Aurélien had slowly drifted off to sleep and later awoke when a gentle hand nudged him awake.
"Hmm?" Aurélien looked up to see Saeko gazing at him with a slight smile. "Did I fall asleep?" he asked, feeling a bit foolish for having let his guard down like that.
"You did, but I kept watch over you and the others," Saeko replied.
"I was supposed to take the next watch," Aurélien grumbled.
"You need rest too, you know?" Saeko reminded him. Aurélien groaned and looked behind them, seeing Shido still preaching loudly to his group.
"Is he still going?" Aurélien asked irritably. "Why can't he just shut up?" he muttered.
"Don't get me started," Saeko agreed with a nod.
Aurélien wondered about humanity's need to depend on religion. Most people seemed to rely on it to endure the hardships of existence. What he had seen in the Warhammer universe made him realize this was probably the case—after all, the Emperor of Mankind had eradicated all cults during his lifetime among his children. Yet his fall during the Horus Heresy had birthed the Imperial Cult, even though that had never been his desire.
Choosing to reflect on the matter another time, Aurélien changed the subject. "What's happened since I fell asleep?" he asked.
"We've been stuck in heavy traffic," Saeko replied, motioning toward the windows with a nod. Aurélien looked outside and was stunned to see miles and miles of cars, trucks, and people all moving at a snail's pace.
"Hell… how are we going to cross the bridge and meet up with Takashi and Rei at this rate?" Aurélien wondered aloud.
"I agree. We might have to abandon the bus to reach the Eastern Police Station and meet up with them," Saeko said softly. "I wonder how they're doing right now?" she murmured.
"Worried about them?" Aurélien asked her. Saeko looked at him and smiled. "Of course I am. It hasn't been long since we met, but it feels like we've all bonded," she said with an easy smile.
"Well, a man once said we find our true friends on the battlefield," Aurélien said wisely. "And… I like to think I've found mine during this crisis," he added.
Saeko placed a soft hand on Aurélien's forearm and looked into his eyes. "I think so too," she said gently. Aurélien blinked, realizing how close their faces were. Saeko seemed to notice it too, a faint blush tinting her cheeks.
Aurélien was about to say something when Shido started another one of his rants to his followers. Aurélien shot him a cold glance—if only the man weren't so loud.
"By the Machine-God! Can't that vermin shut his yap for once?" the technopriest muttered, his pale green eyes narrowing in anger.
"By the way, how are your injuries?" Saeko asked, concerned about his health.
He gently tapped his ribs, feeling the medication he had taken before falling asleep starting to take effect. "Better than before. The meds dull the pain, but it's only temporary—it'll take time to heal," he said.
Then another voice chimed in behind them—it was Saya. "Hirano!" the pink-haired girl complained, pinching Kohta's cheek and waking the boy.
"Hmm? Morning, Takagi," Kohta mumbled groggily.
"Are you drooling?" Saya asked in disgust. "How can you sleep at a time like this?" she added.
"We need to rest whenever we can, Lady Saya," Aurélien informed her, and she looked at him. "We can't survive without taking time to rest and regain our strength," he said. "Besides, we need to figure out how to reach the Eastern Police Station before 7 p.m.," he added.
"And if anything, we need to move fast before that lunatic Shido tries to drag us along with him," Aurélien said, pointing his cane toward the man.
"He looks like a recruiter for a religious order," Saeko commented.
"He doesn't just look like one—he is one!" Saya said. "We also need to decide where to go from here," she added.
"I think we should stick to the suburbs," Kohta suggested.
"The suburbs will be crawling with those undead monsters," Aurélien reminded him, deflating the pudgy boy a little.
"What about the airport on the ocean?" Kohta asked. "If we can get there, maybe we can hitch a ride to somewhere safe?" he said.
"It's too late!" Saya snapped. "Think about it! This whole thing will have made most shelters with a strong military presence keep their communities as small as possible and restrict entry to outsiders," she explained.
"You seem well aware of the situation, Lady Saya," Aurélien said with a nod of approval that made Saya blush slightly at the compliment, though she quickly added, "Look at Shido. He's already attracting people and forming his own little community."
Kohta raised his nail gun, a dark look in his eyes. "Should I interrupt him?" he asked grimly. "Get to the front of the line, Kohta. I want the first shot!" Aurélien said, touching the handle of his sword.
"Forget that guy!" Saya scolded them. "We need to think about what we're going to do to survive." She sighed in annoyance. "I wish Komuro were here. I could talk to him about this," she grumbled.
"Yeah, you like Komuro. I know," Kohta mumbled gloomily. Aurélien chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Kohta. I'm sure there's a girl out there for you."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Saya blurted, then looked up to see Saeko and Shizuka watching her. "W-What?" she asked, embarrassed.
"We need to get off the bus and find Rei and Takashi," Aurélien declared before Saya could dig herself in deeper.
Shido's voice echoed once again. "As members of Fujimi Academy, it is in these trying times that we must maintain our pride!" Shido declared, waving his arms like a conductor. "We must keep our pride! Those two who left the bus—Komuro and Miyamoto—they never belonged to us anyway! Let us unite to survive!" he practically shouted.
"God, he never shuts up!" Aurélien groaned, getting up to silence the man. Saeko grabbed his wrist to stop him.
"There's no reason to fight Shido," she said. Aurélien sighed in frustration and sat back down.
"He's seriously crazy," Saya said, staring at Shido. "And look at those idiots hanging on his every word!" She was right—the survivors looked at Shido as if he were their messiah. "We're witnessing the birth of Shido-tology," Saya declared with dark humor.
"Soon they'll wear robes and carry some sacred symbol everywhere," Kohta joked dryly.
"Shit… is that how normal people see the Mechanicus cult?" the technopriest wondered to himself.
"Anyway, we need to get off this bus. We have to cross the Onbetsu Bridge and meet up with Rei and Takashi," Saeko stated.
"Where does everyone live?" Shizuka asked.
"On the other side of the bridge, near where Takashi and Rei live," Saya answered.
"I live in the same area too," Aurélien said.
"My parents aren't in town, but I'll go wherever Takagi goes," Kohta added.
"Where are your parents?" Saeko asked him.
"My dad's a jeweler, so he's in Holland buying supplies, and my mom's a fashion designer—she's always in Paris," Kohta said with a smile.
"Huh? What era did that come from?" Saya asked incredulously.
Shizuka giggled. "If this were a manga, your dad would be the captain of a foreign cruise ship."
"That was actually my grandfather," Kohta replied, scratching the back of his head. "And my grandmother was a concert violinist," he added with a laugh. Saya held her head in her hands, muttering something. Aurélien chuckled and said, "Sounds like you've got an interesting family, Kohta."
"I think you do too, Aurélien. Didn't you say one of your parents was an aristocrat?" Saeko asked.
A nostalgic smile crossed Aurélien's face. "Yes, my father was once part of the French nobility, but when he met my mother, he was disowned by my great-grandfather, who was very traditional about bloodlines. Fortunately, my grandparents had no issue with it and kept in touch with us," he explained.
"That's a unique situation. How did your parents meet?" Kohta asked curiously.
"My mother was studying programming at university, while my father was doing a master's in engineering. Sadly, he passed away from illness four years ago," Aurélien replied with melancholy.
Talking about something other than the apocalypse helped ease the tension in the group. It reminded them that there was more to life than roaming horrors.
Shizuka pressed the brake and got up from the driver's seat. "So, what are you all going to do? I want to come with you," she said.
"Are you sure, Miss Shizuka? What about your family and the others? Aren't you worried about them?" Saya asked.
"My parents died years ago, and my family lives far away," Shizuka replied. "And I know it's not nice to say, but I really don't like Mr. Shido," she said in her usual silly tone.
"I think that's a feeling we all share," Aurélien said on behalf of everyone.
"So, what should we do?" Saeko asked Aurélien.
"We get off the bus, try to cross the bridge, meet Rei and Takashi, then find a place to rest for the night," Aurélien said. "We'll deal with the rest later," he added.
Shido suddenly turned his gaze on them. "What's going on, everyone? We need to work together," he said, focusing on them.
"Thanks for the offer, Mr. Shido, but we'll pass," Saya said quickly. "We've got our own plan. And for your information, this isn't a school trip. I'm not obligated to be with you—I never even had class with you!" she declared.
Shido gave a faint smile. "I see." Putting his fingers together in front of him, he continued, "If that's what you want to do, then by all means. I can't stop you, Takagi. Japan is a land of freedom, after all, not an iron-fisted dictatorship. However…" Shido licked his lips as if about to savor a meal. "I'm afraid Miss Marikawa will have to stay," he said. Shizuka shivered at the implication.
Shido began walking toward them.
Aurélien rose from his seat and positioned himself in front of the group protectively. "Losing the doctor would be a big blow to our situation," Shido said, approaching. "Miss Marikawa? Don't you want to stay?" he asked with a sadistic smile. "There are students depending on you…" he added with a hiss.
Aurélien placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, making Shido hesitate—but then the sharp whistle of Kohta's nail gun rang out. Something grazed Shido's cheek, and a nail embedded itself in a seat. Shido went pale and clutched his now-bleeding cheek. Aurélien looked and saw Kohta aiming his nail gun at Shido.
"You… you shot at me?" Shido said, stunned.
"I missed on purpose, asshole," Kohta replied coldly.
"But you're not a violent student!" Shido tried to argue, but Kohta cut him off.
"How many of my classmates do you think I killed at school yesterday?" he asked. "I could kill you too—for all the ways you mocked me!" he added.
Looking at Shido, Aurélien felt a fire rising in his gut; a righteous fury coursed through his veins as he stared at the piece of filth responsible for hurting one of his comrades, another he had come to respect that very day. Now this man was trying to form his own Slaaneshi cult. This... this was heresy!
"Miss Busujima! Please go down first! We'll cover you and make sure he doesn't try to stop you!" Kohta said to Saeko, who smiled as she prepared to exit the bus and replied, "You two are good men. I'm impressed!" Saeko then stepped out of the bus, followed by Saya and Shizuka.
Kohta then looked at Aurélien, who was staring intently at Shido. "Aurélien, you too, get out!"
"In a moment, Kohta. I'd like to have a word with Shido first," Aurélien said in a calm, cold voice.
"A-Aurélien?" Kohta said nervously. The technopriest gave him a reassuring smile and said, "Go on, Kohta. I won't be long."
Kohta exited the bus but cast a worried glance back at his comrade before continuing. Aurélien stood in front of the only exit from the transport, both hands resting on his cane, his posture stern. He was the judge, the jury, and the executioner, ready to pass sentence on a depraved soul.
"So." Shido looked at Aurélien, who deployed his mechadendrite, which began crawling slowly across the floor toward Shido, like a serpent ready to devour its prey. "You dare to spread your vile poison into the ears of those who believed they could rely on you for protection. Yet you're nothing more than a power-hungry sick man, seeking to bring debauchery wherever you go," Aurélien declared with a cold fury.
"You… you misunderstand!" Shido cried. "I've always cared about the protection of my students! There's nothing wrong with seeking comfort in the chaotic world that's just begun! Even you might find some enjoyment in this situation!" he pleaded.
"Enjoyment, huh?" Aurélien asked as the mechadendrite moved closer to Shido's face. "Shall I show you how I find amusement?" he offered.
A small flame ignited at the hand-like end of the mechadendrite. "Usually, I use this tool for welding metal," Aurélien stated. "But I believe I've found it a new purpose," he added coldly.
The mechadendrite clamped onto Shido's face, who screamed and thrashed like a pig being slaughtered. Aurélien was careful not to use too much heat—he didn't want to end the serpent's suffering too soon. After several long seconds, the machine withdrew from Shido's face, leaving behind a man breathing heavily, now blind, his face disfigured by third-degree burns.
Seeing the result of his judgment, Aurélien declared: "This is what happens to those who dare to corrupt humanity. These wounds will be fatal without proper treatment, which is impossible given the city's current state. You'll die a slow, agonizing death, accomplishing nothing but cursing your own selfishness."
Looking at Shido's followers, all too afraid to move, Aurélien said: "And the same goes for the rest of you. If I see any of you—whether you abandon Shido or not—you'll suffer the same fate!"
Aurélien then left the bus and caught up with the others.