"Exactly." Tysone continued where she left off. "I know that fighting isn't everyone's area of expertise, that's why particular emphasis will be mainly placed on what you know best. There's no use trying to force everyone to become combat experts since that's an impossibility. Some of you simply don't have the disposition for it, which is understandable, therefore everyone shall focus on what they know best."
"And how will you decide what our specializations are?" Miku questioned.
"I think that's something we'll figure out as time passes." Tysone answered. "For example, Shizuka-sensei is our nurse, as such, she's going to prioritize her studies on medical aid rather than fighting them." He gestured to the teacher, who hummed in approval. "Some of you may naturally gravitate towards certain roles based on your skills and talents. If not, I'll simply assign one and you guys can give it a shot, and if that fails then we will try another method."
He looked at everyone present and found no objections.
"But don't slack off too much." He said. "If you sit in your rooms everyday you won't develop. If you think you're not suited to be on the frontline, then at the very least make yourself useful behind the scenes." He shrugged. "That's all, really."
Tysone proceeded to finish off the remaining food on his plate while everybody else digested his speech. Soon enough, all the bowls emptied out, and breakfast ended shortly after.
…
Saya didn't feel too well. Not after that brief drama episode at the table. Miku must've noticed as well, but pretended not to know.
'There is no way he fucked that cow!'
Saya stared out the window overlooking the garden.
The idea of Tysone sleeping with someone was unsettling, especially since he hadn't made a single move on her.
'Does he not want me? Is he... bored of me?'
She bit her lower lip in frustration. Maybe he just wasn't interested anymore. Maybe he preferred busty women like Shizuka-sensei...
Saya sighed despondently, sinking deeper into her sofa cushions. They had been together for so long, yet lately things haven't quite been going smoothly between
them. Nothing bad happened, but the problem was exactly that. Nothing happened. Nada. Zilch. No progress.
Everything is moving forward except their relationship.
She gritted her teeth. She wasn't one to give up easily though, especially not without putting forth a helluva fight beforehand. No way was she letting Tysone slip away that easily! Even if fate was against them, even if Shizuka-sensei was an attractive mature woman that practically threw herself at him...
'Hmph!' Saya huffed indignantly.
Nope. She wouldn't lose.
The problem was that the competition wasn't easy. Worse still? It kept fucking growing. She had long known about Mai and Miku.
Miku wasn't as much of a threat since she knew Tysone wasn't exactly attracted to her, but Miku had changed, and could easily change herself further, to catch Tysone's interest.
She would literally tear her entire personality apart if it meant becoming more likable in his eyes.
That worried Saya a lot, because the threat Miku posed wasn't due to her current abilities, but her potential. Mai, however, was already an accomplished girl. If anything, she was the epitome of perfection.
And then there was Saeko and, surprisingly, even Rei. The former wasn't as surprising as the latter, knowing the ambiguous relationship Rei had with Takashi.
Saeko shared many similarities with Tysone. Most notably, their drive and determination to survive, their strength and adaptability.
Most importantly, Saeko was incredibly beautiful and 'gifted'. Certainly more so than Saya herself.
Saya felt overwhelmed sometimes. Outmatched by other girls in so many categories.
Rei, however, was the worst. She switched from Takashi—who Saya used to have a crush on—to Hisashi, and now Tysone.
But Rei was cute. Her voice sounded angelic; her body was slim and athletic. She could fight almost as well as Saeko and had proven to be useful outside of combat as well. All Saya had for herself was her body, face, and intelligence.
And now Shizuka was in the mix as well, and considering the trend, she couldn't ignore the possibility of Marin and Yui joining as well, even though now it seemed unlikely.
'Damn it. What am I supposed to do?'
Saya stayed cooped up inside her room for so long that her eyes, from the clash of conflicting emotions, began to darken and turn murky. Dark thoughts began circulating in her mind. 'Should I murder these wenches...?'
She shook her head, dismissing such terrible ideas. She lacked the ruthlessness required.
Besides, as twisted as it sounded, she cared for all these girls. Hard not to when they were all they had, at the moment. Still, she couldn't help but wish some of them got infected, just so she could have Tysone all for herself.
These intrusive thoughts sickened her. Saya never wished any harm upon anyone prior.
'Don't lose sight of yourself.' She reminded herself.
She needed a distraction before she did something stupid.
...
There were nights in which Tysone simply couldn't concentrate. He felt... eerily watched. But the surrounding areas had already been patrolled by Takashi, Kotha, and Yui earlier. There couldn't have been any zombies; and even if there were, this mansion had anti-zombie measures set in place: barricades, high walls, barbed wire.
He huffed, putting his halberd down. His muscles were sore, and sweat dripped from his brows. He wiped it using the hem of his shirt. Still, despite the crushing fatigue, he couldn't help but be proud of his progress.
He spent countless hours practicing with this weapon, perfecting every aspect of it, every swing and stab. By now, he could easily fend off three armed opponents simultaneously. All without breaking a sweat.
At least that's what he'd like to think.
In truth, it was grueling training, filled with constant pain, exhaustion, bloodied hands, torn clothes and bruised skin.
He stared at his hands, at the calluses and blisters that had already burst open. Shizuka-sensei, just yesterday, nagged at him for overworking himself to the point of injury. That was before they rolled in the sheets for the subsequent hour, where Tysone perfectly showed her that even with those injuries he was still more than functional.
The faint echo of footsteps caught his attention. Turning around, he spotted a small figure standing next to the entrance. It was Yui, still wearing her pajamas, which consisted of simple grey shorts and a white shirt.
"... Can't sleep?"
"No." Yui admitted with a tiny shake of her head. "Just wanted to take a walk."
A short silence followed, broken when Tysone asked. "We never really had an opportunity to talk like this. How are you holding yourself up?"
"Pretty good..." Yui beamed at him. It was a forced smile—he could tell.
'Poor girl. Going through all this in her early teen years...' Then again, pity wasn't what Yui needed to grow. She wasn't the greenhouse flower she used to be anymore.
"But... you know." A breeze tousled Yui's hair. She lifted a hand to keep them from straying too far away from her ears. "You're really amazing."
"Is that so?"
She glanced at his hands. "... I don't understand how you do it." She confessed quietly. "... Whenever I get a splinter, I cry like crazy."
Tysone laughed. He sat down on the grass, heaving a sigh of relief. She proceeded to sit next to him. "It gets better eventually. You just gotta grit your teeth and push through."
Yui's frown deepened. "Why... why are you pushing yourself this much?" She murmured, her tone softening. "We have food and supplies, and no one is attacking us. You can rest now. You really deserve it." She insisted gently.
"That may be true." Tysone acknowledged. "However, the moment you stop moving forward is when you begin going backwards. There could be bigger monsters lurking out there..."
That didn't reassure Yui, nor was that the intention behind his words.
"Well... what can I do?" She queried dejectedly. "To help. Not just you. Everyone. I don't know... how to repay your kindness for keeping me safe and alive throughout all of this madness."
"What are you good at?" He responded, looking down at his shoes before returning his focus back towards her direction.
"Um..." Yui pursed her lips. She thought deeply. "I-I don't know, just give me a task and I promise I'll do everything in my power to see it done!" She assured fiercely.
'She's in desperate need of approval.' Tysone noted. 'And purpose. She doesn't want to feel useless.'
"In that case, I'll see if Shizuka-sensei can take you under her wing. Having a second medic would do us wonders." If something, god forbid, happened to Shizuka, then it would be disastrous to all of them. Without proper care and medical treatments, life would be hell. "What do you think?"
"Medic, huh..." She pondered his offer briefly before nodding her head. "Sounds great!"
"Great."
She brightened up considerably. "Thank you, Tysone-san." Yui chimed gratefully. Her voice grew quieter as she continued speaking. "Thank you for everything."
"Think nothing of it. We're family now." He inwardly cringed at those words. Family—all he could picture was a certain bald, gravel-voiced action star from his old world, arms wide in the middle of a slow-motion explosion.
"Hehe…"
She beamed at him in response, throwing her arms around him in a quick, impulsive hug before skipping off with a soft laugh trailing behind her. It had happened so fast that he didn't even have time to register her faint scent lingering on his nose.
"...."
Tysone watched as she disappeared back inside.
He had no idea that behind one of the mansion's tall windows on the first floor, Mai had seen it all. Her gaze followed the girl, then drifted to him. Her expression sharpened, eyes narrowing into quiet slits of suspicion.
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 [email protected]/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.