@AThousandCurses@DarckLeon

"Ah, take your time," said Kauro. He watched the cashier get his order, completely unaware of the absolute unit that was standing behind him. There was no way that an other worldly force would try to take him away in a public space, but then again time stopped, and he was pulled into another world, so that was probably useless. His thoughts were drifting until he heard someone refer to him by name.

Typically, Kaoru was someone that would be unphased by surprises. He had consumed so much horror media that it had rendered him immune to jump scares. Given the strange and dangerous circumstances, however, he almost seemed to recoil as he turned around to see who exactly it was that knew him. It was just some guy wearing his school's uniform, so that would explain how he knew who Kauro was. After all, Kauro worked quite hard to get his position within the school's hierarchy.

Holy shit this dude was tall.

Quickly recovering, Kauro flashed a charming smile and said, "It was fine. I don't think we've had the chance to meet before." His attention though was brought back to the cashier who had his order ready.

"Uh, yeah that would be all. Thank you." Kauro had the money ready in hand though his perceptive eyes caught the cashier's strange behavior. It was as if he was looking behind him, despite there being nothing behind him.

Kauro arched his brow in confusion, standing a bit skewed to see whatever the cashier was looking for. All he could see though were just shelves with cigarettes. "Hey, are you okay? You're looking kinda pale there," asked the redhead. Right now, he had no reason to assume that this guy had any involvement with Strange Gospel. For all he knew, the poor guy just faced harassment from management.

Shiratori briefly seemed to pause a moment when referred to in such a familiar fashion, but she quickly recovered, giving Nozaki a smile of her own.

"What a coincidence! I'm heading the same way, we can walk together."

Certainly, this reaction would just appear to be a friendly attempt to get to know a fellow student, as Shiratori Naoko approached the boy.

But the timing would certainly feel a little strange, perhaps, if one were to pause and think about it. For someone to approach right out of the blue after something so unusual occurred.

While Shiratori was silent for a few moments, when she next spoke, perhaps it would make the truth obvious. Or perhaps it wouldn't.

"So, um..." she trailed off for a moment, "Have you noticed anything strange going on, lately? I know everyone is talking about that Strange Gospel thing, but that can't be true, right? It's not as if that kind of thing can really happen, right?"

Even as she spoke, she paused for a moment, idly glancing around. It was likely it would appear as a perfectly normal behavior, something any ordinary person might do on a walk.

But Shiratori was checking to make sure no-one was in earshot before she spoke again.

@Bartimaeus

"Yes, this is the first time we've talked." Yuichi affirmed Kauro's statement. It didn't seem like Kauro was too bothered by him speaking to him. While that was good, it didn't change the fact that the heartbeat was still pounding in his head. In fact, it made him feel worse, since it made Yuichi feel like he was insane for hearing abnormal noises. Thankfully, it would seem that Kauro was going back to talking to the cashier, given Yuichi a small reprief.

Looking off to the side, Yuichi held his head down and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What's wrong with me," Yuichi muttered darkly to himself. The heartbeat seemed to become more prominent with each beat. When was this strange noise going to finally cease? Taking a deep breath; Yuichi counted up his multiples by two and calmed himself.

Kauro must have been done with his order. Turning back around, Yuichi noticed the concerned look on his orange hair peer's face. He hadn't caught the last bit of what Hattori said, but by looking at the cashier, Yuichi could get what it was about. The boy, who looked around his age, was pale. If Yuichi wasn't currently undergoing a slow mental breakdown, he would have shown some concern for the cashier. Unfortunately, Yuichi didn't have the mental energy to spare.

'Hattori-kun will probably handle it,' with being a social guy and all, he'd probably be able to calm down the cashier. Maybe even crack a joke or two for a smile. That is what Yuichi thought.

Kazama Kosubaku

"Hey, are you okay? You're looking kinda pale there"

When he heard that question Kazama wanted nothing more than kick himself, he had let the events that transpired a few minutes ago impact his job. It didn't matter that it was a minor thing, in his mind any and all mistakes were unforgivable, but that just showed how much it affected him, and that damned heartbeat didn't help at all. He could still hear it, thumping and thumping at the back of his head, but he needed to concentrate on the client in front of him first. "Y-yeah, just had a weird day is all, no need to worry"] , he said with the best smile he could muster. Kazama noticed Kauro had the money in his hand and was about to extend his own when he paused, and against his better judgment decided to ask his peers in front of him "Actually, just a quick question if you don't mind, did any of you notice anything weird in the way here? I think a gas line broke up or something, I became a little lightheaded a few minutes ago, saw some weird stuff" . That was the only logical explication Kazama could think of to explain what he saw and wanted to be sure.

If there really was a broken gas tube he would need to tell his boss so he could pass it up to the neighborhood association before anything too bad could happen.

So help her, Nagi was going to throw this bitch into oncoming traffic. At the very least, Gotoh was listening. Being an unbelievable cunt about it, but still listening. Still, how the hell had the rumor mill not focused on the fact that the school genius was a walking stereotype insufferable know-it-all? That really should've been the first thing anyone even mentioned about Gotoh Yuzu. Fucking hell, she seriously wasn't paid enough to deal with this shit. For a moment, Nagi felt just a twinge of empathy towards her father and a good portion of the boys for their smoking habit. A cigarette didn't sound like the worst idea right now if it took the edge off dealing with this. Then the part of her that actually gave a shit about the health of everyone involved ruthlessly quashed that sentiment and gave her a dope slap on the back of the head for even considering it.

"God, just...fuck it." Nagi groaned in disgust as she pinched her brow. "If it means something's gonna come out of your mouth besides another insult, just ask your questions while we're walking. Can't promise I can answer everything, but I'll tell you what I know and/or what I'm allowed to say before you meet the boss."

At the same time, Nagi fished her burner phone out, rapidly typing a text to her erstwhile classmate and co-worker.

Shiratori, you got your guy yet? Mine's driving me batshit insane from how much of a huge bitch she is, might kill her before Strange Gospel gets the chance to at this rate

@Pitsuji @VitaVitaAR

Gotoh Yuzu

Where this freaking delinquent got off talking to her like this, Yuzu could not guess!! She tried glaring holes into the back of her head, mostly because she felt like the yakuza bitch would hit her or something and she apparently already avoided death once today. Yuzu bit the inside of her lip and took a calming breath, okay. For now, she should just try and get information about this thing from the delinquent, even if she didn't look smart enough to do more than swing a bat against someone's skull.

"Well you can start by telling me how exactly I would have died." Even just thinking it makes a shiver go up her spine, her shoulders square as she followed behind. "And why its happening through some phone app! You'd think a virus would be a lot easier, if someone was planning on killing people with...whatever this is."

As she talked, however, Yuzu did take notice of the Yakuza bitch typing away at her phone. She sped up behind her to try and see what exactly she was saying. It was hard, considering she was several inches shorter than the bitch and that they were both moving. Shiratori? And- Did she just call her a bitch!?

@Psyker Landshark

@AThousandCurses@DarckLeon

"Uh huh..." This would have been the part where this tall guy would introduce himself, but it looked like he did not seem to know the protocol for basic introductions. So, Kauro still had no idea who this guy was still, and the conversation came to a grinding halt. There was no salvaging that conversation and Kauro really just did not have the energy to care enough to try to maintain a conversation where he would never interact with again. He had more important matters at hand though he was stuck talking to an anxious store employee.

The clerk made a mistake with trying to hide behind a smile; don't try to bullshit a bullshitter. Clearly there was something wrong, but if he would not divulge information then there was nothing for Kauro to do. However, he let on a bit more than he might've intended. This could have been nothing though. It could have just been an actual gas leak, but there were too many strange phenomena occurring all at once all over the city; things that even Kauro has seen. There was a real chance that Kauro had just met another victim of Strange Gospel. It was a big jump to conclusions, but he had to take it.

"You saw it, didn't you? Strange Gospel, or whatever that world was," Kauro said to him point blank without blinking. "You can hear it too. A heartbeat, but it's at the very edge of your hearing like it's background noise. That's why you're looking behind even when all there is behind you is a wall with shelves. Considering you suggested a gas leak, something you'd report immediately to your supervisor, you must've experienced it for the first time today. The same as me."

His blood was beginning to pump again. If he was correct, then that meant it was possible that there were other people that entered that world at the same time he did. Just how many others were pulled into it as well today?

"Can you say that again?" Suddenly, the tall student came close behind Kauro and grabbed his shoulder. While his tone seemed polite, the serious expression that demanded an explanation betrayed his feelings. Yuichi wasn't paying attention to what was said beside him. The youth took out his phone shortly after he looked away. Eyeing the same app that seemingly was the source of his stress, he tried to delete it from his phone a second time until he heard the word 'Strange Gospel.'

Whether Yuichi noticed or not, his grip on Kauro's shoulder tightened. "What do you know of this Strange Gospel?" There was no attempt to connect the two. If Kauro was experiencing the same auditory illusion, then he definitely was the only one. The cashier as well if Kauro's guess was correct. How many people were involved with this app? The entire school? Maybe even more?

A chill ran down his spine as he remembered a classmate who passed by him who first mentioned it. Did that mean that kid was also? His grip slightly loosened on Kauro's shoulder. Yuichi's eyes glanced over to the cashier, "Is it the same for you?" Considering that the cashier looked as bad, or worse, than him, Yuichi guess that it would be a yes.

Though what did this all mean? Yuichi's eyes furrowed as he became aware that the arm he had used was his dominant arm. His arm shook as Yuichi tried to contain himself.

Kazama Kosubaku

Strange Gospel! As he heard that name leave Hattori's mouth he knew why the morbid scenario he witnessed some minutes ago was familiar to him! It was the same imagery as those creepy videos that started to pop up in that app, and his eyes widened as he realized that perhaps he wasn't crazy, perhaps something more was going on behind the scenes... but if that really was the case, it only invited more questions to his mind. He looked at Hattori's, his cool and collected facade starting to disappear a little as his eyes became, for a lack of a better word, alive for the first time in the conversation.

He was about to answer the question when the guy behind him grabbed the orangette's shoulder. Now that he was closer, Kazama could see just how tall he was, considering he himself was taller than the average student and even some men he worked with, it was rare to find himself looking up to someone, even if slightly. He noticed that the grip he had on Hattori was perhaps stronger than it should be, but if they all experienced that same moonlight-filled world then he couldn't blame him if his nerves got to him. Still, that didn't mean it was correct, so he quickly spoke out, both to answer the questions and to try and calm the situation. "Yeah, some minutes ago on the street". Before continuing, he made sure no other customer was in the store, even if the entrance was visible from where they were, he didn't want anyone to overhear what he was about to say. "Blood all over the place, a full moon, and a fucking enormous tower in the distance? Yeah I saw it, and I can still hear the heartbeats". Even the memory of it made his blood run cold, it was the most disturbing thing he ever saw.

He sighed, a weight off his shoulders now that he could confirm he wasn't crazy, but that still begs the question. "You say that weird app, Strange Gospel, has something to do with this?, I've heard the rumors and though they were only urban legends, now I'm not so sure." he shifted his view between Hattori and the still unidentified tall guy, seeing as the three of them were in a similar situation. "Do you think the disappearances are also connected to this? because if they are...". Then any of us could be next was left unsaid.

@DarckLeon@AThousandCurses
"It has everything to do with it," responded Kauro as his eyes, as Kazama noticed, betrayed his cool and calm tone and the corners of his mouth were fighting back a grin. He glanced down at the hand clasped tightly on the shoulder like a vice and shaking from the anxiety of the unknown. Despite it actually being quite painful, he just looked up at the tall boy and chuckled. To them, the orange haired kid seemed more amused by the situation than concerned. Or perhaps more excited? What were the chances that he'd not only bump into two people who interacted with Strange Gospel, brought into that world, and be from the same school as him? Maybe he should buy a lottery ticket if he got out of this alive.

His attention was brought back to Kazama and continued with that calm and cool tone. "There is no such thing as coincidences. I have my theories, but they are merely conjecture. However, what I am certain is that the app, that world, the disappearances, and that figure are all connected. Everything has a function, a point to its existence. The app's purpose was to communicate to us and make us marks though to what end I cannot say though I can only assume the worst. If I were gambling man, I'd say that we're next on the proverbial chopping block."

For someone that confidently said that they were about to be spirited away by some unknown force to that world to face their death, he seemed unperturbed. He picked up the can of cola in front and cracked it open like this was just him and the boys chilling around on a couch, taking a sip from it. Kauro either was unaware of the severity of the situation or he did not fear death.

He did that thing where when people in commercials after taking a drink make that 'ahh' sound and placed the can back on the counter. Kauro was enjoying this a bit too much, which was more than what was socially acceptable given the circumstances. For him, it was just nerding out at the fact that supernatural phenomena even existed and that he had a real mystery on his hands. He continued to ramble on. "As to what to what that world is, well, I do have theories. My original theory was that it was the future if we are to go with the train of thought that the app shows us that first, but after being transported and getting a better look, it could be a parallel world given that there were similar, twisted versions of structures from our world. Or..."

The student trailed off lost in thought, his fingers tapped on the counter rhythmically repeatedly. This went on for a god thirty seconds before he said "Both theories are correct. Perhaps it will be a convergence of worlds and that's the final possible future the app showed us. We should know, we witnessed the walls of reality be breached by another."

"Mmm, something a bit out of the ordinary, I guess, like... a vision? Everything getting dark for a bit, that kind of thing," Shiratori continued, cocking her head to one side, her pigtails swaying as she spoke, "It's just I heard about things like that because of that weird strange gospel thing, you know? So I was wondering if you saw anything."

She paused for a moment when her phone buzzed, and she swiftly fished it from her bag to tap out a message.

"Ah, hold on!"

ive got him. as soon as we find all the others we should report back to hq. plz dont kill anybody.

She let out a sigh as she put her phone away.

"Aah, some people really invest in some patience, it'd go a long way," she commented, "Anyway, um, so-"

Her phone buzzed again, this time with a different tone. Immediately she was fishing it out of her pocket once more.

It's happening. Sending you the target coordinates now. Report back to HQ immediately when you've found them all.

"Eh?! Wait, that's...!"

When the coordinates arrived, it at least looked like three of them were all in the same place, but-

She couldn't complete that though.

The world stilled.

The sky darkened.

Blood splattered on the inky black of the nearby buildings.

The tower loomed in the distance.

It was earlier then expected this time. It didn't work like this very often, most of the time it waited until nightfall. It must have wanted these people just as badly as they did.

"... Nozaki-san," Shiratori began, turning to face the boy, "There's not a lot of time to explain, but if you get separated from me then you will die. This isn't a joke. This isn't a laughing matter. This is as serious as serious gets."

She glanced at her phone again.

"There's some other people trapped here. We're going to get them, and then we're going back to our headquarters."

She wasn't taking no for an answer, taking a step forward and waiting for the boy to follow.

@Bartimaeus

---

The world had once again descended into darkness. The moon above, almost like the face of a taunting figure looking down upon them. The tower standing above the dark, seemingly-featureless buildings.

But that wasn't all, this time.

The heartbeat had reached its full strength again, but now there was another sound.

A slimy, gooey sound, like something wet smacking into the concrete.

And it was getting closer. It had to be near to begin with, perhaps located in an alley not too far away.

Whatever it was wasn't far.

@Pitsuji@Psyker Landshark

---

All other humans in the area had disappeared.

The darkness had risen again.

But this time, they weren't alone.

The convenience store itself, in spite of the seemingly featureless nature of the building exteriors in this place, appeared largely unchanged. At least, aside from what seemed to be blood coating the floor and leaking out from inside of refrigerator units.

The sound of a heartbeat had returned, but this time there was something else. A strange shuffling noise from beyond the store's windows could be heard, though what was making it was impossible to tell.

Certainly, there didn't appear to be any humans out there.

@hatakekuro@DarckLeon@AThousandCurses

Yuichi looked at the cashier and then at Kauro. Back at the cashier and then at Kauro. It took Yuichi a long time to process Kauro's theories and speculation on what was going on. Was the app out to kill them? How was it going to kill them? More importantly, why was it going to kill them?! Kauro's theories and conjectures only added more questions to Yuichi's mind as he couldn't properly understand what the orange hair man was saying. "Wait, hold on a second." Yuichi let go of Kauro's shoulder and held up his hands.

"I get that the app might have a connection to the recent disappearances late. I understand that all the coincidences are connected, but..." Yuichi had a frown on his face. "The proverbial chopping block? Don't you think that's a bit much?" How the hell was this guy popular again? It took a lot of restraint from Yuichi to fully voice out his thoughts, but he continued. "Even if it's an alternate future or a parallel dimension, you have no proof for it. I think it'd be best if we'd keep the theories down for now."

Ah, that's right, he forgot to introduce himself. It was better to know the names of the people who were afflicted by the same plight that he had been under. "My apologies; I forgot to introduce myself. My name is-" Yuichi stopped stone cold as he could feel some sort of wave flow through him. The purple-haired boy didn't have to turn around to confirm what had happened. Yet, he still did it out of foolishness.

Blood seemed to leak through the doors of the convenience store. Yuichi took a few steps back and ended up bumping into Kauro, who was right behind him. There was something beyond the windows. Whatever it was, Yuichi wasn't going to find out what. "Cashier-san." In a quiet yet booming voice, Yuichi looked over toward Kazama. "Where's the back exit?"

Kazama Kosubaku

He stood there and listened to Hattori's hypothesis about what was going but the wild theories only served to confuse him even further. Parallel worlds? Seeing the future? Concepts that only existed in manga and anime now were possible answers to the problem they were facing. But... Kazama's previous experience didn't only serve as proof, but it also matched with what the teen in front of him was telling him, and going by the expression on the tall guy's face, the three of them were in a similar situation.

Faced with facts and a solid explanation, or at least more solid than anything he could come up with, he could only nod, taking a few moments to organize the many ideas floating in his head before speaking. "So, let's say you're right, that this is some kind of parallel world or whatever, then the question becomes just what the hell do we do? My first idea would be going to the police but that's just asking for them to laugh at us or worse, taking us for addicts of some kind" Or at least that was his line of thought. With no way of actually showing other people what they have seen there was no way, they would believe them.

Kazama sighed, a tired, nervous sound leaving his mouth. He had noticed something in Hattori's tirade and he just had to ask. "And not to change the topic or something, but aren't you a little too carefree when talking about this Hattori-san? We may as well be talking about our possible deaths here..." Then again, in the face of such excitement? He wasn't sure if that was the correct word, but nevertheless, Hattori's way of speaking helped in soothing his mind a little, at least he wasn't afraid of his own shadow anymore. He was about to introduce himself when the tallest guy in the room decided to speak up, voicing his displeasure at the orangette's wild conjectures. A valid opinion to have in the face of all this that's for sure, but what else did they have aside from theories? "Well, maybe that's true, but any reason for what's happening is going to be a crazy one anyway"

Sadly for Kazama, his peace of mind wouldn't last for long. It was an imperceptible change, a blink of an eye. One moment everything was alright, but one second was all it took for him to notice something was amiss. The first thing he noticed was the lack of movement outside, once again the street became deserted of all life. Then the blood started to seep from the floor, from the fridge, and even from the ceiling. That damned heartbeat that he finally managed to ignore returned but now it wasn't just a heartbeat. A strange sound came from the outside, unidentifiable to his ears, a shuffling of some kind or something. Even the shadows seemed to move on their own, the alien moonlight illuminating the ambiance a stark reminder that they weren't in the normal world anymore.

"G-guys what the fuck do we do, there's something out there!" He said, frantically looking at the store, seemingly looking for something, his eyes never straying from the entrance for too much, afraid of what could step inside. Having found what he was looking for, Kazama rapidly went to one of the nearest aisles, taking the biggest kitchen knife for sale in one hand and a small but sturdy-looking meat tenderizer in the other before going back behind the counter.

"Q-quick! come here and take one of these, there's also a fire extinguisher behind the counter! Just grab whatever!" He was clearly panicking, remembering the earlier sensation of being watched, of having something coming from behind. His thoughts were so frantic that he didn't even consider the back exit until after he was asked by the purple-haired boy. "R-right, there's one on the back, in the storage area. The door's over there" He said while pointing to their right, a nondescript door with an 'Employees only' sign in it some 5 meters of distance from where they were standing.

"How you die?" Nagi raised an eyebrow, deciding to humor the abrasive nerd. In the meantime, she glanced at the response she'd gotten back from Nozomi, immediately followed by coordinates from their handlers. Well, at least she knew where to go now. "Well, one of two things, usually. First doesn't happen often, and it probably shouldn't to you since we got to you first, but sometimes people just have what's basically a mental shutdown. Ain't pretty. Second is-"

The world shifted. It happened again. Nagi stilled, looking around for a brief moment before tucking her phone away. Shit, shit, shit. This was bad. Both she and Nozomi had to lug around civilians during this shift, while looking for three more. This...wasn't going to be pretty.

"God damn it." She groaned, thumbing her Awakening Drive once more as she glanced back to Yuzu, now deathly serious. "Gotoh. That second way you die? Getting killed by monsters in here. I need you to follow me and listen, because if you don't, you're gonna get killed real quick."

Nagi turned, grabbing Yuzu by the shoulder and looking her dead in the eyes.

"I'm not fucking around. This shit's absolutely serious. Stay behind me, and do what I tell you, when I tell you to. I ain't yanking your chain, I'm trying to keep you from biting it. Until I get you to the boss, you're defenseless in here. And there's still three more people that me and my coworker are trying to track down and stop from getting killed too. Got it?" Nagi's grip on Yuzu's shoulder turned into a brief pat before she turned back around, leading the way towards the coordinates she'd been given. It wasn't too far away, but anything could happen in the distance between the supermarket and the conbini.

@Pitsuji

@AThousandCurses@DarckLeon

"We can either figure out a way to save ourselves and investigate or we wait to see what happens. I don't know when we'll back pulled back in, but the reality is we are probably short on time if we can hear that heartbeat." What were they supposed to do? If they could be pulled back into the world whenever the forces wanted to, they would have no choice in the matter. The only thing they could do was to learn about what was happening and see if they could gleam anything from it. For Kauro, that was a joy, but for the others it was a terror.

The cashier caught on from Kauro's pretty blatant excitement and asked him why he did not seem to be panicking in the face of very possible death. All color in Kauro's face drained away as soon as he was called out for understandably his inappropriate level enthusiasm for their situation. He had been so excited by all the wild possibilities that the case presented that he forgot put on his 'Popular Guy' facade. "Ah, sorry. Uh, you see," he trailed off to think of any excuse to get him out of this situation. Maybe death would have been better at this rate.

However, a convenient distraction came in the form of a tall, rather dim purple haired boy. Kauro looked up at him with an expression that asked, 'how stupid could this guy be'. Yes, these theories were out there, but did this guy really understand what they saw and what's been happening? Kauro asked as bluntly and coldly as possible, "What else would you call that blood flooded world other than a chopping block? In the face of absurdity, expect equally absurd theories. Yes, I have no proof, but is this seriously the time to be a sceptic when you witnessed it yourself? We're not playing by the rules of this world anymore so-"

There was something wrong. It was as if everything seemed normal, like a living room that was neatly in order except for a picture frame that was just ever so slightly titled. Where were the other shoppers? The silence was unnatural; the busyness of the city streets ceased as if it was paused. This was then followed by the light being snuffed away. Then it was followed by the most pungent of smell, an overwhelming scent of iron that flooded his nostrils. Blood soaked the floor and blood poured in thick, viscous streams from fridges and the heartbeat echoed in their ears. They were back on the chopping block.

Kauro took the knife presented to him, his eyes never leaving the store entrance. "Move quickly and quietly. Be on alert. We don't know what's here."

Gotoh Yuzu

Yuzu crossed her arms going into full on listening mode to at least properly absorb some information that she was going to have to know.

That was however, until the world changed around them.

Yuzu whimpered pathetically as her head whipped around to try and look for any escape from this horrible fucking place. What could you even describe it as? It was the world she knew and lived in all her life, but completely and utterly wrong. Like everything around her decided it was time for her to die once and for all, everything was against her, everything was out to get her.

"Uh..." She flinches at Nagi in an ugly way, going from bitch to horribly frightened in a second flat. Her mind fought between trying to listen to Nagi and smacking her hand away. She nods along hurriedly, now she just wanted to get the hell out of here as fast as possible. Though, upon her patting on the shoulder she immediately latches onto Nagi's arm. Somehow, the yakuza bitch seemed like a very comforting thing to be around. "W-whatever! Okay! J-just get me outta here! W-why do we have to get those guys? A-aren't they getting someone to escort them like your doing!? Don't you hear that!?"

@Psyker Landshark

Nodding to Kauro's command, Yuichi followed it to a T. Though, Yuichi felt this wasn't to be resolved quietly. If Kauro's insane theories were true, and given the context of the situation, were probably true, then Yuichi doubted this would be the only creature that was roaming out of the streets. "Cashier-san. Take the meat tenderizer for yourself. I'll figure out something for myself."

Yuichi doubted he could effectively use the meat tenderizer to its fullest potential, though when the Cashier said something about the fire extinguisher, he nodded. Slowly walking behind the counter, he picked up the fire extinguisher. It was slightly heavy, but Yuichi was accustomed to heavier objects when he was still in training.

"Cashier-san. Hattori and I will keep watch on the door. Can you take a peak outside to see if there's anything out there too?" Yuichi suggested to the Cashier. Out of them all, it seemed like the Cashier would have difficulties in his current state. Not that it mattered since whatever was outside could probably murder them in seconds.

"So what's your theory now, Hattori?" Yuichi said as he dropped the honorifics. With this situation being as tense as is, he doubted honorifics mattered at the moment. He continued while lowering his voice. "Do you think the devil's coming back to drag humanity into hell, or is this god's punishment on the populace for not heeding his word?" A sarcastic tone could be traced in Yuichi's words as he slowly backed up. Though after a few moments, he frowned and looked gloomy. "Never mind. I shouldn't have said that. Sorry.