"So you're really separating me from you?"
Saeko stood in front of Takumi, her expression making it painfully obvious that she wasn't satisfied with the explanation he'd already given her.
Takumi had explained it more than once by now, but apparently that hadn't been enough to convince her.
"Yes."
Saeko folded her arms. "I just don't deal with it."
Takumi sighed, already feeling a headache coming on. "Saeko, there's nothing complicated about this.
You're the strongest person here besides me, which means you're capable of protecting either group, but I think Group B is going to have fewer problems than Group A. That's why I want you with them."
Saeko shook her head.
"Regardless of the reason you give me, I don't want to be separated from you."
There was no elaborate reason behind the statement. She simply didn't want to be separated from him, and eventually Takumi looked away, feeling slightly uncomfortable.
He knew she wasn't saying it because she thought he was incapable of protecting himself; if anything, she probably understood better than most just how dangerous the journey ahead could become.
"...You're making this difficult."
"I know."
Takumi looked at her for a few seconds before finally turning away. He felt a little guilty about ignoring her, but he wasn't exactly doing this because he wanted her gone.
In fact, he was separating her from himself precisely because he trusted her enough to leave her in charge of protecting everyone else.
Behind Saeko, Haruno Yukinoshita watched the exchange quietly.
She had rushed here because of Yukino. That was the primary reason, but it wasn't the only one.
Takumi's inner voice!
That alone was enough to make Haruno pay attention.
If this had happened before the world had gone to hell, she probably would have been surprised, perhaps even curious about what exactly was happening.
But the world had already been turned upside down, and supernatural events no longer felt quite as unbelievable as they once would have.
Besides, someone like Takumi felt different.
The supernatural didn't happen to ordinary people, or, more accurately, anyone who became involved with the supernatural was no longer truly ordinary. And Takumi was apparently the antagonist.
Haruno almost found the thought amusing — didn't most villains thrive before they die?
And there was something else that bothered her.
This supposed protagonist of the world felt much more like a villain than the actual protagonist did.
She still didn't trust Yukino's safety with Takashi, but she hadn't exactly been given the opportunity to properly communicate with Takumi either.
Their relationship had been practically dead for so long that Haruno deeply regretted what she had done, yet regret wasn't going to change anything now.
All she could do now was try to make things different.
Was that selfish?
Maybe.
Perhaps it was selfish.
But who could afford to be completely selfless anymore?
Haruno's eyes eventually moved toward the students surrounding Takumi.
He was helping a group of people reach Advanced Nurturing Middle School despite knowing exactly how dangerous the journey could become, and although part of her thought it was reckless, another part of her couldn't help feeling a strange sense of fondness toward the decision.
If Yukino had been the one trapped there, Haruno knew she would have desperately wanted someone to do the same thing for her.
That was precisely why she couldn't completely condemn him.
Eventually, Takumi stopped responding to Saeko's complaints, choosing instead to focus on the road ahead. Saeko looked somewhat aggrieved by his decision, but she eventually accepted that he wasn't going to change his mind, while Takumi quietly hoped she understood that he wasn't trying to abandon her.
The groups continued moving until they reached the field.
As soon as they stepped outside the building, the stench assaulted their noses again.
Blood.
Iron.
Rot.
Decay.
The smell of disinfectant inside the school had become so familiar that they had almost forgotten what the outside world smelled like.
They had either grown accustomed to it or simply chosen to ignore it, but now that they were back outside, the memory returned with unpleasant clarity.
Saya pushed her glasses further up her face, resisting the urge to hurl as she stared across the field.
"It's still this... haunting."
Her voice was quieter than usual, the words carrying a heaviness that didn't normally exist in her voice.
Saya looked toward the distant city.
'What situation are my parents facing right now?'
She didn't know, and that uncertainty was perhaps the worst part. She looked at the students who had thoughts of leaving with slight understanding.
Yukino stood beside her, quietly checking the bandages around her arms to make sure they were still secure.
Despite Haruno's heavy protests, she had chosen to come here of her own free will, and that was precisely why Haruno had been so reluctant to allow her to leave.
Takumi was the strongest person among them.
In Haruno's mind, that meant he should have been with Yukino.
Instead, he was standing at the front of a group preparing to walk into the middle of a city overrun by undead.
Takumi finally turned toward everyone.
"Okay, everybody, listen."
The conversations gradually died down as they approached the gates. Takumi didn't bother unfolding the map this time, instead looking directly toward the road beyond the school.
"Your first destination is the mall district."
His gaze shifted toward Saeko and the others in Group B.
"We're going to take the most populated route."
Hikigaya immediately frowned.
"Is that even safe? Wouldn't an open area have more undead?"
Takumi nodded.
"It's safe in more ways than you can think."
He pointed toward the centre of the city.
"The centre will probably have more undead, but it'll also have more open space and more possible escape routes.
There are side streets, shops, parking areas, alleys, buildings, and cars. Moving through an area like that is actually better than going through an open, straightforward, and isolated route like the one we'll be taking."
Hikigaya had been nodding repeatedly as he followed Takumi's explanation, but then his expression suddenly changed.
His heart jolted.
'The one we'll be taking?'
Takumi noticed the slight change in his expression and gave a grim nod.
"The direction we're taking prioritizes time."
End of Chapter 17