episode_0082

The operation carried out with the scoundrels ended successfully.

From the time I left the auditorium around seven in the morning until the sun set, I was able to change as many as two buildings from a gray zone to a safe zone for about twelve hours.

‘I feel like destroying the other two buildings right now…’

Since the sun has set, it would be right to leave them for tomorrow.

The level of risk that must be taken is completely different between exploring when the sun is up in the sky and exploring after the sun has set.

It hasn’t been long since the zombie outbreak broke out, so the water supply and power supply haven’t been cut off and are still functioning normally, but apart from that, the word night has a magical power that makes people instinctively shrink.

After a long time, we completed the operation without a single casualty, but honestly, it’s a bit much to overdo it in our desire to finish it all at once.

So, although it was a bit disappointing, I decided to end the exploration at this point for today.

That’s why I made these people stand five rows in front of me because I could see that they were exhausted compared to when they left this place in the morning.

“Well, everyone had a hard time throughout the day. how is it? When you deal with them in person, there’s nothing special about them other than zombies, right?”

“”””Yes!!””””

“Yes, with that mindset, we will finish the remaining two buildings tomorrow. Do you understand?”

“”””Yep!!””””

If we finish organizing things up to that point, wouldn’t we all be zombie hunters that we can be proud of anywhere?

By the way, if these bastards are brought into the auditorium like this, the auditorium that has been kept clean for so long will be ruined… so even if you let them in, it would be right to let them in after they are clean.

I feel like I want to make them completely independent at this point, but I haven’t completely taken over the school to that extent yet.

And more than anything… the shower room in the auditorium was our own space that my women and I worked together to create. I had no intention of letting those bastards trample on such a precious place with their feet of dirt.

That’s why I forced them to go wash up in the shower room in the club building, one of the two buildings we secured today.

“Then, let’s go inside first.”

“···Yes.”

“Thank you for your hard work today, senior.”

Is it really awkward to hear a senior sound coming out of my mouth? After shaking his shoulder for a moment, he left behind Sakura, who was nodding with an awkward expression on her face, and this time turned his gaze towards Chizuru.

Unlike Sakura, who looks relatively fine, she looks quite tired.

Of course, it was me, not the zombies, that put her in that state.

“You had a hard time too? Thanks to you, I wasn’t bored throughout the expedition.”

While saying that, I patted her plump buttocks, which were still wrapped in the suit I had lent her, with my hands. Chizuru, who was shaking in shame and humiliation, glared at me once and then jumped on the rope and went straight into the auditorium.

“After enjoying the map, my temper… Anyway, let’s go now. Because I have to shower and do laundry.”

“···Hmm.”

“Ah, that’s right. You can keep the protective equipment I lent you today. If something breaks while using it, I will replace it with a new one, so please let me know at any time.”

When I said that with a grin, I wonder if he was momentarily taken aback by my sudden sweet behavior.

Sakura’s voice answering my words was slightly trembling.

“Ha, but this is expensive…”

“Well, it is true that it is a difficult item to obtain, but it is better than having your senior get hurt or being bitten by a zombie.”

When I spoke with a lot of sincerity in my voice, Sakura seemed to be impressed by my remarks and, uncharacteristically, pursed her lips and looked as if she was hesitating about something.

What eventually followed behind that hesitation was-

” Well, then maybe… ha, can I get one more suit in advance? ”

It was a very cautious voice, as if it was begging for my mercy.

“Are you going to wear it to your friend who is on the volleyball team?”

“···Yes.”

Did he really decide that there was no way he would get through to me if he told me a fake lie? Still, it was worth trying to deny it at least once, but Sakura did not do that and instead chose to admit it coolly. Rather, it’s like someone who has no doubt that doing that will work better for me.

‘Hmm…’

how will we do it.

To be honest, there was nothing I couldn’t give away at least one suit.

Even though I gave one set to Chizuru and Sakura, there was still room in stock.

So, there was nothing I couldn’t give away, at least one set, but… there was something a bit off about it.

Should I say that the inside of my throat felt like I had swallowed a handful of sand?

From my perspective, I couldn’t help but feel that way right away. What was the reason I provided protective underwear to Chizuru and Sakura in the first place?

This was because I highly valued the will of these two people who rolled up their sleeves for the community we belong to, even though they were aware that if they made a mistake, they could end up in a very dangerous situation.

Well, it seems like old Chizuru volunteered because he didn’t want to just sit around in the auditorium rather than for that reason…

Anyway, unlike Chizuru and Sakura who showed things like that, the girl on the volleyball team named Eri didn’t show anything in particular.

But they even provide protective underwear to such women?

As someone who has lived under the belief that free riding on the subway can be forgiven, free riding on group assignments can never be forgiven, this was something I could not accept.

“First of all, I understand the senior’s concern for his friend.”

“Then…?”

“But… is it still okay?”

I heard that some of the really expensive protective underwear have a built-in feature called a chameleon effect that automatically changes color to match the wearer’s skin color, but the ones Rahee got were not that expensive.

So, once you put it on, it was bound to make you stand out as much as Chizuru or Sakura did.

But imagine that a girl on the volleyball team named Eri is wearing something like that.

Chizuru and Sakura have a justification for going on an expedition with me. If a woman who stays in the auditorium and just sucks at it does that, what will other people who see it think?

Who would think that bitch is the only one wearing something like that?

When I explained this in the calmest voice I could muster, Sakura, who had had a question mark on her face the first time, raised an exclamation mark over her face as if she had never done so. But soon his expression became very serious.

That’s right.

Because she knows better than me how fierce and dark the world of women is.

I don’t know if that was why, but I continued speaking while looking at Sakura’s face, who had an expression that seemed to have realized something.

“Well, in the end, the choice is up to the senior. How can I give you one?”

“···When I think about it again, I think it’ll be okay for now.”

“Of course, right?”

Does this mean that you will not make a choice with a clear outcome?

Sakura, who could have been greedy, but chose to take a step back without any regrets, smiled and nodded in satisfaction.

And then he returned to the auditorium, following Chizuru, who entered first.

*****

‘also···.’

The strangely sloppy appearance he usually showed was clearly a camouflage to catch the other person off guard.

Otherwise, it would make no sense to show such thoughtfulness as he showed before entering the auditorium.

‘···I didn’t even think about it.’

The choice made to protect Eri from an unknown danger could become a medium that invites another danger.

What would have happened if what the man feared had actually happened?

Eri is already unstable due to worries about her family.

However, in such a situation, if you end up being ostracized among women…

Of course… I know.

Man, what Soo-Hyun Yoon suggested is only one of many possibilities.

I knew it, but I couldn’t just deny that possibility. Because she knew that would be the case. Among women, bullying can occur for all kinds of reasons.

It’s a place where bullying happens for seemingly trivial reasons, like someone wearing the same accessories as you to school.

However, if Eri wears something like this that she is wearing right now, something that is bound to stand out just by looking at it… won’t someone inevitably see it and become jealous?

It was only after listening to the man that I realized such an obvious fact.

It must have been at a moment when I was scratching the back of my neck, feeling sorry for Eri.

“Sakura!”

Eri’s voice, who could be said to be a party to the thoughts filling my head, flowed into my ears. The reason I reflexively shook my shoulders and trembled was because the timing of when I heard the voice was so odd.

“Are you okay? Where were you injured?”

“Ah… were you worried?”

“Of course! You’re friends!”

‘friend···.’

As I was calmly thinking about the word that made me feel both joy and bitterness at the same time, the existence of the handkerchief that I had forced into my pocket suddenly came to mind.

‘Now that I think about it, what should I do about this too…’

Should I sneak it into the shower and wash it?

Sakura, who was so obsessed with doing something about the handkerchief in her pocket before her friend Eri noticed her, did not see her.

The sight of her friend’s eyes narrowing momentarily as he looked at various parts of her body with a worried expression.