily, taking a sip of her tea. The DJ frowned for a moment, tilting her head.

"Graduated…?"

"We're from Megurigaoka Private High School," Rii explained setting down her tea as her own expression grew serious, as did Kurumi's and Miki's. "We… just left a few days ago. We've been living there the past few months. It was mostly self-sufficient…"

"Ah, so you're lockers, I see," the DJ said, much to the girls' confusion. Lockers? "Well, welcome to the outside. It sucks," the DJ said with a little chuckle, taking another sip of her tea. "Something go wrong?"

"We graduated, so we're on our way to university! St. Isidore!" Yuki explained as chipper as ever.

"St. Isidore University…"

"You know about it?" Kurumi asked.

"Me and my brother went there," the DJ said, frowning for a moment before sighing. The girls wanted to say something, but she pressed on. "Listen, that place… it's a waste of time. Hear me out on this, there's a way better place to go."

"What do you mean?" Miki asked, not quite liking where this was starting to go.

"The University has two groups in it. One is hostile to most outsiders, the other is filled with pansies," she said, before grinning. "Listen, I'm going to be honest with you. I'm actually out here on a mission."

"A mission?" Rii asked. "For… the government…?"

"The government, the old world, is dead," the DJ said bluntly. It sent a shiver down the spine of the girls, hearing it from someone outside. "Don't waste your time hung up on what used to be. I've been running this radio station for the past two months as part of an assignment. I'm part of a group that rules over Megurigaoka Adult Correctional Facility… you know, Megurigaoka Prison."

"I-Isn't that place going to be full of criminals though!?" Yuki asked nervously, the other girls looking at the DJ for more.

"We took it over. Its secure… 300 people and going strong. Now, you want a new home? That's where you wanna head!" the DJ said with a grin. "I've been running this radio station to get people here to encourage them to go there… not to toot my own horn, but I've sent nearly sixteen other people there!"

"So… you were using the radio to lure us?" Kurumi said, narrowing her eyes just a little as she took another sip of tea.

"Hey now, don't make me sound like a bad guy here. I gave you tea and mochi, didn't I? It's not like I lied or anything," the DJ said. "I'm just doing my job for my people. And I'm offering you all a safe place to live."

"Are there any catches?" Miki asked.

"I won't pretend it'll be easy, especially for lockers," there was that word again. "You'll be starting off at the bottom of the food chain… menial physical labor, gardening, cleaning, the boring stuff. But you'll have your chance to work your way up. That's pretty standard, isn't it?" The girls didn't say anything in response, and she sighed. "Listen… my assignment is almost up. I was gonna be heading back in a week. Why don't you all come with me? My RV has more than enough gas to get us there."

"You're asking a lot from us," Rii said. "You're asking us to follow you when we've just met you. Not to mention, you lured us here…"

"Jesus, you're making me sound like a real asshole, you know that?" the DJ said with another sigh. "Listen, I'm not forcing you to do anything. You're free to do what you want. You wanna go to St. Isidore, go to St. Isidore. But I need to tell my fellows at the prison to expect you if you're gonna come so they don't think you're invaders," she said, finishing her green tea. "… Also, you eat all my mochi. So, there's that."

"Oh, screw you lady," Kurumi said, standing up. "Come on, let's go—"

"Wait," Rii said before Kurumi could walk off. "If we think about it… can we stay here until then?"

"Rii!? You can't be—"

"Can we stay, or no?"

The DJ tapped her foot. "Sure. I'll be here another week. But when the time comes, I'm leaving no matter what, and like hell I'm letting you stay here. I'm locking it up until some others from the prison come to manage it. Its too valuable to just let people stay in, sorry."

"B… but we need to go to the University to study!" Yuki finally spoke up.

"I'm sorry, study?" the DJ asked.

"Yeah! We just graduated… so we need to go to St. Isidore, study and get our diplomas!" Yuki said with a smile. "And get real jobs!"

"… A… are you joking?" the DJ asked.

"No… of course I'm not! We just graduated!" Yuki went on. "So we gotta… umm… uhhh…" She crossed her legs. "Y-you know…"

"… Do you have to use the bathroom?" the DJ asked, and with a very embarrassed smile Yuki nodded. "Down the corridor. Last room on the left," she said, as Yuki nodded and headed off, before turning to the rest. "Alright. What's her problem?"

"It's a long story," Miki began. "One that's not really polite to talk about when she can come back any minute."

"Well, I got time," the DJ said. "This is serious. The world isn't nice and secure; what'll happen if you meet people dangerous? That kind of delusion can get her -or any of you- killed. Maybe it worked when you were all being lockers, but that can't fly out here."

"OK, there's that word again- why do you keep calling us 'lockers?'" Kurumi asked. "It sounds like an insult."

The DJ smirked. "Listen up kiddos; 'cuz this part is super important. There's two kind of survivors as far as everyone is concerned… the first is the majority of us; scavengers. People who weren't able to hold themselves up in a secure location with food and water for extended period of time… and those who could; lockers. You know, because you seal things in lockers to keep them safe, right? Locking yourself up to keep yourself safe while the rest of the world fell apart…"

None of the girls liked that.

"Don't act like it was easy for us!" Kurumi snapped. "We did patrols. We killed zombies. Conservation of food and water and power… that's…!" Miki tried to put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down, but she took a step forward. "Who the hell are you people to judge us!? Judge Yuki!? This wasn't camping, you know!" She said, gripping the DJ by the shoulder, who just smirked and rose her hands.

"Whoah, listen, don't take me wrong; I'm not here judging you or saying you had it easy," the DJ said. "I'm just stating facts. At the very least, you can say you always had a shelter, and at least some food and water, right? Lots of us didn't have that luxury. I'm not saying you didn't struggle or suffer… but look at this from my, from our perspective. I'm not trying to undersell you, and I'm glad we're having this talk now; its worth warning you," she said. "People… don't tend to like lockers. For some its jealousy, for others they see an easy target, or both. You need to keep it to yourself," the DJ warned. "From now on… you held up in this high school for two or three weeks. Then you headed out into the brave new world; you're fighters and survivors, not lockers, understand that?"

"… I think I'd rather take pride in being a locker," Miki spoke up.

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Miki said, her fists balled. "My… my group got wiped out before I joined the School Living Club," Kurumi and Rii went deathly quiet; they still didn't know what had happened before finding her in the mall. "We worked hard. We survived, despite being 'lockers.' We fought, and we died. Hiding it like some dirty secret; it feels like I'm throwing their memories under the bus. I don't like it," Miki said, looking the DJ in the eye.

"I'm with her," Kurumi said, putting a hand on Miki's shoulders. "Call us whatever you want, we're not gonna lie about ourselves just to be more accepted!"

"Yuki… also would hate it," Rii said. "And so do I. We're not going to lie about our own experiences just so others will respect us more. We're not cowards."

The DJ chuckled. "Its your own decisions... We'll see how you feel in a few months, living out here… but honestly? That's guts. And I do like that. So would my fellows," she admitted. "Its your lives. That's the thing about this new world… we're free to live and die as we choose now," she went on. "You're your own masters now. But so is everyone else. And many... are not kind masters. So think on it, alright? But you know, I think we're getting off track; what's wrong with your friend?"

The girls looked at eachother, but Kurumi was the one to speak up. "She's coping in her own way. That's what matters. It gives her the strength to move onwards."

"And let me guess, it filles you up with strength, having someone like that, hmm? She keeps your spirits up, you all do the hard work..." Miki narrowed her eyes at the déjà vu of this conversation. And a sense of shame as well, having suggested the same thing not too long ago... "Well, we have a shrink at the prison. Maybe—"

"Stop talking about her like she's a burden or something!"

Miki actually stood up as she practically yelled it out.

"Miki-san..." Rii began, but didn't press on.

"I... I thought the same way at first but... she's strong in her own way! And yeah, it makes us happy and it gives us strength too. But that's not why we accept it! It's her mental health... and not ours! I-I'm new here, so I don't know her as much as Kurumi-senpai and Rii-senpai, but I know that to be able to face this with a smile; it's a strength! Even with her hallucinations... she'll pull through for us, I know it. It's not your decision to make!"

"I second that," Rii said. "It's not that... it's not that I don't think Yuki doesn't needs psychiatric help... I don't think any of us are denying that," Kurumi and Miki didn't respond to that. "But... you're talking about her like a burden. Like a broken tool that needs to be fixed. Not a human being that needs help being healed. Like she'll be a burden on us if we don't. That's unacceptable."

"What they said," Kurumi said. "If you're gonna keep talking about her like this, I'm out. I think I speak for all of us," she said, and the other two nodded.

The DJ sighed. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. I won't press this issue anymore. I don't... I don't understand how you feel this way, I really don't, but she's your friend and not mine, and you're the ones that's been living with her since the world became hell. I'll trust your words... but if my safety is threatened out there in any way because of her, I'm leaving you girls. That's understandable, isn't it?" The room fell into an uneasy silence before they heard the pitter patter of feet once more.

"I'm baaaaaaack!" Yuki yelled, rushing over to rejoin the group.

"Welcome back, Yuki-senpai," Miki said with a smile, the smile Yuki gave warming the hearts of the School Living Club.

"... You know, I should introduce myself. Call me Yui," the DJ, or rather Yui said.

"Takeya Yuki!" Yuki said, even giving a salute to the woman.

"Ebusizawa Kurumi," Kurumi said, her smile fading a bit as her eyes narrowed, still not sure if this woman could be trusted.

"Naoki Miki," she seemed to be much in the same boat.

"Wakasa Yuuri... my friends call me Rii though," she was the only one other than Yuki still smiling at that point, although it was wary.

"Well... it's still early. And I got a lot of tunes here. What's say we kill the time with some music?"

Yuki cheered, but the tension in the air was uneasy still.

And with that, nearly four days had passed since they had begun staying with Yui.

The tension, if still lingering, had been more bearable. If nothing else. Yui had eased off on the prison, the Living Club's status as "lockers," and Yuki's mental state, and things were beginning to calm down. Although the rocky first encounter never quite left their head, they were a tad bit more sympathetic upon learning more of Yui.

They learned she was a student of St. Isidore University with her brother, but had been away when the Outbreak began. She hadn't returned there, devoted to her duties with this other group. Apparently, a group of high school girls had formed a large group, of which Yui's was absorbed into; starving and on the verge of death Yui and her fellows at the time happily accepted this new rule, and in particular had been there for the "conquest of the prison." It was clear why she was so devoted to seeing it grow, even if their initial encounter was still putting off the girls.

The School Living Club in bits and pieces were learning more about the world outside Megurigaoka. Some groups were peaceful and just tried to make it by in mundane ways, like they had, only scavenging food and supplies that hadn't already been claimed. Others were... more violent.

"There are raiders, violent guys," Yui had told them. "This is what I mean about hiding the fact you're former lockers... there are people who will think they can push you around because of that! At best they'll disrespect you... at worst they'll murder you and steal everything you have. This is an era ruled by strength. Even the most innocent looking people can be dangerous, like those brats from hell..."

"Brats from hell?" Miki had questioned. Yui had opened her mouth but closed it, physically disturbed by a memory. Whoever these 'brats from hell,' was, it was enough to make even the cool and collected Yui seem afraid.

"Ah... it doesn't matter. We'll be avoiding them. That's all there is to it. Just... don't trust anyone, no matter how sweet they look!"

"Honestly, I'm pretty happy to be out of there, even if it's just for a day. It's like a chicken coop in there..."

Kurumi and Rii had decided to venture out into the city a bit more. While Yui had said there was enough food and supplies to get them back to the prison (assuming they made that decision), they had insisted more in case of an emergency was a good idea, and Yui did not object. More than anything, Kurumi and Rii had wanted an opportunity to speak without the older woman around.

"I actually feel bad for her; at least in the school we could move around into classrooms and the roof... She said she hadn't even gone outside in nearly a month," Rii said with a frown. "And honestly? After a while, the school felt cramped too..."

"I think I'd lose it in there if I had to stay in for too long," Kurumi said, sighing as she stopped the car. "This mission of her's, I couldn't do it."

"You seem to be more positive of her, you know?" Rii said, giving a little smile.

"Just a little... I mean, she is telling us really useful stuff we need to know, and she's not making us go to the prison against our will," Kurumi said.

"Bad first impressions?"

"No, it's more than that. I don't like that guilt tripping and aggressive BS she had when we met her. But... it's weird. I don't really like her; but maybe I'm... I want to say more sympathetic; you know? Like I get why she was like that and all. I don't think I'm forgiving it, I just get it," Kurumi said. "And you?"

"I'm still upset about how she talked about Yuki, but I feel the same..." And they walked on the streets. The undead were not present, but Kurumi still held her shovel, and Yui had given Rii a bat.

"Now that we're away... we should talk about the next move to make," Rii said. "St. Isidore University... or Megurigaoka Adult Correctional Facility."

"Yuki really wants to go to the University. I do too," Kurumi said. "Remember what Yui said... in this world, we're our own masters. But if we go to the prison..."

"We'll be sacrificing our autonomy," Rii replied. "We'll start at the bottom of the food chain and have to work our ways up. We won't have control of our own destinies anymore. And you know... Yui said they conquered territory. We can't pretend we're not biting off more than we can chew by joining them..."

"But the University isn't a guarantee either. And apparently some survivors there are hostile to outsiders... and this is assuming they're still alive," Kurumi said. "We could get there and everyone could be dead, or they could try murdering or chasing us off... There's not a lot of gas left in Megunee's car left, and Yui said she'd only spare us two gallons of her spare gas... if the university is a dead end..."

"It's serious danger," Rii contemplated. "I don't think we have enough gasoline to make it there and then go to the prison if we lose it. We'll have to try heading on foot, and that's incredibly dangerous. We only have three more days to make up our decision, too..."

"Yuki is going to want to go to the University no matter what, but it's starting to sound like a bad idea, huh? I'm sure we can convince her some way, but... that's the other thing..."

"The therapist they have, right?"

"Yeah," Rii said. "Yuki... Yuki can't live like this forever, can she?" Kurumi said nothing in response. "I remember when Miki accused us of being mutually co-dependent on each other, and how mad we got. But if we actively deny her mental help..."

"... Its everything Miki said and then some," Kurumi said. "Or... well, maybe not that, but... she needs real help. If she gets denied that just because we wanted to take a shot at the University, what the hell does that say about us? 'Hey, we could have tried getting you a therapist, but we thought this was a better idea?' I feel gross just saying it."

"We all want to head to St. Isidore, that much we can all agree on. The question is if that's practical with this other option on the table, and at least to me, it isn't anymore," Rii said. "And you?"

"I… It isn't," Kurumi admitted, sighing. "The more I think about it, the dumber heading to St. Isidore is sounding… it just doesn't make sense now."

"Not that what we're doing is making any sense either…"

"Rii… you sure you wanna do this?" Kurumi asked.

"I don't," Rii said bluntly, still walking slightly ahead. "But even if it's only to confirm my worst fears… I want to be able to sleep without thinking of it."

Two nights ago, they had a rather… unpleasant conversation with Yui as they discussed their adventure up until then.

"Nobody in your house, huh?" Yui had asked, Kurumi looking forlorn.

"I just… I was hoping… I don't know. My mom was a stay-at-home mom… part of me deep inside just… fuck. I wanted to think she'd be there; you know? Cooking or cleaning like always…"

"Accept that she, and everyone you once loved is dead."

Yui's words hit the School Living Club like a sack of bricks. Miki had tried to get Yuki to leave, but she refused to budge.

"I've noticed this in lockers… you always hope that the people you loved are out there somewhere. That they could hide somewhere like you did. Don't ever believe in hope like that; it leads to despair," Yui had told them. "Live under the impression everyone you have ever loved or cared about is dead. More than that, that they died painfully and violently—"

"Shut up," Kurumi began.

"Afraid—"

"I said shut up!"

"And above all, completely alone!"

"I said shut up, dammit!"

But when Kurumi gripped the older woman once more, she was pulled into a hug.

"Assume the people you once loved died horribly and violently… and grieve for them now. If you meet them again by pure chance… then that is a miracle. But for now? Grieve like you heard your loved ones were murdered by a serial killer in their homes, alone, before all this. Cry, scream, it's OK. The undead can't get in here. So, you girls… you can let it all out, ok? Do it tonight. Cry until you can't cry anymore. And then? We start working and living again."

The night that followed was, for lack of a better word, emotional. Unable to sleep after Yui's words, at 2 AM Kurumi made her way to the roof of the studio, sighing. She knew that the chance of her parents being alive had been next to nothing, but now she was being forced to confront the reality.

Was she sad? Was she angry? Kurumi spent nearly all-night crying until, like Yui said, until she couldn't cry anymore. And now? She felt like she couldn't feel anything at all. No sorrow, no anger, just numbness.

She hated that the night was so clear and beautiful tonight. In the movies, wasn't there always rain and bad weather when you learned this kind of news? It actually pissed her off a bit; this perfectly gorgeous cloudless night sky and the beautiful full moon shining down on her. Rain, dammit. I want you to cry for my mom and dad, she thought bitterly, before noticing she wasn't alone on the roof.

"… Rii?"

"Kurumi?" Rii asked, looking over, her red and puffy eyes looking into Kurumi's equally tired eyes. "You… ah, you were taking Yui-san's advice too?"

"… Come on, its rude asking questions you know the answer to."

"Sorry, sorry…" Rii had said, sighing as she looked up at the moon. "I guess… Its just hitting me. We're probably never going to see anyone from before again, probably…?"

"Yeah," Kurumi said, not quite sure what else to say. "You missing your mom and dad?"

"Not really," Rii admitted, to Kurumi's surprise. "I didn't like them, to be honest. I haven't missed them for a single day since this all began," Kurumi was alarmed by that, but didn't know how else to proceed. "I did lose someone I loved, though…"

"Kurumi-chan? Rii-chan?"

Rii and Kurumi were surprised to see Yuki before them, her eyes also red and puffy. But despite that, she still smiled.

"You got really sad, too, huh? 'Cuz we were telling sad stories…"

"… Yeah," Rii said, smiling, as Kurumi did as well.

"Really sad stories," Kurumi said. "We should stick to scary stories next time."

"Why don't we take a little walk?" Rii asked. "Just outside the station… We can just walk in a circle around here, clear our heads."

"That used to help me," Rii and Kurumi were caught off-guard. "It… I used to really like night time before it became scary to me, before we started living at school! The cool air and night sky used to be so nice and relaxing… It calmed my anxiety."

Rii and Kurumi had noticed that since the helicopter crash, something was changing in Yuki. She still acted the way she usually did, but… something felt…

…

Something seemed to be changing inside Yuki.

It made them happy.

And so, the original three members of the School Living Club trailed around the studio aimlessly, walking in a circle against the bunker.

"Yuki-chan… what do you think about going to the prison instead of the university?" Rii had asked.

"Eh!? I-Isn't that a bad idea!? All the dangerous people in there… not to mention, we gotta get our degrees to get real jobs!"

"Yeah but… that's one of the reasons we gotta consider it! Even though it'll delay getting our diplomas a bit, if we go to the prison as interns, we can get some really good work experience," Kurumi said. "And… if we like it enough, maybe we don't need degrees. We can just work at that place full time!"

"I don't… uuu… I don't like that idea much…" Yuki said with a frown, before smiling again. "But… I promise I'll think about it, OK? I still want to get a diploma though!"

The three laughed a bit and kept walking. It had been a while since it had just been the three of them, the original members of the School Living Club.

But eventually, Rii sat down, as a sob escaped her lips.

"Rii-san…?" Yuki asked, stopping.

"You alright, Rii?" Kurumi asked.

"I... I'll be fine. Just... its been a long night," Rii said. "Thinking about things... All night. Just... Its hitting me, you know? That... that people I loved are gone forever now. Its. That's not something I can just shrug off," Rii explained, clutching her head. "Just... I need time to process it, you know?"

The girls went quiet, but Yuki spoke first.

"I wish you all could have met my mama and papa."

Kurumi and Rii went quiet as she looked up at her. "They were really nice... my mama and papa would've loved the School Living Club! They loved camping and gardening and making your own food and that stuff!! I used to do that stuff when I was little... Then things got really hard for me. And they still loved me a lot. I was never a bother to them or anything. They loved me a lot... a-and I hope... I can see them when they come home from their business trip! They went on one to China before we formed the club! A-And all this... this... this bad weather I bet is delaying their flights back. But I want to believe I'll see them again! I'll never give up hope!"

The girls went quiet, and then Kurumi scratched behind her head. "My mom was really nice, you know? Had that whole yamato nadeshiko thing going on with her. Always keeping the house clean, always keeping me safe, always made it feel like a real home; not just some place to sleep at. I used to be frustrated when I was little by it; everyone said I had the perfect mom, but... I couldn't ever imagine myself being like that. Even though I wanted to be a beautiful bride, something felt... off. But she always stood up for me. She loved me and dad. Dad was always kinda distant, he had trouble with his emotions and worked a lot; but he was always there for my birthdays and holidays. Its like..." Kurumi stopped. "I wish... I wish I could just start over with them," without even realizing it, Kurumi was starting to cry again. "You just don't... don't really realize what you had until its gone, you know?" Kurumi had said. She felt a little better now, truth be told, and both Yuki and Kurumi were looking at Rii now.

"Let it out," Kurumi said. "Its alright. Its OK if you didn't get along with your mom and dad... just... don't bottle it in, alright? You might feel better talking about it."

And with that, Rii began crying again, burying her face in her hands.

"It's OK, Rii," Kurumi tried to assure, a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't we head back to the rooftop?"

"R-Rii-san…" Yuki said, a hand on her other shoulder.

"I had… I had… A-A sister…"

"I… I always had a feeling you were a big sister…" Yuki said, trying to keep the spirits high, but realizing she couldn't. "Rii-san…"

"Her name was Ryuko, we all called her Ruu though. I never mentioned her even once… She was so easily excitable, I always had to keep a close eye on her. Once her hat blew away, a-and I had to chase her down the street while she chased after it…" The tears that had stopped were returning. "I've been so blessed… I-I had the two of you and Megumi-sensei when this all began… b-but… my sister… my sister…!"

"Rii…" Kurumi bit on her lip, trying to think of what to say. "I…"

"All alone and afraid… is that how she died, too? Like Yui said!? Painful, afraid, and alone…!? D… did she cry for me? She never cried for mom and dad! Whenever she needed help she always called for me to help her, and when she needed me the most-! I'm terrible… don't you understand that!?" The tears flowed freely, in-between sobs. "She had to face this alone… while I… while I… while I was focused so much on my own survival the thought of leaving to protect my own sister didn't even cross my mind; I pushed her out of my head! What kind of fucked up person does that!?"

"R-relax, Rii!" Kurumi said, pulling the girl into a hug. "You… you were just trying to survive too! You can't- you can't blame yourself for this! Its… it's not your fault!"

"Yes, it is! I should have gone out and looked for her to protect her! I was barely able to hold it in the school; do you have any idea how many times I thought about killing myself there?" Kurumi was dead-silent now. "Only because of you two… I wouldn't have even found the will to live… and here I am, thinking I could have protected Ruu? God, I'm a joke… I'm supposed to be the big sister, but I only protected and helped myself. I'm so selfish…" She looked up at Yuki. "You remind me so much of her, I think. I used you as a substitute. For my little sister I failed to protect, I used you. I'm sorry, Yuki. I'm so, so, so sorry!" She buried her face in her hands. "Maybe… maybe Miki was right all along… The three of us, that we—"

Then it was Yuki's turn to hug her, not allowing her to finish.

"I don't think Rii is selfish at all, for wanting to live."

"Yuki…"

"I used to not want to be alive either… And I thought I was cowardly and weak… I had to take medicine every day, and sometimes it wasn't enough, you know?"

"Yuki…" Kurumi began, eyes wide. "Have you… are you…?"

"Good things can happen if we're alive," Yuki said. "Whether we're going to college together or working… I think I understand the world better now. That's why, I'm never going to wish I'm dead ever again," Yuki had declared to her two friends. "I'm sure she understands… even if you never see her again, it sounds like she loved you a lot, Rii-chan," she said, tightening her hug. "So please… keep being the Rii-chan we love, that she loved, that we're all so proud of!"

"Love… you all… love me?"

"Of course we love you, dummy," Kurumi had said, a tear escaping her left eye as she pulled her into a tight embrace along with Yuki, smiling. "We're club mates. We look out for each other."

"Thank you both… t-thank you… my best friends…" Rii said between sniffles, before smiling at last, looking at the full moon. "Ruu… I'm so sorry… I couldn't protect you, but please, if you're looking down listening to this; please forgive me while I keep living on."

"I think I can hear her saying… 'you're the bestest sister ever, so you need to keep living for us both!'" Yuki said, which finally made Rii laugh; the situation seemed to be diffusing.

A grunt had gotten their attention though.

"Girls, stay back," Kurumi said, taking control of the situation as she rose her shovel, noticing a… small figure approaching. "Oh, damn…"

The zombie… was a young child, clearly. With a sign around his neck.

We're in Namekawa Grade School!

Please help us.

We have food and water!

"God… This way you can call for help, even if you…" Kurumi gulped. Was this child sent before he was infected, or…?

Yuki was standing in front of Rii, arms outstretched, but Rii looked with eyes wide as dinner plates, reading the sign. "Impossible…"

The undead child, but was no match for Kurumi. A simple swipe to the legs, followed by a blow to the nape of the neck, and it had ended as quickly as it began.

"Rii-chan, wait!"

But Rii ignored Yuki's cry, rushing over to the child and looking at the sign. "Ah… ahhh…! K-Kurumi… Yuki… this is…! Oh my God!"

Her sister!? Kurumi had thought in a panic. If it was, she was incredibly concerned for her mental well being in that moment. But she looked down, and it was clearly a boy. But it was the sign she was so intently fo… cused… on…

Oh my God.

"R-Rii… is this…" Kurumi took a step towards her.

"This is her school…! Kurumi! Yuki! This is her school! Namekawa Grade School! A-and this is a kid her age, I… I remember she sometimes played with him in the playground… Namekawa Grade School, at least some children survived at Namekawa Grade School!"

Both Yuki and Kurumi were very concerned by the 180 in her personality, her sorrow replaced by incredible optimism; dangerous optimism.

"My sister might still be alive!"

"Rii… We can't expect to… you know she's probably…"

"I know. I know she's probably dead," Rii said with a sigh. "But… I need to see. If she's not there… I'll assume she's dead unless we bump into her. But I just need to try it, you know? Just… lay my thoughts to rest."

"This is risky, not telling Yui," Kurumi said. "If something happens to us, only Yuki and Miki know where to look for us. Yui might not let them take her weapons though."

"She doesn't need to know about this," Rii said. "Not to mention, we don't completely trust her, do we?" She asked, facing Kurumi.

"Damn right," Kurumi said. This was the business of the School Living Club; they were sure they would go to the prison instead of St. Isidore at this point, so as far as they were concerned, Yui should be happy at the prospect of maybe another member. And as they began to draw closer, signs were erected; and both Kurumi and Rii felt something go cold in their hearts.

TURN BACK! THE SCHOOL IS FUCKING DANGEROUS!

IF THERE'S NO ADULT WITH THEM DON'T TRUST KIDS

"H… Holy fuck, Rii…" Kurumi said, looking over at Rii,, who had her mouth covered in horror. "Rii… t… what the fuck. T-these are kids, right? Namekawa is a grade school, right?"

"M… maybe… raiders took it over?" Rii asked, gulping. "If so, my sister… s-she could be in danger, like a slave or something…!"

"Rii… these signs are talking about kids, how the hell can someone want kids dead?" Kurumi asked. "Rii, are you sure you want to do this? I think we should get Yuki and Miki."

"There's no time for that! She can be in danger! Something is going on in Namekawa; I need to make sure she's safe!" Rii was starting to pick up her pace.

"Wait! Rii! Dammit!" Kurumi couldn't do much except follow after her, now severely regretting

And so they approached the school, and the sight… was unlike what they could have imagined.

There were spikes adoring the exterior of the school, pointing outwards. Pieces of zombies adorned them; a clear warning sign for all to stay away. Above the entry to the school there laid two signs; one in broken English, one in Japanese, both clear warnings to the girls.

ABANDONED ALL THE HOPE YOU WHO ARE ENTERING THIS PLACE

NO ADULTS ALLOWED

"Rii… dammit, if you're gonna do this, let me scout first, OK?" Kurumi said, as she headed in a bit more. Rii, if this kills me, I'm gonna haunt you.

"I... be careful… but please, keep an eye out…"

"I got it, Rii," she said, nodding as she headed inside. The school was a mess with things turned over everywhere, and stuff knocked over. But she noticed it wasn't as dusty as she thought it would be; people had been in here recently, living here recently, but it had been abandoned. But what if they were still here?

Kurumi's eyes widened as she noticed a part of the floor seemed different. Covered by a few blankets. Poking it with her shovel it quickly fell in, and Kurumi could see sharpened pikes at the bottom. This place is booby trapped!

She gulped, slowly heading further in, keeping a close eye on the ground and what was around her. She looked into one room and saw it; several bottles of water and even canned food sitting on a desk in plain sight… and looking below she saw another blanket trap. Venturing onwards she narrowed her eyes, noticing what looked like wires suspended. She gently pushed on one, wincing as her finger bled. It was high enough that most adults would have been skewered, but most kids could easily walk under it. Using her shovel, she was able to destroy it; and from the ceilings fell what was best described as several sharpened sticks held together by rope. Not a lethal blow, but still…

"Hey! Is anyone here!" Kurumi yelled out "I… I'm trying to find someone! Wakasa Ryuko! R-Ruu! I'm looking for you, alright!? I don't mean any harm!"

She heard the pitter patter of feet somewhere around her, but couldn't pin down the location. "S-seriously! I'm just looking for Ruu! So if you're out… please come out and talk, I mean no harm, honestly!"

Kurumi looked above her, and then to her side. A door previously closed opened, and Kurumi slowly headed over. A tile was missing from the ceiling above, but she saw nothing. The room didn't appear to be booby-trapped, but she couldn't see anyone inside the classroom. "Hello…?"

If the living dead exist, did ghosts did too? Now that was fucking scary to the girl. "Is anyone here…?" Kurumi then realized she made a mistake, not checking by her feet. And as she did she noticed that another ceiling tile was missing, and there was a string of rope going from the ceiling to the door. "… Dammit…!"

She heard a large thud from the hallway.

When she looked back, something was sprinting towards her. "Whoah, wait a minute-!"

Kurumi barely had chance to react. A child was rushing at her, holding something. The child swung and Kurumi was forced to block it with her shovel. Kurumi was able to get a closer look at it now; a hockey stick, with the hockey blade replaced with a large, serrated kitchen knife with an equally sharp point, creating a makeshift spear. "K-Kid, wait a second, I'm not here to hurt you!"

She was a small child, seemingly about 9 or so. She had long hair, and what looked like two buns tied in her hair; and she glared at Kurumi, jumping back and keeping her spear raised. "Listen! I-I'm here looking for someone, that's all!" The girl just continued to glare, beginning to circle. "I don't wanna hurt you, I promise! I'm looking for someone… Wakasa Ruu, I think she went to school here, do you know who or where she is?"

That was clearly the wrong question, as the girl's eyes widened before narrowing her eyes once more, charging again. This was something new to Kurumi; in the past 9 months she had killed many zombies, but they were slow and predictable. Here was a small but fast and agile girl, with a weapon like her. It didn't help that while Kurumi didn't want to hurt this child, she clearly didn't feel the same way. "Seriously, quit it, I don't want to hurt you!"

This time the child swung by her feet, forcing Kurumi to back up. She's trying to get me in the corner! She realized, forced to block another blow. Alright, no more playing nice! She's still just a kid, but its time to get serious! "Alright, brat, come get some!"

The girl took the invitation, swinging her spear as Kurumi swung her shovel; now actually fighting back instead of just parrying blows, the young girl struggled to keep her ground, although Kurumi was surprised she was strong enough to remain standing at all. But it became clear that despite the girl being stronger than her appeared, Kurumi was stronger. But she's probably faster than me… If I let my guard down, this kid is gonna kill me! Namekawa Grade School… when Yui mentioned 'brats from hell,' was it really these kids!?

The girl swung again, and Kurumi blocked once more. "Alright kid… Hope you're ready to get schooled!"

The silence that followed that moment was deafening, as both women completely stopped in their tracks for a few moments, and Kurumi's face reddened.

"… That sounded cool in my head, alright!?"

The girl charged again, as Kurumi parried the blow once again, this time keeping them locked together. But she kept up a grin. And that's it! With their weapons locked Kurumi kicked her in the side, the young girl's eyes widening at the sensation as she began to momentarily lose her balance; followed by the shovel slamming into her side and knocking her down. "Really didn't want to do that, kid. You ready to start behaving?" She said, grabbing the girl's spear, narrowing her eyes as she was glared back. "Listen. I'm serious… I don't know what the hell was happening here, but I really promise you I don't mean any harm, alright?" She asked, smiling even as the child glared. Kurumi kept holding onto her spear, while also pointing her shovel at her. "I'm Kurumi. You?" The girl just crossed her arms and continued glaring. "Alright, not a talkative kid. Listen. I'm looking for Ruu. She would've been a student here before… everything happened. I just want to talk to her. There used to be people living here, right? If you know anything—"

"Kurumi!? Kurumi, I thought I heard something, are you OK!?"

"Dammit- Rii, stay back! Its dangerous! Stay away!" And in her moments caught off guard the girl snatched her spear back from her hand, jumping back. "Oh, hell! Rii, there's a crazy kid in here, don't come in!"

"A crazy kid!? What are you… ah…?"

Rii entered the room, her eyes wide. "No way…"

"Rii! Listen, I know she's just a kid, but she's bad news! I need to disarm her, OK!?"

But she noticed she was staring at the child, and the child stared back in shock, her little eyes open as she dropped her spear.

No way… is that-!?

Rii took a few steps forward, dropping her baseball bat. "Is that you…?"

The little girl said nothing.

"Ruu… I-it's me… its Rii…"

"Its not a guarantee, but I'm confident they'll come back with me to the prison."

While Yuki and Miki ate, Yui was resting on the roof of the station, speaking into a handheld ham radio. How long had it been since she had seen the sun? Too long.

"And four of them? That's pretty good!" A woman on the other said with a laugh. "Even if they're lockers… you said one of them was pretty strong?"

"That Ebusizawa girl. I think she's the main fighter. Separate her from the group, let her enter the Castle and keep the rest in the Fields. They seem pretty tight… but you know lockers. Give them luxury and they forget those bonds pretty quickly."

"The same can be said for most people, can't it?"

Yui went quiet. "… I don't… like doing this, you know. You guys promised I don't have to do this anymore after this assignment is over."

"It's not like you're lying to them. We'll give them food, water, and shelter, and they start out at the bottom of the food chain. No need to mention the less savory details about it. You're doing a good job for us, we're proud."

"Whatever… just… Go easy on them when they get there, alright? It's a lot harder than I'm letting them know…"

"Of course, of course. Listen, don't be so down about it, alright? Yuzumura's probably going to be happy, and so will the boss, and you'll probably get rewarded."

"I don't care about rewards. I just want to do what's best for our people. That doesn't mean I like what we have to do," Yui said, lighting a cigarette. "Signing out."

"We're waiting for you back home, hero," and with that, the other woman signed out as well.

It's a real shame, Yui thought as she looked at the clouds above.

I really wish you kids could have stayed in that high school of yours.