In the first-floor living room, the husky enjoyed its bone, eyes sparkling—it had finally awaited Haizaki's arrival.
"Alright, here you go…"
This was a special oversized lamb chop prepared for the husky.
"Awwooo…"
Throwing back its head, the husky howled loudly. Returning to Haizaki's side had been the best choice of its life. It was wonderful.
"This is dog food. Eat some too… don't look so disgusted."
Seeing the husky ignore the dog food he had set down, Haizaki sighed helplessly. Any creature knew how to choose, especially a husky with such intelligence.
Haizaki used a dining knife to remove the bones from the lamb chop, cutting the meat into small pieces and pairing it with green vegetables. In addition, there was a steaming bowl of rice and a cup of plain water.
"Thank you…"
Her dark-blue eyes gazed at the dinner placed before her. Yukino spoke softly in gratitude. Haizaki had thought of everything—she only needed to lift her chopsticks.
"I'll head downstairs now. I'll come back in about half an hour…"
Haizaki said, then left the room. Staying would only make Yukino feel awkward and uncomfortable. If it were just a normal meal, it would be fine—after days together, she had grown used to his presence. But eating in her current state felt improper to her. Raised with good manners, she would never allow Haizaki to see her in an ungraceful moment.
"Alright."
She wanted to thank him again, but recalling his words that thanks weren't necessary, she swallowed it back.
Haizaki's footsteps echoed downstairs. She knew he was attentive, always considering her feelings. Being with him made her feel relaxed and comfortable.
Her gaze fell on the dinner before her. The lamb chop finally caught her attention. The visible fat still sizzled, its red surface releasing an enticing aroma. Her appetite stirred.
Yukino picked it up gently with chopsticks, parted her lips, and bit into it. Crispy outside, tender inside— the slight saltiness perfectly highlighted the flavor. It was comparable to a hotel chef's fine cooking.
She couldn't help but take another bite. It was even tastier than last night's roasted rabbit.
She couldn't imagine how Haizaki, a man, had such skill in cooking. She might not be able to match him.
For the first time, she felt defeated. Not being as good as Haizaki in shooting or driving wasn't shameful. But not even in cooking? That was harder to accept.
As a traditionally educated Japanese woman, she believed cooking was usually a woman's responsibility. She should have been better than Haizaki. But reality was the opposite.
This made her resolve to improve her cooking in the future, to create even more delicious meals.
Ten minutes later, Yukino finished the warm water in her cup. Dinner was officially over. She still felt a little unsatisfied.
Even in the apocalypse, she controlled her portions. Eating too much could make her fat. She still wanted to remain beautiful.
"Tomorrow… I'll be fine, right?"
Thinking of troubling Haizaki further made her uneasy. If she could recover enough to move tomorrow, she could at least manage some things herself. She truly didn't want to burden him unless absolutely necessary.
If such a situation arose…
Her mind pictured Haizaki carrying her to the bathroom, and then…
She couldn't think further. She didn't dare. If that happened, she felt she'd never marry.
"Phew, stop thinking."
She exhaled, glanced at the clock—it was still early. She turned her attention back to the world of words.
She was so absorbed that she didn't notice when Haizaki's promised half hour had passed.
The girl was fully focused, slender fingers turning pages, the soft sound of paper flipping. Every movement was graceful.
When Haizaki knocked but heard no response, he opened the door. The sight reminded him of the first time he had seen Yukino.
Stepping into the classroom, he had noticed her among the students—a girl apart from the world. Light through the window shone on her delicate face as she read, radiating serenity, blending with the environment.
His heart had raced. He had felt a spark of love. He had wanted to be with her, to spend his life with her.
But it had only been a fleeting impulse. In reality, he had restrained himself, choosing to live an ordinary high school life.
The bittersweet memory made Haizaki smile and shake his head. It was all in the past.
"Yukinoshita-san , I came to collect the dishes."
"Yusuke-kun, why…"
"I knocked, but someone didn't hear."
"Sorry, I was too focused on reading."
"It's fine. Rest well tonight. I'm in the next room—call me if you need anything."
Haizaki turned on the desk lamp, switched off the ceiling light.
"Thank you. I troubled you today."
"Rest well. Recovering quickly is the best thanks."
"Mm…"
Five years later, Haizaki was truly different. Compared to the awkward classmate he had been, Yukino felt this grown Haizaki was far more charming.
…
April 26.
After the cloudy day, heavy rain poured from the sky. The downpour completely stopped Haizaki from going out.
After breakfast, Haizaki knocked on Yukino's door.
"Come in…"
The girl was already awake, leaning against the headboard.
"Are you better?"
Haizaki asked as usual.
"There's still some soreness, but I can move normally."
Thankfully, she could move. If she hadn't, she really would have needed Haizaki's help. At that point, she felt death might have been preferable.
Fortunately, her body had cooperated. After one night, she could endure the pain, rise, and move.
"That's good. If you recover quickly, two or three days should be enough. Here's breakfast—just porridge and sausage."
…
Haizaki prepared breakfast in front of the girl.
"It's already much better. Thank you."
For the past two days, even from the very first day they met, she had constantly received Haizaki's care. She had contributed to their team, but in Yukino's eyes, her contribution was insignificant. Sometimes she even thought her role was less than Duke's. At least Duke could perfectly handle night watch duties. But she—injured as she was—what could she do? She was just a burden.
"Have you eaten?"
"Mm, I already have."
With his purpose upstairs complete, Haizaki turned to leave, but Yukino stopped him.
"Yusuke-kun, could you… stay a little longer?"
"Do you have something to tell me?"
"More or less."
Yukino set aside her literary anthology.
"I hope that in the future, besides teaching me shooting, you can also teach me to drive."
Haizaki trembled, his heart suddenly uneasy. It reminded him of the memory of teaching Utaha to drive during the 'Solitary Apocalypse.' A memory best forgotten. Even a 99A main battle tank could be overturned—what couldn't be overturned? He truly didn't dare teach another woman to drive.
"Is that… not possible?"
It was a normal request. Yukino was puzzled why Haizaki looked hesitant, even fearful.
Impossible, right? He could face brutal crystallization mutants calmly, without fear, yet her request to learn driving made him uneasy? It must be her imagination.
"Well…"
Haizaki hesitated, finally deciding not every girl was like Utaha, the road-killer driver.
"It's possible, but you know the situation. Finding a training car is difficult."
The car was one problem. Another was more important.
"Besides the vehicle, there's the fuel issue. Most training cars run on gasoline. Gasoline's shelf life in sealed containers is usually one to two years. Diesel can last five to six years, even ten or more if stored well."
Hearing this, Yukino lowered her head slightly in thought. Haizaki was right. She didn't know much about fuel, but he had no reason to lie. Still, if possible, she wanted to learn driving, to ease Haizaki's burden. That was her true intention.
"Does it have to be a training car?"
"Not necessarily, but ideally yes. The biggest difference is that training cars have brakes on the passenger side. That way, if something goes wrong, the instructor can stop the car."
"I understand."
Her look of comprehension reassured Haizaki. He didn't even know why he felt relieved.
"If you want to learn, we'll see later. If the chance comes, we can use a wide stadium or field. That will greatly reduce the risk of accidents."
That should be fine.
"Mm, thank you."
"If there's nothing else, I'll head down."
Yukino nodded. But she still noticed Haizaki's attitude of keeping a certain distance. It felt like he was avoiding her.
She thought of the Haizaki from her own world, who had clearly confessed he liked her. She wondered if this Haizaki felt the same.
It wasn't arrogance—she knew she had the charm to attract men. Her beautiful face, fair and slender figure—she was the kind of girl who could make men's hearts stir at a glance.
But Haizaki chose to keep his distance. That made her compare the two Haizakis from different worlds again.
"In the end, are they the same person?"
Parallel world counterparts. The similarity was 99.99%.
"You and 'me'… are we really just classmates?"
Haizaki had said he wouldn't confuse her with "her." They weren't the same person. But Yukino still doubted. She instinctively felt his distance was related to "her." But what exactly, she didn't know.
So she could only sigh and wait.
Maybe someday Haizaki would tell her something about "her."
…
Back downstairs, Haizaki patted the husky's head. After indulging himself, he began organizing information and intelligence.
His understanding of the "Crystallization Mutation" world was still too shallow. Only by going to Tokyo's Epidemic Countermeasures Headquarters could he find more useful data. After that, he would head north to search for surviving humans.
Main Mission 1: survive 270 days—could be set aside for now.
Main Mission 2: the cause of crystallization mutation outbreaks—the only known clue was an unknown technological ruin in the Pacific.
Haizaki felt it was extremely troublesome. Even knowing the ruin's location, reaching it carried risks. And the ruin itself was dangerous. Main Mission 2 seemed the hardest.
He also knew that as he explored, the system would likely issue Main Missions 4, 5, 6, Side Missions 1, 2, 3, and Hidden Missions 1, 2, 3.
Two-star "Crystallization Mutation" was on a completely different level from one-star "Solitary Apocalypse." The number of missions had increased greatly.
But with greater risk came greater reward. Lots of points and experience. Unlocking permissions, raising skill levels.
"Hopefully this rain ends soon…"
Outside, rain poured endlessly, giving Haizaki reason to stay indoors and rest. But idle, he felt uncomfortable. The dampness and temperature of rainy days made him uneasy.
The husky played on its own. In its old pack life, rain meant hunger. But now, this downpour had no effect. Food and drink were plentiful. It only needed to do its part as a "dog."
"Awwooo…"
Feeling blissful, it howled.
"You're not getting lamb tonight. Dog food for you."
Haizaki muttered. Who would have thought the husky would howl happily, disturbing his reading.
"Whimper…"
It rolled and acted cute, begging forgiveness. It was sure its new master would forgive it.
…