Noticing Yukino's change in expression, Haizaki was a little stunned.
Her dark blue eyes held not vigilance or distance, but guilt and self-blame. Realizing this, Haizaki felt warmth in his heart. Yukino was indeed a gentle girl.She was someone he could trust. He could entrust his back to her without worry.
"Yukinoshita-san, help me check. I can't see my back…"
Haizaki turned, removed his jacket, then took off his short-sleeved shirt, exposing his back to her view.
Holding the flashlight, Yukino, nervous and uneasy, finally directed her gaze to his back.
Healthy-colored skin. No wounds, no scratches. Her eyes immediately lit up.
To be sure, Yukino leaned closer, carefully examining. Her wide eyes found no injuries. Confirming this fact, she instantly felt relieved.
"No problem, Yusuke-kun. Not even a scratch."
Her cool voice carried an undertone of joy she couldn't hide. Recalling the icy despair she had felt earlier, now Yukino's chest was filled with relief and happiness.
"Mm, that's good."
Haizaki looked unconcerned outwardly, but in truth, he had worried. If he had been wounded, what then? Would the crystallization virus in the mutant's fluids enter his body through the wound? Would he be infected?
But since his back was uninjured, the rest he could check himself.
"I want to check other parts."
Haizaki hoped Yukino would step aside.
But hearing this, Yukino froze, then her face flushed faintly red.
"I… I understand. Leave it to me!"
Her expression flickered as if making an important life decision. She stepped in front of Haizaki and began checking his front.
The girl leaned close, examining seriously. Haizaki, breathing steadily, felt the pressure mounting.
Yukino had misunderstood. But now…
"Yusuke-kun, nothing wrong above. Next…"
She met his eyes, then bent down, placing her hands on his belt.
She tried to undo it.
"No, I'll handle below myself."
Feeling the tickle of her hair brushing him, Haizaki quickly spoke.
"Mm."
Yukino let out a relieved breath. If Haizaki had insisted, she would have continued. But the thought of seeing his lower body filled her with unstoppable shame. Her instinct was to retreat, but reason held her back.
Helping Haizaki check his body was a small matter, but as his only companion, it was something she had to do.
"I'll step out. Call me when you're done."
"Mm…"
She opened the door immediately. When it closed, she leaned against it, her racing heart finally calming.
She felt she had blushed more times today than in all her seventeen years combined.
Yukino consciously adjusted her breathing, regaining composure. Her eyes wandered—and then…
Two pairs of gleaming eyes stared at her from nearby.
Her pupils shrank. She instinctively leaned back, trying to retreat.
"Thud…"
"Whimper…"
Pain shot through her head, making her cry out.
"What happened, Yukinoshita-san…"
Hearing the noise outside, Haizaki called out anxiously.
"It's fine. I just bumped myself. Don't worry."
She had been startled by the wolf and husky. Only now did she remember they were sleeping in the living room. The faint moonlight reflected in their eyes filled her with fear.
Don't worry.
Don't be afraid.
Duke won't hurt her.
She repeated this to herself, but her hand gripped the doorknob so tightly her fingers turned white.
Hurry… Isn't he done yet?
Time passed painfully slowly.
Three minutes later, Haizaki finally called out that he was finished. Yukino opened the door with a sharp click, her urgency obvious.
"What's wrong?"
"No, nothing."
Now that the husky's gaze was gone, Yukino at least appeared normal again.
"That's good."
Haizaki sensed something was off, but since she didn't want to say, he didn't press.
"Tonight we'll have to make do with clothes."
Both their sleeping bags had been stained with mutant fluids. For safety, they had to abandon them. Their jackets and pants from the battle had already been discarded before entering this villa. Now they wore fresh clothes.
"It's fine. Tomorrow we can find new sleeping bags."
But the fact remained: they had only one jacket to use as a blanket.
Haizaki naturally chose to give it to Yukino.
"I…"
Yukino wanted to refuse.
"You need it more. Your body… if you catch cold, what then?"
April nights in Chiba weren't warm. Even Haizaki felt the chill in the bedroom. Yukino would feel it even more.
"It's fine. Just one night…"
"Exactly. Just one night. I can endure. Only three hours until dawn. Sleep early."
Haizaki looked for a place to rest. Sleeping in a chair might work…
"On the bed…"
Her voice carried insistence. The bed was wide enough for two.
Haizaki wanted to refuse, but meeting her determined gaze, he finally nodded. There was no need to overthink. The more he resisted, the more it would seem he had ulterior motives.
"Let's rest."
Unlike before, when they had slept in separate sleeping bags in the same room, now they lay close together, sharing one not-so-large jacket.
Yukino still looked uneasy. But since she had decided, she wouldn't regret it. She accepted it. There was no need to care. She and Haizaki were only companions.
"Mm. Good night…"
She closed her eyes, leaning against Haizaki's side.
"Good night," Haizaki replied.
At his nose was the faint scent of the girl—cool, yet warm. Perhaps this was Yukino's fragrance.
In sleep, he felt the chill fade. It seemed he was holding a soft, warm body close.
Utaha…
Her figure surfaced in Haizaki's subconscious. He instinctively held tight.
I miss you.
That was probably his last thought before falling asleep.
…
The next morning, as Haizaki's consciousness gradually returned, he noticed the situation and his heartbeat quickened. He was tightly holding Yukino, using her as a pillow for warmth. This posture was unmistakable—it was the same way he had once held Utaha.
Damn.
Last night, he had subconsciously mistaken Yukino for Utaha, and his body had reacted on its own.
What should he do?!
That was his first thought. His second thought was… if he needed to apologize, then he would. It wasn't something impossible. Better to face it honestly.
It wasn't as if he had done something more intimate to Yukino… like kissing…
Uh, he had done that.
At least he hadn't gone further than a kiss.
Looking at Yukino's delicate sleeping face, Haizaki finally turned his gaze away. Last night's battle had been too intense, too brutal for a girl from a peaceful world. The fact that she had stayed calm and fought back was already proof of her strength.
And now… Haizaki noticed the slight furrow at the corner of her eyes. He sighed inwardly. Let her sleep a little longer.
With that thought, Haizaki carefully tried to withdraw his left hand, afraid of waking her. This was his test.
"Mm…"
Perhaps disturbed by his movement, the girl's eyelashes trembled, and soon she opened her eyes. Her dark blue gaze focused, taking in the situation. Her pupils shrank, and her left hand swung toward him.
But halfway through, she suddenly realized who was in front of her, and where she was. She forced her hand back.
"Sorry."
She had almost slapped him.
"It's fine. You didn't hit me. Even if you did, I'd understand. In this situation, I do bear some responsibility."
No matter what had happened last night, as the man, he had indeed taken advantage of her.
"I also have responsibility."
The two fell silent. Neither spoke, maintaining their posture. But the position was undeniably ambiguous.
Finally, Haizaki withdrew his hand, and Yukino stood up as if unconcerned. Both tacitly chose to leave the matter unspoken. As if nothing had happened.
…
It was still early. Neither planned to leave the room yet, and now they had time and energy to talk about last night.
"Those monsters last night… were they creatures infected by the crystallization virus?"
"Basically, yes. And their original bodies should have been human."
Yukino's heart sank. She had shot and killed several mutants. At the time, it had been self-defense. She had already considered that the mutants might once have been human. But hearing Haizaki confirm it now, her heart still trembled.
Even if they were monsters, they had been human. The thought that she had killed people was hard to accept.
"But only their bodies."
Watching her reaction, Haizaki quickly understood what she was thinking. Kind people always felt guilty about their actions. But this wasn't her fault.
"Don't dwell on it. From every perspective, they're no longer human."
"And even if they were living humans, when they attacked us, we had the right to fight back. It was… legitimate self-defense."
He used the logic of law and morality to ease her guilt.
"Mm."
She knew that, but her heart still struggled to accept it. At least for now, she couldn't untangle her heavy emotions.
"This is the apocalypse. Whether you want to accept it or not, you must adapt. Maybe one day, you'll have to survive alone. And you'll have to face it all."
"You're going to leave."
Her dark blue eyes locked onto Haizaki. Beautiful eyes flickered with tension.
"I was just giving an example. No one knows the future. I only want you to be prepared for the worst."
"I will."
But the thought of surviving alone in such a dangerous world filled Yukino with immense pressure. Essential supplies, necessary defenses for safety—could she really survive alone?
Always confident in herself, believing she could live well by her own strength, Yukino now, for the first time, doubted her belief.
Perhaps this was survival, not living. She couldn't help but think.
In this world where human civilization had collapsed, alone, even if she survived, it would be unbearably hard.
"Enough. Don't overthink. I'm here now. We're companions—supporting and relying on each other."
"I want to learn how to shoot."
Last night, if she had received training, she could have killed more mutants. Then Haizaki wouldn't have had to bear so much pressure.
"No problem."
This was exactly what Haizaki wanted. If Yukino gained shooting skills, she could protect herself and even help him when needed. Her request showed she had accepted the necessary resolve.
If possible, Haizaki didn't want a pure girl like her to be stained with blood. But reality made that impossible. He wasn't arrogant enough to think he alone could protect them both.
Last night's battle had already proven his limits. "Crystallization Mutation" was not "Solitary Apocalypse." The difference in level meant the danger of the two worlds was vastly different.
"What do you want for breakfast? We have biscuits, sausages…"
Other foods weren't suitable for breakfast, unless they wanted hot meals.
"Biscuits and sausages."
Noticing Haizaki's helpless reaction, Yukino's lips curved briefly. The heavy atmosphere finally began to fade.
On the second day in this world, Yukino finally accepted the reality of being here. She longed for the day she could return, to see her parents and sister again. But until then, she had to survive.
Survive in this perilous world filled with the crystallization virus. Survive until the day she could go home.
…