Page 42 of Sixty Meters Under

“He’s right!” The older woman took a step forward. “They give us small portions. We’ll starve like this!”

“Don’t worry, you won’t,” Isamu said calmly. “You eat three times a day, and you can go to the store to get a little more. There are ninety people sharing the amount, of rations we have in the bunker, and in order for the food to last us as long as possible, we have to distribute it sensibly; don’t forget about that. Who knows if we’ll have food when we go out, so you better make the most of what we have.”

The man bowed his head, but he didn’t look content even after the reminder. His face reddened while the woman glared at Isamu. Isamu hadn’t taken their side as they hoped, so they turned around and went to one of the empty tables. They didn’t give him another look.

Isamu released a heavy sigh and said, more to himself, “What’s with these people?” He shook his head in disapproval at the selfish couple and looked at the young woman behind the counter. “When something like this happens again, don’t hesitate to call us.”

“I knew I didn’t do anything wrong, but they were persistent. I didn’t think it would escalate like this,” she admitted.

“Yeah, I know. There’s no real reason for them to get mad at you. With what’s happening outside, our situation here is not easy, but we have to do our best. We all have to learn to function at a frugal level. It’s challenging for all of us, not only for them.”

“I tried to explain, but they didn’t want to listen.” She shook her head.

“We have to be strong.”

She nodded and hurried to serve the resident next in line. Isamu turned and glanced around the room. His gaze came to rest on the couple who were complaining moments ago.

They remained silent, and heads down continued to eat their meal. Isamu hoped they would not cause any more trouble in the future.

?

Ryosuke sat in the library while reading a book. It was a quiet afternoon, only a few residents came in to read or borrow titles. Working here for several days, he’d noticed that mostly the same faces tended to return to the library. He got this new job assignment since the comms room wasn’t functioning any longer.

While his mind checked off the regulars, a woman he had never seen in the library entered. He remembered seeing her only once before at the pool.

As soon as the woman spotted him, she walked confidently to his desk. “Good evening.” She gave him a smile and leaned her elbows on the highest part of the table. Her white shirt hugged her body tight and wrinkled around her curves. Her large breasts pressed to the edge, cleavage available for the world to see.

Though Ryosuke wasn’t one of those men who enjoyed ogling women’s breasts, he couldn’t avoid it this time and stole a glance as he rose from his chair. He almost stumbled forward, as he returned her greeting. “Good evening. How can I help you?” He looked into her green eyes and mimicked her smile.

“Can you please tell me if there’s a section on erotic literature?” the woman asked with a playful smirk.

Ryosuke opened and closed his mouth, visibly taken aback by her bold approach; this woman was clearly not the least bit embarrassed or hesitant to ask such a question. As she looked at him with expectation, Ryosuke released a soft laugh. He glanced down briefly, before locking his eyes with her again. “Erm… yeah. That section is over there.” He pointed with his left hand. “Second row on the right.”

The woman turned to look in said direction, but when she looked back at him, she asked, “Would you be so kind as to show me?”

“Umm… sure.”

“Thank you!” Her smile grew wider, and she turned around.

“Ladies first,” Ryosuke said, letting her walk in front of him. As he walked behind her, he noticed how her long red hair danced behind her back in the rhythm of her steps, her heels echoing through the quiet space.

“This way, right?” She turned towards him briefly and swayed her hips.

“Yes. We’re almost there.”

As they approached the shelves holding erotic literature, Ryosuke halted. “This is it. These three bookshelves.” He pointed at the books tightly stacked.

“Thank you so much,” the red-haired woman voiced her gratitude and turned, her graceful fingers tracing a row of books.

Ryosuke walked back to his desk, sat down and picked up his book to resume reading.

“That woman, again…” A sudden and unexpected voice made him jump in his seat. Ryosuke turned to see his sister standing on the other side of his worktable. She had selected three books and dropped them on the table with a loud thud.

“Do you know her?” Ryosuke asked, keeping his voice low.

“Not directly, but I see her often at the pool.”

“Oh. But what’s behind your bitter reaction?”