The girls were exhausted.
Saeko's sweat glistening on her forehead, Saya was limping slightly, Rei sat on the asphalt, and Jin-ah had just plopped down on a piece of rubble and hadn't moved since.
They'd just fought off a horde of zombies, a mutated dog, and a Void Herald.
It was only natural that they were tired in that case.
That's why Saeko spoke up.
"We need to leave. This area's gonna draw more trouble soon."
The noise of the battle had already attracted the attention of zombies, mutated animals and mutated insects. With each passing day, they evolved further and were able to sense life forms from great distances.
Furthermore, there was nothing to prevent another one of those dark-looking monsters from appearing.
So staying would be foolish.
Rei slowly stood up and leaned on the spear with its tips buried in the asphalt.
"But we're too tired to run. Especially with Shizuka-sensei's house still miles away."
Jin-ah and Saya remained silent this time.
Jin-ah had exhausted her mana reserve, causing her face to turn pale and her legs to feel weak. On the other hand, Saya had used a lot of concentration to use Magical Creation which was equivalent to exhausting her mind.
They needed rest.
But they couldn't stay here.
Then...
Yuu smiled.
"I've got a solution."
×××
The girls watched Yuu curiously as he walked toward an open space on the street. In that area, the cars had been moved aside, leaving a flat surface of cracked asphalt.
With his left hand in his pocket, he raised his right hand.
Particles of golden light began to dance around his palm.
"That's..."
It wasn't blue like Saya's mana, but golden like his own eyes. It was bright and captivating like starlight.
Saya was quite intelligent, and she seemed to grasp almost instantly what Yuu wanted to do. That's why her orange eyes were fixed on his every move.
"What are you doing, Yuu-oppa?"
Jin-ah poked her head out from behind his back.
"Creating something."
The particles swirled, condensed, and took shape.
Whether intentional or not, Yuu worked slowly even though he could have done it with a snap of his fingers.
And in about ten seconds, he was done.
"Yuu-sama... What is this?"
"Transportation."
It was an elegant vehicle. Or rather, the design resembled a motorhome.
It was metallic black in color with gold accents. The tires were huge and looked capable of traversing any terrain. It had slit-shaped windows to enjoy the scenery, although it was an apocalyptic world and there wasn't much to enjoy in the first place.
"I know it's transportation, but..."
At that moment, Saya interrupted Saeko.
"Yuu! That thing you used before, is it what I think it is?"
"Ah. Yes. As you may have guessed, it's Magic Creation."
Saya furrowed her eyebrows.
"How's that even possible? When I got that skill, all I received was the knowledge to make weapons."
"At first, yeah. But Magical Creation isn't limited to weapons. The higher you level up, the more you'll naturally be able to create whatever you have in mind."
It wasn't a concept of Creation itself because it had limitations. As such, it couldn't create lives or souls. However, with Magical Creation, one was able to create anything related to technology.
Upon hearing that...
"That means..."
"Yes. Even robots. You can have an army of robots if you want."
Saya's orange eyes lit up. She wasn't really interested in having an army of robots. But realizing the scope and potential of her skill, she silently wished to master Magical Creation someday.
To be with Yuu, she must be strong.
"I see. Thank you, Yuu."
Saya understood that Yuu had purposely used that skill to teach her about the potential of Magical Creation.
That said, she was still surprised he could use what was supposed to be her exclusive skill.
"All right, get in."
Yuu snapped his fingers and the motorhome's door slid upward.
The girls cautiously entered one after another.
"Hey... it's not like it's gonna explode or anything."
Complaining loudly, Yuu followed them inside before closing the door.
Rei looked around with a look of amazement.
"The inside is much bigger than the outside... I wonder how it works."
Although it was already large from the outside, at least as large as a standard motorhome... as Rei said, the inside was much larger.
In fact, it was thanks to the spatial concept.
Yuu had made the interior three times larger than the exterior using that concept. He could have made it even bigger, but he thought that size was enough to accommodate everything necessary without feeling uncomfortable or too cramped or too spacious.
"Fush! Fush!"
The lights turned on automatically when they detected movement from the people inside.
There was a long burgundy sofa, a kitchen, a table with chairs, a flat-screen TV on the wall, vents, and at the back there was a door that Yuu said led to a sleeping room.
There was a moment of silence.
"Yuu. We're in a zombie apocalypse."
Saya said that while giving him a piercing look.
"I know."
"And yet you created this motorhome with all these luxuries..."
"What's wrong with that? Stop complaining about my beautiful creation." Yuu looked genuinely offended.
"..."
Saya shrugged. Could this guy not break the apocalyptic mood for once?
"Anyway, since you've all worked so hard, I thought I'd reward you with some comfort."
Hearing his words, the girls looked at him with gratitude and affection.
Then Saeko smiled.
"Yuu-sama is too kind."
"I'm not."
"Eh, I didn't know Yuu-oppa's a tsundere like Saya-unnie."
Jin-ah let out a short laugh. When she saw the piercing gaze of the pink-haired tsundere, she quickly walked barefoot inside and plopped down on the sofa with a sigh of relief.
"Gosh... this feels more comfortable than my bed."
Shizuka sat down next to Jin-ah, bouncing slightly on the seat.
"It's so soft~! I wonder if clouds feel like this..."
Saeko and Saya also sat down on the sofa, which could comfortably accommodate them all. The girls had expressions of relief on their faces.
Yue walked over and quietly sat down in Yuu's lap, where he was sitting in a chair.
"Nn. This is my seat."
"Yue, there are free seats on the sofa."
"This one's better."
Shortly after, a control panel descended from the ceiling.
From there, Yuu started the motorhome by marking their destination on the map. That way, the built-in sensors would scan the entire environment and choose the safest routes to travel and reach that marked point.
The engine started working without making a sound, unlike normal noisy engines.
"It even drives itself...?"
Rei's eyes widened when she realized that the motorhome was starting to move without anyone sitting in the cab.
"Yuu, I didn't see you put gas in it earlier, so how does it work?"
Saya asked that while massaging her shoulders with her fingers. Although the weapons she had made were made of mana, that didn't change the fact that there was no recoil when firing.
"Energy. It runs on my energy. As long as I exist, this will work."
"Hah? That's really ridiculous."
"Haha..." Jin-ah laughed from the side. "I think the fact that it's driving itself and dodging debris in this ruined world is even crazier."
The motorhome drove itself as it navigated the shattered streets with ease. The tires absorbed every bump and debris as if they weren't there. The passengers didn't feel the slightest tremor, and if it weren't for the blurry scenery outside the windows, they wouldn't even realize they were moving.
"How far to Shizuka-sensei's house?"
"At the speed we're going, maybe thirty minutes."
Saya replied to Rei.
Then Saeko decided to comment.
"Compared to the days it would've taken on foot."
At that moment, Rei clasped her hands together and looked at Yuu with a smile.
"Yuu-kun, since this motorhome was made by you, don't you want to name it? It's an excellent 'mobile base,' and it'd be a shame if it didn't have a proper name."
The girls quickly agreed with Rei's opinion.
"A name, huh?"
Yuu put his hand to his chin as he thought. A smile slowly spread across his face and he said.
"Ouroboros."
The Ouroboros that always arrives on time, and in all times.
×××
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