-REPLIES TO COMMENTS-
@porkofdoom-san, Haha.. I'm sorry about that but I don't think I will making him that way. He got quite a background story so let's see.
I'll be using your recommended title anyway~ Thanks for the suggestion!
so Chapter 32 will be entitled
Muffins! Haha.. The other suggestions are all funny I almost choked. haha
@MatsuiLee-san, long time no see (in the comments!) haha. Thanks for sharing your theories and discoveries~ That's really nice!Thanks for re-reading TTM again and again. I'm honored~
@FZA02-san, you know, I really thank you for the time you are giving just to express your thoughts for each chapter.
I really appreciate it! It feels really exciting to read all of the readers' thoughts about the fic. Of course, all comments are special to me regardless of the length. We all have our way of expressing things anyway.
Thanks to all of you!
Let's go back, thanks again for sharing all your thoughts. They will be answered in the next chapters and quite sharp there to notice that they have been forgetting things.
@sakuramiyawaki-san, ohh! I didn't know that you use this username here. Welcome to the WISH thread here in Jphip. Haha. Thanks for the comments for the last chapters.
I hope to see you here more often.
So the questions now are like:
1. Who is Haru's fiancee?
2. Is Kato and Yuu really nice guys?
3. What is Yuma's role in the past and Haruppi's role in the present?
4. Will Fumie pass the course?
5. Will Cut still be able to live after seeing Paruru's first on-screen kiss with a guy?
Haha. anyway, thanks to all of you who are still reading this story~ I hope you are having fun. Here is the next chapter~
Chapter 33: The Zombie, The Prince and The General
*NATO phonetic alphabet MAKI HEARD a
gunshot which made her tremble to where she is hiding. She heard someone shout due to pain then she tried to peek who it was and saw a body leaning on the cargo vessel. His shoulders tainted with red fluid.
“This can’t be!” Maki clenched her teeth. She got a feeling of who did that but she doesn’t know where she could find
him. She knows that he might be camouflaging somewhere. It will be a big trouble if she gets caught. Her head will immediately roll in the ground if she goes all careless.
The Perfect Zombie could hear the loud thumping of her heart. For a moment she was amazed on how an artificial human being like her can have that perfectly beating heart but it is not time to adore the great works of her father. She has to take revenge no matter what. She quickly made her way out of the huge pipe where she was hiding and rolled to the nearest container.
She looked around and was able to breathe for a while after knowing that there are no enemies inside. Her walkie-talkie suddenly got signal which made her surprised for a bit.
“This is
Yankee. I got one of them. I killed Oscar!”
Maki reached for her radio and put it in front of her mouth. “Good job,
Yankee. Stay well-hidden.
Foxtrot will get you if you mindlessly go for a haunt!”
“Roger that,
Zulu!” Her transmitter was cut off for a moment but it went back soon after. “What’s up with these weird code names anyway? This is too cring—“
“Shut up and do your job, Yankee! Do well if you don’t want to lose—“
Maki heard another gunshot but what’s more scary was the shout she heard from her radio.
“What the— Yankee, no way!!!”
Maki gritted at the loss of another companion. It shouldn’t be this way. She just can’t let all her friends die in this battlefield. On the other hand, she has to protect the Prince,
November, with all her might. She can’t just accept defeat like this.
“Foxtrot, I know that it will be hell to fight you.” The Zombie raised her gun and cocked it. She miserably failed halfway though but she didn’t care about that like she always does with all her cringey mistakes. “I have dealt with hell long ago and I don’t mind going back there just to protect Prince November!”
She was about to take another peek outside when she felt a tap on her back making her shriek with no voice coming out of her as a hand immediately covered her mouth. The Zombie struggled to free herself but all her strength faded out when she found out who it was.
“Prince!” She almost shouted after being turned around by November. His beautiful, blonde hair can be seen straying off of his helmet. He gestured Maki to keep everything down. “What are you doing here? I thought I told you to hide properly!”
“I just can’t hide and watch everyone of you dying before my very eyes!” The Prince clenched his fists as he remembers all their comrades who already lost their lives at this dreaded battle. “I’m going to fight as well! It’s only the two of us left,
Maki!”Maki, hearing her real name being called by the Prince, was taken aback. She felt her heart quake stronger as the stare of the Prince go deeper into her whole. The Prince removed his goggles to take a better look of the beautiful soldier in front of her. He then went to caress her face as gently as he could.
“Maki, before we even get killed… Can I get my second k—“
Maki immediately turned her face to another direction. She picked up her gun which she dropped when she got surprised by the Prince’s arrival. “I can’t do that, my Prince. I am your soldier and I am here to protect you.”
“You guys are going to be so dead.”November kicked the dropped walkie-talkie farther before annoyingly whispered. “
Dead people don’t talk anymore, Yankee.”
The Prince turned back to his precious soldier who is all ready to face the battlefield again. His face went back to his actor face. “Maki… at the very least give me the second—“
“Prince…” Maki called with a serious face. “It is not that we are going to die in here. It’s not that I’m going to let
you die in this battle!”
The Prince slapped his forehead. His words are not getting through the girl at all. Well, just like what Foxtrot always says, he has to get with everything that Maki is putting up. He wore back his goggles. He knows how sharp Foxtrot is as a shooter but he didn’t know that it is at this level. He can’t let his handsome face be damaged.
“Hellooo~ Is there any enemy here~~?”
The two were alerted at the sudden appearance of
India who isn’t even holding her gun upright. She is carelessly roaming around calling for the enemies.
“I’m going to capture her and have her as our hostage.” The Prince stood up from where he is hiding but Maki hurriedly stopped him.
“Don’t go anywhere, Prince! It is obviously a trap!”
“Don’t worry, Maki. It will be alright.” The Prince gave her a tap on her shoulder before leaving the container van where they were hiding. She tried to go after him but the next scene shocked her core.
Several gunshots were heard and the Prince slowly fell down to the ground. He turned to Maki’s way before his body finally hit the ground. With his face tainted with red fluid he whispered, “Nii-san… You shot me in the body like four times but how dare you shoot me in my handsome face?”
The Prince fell on his back, breathing heavily as he looks at his red paint-tainted uniform. The Zombie then shouted in anguish and shot India to her leg making the girl shout in pain.
“If this gives me a bruise, I might not be able to forgive you, Maki-chan! I have a photoshoot tomorrow morning!” The eliminated India marched away while puffing her cheeks like a cute puffer fish.
Maki ran towards the Prince, risking her life, knowing that Foxtrot might get her head at any moment. She even dropped her weapon and grabbed the weak hand of the guy.
“Prince, hang on! I’m going to bring you back to the camp!” Maki shouted, her eyes welling with tears. “You can’t die in here! I promised to protect you!”
The Prince coughed a few times, a silly smile pasted on his face. “I’m sorry, Maki. It was my fault for being careless.”
“No! Don’t talk anymore! You’ll make your injuries worse!”
“What on earth is happening with the two of them?” Yurina, who got the codename Yankee, asked someone who is heavily camouflaged with dried weeds and leaves. The guy isn’t moving and is keeping his eye to his rifle scope. Sitting beside him is Yuma, who is called Uniform in the battlefield; the first one to be eliminated. His uniform is still stained by the red paint they use as bullets.
Yurina sat beside Yuma who is busy munching popcorns. “Eat some, Yurina-chan.”
The girl shook her head in disbelief but she then removed her gloves and took some popcorn. “It’s amazing how you could prepare popcorn that fast, Yuma-san.”
“I got eliminated first so I got plenty of time. I knew that this will happen!” Yuma took another handful of popcorn and shove it to his mouth. His eyes are fixed to the current drama happening between Maki and Natsu. “Look at how realistic their acting can be!”
Yurina rolled her eyes. “It’s just a couple of chuunibyous! How on earth did this paintball game turn into a dramatic scenario?” She took more popcorn and turned to the sniper beside them. “Do you want some, Nii-san?”
“Maki…” Natsu, codename: Prince November, slowly reached out to caress Maki’s cheek. He tried to wipe her tears away with the little energy left in him. “I’m sorry for not being able t-to protect you… I-In my next l-life I promise that we will win this war—“
“Shhh! Stop saying that! You’re not going to die!” Maki held tightly on to the arm that is caressing her face. “I can ask my father to revive you back! He can heal you! You don’t have to worry!”
“I’m sure Fuyu-senpai hit Natsu-senpai in the head.” Yuma munched more snack.
“I’m sure he did. If this is real bullet probably he is already in hell.” Yurina did the same.
“Well, they are in their own world again.”
The two shrieked when Miyu suddenly appeared beside Yuma, getting popcorn from Yuma’s box. The fisher just smiled at them and gave them a V sign.
“When did you even get there!?” Yurina asked loudly, trying to hide how terrified she was.
“Yeah! You almost killed us!” Yuma seconded.
“Who got killed?”
They shouted in surprise once again, spilling a lot of popcorn to the ground. This time it is because of Momoko who is already sitting beside Yurina. Momoko just laughed at the pale face of Yurina before clinging to the other girl’s arm. “You eliminated me, Yurina-chan! Do you really have to shoot me in the face?”
“Shut up! You got an annoying face that’s why I made sure to hit you in the face!”
“SHHH!” Miyu silenced the cat and the mouse. “The movie is still on-going.”
“I wonder how Maki-san can cry that fast.” Yuma wondered, taking a glimpse of the statue-like Fuyu as if he is directly asking him the question.
“Maki is using eye-drops.” Fuyu answered in a monotonous voice.
“Wow! You can see even that, Fuyu-nii-sama?” Momoko marveled while wiping the paint off of her face by rubbing her cheeks to Yurina’s uniform. The other girl couldn’t help but to cringe.
“M-Maki…” Natsu called out once again, now with a weaker voice. “I-I’m going now… B-But… Before I go, c-could you give me the second kiss?”
Blood rushed up the Perfect Zombie’s face. Her beloved prince is fading away right before her very eyes. “D-Don’t die, Prince! I will give you all the remaining kisses I can give if you only live!”
Natsu coughed badly and his breathing started to falter bit by bit. “I don’t have any more time, Maki… Take this as a command from your prince… The last command.” His hand caressing Maki’s face fell down limply. “Give me the second kiss…”
“P-Prince…” Maki called out to the
dying Natsu. She took a deep breath, clenching her fists. She slowly lowers down her face towards Natsu, their face growing closer with every second. Natsu started to shake in excitement. This is the first time after a long while that his heart feels like exploding. He has starred with a long of cute actresses but Maki is really out of his league. The girl never fails to surprise him every time.
Was it because he fell in love with her since they were young? At a young age he already knew that his heart was captured by the peculiar girl who doesn’t play with dolls but with zombie stuff toys. Or was it because he wants to be like his brother who has a girl in his mind? Was it just an influence? At times it can be a little confusing but for Natsu, he is sure that no one makes him blush like Maki does.
Their lips are about to touch when a gunshot was heard. Those who were watching flinched in their places as the popcorn is being shared in the middle of them. All of their attentions are fixed to the happening scene. Yuma and Momoko even got their jaws hanging at the turn out of the events.
Maki slowly turned to her back where she saw
Alpha pointing the gun to her of which the nose is still smoking. Little Manaka is trembling a little; the whole game somehow traumatized her. She doesn’t really like violence but there she goes, she just fired one paintball to Maki’s back.
Seeing the
blood on her uniform, Maki dropped to the ground as well, secretly winking at Manaka for the magnificent save.
“I’m sorry, Prince. It seems like I will go to heaven with you…” Maki slowly shut her eyes down and the credits started rolling.
“What on earth is happening?” Manaka asked herself as she got stuck in the thick awkward air.
Natsu, who still hasn’t died despite the headshot taken from Fuyu, couldn’t help but to be disappointed. His dying face suddenly crumpled, looking all grumpy. He rose up to a sit, kicking the leaves around him as a tantrum. “Why is the ending like this!? I was so close!!!”
The disappointed prince of summer turned to his youngest sister. “Mana-chan, it is your fault!”
Manaka was taken aback after seeing that scary face of Natsu. She tried to run away but her legs gave her away as she hit the ground butt first. Natsu was about to catch her but Fuyu showered his brother with more paintballs. The angry kiss maniac fell to his feet while crying—now due to real physical pain.
“Fuyu-nii…” He sobbed as he saw his brother coming near him. The statue finally went out of his hiding place. His stare is cold, his whole aura is freezing. It’s as if he would bring winter in every place he would step on. “Fuyu-nii, spare me…”
Fuyu shook his head and flicked Natsu’s forehead. That flick was more painful than the shot of the paintball making Natsu almost bite his tongue. “That is not how you get a kiss, dumbass. That’s a very desperate move.”
That’s all and Fuyu went to Manaka to help her stand. The youngest immediately hugged her
better brother and buried her face to his arms to hide from her
scary brother. On the other hand, Maki didn’t stand up from where she was lying. The gang just discovered that she has really fallen asleep and sleeping soundly on that pile of leaves.
“Maki-nee-chan!” Manaka came to the girl’s aid, worried that it was because of her shot that Maki got injured or something. “Are you okay, Nee-chan?”
“She’s alright. She just needs some sleep.” Fuyu made his way towards the sleeping girl. He hung one of her arms around his nape and carried her like a princess. The movement he made didn’t even wake up the chuunibyou. “She wasn’t able to sleep well last night because of what happened to her father. Her eyebags are for real this time. Maybe the
dramatic scene she had with Natsu reminded her of her worries about Uncle Sae.”
What Fuyu said is right. Maki couldn’t sleep well thinking about her father but she didn’t cancel their meeting because she believes it is important as well.
“You mean she wasn’t faking her tears?” Miyu asked.
“I was joking back then.”
The others looked at each other as if they are thinking the same thing. With that poker face, he doesn’t seem the type that would crack a joke at random moments.
Fuyu wiped the tears from Maki’s face and then started walking back towards the mansion. Natsu immediately caught up to him and said, “Fuyu-nii, at least let me carry Maki.”
The older twin looked at Natsu with his lazy eyes but then continued walking like he didn’t hear a thing. Natsu called out to him but Fuyu just answered, “You’re not going to steal a kiss, are you? I told you that isn’t how you get a kiss.”
“Fuyu-nii~!” Natsu whined but then continued to follow his brother.
The others just shrugged their shoulders and followed the twins.
GENERAL TOGAWA’s laughter echoes at the whole room after seeing the horrible state of Natsu. His uniform was filled with different colors of paint as is someone showered him with pints of it. Fuyu just carefully placed Maki to the sofa while the other girls already went to wash themselves.
Natsu looked grumpily at the General. “This isn’t a laughing matter, Uncle Sae!”
Sae laughed even harder at that grumpy puppy face. “You are really no match to your brother when it comes to target shooting.”
“Natsu wasn’t serious that’s why.” Fuyu butted in their conversation while making sure that Maki is in a comfortable position. “He was
playing while playing.”
“Well, what would you expect from someone who
had it easy from the very start?”
Yuma flinched after hearing that statement. The whole room was suddenly filled with awkwardness. He also noticed the change in the expression of the twins. Sae’s tone was indeed challenging and sarcastic.
“You don’t know how hard it was for me…” Natsu whispered but it was audible enough for the other guys to hear.
Sae scoffed. “Hard? Tell me about how easy you got my precious daughter’s first kiss.” His face suddenly turned like a drunken ojii-san who can’t help but to laugh at the accused Natsu whose face immediately turned beet red from embarrassment.
“H-H-How did you even know about that!?” Natsu shouted back, stammering.
The General tried to conceal how broken his heart as a father with loud, forced laughter. “It was in her diary for almost one month! How will you explain this, huh!?”
“Y-You read her diary!? That’s her private property!”
The two continued shouting with each other but the sleeping Zombie is deep in her sleep. It is as if her ears are locked for that moment. Fuyu just shook his head and moved towards the door.
“Let’s go, Yuma. Their argument won’t be finished anytime soon. Let’s wash up.”
“H-Hai!”
They sneakily left the room while Yuma kept on looking back at the two guys. For a moment he thought that there was greater friction between them. Well, probably it was just his imagination.
After some while, the two finally calmed down, both are catching their breaths.
“You’re old for this kind of things, Uncle Sae. You can’t win against me!” Natsu wiped the sweat from his forehead but he couldn’t wipe away the grin of victory from his face.
“What are you talking about, young’in?” Sae smirked. He slowly straightened his back to relieve the tension.
“Just look at you. You are a respected general but you got injured after tripping on your own foot. You even broke your leg and your eyebrow had to be stitched. Admit it, you’re old already!”
Sae was taken aback at that attack of the pup. It was true that he got an injury after tripping to his own foot but his age wasn’t the reason. He was really tired that time after officiating the training of the new soldiers and he got a few drinks after it. While he was on his way home, he lost his balance while climbing the stairs of their barracks where he took a painful landing and additional broken leg.
It wasn’t really that bad for him since he could take a leave for some while and spend time with his family while healing the broken bone. He finally got an excuse to come out of the base even for a little time. Though it is a bit of a blow to his pride, he would accept it just to be with his family. But Maki just won’t believe his story and insists that he got his injuries from a battle.
“Why do you keep on insisting that I’m already old?” Sae lowered down his voice, tired of talking with the barking machine.
Natsu sneered as he crossed his arms. “Since you are already old, isn’t it about time for you to give Maki into marriage?”
“Marriage?” Sae repeated. “Are you hearing what you are saying? Maki is just in high school!”
Natsu didn’t say anything but he kept on flipping his bangs as if telling Sae that he is pertaining to himself as Maki’s marriage partner. The General was not pleased at all.
“Stop dreaming, Natsu-kun. It’s too early to think about that.” The General cleared his throat.
“Why, Uncle Sae? Don’t you like to have a handsome son-in-law like me?” Natsu proudly asked; his shoulders are getting higher than his head.
“To be honest, Natsu-kun, if there is someone I like my daughter to end up with,
it will never be you.”The Prince of Summer suddenly froze at that statement. He turned to Sae with his eyes wide open. “E-Eh?”
Sae looked straight to his eyes and the intensity of his stare was a bit hard to withstand. If Natsu is straightforward then Sae is more than it.
“To be frank, I want ---- in my family.”
Natsu already had a feeling about this before but hearing that name straight from the father of the one he likes was a total discord to his system. That was when Natsu’s world completely stopped.
“WHAT ARE you looking at?”
Yuma immediately averted his eyes after that cold question from Fuyu. The guy isn’t really in a good mood since the last time that he saw Fumie was when the girl surprised him in the shop. After that she wasn’t able to come and meet him due to the tight schedule of the training. She gets home really late and has to get back to the training center at an early time. They don’t really have the time even for a chat. He could feel how tired Fumie is everytime they talk. He misses her so much that it gives a huge weight to his heart.
“N-Nothing!” Yuma stuttered. It isn’t like he was looking at Fuyu’s well-built body. He’s sure that the other guy’s abs is well-sculpted but Yuma was really looking at the birthmark on the other guy’s forehead. “I just think that you really have an interesting birthmark.”
Since his hair was messed up when he removed his shirt, Fuyu’s birthmark is out in the open.
“This?” Fuyu pointed at his reddish mark that travels straight from the left side of his forehead and stops perfectly at the center.
“You see, I told you before that birthmark can be indications of how someone died in the past. But looking at how it looks, it is hard to guess how someone could get a wound like that.”
“Well…” Fuyu looked at the mirror and then brushed his hair up to get a closer look at his mark. For a long time this was just an unsightly birthmark for him but things got clearer when memories of his past life filled him before. He couldn’t remember most of it but the answer to that weird looking birthmark stayed in his memory.
“Anyway, Yuma…” Fuyu called out to Yuma who was struggling to wear his shirt off as his head was somewhat stuck. Fuyu sighed and helped him break free. “Don’t you really remember anything about your past life?”
The younger guy cutely shook his head. “Not a single bit. I can see and guess the case of other people’s past life but I only see myself whenever I look in the mirror. There is no light at all. Sometimes I think that I may have been an evil person in the past.”
“Do you really want to know about it?”
“Yes!” Yuma raised his fist. “I’m dead serious about this! I’m dying of curiosity of why I am here linking the past to the present just to be your aide. I want to know who I was in your past life. I want to know my connection to you guys!”
Fuyu slowly nodded. “I understand.”
Yuma tilted his head out of curiosity. When did Fuyu have the interest about him? “Do you know anything, Fuyu-senpai?”
Yuma threw that question but Fuyu didn’t answer it instead he gave Yuma a task to fulfill.
“After washing up, you should go to the kitchen to help with the preparation. I know that there are maids who could do that for us but it is better for us to help. I heard Maki’s mother is helping with the cooking so we should go help her as well as visitors. I’ll ask Yurina and Manaka to do the same.”
“Hai~” Yuma answered, a bit disappointed that his senpai didn’t care about his question.
Fuyu is finally done changing and his coconut hairstyle is already back to its glory. There wasn’t really much to clean to him since he didn’t get hit even once. It’s just that he covered himself with leaves to hide his self perfectly.
“I’ll be heading out first,” said Fuyu but before going, he gave Yuma a pat to his head making the younger guy curious but embarrassed at the same time.
“I’ve forgiven you.”That’s all and Fuyu went out leaving Yuma confused but then an idea came to his mind.
“What on earth!? He hasn’t forgiven me about my first encounter with Fumie-san?! For that long!?”
Yuma just shook his head as he continually murmur. He couldn’t believe that Fuyu takes a long time before forgiving someone. He went straight to the kitchen while being guided by the map Maki shared to them through their drive.
Miyu and the Takahashi twins are already there and he could hear them laughing. He could hear another voice of a woman and the thought of Maki’s mother immediately entered his mind. The guy happily skipped towards the others, excited to greet Maki’s mother. Somehow, that voice sounds really familiar to him, making his heart flutter just with those sound waves.
“Yuma-nii-san!” Manaka immediately gave him a wave with a big smile on her face. “Come here!
Aunt Yuki has really funny stories about Fuyu-nii-san and Natsu-nii-san!”
The lady whose long black hair is in a half ponytail turned to Yuma and gave the guy a warm smile. “Oh, are you Yuma-kun? I have heard stories about you from Maki-chan. Come here and…”
The next words didn’t enter Yuma’s system anymore as he froze after his eyes landed on Maki’s mother. For a moment there was a bright, blinding light that flashed before his very eyes but he couldn’t close them. The next thing he remembered was the unbearable pain in his head and there it goes--
the rush of memories.-TBC-