22 Chapter 22: Grief

"You saw her!?"

[The Readers of Fate are begging Zero to lie.]

[Some of the Readers of Fate are telling Zero to use the Luxury Car and drive out of there.]

"The ghoul… eat the girl?"

Eleanor took in a deep breath– almost enough that all the dust around her vacuumed inside her nose. It had been eating her from the inside out that she couldn't find any sort of release from the guilt that she was feeling. In truth, even though it was impossible, she held this ridiculous hope that her trainee could be alive.

But now, hearing it from someone who actually saw it. She knew she shouldn't feel relieved, but the confirmation of her trainee's death almost sort of… freed her– and now, all that remained was rage.

"Where? Where did you last see the ghoul?" Eleanor's eyebrows slightly trembled as she looked Zero straight in the eyes.

[Some of the Readers of Fate are getting nervous. Most are frustrated.]

"...Gone," Zero then whispered.

"What was that?" Eleanor, and even Natalia leaned closer to Zero.

"Ghoul is gone."

"Yes, that's why we're searching for it," Eleanor could only sigh as she heard Zero's words, "But where did you last see it? Did you see where it ran off to?"

"..." Zero looked at Eleanor for a few seconds, before shaking his head. He was telling the truth, after all– this ghoul didn't exist in the first place.

"God damn it!" Eleanor then turned around as she screamed in frustration, slamming her hand on the table behind her and splitting it in two. Those that were still partying and celebrating using Zero's passing as an excuse, all shut their mouths as they looked at Eleanor.

"Relax, we'll find the thing sooner or later," Natalia then gestured Zero to go as she placed her hand on Eleanor's shoulder.

"Not soon enough," Eleanor shook her head, "I told her parents that I would find the thing that killed their daughter. And it's been more than a week."

"Look, I won't withdraw your request. But maybe it's time…"

"..." Zero could really only squint his eyes as he watched as Eleanor expressed all sorts of different emotions in the span of seconds.

Does… the death of that girl really mean that much? Back when he was still a mindless zombie, and even after– he had seen the humans extinguishing his kind left and right. And yet never once did he express whatever it is that Eleanor was expressing.

Does that mean that every human he devoured, would have someone close to them doing the same?

Grief? Was that the word he was trying to find?

What about the werewolves that he killed in the forest– would they also grieve for their dead like this? It didn't seem like it.

"Zero, come join us!"

"..." Zero turned to look at Sandie and the others as they called for him. These humans… what would they feel if they knew that he was responsible for killing and eating more than a dozen of them?

He heard from the Wind Mafia that the zombies used to be humans as well; and… were infected by some sort of undead from a Bubble. Doesn't that mean that when he became a zombie…

…someone grieved for him as well?

How… did he become a zombie in the first place?

"Hey!"

And before his thoughts could drown him, Sandie's decently sized breasts suddenly jiggled in his view.

"Don't you plan on joining us?" Sandie then said as she crouched to look at Zero's downcasted eyes, "It's not every day Ms.Natalia gives away free beer– Wait, come to think of it…

…are we sure this beer is free!?"

And as soon as Sandie's words roared through the entire lobby of the building, everyone… just suddenly left. Even most of the members of Wind Mafia left, leaving only those that weren't celebrating in the lobby… even Sandie's friends were nowhere to be seen anymore.

"Oh shit! Zero, let's dip!" Sandie also quickly dropped the bottle in her hand on a nearby table, before also running out of the Slayer Association building…

…dragging Zero along with her.

And unlike earlier, when there were crowds of people no matter where Zero turned his head, there were barely any signs of humans out in the streets now… but it wasn't quiet. Although there wasn't anyone outside anymore, Zero could still hear them from inside the buildings.

"Come on!"

"..." He could also hear Sandie's panting breaths as she continued to pull him–

"I'm so sorry, Robert!"

"!!!"

Zero then suddenly pulled his arm away as his vision… suddenly shifted to someplace else. It changed back so fast, however, that he wasn't even able to make out anything from the vision.

"...Zero?" Sandie, whose arm was slightly flung away, could only slowly approach Zero as the both of them stopped running, "Are…

…you alright?"

"..." Zero only looked at Sandie in response.

"Is… is it me?" Sandie once again held Zero's hand,

"Am… Am I being too aggressive? Oh god, I'm sorry…" She then said before covering her face with both her hands, "It… it must be the alcohol. It's just… in this line of work, we don't really get to meet too many new people, you know."

"..."

"Just tell me and I won't pursue this anymore," Sandie breathed out as she took a few steps back and looked Zero straight in the eyes.

"I–"

"You know what, actually don't tell me."

And before Zero could even say a word, Sandie once again grabbed his arm, "We can be friends."

"...Friends?"

"Please don't tell me you don't want that as well?" Sandie shook her head, "Sorry, but that's final. I'm forcing you to be my friend and I won't take anything less."

"...Why?"

"What do you mean why? Is it weird to want to be friends with someone who saved not only my life but my friends as well?" Sandie scoffed, "Come, let's just go back to the hub– I'm sure you don't have a place to rest your head. They should still have rooms there. If they don't well…

…you can sleep in mine."

"..."

"As… as friends."