Unity - 3: Zombies and Board Games
After singing the third song, Yukiko settled back beside me, soft and flirtatiously alluring. She swiftly poured herself a glass, downed it, and faced me with cheeks flushed deep red. I naturally rested my hand on her knee. Yukiko tilted the glass to my lips. I drank it down obediently. Mikoto kept her head bowed, careful not to intrude. Karin glanced at the scene while picking the next song. The thought that this had become natural made me chuckle inwardly.
"Hmph, hmm. We've gone through all the group songs... Seongha, any duets you know?"
"Not really coming to mind."
Turning back to Yukiko, her face had darkened in an instant.
"It seems we've enjoyed ourselves enough. Wouldn't it be best to head out now?"
"Huh? Oh... yeah."
I felt a bit bad for Karin, but we'd pretty much exhausted the songs anyway. I gently moved Mikoto—who'd been sitting on the table in front of me—aside and stood up.
"Why the long face? I had fun."
"I'm glad you think so."
It was a little sad that without dredging up old memories, there were no more songs to sing, but watching the other women perform had been enjoyable enough.
"Karin. Anything else you'd like to do?"
"Um, well... y'know. Heh heh. I had a ton of ideas, but now that it's time, I'm kinda hesitating."
The second floor felt like my first visit since moving in. The doors had been shut for ages, yet everything was impeccably tidy. It was impressive.
"Wow, game room here, and this... ping-pong table?"
"This is your house! Shouldn't you know?"
"No need to come up here."
Even with all this, there'd been no one to share it with. Truth be told, I hadn't even wanted to climb the stairs.
"Didn't you fill this place with arcade machines?"
"Back then... had you even met the civil servant? Anyway, someone helped me out—she did most of the work when we bought the place. I just paid."
When I first bought the house, I had no clue how society had changed. At the civil servant's suggestion that I could get close to women, I'd deliberately chosen something spacious, packed with entertainment.
"Don't you get bored? Ever thought about getting a dog?"
"Can't imagine myself responsible enough."
What if I forgot to feed a perfectly happy cat or dog? Or jumped onto the bed like usual and crushed a little critter underneath? Even without direct harm, if I ended up resenting the feeding or cuddling—treating it like a chore—it'd be miserable for both of us. Pointless worries, sure, but pet ownership was pointless too, in its way.
"Man, it's been forever since I hit a karaoke spot! No practice rooms back in the village!"
"You seemed pretty comfortable for someone out of practice, Karin."
"I stopped by the city ones every trip? Not that often, though!"
Every glimpse of the spotless hallway reminded me of Yukiko's efforts. But deep down, I couldn't help thinking it was wasted on me. Even judging by the first floor alone, I didn't need this much space. Six feet under might be a tad short, but I wasn't dead yet.
"Board games? I wanna play board games!"
Karin, spotting something exciting, flung open a door.
"Saw this online! There's co-op ones too, so let's do it for unity!"
"You're still on about that unity thing..."
Team dinners for camaraderie, tug-of-war, balloon busting... Ugh, headache. Good thing our physical differences were so vast; if we were evenly matched, who knows what chaos. I could already picture Karin bulldozing the other two with her beagle-like energy.
"Whoa, this looks fun! Art's gorgeous too!"
I figured only Karin was hyped, but Mikoto was poking around, intrigued.
"Over a hundred? You bought all these without me knowing?"
Board games often came with minis and hefty price tags. Probably came with the house, though I had no memory of it.
"The civil servant explained. People trying to curry favor with Master sent forced gifts."
"With me? Why? Just 'cause I'm a guy?"
I held no real power, hadn't mingled much. By then, most men were gone, so maybe romantic hopes? Felt bad they hadn't even gotten their names out.
"She's wise. Anticipated your reaction and tipped me off that they were pressuring gifts."
"I see."
"Women of status, past prime, deluded they'd still snag marriage spots... sent group gifts to survivors."
"Turned into a social issue."
Marriage system lingered, frayed to hell. Overlap period: men decimated, male supremacists in charge—change coming, but not yet. Desperate for the 'last train,' they targeted war- or illness-isolated guys.
"Let's play this one!"
Karin hauled over a big box. Title vaguely like the zombie game I knew. Bigger box, 'extra rules,' mostly female characters—but core rules matched.
"Co-op game, but special rules for playing with guys too!"
"You know how to play?"
"Nah, but there's instructions!"
We sat around the solid wood table in plush, cushy chairs. Karin savored the wood's scent briefly, then dove into the manual with wide eyes.
"I'll fetch coffee and snacks."
Yukiko slipped out to the first floor. Open windows gave the room a fresh vibe. Too many desks maybe, but it livened things up.
"Karin, why the frown? Lemme see!"
"Wait! First, pull all these cards... For four players, treat as six: seven cards each, minus fourteen..."
"Lemme look too!"
"I'm reading it!"
Karin and Mikoto bickered, but Karin's brute strength won out. Mikoto peeking pathetically over her shoulder was adorable.
A sleek antique tray arrived: four cups, cookies, cheesecake.
"Sorry for the wait, Master."
Yukiko had changed into a beige long dress—less revealing than before, but it hugged her massive hips obscenely.
"Here you are."
Syrupy café au lait for me, espresso for her, vanilla latte for Mikoto. Karin got plain warmed milk.
Thinking it a hazing, I eyed Yukiko. She replied instantly.
"Her order."
Just Karin's quirky taste, then. Yukiko's coffee beat any café's—even slurped through a straw mid-game, it astonished.
"Wha—?!"
Mikoto gawked at Yukiko's outfit change but lacked guts to call her out. I popped a butter cookie in her mouth. Her eyes melted blissfully—body honest to sugar.
By the time the fuss ended, Karin was still glued to the manual.
"That tough? If it's too hard, I can read it."
I knew basics from ages ago, but needed the manual for confidence.
"No! Secret from you! I'll figure it out—wait!"
Karin dug in, so I let her. She'd take forever post-understanding, so I'd prepped roughly: sorted event/survivor/junk cards, spread location cards. Just needed her to get it.
If my memory's right, this isn't exactly unity-building...
Changed rules maybe, but expansion-pack level. Ready to go once she grasped it.
"Yukiko! Yukiko! How's this work?"
"You've read the manual for ages—now asking me?"
"Don't you know everything?"
Unreasonable, but maybe Yukiko? Like doubting Karin's physical impossibilities.
"I know what I've studied. Game novels you enjoy? Yes. New board game rules? No."
In warm tones she rarely wore, Yukiko matched the sunlight and wood table perfectly.
"But I might explain clearer. May I see it?"
"Yeah!"
Karin handed it over but hovered, kneeling slightly behind to peek. Mikoto, after a pause, joined, glancing over.
"So, dice for killing zombies here..."
"Let me read first, then answer."
Mikoto and Karin's faces inched forward. Three beauties lined up—quite the sight. They chattered, grasping rules. Somehow, unity achieved. Fighting rules over zombies? Minor quibble.