𝐔𝐍𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑 (𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊 𝐗 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑)

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑𝟏.

Midnight City by M83 is playing ⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆

Y/N's POV

Just like a week ago, the boys crowd around the calendar as they chatter about tomorrow's date: January 1st. It's hard to believe that we're almost two months into a zombie apocalypse and that a new year is starting. This year will definitely be different from its previous one, I'm just bummed that I can't see any firework shows, travel, go to the temple, eat toshikoshi soba (buckwheat noodles), or see extended family.

"What if we made DIY fireworks?" Shidou beams.

"Hell no. Even if we did, you'd burn the place down to ash," Reo comments, earning him a scoff in reply.

"I have some ideas!" I announce, light bulbs going off in my head one by one as everyone's attention turns toward me. "Let's make our own time capsules, New Year's resolutions, and then do karaoke with just singing to end the night! I'm pretty sure Yoichi's father's watch is still working so we can even use that to count down the seconds to midnight!"

Cheers erupt as the boys express their excitement towards my ideas. I'm happy to hear their positive reactions and help in finding materials for each activity. It's only 3 PM, so we have approximately nine hours!

𐙚

To make things easier, everyone agreed on finding one object to bury along with a written letter as their own personal time capsule. The object I chose was a ripped out part of the calendar that held today's date: December 31st, 20xx. The others also had heartfelt items. Yoichi included a picture of himself post-soccer practice with the sunset in the background, Bachira decided to bring a drawing, Nagi decided to bury his phone, and Chigiri decided to bury his "I SURVIVED THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE" t-shirt, much to Igarashi's dismay (Chigiri really didn't want it).

Uncrumpling the paper, I decided to read the letter I wrote one last time:

"If you're reading this, then maybe the world has healed. Maybe the infected are gone, and people walk freely in the streets again. Maybe laughter fills the air, not just silence and fear.

We don't know if we made it to that future. We don't know if we survived long enough to see a world worth living in again. But we fought for it. We fought every single day, not just against the dead, but for each other. For hope. For love.

We weren't just survivors. We were people. We told stories to each other in an abandoned house. We traded jokes even when the world gave us nothing to smile about. We celebrated birthdays with stale crackers and old candles. We saved each other, in every way that mattered.

If you are safe now, if you warm and fed, if you can read this without fear, please remember us. Not just as ghosts of a broken world, but as proof that even in the darkest times, humanity endured. Take this letter as a message from the past: Cherish what you have. Protect it. Live, not just survive.

With hope,

L/n y/n

12/31/20xx

Saitama, Japan"

Tucking my letter and piece of calendar paper safely in a sealed envelope, I buried my time capsule in Yoichi's backyard along with the others. The boys were even able to make a sign that said "TIME CAPSULES HERE ⬇" for people to see. Hopefully, the right people dig it back up and find our belongings.

𐙚

New Year's Resolutions are tough. But Yoichi was able to encourage everyone to share at least one goal they made. In a circle, we took turns.

Yoichi: I'll go first. I'll keep a journal and write down what happens every day so we don't lose our history.

Bachira: I want to get better at drawing!

Nagi: I'm gonna find a working phone.

Reo: I'm gonna find a stash of money! (Everyone: Money doesn't have value in this world, Reo.)

Aryuu: My goal is to take care of my hair and make it look like the shiniest, softest, silkiest, most beautiful black, Japanese hair you've ever seen. I'll look like I belong in a shampoo ad, where models from all over the world are jealous of me and my –

Kunigami: I'm gonna get bigger muscles.

Chigiri: I won't let myself give in to despair, no matter how bad it gets.

Rin: Why would I tell you guys mine? (His was secretly to find his brother)

Raichi: I'll try to plant something and keep it alive. After all, everyone is telling me I need something to practice patience.

Kuon: I'll try to be more mindful of the present moment and look for the beauty in this world.

Gagamaru: I want to climb a mountain.

Igarashi: I want to grow my hair!

Karasu: Get a girlfriend- I mean improving my combat skills.

Otoya: You stole mine!

Yukimiya: I want to work on improving my eyesight using natural ways and all the resources we have.

Shidou: I want to get a hot guy's number.

Barou: I want to be the strongest here. I'll beat everyone in a sprinting race, lifting weights, breath endurance underwater, and more.

Tokimitsu: I also want to be stronger!

Y/n: I... don't know.

"Hm? What do you mean you don't know, y/n?" Bachira asks me.

"I might need more time to think about mine... It feels like three hours wasn't even enough." Then it hits me. "Wait."

"What is it?" Yoichi leans in.

"I think... No, my New Year Resolution is... to be with everyone here. To never lose anybody here. I understand that tomorrow is never certain and there are some things out of our control, like who lives and who doesn't. I don't mean to be so dark or negative, but honestly speaking, it's the truth. However, with everything that I have, I want to still stay with everyone. I want to still talk to everyone, spend time with everyone, eat with everyone, laugh with everyone, make memories with everyone, grow older with everyone, and more. That's my number one goal for next year."

Everyone is absolutely quiet at my answer, causing a blush to crawl up to my cheeks. I feel like Eren Yeager in that one scene from AOT where he's on the train and confesses how everyone means so much to him. However, my response is not more blushed cheeks, but rather, warm, big arms wrapped around my torso from everybody as we all crowd in for yet another group hug.

𐙚

It's 1 AM in the new year and everyone is... uncouth.

We ended up missing the countdown entirely because we were too distracted. By the time Yoichi found his dad's watch, it was already past midnight. It didn't stop us from celebrating anyway and the boys started to drink the sake Yoichi found when they went out for Secret Santa gifts. Everyone except me and a few others are pretty much wasted, using hairbrushes and candlesticks as mics as both angelic singing and voice-cracking notes can be heard.

But it doesn't matter. Because there's nowhere else I'd rather be right now.

a/n: i will be updating this fanfic more regularly! i have up to chapter 42 in my drafts rn so here's a little sneak peak as to what's next:

chapters 32-35 will be centered around the "harbor arc" where two more characters will be introduced!

chapter 36 will be the start of a new arc (not saying the name because it'd give it away) where a certain older brother gets introduced into the story and there will be squid game/alice in borderland inspired chapters! it will also be the start of more dark psychological/thriller themes. additionally, majority of "the lore," if you'd like to call it that (info about the virus and why there are different types of zombies), will be revealed in chapter 41.