19 [Chapter:19][Supermarket and the Gas Station (III) .]

"You didn't pick anything for yourself?"

Saya looked at Grace, who had been waiting for them near the bus with several corpses beneath his feet, weirdly.

Grace glanced at her and smiled.

"I don't eat or drink that much. Even with all the exercise."

She looked at him deeply, wondering how he gets the energy to fight as well as he does, but shakes her head.

'Forget it, a guy eating and drinking little is no where close to as weird as the dead rising from the dead.'

Of course that didn't mean she would ignore it completely. As a genius that prided herself over logically thinking over and coming up with solutions for, well, everything, Saya was inherently curious by nature, and thus decided to observe Grace a little more closely.

Meanwhile, the Group had taken all that they would need in the immediate future, while the three brothers, Eei Bee, Cee Bee, and Eee Bee, had enough muscle, despite actually looking pretty weak and delicate, to load the bus with around a month's worth of provisions.

At some point though, Saeko looked at Grace weirdly for a moment. And he knew what, since he was the last one to have entered the basement of the store.

The basement which he emptied, storing everything, regardless of what it was, into his time static Inventory.

'I guess I'll have to make a trip to other stores when they fall asleep. I don't need food or water, but the same can't be said about the others.'

Grace knew it would be a bad idea to drink the water from the river, as while it might be safe for now, without the frequent cleaning, 'them' possibly falling into and contaminating the water, and even the nuclear radiation from the missile, even if it is intercepted mid flight, depending on the river for drinking water is nothing short of suicide.

'I can't believe these guys managed to survive so long without scavenging for supplies.'

Grace recalled the original series, where the Group, even if much smaller than it is now, didn't even bother to loot more than, what, three, four supermarkets and malls? And yet, they somehow had enough food and water to go about for weeks.

'It's so much easier for them…'

Well, Grace didn't actually mind that much though. After all, if he figured something about the System by now…

......

(Quests)

Quest : Supplies!

Description : Find and loot as much salvageable supplies from as many stores, supermarkets, malls, etc… as you can within the next 72 hours.

Completion : (0/?)

Reward : 1 SP per completion

......

'Perfect.'

Even if he didn't get GP for the quest, he was satisfied with just SP alone.

"Are you done?"

Grace asked Yuuki, who had been the last to exit the store. She visibly blushed and quickly nodded her head.

"Let's go then.", he said, making a note to figure out what the deal was with this sexy orange head soon.

Getting on, he looked at Kyoko who just started the engine.

"Drive to the nearest Gas Station."

She nodded her head as Shizuka guided her from behind. Despite being an air head and a general klutz, she had a good memory.

......

*creak!*

The bus stopped as it arrived at the Gas Station.

(Finally, the title hasn't changed for three chapters now.)

Grace nodded in agreement, though he didn't particularly mind either. He liked his life being slow yet wholesome rather than have things go at light speed.

After all, where's the fun in just whizzing past your life?

Not only would he be unsatisfied, even the readers wouldn't like reading summaries or journal like chapters instead of a story.

But well, he digresses.

'Now that I think about it, he might not come if there are so many people, huh?'

Grace thought about that before shrugging lightly.

'Well, whatever. I'm sure I'll get other chances even if he doesn't come.'

With that thought, he gets off, along with Takashi and Hisashi who go into the store, Saeko who stretches her body, and Rei who looks around with her wooden mop / spear in her hand.

"Go find some fuel tanks, and make sure they are sealed tight."

He looked back and gestured the triplets to move, who did so without another word.

'Obedient, good.'

Grace walked over and began refilling the tank, while also looking around for the guy, wondering if he chickened out due to the larger group.

"Kyaaa!!"

But it seems he didn't need to worry about that.

"Don't move! Don't move or she dies!"

Grace, along with those that had been wandering the station looking for things to gather, quickly rushed back to the bus to see Rei being held by a middle aged tanned guy with a face so ugly perhaps even his own mother wouldn't love him.

"Let me go!"

"Shut up bitch! Or I'll cut your neck to slices!"

He violently choked Rei, who tried to struggle in vain, while pushing the knife in his hand towards her neck, drawing a very thin line of blood.

'What are those idiots in the bus doing anyway? They couldn't even see the guy approach her?'

Shaking his head, Grace, taking advantage of his position, creeps behind the crates and the large oil tanker and manages to slip past the guy's view.

'Yup, really should have kept the Golden Point.'

Well, he didn't need a high ranked Stealth skill to sneak up to a guy whose heart was probably beating faster than a race car's engine.

With silent and careful steps, Grace moves from right behind the guy while gesturing Saeko and Saya who saw him to keep quiet.

At that moment, however,

*chomp!*

"Ahh!"

'…wow.'

Grace was rather speechless when he saw Rei bite the guy's hand hard enough to draw blood.

'He's got a knife to your throat, girl. Even stupidity has to have a limit.'

He quickened his steps, wagering in the guy's pain making him ignore the slightly louder sound.

"Bitch! You! You bit me!"

The guy suddenly kneed Rei, making her grunt in pain as she kneeled on the ground.

"I won't kill you, you bitch! No, I'll make you beg for death! You damn whore!"

From his peripheral, Grace could see the fatty Kohta aim stealthily aim his modified nail gun. Takashi, who finally reached the place from inside the store, began to shout something which Grace conveniently ignored.

"Stop!"

"Bastard! I'll kill you!"

"Get your hands off her!"

The man gave Rei a lecherous grin, making her tremble as her mind froze.

As violent as she may be, what with killing 'them' skilfully with her spear and all, Rei Miyamoto was still a high schooler, and to be in a situation where a stranger was about to grope her…

*crack!*

Before she could even proceed further through that terrifying train of thoughts, and before the guy, ignoring all the shouts of those around him, could extend his grubby hands to her perky breasts, a distinct, and slightly familiar sound resounds within the Station, almost instantly making the scene go quiet.

"Man, I really need to buy new shoes."

Grace's nonchalant voice, as though he hadn't just destroyed another man's manhood, broke the silence as all the guys, once more, instinctively clenched their legs together.

The guy, with a painful grunt, fell to his knees as he clutched his crotch while his face turned even uglier than it previously was.

Released, Rei quickly got up and backed away from him, and picked up her wooden spear, her chest heaving and her heart beat erratic. One could still see traces of fear on her face as she looked at the man slumped on the ground and crying in pain.

The Group, including Kyoko and Shizuka, get down the bus, and the air headed nurse quickly takes Rei into her embrace.

'Well that's a sight.', he thought to himself as he saw Rei tremble lightly before she began to cry ever so softly, her face hidden within the nurse's huge weapons.

'She wasn't so…vulnerable in the original, but I guess she just put up a brave front since only she and Takashi were there huh?'

(Looks like it.)

'Oh? You're awake?', Grace asked mentally as he glanced up to see his passenger, the little loli, who had taken another nap when they left the Sevensons store.

(Yup~~! By the way, what are you going to do with him?)

He might be mistaken, but Grace felt like Dea-chan's tone held just a tint of anger hidden in its usual cheerfulness.

'Ah, is it because you're both girls and he tried to force himself onto her?'

Dea-chan merely hummed in response, but it didn't take a genius to know that even if Grace left the guy alive, which he wouldn't, she would personally 'take care' of him.

'Hmm, well, I thought of what to do the moment I got the quest.'

Grace looked at the Group who were staring at the crumpled man in anger, and then at Rei who had finally calmed down after a minute of two of crying.

'Isn't that a little too fast?'

(Anime logic~~)

Grace nodded his head inside, but maintained his faint smile on the outside as he looked at the orange head.

"Rei-chan, can you come here for a quick sec?"

Rei looks at Grace for a moment before nodding her head and approaches him. Though she visibly shuddered lightly when she neared the man as well.

Grace kicked the man heavily, making him grunt in pain, before propping him up in a kneeling position, his hands still covering his crotch.

Nodding in satisfaction, he approaches Rei and whispers something in her ear.

"!!!"

Rei's eyes widen as she looked alternatively at the man and Grace, before she quickly shook her head.

"N-no! I-I…I cant do that. I can't kill him. I…I just can't."

Grace chuckles softly.

"Well, I figured as much, but it was worth a shot."

Before anyone could react, Grace's metal rod pierced right through the man's thigh.

"Ahhh! My leg! My leg!"

Pulling the rod out, almost everyone in the Group shudder as a fountain of blood rises from the bloody hole in the man's thigh. The man quickly lets go of his crotch, that still pained him much, and covered his thigh and tried to stop the bleeding.

"My leg! It hurts! Ahh!"

Grace looked back at Rei whose face paled as she covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes shaking at the brutal scene before her. And the rest of the Group weren't any different either.

Takashi looked like he wanted to say something, but hesitated as he recalled their discussion when Shido died, and ultimately stayed silent as he remembered what nearly happened to Rei.

Grace, however, smiled at Rei.

"This rod has more than enough of 'their' blood on it to infect anyone unlucky enough to get scratched. The Virus should have entered his bloodstream already, so I doubt he has more than a few minutes before he turns."

He handed his rod to her, and Rei flinched as she felt the long, warm and sticky cylindrical object in her hand. Her fingers instinctively wrapped around it, and her breath quickened slightly.

"He's going to die anyway, you'll just be making it easier for him by doing it before he turns."

Rei shuddered as she stared at the man still crying in pain, but her eyes shook in fear and nervousness.

"N-no…I-I'm sorry…but I…I cant…I just can't…"

Grace didn't let it bother him. After all, he didn't expect the high schooler who had probably been contemplating on what 28 times 231 is during maths class not even a few hours ago to become a ruthless killer that can take a life without hesitation in just a moment's notice.

But the fact that she didn't scream like she did before was progress already.

"Well, then, why don't you calm down a little? Close your eyes, take deep and long breaths, and remember, we all are right here, I am right here, right beside you."

Grace held Rei's shoulders as the Group approached closer, whispering just loud enough for all of them to hear it.

Rei followed his advice, and managed to calm her breathing, though her heart was still beating fast.

Grace held her arms, that clutched his rod with both her hands, and positioned it so that a jerk from him, or her, would make his rod pierce the man's mouth.

He violently opened the man's jaws before placing the rod in his mouth, effectively silencing him as the man shook and pleaded through his eyes.

"Now, Rei, I want you to imagine that scene when you were caught by this piece of Trash, alright?"

Grace didn't need knowledge about psychology to manipulate a frightened and agitated girl into doing something she wouldn't normally do.

'That…sounded way worse than it should.'

(Kyaaa~~ Pervert~~)

Shaking the thought out of his mind, Grace focuses back on Rei.

"I want you to imagine it. What it felt like to be held by the Trash's hands. What it felt like to be forced to kneel down."

"Remember how scared you were. Remember what he was about to do to you."

Rei's breath quickened as her body shuddered lightly.

Well, that was obvious, after all, Grace was currently making the high schooler relive a rape attempt, a trauma, that had happened not even a few minutes ago.

Shizuka wanted to stop him, but surprisingly, Saeko closed her mouth and shook her head, stopping her from saying anything.

'Thank you, Saeko-chan, you really are the best girl in this world.'

"Rei-chan, remember the scene of your friends, the Group, looking at you in panic. Remember their helplessness as the man held you at knife point. The cut on your neck still stings, right? Imagine what would happen if it wasn't a clean knife, but one dipped in 'their' blood instead."

"Imagine what the man would have done to you, if I hadn't been here. If I hadn't stopped him. Imagine what would have happened to you, if you were actually alone here."

"You saw what he looked like, what he was about to do. Think about what he would have done to your friends. Like Shizuka-san, or Kyoko-san, or self proclaimed genius, imagine what he might have done to them if I wasn't here."

Grace pauses for a moment, letting Rei digest everything, before nudging her arms.

"Rei-chan. Do it."

And the very next moment,

*slick!*