“So, uh, why did you suddenly decide to live out here?” Derek asked quietly.
He’d volunteered to help me clean up the storeroom.
“I mean, it’s way bigger, and you have it all to yourself, which seems better than the living room. But I’m worried about you being all alone out here.”
“You’re worried?”
“Of course I am,” Derek said, pushing two sofas together to make a bed and spreading a thick blanket over them.
“Won’t I get in the way?”
“What? No way. You’re the most important person to me.”
For some reason, Derek’s words made my chest feel all warm and fuzzy.
I put down the rag I was holding and reached out to pat his head—but then I stopped. I couldn’t go around touching a kid’s head with my unwashed hands.
I used the back of my hand to ruffle his hair instead, and he chuckled softly.
“Did something happen outside? Did that guy say something to you?” Derek asked, his intuition scarily sharp for his age.
He said I’d get in the way, is what I wanted to say. The thought still made me furious, but I kept it to myself.
I couldn’t go whining to a kid who was already acting way too much like a grown-up.
“It’s nothing like that. Anyway, this place looks pretty decent now that it’s all fixed up.”
When I changed the subject, Derek didn’t press any further. “Won’t it be cold at night?”
“It’s fine. I barely feel the temperature, remember?”
“Still, you should keep the blankets on, just in case.”
Honestly. So sweet and kind, unlike some people.
Thanks to Derek’s help, cleaning the storeroom was a breeze. It wasn’t as good as a proper room, but it was livable.
“Hey, can I… hang out here for a bit?” Derek asked.
“Of course you can.”
The boy beamed at me, and seeing him smile made me happy, too.
Just then, the storeroom door burst open without so much as a knock. The only person in our group who would barge in like that was Yoan.
“Hey! Don’t you know how to knock?” Derek snapped, glaring at him on my behalf.
Yoan just gave him a shameless look and knocked twice on the open door. “There. Happy?”
“Are you insane? What’s the point of knocking when you’re already inside?”
“Derek, I need to talk to Sasha, so why don’t you make yourself scarce?”
“No way. Who’re you to boss me around?”
“You’d better listen when I ask nicely. I won’t be so nice the second time.”
“Oh yeah? Go ahead, show me then!”
“Oh, really?”
Look at him, making childish threats to a kid. And what part of that was a “nice” request?
I shot Yoan a dirty look before turning to Derek. “Derek, let’s talk later. I have something to discuss with Yoan, too.”
“...If you say so. Call me if you need anything. I’ll be right here.”
“Why would she call you when I’m here?”
“Ugh, just be quiet!”
Derek broke off his staring contest with Yoan and stomped out of the storeroom in a huff.
Once we were alone, Yoan closed the door, glanced around the room, and then sat down in a nearby chair, crossing his legs.
I was still standing there awkwardly, so I sat down on the sofa, a good distance away from him.
“So you’re planning on living here now?” he began.
“Yeah. The living room is too hectic.”
“You were fine with it until now. Or you could share my room. It’s pretty big.”
Did this guy seriously think my gender was just ‘zombie’?
When I glared at him, he spoke again. “Fine. I’ll concede on the living situation. But why are you in a bad mood?”
Instead of asking what he was talking about, I just blinked at him blankly.
“You were perfectly fine this morning, and now all of a sudden you’re like this. Anyone can see you’re upset. I’m not that clueless.”
Right. The “not-that-clueless” guy was the one who’d called me a hindrance to my face.
The real reason I was so upset was because it was Yoan who had said it, not anyone else. My top priority was protecting and helping him, so hearing him call me a hindrance was bound to hurt.
I knew I was being childish. But feelings weren’t neat and tidy things you could measure with a ruler. They were the messiest things in the world.
When I stayed silent, Yoan spoke again. “I’m extremely busy right now, but I came to see you first.”
So what? Was he looking for a medal?
“You don’t want to talk to me?” Yoan narrowed his eyes, staring at me as if trying to see right through me.
After a moment of thought, he said, “Is this because I said you’d be a hindrance before?”
“...”
“I knew it.”
When I still didn’t say anything, Yoan let out a soft sigh and swept his bangs out of his eyes. “It’s true that I decided you might get in the way in that moment. I’m not going to take it back.”
Was he trying to rub salt in the wound?!
“I know you’re a special zombie. You’ve helped me countless times. But this patrol was a different matter. I had to be stealthy and avoid being seen, and…”
A long, un-Yoan-like excuse followed, but that wasn’t the kind of explanation I was looking for. It wasn’t like I was trying to argue the right or wrong of it.
“Anyway… I apologize if I hurt your feelings.”
“What kind of apology is that? I almost choked listening to it.”
“Ah, was it too long?”
“That’s not it!”
SMACK! In a fit of frustration, I punched the wall. A chunk of it caved in, and stone dust rained down.
“Eek.” I surprised myself and quickly glanced at Yoan. Thankfully, his expression hadn’t changed.
I gulped and found the courage to speak. “You got the order wrong. That wasn’t an apology, that was a justification.”
“You’re right. Because you needed to understand why I said it.”
He had a point, but that didn’t change how I felt.
Yoan glanced at my still-clenched fist and beckoned to me. “Come here, Sasha.”
I shook my head violently.
“Come on. Be good.”
“N-no! You come here.”
“Fine.”
“Huh?”
The second the word was out of his mouth, Yoan stood up, strode over, and stood in front of me.
I’d told him to come, but now that he was here, things felt a bit awkward.
“Was I really that wrong?” he asked.
“Well…”
They say you should speak the truth even if it hurts. Strictly speaking, he wasn’t wrong. He’d made an objective judgment based on the situation.
Thinking about it that way made me feel a little embarrassed for being so emotional.
Maybe I should just compromise at this point…
“It’s because I was worried about you,” Yoan confessed.
“About what?”
“I get distracted when you’re around. You could get hurt, or end up in danger.”
“That’s happened plenty of times before. Why is it suddenly an issue now?”
“Exactly. Because I’ve already experienced those moments, I’m even more worried now. Is there any guarantee it won’t happen again? No, it definitely will. You don’t hold back.”
“...”
“That’s what I meant by a hindrance. I wanted to avoid that kind of situation if possible.”
“Uh, um…”
“I admit, my explanation was lacking.”
“Ah, hmm…”
“Still, I’m sorry.”
“No, well…”
Now that I knew what he was really thinking, I was starting to feel embarrassed about my little tantrum.
“This is the first time I’ve ever apologized to someone like this.”
“R-really?”
“Really.”
That was actually kind of nice to hear.
“Should I do it again? I’m sorry.”
I couldn’t stop the corners of my mouth from twitching.
Yoan patted my head. “Feeling better now?”
“I wasn’t actually mad.”
“Lying is bad, Sasha.”
“Hehe.”
Yoan’s hand moved from my head to the back of my hand. “And just because you can’t feel pain doesn’t mean you can be so reckless with your body.”
“I know.”
“Good. Then let’s go back to the living room.”
I didn’t argue anymore and got up.
As I walked back inside, somehow holding Yoan’s hand, the first person I saw was Grandpa Jeremy, who greeted me with a knowing smile.
“See there? Told ya I was right, didn’t I?”
“Be quiet, gramps.”
I had no idea what they were talking about, but it seemed to be about me. I discreetly let go of Yoan’s hand.
Yoan raised his voice and gathered the scattered group in the living room.
Then he launched into a speech.
“To be honest, I wasn’t planning on getting involved in this. If we get caught up in every little thing, we’ll lose sight of our goal. And it’s not like people dying is unusual in this world anymore.”
Freya’s shoulders flinched at that.
“But when it’s intentional murder, that’s a different story. And they’ve interfered with our plans. So I’m going to need your cooperation. It’ll be better to deal with this bunch before we go, even if it delays us.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
He shared the information he’d gathered on his patrol and his plan for infiltration.
First, we needed to pick a team to go inside. I was out, since I was a zombie.
“We need a team that will lower their guard. For example, an old man or a child.”
“I’ll back ya on that one,” Jeremy said.
“Don’t you think it’s too dangerous for only two to go?” Bliss ventured cautiously.
Yoan looked at Kira. “Y-you mean me, too?” Kira asked, pointing at himself when he found himself the center of attention.
“You’re the only one who can set up bombs and traps inside beforehand.”
“Aah!”
Right. We weren’t just going in to scout—we needed to rig the game in our favor.
“Hold on, my lord. I have a suggestion.” Rob, who had been quiet until then, finally spoke up.