"If they hunt in groups… then the others—"
Chisato's eyes widened. She quickly pulled up the survivor count.
[Total Survivors: 4700 / 10000]
The number was plummeting—dropping by one, then another, every few seconds.
Both Eriri and Utaha fell silent, their argument forgotten. Watching the numbers sink was like watching lives being erased in real time. Each digit lost was another death.
"…Don't dwell on it," Yami Tsukishiro said flatly. His tone wasn't cold, but it wasn't compassionate either.
"No one asked to be dragged into this place. Everyone fights for themselves. If you spend too much time caring about strangers, you'll die with them."
He didn't pretend to be selfless. Saving Eriri, Utaha, Takina, Chisato, Kurumi, and Mizuki had nothing to do with morality—it was because he knew them. And, frankly, because they were beautiful. That was enough.
He'd already killed Aki tomoya without hesitation. No guilt, no burden. He wasn't here to play the hero.
"Yami's right," Takina said firmly, steadying her rifle. "We can't save everyone. But we can fight. That much is in our hands."
Her voice carried a quiet strength, enough to ignite resolve in the others.
"The battle isn't over yet."
With a wave of his hand, Yami dismissed the shadow barrier that had been shielding them.
The swarm of mutant beasts came crashing forward once more, and this time, the girls fought back head-on.
Even Utaha, still injured, joined in without hesitation.
Eriri blinked in shock at her rival's decisiveness.
"…Utaha…"
Utaha's stance was steady, her trigger finger calm and controlled. She glanced briefly at Eriri, a spark of acknowledgment in her eyes as if recognizing her for the first time.
…
The fifth wave was merciless.
The beasts had entered a frenzy, attacking every survivor in sight. Blood splattered across the streets. Screams echoed.
Those who clung to life banded together, throwing their strength behind the few fighters who could stand at the front.
Hours dragged by in brutal rhythm.
By noon, the city had become a graveyard.
[Total Survivors: 1047 / 10000]
Ninety percent gone.
But at that exact moment
[All fifth-wave mutant beasts have been annihilated!]
[The virtual world will collapse in thirty seconds!]
The long-awaited liberation had finally arrived.
The rankings froze.
[Ranking]
1st: Yami Tsukishiro, 13,000
2nd: Chisato Nishikigi, 320
3rd: Takina Inoue, 294
4th: Mizuki Nakahara, 251
5th: Kurumi, 236
6th: Yor, 172
7th: Momo Ryuju, 158
8th: Eriri Spencer Sawamura, 155
9th: Utaha Kasumigaoka, 148
10th: …
"The world… collapses?"
Everyone stared at the strange notification in confusion.
Ten seconds later, the meaning became painfully clear.
The ground, the sky, the very buildings—everything began breaking apart, shattering into fragments of glowing data.
"My body!" Eriri shrieked, panic rising in her voice as she saw her own form dissolving.
It wasn't just her. Everyone's bodies were disintegrating, pixel by pixel.
"Are we… gonna die too?" Kurumi waved her little arms, not sure whether to be scared or excited.
All eyes turned instinctively toward Yami Tsukishiro.
He simply shrugged. "Don't look at me like that. I'm just like the rest of you."
He spoke as if it were nothing. Equal treatment, equal fate.
"Whether we live or die… it's out of our hands. Just like how we were dragged into this world, we'll leave it the same way. So relax."
His calm voice contrasted the collapsing world, steady like an anchor in a storm.
"…Right."
Hearing him, a few of them found their nerves easing slightly.
But then like a silent agreement Eriri and Utaha moved at the exact same time.
Their steps overlapped. Their gazes clashed.
"…!"
They could read each other's intentions in a heartbeat.
Both lunged forward.
But Eriri's legs were shorter, her stride slower.
Utaha leaned in first, throwing herself into Yami's chest and pulling him into a kiss, conscious and deliberate this time.
"H-Hey! You cow...again?!" Eriri screeched, yanking Utaha back with enough force to nearly topple them both.
Without missing a beat, she stood on tiptoe, lips crashing forward to claim her own kiss.
Yami blinked, utterly unfazed. His expression said it all: Fisherman's benefit acquired. Nice.
"Woaaah!" Mizuki cheered from the sidelines, grinning like a spectator at a soap opera.
"This is peak drama! Legendary love triangle unlocked! Do we get a catfight next?!"
Eriri and Utaha shoved at each other, refusing to let go.
"You stupid golden retriever!" Utaha snapped, cheeks flushed crimson.
"You started it first, you cow!" Eriri fired back, glaring with her usual tsundere fury.
Neither was willing to back down.
Yami finally sighed, stepping in with a smirk.
"Hey. You two are making out with me without asking my opinion? That's pretty rude."
Before either could react, he wrapped an arm around each of them, pulling both girls tightly against him and kissed them one after the other.
The sight was bizarre: three half-dissolving bodies tangled together in the ruins of a collapsing world.
That, at least, was enough to silence them.
Utaha's eyes softened, her voice trembling.
"Yami-kun… I don't even know how to describe this feeling. We've only just met, yet I… I can't stop wanting to be closer to you. Even if I die here, I wanted to say it."
But before she could say more, Eriri slapped a hand over her mouth.
"Shut it, cow! You won't hog the spotlight!" Eriri huffed, face flushed redder than ever. She crossed her arms.
"A-And for the record, I don't like you or anything! I just… I just wanted to pay you back for saving me!"
Yami chuckled, watching them with amusement. Even on the edge of death, they're still fighting. Typical.
He leaned in slightly, his words carrying a weight that cut through their flustered bickering.
"I hope you both remember what you just said… if we make it back."
"Eh?"
They blinked at him in confusion.
But there was no time for answers.
The thirty seconds ran out.
And with it, the entire world vanished into nothingness.
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