Bio Defense ~A City Built in a World That Has Ended~

Chapter 4-7

Three elderly men waited in front of a wooden gate-like structure. Their ages were unclear, but they seemed to be around the same age as Matsushiba. As Kanata and the others approached, each of them spoke to them.

“Ohh, it’s really Sayuri-chan! You’re alive, huh? You’ve aged quite a bit.”

“You’ve brought along some rather dangerous-looking people. I take it they’re not your grandchildren?”

“In any case, it’s good that you’re back. I’m sure Kira would be happy too. Will you be staying for a while?”

“It’s been a while, Toku. We’ve both aged, haven’t we? You’re not one to talk. And no, they’re not my grandchildren. Given the circumstances, I have to rely on myself and those I trust to protect me, don’t I? Shigeo. I can’t stay too long, Gon-san. I’ll explain everything later, but there are pressing matters at hand. That said, we’ve been in the car the whole time, and I’m a bit tired. I’d like to let them rest first. Can we go home and then set up a proper meeting later?”

After saying that, the elderly man called Toku let out a hearty laugh, while Shigeo simply snorted in response, though there was no hostility in it. Finally, the old man referred to as Gon addressed Matsushiba-san.

“I see. It must have been quite a journey to get here. Normally, I’d say you should rest first. But we’ve got our own problems. Sayuri, can you come alone?”

His expression darkened as he spoke, indicating that something was wrong.

“I see… Alright, in that case, I’ll guide them to the house and come back right away.”

Matsushiba-san answered, and with a nod, Gon and the other two elders passed through the gate and left.

“Well, that’s how it is. You lot take it easy for now. There’s not much here, but at least we’ve got nature. It’s not so bad once in a while.”

“But, Grandma… What about your escort?”

Daigo asked seriously, but Matsushiba just laughed heartily.

“There’s no need for escorts inside the village, right? Just take it easy.”

With that, she started walking ahead without waiting for a response. Kanata and the others had no choice but to follow.

Inside the village, a tranquil scenery spread out before them. Houses were sparsely scattered, surrounded by rice fields and farmland. A narrow road weaved through the area, with a clean river flowing straight down from upstream.

“That over there is my family home.”

Matsushiba pointed toward a large mansion situated on a hill. The other houses, though old, were also quite spacious, but this one was clearly on another level.

“Whoa, that’s a huge house!”

Subaru exclaimed as he looked up at it. Matsushiba chuckled and replied:

“Apparently, my ancestors were samurai who served the local lord. Even after that, our family held a leadership role in the village. At one point, there were so many people living there that the house couldn’t even contain them all. But as you can see, we’ve fallen from grace. No heirs left, I got married and left… I even thought about tearing it down. Anyway, we’re here. No one lives in it now, but I’ve been maintaining it. Just don’t be surprised if the floor gives out.”

She opened the front door as she spoke. Inside, a grand folding screen stood in front of them, with long hallways extending in both directions.

Despite her warning about the floor, it was surprisingly sturdy—even when Daigo stepped on it, there wasn’t a single creak.

“The first room to the right is the guest room. It won’t be too long, so just rest up as you like.”

With that, Matsushiba left to join the discussion about the village’s issues.

“I wonder if the talks will go well.”

Daigo said worriedly as he sat down on the tatami. Kanata placed his bag and sword down and started to relax.

“Somehow, I get the feeling it won’t be easy.”

Looking at the state of the village and the attitudes of the elders, it didn’t seem like simply telling them “this place is dangerous, so evacuate” would be enough to convince them.

“Even so, we can’t just ignore it. We should let the old lady handle it the way she wants.”

Subaru, who had gone to check the hallway, returned and spoke. To Kanata and the others, it didn’t matter whether the elders agreed or not. What was important was ensuring Matsushiba could do as she intended.

As they continued talking, exhaustion caught up with them, and they each started relaxing in their own way. Even though Matsushiba said it wouldn’t take long, it would still be a while.

However, before they could fully settle in, they heard voices approaching from outside. Someone was entering the house.

“Something happening?”

Subaru, sounding annoyed, got up and headed towards the entrance.

“Oh, good. Sorry, but can you come to the community center? Sayuri-chan is there too.”

Standing at the door was one of the elderly men from earlier.

“Uh, can you give us a moment?”

Subaru turned back to Kanata and the others—it wasn’t far; they could hear everything clearly.

“What do you think?” Subaru asked in a hushed voice.

“If they were coming to get us, why didn’t Matsushiba-san come herself?” Kanata mused.

“If something happened to her, then we can’t just ignore it,” Daigo said as he reached for his shield.

“Alright, full gear. If they ask, we’ll just say we hadn’t started relaxing yet.”

Everyone nodded in agreement and quickly equipped themselves before heading to the entrance.

Waiting there was Toku, sitting on the porch. When he noticed their footsteps, he looked up and flinched slightly.

“You’re going dressed like that?”

“Is there a problem?”

Kanata answered bluntly.

“No, no problem… just…” the old man mumbled, trailing off.

“This is basically our normal attire. Alright, let’s go!”

Subaru added the final touch, and with a resigned sigh, Toku chuckled and began walking. His demeanor didn’t seem particularly threatening.

“Huh, maybe we’re overthinking this?”

“Doesn’t matter. We don’t know this place, so staying alert is only natural.”

They whispered among themselves as they followed Toku.

Eventually, they came to a building that looked like a community hall.

Eventually, a building resembling a community center came into view.

“There it is,” Toku pointed and started up the path.

The three exchanged glances and chuckled awkwardly. It seemed they had been a little too cautious. Daigo called out to Toku.

“Um, thank you for guiding us. Sorry if we seemed overly wary. We didn’t mean to offend you.”

Hearing that, Toku stopped, glanced at them, and then burst into laughter.

“No need to worry. This is an unfamiliar place for you, and in times like these, it’s only natural to be cautious. Think nothing of it.”

Hearing that, Daigo and the others visibly relaxed. Seeing their relief, Toku laughed again, patted Daigo’s shoulder, and opened the door.

“Oi, I brought them over. Come on in. Sayuri-chan’s here too.”

He said with a warm smile.

Inside, the community center had a simple layout with wooden flooring and built-in shoe racks, some of which were still occupied. Beyond the entrance, two connected tatami rooms were separated by sliding doors, and inside sat Matsushiba.

Kanata and the others stepped in and sat beside her.

“Sorry for dragging you here while you were resting… Oh, huh. You came in full gear? Well, whatever. Sit down.”

She looked surprised for a moment but quickly understood, gesturing for them to take a seat.

Matsushiba gave them a once-over, but then she seemed to understand, and she told them to sit next to her.

“My discussion hit some snags. A lot of people don’t want to leave… but that’s not why I called you.”

She said so and looked at Gon-san, the old man they had seen at the gate earlier. After looking at Kanata and the others for a while, he began to speak.

“Hmm. You saw them on your way to this settlement, didn’t you? That group of oni in the tunnel.”

When these people said “oni,” they were probably referring to the infected. Kanata nodded. Even if he wanted to forget, the sight of the tunnel packed wall-to-wall with infected was burned into his memory.

“That’s one problem, but we’ll leave it aside for now. If you go further up the road leading to this settlement, the path gets steeper, climbing into the mountains. Along the way, there’s a small hut where a blacksmith works. Living there are a taciturn and unfriendly old man, his apprentice, and a young girl who helps with the chores.”

After saying that, the speaker turned to Kanata and the others. The conversation’s direction wasn’t clear, but Kanata silently nodded.

“I don’t understand the details, but apparently, it’s an ideal place for smithing. However, something happened the day before yesterday. Shohei… Ah, you guys met him too, didn’t you? He’s a hunter from our settlement. While he was out hunting, he spotted another group of oni. Not as many as the ones in the tunnel, but still enough to be called a horde.”

Hearing that, Kanata recalled the infected they had seen in the tunnel. The thought of them pouring out and moving toward them sent a shiver down his spine. A literal nightmare.

“And? It’s not like we can just go out and get rid of them or something.”

Subaru, perhaps wary that they were about to be asked to exterminate the infected, replied in a firm voice.

“No one can do that,” the older man responded. “But the problem is, they’re headed straight for the blacksmith’s place. No one in this settlement can handle such a steep path while evading those things. The only one who might manage it is Shohei.”

With that, he paused and took a sip of the tea placed in front of him.

“Don’t you think it’s strange?

As the conversation lulled, Matsushiba spoke up.

“Strange how?”

“The infected, of course. The ones we know react to sound or visual stimuli and start chasing. But if that doesn’t happen, they usually just wander around aimlessly or stand around in a daze.”

Kanata recalled the infected they had seen so far. It was true—unless they were noticed, they mostly loitered in a fixed area.

“Since I saw the ones in the tunnel, I’ve been wondering—who gathered them there, and for what purpose? …No matter how much I think about it, I can’t figure it out. There’s no advantage, only risk.”

“Maybe they were being led somewhere? Or used to attack a target?”

Kanata voiced the first possibilities that came to mind, though even he doubted such a thing was possible.

“If that could be done, it’d be incredible, but it’s not realistic. A few might be manageable, but controlling that many without getting caught? No way.”

“Yeah… that’s true.”

At this point, Gon-san resumed speaking.

“Listen, we were shocked when we heard from Kira. Maybe the infected behave differently in towns and mountains. Either way, the ones here are moving together in a single direction. We have to assume that’s just how they are. Now, back to the topic at hand—about the blacksmith. If that horde keeps advancing, the blacksmith and his people won’t stand a chance. They’ll be swallowed up, and that’s it. A few more infected added to the pile. Even if they aren’t from our settlement, they used to come here from time to time, trading their forged goods for food.”

“The women especially like the knives and sickles he makes—they’re well-crafted and easy to use.”

An elderly man sitting beside them chimed in.

“So, in short, you want us to do something about it?”

Daigo asked, looking troubled.

“Wouldn’t it be quicker to just send Shohei to warn them?”

“Ah, true. Since he’s been there before, that’d be the best option.”

“Shohei ran off to warn another settlement. And… well, it’s hard to say, but Shohei’s a bit of a problem.”

For the first time, Gon-san, who had barely shown any emotion, looked troubled.

“What did Shohei do?”

Even Matsushiba seemed suspicious and pressed for details. Gon-san hesitated for a moment, then sighed and spoke.

“Well… the young woman taking care of things at the blacksmith’s place—she’s quite the beauty. She used to come to our settlement to trade goods. To us, she’s young enough to be our granddaughter, and even among our younger folks, Shohei’s old enough to be her grandfather.

But he took a liking to her. Since neither of them had a spouse, we wouldn’t have said anything if she felt the same way. But she made it clear she wasn’t interested. Even so, he couldn’t let it go. Things happened, and… well, let’s just say it’s not easy to send Shohei there now.”

His voice grew quieter toward the end, but in short, it was a romantic entanglement. Kanata and the others were left speechless at this unexpected twist.

“That took the tension out of the moment… So, what do we do? I won’t force you,” Matsushiba said. “It’s up to you to decide.”

But Kanata couldn’t help thinking—this situation might affect their plans to move people to the city. Lives were on the line, and it wasn’t a decision to take lightly.

And in his hesitation, he forgot something important.

That sitting right next to him was someone who could never ignore people in trouble.

“Understood! If there’s anything we can do to help, we’ll do it!”