"Ice Arrow!" Seeing this scene, Rikka quickly used her magic, conjuring an ice arrow that pierced the heads of two zombies in succession.
"Rest in peace, the departed," Takeru said aloud. Using his telekinesis, he controlled several kitchen knives he had collected earlier, directing them to slash at the necks of the approaching zombies.
Under the powerful telekinetic force, the knives soon decapitated the nearby zombies. In less than five minutes, all the zombies that had closed in were lying on the ground, motionless...
"Takeru, what is that?" Rikka stared blankly at the floating, now-blunted kitchen knives.
"My special ability," Takeru replied calmly.
He didn't plan to hide his Telekinesis. It was a practical skill he would use frequently.
Besides, his true trump cards weren't Telekinesis, but his formidable defense attributes and various special talents and skills.
Hearing Takeru's words, Rikka just stared at him, surprised he possessed such a powerful ability. It seemed fitting for the only one who had received a C-Rank evaluation.
Ignoring Rikka's astonishment, Takeru headed towards the shops on the first floor. Many shop doors were closed.
Unconcerned, he called out loudly, attracting any stragglers, dispatched them instantly, and simultaneously searched for survivors.
Seeing this, Rikka imitated Takeru's actions, shouting loudly to attract zombies before killing them.
Soon, they completely cleared the first-floor shops. Then, Takeru led Rikka up to the second floor.
"Is anyone there?" Takeru called out loudly again while clearing zombies on the second floor.
Meanwhile, in an employee break room within the shopping center, a girl's heart leaped upon hearing Takeru's call.
Looking at the door, she felt momentarily uncertain.
"Is it rescuers?" With hope and trepidation, she wasn't sure if the voice was real or an auditory hallucination. She cautiously pressed her ear against the door.
"Is anyone there?" Just as she was hesitating, the voice became clearer.
"There's someone here! Please help me!" Unable to hold back upon hearing the voice again, she responded loudly.
"Takeru, I think I heard someone!" Rikka also heard the faint cry for help and spoke to Takeru.
"I heard it too. It seems to be coming from inside. Rikka, stand guard here. I'll go check," Takeru said, following the sound source.
"Where are you?" He called out loudly, carefully listening for the direction.
"I'm in the employee break room! Please help me!" The girl's voice sounded urgent. Takeru also heard the sound of zombies pounding on something.
"Hold on! I'm coming!" Locating the source, Takeru rushed towards it. He soon saw three zombies banging on a door.
Nearby, two other zombies, hearing the commotion, started moving towards the door but spotted Takeru and changed direction towards him.
Takeru paid no attention to the two zombies. Drawing Twilight Moon, a silver flash severed their heads, and they collapsed.
Taking a few strides, Takeru dispatched the door-banging zombies with swift strikes.
Inside, the girl, who had been bracing the door, froze when the pounding stopped. She stared at the door, uncertain.
"You're safe now. You can come out," A voice called out. The girl was stunned, then quickly moved the clutter blocking the door and opened it.
What met her eyes was Takeru's handsome face and the slightly blood-stained short sword, Twilight Moon...
"Thank you!" In an instant, the girl rushed forward and hugged Takeru tightly, tears streaming down her face.
Feeling her actions, Takeru was momentarily taken aback, then sighed softly and gently patted her back.
"It's alright now. Everything's fine," Takeru said, sensing the girl's fear… even while hugging him, her body trembled.
"Takeru, did you find..." Rikka, following Takeru's path, arrived and saw the girl crying in Takeru's arms. She felt relieved but also, for some reason, a twinge of envy towards the girl...
Realizing she felt this strange emotion, Rikka shook her head, trying to dispel it.
Meanwhile, the girl continued crying for a while before finally calming down. She stepped back from Takeru's embrace, her face showing embarrassment.
"Um, thank you. I'm Naoki Miki," She said, bowing her head slightly.
"I'm Nara Takeru. That's Takanashi Rikka," Takeru introduced them, observing Miki.
He remembered her now. She was a member of the main cast, though she hadn't yet joined the School Living Club. This indicated that the group from Megurigaoka High School hadn't arrived here yet.