Chapter 30: Reports

[Day 2]

As Asahi was about to spout some nonsense, he caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. Saya's fingers twitched— a clear sign of her awakening.

He pushed back the chair with a sound that startled everyone, keeping his gaze locked with Kyoko's. "I know everyone wants to know more about the situation, especially Kyoko. But now isn't the time or place to have such a discussion."

Truthfully, Asahi wanted to avoid overwhelming the group with scary revelations at the moment. It seemed wiser to wait until they reached shelter to have this discussion.

(Are we going to Rika's apartment?)

'Yup. It'll be a waste to not get those weapons.'

Kyoko exhaled a long, shuddering breath, the tension draining from her shoulders. "You're the leader."

Usually, she'd have despised the very idea of relying on a student's guidance for something as important as her survival. But there was something about him, some indescribable quality, that made her willing to follow his lead without any question or complaint. He had proven himself to be both a strong fighter and a critical-thinking leader under pressure — everything one would ever want in a leader at desperate times like these.

Shizuka squeezed his hand in hers, a worried frown covering her lovely features. "Aa-kun, do what you feel is right. Nee-san will support you all the way."

Saeko and Shiori, too, seemed content with his decision to delay the discussion, showing an unconventional level of trust in someone they had just met yesterday. For anyone else, Asahi might have attributed their easy approval to the effect of his Charm attribute. But with the twins... he couldn't shake the feeling that they would have trusted him regardless of his charisma and the persuasion it had over the opposite sex.

(They just want a reliable man.)

'Couldn't have said it better myself.'

Meanwhile, Saya had finally managed to sit up, one trembling hand pressed against the side of her head. She looked confused and lost at waking up in the faculty office. Suddenly, she grimaced, a pained groan escaping her parted lips. "My head…"

Asahi arrived by her side and slipped an arm around her back for support. "Take it easy. You got pretty beat up back there."

Honestly, it was nothing short of a miracle that she had awoken so quickly after being tossed around by the Ravager. The handful of minutes she'd been granted for rest were nowhere near enough to replenish her elemental energy.

Shizuka joined his side and held the confused girl's hand. "Don't push yourself."

"No… I'll manage." Saya shook her head stubbornly. After a moment to gather herself, she turned her gaze up to Asahi. Some exaggerated blinking and squinting later, she widened her eyes. "Where are my contacts?"

"They were damaged so I took them off," Shizuka said. "Do you have extras?"

"No, but I have prescription glasses in my locker. Ma—Okaa-san made me carry them in case of an emergency."

Asahi couldn't quite hold back a smirk this time. It was pretty obvious Saya was about to say "Mama" before she stoppes herself, as if using the term would somehow undermine her mature image and make her look childish.

"We'll get them on our way out." He picked the burning red Vision from Saya's lap, pressing it firmly into her hand and closing her fingers around it. "Don't lose this, okay?"

Saya clutched the gem tightly in her hand. "This is…"

"A Vision. You earned her favor through your determination."

"Ah…" Saya's eyes went distant as the memories came rushing back to her. Her breath quickened, coming in short, ragged gasps. Her free hand flew to her chest, as she fought to draw air into her suddenly tight lungs. All at once, she clamped her hand over her mouth and jumped off the table in a hurry.

All gazes, even Rei and Komuro's, followed Saya until she disappeared in the restroom.

Asahi paid no mind to the vomiting happening in the closed door. "Kyoko, does that work?"

Kyoko pursued his line of sight to an old CRT television sitting on a mounted platform. "It should. Let me find the remote."

Asahi nodded in satisfaction and settled back into his seat. As a regular in the faculty office, Kyoko knew the ins and outs of the place. His own sister, of course, possessed a similar level of familiarity with the room and its contents, but he wasn't going to make her lift a finger to help. She had done her job extremely well for over a decade. Now was her time to enjoy the fruit of her labor — stay protected and well-fed beside her younger sibling.

(Even at night?)

'Especially at night!'

Just then, a system notification popped up to interrupt his lecherous train of thought.

[—Saya Takagi: Affection +6]

Probably the result of Saya thinking of him fondly while having a moment of self-reflection with the mirror. That or she was just grateful he helped her come out in one piece through the whole ordeal.

Kyoko finally found the remote tucked away in a drawer and turned on the television. The screen buzzed and crackled to life, displaying a pretty young reporter in her twenties, holding a mic in her hand. Behind her, a group of medical personnel in full hazmat gear carried black body bags on stretchers, transfering the corpses into waiting ambulances.

The reporter gripped her microphone, visibly nervous. "In response to the riots raging all over the country, the government has enacted emergency countermeasures. However, the SDF public security operation is paying no heed to the current opposition, and there is a strong argument for more cautious action…"

"Riots…?" Takashi whispered, slowly raising his gaze to the news channel. "Are they blind? Can't they see them everywhere?"

The reporter continued, "The casualties have already exceeded a thousand. The prefectural governments are declaring a state of emergency and requesting disaster relief—"

Suddenly, gunshots echoed around the reporter. "There are gunshots! Police are already firing! I don't know the situation—" The microphone slipped from her grasp as she discovered the corpses rising from the dead in body bags. "No, WHAT? IT CAN'T BE. HELP—VWHAAAAAAA!!!"

Her blood-curdling scream cut off abruptly as the feed went dead, sparing the audience the sight of the reporter and her crew being torn apart by the undead. The room fell into dead silence, every eye glued to the quiet "Please Stand By" message on the screen.