Chapter 48: Kiyoko
Knock!
Knock! Knock!
I heard a knocking sound when I woke up.
I opened my eyes and winced. I still could remember the images that I saw in my dream. The dreams, there were two of them. In the first one, I saw Mishima… Well, whatever. I hope her storyline won't concern me in the nearby future. I'm not really fond of that "Delinquent Gang Warfare" setting.
The second vision seemed to be much more relevant. I saw an unfamiliar elderly man. Judging by his words, he was familiar with Takeshi, so he should be someone from the "Kendo" setting…
There was one more dream in which I was running away from Murakami who was laughing and trying to crush me with her bike… But that wasn't a vision…
At least I hope so.
Meanwhile…
Knock! Knock!
Someone is still knocking.
I stood up and opened the door. There was Murakami standing in front of it. The girl silently waved her hand, showing me to follow her, and then left to the hallway.
I walked just behind her.
We went into the main hall, where the TV and the table were located, and there I saw… The thing.
There was a person lying on the floor.
She had long and wavy red hair.
And she was, apart from a white t-shirt, dressed only in her underwear…
"…"
After a moment of silence, I looked at Murakami with suspicion in my eyes.
"I didn't do anything! She was already here when I woke up!" the girl tried to explain herself.
Sounds very suspiciously...
Oh well… Guess I should believe her in that matter.
I slowly approached the fallen girl and started looking over her. She was very pale, just like a doll is. Her back was making rising and falling motions, so it seems like she was breathing.
That's good.
Suddenly, I heard a low growl:
"…ood…"
The girl on the ground shivered.
"Food…"
"It's a zombie!" shouted Murakami and jumped behind my back.
Well… To be fair, that voice really was a little bit dry and scary. I calmed down quite soon, though:
"There's a little bit of rice left in the fridge…"
The girl shivered yet again and tried to extend her hand toward the kitchen…
"...I will warm it for you."
…
Five minutes after, I returned to the hall with three plates full of hot rice.
The red-haired girl was laying with her face toward the ground. Murakami was doing the same, and both of them were chanting:
"Food… Food…"
Paying no attention to these clowns, I placed the plates and the table.
The very next second Murakami "woke up" and took chopsticks into her hand. The other girl slowly raised her hands as well.
For the first time, I saw the face of our mysterious third neighbor.
It was white and beautiful. Her lips were rather pale, but soft-looking; she had a little red dot on her right cheek. Her eyes were sleepy and green, the color of a kiwi.
This girl also took chopsticks into her hand and started eating. Unlike Murakami, however, she was very careful not to spill anything. Not even a piece of rice fell out from her plate.
We started eating in silence.
Several minutes after Murakami finished her plate and, after careful consideration on what was more important to her, to take the second portion or to start speaking, the girl made her choice and asked:
"So… What's your name?"
The red-haired girl answered:
"Kiyoko…"
Her voice was sweet and a little bit dry.
"Nice to meet you, Kiyoko!"
Murakami smiled.
"Where is…"
"Aoi? She had some stuff to do yesterday, she's going to come back today," I said.
The girl nodded.
"Is she's the one who usually feeds you?"
"Yes… We have a 'deal'."
"Really, what deal?" asked Murakami.
"I can't say…" answered the girl with a hollow expression on her face.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"And if I say please?.."
The girl lightly shook her head.
"By the way," Murakami took her phone from the pocket and showed us the screen. There was a message opened with only one word:
"SOS".
The sender seemed familiar to me… Yes, I know. I had received from him, (or rather from her) the address of Lu's restaurant not so long ago...
"How do you know our numbers?" asked Murakami.
Good question. I looked at Kiyoko with interest in my eyes.
The girl, still keeping an expressionless face, answered:
"I looked it up."
"Where?"
"In school's database."
"You have the access?" I asked.
Now that's surprising. As far as I knew, only teachers could use this thing.
Kiyoko nodded and said:
"Yes. I hacked it."
…What?
Murakami and I exchanged gazes.
Hacked?
Ha.
I see.
She a "hacker" type character…
I calmed down, and so did Murakami:
"That's cool!" she said.
Kiyoko slowly nodded.
"I guess…"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone