Utaha froze for a moment, then immediately turned around.
Beneath the fading glow of the sunset, a long streak of yellow light tore through the dark red sky.
Brilliant and mesmerizing, it looked like an illusion.
"Make a wish…"
The girl hurriedly clasped her hands together, interlocking her fingers, closed her eyes, and made a wish.
She wished only that her current life would continue, that she could live happily together with Haizaki until the end of her life. If possible, she wished to return to their former world and live together with him in that world of memories.
Strolling beneath cherry blossoms on campus,
walking through bustling commercial streets,
cafés,
restaurants—
everything they had experienced and everything they had yet to experience, she wanted to go through it all again with Haizaki, creating even more beautiful shared memories.
A blissful smile unconsciously rose on Utaha's face.
When she opened her eyes, the meteor had already disappeared beyond the horizon.
Her wish would definitely come true—she believed that with certainty.
Out of the corner of her eye, she looked at the man beside her. Right now, all she wanted was to be with him—truly together.
"Haizaki-kun, our future…"
Beneath the meteor, as the sunset came to an end, she wanted to use this moment to have Haizaki accept reality—accept her.
"Bzzzz—"
Before Utaha could finish speaking, the ground began to tremble.
The two of them started to sway.
Utaha instantly realized what was happening.
"An earthquake…"
In panic, she leaned toward Haizaki and tightly clutched his arm, seeking reassurance.
Why—why did an earthquake have to happen now?
At the same time, a trace of shock flashed through Haizaki's eyes as well. The probability of an earthquake occurring in Qinggang City was—
Wait.
Haizaki suddenly thought of something. His gaze locked tightly onto the direction where the meteor had vanished.
"We're leaving immediately. The earthquake was caused by a meteor impact…"
If a meteor from space had struck the sea near Qinggang City and triggered this earthquake…
Then what they would inevitably face next would be the ocean's fury—a tsunami.
Qinggang City's geographical position meant it was usually barely affected by tsunamis from the Pacific. But now, the Solitary Apocalypse world once again shattered Haizaki's assumptions.
The Solitary Apocalypse world was deliberately targeting the two of them—or rather, targeting him.
At such a moment, he refused to believe this was mere coincidence.
Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, typhoons—and now meteor strikes and tsunamis.
This was entirely "intended."
"The magnitude of the quake…"
But Utaha, having grown up in Japan, immediately thought of the secondary disaster associated with earthquakes—tsunamis.
Moreover, Japan was a country frequently struck by tsunamis. In the public consciousness, tsunamis were second only to earthquakes, on par with typhoons.
"Let's go. We're heading to the helicopter immediately."
Grabbing the girl, Haizaki—still wearing slippers—ran at full speed toward the jeep.
"Rumble—"
Fortunately, their luck hadn't reached rock bottom.
Given how the world seemed to be targeting him, Haizaki had even considered the possibility of the vehicle malfunctioning unexpectedly.
"Fasten your seatbelt!"
Haizaki slammed on the accelerator, and the jeep shot forward.
This was probably the most reckless driving Haizaki had ever done in his life.
The girl, who hadn't fastened her seatbelt in time, bumped her forehead.
But compared to the pain on her forehead, what she cared about more was—
Utaha's wine-red eyes turned toward the sea behind them.
Under the dim sky, she seemed to faintly see a moving wall of water forming along the horizon.
Was it just her imagination?
Or was it really a tsunami?
What… was wrong with this world?
Once again, she felt lost. The psychological gloom that had followed the massive earthquake months ago resurfaced after five months.
Her chest felt tight and her breathing became difficult.
…
"Rumble—rumble—"
The rotors started smoothly and accelerated as the helicopter lifted off.
The deafening roar of the engines and the spinning blades still couldn't drown out the overwhelming, earth-shaking sound of the tsunami surging in from the sea.
What he feared most had still happened.
Qinggang City was about to be struck by a tsunami.
"Boom—"
"Crash—"
Higher!
Haizaki urged the helicopter upward again and again in his heart.
If the helicopter were struck by the waves, he and Utaha would have no chance of survival.
The seawall collapsed.
Buildings were destroyed.
Everything was swallowed by the raging waves.
"Whew… we survived…"
Cold sweat poured from Haizaki's forehead as he finally let out a long breath.
Ten seconds slower, and the helicopter would have joined what lay below.
"Good job."
Utaha, still shaken herself, finally relaxed.
They had been so close—so close to being dragged into the tsunami.
If they'd been even a bit slower, they wouldn't have made it onto the helicopter in time.
This was all thanks to Haizaki's vigilance and decisiveness.
"Thank you—no need…"
As the girl wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, Haizaki thanked her and gestured for her to sit properly.
"This vacation… ends here."
Their seaside villa could probably raise saury now. Other places weren't any better.
At the very least, staying in Qinggang City tonight was impossible.
"Mm."
In the dim light, Utaha could still faintly make out the devastation below.
Fortunately, there was no one in Qinggang City at the moment. Otherwise, this tsunami would have caused tens of thousands of deaths and disappearances, and left hundreds of thousands displaced.
Natural disasters—
disasters humanity could not confront head-on.
"In the face of natural disasters, humans really are insignificant."
Haizaki heard the girl's soft murmur.
"It will pass. All disasters, all apocalypses, will pass. Because I'm here. So everything will be fine."
The girl froze for a moment upon hearing this. Light shimmered in her wine-red eyes, and then a gentle smile bloomed on her face.
"That's right, Haizaki-kun. In a world with only you and me left, you saved me—so you saved the entire world. At that time, you were the savior. You were the hero…"
He and she represented humanity itself in this world.
If he wanted to be a savior, then he should save her—give her happiness.
Just like when he first rescued her from beneath the ruins.
Just like when he carefully took care of her during her fever three weeks ago.
Just like now, when he led her to escape the tsunami.
"We will survive. We will live well."
Seven months remained.
Not long, but not short either.
If disasters of this scale happened a few more times,
he couldn't guarantee that he could endure it all and survive until April 4th of next year.
The trials of the Solitary Apocalypse included humanity's ability to face natural disasters.
Individual strength was insignificant before nature.
Only the strength of a species—unity—was truly powerful.
Vaguely, Haizaki began to realize that the trials of the Solitary Apocalypse involved far more than just loneliness and solitude.
…