Bio Defense ~A City Built in a World That Has Ended~ - Chapter 1-1: The Beginning of the End

Chapter 1-1: The Beginning of the End

The day the end began would probably be this day. Everyone would likely say the same if asked.

And they must have thought that day would pass like any other ordinary day.

The town of Suou, located in the center of Suou City, Tokushima Prefecture, is an ordinary town with nothing particularly remarkable about it.

Yet, as the central town of Suou City, it is a thriving place compared to the other towns in the area, which are relatively abundant in nature. A man was walking down the largest street in Suou, which was the newest and biggest in the town. There was nothing particularly unusual about his ordinary suit, but there was a sense of unease about him.

It was a weekday, and most of the people passing through the town were in a hurry, checking their watches as they walked briskly, as if they were being chased by time and work. In contrast, the man walked slowly without paying any attention to his surroundings, and even when his shoulder bumped into a man in a suit coming from the opposite direction, the man said nothing and just walked away, giving the man a light grunt.

The man did not seem to be in a hurry, driven by time or work. He was not distracted by the products displayed in the shop windows along the roadside, nor did he look around like a tourist. Was he sick? His gaze was fixed slightly downward in front of him, and his expression showed no emotion as he walked.

Some people frowned at the man, but most just passed by without giving him a second thought. And the man reached the largest street in Suou, which was newly built. The area used to be mostly rice fields and vacant lots, but as time went on, large buildings and commercial facilities were constructed, and the newly built road was wide and easy to drive on. Naturally, there was a lot of car traffic, with many cars coming and going.

The man continued his steady pace as he approached the intersection of the large road. Just as the pedestrian signal turned green, the man began to cross the road without stopping. As he was halfway across, the signal started flashing. Most people would have panicked and started running at this point. Those who couldn’t would wait in the middle for the next signal.

However, the man continued walking without a care in the world. The last person crossing the pedestrian crossing ran past the man, but the man’s expression remained unchanged.

Then, the flashing signal turned red, and the signal for the car lanes turned green. The cars in the lanes that the man was not crossing started moving as if to say they had nothing to do with it, but the lane the man was walking in could not move forward, and the cars inched forward. Impatient drivers honked their horns, but the man showed no reaction, as if he couldn’t hear them.

Unfortunately, the car at the front of the line was an illegally modified car with black film on the windows, making it impossible to see inside, and the driver was blasting music. The driver revved the engine as if to say he would run the man over, but the man continued to walk slowly without reacting.

Of course, this type of person would not wait for the man to cross the road. A man with a flashy appearance and hairstyle got out of the car and approached the man, shaking his shoulders.

“Hey, old man! You’re in the way! Don’t walk so slowly!”

Before he finished speaking, the man pushed the old man’s shoulder. A woman in the passenger seat, dressed in a similar flashy manner, watched with a smirk.

The drivers of the cars behind also noticed the commotion and stopped honking their horns, instead driving past with curious looks.

“You hearin’ me, old man!”

When he grabbed the collar of the man who, despite being shoved, was still trying to walk without complaining, his face, which had been slightly lowered until then, became visible. His eyes were moving erratically, unfocused, as if he wasn’t looking at anything in particular. There were traces of drool at the corners of his mouth, and he definitely didn’t look normal.

…Is he on drugs or something?

The flashy man, Hayashi, started to regret his bold approach. If this guy was involved with dangerous people, the consequences could be frightening.

“Hey, let’s go. Just throw that guy away over there.”

The woman in the passenger seat, looking bored, lit a cigarette as she spoke. He had finally succeeded in inviting her out, and today was the day he had been looking forward to. He couldn’t afford to show any weakness in front of the woman. That was the value system of this type of person.

Hayashi was momentarily distracted by the woman, and when he looked back at the man, the man’s gaze, which had been unsteady, suddenly stopped on Hayashi’s face.

“Damn! Get out of the way, old man!”

Although their gazes met, it felt as if the man was not looking at Hayashi. Hayashi felt a shiver down his spine and roughly let go of the man’s collar, which he had been holding.

The man took a few steps back, as if he was about to fall, and Hayashi turned to get back into the car, not wanting to see the man’s reaction. But just then, he felt a tremendous force pulling him back.

“Huh?”

That was the last word Hayashi uttered.

“Kyaa~!”

The woman in the passenger seat was looking at him, her mouth wide open in a scream. She had finally agreed to go out with him after much persuasion, and today was the day he had been waiting for. There was no time for this.

Hayashi tried to approach the woman in the passenger seat, but he couldn’t exert any force, and his legs wouldn’t lift off the ground.

His vision gradually turned red, and his body rapidly cooled as if it were someone else’s. Hayashi looked at the passenger seat, seeking help.

…There was no sign of the woman. All he could see was the open door and the woman’s belongings scattered on the road.

“What the… I was finally… going to…”

Hayashi’s consciousness suddenly faded.

The intersection was filled with screams. The man, with his mouth full of blood from biting Hayashi’s neck, looked around. He threw away the object he was holding, as if it was no longer needed, and began to walk, following his instincts to spread it further.

The clock struck the hour. Kanata waited impatiently for the bell to ring. He checked the answer sheet one last time, making sure he had signed his name in the appropriate space. He had forgotten to write his name on a previous test, and his poor handwriting had made it easy to identify him, resulting in him being made an example of. Kanata Kenzaki. He confirmed that his name was written correctly when, after a brief static noise, the bell sounded loudly, signaling the end of the test.

“It’s over!”

Kanata stretched his arms wide. The third-term exams had finally ended for the day. Next year, he would be an upperclassman at Suou Prefectural High School, and he would have to start seriously considering his future path. But for now, he was relieved to have made it through the gloomy test period. As he was thinking this, he was lightly nudged from behind.

“Hey, you’re in the way.”

It seemed that Kanata’s enthusiastic stretch had interfered with the person sitting behind him. The teacher at the front of the room was collecting the answer sheets and giving instructions for the break. There was also a schedule for career counseling, which was probably what Haruka was listening to.

“Sorry, Haruka.”

Kanata apologized without much remorse. The person sitting behind him was Haruka Nishina.

When Kanata turned around, he saw Haruka frowning slightly and glaring at him. Her sharp features could be intimidating to some, but since they had known each other since childhood, Kanata didn’t think much of it. Haruka had a bright, spirited appearance with a slightly lighter hair color. She treated everyone equally, making her popular with both boys and girls, and she was Kanata’s childhood friend.

“You’d better decide on your future path soon, Kanata. Don’t come crying to me later!”

Haruka, who knew that Kanata hadn’t decided on his future path yet, spoke to him like he was her younger brother, which made Kanata joke around.

“If I can’t get into any schools, I’ll just work for my grandpa. He’s a master swordsman, so that’s good enough for me.”

Kanata laughed as he said this, and Haruka puffed out her cheeks, looking angry. “You’re not funny!” she said, and stood up from her seat. The “grandpa” Kanata was referring to was not his own grandfather but Haruka’s. Haruka’s grandfather ran a kendo dojo, and Kanata and his sister, Hinata, had often visited the dojo since they were young.

The reason for their visits was Kanata’s love for swords and knives and his admiration for swordsmen… well, it’s something that most boys think about at that age. There happened to be a dojo near their home, and Haruka, who also had an interest in it, often came to the dojo, which is how they became friends. Haruka’s grandfather also taught them kendo, using it as an opportunity to teach his granddaughter.

Kanata had lost interest in kendo and stopped going to the dojo, but Haruka and Hinata still visited regularly.

As Kanata packed his bag to leave, people gathered around his desk. Looking up, he saw the familiar faces of his friends, as expected.

“Kanata, are you coming today?”

The one with the boyish face, despite his shaved head, was Subaru Matsuzono.

Subaru was referring to the new arcade that had opened in the center of Suou, the main town. The center of Suou was more developed than the area around the school or the neighboring town where Kanata lived, with larger buildings and stores. So, everyone called that area “town.”

Standing next to the relatively short Subaru, as if trying to hide behind him, was Daigo Oohashi.

Like his his name, which includes two characters for “big,” Daigo was large in both height and width, as well as in thickness, giving him a sturdy appearance. But contrary to his looks, he had a gentle personality and loved small animals. He was a kind man who couldn’t bear to leave someone in trouble.

Kanata usually hung out with these two, but today there were some different faces.

“Tajima-kun and Nakai-kun also want to come. Is that okay?”

As if reading Kanata’s mind, Daigo spoke. Subaru and Daigo were standing on the opposite side of the room, and Tajima and Nakai were standing next to them. Today, they had made plans to go to town and play after school. Kanata didn’t mind if more people joined, but he was wondering why these two, who weren’t particularly close friends, wanted to come along. Just as he was thinking this, Tajima and Nakai looked at each other and then rushed over to Kanata’s desk, placing their hands on the desk and leaning in close.

“Hey, Kenzaki-kun, do you have that thing?”

“Wha—! Not here “

Kanata panicked and looked around, trying to avoid being seen by someone he didn’t want to be asked this question by. Kanata’s gaze landed on Haruka, who was chatting with her friends, and it seemed she hadn’t heard anything. Kanata secretly let out a sigh of relief. The two had only said “that thing,” so it was impossible to know what they were referring to. But Kanata knew that his childhood friend’s nose for sniffing out things he wanted to keep hidden was beyond his prediction. Especially when it came to this item, if it was discovered, it would result in forced attendance at the dojo and punishment in the form of practice. It was a dangerous item.

“I haven’t had any new stock recently. What are you looking for? Depending on the content, I can prepare it for you.”

Kanata spoke in a low voice, his forehead almost touching the other person’s as they negotiated. After hearing their request and telling them the price, Kanata discreetly checked to make sure they hadn’t been noticed, and then he gave them his approval.

“Why do you do something so scary…?”

Kanata thought he heard Daigo’s voice of disbelief, but this was business. Some risks were inevitable, he supposed. Probably. Maybe.

The item in question was a photo of Haruka wearing a kendo uniform. Her dignified stance in the uniform had unexpectedly attracted many fans, and one of them had paid a surprising amount of money to buy the photo. Since then, Kanata had occasionally received requests like this, and he had been making some extra pocket money by taking photos of Haruka in her kendo uniform. The uniform, which was not usually seen, seemed to have a special appeal to others. Not only boys but also girls bought the photos.

And Kanata had been using part of the income to buy Haruka things she wanted from time to time.

He would give her gifts even when it wasn’t her birthday or any other special occasion, which sometimes made her suspicious…

Kanata planned to go to the dojo again, pretending to be casual, and take some more photos. Kanata thought that Haruka’s dignified appearance in her kendo uniform was just an extension of her usual self.

He thought that her soft smile, which she showed when she was looking at her favorite trinkets or when she was secretly giving a nickname to her favorite trinket or stuffed animal, was more valuable… well, he didn’t actually take photos of those moments or tell anyone about them.

“What are you smiling about? Subaru and the others are waiting for you.” 

“Hauh!?”

While Kanata was thinking about these things, Haruka, who had returned and was getting ready to leave, suddenly spoke to him, and he accidentally made a strange noise. Haruka, who had spoken to him, also seemed surprised, her mouth turned down and her eyes wide.

For a moment, Kanata thought that her surprised expression was… well, it’s a secret.

Kanata quickly dismissed the thought from his mind and grabbed Haruka’s shoulder, gently pushing her toward the exit as he spoke.

“I was just thinking about something. Are you going home, Haruka? Let’s walk together for a bit!”

“Hey, hey! Don’t push me!”

Haruka was startled when Kanata suddenly spoke to her.

Kanata, who was pushing Haruka, looked for Subaru and the others while carrying his bag. They had moved while he was thinking, and were now standing by the classroom door, smirking at him. Kanata sent them a complaint with his eyes, saying, “I’ll remember this,” but his ears were hot… he must have turned red. Kanata couldn’t bear to show Haruka his red face, so he continued to push her, even though she was complaining.