We cleaned ourselves and got dressed afterward. I was wearing a shirt and shorts while Miss Rika was still wearing a tank top and shorts. She wore no underwear, making her curves clear.
"Alright, I'm going back." She yawned. "Goodnight, kid."
"Wait." I stopped her and grabbed her arm. She looked back at me with a curious expression. "Tell me something that you hide. You said you have to wake up tomorrow morning. Is it related to Leon?"
Turning back to me, Miss Rika raised her eyebrows. Then she crossed her arms and sat next to me again.
"It's not about that." She said, sighing and leaning back. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temple.
"Then?"
"... There is something I have to tell you about." Miss Rika said. "When we were out for the mission, a few groups had formed around this place. And they are starting to cause problems."
"What kind of problems?"
"They tried to take control over some supplies and equipment. And even some survivors were taken by them, mostly women. And this group also caused the riots in our zone a few days ago." She sighed and rubbed her temple. "But the biggest problem is, they're trying to attack us, the military."
"What?!" I asked in shock, "But why?"
"Because they're fucking stupid!" Miss Rika growled, "I don't know why, but it seems like the group is very well-organized, and their leader has some charisma to attract many people. We still don't have enough information about this new group, so it's best if we keep it quiet for now."
That was a problem.
We still had the missing Leon's case and yet now there were groups of people that tried to attack us. What the fuck?
From what Miss Rika said, people wanted to make their own army and demanded weapon to protect themselves. They were dissatisfied with the military since they didn't want to share the weapons. Controlling the weapon distribution was the best method for the military to keep the people in line.
Without proper training and knowledge, handling guns were dangerous.
If the people had the power of guns, it would be chaos.
But they were humans and they were scared, especially with zombies roaming outside the safe zone. They were restless, and they didn't trust the government nor the military anymore.
Yes, they wanted to protect their own selves without even considering what would happen if the military gave them weapons.
"It will be chaos, right?"
"You said it." Miss Rika sighed again and leaned forward, putting her elbows on the armrest and rested her chin on her palm. "Tomorrow I have to meet their leader at a neutral area. I hope we can talk it out. And I will tell you the rest tomorrow."
Why her? That question flashed through my mind. We just returned from a mission 2 days ago.
But I understood why it should be her. Miss Rika was one of the highest-ranked officers here, and she also had experience dealing with people. She wasn't some random officer who was assigned to handle a bunch of idiots.
Not to mention the military lacked capable people who had heads above their neck. Most were depressed, tired, or became crazy to do stupid things after the apocalypse.
"I will go with you," I said, standing up.
"Absolutely not." Miss Rika quickly responded.
"Why?"
"Because the less the people, the better it will be. And we can't have the two of us got kidnapped in case thing went south."
I stroked my chin and hummed.
Yeah, having one person to save the other in an emergency case would be good. But that also meant I would be worried sick about her safety. I knew Miss Rika could handle herself. But I was worried that her headstrong attitude would get the best of her.
She wasn't the type to stay calm in a dangerous situation.
And if she was surrounded by many people... Yeah, no. A sniper's job would be better suited for her, not dealing with the enemy face to face. She would be helpless if she got caught, and if that happened...
I shivered. I really didn't want to think about it.
But it would be useless if I tagged along.
"I see..." I said. "But I can't just leave it like this. So I will have my sister to go with you. She's strong enough to deal with anyone, so she should be fine. And I will stay around the perimeter of the neutral zone. In case you need any help, I can assist you."
"That's..." Miss Rika thought for a few moments. "... I suppose that could work."
"Good, then I'm going to sleep. Good luck tomorrow." I patted Miss Rika on the shoulder, and she nodded back. We said goodbye and I left.
There was another reason why I decided to do it like this.
I glanced at the floating window on my right, something that only I could see.
[Make your choice!]
1. Tag along Rika to see something fun! (Reward: 100 Shop Points)
2. There is no need to worry! No cockroaches are able to touch beauty! (Reward: 200 Shop Points)
3. Why stay here? You are a pest destroyer and there are pests staying in your home. Destroy the pests and get rewards. (Reward: 250 Shop Points and 1 Strength)
It appeared again and made me choose that decision. I was worried something would happen to this evacuation zone if I stayed silent or chose the third choice.
I meant, it asked me to annihilate those groups of troublemakers. Which meant the troublemakers were enough to make this home, evacuation zone, unsafe.
"Haa... Another work just right after I returned. Great."
But this was the life of the pest exterminators, after all.
***
When morning arrived, noises were loud outside my house. I walked out and saw a lot of people gathering in the main street, talking to each other. Some looked worried, some angry, and some looked indifferent. They were divided into groups, each one talking with the others.
In the distance, I saw Saeko walking with Miss Rika. She didn't bring any gun or sword, only a wooden sword in her hand.
I was a bit nervous.
Miss Rika said the neutral ground was the supermarket near the hospital.
"Are they going to be okay?" Saya asked nervously.
"They will be." I assured her, "More importantly, will you be okay? I know I was the one who suggested you stay with Miss Shizuka in the public infirmary, but..."
"Hey, do you think I am a kid? I can take care of myself."
Pouting, Saya puffed out her cheek and crossed her arms before walking away to Miss Shizuka in the distance. The older lady only giggled when she saw that. Both of them then walked to the infirmary where Miss Shizuka acted as a nurse, which was located near the military HQ.
'They will be safe there.' I thought, 'Now, let's see what we have here.'
Turning around, I went back to my home to prepare myself. Miss Rika had left her sniper and equipment here so I could use them.
And then I looked at the floating window again, the quest from last night still floating on the right.
"Should I just destroy them now?" I mused. "No, no, no, that's not a good idea. They might be important for future use. I can use them as bait, subordinate, and more... It's too early to decide anything now. Maybe they have their reason why they act like this..."
I continued thinking to myself. What was their reason for being this troublesome? I had no idea.
Humans were selfish creatures, and the ones that survived were those with strong will and resolve. I grabbed the large bag, slung it over my shoulder, and stepped out of the house. I looked like a normal teenager in a high school uniform carrying a sports bag.
If I wore my combat gear and walked in the middle of the day with the gun in hand, I would only cause panic and chaos. Not only that but it would also raise suspicions. That's why I wore a disguise to blend in. And it worked, nobody paid attention to me.
Walking past the people, I heard a lot of chatter and murmuring.
"The food is getting less and less. Are the military distributing our ration? My children need to eat!"
"I saw the soldiers eating canned food in the morning. Why can't they give us that much ration?"
"I am sure the military is hogging all of it! They have a lot of supplies that they're keeping hidden from us. They don't care about us at all, so they're probably using our taxes on their luxuries."
"Not only that, they confiscated my gun! That's not fair! I need that to protect my family!"
"They don't care about us, I say!"
"Maybe we should just steal from them..."
"... That's a great idea!"
I stopped and turned to face the speaker. It was an old man in his late forties. His hair was greying, and his beard was unshaved. He looked like he had seen better days.
Around him were three men with a ragged look and a woman in a dirty shirt and shorts. They looked like the people you could find in a homeless camp or something.
The five people were talking in hushed tones, but their voices carried through the crowd, causing some to glance their way. And that made me glance their way too. And when they met my eyes, the people flinched.
'Interesting.'
That strange group's influence had spread to normal people like that old man.
'Why did he flinch?' I asked myself. 'He seemed scared. And the others too...'
The other four were looking away now. The man was staring down at the ground and avoiding my gaze, the woman was fidgeting with her hair, and the three others were pretending to look elsewhere.
'Is he a coward? Or maybe... They hide something?'
More plausible than not.
Anyway, I decided to remember their faces and went on my way.