Utaha took a small breath, easing the embarrassment rising in her chest. She controlled her expression, making herself look more serious and indignant.
"Haizaki-kun, it seems you did something very inappropriate to me."
Her tone was cold, her presence imposing.
"Sorry."
Haizaki felt awkward. Although it was a normal physiological reaction, he really had done something inappropriate to Utaha.
Who would have thought that sleeping while holding a girl could lead to something like this?
If he had known, he definitely wouldn't have stayed the night.
"If apologies worked, what would we need the police for?"
Utaha pressed her index finger against Haizaki's chest and poked him.
"Utaha, there are no police anymore…"
"The one standing before you is Inspector Utaha. Do you understand?"
Was this woman trying to play some kind of roleplay?
"Inspector Utaha, I wonder if I…"
If she wanted to play, Haizaki would play along.
"Hmph. Naturally… detention and imprisonment. Life sentence. Understand?"
"Understood…"
A life sentence, huh. He understood what Utaha meant.
"Very good. From now on, Inspector Utaha's orders to the criminal Haizaki are absolute. First…"
Utaha smiled brightly and pointed to her red lips.
With a first kiss, there would naturally be a second, a third, and countless more.
She would slowly boil the frog, gradually dismantling Haizaki's defenses and completely opening his heart.
That would be Utaha-chan's total victory.
At the thought of this, joy surged wildly inside her, making it hard for the girl to suppress her excitement.
"Kiss me…"
Haizaki hesitated for a moment, then did as she said.
And where Haizaki couldn't see, the girl's right hand once again made a victory gesture.
…
Haizaki got out of bed. Even the girl who had originally planned to sleep all day got up as well.
Haizaki went to the bathroom to shower and freshen up, then headed to the first floor to prepare breakfast.
Utaha did the same. While showering, she faintly smelled a subtle, strange scent—probably just her imagination.
"Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year!"
When Utaha came downstairs to the dining area, breakfast was already prepared.
Steaming rice porridge, fragrant pancakes, and grilled sausages.
Another wonderful day.
She was filled with happiness.
"I'm digging in…"
Utaha picked up a pancake. Its crisp texture immediately won her over. She narrowed her eyes, savoring the taste on her tongue, completely immersed.
"I think you could make a fortune if you opened a restaurant."
She was already addicted to the flavor. Occasionally, the thought surfaced—what would she do in the future if she couldn't eat Haizaki's cooking anymore?
"My personality isn't suited for running a shop."
"Why?"
"It feels troublesome—managing staff, handling accounts, dealing with customers…"
"Wouldn't it be fine if I helped you? I could help out daily, and in my spare time, think about novels and write."
Utaha smiled contentedly. That kind of life seemed nice. If it were in the original world, living like that with Haizaki didn't sound bad at all.
It was just that a world with only the two of them wouldn't have that chance.
She couldn't help feeling a bit lonely. Even if she didn't interact with many people, she still hoped the world could have more and more people in it.
"Come, open your mouth…"
Utaha picked up a piece of pancake and held it in front of Haizaki.
"Mm…"
Haizaki leaned forward and took a bite.
A leisurely, comfortable breakfast.
The first day of the New Year. A new beginning.
And for him, it was time to get busy.
After all, in just one more week, a very important day would arrive.
…
January 29th.
After breakfast, Haizaki got fully dressed and prepared to go out.
Utaha, who was washing the dishes, spoke up when she saw this.
"Haizaki-kun, the wind and snow are so heavy outside. Don't go out today."
Three days ago, on the 26th, the weather had suddenly changed. Fierce winds and snow swept in, and the temperature dropped by five degrees.
If Haizaki hadn't prepared cold-weather protection in advance, this sudden weather shift would have caused serious damage to Villa No. 5.
"I'm just going to take a routine look around nearby."
Villa No. 5 had him and Utaha there. Even if something went wrong, it could be dealt with promptly. But Villa No. 4 was different.
If Villa No. 4 was affected by freezing temperatures and something went wrong, the chickens, ducks, and geese wouldn't last long.
Haizaki absolutely did not want anything to happen to them.
They still needed to keep laying eggs and contributing.
"Then I…"
"Utaha, you stay in the villa. It won't take long."
Seeing this, the girl didn't insist further.
After all, Haizaki wasn't going far—just moving around within the villa area. There shouldn't be any problem.
"I'm heading out…"
Haizaki put on a thick hat, wrapped himself in a heavy military coat, opened the door, and quickly left the villa.
He was actually hiding something.
There was something very important he needed to do while he was out.
At the latest, it would be finished by tomorrow.
…
Braving the cold and the snowstorm, Haizaki entered Villa No. 4.
As he closed the door, he took off his military coat and casually hung it on the rack by the entrance.
Separated by a single wall, the temperature difference was like night and day.
The largest room on the first floor was now the warmest place in the entire building.
"Cluck, quack, honk…"
The moment he opened the door, the sounds of chickens, ducks, and geese abruptly stopped, making Haizaki pause.
All of them turned their gaze toward him, leaving him momentarily stunned.
These guys had seemed to be arguing just now.
As long as they didn't start fighting, it was fine.
Originally, the chickens, ducks, and geese were kept in three separate rooms. But to withstand the severe cold and save energy, Haizaki had no choice but to keep the already small number of them together in the largest room on the first floor.
He simply used fences to separate them into different areas.
"Settle down. Don't cause trouble. Get through this winter peacefully, and you'll be free."
On April 4th, they really would be free.
They would gain the freedom they wanted, but the price would be surviving on their own abilities.
Could creatures that had always lived in a greenhouse survive?
"Anyone who causes trouble will be thrown outside to experience the freezing cold."
Whether they understood or not, Haizaki said a few words casually, then began checking the window seals and heating supply.
Everything was normal.
Next, he replenished feed and added fresh water to ensure their basic needs.
After that, naturally, it was time to look for eggs.
After the first egg was laid in October, Haizaki had basically begun a daily battle of wits with the chickens.
One day in November, after not seeing a single egg for half a month, Haizaki grew suspicious and searched the entire coop.
If he hadn't searched, he wouldn't have known. Once he did, he was shocked.
Four eggs had been hidden away.
From then on, whenever three consecutive days passed without an egg, Haizaki would search the coop—and each time, he would find one or two eggs.
Still, that alone wasn't enough to call them "chicken spirits."
What happened afterward was the real reason Haizaki began calling the chickens he raised "chicken spirits."
He even suspected that one day, chickens inheriting the remnants of human civilization and becoming the new rulers of the Solitary Apocalypse world was not entirely impossible.
…