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“What’s the ideal number of trees to cut down, Jin?”
“Cut down as many as you can.”
In response, Jinguichi raises his chainsaw high.
I wonder if leaving the tree felling to him will be okay. The detective duo is working on the back of the mountain, but they seem to be doing well.
Just in case, the chainsaw they purchased for zombie defense is proving to be a useful tool.
The trees that are being cut down here are planned to be lined up on the side of the trench. Originally, it was planned to just compact the soil and finish, but due to concerns about strength, it was decided to line up logs instead.
Since there are plenty of trees in the back mountain, I appointed the two to be in charge of felling them. It seems that the wood needs to be dried before using it, or else problems may arise, but there’s not enough time for that, so we turn a blind eye to it.
After leaving the back mountain and returning to the garden, I find Diya taking a break near the shovel truck. She’s wearing a sleeveless shirt and work pants, with a twisted towel wrapped around her head, and drinking water from a kettle in big gulps.
“You look too good in that outfit,” I commented.
“Doesn’t dressing for the occasion help to get you in the mood?” Diya replied with a smile, seeming pleased with the compliment.
Even the antique golden kettle they brought out for display was ordered for its aesthetic appeal.
Diya appeared to be recording their work on video, despite having no plans to publish it anytime soon.
“How’s it going?” I asked.
“I plan to finish digging the trench by the end of today. We only have until the day after tomorrow to work, so we need to hurry,” Diya replied, with the condition that Mikishima keeps his promise.
“Jin-chan,” my sister called out, placing her hand on my shoulder. When I turned to look at her, she playfully poked my cheek with her index finger.
“Are you acting like a child?” I asked.
“Haha, returning to a childlike state is important too,” my sister replied with a smile.
My sister’s behavior, cheerful in the midst of this situation, was not what I expected. I could only imagine her staying locked in her room, scared and anxious, just a short while ago.
But she had changed. Or rather, she had returned to her old self.
“Don’t worry, Jin-chan. Mikishima will keep his promise,” she said confidently, reminding him of her high school days.
“I hope so, but Yae, I’ve told you many times to stop being so reckless,” I said.
Yesterday’s slap was such a shocking event. After declaring that she would “accept the challenge” from Mikishima, when I saw my sister lose consciousness due to the tension, I felt like my heart had stopped.
“I’m sorry for worrying you,” my sister said.
“But you were so cool! Good job!” Diya said, giving a thumbs-up and a wink.
To be honest, I felt a sense of relief as well. Though the shock and agitation were much stronger.
“It’s almost lunchtime. I have something important to tell everyone then,” my sister said with an unusually serious tone, causing him to nod instinctively.
After the discussion with my sister, we worked with more energy than in the morning.
One of our concerns was cleared up during our conversation, which boosted our morale.
We loaded the soil onto the wheelbarrow and took it to a distant location to dispose of it.
We had to do what we had to do and prepare to fight.
On the day of the meeting with Mikishima, I was ready to dirty my hands and kill him if it would improve the current situation.
However, he reminded me, “if anything happened to me, I told my men to execute the plan in advance”. I couldn’t get that sneer out of my head.
During the meeting, we realized one thing: it’s impossible to understand Mikishima. He’s simply incompatible with us.
“Hey there, your hands have stopped working. Can you please get back to work?”
It was definitely Diya who interrupted my thoughts without even checking.
“Hey, it’s easy to work here.”
“Alright, I’ll do my best since thanks to my sister, I can see hope now.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
With only three days left in the preparation period, this is the time to give it our all.
Our only option for basic defense is to fortify our position.
We will do our best to defend our home base and survive.
If the zombies come in droves, there is no other way to survive.
They have promised that the Modoki will retreat if we can withstand them for half a day. We will also be able to acquire medicine after.
From our perspective, the benefits are significant. Even if it was a whimsical proposal, we had no choice but to go along with it.
The downside is…death. Or becoming one of the Modoki.
Don’t lose heart, I told myself.
Think positively about the opportunity to test our defensive capabilities for the upcoming zombie crisis.
Don’t dwell on the bitterness and grudges of the parents’ murder disguised as an accident.
Right now, the only thing that matters is protecting everyone.
“However, I never thought that the day would come when we could play a real-life zombie game.” said someone.
Diya said with a deep emotion. she didn’t sound sad, but rather somewhat excited.
“I’m sorry for dragging you into this,” I said.
Turning towards Diya, I deeply bowed my head. We had caused her to experience such a terrible situation for our own convenience.
Even though an apology couldn’t fix everything, I couldn’t help but apologize.