Chapter Thirty-Seven: Elder Sister (1/2)

Liu Mengchao’s words were as commanding as an order. The corpse of Hirano Kota was thrown down from the upper floor, landing on the ground with a dull, sickening thud.

The bed, now empty, was one that few dared to sleep on. After all, too little time had passed; the bloodstains in the bedroom had not yet been cleaned. Still, there were some willing to lay there.

Ye Yutian, Makoto Ito, and a third man, Takashi Komuro.

Three men squeezed together on that single bed. On the wall, the clock still bore streaks of blood, yet these three had grown used to their surroundings. The metallic scent of blood clung to the air as constant as oxygen, circulating through their lungs with each breath, never leaving their sides.

Night had grown deep. After a day of slaughter, everyone was more or less weary. Moreover, the accidental killing weighed heavy on their minds; the image of Hirano Kota was destined to haunt their dreams.

Yet none of this had anything to do with Liu Mengchao.

He was neither standing in the courtyard inspecting tomorrow’s vehicles, nor at the entrance keeping night watch.

He sat upon the rooftop.

An endless rooftop stretched before him. In the distance, the bridge was still ablaze with light. Liu Mengchao closed his eyes and listened intently, as if he could still hear sounds drifting from the far-off bridge.

A son, now a zombie, gnawed at his mother’s neck. Lovers who once leaned on each other were now entwined in a macabre embrace, tearing at flesh with relentless jaws. Friends, having just escaped together, supported each other—only to realize with horror that their companion’s face had changed, twisted and feral, fangs sinking into their throat.

This was the apocalypse.

Liu Mengchao stood up; from here, he could see even further.

He could now clearly see the steamroller on the bridge, its engine roaring as it drove back and forth, relentlessly crushing. But this time, it was not asphalt being flattened, but one zombie after another.

Liu Mengchao’s footsteps moved across the rooftop as silently as a cat.

“You look poetic, standing there on the embankment,” a sudden voice called from behind him.

“Saeko-senpai?” Liu Mengchao didn’t turn around, still gazing into the pitch-black courtyard. “Qin Xiaoxiao never paid me such a compliment.”

“Maybe she has a woman’s pride?” Saeko Busujima tilted her head, her dark eyes glinting in the night.

“Pride?”

Liu Mengchao laughed. He enjoyed teasing Qin Xiaoxiao, just as she had mocked him when they were children. Perhaps he had never really paid attention to how she felt.

Or perhaps, Liu Mengchao thought, whatever he did, Qin Xiaoxiao would never get angry. She would only wear that helpless smile, tie up her black ponytail, shake her head, and lightly flick his forehead.

That’s what an older sister is, isn’t it? An older sister who never gives up on her younger brother.

“Saeko-senpai, did Qin Xiaoxiao ever tell you about herself?” Liu Mengchao sat down as he spoke, his legs dangling over the edge. Below him, zombies shuffled aimlessly—like sitting atop a riverbank, watching water flow by, only now the river had a new name: zombie.

“Qin Xiaoxiao and I—we’ve been neighbors for as long as I can remember,” he continued, his eyes tinged with nostalgia.

“Back then, my parents still worked at the research institute. I never knew what they were studying. But I was just a kid, so…” Liu Mengchao’s voice faltered, as if he’d slipped back into the past. “So… in my memory, there was only Qin Xiaoxiao, and her mother, Aunt Qin.”

“Aunt Qin?” Saeko repeated, puzzled.

Liu Mengchao nodded.

“Yes, I never met Qin Xiaoxiao’s father. She took her mother’s surname. I remember once, while Qin Xiaoxiao was practicing her stance in the yard, I snuck into her house to snoop around.”

“You!?”

“Boys are just foolish when they’re young.” Despite his words, Liu Mengchao grinned more cheerfully than ever. “I found a photo under her pillow.”

“A photo…?” Saeko echoed softly, her gaze drifting away.

“Yes, a photo. Qin Xiaoxiao had written names on it, though her handwriting was terrible. It must have been a family portrait—her, Aunt Qin, and a man. I still remember the man’s name.”

Liu Mengchao paused, his hand lifting in a sudden, excited motion. With a swift flick, a slender and sharp sleeve blade gleamed in the night.

“Yuan Zhaonian. The man who abandoned Aunt Qin and her unborn daughter before Qin Xiaoxiao was even born.” Liu Mengchao lowered his head, looking at the three furtive figures in the courtyard below, his words slow and deliberate. “I never liked him.”

Saeko was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Liu Mengchao to confide such things. She looked away, seeking help from the darkness.

No answer came.

Saeko sighed softly, trying to console him. “Maybe he had reasons he couldn’t avoid. After all, no father willingly leaves his child.”

“Reasons? Reasons to abandon wife and child?” Liu Mengchao shook his head. “Only Qin Xiaoxiao, that fool, would cling to such a thought. After all these years, her heart hasn’t changed.”

“Her heart?” Saeko felt like an outsider, abruptly plunged into the world of two lifelong companions.

“She wants to master her so-called family art, then go find her father. Such a cliché, such a dull dream—like something out of the last century.”

As Liu Mengchao spoke, his gaze turned pitying as he looked toward the courtyard.

Three shadows flickered in the darkness.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into her lately. Qin Xiaoxiao looks like she’s given up. If I hadn’t known her since we were children, I’d think she was a completely different person.”

“Tell me honestly, Saeko-senpai.” Liu Mengchao’s tone softened. “Is Qin Xiaoxiao planning to sacrifice herself so I can live?”

No answer.

Saeko remained silent. She didn’t know what to say. Liu Mengchao’s uncanny ability to detect lies made her uneasy—if she tried to deceive him, he’d see through her instantly. In this moment, silence was the only refuge.

“I understand.”

Saeko stayed quiet, but Liu Mengchao smiled.

“Qin Xiaoxiao is being an idiot again. They say big breasts mean no brains, but how can she be so dumb and flat-chested?” Liu Mengchao looked up at the starry sky and suddenly laughed. “I don’t have many family left. If she dies, what will I do?”

Still no reply. Or perhaps the night wind had answered for her.

Suddenly, the sky in Liu Mengchao’s eyes was blocked out by a white shirt. The field of stars was swallowed in darkness.

“Don’t make a sound.”

He recognized Saeko’s voice. But beyond her words, he heard another sound—a soft rustling, like a shirt sliding off smooth shoulders to the floor.

“Close your eyes…”

Saeko’s voice seemed to whisper in his ear. Before Liu Mengchao could react, he felt a gentle push, and a familiar fragrance drifted into his nose.

“Remember this night well.”

Still Saeko’s voice. Liu Mengchao felt a smooth, tender touch—like a communion of souls—slowly spreading upward from his lower body, gentle as ripples across water, softly washing through his spirit.

“You’re a lucky man, Liu Mengchao.”

The woman who should have entwined herself with him now stood up and walked away. Saeko Busujima didn’t look back. Even so, her cheeks were flushed with a captivating blush.

“Your ponytail is beautiful.” At last, Saeko turned to look upon the silhouette moving in the darkness, softly murmuring to herself, “Qin Xiaoxiao, you owe me one.”

Under the moonlight, another figure appeared.

A long ponytail fluttered behind her head.

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Phew… My Sanjiang ticket exploded…

But, but, I’ll still post two updates today~

I really want to roll on the floor/~

The second update will be out before midnight~

Many thanks to the great Rainbow Transition, Victorique8, 498265444, BXeroXB, Xuan Yuan the Killer, Natsume and Madara, and Unscientific Shana for your generous support~