New Dawn Chapter: 095

"..." Tysone's eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

"O-Ow! Ouch!" Saya whimpered, holding her slightly injured hand.

Shizuka rushed to her aid, pulling out the glass shards and bandaging her hand. "W-What were you thinking, Saya? How did this happen?" She asked.

"I don't know!" The pink-haired girl exclaimed, her eyes wide. Saya's gaze landed on Tysone. She blushed again, her face turning a deep shade of red as she muttered angrily, "Ty, you fucking idiot! Stop looking at me like that!" Her face was flushed as she looked away.

"That was a surprising burst of strength." Tysone said. "Do you think you could do it again?"

"W-Why?"

"Any experiment worth doing is worth doing twice, right?"

Saya blinked. "Are you serious?"

"I am."

Saya sighed. "Fine." She picked up another glass of water and squeezed it in her hand. Her knuckles turned white. It took a whole lot of effort and concentration, but eventually the glass cracked.

"Saya! Ty-kyun, don't you see that this is dangerous?" Shizuka exclaimed, her hands on her hips. "You shouldn't be encouraging her to do that!"

"You're right." Tysone agreed. "But I'm starting to believe that that crystal might have given Saya some kind of strength boost. Those tiny, dainty hands couldn't have ever broken the glass in a thousand years. And now she did it twice. Something is definitely up." He smirked. "I was right, after all."

"Ohhh..." Saya looked down at her hands, blinking in awe.

Shizuka puffed her cheeks out slightly. "Well, even if you were right, Ty-kyun, you shouldn't have made Saya-chan break another glass! Her hand is still hurt." She tutted, adjusting the bandage on Saya's hand gently.

Tysone leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "It was a necessary confirmation. And the cut is minor. The point is, something fundamental has changed." He looked at Saya, a thoughtful expression on his face. "How do you feel, really? Any different? Lighter? Stronger, obviously, but anything else?"

Saya flexed the fingers of her bandaged hand, then her uninjured one. She looked down, a complex mix of emotions swirling in her eyes – confusion, a hint of fear, but also a spark of something new, like dawning realization. "I... I don't know. I feel... normal? Maybe a bit more energetic than usual, but I chalked that up to a good night's sleep, despite everything." She looked up at Tysone. "That strength... it wasn't like I was straining hard the first time. It just... happened. The second time was harder, like I had to focus."

"Interesting." Tysone mused. "Instinct versus conscious effort." He pushed himself off the doorframe. "Okay. Let's not jump to conclusions, but this is a significant development. Shizuka-sensei, can you check her vitals again? See if there's anything different from this morning, pre-glass incident."

Shizuka nodded, her earlier pique replaced by professional curiosity. "Of course, Ty-kyun." She fetched her medical kit.

As Shizuka took Saya's pulse and blood pressure, Tysone watched. "If this is what I think it is... that crystal wasn't just a random rock. It was a catalyst."

Saya's eyes were wide. "A catalyst for what? Am I going to grow a third eye or something?" Despite her attempt at sarcasm, there was a tremor in her voice.

"Hopefully not." Tysone said with a slight smile. "But enhanced physical abilities? That's a definite advantage in our current world." He paused. "We need to tell the others."

"And say what?" Saya asked, a little defensively. "That I'm some kind of... freak?"

"That you're evolving." Tysone corrected gently. "And that maybe, just maybe, there's a way to fight back that we hadn't considered."

Shizuka finished her checks. "Well, her heart rate is a little elevated, but that's probably from excitement. Otherwise, still very healthy. Remarkably so."

"Right." Tysone clapped his hands once. "Let's gather everyone. Saya, are you up for a small demonstration? Nothing dangerous this time."

Saya hesitated, then a flicker of her usual pride surfaced. "Fine. But if Hirano asks me to arm-wrestle, I'm blaming you."

A few minutes later, the group was reassembled in the living room, their expressions ranging from curious to concerned when Tysone called them for an urgent update on Saya.

"So..." Takashi began, looking from Saya to Tysone. "Is she... okay? No zombie stuff?"

Tysone grinned. "Better than okay. Saya, show them." He nodded towards a metal thermos flask sitting on the coffee table. "Try to dent that."

Saya looked at the flask, then at the expectant faces. She took a breath, reached out, and gripped it. Her brow furrowed in concentration. For a moment, nothing happened. Kohta leaned forward, intrigued. Then, with a faint groan of metal, a noticeable indentation appeared on the side of the flask.

A collective gasp went through the room.

"Whoa!" Kohta exclaimed, eyes wide behind his glasses. "How did you do that, Takagi-san?"

Miku and Mai stared, jaws slightly agape. Rei blinked in surprise, while Saeko watched with keen, analytical eyes, her usual calm demeanor tinged with interest.

Takashi simply looked stunned. "Seriously? You just... squeezed it?"

Saya pulled her hand back, looking at the dented flask with a mixture of awe and slight embarrassment. "Apparently."

Tysone addressed the group. "It seems the crystal Saya was exposed to didn't turn her into one of 'Them.' Instead..." He paused for effect, "it seems to have given her a significant boost in strength." He nodded to Shizuka. "Sensei can confirm her health is fine."

"Her vitals are excellent," Shizuka added, her voice a mix of clinical and amazed. "In fact, her overall fitness seems to have increased."

Saeko spoke, her tone thoughtful. "This could be a significant development in our survival strategy. A natural enhancement that can level the playing field against the zombies."

"Exactly. Imagine all of us having that kind of strength, agility, and reflexes." Tysone continued. "It would change the game entirely. We'd be stronger, faster, better equipped to survive." He was genuinely excited; he'd been racking his brain over how to deal with those zombies that could tank bullets like nothing, and now the universe just handed him a solution. "This could be the turning point we need in this fight."

Marin crossed her arms. "But what are the risks? What if this isn't a permanent change? Or what if it comes with side effects we can't predict?"

Tysone acknowledged her concern. "Risks are inevitable. We'll have to be cautious, but the potential benefits outweigh them, in my opinion." His gaze swept over the group. "We can't stay stagnant while the world evolves around us. We have to adapt or perish."

The room fell silent, everyone deep in thought, processing this new information. The idea of superhuman strength and abilities was enticing, especially in their precarious situation.

"So, do we go looking for more?" Miku asked. She was low-key eager to get a crystal for herself. She had been feeling kind of useless lately, especially with Tysone not prioritizing her as much as he did before. She didn't know how to get his attention back, but at the same she knew he had a lot on his plate. Perhaps this was what she needed to get her confidence back.

Tysone nodded. "Precisely, Miku. If avoiding zombies like that cop was in our interests before, now it's a priority. We'll have to be careful. This is an entirely new thing, we have no idea if it'll affect us differently or not. That being said, I'll rearrange the teams a bit, temporarily, to tackle these stronger zombies. I think Saya should join Team Alpha, to test her abilities. Saeko will substitute Mai."

Mai, who had been quiet up to that point, lowered her eyes with a sigh. "Of course..." She mumbled to herself.

Tysone, however, heard. He glanced at her, frowning slightly. "What's the matter, Mai?"

"..." She bit the inside of her cheek, forcing a smile. "Nothing, I'll do as you say."

"Good. Then let's go."

Saya stared at Mai for a moment before she followed Tysone.

...

The next day, the Hum-Vee was packed with the most efficient fighters in the group, Tysone included. 

They were all armed, some of them more heavily than others. Tysone was driving back to the city. It was dangerous, since that lanky, pale creature could still be waiting for them, but ever since Saya's strength surged like that, he felt like he could lag behind if he didn't take a risk or two.

It was raining hard, and Tysone's eyes squinted to see through the sheets of water. The rain was coming down so hard that it bounced up off the asphalt, giving the impression of a thick mist over the road. "Let's not waste ammo on common zombies. We'll avoid engaging in a fight with them as much as possible."

"Roger." Kohta usually would've been poking his head out of the sunroof, ready to shoot anything that moved, but right now he was sitting back, his rifle on his lap—Tysone didn't want the water to get in.

The ride was mostly silent, until the vehicle finally made it back to the city.

It was then that the Hum-Vee, for some reason, stopped working completely. 

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.