I've never thought of helping others, whatever the repercussions, to be something uncommon. I assumed altruism could be found in almost anyone. It was only natural to me; like passing an umbrella to someone lost in the rain. I couldn't hesitate to help, which could be seen as both a quality and a flaw.
My parents raised me with such in mind, but they worried when I came home with bruises. My teachers taught me to respect and care for my peers, but grew impatient when it interfered with education. And the ones I passed my umbrella to; they kept it for themselves, when others were lost in the rain.
When it pours, there are two certainties: You can pass the umbrella to another, in return for the rain; or hold your umbrella tightly.
…That's why I want to be someone who can pass their umbrella to someone who chose to stand in the rain.
…
The apartment complex's interior halls were clattered and had begun collecting dust. At first, I thought only the flock wallpaper had been torn by the claw marks that ran across the wall. But on closer inspection, I realised the wall itself had been damaged, revealing the wire beneath like veins. Each step on the wooden floorboard made me question whether I would fall through, yet Ishimasu-chan seemed courageous enough to lean against the chipped wood railing of the stairs. And though aware of the noise the floorboards made, Kuro-san continued to monitor the apartment's entrance through the gaps between the stairs.
I, on the other hand, rested against the cold radiator fixated on the wall opposite the stairs. A quick glance every few minutes towards the dirty windows overlooking the town was all that could keep me distracted from the numbing pain in my right leg.
Before leaving for the town, Itogaya-sensei had equipped me with a makeshift splint, utilising the wood of the apartment beds and tables, and the wrapping of cloth. My right foot was a level above the left, positioned atop a bridge made between the splints. It wasn't comfortable, and it was hard to walk in, but I wouldn't be able to move without it. According to sensei, the broken bone was in the knee. I was probably lucky I got off with a small 'fracture' and bruise, compared to the other guys. But I wouldn't be able to rely on my speed like before. If the rabbit had attacked me again, in a similar scenario… I would've died.
But Itogaya-sensei saved me. When I couldn't save myself, he went out of his way to save me. And for that, a broken bone couldn't be enough to repay him.
So, even with this useless leg, I'll do my best to help everyone. That's the least I can do, even if it's only with words.
The door to the apartment room creaked open, taking my attention. And within the small gap it created, Itogaya-sensei gestured us inside.
The apartment room stretched far, requiring you to walk through each room to reach the bedroom. The dotted drywall boar holes exposing the guts, the wires inside hanging like monkey bars. The apartment door could be locked with a short chain and bolt, and the entrance itself, where Ishimasu-chan set her shoes instinctively, was made of marble tile, and was a slight level below the main floor. The wooden floorboards past the entrance led to the restroom and bathroom, and then to the kitchen (which also included a dining room). The countertops, unlike the apartment we woke in, were full of devices and inventory we could put to use, thanks to the now-running electricity. The bedroom was attached via a door to said kitchen, and was the largest room in the apartment, and led also to an outside balcony via a sliding door. Layers of quilts and blankets sat on the bed, torn and tattered; and that's where Kobayashi-san lay temporarily, with a stool supporting her legs.
The bleeding had stopped; clearly. A layer of bandage was wrapped around her waist and both arms, the centre of each dyed light red. Her expression of pure exhaustion was enough to know she was suffering with pain, despite the antibiotics and painkillers putting up a fight.
Kobayashi Amano: "How's the leg keeping up?"
Konsako Akihi: "Fine. I did get off lucky."
Itogaya: "I've explained to Kobayashi-kun, so I'll keep it brief."
Itogaya: "The puncture in the waist only inflicted the muscle; as the claws passed through her side, rather than the centre of her body."
Kobayashi Amano: "Looks like I got off lucky too."
Itogaya: "The right arm is moderately fine; it'll heal. The left, however, suffered a fracture and a damaged artery."
Itogaya: "And though that isn't good, it could have been much worse. If the radial artery was damaged alongside the ulnar, we would have been looking at amputation down the road, since proper treatment isn't accessible."
Kobayashi Amano: "You didn't tell me that part."
Itogaya: "Kobayashi-kun may lose feeling in her arm over the next few hours; possibly permanently, so I ask that you be patient with her."
Kobayashi Amano: "But I've still got my right hand, and I can walk. So you don't have to be too patient."
Ishimasu Kanana: "But, you're hurting a real lot… aren't you?"
Kobayashi Amano: "Not as much as the fox did."
Itogaya: "In any case, Kobayashi-kun will be fine, as long as her wounds continue to be treated. Any risk of infection, whatever level it may be at, will not take effect for days; which we might not even see pass."
The doctor stated, as he formed a cast for the injured girl using bed sheets. He wrapped the sheets around the already existing bandage on her arm, before placing the sling around her nape for support. And he did it without asking for help, despite the fact he was hurting too. Although he tried his best to hide it, bandages were wrapped around his torso also, hiding under his stained dress shirt; albeit rushed in comparison, either due to lack of care, or difficulty in self care.
Konsako Akihi: "Itogaya-sensei, how're you feeling?"
Itogaya: "...I'm fine."
Konsako Akihi: "And your injuries?"
Itogaya: "Scratches."
Konsako Akihi: "Scratches require bandages?"
Itogaya: "These ones do."
Konsako Akihi: "Are you going to be alright?"
The doctor sighed.
Itogaya: "Yes. I'm not one you need to worry about. I've treated my injuries, and I'll recover. Like Kobayashi-kun, I only suffered damage to my muscles."
Konsako Akihi: "Muscles that need rest, right? You should rest."
Itogaya: "Once I have the time to."
And that was as far as I could push the subject. Given our difference in field, and the fact his skills were important to our survival, I believed Itogaya-sensei to be taking the best care of himself. It wasn't like I couldn't understand him either; focusing on others, rather than himself.
It was familiar.
Too familiar.
What right did I even have to ask them if they were okay? I wasn't there to help. They both put their life on the line to protect someone else; and almost died. If I hadn't been attacked by the rabbit; if I had outran it, like I said I would; if it wasn't for my stupid leg-
Kobayashi Amano: "Konsako-san, thanks. Seriously."
Konsako Akihi: "What?"
Kobayashi Amano: "I wouldn't have thought of that. Talking to the rabbit."
Kobayashi Amano: "Especially if he almost killed me."
Kobayashi Amano: "But, thanks to you, I'm in a lot less pain than I could be."
She battled the exhaustion, and smiled.
Konsako Akihi: "...It's nothing, really. I'm happy I could think of it, but Itogaya-sensei did all the talking."
Ishimasu Kanana: "You have to give yourself a pat on the back, Akihi-aniki! Cus' if you don't, then I will."
Kobayashi Amano: "She's right. I'm sure it was scary."
Konsako Akihi: "No… not really. Nerve-wracking, maybe… but not scary."
Ishimasu Kanana: "Is there a difference?"
Konsako Akihi: "When the rabbit first showed up, it kind of reminded me of an NPC, so I didn't think we'd be able to approach it."
Konsako Akihi: "But then I realised its resemblance to the Rabbit Devil, and… it made me think that maybe it could communicate, like the devil could."
Kobayashi Amano: "Ah… so that's how you knew back then?"
Konsako Akihi: "Well, less knew; more hoped. But it isn't the Rabbit Devil. They look similar, but they're different. One could talk."
Konsako Akihi: "When you encountered the fox… did it show signs of communication?"
Kobayashi Amano: "...I didn't get the chance to find out."
Kobayashi Amano: "Maybe, if I had the chance, then…"
She looked towards her shoes, which still had bits of brain sticking to the sole.
Itogaya: "You didn't get that chance. The fox wanted to kill you. If it's the one who trapped those two inside, then it wanted to kill them too. The rabbit wants to kill us and the fox wants to kill us. We can only negotiate when we're both at a disadvantage. That's why the rabbit didn't kill us before."
Itogaya: "Don't begin to think you can talk your way out of every altercation. We got lucky; the rabbit was at a bigger disadvantage than us."
Kobayashi Amano: "It was injured, right? How badly?"
Itogaya: "Daikubara-kun dealt damage to its eye, yes? Since then, it's received damage to the arm and torso. It'll die in hours, maybe less."
Konsako Akihi: "...So what attacked it? The fox?"
Itogaya: "Mm, possibly. But maybe not the fox that approached us."
Kuro: "What're you getting at?"
Kuro-san, who had now entered the bedroom, stood against the open door with a cold expression. I hadn't even noticed he'd left the room for some time.
Itogaya: "The injury to its waist was recent, but similar to our own, Kobayashi-kun."
Itogaya: "By recent, I mean within the last ten minutes of our encounter in the store."
Ishimasu Kanana: "Another fox!"
Konsako Akihi: "I guess that's more likely than the rabbit having taken Tatesada-san."
Itogaya: "If it was only the two, then we wouldn't have an issue. The rabbit is no longer a threat, so normally we would be able to proceed without over-caution."
Itogaya: "But it might not only be those two. There might be more."
Ishimasu Kanana: "A skulk…"
Kobayashi Amano: "A what?"
Ishimasu Kanana: "A bunch of foxes. Like a litter or kennel."
Konsako Akihi: "Are foxes usually split up, though?"
Ishimasu Kanana: "Ehhh, if they aren't in a group, yeah. But a skulk is small most of the time, so I don't think they would split up unless they had to look for food."
Itogaya: "Or if they knew what to expect, like the rabbit."
He forced himself up, and began waltzing towards the balcony's window view.
Itogaya: "The second Michifuku-kun and Tatesada-kun entered the store, they were closed in… but I couldn't locate a device on the fox to manually close the doors, nor anything inside to that effect."
Konsako Akihi: "And Tatesada-san wasn't taken until after Michifuku-san left, right?"
Kobayashi Amano: "A number's disadvantage, maybe."
Itogaya: "I think you're both right."
The doctor leaned against the glass window, scratching at the scrapes on his neck.
Itogaya: "The fox might be capable of communication, after all."
Whether between the skulk, or even with us… the foxes had to have communicated to close those two inside.
Kuro: "It doesn't matter much now."
Konsako Akihi: "What?"
Kuro: "We don't have to deal with the foxes, or the rabbit anymore."
Kuro: "We can leave."
Kobayashi Amano: "Eh? The gate's open?"
Konsako Akihi: "No. Kuro-san's planning on climbing it."
Kobayashi Amano: "What about-"
Konsako Akihi: "Without them."
She paused, and the exhausted expression cowled.
Kobayashi Amano: "Do we have to?"
Itogaya: "It's in our best interest."
Kobayashi Amano: "You three decided that?"
Itogaya: "We negotiated."
Konsako Akihi: "Not that it's important, but I didn't agree with it. I still think we should help the others."
Kuro: "It isn't important, and I'm not going to."
Konsako Akihi: "Yeah, we know." I quickly countered, before softly pressing my nails into my palm. "But Itogaya-sensei and I-"
Itogaya: "We've discussed this already, Konsako-kun. I can't help, either."
Konsako Akihi: "..."
Kobayashi Amano: "Cold feet?"
Itogaya: "No, it's just in our best interest."
Kobayashi Amano: "I see."
The room paused for a brief time, which gave Kobayashi-san a moment to think. Her furrowed eyebrows refused to lift; surely she too was struggling to accept this, considering everything she put on the line before.
Ishimasu Kanana: "I think we should help them too."
Itogaya: "I can understand why… but this isn't up for debate. Not if a skulk exists, like you stated."
Ishimasu Kanana: "Well I don't know that!"
Itogaya: "That's my point, Ishimasu-kun. None of us know. But the enemies do, from what we've seen." The doctor quickly countered, his eyes widening.
Kobayashi Amano: "Kuro-san, considering you're in the best shape, if you quickly checked the apartment, you could figure out if they're accessible or not."
Kobayashi Amano: "Kuro-san, considering you're in the best shape… couldn't you quickly check that apartment for them?"
Kuro: "I won't."
As she exhaled, Ishimasu-chan looked towards her, hoping she would argue against Kuro-san's lack of care.
Ishimasu Kanana: "That's just… that's just selfish."
Kobayashi Amano: "Yeah, but… I understand. After all, look where helping others gets you."
The younger girl pressed closer to the older girl, mumbling.
Ishimasu Kanana: "What do we do then…?"
Kobayashi Amano: "There isn't anything we can do… Konsako-san and I are both injured, and we can't endanger you, Ichimachi-san."
Ishimasu Kanana: "That's not my name… and you're just saying that cus' I'm younger than you."
Kobayashi Amano: "Well, I'm a big sister so I can't really help but feel that way…"
I can't… do anything. What was I talking about, when I said I'd do my best? If I can't even be useful in a time like this… what's the point of ever being useful? Because of this stupid leg… because of this stupid leg! And no one else will do it, because they're scared. But, I'm not scared… so why does it have to be me that can't do it?
Kuro: "We can't waste anymore time on this."
Itogaya: "Mm. Ishimasu-kun, Konsako-kun, can you ready our supplies for our leaving?"
Konsako Akihi: "...Fine."
Itogaya: "We'll need to bring food, water and emergency supplies; what's left of the first-aid, weaponry and anything that can start a fire. Take the bedsheet, too. I only cut a small portion of it; you can use the rest as a hook for the gate."
Itogaya: "We'll leave in twenty to thirty minutes."
Kuro: "I'll help them if it's going to take that long-"
Itogaya: "No, I need you for something else."
Kuro: "What?"
Itogaya: "Are you familiar with suturing?"
Not saying another word, the two of us left the bedroom, Ishimasu-chan closing the door behind us.
Konsako Akihi: "Ishimasu-chan…"
Ishimasu Kanana: "It's not fair… why do they get to make all the decisions?"
Ishimasu Kanana: "Just cus' Kuro isn't hurt… or a kid…"
Ishimasu Kanana: "I wish it was him who was hurt instead of you or Kobayashi-san." She blurted out.
Konsako Akihi: "No… neither of us should be hurt, but…"
Before I could finish, she shut the bathroom door and locked herself inside. …And I hadn't the energy to argue further, so I began picking at the supplies.
I think it would've been better to have Kuro-san do this. It's not like my hands are broken.
Using the several empty grocery bags Kuro-san brought with him, I collected the supplies requested by Itogaya-sensei. I was tempted to ask Ishimasu-chan for help, but knew that would only make this ordeal go faster… and the faster we got out of here, the faster we would have to abandon those three.
After twenty minutes, I made my way back to the bedroom to collect the bedsheets…
Itogaya: "You're better than I expected."
Kuro-san, using a needle and thread from the first-aid kit, was sowing at the doctor's exposed, sliced muscles. Sitting on the small circle table next to them was said kit, as well as small bottles of alcohol, and rubbing alcohol.
Itogaya: "Ah, Konsako-kun… are you two finished?"
Konsako Akihi: "Mm… we're ready to go. I just need the bedsheet."
Itogaya: "Kobayashi-kun, could you move from the bed? Don't rush or push yourself, I can't have you tearing the stitches."
Kobayashi Amano: "Right."
The girl moved slowly off the bed, allowing her feet to connect to the floor before lifting herself up.
And as she reached for the sheets, she turned to the open space on my right.
Kobayashi Amano: "Where's the little girl?"
Konsako Akihi: "Ishimasu-san. She's in the bathroom."
Kobayashi Amano: "Okay…"
She placed the bedsheets on the floor.
Kobayashi Amano: "Kuro-san can carry them when we're leaving… you don't need all that weight on you."
Konsako Akihi: "Thanks."
Itogaya: "Konsako-kun, let Ishimasu-kun know we're leaving very shortly."
I nodded towards the doctor before leaving again, pushing my body towards the bathroom door while calling out her name.
Konsako Akihi: "Ishimasu-chan…"
Each movement of the muscle in my leg sent a pain, which circulated through the torso.
Konsako Akihi: "Ishimasu-chan, we're leaving soon. Can you help carry some things?"
But she wouldn't respond, and though I was hesitant, I began to knock on the door.
After knocking, I tried the door handle… despite the door being locked.
I heard it. I heard her lock it… and I didn't hear it unlock. I'm sure I didn't.
So, it shouldn't open-
-But it did… and no one was inside.
Without taking a breath, I forced myself through the only other door in the apartment, which connected the restroom.
Empty.
Before I could call out to the three behind me, my eyes shot towards the apartment door.
…The door chain hung unconnected, leaving the door unlocked… and the cute, small shoes belonging to the small girl… were gone.
Konsako Akihi: "Ishi… Ishimasu-cha-"
I hit the floor; but I didn't feel the impact.
…How can I help someone lost in the rain, when I too am lost?