7 Relapse

"Oi, oi, oi... Arisu? Are you all right? What's wrong?" Kazuichi concernedly asked as he wore an apologetic expression on his face. Even though he was gentle with his words, he still forcibly pinned him down. There's no way he'd allow himself to get bitten. Not now, not ever.

Groooowl~

Fortunately, Arisu's demeanor returned to normal, and she tilted her head in a flustered manner. Her face turned a nice shade of beet red that reached all the way to her ears. She couldn't help but feel ashamed of the salacious position the two of them were in.

"I'm..." Arisu trailed off, pursing her lips.

"You're what?" Kazuichi asked. He still wasn't taking any chances so he didn't let go of his grip on her.

"I'm... I'm hungry..." Arisu softly spoke as another growl could be heard from her stomach. "Also... um, I need to pee."

"You need to... eh?!" Kazuichi finally lost his composure as he completely let go of her. He backed down and turned around while heaving a sigh of relief. "Sheesh, what was that for? I was just trying to put a blanket on you."

Arisu guiltily looked away, she still didn't get up from where Kazuichi pinned him down. "I know, I know... I'm sorry. I didn't know what happened to me. I lost myself for a second there... and I... wanted to bite you..."

"You wanted to what?!" Kazuichi exclaimed. Now, he had all the reason to kick her out of the house but he still didn't. He concluded that maybe, just maybe, the side effects of the virus were a difficult thing to control. "Just... go and do your thing in the bathroom or something. I'll prepare breakfast."

"Really?!" Arisu's expression took a complete one-eighty when she heard him mention breakfast. "You're going to cook breakfast?"

"Yes," Kazuichi sighed, shooing Arisu away.

"Yay!" With a light skip in her steps, Arisu made her way to the bathroom. There was a bathroom on the first floor but she chose to use the larger bathroom on the second floor. In a snap of a finger, Arisu had completely taken over the house, and Kazuichi had no way to deal with her.

In retrospect, he was the one who allowed her into the house. He basically put himself in his current situation. But then again, it's not like he foresaw the global outbreak to happen, and his humanity just couldn't allow himself to send Arisu to the streets where she'd definitely die.

"Salt, sugar, pepper..." Kazuichi muttered to himself as he prepped to cook an omelet. Just like anything else in his life, cooking was also a part of his routine so he didn't have to think about what he was doing. Right now, the foremost thing in his mind was the thought of adjusting to the new world.

'If I don't adjust soon... I'm going to die. I do have enough food to last me a couple of months but who knows what could happen tomorrow. I should be extremely careful not to attract the hybrids like Arisu. If they realize that my house is a fortress, they'll take it for themselves and I have no way of defending it.' With that notion in mind, Kazuichi then started mentally listing down everything he had to do in order to survive. Of course, Arisu's well-being also relied on his choices so he had to adjust quickly.

There's also the fact that Arisu could go full primal on him at any point in time so he had to be careful about that.

Flip.

Flip.

"What are you cooking?" Arisu popped her head on top of Kazuichi's shoulder as she admired his flipping skills. She hungrily watched as the omelet flipped in the air, only to land squarely on the pan and be flipped again.

"Omelet, you can wait by the dining table if you want. I'll prepare some toast." Kazuichi simply responded, suppressing his urge to get flustered since Arisu smelled good.

Kazuichi started listing everything down in his mind.

First. He had to keep a low profile while keeping his mansion low profile as well. Since it's a big house, it would be difficult to avoid garnering unwanted attention but he'd have to do what he could like turning off the lights at night and keeping quiet.

Second. He had to know more about the nature of the infected and the virus so he could think of a sure-fire counter for them. That would mean watching how the infected acts from a distance. It would be much better if he could meet another hybrid like Arisu so he'd be able to compare their weaknesses and strengths.

Third (and probably the most inevitable of all). He'd have to go outside and gather supplies. Food is not the only essential thing they need for themselves, and while the house is self-sustained with solar energy and a private water source, there are still more things they have to acquire in order to ensure their safety. One of these things is weapons, mostly blunt objects like bats and golf clubs, as well as guns with suppressors.

"There's also the probability that my house will be overrun by the infected... I have to prepare for that outcome as well." Kazuichi let out an exhale. So much to do, yet so little time.

"I think you don't have to worry about that, Kazuichi," Arisu interrupted his line of thought.

"Why?" Kazuichi asked back, confused as to why Arisu heard him talk even though he was just whispering to himself.

"Your house is well-fenced, and it's right in the city. Most people would avoid going into the city due to the large population of infected. As for the infected, they won't bother crossing your fence since it's pretty quiet in here." Arisu explained, leaning her head on the table as she impatiently waited for breakfast.

"However, you have to worry about us though. The media calls us hybrids or whatever it is. Basically, the virus coexisted within our body, which makes us invulnerable to the virus and generally more physically capable than your average person." Arisu continued, relaying the interview that she watched the whole night on the television.

Kazuichi immediately understood what Arisu implied. Of course, he didn't have to worry about humans, they are not as dangerous as the infected. But it's a different case when it comes to the infected ones who still are in control of their body. They could very well be the biggest threat to their fortress. It's not too far-fetched to think that some of these hybrids would use their advantages for selfish reasons.

"I heard about it on the news interview last night." Arisu went on, averting her gaze from Kazuichi. "Apparently, we still have a chance of turning into an infected... and also, we can still infect other people with the virus. I... I'm really sorry for what happened a while ago... please don't kick me out?" She pleaded, closing her eyes as she bowed her head, a typical 'japanese' apologetic gesture.