The next day.
"Good morning," Kojou greeted everyone as he came down to the first floor, where it seemed they were already having breakfast.
"Good morning. It looks like you had a good night's sleep," Akatsuki said. Despite Kojou's pale complexion, there was a certain glow to his skin, and the atmosphere around him was noticeably more relaxed than the day before.
Recalling Kojou's state yesterday, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Even though she had only known him for a single day, it was clear that he had been carrying heavy burdens for a long time. Fortunately, he had accepted this mission, which gave him a way to release some of that pressure.
"Sort of," Kojou replied with a faint smile. He had to admit—it had been a long time since he felt this comfortable and free. "By the way, who's this little girl?"
Yesterday, Kojou had been so exhausted that he had taken a bath, eaten quickly, and gone straight to sleep, so he hadn't noticed the little girl before.
"..." The cute, pink-haired, crimson-eyed girl stared at Kojou with slight fear. She had seen him killing zombies with his bare hands, and he had even been about to kill her if Akatsuki hadn't intervened.
"This is Maresato Alice-chan, and she's seven years old," Kohta said with a gentle smile, patting the girl's head. His fondness for her was obvious—he seemed to see her as a younger sister. From what it seemed, she had no remaining relatives in this world. Her father had been stabbed and killed the previous day, while her mother's current whereabouts were unknown.
"Good morning, Kojou-kun." At that moment, Saeko emerged from the kitchen, wearing an apron over her school uniform and carrying some plates of steaming food. "Breakfast is ready, so eat it while it's hot."
"Thank you," Kojou nodded, sitting down to a traditional Japanese breakfast of fried fish, white rice, miso soup, and pickles. "Itadakimasu."
He clapped his hands lightly before taking a bite of the fried fish. Its aroma was so tempting that he couldn't resist it for long.
"By the way, Shizuka-san, did you talk to your friend?" Kojou asked, glancing at Shizuka, who was eating with a happy smile—it was clear she was enjoying the meal.
Shizuka had wanted to call Rika, but her phone battery had died, and she hadn't been able to charge it while they were fleeing from zombies. She had no choice but to wait until she could charge it before contacting Rika, especially since she had forgotten the other party's number.
"Yes, I talked to Rika-chan this morning," Shizuka said happily at the mention of her friend. She was the only person Shizuka had a close relationship with in this world, as she had no parents or relatives. "It seems she's fine, and she'll be here by the end of the day. According to her, the world has already ended, so there's no point in staying at work any longer."
"I'm glad to hear she's safe," Kojou said, the corner of his mouth lifting into a faintly pleased arc. It was clear he was happy for Shizuka. Even though he had only known her for a single day, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her—she was the only adult in this group of teenagers, so she had to hold herself together and hide her weakness. If the adult fell apart, the teenagers wouldn't be able to do anything. Now that she had spoken to her friend, her mood seemed much better than yesterday.
And so, breakfast continued with cheerful, random conversation. It was clear that no one wanted to confront the reality that the world had ended—at least, not yet. Tomorrow, they would have to face that harsh truth again, but for now, they could relax, enjoy a warm meal, and forget their worries for a short while.
Even though less than a full day had passed since the world ended and zombies had appeared everywhere, everyone was already exhausted. Anyone else in their position would want to run away from reality. They had been living safe, lazy lives, watching themselves grow up, get ordinary jobs, and marry the person they loved—but now, in just a few hours, everything had gone to hell. Corpses roamed everywhere, society and order had collapsed, and they were running just to survive. This was more than any ordinary teenager could handle.
However, Takashi and the others weren't just ordinary teenagers. Kojou had to admit—they were remarkably capable for normal humans. But even exceptional people needed rest, especially when faced with such an unexpected disaster.
"Thank you for the food—it was delicious," Kojou said as he stacked his dishes and stood to wash them. They had prepared the meal for him, and it would be impolite to make them wash his dishes too.
Although Nagisa had been the one handling household chores before, Kojou had also helped her. He wasn't so inexperienced that he couldn't wash his own dishes. Still, Kojou had to admit—it had been a long time since he had done it himself. Ever since revealing his identity, joining the guild, and acquiring maids, there had been no need for him to do such things. The girls had taken care of everything while he lazed around, unconcerned with such matters.
...
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