The situation was good. The girl was safe.
If aftershocks occurred and affected the structure of the ruins, a secondary collapse could easily happen. Moving concrete blocks and rubble could also disrupt the balance of the debris. Clearing ruins caused by an earthquake was extremely dangerous work, and Haizaki had to be especially careful.
"Huff… huff…"
After half an hour, Haizaki was panting heavily, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He deeply felt the inadequacy of this body's physical condition. He opened and closed his palms, lightly shaking his hands to relax and relieve fatigue.
"Yusuke-san, why don't you take a break?"
Utaha could only judge what Haizaki was doing by sound. She didn't know how much time had passed, but Haizaki had been continuously clearing and moving concrete slabs. The sounds of concrete and wood reached her ears, and she could guess that he was tired by now. More than that, she felt helpless and frustrated at her own powerlessness. If she could, she absolutely did not want to just sit there doing nothing.
"It's fine. Talk less, protect your mouth and nose. It'll be done soon—just give me another half hour."
Facing a major disaster, alone, he seemed powerless. The rescue progress was very slow, but all he could do was persist.
Enduring soreness and exhaustion, Haizaki continued moving one concrete block after another.
"Ah—damn!"
"Are you okay?" Hearing Haizaki's startled cry from outside, Utaha asked worriedly.
"I'm fine. Just slipped a bit. Don't worry, I'll have you out soon."
When his right foot stepped onto a slanted concrete slab, it slipped. Fortunately, he wasn't carrying much, and there weren't many sharp objects where he fell—otherwise, he would have been injured.
Forty minutes later, Haizaki looked at the final and largest concrete slab, guessing that Utaha's position was right behind it. Without this slab and the corner of the room forming a triangular space, the girl would likely have been crushed to death.
"Kasumigaoka-san, I'm going to move the last concrete slab. This is also the most dangerous step. Be prepared—protect your head with both hands. I can't guarantee that it won't crack or fall and hurt you while I'm moving it…"
After such a long wait, Utaha had completely calmed down. Because there was hope of survival, because someone was still doing everything he could to rescue her, she became strong. She couldn't show weakness and make Haizaki worry.
"I understand, Yusuke-san. Go ahead. No matter what happens, I'm grateful for your help."
She curled her body as much as possible into the corner, holding her head with both hands, ready to crawl out the moment conditions allowed.
"Alright, I'll count to three and then start…" Haizaki found a suitable position and gripped the slab with both hands.
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three…"
Haizaki clenched his teeth and pushed with all his strength.
*Rumble, rumble…*
Under Haizaki's force, the massive concrete slab scraped loudly, with many pieces of rubble rolling and sliding.
"Clang—"
The entire concrete slab was finally moved aside, crashing down on the other side.
Sunlight that dispelled the darkness brought the warmth of hope.
She squinted. The glaring sunlight made it difficult for her to fully adapt, but the brightness filled her with joy. A man's figure blocked the light in front of her. Utaha's eyes gradually adjusted, and she looked at the man who had saved her.
His dark blue clothes were covered in dust, his black short hair and face gray with grime. Yet his features and sharp black eyes still showed his appearance clearly. He wasn't particularly handsome, but his tall, upright posture was reassuring.
"Can you stand?" Haizaki asked with concern.
At least for now, Utaha's condition seemed okay.
"Thank you, I… I can…"
Only after Haizaki's reminder did she realize how awkward her current posture was. Out of habit, she stood up without thinking much, but less than a second after straightening her legs, she cried out from the soreness.
"Ah—"
Her legs, having stayed in the same position for a long time, were aching and numb, affecting her movement and causing her to lose balance and fall. She instinctively closed her eyes, waiting for the pain, but instead, a pair of strong hands caught her.
"Good thing I reacted in time," Haizaki said.
If Utaha had fallen here, she might have been injured.
"Th-thank you…"
"Don't move." As the girl struggled to pull away, Haizaki spoke in a slightly commanding tone. She immediately stopped moving.
"I'll help you to the street. It's still dangerous here."
Considering that Utaha wouldn't recover anytime soon, Haizaki decided to support her as they left.
"Mm…"
Whether it was good luck or bad, just as Haizaki helped the girl up, he felt shaking beneath his feet.
"Ah—an earthquake…" Utaha reacted instinctively, holding onto Haizaki even tighter. Her mind no longer lingered on the embarrassment from their close contact or intimate posture earlier.
Haizaki did his best to maintain balance, stepping carefully over the rubble and gradually speeding up as they reached the nearby street.
"Alright, it's temporarily safe now."
Once his feet were on flat ground and the shaking stopped, Haizaki let out a long breath of relief.
Today had exhausted him.
"Thank you, really… thank you. If it weren't for you, I…" Beside his ear came the girl's emotional words of gratitude as she sincerely thanked Haizaki.
But Haizaki…
"I…"
The girl's arrival in the "Solitary Apocalypse" world was something he felt responsible for. Haizaki could imagine the physical and psychological trials she would have faced beneath the earthquake ruins as death slowly approached. She might have met the most painful kind of death.
"No—" Realizing what Haizaki was about to say, Utaha immediately interrupted him. "This is the world's fault, not yours, Yusuke-san."
She held him even tighter, hoping he would understand that this was not his responsibility. The kind-hearted girl simply didn't want him to bear any more psychological pressure.
"If it's the world's fault, then… Kasumigaoka-san, shouldn't you get down now?"
She froze, then realized her current posture—her arms and legs tightly wrapped around Haizaki's body, looking very much like… very much like…
Her face instantly turned red. She struggled to get down, but lost her balance again.
Haizaki grabbed the girl's left shoulder and pulled her back, and the two collided once more.
"Be careful…"
"Mm…"
Her heart pounded violently, and her emotions took a long time to calm down.
…