The small convenience store was silent except for Hana’s soft breathing. She had curled up under a blanket, head pressed against Miko’s arm, and within minutes she had slipped into a restless sleep. Her tiny frame rose and fell, the only sign of peace in a night that carried none.
The others weren’t so lucky. Miko leaned against the counter with wide, tired eyes, chewing her lower lip. Ichika sat cross-legged, still hugging the walkie like it was a weapon. Suzune perched on a stool beside Riku, staring at the shutter as if she could see through the metal.
None of them could close their eyes. The fight earlier had left them all raw.
Riku adjusted the M4 across his lap and spoke in a low voice. "Tell me about those men. The ones from the hotel."
The girls froze at the words. Ichika looked away first. Miko glanced down at Hana, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead. Suzune let out a slow breath, shoulders stiff.
"They weren’t from Tokyo," Suzune said finally. Her voice was steady but cold. "They came in trucks. Pickups, vans. Crashed through the shutters like it was nothing. They didn’t sneak. They just drove straight in, lights on, horns blaring. They wanted us to panic."
Riku frowned. "How many?" Google seaʀᴄh 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽
"Dozens," Ichika muttered, bitterness in her tone. "At least thirty. Maybe more. All men."
"All armed," Suzune added. "Rifles, shotguns, pistols. Some had body armor, mismatched but real. Helmets too. They knew what they were doing."
Miko tightened her grip on Hana’s blanket. "They shot the men first. The ones who tried to fight. Didn’t give warnings, didn’t ask questions. Just shot them."
Riku’s jaw clenched. "Execution?"
"Not clean," Suzune said. Her hands curled into fists. "They made it brutal. Loud. They wanted to scare the rest of us into freezing. And it worked."
Ichika spat the next words like poison. "They only spared the women. Dragged us out. Anyone who screamed got hit. One girl fought back with a knife—they shot her in the leg, laughed while she bled, then carried her anyway."
Riku’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t interrupt.
"They lined us up outside the supermarket," Suzune continued. Her voice cracked for the first time, but she pushed through. "Said anyone who ran would be left for the dead. Then they loaded us into vans. Packed us tight, like bags of rice."
"And the others?" Riku asked quietly.
Suzune’s face hardened. "They left the bodies where they fell. The supermarket floor was red when they dragged us out. I can still smell it."
Miko shivered. "The men we knew... neighbors, cousins, fathers—they didn’t even bury them. Just left them. Like garbage."
Silence settled. The only sound was Hana shifting in her sleep, murmuring something soft before settling again.
Riku broke the silence. "So they killed every man. Took every woman. Children too?"
"No," Ichika said. "They killed children too small to walk. Said they’d slow things down. Anyone who cried too loud... gone."
Miko’s voice cracked. "We couldn’t stop it."
Riku exhaled slowly, forcing the heat in his chest back down. Anger wouldn’t help—not yet. He needed clarity. "So they’re not just raiders. They’re organized. Armed. No hesitation in killing. And they’re holding ground."
Suzune nodded. "They took us to the hotel by the bay. It was like... like a fortress. Floodlights. Barbed wire. Guards with rifles on the roof. Inside there was electricity, running water, even food. Like a twisted version of safety."
"Electricity?" Riku repeated, eyes narrowing.
"Yes," Suzune said. "The lights worked. The elevators worked. They had hot water. I don’t know how."
"Generators," Riku muttered. "Big ones. Which means they have fuel. And fuel means supply lines."
Ichika crossed her arms. "They also had numbers. A lot more than we saw at the supermarket. Maybe fifty or sixty inside the hotel. And that’s just what we saw."
Riku filed the information away. Rocket launchers. Machine guns. Fuel. Food. Electricity. This wasn’t some ragged gang—they were building something bigger.
"Discipline?" he asked.
Suzune shook her head. "Not much. They fought like soldiers, but when it was over... it was chaos. Drinking, shouting, fighting each other. The boss kept them in line only when he wanted to."
"The boss?" Riku pressed.
"A man with a scar on his cheek," Miko said quickly. "Everyone listened when he spoke. He didn’t shout. He didn’t need to. Even the drunk ones shut up when he looked at them."
Riku’s brows furrowed. A leader with authority, not just muscle. That made it worse.
Ichika hugged her knees. "They treated us like toys. Like property. We weren’t people anymore. Just something they owned."
Suzune’s hand curled tight on her lap. "That’s why we ran the first chance we got. And why you... why you saving us... it’s more than we thought possible."
The words hung heavy. Miko brushed her sleeve across her eyes, looking down at Hana’s sleeping face.
Riku stayed quiet for a long moment, processing. Thirty-plus raiders, maybe closer to sixty. Armed with military-grade weapons. Fuel, power, water. A fortified position with high ground over the bay. And a leader who commanded obedience.
A warlord in the making.
He finally spoke. "Then we’re not dealing with scavengers. This is a warband. A strong one."
Suzune nodded slowly. "Yes. And they’ll want us back. They don’t let anything go."
Riku tapped the stock of his rifle with his thumb. "They’ll have to try harder next time."
Ichika looked at him sharply. "You think you can fight all of them?"
Riku shook his head. "Not head-on. Not yet. But everyone has weak points. Fuel. Water. Morale. If they’re running a fortress in the middle of Tokyo, then they’re bleeding supplies every day. And the more they take, the more enemies they make."
Suzune studied him. "You’re not afraid of them."
"I’d be stupid not to be," Riku said. His eyes hardened. "But fear doesn’t stop me. It just tells me what needs to be done."
The girls fell quiet at that.