"Kami-sama! Please!! I want all those ugly things to disappear, and for everything to go back to normal! Make everything okay again!"
The truth was, Yuu could've done exactly what Shizuka asked the moment they met.
Save the world.
He could've erased every single zombie from the face of the Earth without even breaking a sweat.
He could've turned back time and made it so the apocalypse had never started.
He could've even rewritten reality so everyone would wake up the next morning as if nothing had ever happened.
Yeah, all of that was well within his reach.
But he didn't.
And why?
Well, because he didn't want to.
Because to him, this world had a different kind of value. A value that had nothing to do with saving it.
Zombies were still weak.
And besides, they weren't human. That took the whole moral dilemma off the table. Anyone could crush them without feeling guilty.
This world was basically one giant open-air dungeon.
Of course, just thinking about it that way meant nothing to him. He was already at the top.
But now that he wasn't walking alone, it meant a lot.
For his followers, for those who walked beside him… yeah. For them, this world would be the very first step.
Leveling up. Getting used to battle. Learning what it meant to risk their lives.
That was the real reason.
So, while the group found shelter in a house cleared of the dead, Yuu stretched, yawned, and vanished from that world.
Off to visit someone else.
×××
A shelter.
That was what they needed, and they finally found one.
It was a house on the corner of the street. It had a fairly tall concrete wall and a sturdy metal gate.
It looked like it could hold off the zombies' attempts to break in for a good while.
Would it really be safe?
They didn't know. But in this world, the illusion of safety was already enough.
Inside, after Saeko finished off the zombies that only hours ago had been the homeowners…
"Good! This place will do…"
Saya wiped her forehead with a clean cloth. She'd worked up a sweat throwing the zombies out of the house along with Rei and Hirano.
Then she turned to Hirano and pointed at the stairs.
"The second floor's for girls only. Got it?"
"Huh… Y-Yes, ma'am! Got it."
Even though he looked confused, Hirano nodded right away. He didn't want to piss off the twin-tailed girl, so it was better to just obey in this case.
That's when Saeko stopped in front of Rei.
"We need to talk."
"…Alright."
Rei didn't need to ask what it was about.
She answered with a slight nod and quietly followed her.
Behind them, Saya and Shizuka exchanged a look.
The teacher tilted her head, a little lost, while Saya, arms crossed, kept her eyes fixed on the two backs walking away.
What are they gonna talk about?
She was curious.
×××
It was a sunny day. The sky was clear, and the clouds looked far away.
Sung Jin-ah came back from school in a good mood. She'd done well on her exams, and besides, she still couldn't stop thinking about that mysterious encounter at the castle.
She'd liked it so much that she wanted to experience it again.
"I wonder what Yue, Jasmine… and that weird god, Aegis, are doing now?"
Ever since she'd tasted his cooking at the castle, she felt like her body was different. Maybe a little stronger than before, though she still hadn't dared to go to the Association to get her Awakening evaluated.
"Well… I'm not in a rush either."
After all, according to Aegis, her Awakening was growth-type. That sounded pretty good, although…
A chill ran down her back when she remembered her brother's wounds after coming out of the dungeon last week.
From what she'd heard, a hunter's daily companions were fights, blood, and danger.
No, she didn't wanna face that just yet.
But even so, the idea of being able to do something for her mom warmed her chest. Maybe it was worth the risk.
Humming softly, she opened the door to the living room.
"I'm home~"
But as soon as she stepped inside, her voice cut off.
There was someone in the kitchen.
She froze, staring wide-eyed.
At first, she thought it was her brother. But the man in front of her was way taller.
And besides, his hair was white as snow.
"Eh…? White… hair…"
The stranger turned toward her, chewing on a carrot, wearing an apron tied around his waist. Several pots on the stove were quietly bubbling away. It was like he'd been cooking there all afternoon.
"Oh, you got here just in time, Jin-ah. Life been treating you well?"
He pulled the carrot from his mouth and greeted her with an easygoing smile.
"Uh… yeah… I mean… huh?"
She answered automatically, without realizing what she was saying. And then…
"S-Sir Aegis?! What're you doing here?!"
×××
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