It’s been a while since Zack left the house. During that time, both Aura and her father have been cleaning the utensils and dishes after breakfast.

Or, at least that’s the idea of their morning routine…

“Come on now, help me clean up the table.”

“Oh, right…”

Nikola rises after taking another bottle of dish soap from the lower cabinet. He gives her daughter a tap on the shoulder, making Aura gets pulled back into reality after her mind drifted away. It’s been the umpteenth time Aura spaced out this morning, to the point it become noticeable by Nikola.

“Something bothering you?” The old man starts to break the ice after silence covers the entire room for a while.

“N-nothing...”

“Is that so? I think you should be more polite towards people, especially in the house. No one wants a rude person around them, you know.”

“Ehh?? Wh-why do you think so, dad?”

“So it is about Zack earlier, yes?” Aura doesn’t say a word. Hiding her flustered self. “Sorry, did I just hit a jackpot, eh? Well, it’s a good thing if everything is always in harmony.”

“Yeah, I guess so…”

“He got the point about yourself. Maybe he’s speaking facts, after all, right?” Nikola takes a glance at his daughter as he washes the dishes, “And what’s with that face?”

 “W-what do you m-mean?” Spontaneously Aura covers her face as she gets caught red-handed pouting.

“Heh, you do remind me of a particular someon- koff!”

“Dad, enough with the housework! You need to take a rest, just leave the dishes.”

As the old man was about to collapse, Aura quickly caught his body. She takes him to his room on the same floor and gently puts him back in the bed.

“You haven’t taken your medicine, didn’t you?”

“Ah, well… I mean, I’ve been helping my precious daughter since breakfast, you know.”

Hearing that doesn’t satisfy her at all. Aura then quickly grabbed the medicines on the table by the bed. Clicking her tongue out of reflex.

“Seriously, you should be paying more attention to your body, dad.”

“Yes, yes, ma’am. But, younger people like you usually said, ‘tis nothing but a scratch! Or something like that, right?”

“Dad! Come on now! This is no joking matter, okay? If you were to pass away, with whom am I supposed to live then??”

“There’s Zack, right dear?”

Aura didn’t reply. She just shoved the medicine down his throat.

It’s running out quicker than last month.

That’s not good at all…

After giving Nikola some medicine, she gets back to the dining table while glancing at the room around her. For a moment she takes a seat and lets out a long sigh. Her delicate fingers tapped the table as she hides her face between both arms after recalling things that just happened this morning.

At the same time, the words from earlier crossed her mind.

“What’s wrong with him?”

I don't wanna be alone again.

If anything, don’t leave me behind, Zack…

---000---

In front of the crowd, standing against each other is the Lieutenant of the South District and a young man who’s getting all the cynical glares from people around him. Who would have thought that someone like him to offer himself as a sacrifice for them all?

If push comes to shove, they’ll take advantage of him and bail out as soon as they get what they need.

But Zack knows it better than anyone else, and isn’t stupid enough for it.

“I believe you’ve come from the back to talk about our terms of working together, yes?” A smug smile formed on Kruger’s face as he lent his hand for a handshake.

“Working together? Being used as you pleased? Don’t make me laugh!”

“You sure are one bold young man. I give you my res-”

Huh?!

Without a single word, Zack sharply glares down at the person in front of him.

An eerie intent pierces through Kruger’s body, blowing a breeze of terror as he stands face-to-face with Zack. No doubt, it catches him off guard for a moment and forces him to take a few steps back from the surrounding premonition.

“Heh… That nerve of yours is what makes you quite different from those rats. How about I enlist-“

“Ain’t it clear already? I ain’t gonna make my bedtime reduced no more, nor coming just to work under the likes of you, like a damn disposable puppet.”

“Is that what you think, young man?” Kruger shifts his attention to the pile beside them, “Those people… they had done their role for the colony. Don’t you think everyone has a role that is necessary to maintain the whole thing together? Fulfilling your role until your last breath… is quite noble, isn’t it? The way I see it, they had an honorable death.”

“The hell are you one about? It’s more like dog shit, ain’t it?”

“Pretty bold of you to say it to those who had fallen. I guess, there’s a different moral value between us... No, you all have different ways to view things, yes?”

“I guess? Long before I haven’t been able to sleep soundly thanks when our town gets caught in a so-called colony of yours if memory reserved...”

The crowds are muttering after they heard it, and confusion starts to spread among them as Kruger widens his both eyes, trying to make sure the words coming out blatantly from Zack.

Wh-Who is this man? Why does he know about that day?

“Oh? You’ve done talkin’ old fart?” Immediately Kruger becomes completely silent, Zack innocently keeps asking him seeing the change of expression on his face. “Sigh… If you ain’t gonna say a thing. Then, I have a request…”

The atmosphere instantly changes the moment Zack says those words with a serious expression on his face. The same thing happens with the crowds anxiously seeing the converse at the front, hoping for him to pull them out from the dire condition.

Amidst the intense situation, utter silence falls upon them for a moment. Putting their ears to what he is going to say to pull them from the dire state.

”Can you please…

… gimme three packages of those food supplies, would ya?”

“Say what?”

“I ain’t gonna go home get beaten and all… just ‘cause I ain’t bringing back a meal for three, okay? Just wanna wrap it up quickly and back to sleep.”

Both the crowds and Kruger himself seem to be confused for some reason. Even though he said it loud and clear. Waves of disappointment came out from the crowds along with the muttering. Who in their right mind except Zack could casually give a request to one of the most feared people in the district?

Kruger himself is as confused as the crowds. Zack is tilting his head deeply when Kruger still didn’t give any response at all. Probably still processing those thoughtless words.

“Hey… Young man.”

“You gonna giv-”

“Why are you facing me now, the Lieutenant of the Southern District, right here? You know very well, right? You don’t stand any chance of opposing us. Or you’re just a straight airhead out of the womb?”

“So what if I’m facin’ a Lieutenant like you? Even if it’s the Supreme General, imma fight the shit out of y’all and go back to my bed Cause, in the end, y’all gonna make things complicated even if it’s just givin’ out food, yeah?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“…I just wanna eat some good meals and able to take lots rest, like those on the inner colony… Some kind of justice among us, I guess?”

This is bad, at this rate, he could provoke the entire colony against us!

“Also, don’t wanna make my sleep hour get taken away. Then would ya make it fas-“

“All units! Prepare yourself! Don’t let him leave this place!” Suddenly Kruger’s loud voice fills the entire vicinity, “Execute him right now! Kill, no matter what!”

The standby units swiftly get to their position. Drawing out their weapons. Pointing it to their opponent in front. The entire crowds run into a panic state, despite his wandering mind still being late.

“Eh? Did I say something bad? Ain’t he just asked what I meant before?!”

Exactly, and that’s the problem here if only he realizes it...