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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Leti, or rather Leticia, and I had become somewhat close, but meeting her was still tricky. She lived in the ‘safe zone’ within Hampton.
The safe zone was like the yolk in a fried egg, another area surrounded by walls even within Hampton City.
Naturally, soldiers guarded every entrance, meaning that saying,
“Excuse me, I’m here to bake apple pie,” wouldn’t work.
– Caesar. Do you remember how we first met? That hotel, it’s still there. Let’s do it the old-fashioned way. Then, if we’re stopped at a checkpoint, we’ll have an excuse.
The atmosphere inside Hampton had completely changed.
First, no one walked on the streets. Instead, containers and wrecked cars were brought in, and steel plates were laid on top to create walkways.
If a zombie appeared somewhere, the steel plate was pushed to the ground. The reason was unclear, but it exploited the fact that zombies didn’t jump. Then, citizens would finish it off with their own firearms.
Perhaps it was due to the fear of not knowing when or who would turn into a zombie. People maintained a certain distance from each other. Even in summer, covering their faces was standard, and they wore slick outer clothing. This was so they could quickly shed their clothes if stained by a zombie.
More soldiers were also visible. At every intersection, containers or 1-ton trucks were set up, and ladders were propped against them to serve as temporary watchtowers. Everyone looked tired, but when a “Gaaah!” sound was heard, they immediately aimed their rifles.
The Continental Hotel, at least, was intact. However, Fernando was nowhere to be seen.
“That friend died.”
Instead, a rather neatly dressed man had taken his place.
“He died?”
“A zombie appeared in a Continental guest room. The problem was, it wasn’t just one zombie. He got his arm bitten by another one hiding in the hallway.”
Someone who seemed impossible to kill had died. While I was in a daze, the man gently placed his hand on my shoulder as a gesture of comfort.
“Still, he died as a human. He blew all the zombies’ heads off, then enjoyed a cigarette, saying he would die as a human, and pulled the trigger on his own head.”
“…I see.”
I didn’t fully understand him, but he was still a kind person. The man gave me a box of cigars.
“Fernando liked these.”
I gratefully accepted them.
I sat down at a PC again after a long time. It was a spot where I could access the black market network, and it used to be almost always full.
But now, hardly anyone was sitting there. A couple of people were sitting, but they weren’t operating computers; they were literally just sitting and resting for a while.
It had been quite a while since new posts appeared on the bulletin board. There was no capacity to exchange goods. Or perhaps Virginia was controlling it that strictly. Either way, it wasn’t a positive sign.
On the other hand, there were many more posts on the VIP bulletin board. No, in fact, the number of posts had increased.
“The prices are insane, aren’t they?”
Even if the price of Luxury whiskey had gone up, who would trade a box of grenades for it? No, more to the point, a box of grenades wouldn’t be easy to acquire.
If I hadn’t already discussed it with Leticia, I would have thought it was crazy talk. I sent a message in a dry tone, saying, “I want to exchange.”
Leticia also replied plainly with, “Felician Apartment, Sector 2, Room 201,” and sent a temporary entry pass image. She added an explanation that if I printed it out and placed it on the car’s windshield, the military police would clear the way.
It seemed Leticia had moved. Her previous place was quite neat, but this one was closer to the downtown area. Seeing people walking on the streets and armored vehicles with heavily armed soldiers on guard, it seemed the level of security was different.
I rang the doorbell, and after a moment, the door opened.
“Leti. Long time no…?”
A completely different person stood before me. Her face was the Leti I knew, but her aura was entirely different.
“…Don’t stare like that, Caesar. It’s embarrassing.”
“Ah, sorry.”
Leti quickly stepped aside from the door. I placed down the Minsk wine and whiskey boxes.
“You’ve grown your hair?”
Before, she had an asymmetrical bob, but now it was braided to one side. She had also given a slight wave to her bangs, which flowed down both sides of her face to below her chin. Considering that braiding hair makes it shorter than its original length, she must have grown it quite diligently.
Even her clothes. A white polo shirt, jeans, brown shoes. Considering the photos Leti had sent me so far, it was an unimaginably different outfit in a completely different sense. More than that, her hips were even more accentuated even while wearing those jeans.
“Do I suit it?”
“Your bob was pretty too, but now it feels completely different.”
“How so? I like specifics.”
She even fidgeted with her hands behind her back, embarrassed. She had the air of a refined, new bride. It was a completely different appearance from the cheerful exhibitionist pervert I had known. Has hardship changed her?
“Your demeanor has become much calmer. So confident and cool that it makes me look twice?”
“That’s a compliment, right?”
She said that, but she turned her face and smiled shyly. Truly ‘like a woman.’ She had definitely set some kind of trap. There was no other explanation.
“Ah, I’ll show you the items first. Please come this way.”
The house was very spacious. Four rooms and two bathrooms. Unfortunately, it seemed electricity wasn’t working, but I could hear water flowing through the pipes. The candles with safety caps in each room also had a certain charm.
“Nice house.”
“Does it look that way?”
“It’s wider and neater than your last place.”
“It’s too wide.”
It did seem a bit wide for one person to live in. But Leticia, leaning against the wall, lowered her gaze and muttered.
“To the point of loneliness.”
“We can fill it up, then, I guess.”
“Caesar seems like he could fill it up.”
For a very brief moment, Leticia’s eyes sparkled. But then she waved her hand and laughed it off, saying,
“Joke. Joke. Just look at the stuff.”
The reagents were packed in a box, cushioned. There were also many small but expensive-looking electrical devices, which seemed to be experimental tools.
“I packed various things besides what you asked for.”
“Oh no. It must have cost a lot of money.”
“Not really. Such items are rarely sought after. With no demand, the price plummets. Unless it’s something used for bombs or medical purposes, these experimental reagents can be acquired very cheaply. However, shipping costs have gone up ridiculously.”
Leticia folded her arms. I thought of the roads.
“Is the situation really bad?”
“Worryingly so. I don’t know if the zombies have gotten smarter, or if only the smarter ones have survived.
They form groups, block the roads, and surround cars. They seem to have realized there’s food inside.
Also, the frequency of ordinary people turning into zombies is steadily increasing. Even soldiers… are said to be experiencing such symptoms. But the CDC still just says there’s no problem, that those people were infected elsewhere.”
Leticia opened the window. A gentle breeze blew in. She quietly gazed out the window. Her carefully braided side hair fluttered.
No matter how I looked at it, she seemed to have practiced this look quite a bit.
“Caesar.”
“Yes?”
“What about the world you’re living in? The world beyond the city.”
Hmm. Well. Zombies who don’t listen to the person who feeds them, Camilla who gets healthier and prettier every day, and Cassandra who comes looking to ‘research’ every night or sneaks in when Camila isn’t looking.
“Well… it’s ordinary. It’s freer than the city, but there’s a lot more to take care of. You have to protect yourself, after all.”
“But you said you were being blackmailed.”
“Hmm, it’s closer to a semi-forced transaction, actually. This reagent errand is like that too. What would I use this for?”
Leticia gracefully approached. She gently took my arm, then lightly hugged me. Our chests lightly brushed against each other.
But something felt strange. This woman wasn’t wearing underwear. Her clothes weren’t tight-fitting, so I hadn’t noticed.
“You’re not pushing me away.”
A blushing Leticia stepped back. Her eyes held a strange look. Something seemed to be spinning.
But that was only for a moment.
“Anyway, you’ll have to stay the night tonight. You can’t leave the city at this hour anyway. You, you knew that, right?”
“Of course. I even brought my toothbrush and clothes.”
“Then let’s have dinner together. I’ve prepared all the ingredients, so you just need to bring yourself. You haven’t forgotten the meringue, have you?”
Leticia seemed to have prepared quite thoroughly for today.
Flour was common, but I had no idea where she got fresh eggs. Even if I pretended not to notice the ‘military use’ stamped on the egg carton for the sake of her honor.
“Brown, or blue?”
I chose the blue apron. Leticia naturally put on the brown one. It surprisingly matched her clothes well. Perhaps because it was the same denim material as her jeans.
“I’ll do the measuring, so please separate the egg yolks and whites into these two dishes.”
Polish apple pie ‘Sarlotka.’ I knew a bit about it as it often appeared in popular free games. Though there’s no Poland here, only Elza.
I poured the egg yolks into a bowl with all-purpose flour and sugar, and added margarine taken from a cooler. The cooler even had ice in it. I didn’t bother to ask how she managed to make ice.
While I kneaded the pie dough, Leticia grated apples. These were the filling ingredients. Her movements were very skillful.
“You’re good at this?”
“It was a dish my grandmother used to make well. I learned by watching her. She said it was a family recipe passed down through generations, and if times were good, it could have been sold in Minsk and Romer. I wish she had lived longer.”
Even as she recalled beautiful and sad memories, Leticia forced a bright smile. And yet, her hands didn’t stop. Perhaps because the amount of ingredients wasn’t large, she grated them quickly.
“Ah. Caesar. If you knead it like that, you’ll hurt your wrist. Do it like this.”
Suddenly, Leticia pressed herself tightly against my back and grabbed my wrist. As if to show me how, she placed her hand on the back of mine and pressed down.
There was so little force that I couldn’t tell if she was pressing the dough or my hand.
“How is it? Do you understand?”
“I think so.”
“You don’t seem to. You’re pressing the same spot. Here, do it like this.”
Even a crowded subway during rush hour wouldn’t be this close. Still, the kneading was somewhat finished.
“Now, it’s time. Time to beat the meringue. First, roll up your sleeves. You have to move your arms a lot, and sleeves would get in the way.”
There was ice in the cooler, fresh apples and eggs, but no automatic mixer. Just a whisk.
I poured the egg whites into a stainless steel bowl and whisked. The egg whites needed to be whisked until they became a dough that wouldn’t fall out even if the bowl was turned upside down.
Naturally, my arm ached terribly.
“Ugh…”
Meanwhile, Leticia brought a portable mini-generator and connected it to the oven. She pulled the exhaust hose out the window, and as she started it with a rumble, acrid smoke escaped.
And yet, she often looked my way. I knew those eyes. Those were the eyes Camila and Cassandra sometimes showed me at night. Eyes that seemed hungry. Well, sometimes I was like that too.
“Your arm hurts, right? Take a short break.”
With a flush on her face and panting for breath, she subtly moved closer to me again. Of course, the excuse was good. She had to add sugar and potato starch to the meringue.
Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap.
And then she vigorously whisked her arm up and down again. Each time her arm moved, white, sticky foam formed in lumps. Leticia swallowed hard and pressed her legs together.
“Mmm…”
She even let out a small moan, then gasped and covered her mouth.
“Ahem. Ahem. I think it’s done now?”
“Pant… pant…”
I was out of strength, and my arm ached so much that I couldn’t even speak properly. As Leticia approached, the air around me suddenly grew warmer. Her body temperature seemed to have risen quite a bit.
“It turned out well.”
Leticia boldly inverted the bowl. The white, firm egg white foam stuck fast and didn’t fall out.
“It’s white and sticky. Makes me want to eat it. But, it’ll be sweet and… fishy, right?”
“Hmm, probably?”
“As expected, it’d be better baked warm. Smear it thickly into the baking pan…”
Leticia giggled, clearly pleased about something. Of course, she wasn’t just standing around either.
She put the dough I had made into the pan, filled it with the apple mixture, scooped out the meringue, and spread it smoothly.
It looked a little too smooth. Still, after putting it in the hot oven and waiting, a rather savory smell wafted out.
“Ah. I can’t resist.”
Leticia stretched her arms forward.
“Can’t we eat it now?”
“No. It’s too hot to eat now, it needs to cool down a bit. So…”
Leticia picked up one of the wines I had brought.
“How about an aperitif?”
There was no reason to refuse.
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