Aurélien was sitting in one of the front seats of the bus, gazing out the window, trying to ignore the pain radiating from his ribs. Saeko sat next to him, cleaning her blood-stained bokken with a cloth. Aurélien took the opportunity to clean his own sword, eyeing the slowly drying blood on it with disgust.
"Today I saw you handle a weapon skillfully, even though I've never seen you practice with a blade during our school years. And then, you revealed those strange machines attached to your back. Could you explain how that's possible?" Saeko asked conversationally.
Before this catastrophe, she had barely interacted with her classmate. But having been in the same class for three years, she knew a few things about him.
"That depends on whether you believe me or not, Lady Saeko," Aurélien replied as he wiped away a bit of blood with a cloth pulled from one of his coat pockets.
"Given what we've just gone through? I'd say I'm more than willing to have a little faith here," Saeko remarked.
"Well, would you believe that I gained knowledge from another world?" he said, looking at her seriously. He had come to respect this woman. And with things bound to worsen over time, telling the truth to a loyal and reliable ally was well worth the risk.
Saeko looked deep into Aurélien's eyes, examining him carefully.
"Hmm… if it were anyone else, I'd say it was a lie," she said after a moment. "But considering what I know about you and how you act, I believe you're telling the truth," she added. This day had made them comrades in arms. As someone who had practiced the way of the sword her whole life, she could judge a person's character in battle. She judged that the man in front of her was not a liar. Cunning, determined, ruthless in pursuing his goals—but not a liar.
"I'm glad you believe me, even if I fear you might be the only one," said Aurélien.
Takashi approached them. "Looks like we made it," he said.
"Just barely," Aurélien grunted, feeling a stab of pain in his chest with every breath.
Kohta leaned over the seat and said, "That was way too close!"
"Who were those two people in black coats who helped us?" Saya asked.
"Who knows?" Aurélien replied, trying to change the subject. Saeko gave him a curious glance before turning her attention back to the others. Aurélien sighed internally, knowing she would want answers later.
That's when Shido chose to walk up to them. "Thank you for saving us," he said, then looked at Saeko. "Are you the leader, Miss Busujima?" he asked.
"No. We have no leader, nor do we need one," Saeko replied formally. "We survived because we worked together and each person knew their role," she stated.
"Well, that's not good. A leader is essential if we're going to survive. Someone who can bear the burden of difficult decisions and manage the group," Shido said pompously, a glint in his eye that set Aurélien on edge. Luckily, Shido's group had been too busy running earlier to notice the mechadendrites.
Rei took that moment to speak to the group. "You'll regret letting him on board!" she hissed. "It wasn't my idea," Aurélien replied coldly.
Takashi responded, distressed, "We had to! We need to save everyone we can." At those words, Aurélien shot a cold glare at him. "Some people aren't worth saving," he replied. The brown-haired young man widened his eyes at this logic, unable to believe someone could say such a thing.
Then the survivors at the back shouted, "The city!"
Aurélien looked out the window. Buildings were burning, cars were piled up, and bodies and blood littered the streets. And that was just from afar. It wasn't as horrible as the destruction of Cadia, but it still saddened him to see the city he grew up in fall like this.
"May the Machine God watch over your souls on your path to reincarnation," Aurélien murmured to himself, caressing the ornament on his cane shaped like the Adeptus Mechanicus symbol.
"We'll never make it if we go there!" shouted one of the survivors, a boy with blond hair on top and brown on the sides. Aurélien recognized him as one of the delinquents from the academy. "Why should we do what you say?" he demanded.
"We saved your life. The least you could do is thank us," Aurélien said to him.
"You all decided to go back to the city without even asking us!" the boy shouted angrily. "We could've just found a safe place to hide inside the school!" he yelled.
Then another survivor shouted in agreement. "He's right! We should find a safe place to hide! Like that convenience store we just passed!" Then the bus suddenly stopped as Shizuka slammed the brakes and engaged the parking brake.
"I've had enough! I can't drive with all of you shouting!" the blonde nurse yelled angrily. "What the hell?" asked the blond-haired boy.
"So what do you want to do?" Saeko asked calmly, with a hint of mockery.
The boy stared at her, stunned to be asked for his opinion. He then looked at Takashi, pointing at him and shouting, "I can't stand that guy!"
"Me? What did I do to you?" Takashi asked in confusion. Kohta reached for his nail gun but Saya put a hand on his arm, shaking her head, silently telling him not to get involved.
"You!" growled the boy, moving toward Takashi. But Rei stepped between them and jabbed her spear right into the attacker's stomach. The blow sent the teen collapsing to the ground, clutching his belly in pain.
Shido clapped and spoke. "Splendid work, Miyamoto and Komuro. But this just proves my point," he said. "We really do need a leader. Do you understand?" he asked, that sick smile on his face.
"I'd rather die than see you corrupt this group," thought the swordsman. Aurélien tried to stand with the help of his cane when Saeko grabbed his wrist and shook her head at him.
"And there's only one person who can do that job, isn't there?" Saya said sarcastically to Shido.
"Well, Takagi, since I'm a teacher and most of you are students, that alone should tell you who's most qualified," Shido said condescendingly.
"Oh really? Would a qualified leader kick a boy in the face and leave him to die even though there was time to save him?" Aurélien asked coldly, earning a dark glare from Shido.
"Well, Mr. Aurélien, I regret sacrificing that poor boy's life, but I did it to save everyone else's," Shido said defensively. "I couldn't face a group of them alone—it would've been suicide!" he added.
"Bullshit! I saw you back there. You stepped away from that poor kid while he was being torn apart. With a damn smile on your face! And there were only a few of them, not a group." Aurélien shot back. "You could've helped that boy, but you chose to walk away like the coward you are!" he added.
"Well, if I were the leader, I wouldn't let things like that happen," Shido said pompously, and a few of the other survivors clapped. Shido bowed to them and said, "Well then, it's settled. I'm the leader by majority vote," he said smugly.
Aurélien growled and prepared to deploy his mechadendrite to crush Shido's skull. Saeko stopped him and whispered, "I know you want to end this scum's life. I do too, but we can't. Not yet!"
"Filthy snake! The first chance I get, I'll rip your damn head off!" Aurélien growled.
Rei suddenly stood and opened the door, stepping off the bus. "Rei?!" Takashi shouted, following after her.
"Screw this! There's no way I'm staying here with that bastard!" Rei shouted. Losing patience, Aurélien decided to stand—this time using his cane for its intended purpose, easing the pressure on his injury.
He exited the bus as Takashi tried to convince Rei to come back. As much as Aurélien hated the idea of being near Shido, he had to endure it for now. That's when Shido spoke up again.
"If we can't get along, then we'll simply have to part ways," he said with a twisted grin. Aurélien shot a cold glare at the slimy man.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Takashi yelled at Shido before leaping forward and grabbing Rei's hand, pleading with her. As the two argued, Aurélien was suddenly alerted by the blaring sound of a vehicle horn.
Looking toward the source, his heart stopped when he saw a bus hurtling down the road—filled with the undead.
"Rei! Takashi! Get out of the way!" Aurélien shouted, emerging from the vehicle despite the pain. The couple looked and barely managed to dive out of the way as the bus crashed into a car and flipped over. The fuel line ruptured, and flames ignited the vehicle.
Aurélien searched for Rei and Takashi, relieved to see they had survived.
"Are you two okay?!" he shouted.
"We're fine!" Takashi shouted back. "We'll meet at the East Police Station!" he called out.
"What time?!" Aurélien yelled. "7 PM! If not today, then tomorrow!" Takashi answered.
"Go! Before the bus explodes!" Aurélien roared, and Takashi and Rei ran off. Aurélien quickly boarded the bus and shouted for Shizuka to drive. She restarted the bus, and the vehicle sped down the road.
Aurélien sat back down and wiped sweat from his brow. Saeko took the seat beside him and asked, "Are you alright?" She looked concerned.
"It was… an unusual day," Aurélien said wearily. "Let's hope Takashi and Rei will be okay," he added.
"They will. I'm sure of it," Saeko replied. "And I hope you'll be okay in time too," she added with a gentle smile.
"Worried about me, Lady Saeko?" Aurélien asked with a teasing grin.
"I am. But I'm worried about Rei and Takashi too… and everyone here," Saeko replied, then yawned slightly. "Hmm, sorry. It's been a tiring day," she said shyly.
"Get some rest," Aurélien advised. "It might be a while before we get another chance," he warned. "I'll keep watch," he then declared.
"Heh, my noble prince, keeping watch over his lady," Saeko teased, making Aurélien smile slightly before she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep. Aurélien smiled softly and looked out the window. Shido was busy preaching to his little group of followers, but Aurélien watched him closely. He wanted to stay awake in case that filth tried anything. That weasel embodied all the worst traits of humanity—the kind the Chaos gods fed on. He would not allow that evil to spread here. Not under his watch.
Aurélien looked out across the city, watching the burning buildings and the hordes of undead roaming, attacking, and devouring the living.