A day had passed since Asami had come to Taiei to rescue the survivors and the Takagi group. Yuriko had decided to inform her followers of her intention and indicate how the groups would be divided.
Saya was upset to learn that she would have to stay at the Military Camp but after her mother informed her that she was to control her men well, she calmed down. She would at least use this time to learn a few things from Kohta because honestly she felt that more than help, she was dead weight.
Shizuka had a medical background and knew how to drive.
Saeko was a combatant and a formidable one.
Kohta could accurately land a shot even at a great distance.
Takashi and Rei weren't very good at fighting but at least
they could defend themselves.
Miku had been accompanying Shizuka and now at least
she knew how to give first aid.
Kyoko was the only one who could understand her but somehow, she was the most "relaxed" much to her annoyance.
That left her, the only one who wasn't contributing anything to the group because the plans were made by Cloud. In all the time they'd been on the run, she'd done almost nothing except endanger the group a few times.
Kohta also stayed at the Camp because this was the best way to train subordinates, not to mention that he had been sneakily meeting Asami.
As he had said, Takashi stayed in the safe zone with his girlfriend and mother.
Shizuka decided to teach Miku a few other things while Kyoko was in the group organizing the supplies so she could help her boyfriend more.
Rei and Saeko decided to accompany the blonde, Saeko because she found fighting zombies more exciting and Rei because she wanted to try her luck and find her parents who were still unaccounted for.
This last day, Yuriko had been much more relaxed despite the fact that she had less than four days to live.
---
Cloud was currently waiting for the research and rescue group (as they had called themselves) to be ready. He was with a calm look as he watched as all the relatives and friends who were leaving, were going to see them off but what surprised him the most was seeing a face that he did not expect to see - "What are you doing here, Rika-san?"
"Let's say that Shizuka asked me to help you" - said the brunette woman with purple hair - "And let's say that after spending some time under tension, I don't feel very comfortable in such a boring place"
"I see"-nodded the blonde as he looked away and focused on Yuriko.
"Are you going after her?" Rika asked with a half smile.
"No…it's just that it's good that she's more relaxed…" Cloud said as he shook his head, "You saw her when you arrived…she was completely tense"
"I know..." -the woman agreed-"I guess the loss of her husband was fatal to her"
Cloud didn't say anything, after all, he couldn't say that it wasn't only because of that, but also because she only had a few days to live.
"They are ready!" Yuriko exclaimed when she saw that all those who were going out were already in position.
"Hai!" - the soldiers exclaimed firmly.
"So, let's go!" the yakuza woman agreed as she got into a vehicle.
"Cloud... please make my mother come back safe"- Saya said as she took the boy by the hands.
"Don't worry, I promise I'll do everything possible to make it so" the blond nodded seriously, only to show a surprised expression when the girl kissed him on the lips "G-G-Thank you..."
"She must have mustered up a lot of courage to do that"-Saeko said with a smile on her face-"More knowing that she kissed you in front of this whole crowd"
Cloud just shook his head - "Come on..."
Cloud quickly got into Yuriko's vehicle because that had been the means of transportation she had assigned him while Rei and Saeko got into the second.
"You better get your act together because if you don't, you'll be out" - Saeko said in a low voice, although Rei heard everything clearly.
---
"I have to admit I didn't expect my daughter to kiss you" - Yuriko said with a smile - "What are you going to do now?"
"Nothing" - denied the blond - "It was just a kiss"
"My princess's first kiss, not to mention that it is a clear sign that she wants something more with you"-Yuriko said with discontent, although she quickly calmed down-"Anyway... what did she tell you ?"
"That she would make sure to bring you back alive" - answered the blonde as he looked at the woman seriously - "But there is a serious problem in this promise and that is that we both know that you have little time left"
"And how do you plan to save me?" the woman asked calmly as she looked out the window. The two were in a military vehicle that had been modified for privacy. The driver couldn't even watch or listen to them.
"I don't know" - denied Cloud - "Although I'm going to take advantage of these days to be able to think about it more calmly while we rescue civilians... who knows? Maybe the answer will come by itself..."
"Hmm…" Yuriko just nodded as she continued looking out the window, although there were times when she looked at the boy for a few seconds before looking away again.
---
The day continued to progress normally and it was almost dark.
The collection and rescue group had managed to find more survivors, including victims of physical and sexual violence, as well as survivors who had been captured by cannibals.
Cloud's Survivor counter had risen to 280 in just one day, though the more time passed, the more difficult it was to find people to save.
The group was preparing to head back when they heard a cry for help in the distance, so without thinking twice, they decided to head in that direction, only to see a small school being raided by a group of armed men.
"I'm still wondering where the hell these idiots come from" - Cloud said with a frown. Finding weapons in this city was difficult because there was a military base that regulated the use of these, so he still couldn't understand how they managed to get them especially since there was no weapons store in the area.
"Believe me... I wonder too..." Yuriko said with a frown as she motioned for her men to finish this quickly.
"Drop your weapons and raise your hands!" - Tora exclaimed as he, along with the rest of the group, pointed towards the enemy armed group.
"Shit!" - The subjects exclaimed as they looked fearfully at the newly arrived group.
"I'll say it one more time... lower your weapons and put your hands where we can see them" - Tora said again as the hostile group followed his instructions.
"Okay... now take five steps back and we promise not to hurt you" - the yakuza said again. The enemy group could only pray and hope that they would fulfill their promise, although after a few seconds, they sighed in relief when they saw that they had lowered their weapons.
"Why were you about to attack this group of innocents?" Yuriko asked as she walked in front of the group.
"..." - the men gulped when they saw such a sexy woman but quickly calmed down because it was obvious that she had a great influence on the enemy group.
"We are looking for food..." - said one of the scared men.
"There's a market a few blocks away... why not go find food there?" Cloud asked with a frown.
"Do you really think we'll be risking our lives by entering a place where there might not only be another group of survivors, but a large number of zombies?" - another of the men asked sarcastically - "So... you're stupider than you look, brat"
"Hmm... that's an interesting answer and I find a lot of sense in what you say" - Cloud said as he gave a big smile to the man who answered him - "But that doesn't change the fact that you were about to kill a group of innocent children..."
If he was honest, he was just saving people because that was his mission, after that, his fate was none of his business… but there was something he couldn't allow. and that was that the children suffered when he could do something.
This thought was acquired thanks to the Matron of the Orphanage. She taught him that despite everything, the children were not to blame for what was happening around them and at the same time, they were the most affected by what was happening around them and that was why they had to be helped in the best way possible. He found these words right because he had seen how devastated some children had been when they arrived at the Orphanage because social services had taken them from their homes for child violence or attempted rape. Cloud could still remember a little girl who, after two years of constant nightmares, had committed suicide because her stepfather had raped her.
"I think you scared him more than enough, Cloud"-Yuriko said as she looked at the boy.
"Hmm... I would have liked to decide your fate but my boss has spoken"-Cloud said as he walked away.
The man was sweating as hard as he could because when he heard the boy's words, he felt like a blade was grazing his throat..