Chapter 27
Minami Sagami wished she could wake up from this nightmare.
"What are you doing, Shigeo? Run faster!"
Everything had been normal just a few days ago, and now the undead ruled the streets. It felt as if the entire world had decided that she had to be punished by dragging Hell to the surface.
"N-Neesan! Wait!"
After Minami's parents were killed by a pack of infected dogs while trying to reach one of the military safe zones, she became responsible for her useless brother. With no parents to rely on, Minami had to shoulder the responsibility of guiding them both through the city—a challenge she knew she couldn't overcome.
She knew very well that she was no leader.
Minami couldn't help but curse her parents for leaving her behind. For abandoning her in this new world. For forcing her to take care of her brother.
She didn't want the responsibility.
She didn't want to take care of her brother.
She just wanted everything to go back to how it was.
But if the events of the Cultural Festival and its aftermath were any indication, Minami knew the world didn't bend to her whims.
As she tried to manage their limited resources and lead them through the city, Minami made the mistake of accidentally alerting the infected while she and her brother, Shigeo, attempted to grab some food from a 7/11.
Looking back, Minami saw over a dozen undead chasing after them. Their glowing red eyes were fixed on the two of them as they sprinted through the back streets and alleys of the city.
Behind her, Shigeo was gasping for breath and covered in sweat. Due to his love of video and board games, the young man was out of shape and unprepared for long-distance running. Minami, not particularly fond of exercise herself, was in the same predicament. Sweat rolled down her face and body, causing her clothes to cling uncomfortably to her skin.
"T-this way!" Minami called out as she turned a sharp corner down a long alleyway. Shigeo nearly slipped while following her, but managed to regain his balance and continued after her.
The two of them pressed on down the alley and turned another corner, only to gasp in horror.
It was a dead end.
Gasping for breath, the Sagami siblings turned around to see the incoming horde closing in. They stood frozen in fear.
There was nothing they could do.
They were going to die.
"Neesan… I'm scared," Shigeo whispered, his voice trembling as he started to cry.
"I-I..." Minami couldn't reply, overwhelmed by her own fear. She fell to her knees as her strength gave out, helplessly watching as the infected were now only twenty feet away. "I'm sorry, Shigeo."
Suddenly, a figure crashed down in front of them. The ground shook at the impact, and the concrete below shattered. As the dust danced around them, the figure stood up, revealing an almost glowing red pattern on the back of their black leather jacket. The mysterious stranger wore a hood, hiding their features as they faced the undead without a hint of fear.
Without wasting a moment, the hooded figure ran forward to meet the undead.
In one swift movement, they swung a leg, kicking back three of the undead. The infected flew away with incredible force, knocking down four of their fellow creatures. With a wide swing of their arm, the hooded figure delivered a punch so powerful that one infected's head snapped off their shoulders. Stepping back to dodge another grab, the figure seized the undead by the neck.
With no effort at all, they threw the creature down the alley as if it weighed nothing. Its body crashed violently into another undead, causing them both to tumble.
Leaping through the air, the stranger landed amid the horde and unleashed a storm of violence that decimated their numbers. With punches, kicks, knees, and elbows, the hooded figure took down the undead swiftly and effortlessly.
When it was over, they stood tall, surrounded by a sea of corpses and blood.
"W-what just happened?" Shigeo muttered, disbelief etched on his face. He let out a high-pitched yelp as the hooded figure approached him and his sister.
"Were you two bitten?" the figure asked, their voice low and male, looming over the siblings. They tried to make out his features, but the hood cast a shadow over his eyes.
"Bitten? N-no," Minami managed to reply, nervous about offending someone who could easily overpower her.
"Y-yeah, we're okay," Shigeo nodded in agreement.
The hooded man nodded but looked behind his shoulder as several loud barks echoed behind them. Marching down the alley were seven mutated and grotesque dogs. Their glowing red eyes glared at them with ferocity, while their sharp teeth dripped with blood.
At the sight of these horrifying creatures, Minami and Shigeo gasped and walked closer to each other. Their eyes shook with fear as the dogs charged toward them.
"Time to go," the hooded man said, effortlessly lifting Minami over his shoulder while grabbing Shigeo under his arm. The Sagami siblings had seen how strong the stranger was when he had brought the hoard down, but it shocked them to experience him lift both of them as if they were nothing.
"H-hey! Watch where you're grabbing!" Minami exclaimed as the man's arm supported her weight by her thighs.
"Hang on tight," the man instructed, and jumped.
Minami and Shigeo's surprised screams filled the alley, leaving the infected dogs looking around in confusion at their missing prey.
x x x
"Alright. The ride's over," I said as I gently placed the two people I had been carrying down.
Nearby, Rumi perked up when she saw the two individuals she had spotted while we were traveling through the city, safe and sound. Sitting on her shoulders was Kamakura, who was disinterestedly licking his paw.
Now free, the girl with the short maroon hair quickly backed away, blushing slightly, while the boy, who shared similar features with her but wore a pair of glasses, stared at me with wide, amazed eyes. They were most likely siblings.
"Y-you just jumped over seven meters," he exclaimed. "H-how is that possible?!"
"I'm built different. Let's just leave it at that," I replied, glancing over the edge at the gathered infected dogs. I frowned at the sight of their large, mutated forms. It seemed the virus affected animals differently than it did humans. Rumi walked over to stand beside me and gasped at the dogs.
"They're so… big."
"Yeah, I'd hate to see what the virus does to a shark," I said, slightly curious.
"Hey! Don't ignore us!" the girl shouted, only to flinch when I turned my attention to her. Something about her face annoyed me for some reason. "W-who are you? What are you? Normal people can't do what you just did! Are you… Are you one of those things?"
"Neesan! He just saved our lives!" the boy interjected, glaring at his sister. "If he had any bad intentions, he wouldn't have put himself in danger by helping us. I'm sorry about my sister, mister. Thank you for saving our lives!" He bowed apologetically. "Ah, my name is Shigeo Sagami, and this is my sister, Minami. It's nice to meet you!"
"Don't worry about it. You should thank Rumi. She was the one who spotted you two running on the streets," I said, motioning to Rumi. Seeing no harm in it, after all, they couldn't hurt Rumi or me, I removed my hood. "I'm—"
"H-Hikigaya!" Minami gasped, taking a step back with wide eyes of recognition and disbelief.
"You know me?" I asked, surprised.
"Know you? What are you talking about?! We're classmates! Are you still mad about the Cultural Festival? Are you going to pretend you don't know me because of that?!" Minami yelled, clearly irritated.
"What?! This guy is your classmate?" Shigeo exclaimed. "How come you never told me you knew someone with superpowers!?"
"Uh, actually, that's not the case," Rumi interjected, stepping in front of me as if to shield me from the irritated girl. It was pretty cute. "He's not pretending that he doesn't know you. You see, Hachiman kind of has… well, amnesia."
"Hah? You expect me to believe that?" Minami shot a look at Rumi, clearly annoyed. That was until she noticed the scar on my forehead. "What? That wasn't there a few days ago."
"I know it may be hard to believe, but Rumi is right. I woke up a few days ago in a park, all alone and without any memory. I didn't even know my name. So, it's impossible for me to remember anyone else right now," I explained. "Based on your reaction, I'm guessing you and I weren't the best of friends."
"Real amnesia? And that strength! It's like you're a character out of a manga or something," Shigeo muttered.
"That's what I said." Rumi nodded. Kamakura meowed.
"You and me? Friends? No way," Minami shook her head. "Not after what you did to me at the festival."
"I feel like I'm missing some context," I said, pointing to a large duffel bag under an awning where I kept all the supplies and food. "Mind filling me in over some food?"
Minami blinked at my genuinely confused expression. It seemed she was about to refuse, but the loud sounds of the infected below and the rumbling of her and her brother's hungry stomachs stopped her. With a slightly embarrassed flush, she nodded, much to her brother's delight.
After setting up the small portable gas burner, I quickly heated up three cups of ramen and a small can of cat food for Kamakura. After distributing the provisions, I sat down under the shade of the awning.
"Um, Hikigaya-san, aren't you going to eat?" Shigeo asked.
"I'm not hungry," I replied. "Don't worry about me. Go ahead and eat."
Shigeo hesitated but quickly dug into the food. Beside him, Minami was already halfway through her cup, while Rumi ate slowly from my side. Sagami's eyes kept glancing over to my duffel bag with envy, which was heavily stocked with supplies, water, and non-perishables. The bag would have normally been too heavy for anyone to carry on their own, but for me, it felt as light as a bag of air.
"Where were you two heading?" I asked.
"Well, we weren't going anywhere specific. We were just scavenging for food," Shigeo replied, nodding. "Isn't that right, Neesan?"
"…yeah," she said, her cup now empty.
"Do you want another one?" I asked, not worried about running out of food. If we did run out, I could always gather more.
Minami stared at me as if she were waiting to be tricked. When she saw nothing suspicious, she nodded. It didn't take me long to prepare another cup. Along with it, I handed her some melon bread. Tentatively, she accepted the food from my hands.
"…Thank you," she said, looking troubled.
"It's nothing," I replied, sitting back down. "Shigeo, you can have some more if you're still hungry. Don't be shy."
"Really? Thank you, Hikigaya-san!" he said with a smile. Despite the situation, the kid seemed to trust me completely already. I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.
Once the two Sagami siblings had their fill, we all sat together in awkward silence. Seeing no other choice, Minami took a deep breath and looked up at me with a guarded expression. Eventually, she began to talk.
"You and I were classmates, class 2-F, but I never paid much attention to you. I always thought you were weird and creepy, being all alone and quiet. I didn't understand why Yuigahama always hung around you either." Minami said.
Was I creepy? Damn, feels bad.
I sighed in disappointment but decided to focus on the tidbit about Yui. With the clues I had, it seemed that she and I had a pretty close relationship besides just being clubmates.
"I learned more about you when we began working on the... the Cultural Festival," Minami said, her eyes drifting into memories.