Gentleman of the Apocalypse

Ride On

The island city of Rokaibo.

I took the time to take a good look at the view of the vast blue waters and the buildings that surrounded the bay side.

From afar, I could see the long bridge connecting this island to the mainland.

Perhaps that could be the reason why the zombies ended up here?

I've always walked along this path to school, but I never really thought about how beautiful the city actually was. I didn't bother to care.

You know that thing where knights let maidens ride on their horses and just breathe in the fresh breeze?

I sat on the motorcycle pondering, with my hands holding on to Perci.

This is almost like a romantic scene.

N-not that we're in a romance or anything. We're in the middle of a zombie outbreak right now!

The bad part about this was that you could hear some distant screams and see glimpses of fires breaking out, which ruined the whole immersion process.

The motorcycle stopped all of a sudden, which made me wonder what was going on.

"Um, why did we stop? Did the motor break down or something? Or do you just want to look at the view some more?" I asked.

"I forgot to give you this."

Perci took something from the handlebars and gave it to me.

"A helmet? Why are you giving me this just now?"

"Safety is important, but it's not like I had the time to give it to you. I planned on giving it to you once we reached a safe distance."

"Just wear it yourself."

"No, I insist that you wear it. It doesn't sit right with me to use it for myself. I'm not gonna protect myself at the cost of a woman's own protection."

"I don't want to be indebted to you."

"You don't need to pay me back anything in return."

"How do I know you aren't lying?"

I've encountered men who say they don't ask for anything when they do you favors, but when it suits them well, they'll guilt trip you someday into doing something for them just because they never asked for anything before.

"I can't prove it, but I can give you a good reason to wear it. There are plenty of people that seem to hate you, so it's probably better to conceal your identity with the helmet."

"You're pretty smart, huh? Hmph. Fine!"

I snatched the helmet from him and put it on my head.

Ugh, it feels heavy.

"T-thanks," I muttered quietly.

"What was that?"

"I said thanks! Just know that I won't owe you anything, ok?!"

"I promise I won't ask for anything in return."

I don't believe in promises, but I have no choice. I'll reject him if he ever tries to bring it up again anyway.

We got on the motorcycle and continued to go down the road.

"Look! It's the convenience store, we can stock some supplies there!" I said.

The place was a pretty lonely convenience store by the road and it was mainly used for students who needed easy access to all sorts of supplies without having to go back to the city.