New Dawn Chapter: 079

Tysone touched the spot where she kissed. 'Well, damn...'

As she moved away, Rei stumbled in her drunken haze, giggling.

That marked the second kiss he got within twenty minutes. This one much more innocent than the last, but equally surprising.

'Maybe this night isn't so bad.' He smiled wryly and shook his head, entering the kitchen while humming to himself. He opened the fridge, checked his options, then opted to pour a glass of soda instead.

"Tysone-san?" Saeko's voice drifted over from the kitchen, where she stood at the stove. "Our late-night snack will be ready soon. It will be our lunch for tomorrow as well."

Tysone kept his eyes firmly on his drink. A measly apron was all that covered her, and he wasn't about to test his self-control. This kind of thing only happens in anime…

"You're not drunk?"

He remarked lazily, taking a sip.

"I didn't partake." Saeko replied with a knowing smile. "As the third oldest, I felt it was better to supervise rather than indulge."

He scoffed. "Shizuka-sensei should've been the one to stop it from happening, not encourage it. But I guess we can let it slide for today. Everyone's been through a lot."

"Indeed." Saeko hummed softly, stirring the pot. "Today has been hectic. But thanks to your leadership, no one got hurt. You should be proud of yourself." She turned slightly, offering him a warm smile. "You're quite amazing, you know? I mean it."

So they were exchanging pleasantries now, heh?

"Couldn't have done without you. If you hadn't appeared back then, we would have been wiped out." Tysone admitted, finally glancing at her, who glanced back at him. "Your skills with that thing are inhuman."

That wasn't just empty flattery—Saeko fully embodied the cliché of an overpowered, kendo-practicing side character.

"That means alot to me." She replied, a small hint of pride in her voice as she turned back to the simmering pot.

A moment passed, before Tysone leaned forward.

"I kind of want to ask..." His eyes gleamed slightly as he fully regarded the young woman before him. "Would you be willing to teach me some moves? I've dabbled in martial arts as well, but nothing particularly efficient for killing zombies."

Saeko didn't hesitate. She turned her head slightly, her voice smooth and sincere. "For you? Anytime."

"And when you're free..." Tysone added cautiously. "Could you train the rest of the group as well?"

If everyone in the group could even learn a fraction of what Saeko was capable of, they'd become an unstoppable force.

Saeko paused for a moment, her expression thoughtful. For a moment, all that could be heard was the bubbling of the pot. "It depends." She finally said. "Komuro-kun and Miyamoto-san? If they were to ask me sincerely, I'd be glad to instruct them. However, I'm unsure about the rest. Kendo isn't a mere fighting technique—it takes discipline and control. If they only seek to swing a weapon, I won't waste my time. But if they're willing to carry it, to embrace everything that means… then I'll teach them."

It was a cryptic reply, but Tysone understood the sentiment behind it. Considering her dark side, it must've taken a lot of mental discipline and self-control to restrain herself from succumbing to murderous desires.

'Kendo, huh?' He considered the implications silently. While the prospect of learning how to wield a sword was appealing, the true challenge was ensuring others were ready to take up the art. After all, this wasn't a game. A single person couldn't take on a horde of hundreds of zombies alone and expect to survive. In such cases, safety lies in numbers, unity, and skill.

"Hm..."

Silence hung between them for another moment as he processed her words. Tysone drained his glass in one gulp, before getting up from his seat with a groan.

"Alright." He nodded at Saeko as he walked back to the fridge, grabbing some pre-made sandwiches. "I'll be counting on you to teach us well, Vice-leader."

Saeko's eyes seemed to shine for a split-second.

"The honor is mine." She answered seriously, nodding respectfully back.

Tysone was ready to depart—that was until a loud barking resounded outside the apartment. Saeko was also startled. They exchanged a glance.

"A dog?" Saeko tilted her head.

"And it's coming closer as well." Tysone stood up, making his way towards the balcony.

Kohta and Takashi were already there, with the former looking into the distance with binoculars.

Tysone also leaned out, staring at the increasing horde of undead shambling about.

"It's definitely a dog." Kohta confirmed. "We haven't seen any zombie animals until now. It's safe to assume they're not affected?"

"Still..." Takashi muttered, a drop of sweat running down his temple.

"Yeah." Kohta said, seriously. "This is bad." Even more so when they witnessed a guy, around their age, killing a couple of zombies before getting mobbed. Naturally, that didn't sit well with Takashi's hero complex. 

Eventually, even Saeko came out in her apron to take a look at the situation. 

She borrowed the binoculars from Kohta, and her expression turned uncharacteristically serious.

Takashi clicked his tongue, clearly upset. "Damn, this is awful."

Kohta turned towards Tysone, his rifle poised to take aim. "Should we shoot?"

"We should, right?" Takashi spoke up before Tysone could.

And Tysone didn't even have to shoot down the idea. Saeko did it for him. She sent Takashi a sharp look. "Have you forgotten? They react to sound, Komuro-kun." She said, walking back inside and switching off the lights. "We should turn off all the lights too." She declared, her eyes still on him. "We lack the ability to help those who still live. Take a look yourself. You must grow accustomed to this." 

And then she handed the binoculars to him. 

Takashi took them, feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. He was about to open up his mouth, until a firm grip on his shoulder stopped him. Tysone glanced at him. "Don't push it. She's not wrong. Think before you speak, and don't forget Shido's fiasco. I appreciate your sense of heroism, but not if there's any possibility of it endangering anyone."

Takashi closed his mouth, unable to find a rebuttal, and instead, he simply sighed.

Tysone squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "We're doing everything in our power, man. Don't stress about it." He vaguely remembered what Takashi would do in this situation, so he decided to keep an eye out on him.

Takashi looked at his feet for a moment.

Then a shot rang out.

Tysone's eyes went wide open. 'Don't tell me...'

Both of them turned towards the balcony, where Kohta was still there, seemingly trying out the scope of his new rifle. Except that this time, he pulled the trigger for real.

"Goddamn—" Tysone dashed to Kohta. "What are you doing?"

Kohta didn't turn to look back at Tysone, instead he continued to fire shot after shot with a wild smile on his chubby cheeks. "Sorry, boss."

Tysone grabbed Kohta's shoulder roughly, shaking him. "Are you insane?! You just rang the dinner bell for every damn zombie in the area!"

Kohta's grin didn't falter. If anything, it widened, his glasses flashing in the moonlight. "I know what I'm doing." He said, his voice steady. "I had to take the shot."

Takashi cursed under his breath, gripping the balcony railing. Kohta, meanwhile, kept picking off at a horde of zombies that was about to mob a pink-haired little girl, who couldn't have been older than eight.

The sight of her terrified expression and teary eyes made Takashi's heart clench. It steeled his resolve to simply ignore the potential danger and rescue the kid. He rushed downstairs, where everyone was either startled awake by the noise or curious about the commotion going on.

But not Shizuka.

Shizuka was still blissfully sleeping on the floor, a content expression on her face.

Tysone followed after Takashi. "Wait—"

Downstairs, near the entrance stood Saeko and Rei.

"I'm going alone." Takashi said, turning to look at Tysone. "I'm sorry, but I still have human qualities."

"Idiot." Tysone sighed. "Are you saying we don't?"

"No, that's not what I—"

"Just go." Saeko said with an approving smile. After all, in her book, a man had to follow his heart when the chips were down. 

As long as Takashi was the only one to go, Tysone believed the risk wouldn't be that significant.

Besides, Kohta had cleared a path for the most part.

He didn't want to risk Takashi, since he was a capable fighter, but he knew that leaving an innocent child to die would have negative consequences on him.

"Be careful." Was all Tysone said.

Takashi nodded as he zipped up his new jacket and put a helmet on.

That being said, the four of them walked out and down the stairs, until they stood in front of the gates. 

They had barricaded it further, so it took a bit of time to move the things away, but eventually they were able to clear it up.

Tysone approached Takashi once again. "Listen... don't risk your life to be a hero. If you can save her, then do it. If you can't, retreat. We still don't know if those things are capable of mutation or, worse, evolution. You remember what we saw on the road, don't you?"

"Yeah." Takashi breathed, clenching his fists.

A brief pause later, Tysone spoke again.

"If you die, you'll likely become one of them. You could end up hurting more people in the future, or even us." He said grimly. "Just wanted to remind you of that. Your decision remains the same?"

Takashi gulped.

"You won't be doing something wrong by staying here." Rei added.

Saeko, on the other hand, remained silent.

Takashi shook his head. "I know. And yes, I'm going. Even if I'm dead, at least my death will mean something. Saving a kid."

Author's Note:

If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at P@treon.com/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support.