Third person POV
"Oh, you guys are back," Gen said to Reina, Nato, and Nato's squads. "Good job out there."
"Yes, we did," Nato responded on behalf of his squad and Reina.
Then, Gen noticed Mara and Martha with them. "Are you two survivors, too?"
"Yes, we are," Mara replied back.
"Are you the one whom Reina killed?" Martha asked.
"Yes, you two knew Reina-kun, too?" Gen asked them.
"Y-Yes," answered Martha back, "we were his childhood friends from elementary."
Mara then nodded. "Our names are Mara and Martha Buenavista. We are from the Philippines."
"Yes, they are," Reina added.
"Ah, okay," Gen replied back, before looking at the two women. "Nice to meet you two. My name is Gen Yamashita, and I am the leader of this organization. Welcome."
Arashi then bowed his head as a greeting to Mara, Martha, and on Gen's behalf.
A bit later, all of them are in the headquarters' break room, eating an early lunch. Reina was quietly eating his rice and sardine meal while trying to contain his inner guilt and regret. At that meal, Mara and Martha asked Gen about what Reina did to him and if that was true.
"Yes, it was," replied Gen back calmly and briefly. "Actually, I asked him to do it."
"What?" Mara gasped.
Gen then nodded. "Yes, because…"
He looked down a bit in guilt. "…I was responsible for the zombie virus outbreak in the first place."
Mara and Martha were shocked even more that someone who took them in was also the one who was responsible for the zombie virus, too.
"No way…"
"It can't be!"
Nato then responded to this, "Yes, and he asked Reina-kun to kill him so he could be free from his guilt of making the zombie virus. Gen-san was also the one who killed Reina-kun's parents with his accomplice, a young ninja assassin named Ichiro Hamada."
(At that time, Ichiro was busy slashing zombies while broadcasting dark words at them with his handheld voice changer on his tactical vest.)
Mara and Martha couldn't believe it, and Reina showed his guilt towards them while eating his meal.
"It is my fault, after all," Gen replied back, "but unexpectedly, Reina saved me, and now, he was suffering from the consequences of his actions towards me, up to the point of almost feeling not deserve to live."
Reina then finally looked at his childhood friends. "Yeah, it's true, amigos. Sorry about that."
"It's okay, Reina," Mara replied in assurance.
"We understand," Martha added.
Because of that, Reina began to tear up at being forgiven, prompting one of Nato's squad members to stand up and try to calm him down with a hand towel, while recounting the time he defended two of Nato's soldiers from the platoon of government soldiers with his righteous fury and blade.
"Woah, it's okay, Reina-kun," Gen responded to Reina. "Please don't cry. You even defended your escorts from some government soldiers when they said you developed Stockholm Syndrome by just being with us."
Reina was still crying, but that one was quieter than the first couple of seconds. "Yes, gracias, that was a good thing for me.
After a bit, he stopped crying and sniffled before finishing his meal.
All day, Mara and Martha comforted Reina in his guilt during his rest time. Gen and his men went back to their usual helping work against the zombies and the zombie outbreak. Gen is not yet even close to being the possible cure for the zombie virus. His path towards it is still long.
Then, week 2 came in, and Gen noticed something about Reina: he couldn't get over his past guilt, as if he couldn't forgive himself. Behind his positive face lies a still unresolved guilt that was still simmering within him. Gen realized that Reina felt unforgiveness toward him and also realized that Reina's killing of him was deemed unforgivable for Reina. Thinking that this feeling would ruin his friend's well-being even further, on their nightly bedtime together in Reina's room, Gen asked him if he still couldn't move on from his guilt. "Yes, still…" Reina replied as he felt the guilt weighing over him like a heavy barbell.
"I see…" Gen understood that fast as lightning, "…also, do you feel as if you couldn't forgive yourself?"
Reina then slowly nodded. "Yes…that one is basically unforgivable…"
He then leaned on Gen, attempting to feel his usual warmth.
In response to this, Gen wrapped his arm around Reina. "It's okay, I am here for you. If you couldn't forgive yourself for that, then I understand. Your feelings of guilt are way heavier for you to handle and forgive yourself."
He then paused for a moment to gather his words, then continued on, "In fact, I felt bad for you more than for myself for killing your parents."
Reina was a bit surprised to hear that, so he looked at him. "Really?"
Gen then smiled. "Yes, I do."
He gently stroked Reina's right arm to comfort his emotional distress.
Mara and Martha saw that from outside of Reina's room and were happy that both of them were getting along with each other so well.
Later at 3 p.m., Gen, accompanied by Reina, Nato, Arashi, and Hayate, visited the cages underground. These cages held both the zombie subjects and the survivors who were spared thanks to Gen's change of heart. Among the zombies is Nato's younger brother Hoka, who had been a SWAT soldier before Nato abducted him for the zombie experiment 1 year ago.
Nato cried in guilt. "I am sorry, brother. I was a monster…I will do anything to bring you back…"
"Yes," Gen added, "we promised that, by the time the cure had been made, you'll be the first to receive it."
Hoka, now infected in his now tattered SWAT uniform, tilted his head calmly.
Nato pressed his forehead against the reinforced glass while sobbing. "I was a failure to you, brother, a monster of a failure."
Meanwhile, Gen opened the cages of the survivors. "Go and get out of here," he commanded them. "Get to safer areas. I had supplies by the elevator here."
The disheveled survivors, including ones that Nato and Hayate had abducted for the zombie experiments, nodded and fled the floor while grabbing some food and supplies before bolting to the stairs. Gen, through the intercom, commanded anyone in the ground floor to make way for the survivors to get out of the headquarters. They did so.