A little earlier post, cause I am going to sleep.
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POV Kyoko Tsumugi
Kyoko Tsumugi was a woman who wished well for everyone, yes, she understood that enough evil people existed in the world, but she also believed that if you were kind enough, you could heal those whom this cruel world had broken.
After all, people are not born "good" or "evil"; they only become so over time, and only under the influence of external factors, and she believed that all evil people were simply those who couldn't cope with the evil and pain that this enormous, immense world had inflicted upon them.
And right now, gently stroking her new daughter's head, she felt pain, and she could only wish that Rin would be strong, that she would be able to cope with her pain.
To her slight happiness, a child's psyche was plastic and flexible. Rin hadn't quite forgotten the mother she lost yesterday; yesterday, she cried all night clinging to her, yet this morning she could still smile like the child she was, and that warmed her soul, making her heart feel warm.
Just like the knowledge that her eldest child would definitely protect them.
Her sweet and clever Isao; in the whole world, out of all possible people, including her deceased parents, she knew she could trust only him and only him.
Ah, how sweet and responsible he was; even from childhood, he always showed very good self-awareness, always being very intelligent and responsible.
She never had to worry about him running off on the road or getting lost in a crowd, or simply following some other person who promised him sweets, because her son was too smart for such things.
Honestly, it... worried her. No, no! She shouldn't think that she wasn't happy that her son was smart, but... he was also unemotional, so much so that he seemed to care about nothing and no one.
He never tried to talk to other people besides her and his younger sister, and even then, his conversation was just a few sentences; he didn't try at all to make friends with anyone or anything else.
And he just walked alone all day long, especially after he started elementary school. Right after class, he could wander somewhere until evening. On weekends, the story was the same: he'd complete all his homework, sit close to her, clinging to her, watch his sister for ten minutes, and then leave the house and just walk around the city, thinking about something of his own.
It seemed as if her son couldn't stop thinking about something important, as if he was trapped inside his own mind and was unable to focus on his life, and this worried her. The few psychologists she went to said he simply "enjoys walking and thinking," but what could an ordinary boy be thinking about?
He should have been laughing, walking with friends, playing with them, and doing everything else that ordinary children were supposed to do! But he did none of that... until one day, what she feared happened: he got into a fight with other children, so violently that some of them had to be sent to the hospital.
That... that day was incredibly stressful for her. It started normally; she opened the coffee shop as always and began greeting guests. Everything happened suddenly during lunch, while she and her few employees were quietly eating.
The school principal called her and, in an extremely serious voice, told her to come to the school because her son had gotten into a skirmish with other students—nothing more than that—and afterwards, she drove to the school in her old wreck inherited from her parents, turning over in her mind what Isao could have done and why he did it?!
And when she arrived, she saw Isao, with his hair dyed blond, sitting in front of the principal's office. At first, she stared at his hair for a few seconds, noticing how he lowered his head even further, fearing her disappointment, not even realizing that he had made her happy.
Isao was never interested in anything, absolutely nothing; it seemed as if he only lived because he was alive, and now that he did something himself? Of his own volition? Without her asking him to do anything? This was a blessing for her; her heart was joyful about it, and even the subsequent scandal in the office with the parents of the other kids, some of whom had broken noses or dislocated arms, didn't feel particularly stressful.
And after she found out what their children had done to Kotobuki, she decided to argue with them herself. Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything, as what happened to Kotobuki was just "childish pranks and nothing more," while her "wild" son had beaten their "pure, sweet, poor" little boys.
She didn't want to continue and just wanted to leave, but it also turned out that one of the parents of those bastards was connected to someone in a high place, and they could cause them big problems, and she, damn it, did not want social workers at her door, or any problems they might cause at her coffee shop, so she had to agree to pay them "physical and moral compensation."
Everyone agreed to this, and seeing the oily gaze of the principal, she also understood that the principal was in on the deal. She barely restrained herself and quietly left the office, hearing how those bastards were happily dividing the money they would receive, and she saw her son, who was sitting with his knees pressed together and didn't have the courage to lift his head to her. She just quietly walked over, and then, taking his hand, led him out of the school; there was no point in staying today, so she decided to take him home, where he would be calmer.
And on the way, when they had already left the school, Isao stopped and, continuing to look at the ground, called her. She still remembered his quiet voice, slightly trembling with worry, and then his question about whether she was angry!
No one would ever understand her happiness when Isao did something on his own. She was always afraid that this detachment from everyone, and even the slight distance Isao kept from her and Kotobuki, was because he didn't love anyone, but it turned out he dearly loved his mommy and little sister; he just didn't know how to express it, and now that he had protected his little sister in his own way, he was asking if she was angry?
She laughed right where she stood, even noticing how a few people looked their way because of her loud, almost animalistic laughter, and then for the first time, in ten years of his life, for the first time! he admitted that he loved her, clinging to her for a hug!
On that day, Kyoko Tsumugi was an incredibly happy woman; it would be right to say there was no one happier than her.
When they returned home, the changes were noticeable. He didn't show it, but it was palpable. After that day, sometimes she saw him reading some manga he had asked her for money for a day ago, and so it went for a whole month; he would read manga, look at it uncomprehendingly, and then sigh in disappointment. Of course, she would approach him later, asking what was wrong, and he would say, without shame, that almost 80% of the entire manga plot was just half-naked girls without any plot, and then, when she took the manga from his hands and quickly glanced at it, everything seemed normal.
Well, in the manga, time was always dedicated to the girls' breasts or butts; there was always plenty of exposed skin and so on, and she didn't understand what Isao meant, and seeing him sigh in disappointment again, she felt sadness and... suggested he draw the manga he wanted himself. When she said the word "draw," Isao froze, and then, saying a slightly nervous goodbye, he went to his room.
And he locked himself in there for several days, not even going to school. During the times she went in, she only saw him sitting at his desk and drawing something with fierce dedication. Looking at the drawings in the corner of his desk, she saw something incredible: her boy had drawn an simply unbelievable picture of her, and... looking at it, she noticed several spots on the paper itself, spots that appear from tears, and she cried without realizing it. Isao, sitting nearby, panicked, rushed to her side, trying to calm her down, not knowing that these were tears of happiness, and she simply pulled him close and hugged him, inhaling his scent.
After that, everything was simply wonderful. It seemed as if Isao had blossomed, becoming more active every day, spending time with Kotobuki and her, and everything became simply perfect. He even started publishing his work, and she even met his manager, who, as it turns out, works at a publishing house belonging to the Shinomiya family!
And that was just amazing!
Everything was perfect until this zombie apocalypse started, and now she knew that the people who lived among them, hiding their darkest traits, would be free to show those traits to the whole world, and no one would do anything about it, except her son, who definitely wouldn't tolerate such things, and seeing how people gravitated towards him, she knew one thing: he wouldn't just build a small community of survivors, no.
Isao is the one who will cleanse all of Japan of Zombies.
And she was happy about this, because it would help little girls like Rin, whose head she was stroking.
She glanced around the room, seeing the girls sitting here and there, talking to each other, and sighed in relief, and then looked at her daughter, who was sitting tensely, staring at the wall.
And now she sighed with sadness, understanding what Kotobuki was thinking about so intently.
POV Kotobuki Tsumugi, Brocon #1.
Kotobuki was angry, Kotobuki was jealous, and Kotobuki was sad, all because of her stupid brother.
Why did Ani do that? Why was he with that Busujima?! Why?! Why?! Why?! Why?! Why?! Why?!
This thought hadn't left her head since last night. That bitch dared to do that with him, but... she wasn't even near them to intervene and stop her from doing it, and that infuriated her, and what especially infuriated her was that Ani was pretending as if nothing happened.
Because of this, she hadn't spoken to him all morning, and when he pressed her close in front of the other bitch's mother, Saya's, she wanted to just push his hand away, but that bitch Saya had to intrude again, invading her relationship with her brother like a damn fiend.
Rage overwhelmed her; anger and jealousy didn't subside either. All of this was swirling inside her so much that she felt so helpless... she wanted to cry because of it.
Why, Ani? Why are you hurting me so much?
She just sighed, slowly trying to compose herself. He probably didn't have a choice, and that psycho herself came on to him. Yes, that's probably what happened, because Ani was always with her; that was the natural course of order that had been in place since the beginning of time.
She just needed to remind him of that, but not now... right now, he was probably planning where they should all go, and she didn't want to cause a scene here, where everyone who wanted could find out about it. It would be better somewhere else, where An... Isao would take them. Yes... and everything would be resolved there...
She was quietly sighing, trying to compose herself. Yes, it was nothing special... absolutely nothing... calm down... calm down, don't be angry; you yourself knew that Isao was sometimes stupid and foolish.
That's it, she had composed herself and was calm. Yes, right now, there's no need to be angry about anything. She would have time to talk to Ani; there was no particular point in causing a scene.
But not now, later... when Ani would be freer and wouldn't have to think about where and how they should all go.
POV Saya Takagi
Saya walked with a confident step toward where her mother was supposed to be. Servants walking here and there told her that she was in the hallway next to her room, from where it was easier to look out at the courtyard.
Glancing toward where her mother was probably looking right now, she saw a dozen people gathered at a tent, talking about something, and sighed. Her head easily memorized faces, and she saw how those they had rescued yesterday were talking to others, people rescued by her father, and arguing fiercely about something.
It hadn't come to blows, but the argument was heated, and it was evident by how most of the people rescued by Isao were trying to prove something to the people rescued by her father.
Most likely, the latter couldn't believe that zombies were walking everywhere, and the former were trying to prove that the people stumbling along the roads were not people at all, but were zombies.
Saya... Saya was sure that she wouldn't have believed in Zombies either, if it weren't for the fact that all of yesterday she was practically at the epicenter of this entire apocalypse, not to mention that she almost died from one of them, if not... for Isao.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as soon as she remembered him—the way his hands were soothingly and comfortingly hugging her yesterday, the way she sat on his lap today, and also the way they discussed the plan for the migration of all the people they had rescued from Tokonosu, and he completely trusted her with it, listening to everything she said, and that was the best thing. If she tried to discuss the same plans with her father, he would just look at her and send her away, as if she were a little girl. Well, excuse me, Dad, that you weren't born a son who could become your heir!
She loved her dad, very much... and Mom always told her that Dad loved her too, he just didn't know how to show his love... but yesterday, it broke something in her: neither Mom nor Dad called her; she waited for a call until late at night.
At least one call, or if not a call, then at least a message, but... nothing, neither from Dad... nor from Mom, although... she thought at least Mom would text her something.
She didn't even receive a message from those who should have been the most worried about her first, but no, the one who worried about her was the one she had only heard the worst things about: Isao cared about her, saved her, and comforted her when she wanted it, listened to her when she said something, and always paid attention to her.
And in contrast to Isao, they were awful. Isao wasn't her father or mother, of course, but... he trusted her, he believed in her, he supported her in every way, and that's why she would argue with her parents for the first time now, namely with her mother, who was looking toward the courtyard, not even noticing that she had approached her.
"Oh, Saya." Mom turned to her, smiling warmly, but she noticed a scheming glint in her eyes. "I wanted to ask..."
"I want to say that I hate you and Dad." Saya's cold voice interrupted her, and Yuriko Takagi looked at her daughter in shock. "I hate you both so much; all my life I've tried to be the best, always tried to become the smartest and the best at everything, but it was never enough... no matter how hard I tried, no matter what I did... you never said you were proud of me... how hard is it to say that? Huh?!" She looked at her mother, who was staring at her in shock, feeling her vision slowly blurring with tears. "W-why didn't you call me yesterday? Is it so hard for you to call your only daughter?! Do you even know that our entire school was infected and more than 99% of the students became zombies?! Did you even know how close I was to death?!" She remembered how the dead man's hand was a few centimeters from her face. "A dead man was going to grab me by the face, Mom! He was going to just grab my face and I would have been dead! And you didn't care!" She was trembling with anger and the tears streaming down her cheeks, and her mother... for the first time, she saw her eyes beginning to well up.
Yuriko Takagi, that was the one of the most dangerous traders on Wall Street, was crying, looking at her daughter, whom she and her husband had pushed away.
"I-I'm sorry... my daughter..." Her previously calm voice trembled as she slowly walked towards her, tears streaming from her eyes.
The minds of both were in chaos, but if Saya felt sadness, anger, and resentment, Yuriko was overwhelmed with shock and the realization of what she and her husband had done.
As soon as she got close enough, Yuriko grabbed her daughter and pressed her to her chest, able only to whisper apologies. For the first few seconds, Saya didn't respond; she only trembled in her mother's arms, but then she slowly returned the hug, feeling the warmth growing inside her.
"I... forgive you…"
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Yeah, I know, one "I'm sorry" and she already forgave her mother, but first, She still little bit loves her parents, especially mother, if Saya's dad was the one who apologised she would say "Fuck you, I dont care."
My Patreon if u want to support me and get more chapters: https://www.patreon.com/2FSukuna?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator
And good news, today I passed my first finals exam and got 85.
And yeah, tomorrow I'll post the extra chapter with pics of all the female characters who will have even the slightest impact on the story, as well as some of the male ones.