MEETING PLACE

Takashi and Saeko arrived in front of Takagi's family gate. The group sighted them approaching and happily ran to the gate. More precisely, Hirano and Arisu were the ones that ran to meet two other two at the gate.

Saya spotted them from a window and smiled but when she saw Takashi together with Saeko she grunted.

Hours after Takashi and Saeko had rested, Saya called the whole group to Rei's room. They needed to speak with one another.

"So, what are we going to talk about?" Shizuka, the eldest in the group asked while eating a fruit in her hand.

Saya, who stood at the window furthest from everyone, answered Shizuka's question. "Whether we can continue to progress as a group or not."

Shizuka almost choked on the banana in her mouth.

"Good point." Saeko complimented her.

"Right now, it seems like we have joined a larger group and almost everyone considers us as just kids." Saya explained.

"Right now, we either get absorbed by them as kids or separate from them. Those are our only options." Saya explained more.

Their talk continued until it eventually led to an argument between Takashi and Saya.

"Sorry about that." Takashi apologized.

"You better be. Well, that's fine. Right now…" The sound of vehicles approaching interrupted Saya's speech.

They all walked out to the balcony to get a look at the people arriving.

"Hey, that's…"

"Yes, that is the current head of the Takagi family. The man who judges everything by his rules, my father." Saya informed everyone in the group.

Her father stepped out of the car and a few moments later, he executed a person who had turned into one of the undead.

Takashi noticed that Hirano didn't look good. "What's the matter, Hirano?"

"Swords are inefficient. The blade of a Japanese blade can break if it hits bone and it's useless after wounding three or four people." Kota yelled at Takashi.

"You can't say that for sure, even in the way of sword, numbers determine your strength. The swordsman's techniques, the quality of his sword, and his mental strength. If all three are at a high level, then you won't lose your fighting strength no matter how many people you fight with. When I was younger, there was a cousin of mine that stayed with us. He was better than me in all aspects except his mental strength. I hope he's alive somewhere." Saeko explained as she remembered her younger days with Shiro.

Hirano didn't back down. "Bu… but once it's stained with blood…"

"Hey, Hirano, that's enough." Takashi walked to him to calm him down.

"Don't touch me!" Hirano yelled at Takashi and ran away.

Takashi chased after him.

"I never knew you had a cousin somewhere. You didn't seem like you had one." Shizuka broke the uneasy silence that lingered in the group.

"The last time I saw him was at his father's burial long ago. I can't say for sure if he's alive after all that is happening right now." Saeko replied before she walked away. She seemed sad.

Takashi had lost sight of Hirano and decided to give up, so he went somewhere else to relax his nerves.

Arisu came running after him not long after he arrived. "Big brother! You need to help Kota!"

*****

It was noon and they had a long journey ahead of them.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Hina asked Shiro who was just looking ahead and driving toward a direction none of them knew.

"Yeah, something tells me it's the right way. Just trust me. If we get there the fastest, it would be at night." Shiro answered, his face still glued to the road ahead.

"Isn't nighttime not safe?" Hina asked. She had previously experienced those undead hounds and knew how deadly they were at night.

"I don't think they would be able to catch up to the car."

Shiro pressed the gas and the car accelerated.

"Is there something in the bag that I can eat?" Hina asked.

"Check and see for yourself." Shiro replied. The sun was already setting.

After driving for an extra three hours, Shiro stopped the car.

"Why are we stopping?" Hina asked.

"We're almost there and I think it'll be better to go by foot. The car makes noise, and as you can see, we already have a lot of them trailing behind us. What do you think would happen if I turn out to be correct if I drive all the way there?" Shiro pulled his backpack from the backseat and dropped down from the car.

Hina walked out and opened the back door. She pulled out her spears and closed the door back.

"Then let's go by foot." She said with her usual smile. A smile that Shiro was beginning to doubt.

They walked all the way to the estate of the Takagi family.

Shiro knocked at the gate and a guard answered.

"Who are you?"

"We're survivors." Shiro introduced himself and Hina with light all around them.

The gates opened and they were let in.

"Excuse me, but is there anyone here named Saeko Busujima? She is tall and has purple hair that drops all the way to her waist." Shiro asked the guard, explaining her features.

"Not that I'm aware of but a group of friends arrived with the young lady last night and two others arrived today. One had purple hair." The guard answered.

"I'd like to see her if that's possible. We're relatives." Shiro confirmed.

"You'll have to wait here. What's your name?" The man asked.

"Shiro Kisuke and she's Hina Hatake." Shito reported both their names.

"I'll be back." The man walked away.

*****

In a room, most of the people in the estate stood all around, listening to a speech from Saya.

The guard walked toward Saeko. "Excuse me, but are you named Saeko Busujima?"

"Yes, that's me." She replied.

"Someone outside said he was your cousin and is here to see you. He had red hair…" The man explained but Saeko interrupted.

"Shiro?" She asked.

"Yes, that's his name…" Before he finished talking, Saeko had dashed out to meet her cousin.

****************

Really sorry for the late release of today's chapter due to personal circumstances.

A poll comes up after this. I'd love it if y'all participated.