Third-person POV
"Oh, you guys are back," Gen said to Shu, Ichiro, Nato, and Nato's squads. "Good job out there."
"Yes, we did," Nato responded on behalf of his squad and Shu.
"Most of downtown Minato is now cleared of the zombies," Ichiro reported to Gen.
With that, Gen noticed Mara and Martha with them. "Are you two survivors, too?"
"Yes, we are," Mara replied back.
"Are you the one whom Shu killed?" Martha asked.
"Yes, that was true. You two knew Shu-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," Shu 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, the YKY. 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. Shu 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 Shu 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, plus the fact I was the who had eliminated his parents in their apartment home in Urayasu City, Chiba Prefecture."
Mara and Martha were shocked even more that someone who took them in was also the one who was responsible for the zombie virus and for the deaths of the parents of their childhood friend, too.
"No way…"
"It can't be!"
The twin sisters remembered the good times they had with Shu's late parents since they also happened to live in the same Danchi apartment as Shu and his parents on the third floor while Shu and his parents had their unit on the fifth floor.
Nato then responded to this, "Yes, and Gen-san asked Shu-kun to kill him so he could be free from his guilt of making the zombie virus."
He then glanced at Ichiro for a brief moment and added, "Gen-san was also the one who killed Shu-kun's parents with his accomplice, a young ninja assassin named Ichiro Hamada."
"That was me, you two," Ichiro responded to that while eating his instant ramen noodles and some slices of red apple.
"We had put the zombie virus into ammunition and gas canisters, the worst of all the atrocities," added one of Gen's subordinate doctors, Sousuke Nakashima, while in his doctor's attire and had his blue surgeon's cap on his black, Ahoge-style hair.
Sousuke had been a doctor of Gen; he had black hair and red eyes and was 27 years old. He used to inject victims with the zombie virus and was armed with dual pistols against intruders in the YKY headquarters. Now, he dedicated most of his time for the research of the cure for the zombie virus and treating the injuries of both survivors and YKY personnel alike.
Mara and Martha couldn't believe it, and Shu showed his guilt towards them while eating his meal.
"It is my fault, after all," Gen replied back, "but unexpectedly, Shu 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."
Shu then finally looked at his childhood friends. "Yeah, it's true, amigos. Sorry about that. I had failed you guys, morally."
"It's okay, Shu," Mara replied in assurance.
"We understand," Martha added.
Because of that, Shu 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, Shu-kun," Gen responded to Shu. "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."
"Yeah, that was badass as hell!" Enmei interjected.
"I still swear I saw an oni beside you at that time," Ichiro added. "Not hallucinating."
"You don't give the fuck on that government platoon when they judged you as our "hostage", Kaimen grinned while slurping his miso soup on a plastic white bowl.
Shu was still crying, but that one was quieter than the first couple of seconds. "Yes, sí, 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 Shu 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, but still, there was more life in the headquarters of the YKY near the Kawasaki coast.