Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Reason

“I understand.”

Busujima Saeko answered with a simple nod. Her reply was brief, but if danger ever came, she would protect the two of them even at the cost of her life.

After discussing a few more details, the three of them finally settled everything. They would begin carrying out the plan a few days later. Night Star also told Busujima Saeko that he came from another world, leaving these last few days to her as a farewell.

“Saeko, do you really have no objections?” Tachibana Kanade asked as they walked back. Since Night Star had always lived alone, and Kanade had not yet been assigned a room after waking, nor could she remain in the infirmary, she had spent these days staying with Busujima Saeko.

“What objection would I have?” Busujima Saeko said carelessly. “I only have a father at a dojo overseas, and I don’t even know whether anything has happened there. Besides, I’ve already become Night Star’s subordinate. Wherever he goes, I have to go too.”

“Kanade, what do you think of Night Star?” Busujima Saeko asked casually, pretending not to care. In truth, the hand gripping her wooden sword had already betrayed the tension in her heart.

Kanade tilted her head, not understanding why Busujima Saeko was so nervous. After thinking seriously for a moment, she said, “I don’t know. But he should be like Night Chen—a very gentle person who’s easy to get along with.”

To be precise, Kanade had spent even less time with Night Star than Busujima Saeko had. How could she possibly know him deeply? So she merely spoke of the impression Night Chen had left on her.

“Didn’t you know each other for a long time? Why wouldn’t you know?” Busujima Saeko asked in surprise.

“No.” Kanade gently shook her head, her silver hair swaying in the wind. “Night Chen and Night Star and I only met a few months ago, and at that time Night Star barely ever came out. So I’m only familiar with Night Chen.”

“Only a few months?” Busujima Saeko’s eyes lit up at once. If Kanade had only known Night Star for a few months and still wasn’t very familiar with him, then from the way she spoke, she seemed to be closer to Night Chen. That meant she wouldn’t be competing with Saeko, which also meant Saeko still had a very real chance.

As for Night Star’s previous attitude of showing more concern for Little White than for Kanade, Busujima Saeko had only worried about it for a moment. Little White had always remained in the form of a nine-tailed fox, so Saeko assumed she probably did not transform into the peerless beauty of legend at all.

“Hmm?” Kanade looked up at Busujima Saeko, who had suddenly become fired with fighting spirit. Confusion flickered in her eyes. She knew she was rather dull, so she could only quietly follow Saeko back to her room.

Inside the office of Sōichirō Takashiro at the Takashiro estate, ever since he had asked Night Star for help a few days earlier to resolve the zombie crisis that had besieged the Takashiro family, his expression had remained dark. Even though Night Star had not demanded anything at all and had merely asked for a piano that was of little use in this apocalyptic world.

But what came after was what truly gave him a headache. Those people who had always been at odds with him had begun spreading the claim that it was a kind of murder disease and that all one needed to do was sit down and talk properly with the zombies to solve everything. Only someone who had never truly seen a zombie would say such a thing. During this zombie invasion, many people had been attacked.

He had thought that after witnessing zombies for themselves, they would understand how dangerous they were and settle down. Instead, they still kept opposing him, even going so far as to create a religion to worship Night Star, who had saved them, and demanding that he hand over all authority to Night Star.

Though Night Star had nothing to do with it, some of them were merely trying to use this pretext to deceive the majority and seize power from Sōichirō Takashiro. As for truly giving everything to Night Star, they would never do that. Most of the people might genuinely go along with the worship, but the ones driving it were after power alone.

Infuriated, Sōichirō Takashiro began to resent them, and Night Star along with them. Alone in his office, he was so angry he wanted to overturn the desk. To preserve appearances, he had his trusted men guard the outside and would not even allow Saya Takashiro or Yuriko Takashiro to enter.

Knock, knock, knock.

Still clutching his head in frustration, Sōichirō Takashiro suddenly heard a short series of knocks outside. Someone called from beyond the door, “Chairman! I have a report!”

Hearing someone request entry, Sōichirō Takashiro quickly lowered his hands, smoothed his hair, and restored his stern, imposing expression. Only then did he say in a deep voice, “Come in!”

After receiving his permission, the person outside stepped in and stood straight before reporting, “Chairman, not long ago, those people led by Koichi Shido secretly took some of our handguns, daggers, grenades, and other weapons. They also stole an entire package of medicine from the infirmary—enough to knock out an elephant and kill an ordinary person.”

“What did they take those things for? Were they planning to deal with us? No, they only have a few people; they can’t affect us. Then they must have taken them to deal with Night Star. They can’t even handle us, and now they want to go after Night Star? Utterly overestimating themselves!”

Sōichirō Takashiro slammed the cup in his hand onto the floor and roared in anger.

He had already decided to overlook the matter of them being allowed in only because the electromagnetic pulse had disabled the cars and zombies had been let inside. The reason he had taken them in was indeed to use them against Night Star. Yet they had actually gone after him first—and, most importantly, they had used his things.

By now, Sōichirō Takashiro deeply regretted having sheltered them in the first place. Otherwise, the zombies would not have invaded, and those people would not have used Night Star as an excuse to lead more ignorant fools in opposing him. Thinking it through carefully, he realized that all this headache had been caused by Koichi Shido and the others.

He almost wanted to drag them all out and strangle them to death on the spot. If Koichi Shido were still alive and heard those words, he would surely have erupted in curses: Wasn’t it with your permission that we came in? Don’t make it sound as if you bear no responsibility at all.

Not long after, there came another knock at the door. The person who entered brought Sōichirō Takashiro a piece of news he had been especially hoping for a moment ago: they had just discovered the bodies of Koichi Shido and the people he had brought with him. Koichi Shido had been stabbed to death by the blond-haired man he brought along with a dagger.

The others seemed to have gotten into an argument inside the room, and then, during the gunfire, one of them accidentally shot a grenade in another person’s hand. As a result, they were all blown to death together inside the sealed room. The wall was blasted open as well, and the blond-haired man happened to be struck in the forehead by shards of glass hurled by the explosion, killing him instantly.

“There are also reports that Koichi Shido and a blond-haired man were seen taking the unconscious Busujima Saeko toward where Night Star was. Near the infirmary, someone also saw the girl who had been unconscious wake up and then be taken away by Koichi Shido’s men.” After reporting the situation, the man went on to explain exactly what Koichi Shido had done.

Hearing that they had all died one after another, Sōichirō Takashiro was momentarily stunned. No matter how one looked at it, it was too much of a coincidence. But what delighted him was that this time, the way they died was truly excellent. They had gone looking for Night Star and then died there—he could easily turn Night Star into a murderer. That would give him a reason to deal with him.

As for whether he could actually deal with him, that was another matter entirely.