Yoku's Decision
Yoku stood still, eyes flickering with unease. He couldn't shake the feeling. The soldiers were up to something. And Arial's words? He didn't trust them.
[Flashback]
Cough cough. Arial was smug, stuffing gear into his pack, rifle slung lazily over his shoulder.
"Oh, don't worry," he grinned with a cigarette between his lips. "Everything will be fine. Trust me."He winked, turned, and vanished with the soldiers.
The sound of trucks roared outside, engines starting. A cloud of dust followed as they rolled off, dirt-packed trailers trailing behind them like ghosts fleeing the facility.
"Hey, Adam!" Yoku called out.
Adam glanced over from where he and Yuruki were chatting. Yoku sighed internally. They look like a damn pear. He chuckled to himself.
"Yeah?" Adam asked.
"I'm gonna head back. This is tiring me out."
Yuruki leaned back on the fence beside the rail track that dragged their platform forward. "Oh? I thought you were enjoying the ride."
Adam gave Yoku a long look. He could feel it. Yoku was planning something.Can I really trust those guys? This is extremely stupid..."…Yeah," Adam said at last.
Yoku turned and left, hopping down with ease. Adam just stared blankly.He can handle himself, right? He told me once—he's got a memory like a damn steel trap.
Nightfall
Yoku kicked on the Kettenkrad. The night was thick with silence. For once, he was completely alone.
The stretch ahead was lined with liminal towers and skeletal windmills that stared down at him like forgotten monsters.It was… eerie.
"Hahh," he breathed."If Adam wasn't here, where would I even be?"He sighed."Maybe I'm the one who's changed… Im thinking differently now."
The silhouette of scarecrows and rusted poles loomed over him like claws, swallowing him whole. He didn't look up. He just drove.
Desolate Town
The town was still dead. Just as it always had been.News of fallen soldiers had only grown. At this rate, the town would have vanish in this world altogether.
He stepped into the house.
Yuri, Mino, and Kineki ran up to him and embraced him tightly.
Kineki, blank-faced: "I thought you were dead."
Mino gave him a light smack on the head. "Of course not! The soldiers said you and Adam left to explore the outskirts."
Yuri stared. "Yoku… should we just give up?"
Yuri exhaled. "Nevermind. That's stupid. This whole city is collapsing. I wish there was another way."
He paused—then smiled. That crooked, tired smile that hid how hopeless it all felt."You know what? There is one place I always go to when I'm tired."
Mino and Kineki asked in unison, "Where?"
He pointed outside. "The bar."
"Yuri just sighed. The doctor always insisted on the rule: no kids in the bar—ever since that incident with the violet-hoodie-striped robot kid walking in. But still... it's not like she's here now. Besides, those rascals would be in even more danger if left alone at home. And the doctor? She's already on the ground in her own Under-tale."
They walk outside and going into a bar that yoku knew...
stepping inside. Neon-red lights flickered weakly above the door. Two drunk strangers leaned into each other, laughing, and stumbled out into the night.
Inside, the place was packed with an odd mix:People in ragged apocalypse suits, someone in a dusty military uniform with a gas mask… and a dude in a blue hoodie cracking puns at a nearby table.
Yuri shoved Yoku's back. "This was a bad idea."
They sat on rusted stools.
Mino and Kineki raised their hands high. "The strongest drink you've got!"
Yoku coughed. "I mean… juice. You still got any of that fruit stash, Kelner?" He had a compel choice as if its a moral thing to do, to make kids stay away from alcohol and he didnt know why
The bartender—huge, round, and half-wearing a torn suit—grunted, his beard still wet from wine. Then he smiled.
"Well, I do. Just for three Stadth."
Yoku slapped down six.
The bartender nodded and brought back juice in beaten metal buckets.
At the far end of the bar, a strange figure—frail looking person and you dont know is its a girl or a boy suddenly walks to the stage, cloaked in oversized clothing—held a glowing red orb, and having a catlike eyes.
"A messenger of prophecy told me!! This world will end in a few centuries! We must flee—up, to the top of the city! There will be a way for us all to escape!!!"
Everyone laughed.
"Ugh… Nero, shut it," someone muttered. "You go to the center, and you'll just die. Thousands of dormant automatons are there just lying on the ground waiting for tresspasers"
Yoku froze for a second. Yuruki's words were true. We can't just go straight in…
At that moment, Yuri grabbed a metal cup filled to the brim with wine. She downed it in one go, completely unfazed.
Let the chaos begin.
"Hey!" someone shouted. "This girl's tough! How are you doing that?!"
She smirked. "Strong will."
A few hours later… the bar floor was covered in unconscious men, groaning, some twitching.
Yuri sat triumphantly, sipping more wine. Not even tipsy.