HOTD! Busujima’s Step Brother

Yuriko looked over the documents brought back from the underground lab in her office. She had tasked her subordinate to sort and select some information deemed useful among piles of data that was obtained. 

However, almost half a day had passed and she only managed to gather a little information regarding this zombie outbreak.

That changed yesterday. She gained a clue.

"Umbrella Corporation... Isn't this a pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation?"

As a former Wall Street's stockbroker, she knew about the existence of this company. Its headquarters was situated in the United States of America.

She tapped her index finger on the table surface, contemplating quietly.

'Judging from the document, they experiment on something. And there is a trace of the zombies, as well as that strange giant Daiki killed in that lab. So they're connected somehow.'

It seemed Umbrella played a part in this disaster, especially considering that this virus had affected most parts of the world now. Even Tokyo was not spared.

Seeing they had a background in biotechnology, creating a virus that could turn humans into zombies might not be impossible.

"Have you discovered something, Yuriko?"

Souichiro entered the room and closed the door behind him. He was wiping his sweat using a towel. He had just finished training.

"We have a clue about the source of this zombie plague. The problem is, the lead is located overseas." She looked at him.

"I see." He nodded, "And what about the communication?"

"Inoperable for now. Maybe something happened to the satellites or communication tower."

Then, Yuriko paused.

"But we have sent a team to the nearby communication center. We might be able to fix it soon."

"That would be great."

***

Two days since I announced my leave...

"Brother, how do you feel? Did you fully recover?"

I was lying on top of a grassy ground in front of the mansion, looking at the sky when Saeko appeared beside me. She looked at me worriedly.

I flashed a smile at her, "I am fine."

That's right. The injury on my chest almost completely healed. It was sore for some reason, probably because it had regenerated unnaturally, but it didn't bother me that much anymore.

Today was a peaceful day. Some men under Don Takagi explored outside the mansion, clearing the zombies near this place. Although not all were cleared yet, they certainly diminished significantly.

Not only that, they also began their expedition to the nearest tower relay station. The reason for this was simple: to restore communication with the outside world.

And that also signaled my time to leave.

"Is Miss Shizuka ready to leave?" I asked her.

Saeko nodded, "Yes. She's packed her bag already. As for me, I have also prepared for the journey. Will we leave soon?"

"Yeah," I said, "There is a place I wanted to stop by first. Is Don Takagi inside the mansion?"

Saeko thought for a moment before nodding, "I believe I saw him a few moments ago. He's with Mrs. Yuriko inside the guest building. What are you going to talk to him about, brother?"

"Nothing much. Can you tell Miss Shizuka to be ready to leave this afternoon?" I asked.

"Okay."

The sky today was cloudy, making the heat bearable. Feeling nice thanks to that, I went inside the mansion to find Don Takagi. And I met him along the way.

We both stopped in front of each other, exchanging polite greetings.

"You're leaving today?" He asked.

"Yes."

"I see." He nodded before opening his mouth once again, "You can come here if things get bad outside."

I smiled wryly. The man in front of me was generous. But sadly, I already planned on staying outside for the near future. He also didn't talk much and our conversation ended pretty fast.

Anyway, after my business with the Takagi couple was done, we talked a few little things like whether I could come back later or stuff like that. Then, I said my goodbye politely, saying how I enjoyed staying in this mansion.

At that moment, Yuriko appeared from within a room.

"My, are you leaving now?"

"Yes, thank you for treating me kindly during these days."

Yuriko shook her head with a gentle smile, "Please, don't mind it. I should be the one thanking you for helping my daughter escape death's embrace. Not to mention, you brought back those useful documents. The only thing we can give you back is this."

Saying so, she gave me a pair of walkie talkie and a flip phone. I looked at her confusedly, prompting her to continue explaining.

"Check the phone."

I looked at the phone and my eyes widened. There were signals!

Surprised, I looked at her again with a disbelieving expression. This mansion wasn't exactly that tall, but it should be taller than usual houses.

"Our group investigated the nearby relay station and apparently succeeded. With the help of the engineers, they fixed the communication devices for Tokonosu City."

I quickly opened my phone and saw that I also got a signal. Weak, but I could receive messages.

'Did she call my father to—'

Then, my phone rang, showing a number I was familiar with. A single message entered my phone as soon as I got the signal. From the date of its arrival, it was sent yesterday.

The sender was, unsurprisingly...

'Miss Rika?'

The message was simple and short.

Miss Rika: Find me 41.8781° N, 87.6298° W

A string of numbers and alphabet followed after that. Strangely, the message was written in English, not japanese.

As gun lovers, I also loved something related to military stuff. Not only that, I also knew how to read maps. That's why, I quickly recognized this message as a coordinate of a place.

The problem was, I wasn't good enough to recognize the coordinate immediately. But thankfully, someone might know.

"Mrs Takagi." I looked at the beautiful woman, "Can you look at this coordinate and tell me where it is?"

"Coordinate? I am not a soldier though..."

Yuriko read the text anyway. After a while, she shook her head and shrugged.

"I'm sorry, I don't really know where it is. It seems like somewhere overseas though, judging by the positive north latitude degree." She said, "Hmm... There should be a map somewhere in the library. Follow me."

"Thank you."

With Yuriko guiding me, I arrived at a big library on the second floor of this large mansion. Inside, I noticed the pink-haired girl reading a manga while sitting on a sofa. Realizing my presence, she raised her eyebrows.

"I didn't expect you to enter this room. Don't tell me you actually study hard, stupid."

"Saya, language!" Yuriko frowned slightly.

"M-Mama?! When did you..."

"Just now," she said, before shifting her attention to me, "Anyway, Daiki. It should be somewhere around the corner, you can ask Saya about it. In that case, I have things I have to attend to. Take care."

"I will. Thank you again, Mrs Takagi."

***

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