Rei and Jin-ah ran toward Saeko.
"Saeko-senpai! Are you okay?"
"Mm... I'm fine."
Saeko nodded calmly, though she was still panting a little. Then she turned her face toward Jin-ah.
"Thanks for the shield. If it weren't for you, I'd have ended up in trouble."
Even though she'd been prepared for something like that, being left defenseless for days, or even weeks in a world like this would've been very problematic, since it was almost the same as a death sentence.
A smile lit up Jin-ah's face.
"Hehe, it was nothing. That's what I do!"
Rei, however, furrowed her brows a little and looked at her curiously.
"But how did you know the mantis would appear behind her? I didn't even have time to react myself. To summon a shield at just that moment… did you really anticipate it?"
The question made Jin-ah go thoughtful, lifting a finger to her cheek.
"Well… ever since I got my skill, I feel like my thoughts and reflexes have gotten faster. Maybe it's because it's related to light. I can see… hm, like things move more clearly in my head."
"Ohhh…" Rei was surprised.
Having a support with that kind of reaction was a treasure.
Jin-ah's gaze then dropped to Saeko's body. Even though she was standing, one could see cuts on her arms and, worse, on her thigh, where the torn skirt revealed skin that was bleeding.
"I'm sorry… if only I had healing skills…"
Jin-ah's eyes grew sad.
Saeko tilted her head gently, and a calm smile appeared on her face.
"There's nothing to apologize for. You've already been a great help to all of us."
Saying that, she swung Kurokami, and the still fresh green blood left a trail on the ground.
"..."
Jin-ah remembered her sick mother. How could she help her if she couldn't even heal a simple wound? But Yuu had told her that one day she'd be able to. And she trusted him completely.
At that moment, a cheerful voice made them turn.
"Now it's my turn to help~!"
Shizuka came running clumsily, her huge breasts bouncing ridiculously.
Seeing that, Jin-ah's lips twitched a couple of times.
She'd been thinking it for a while, but…
Weren't the girls' boobs in this world way too big?
'Does Yuu-ssi like big boobs…?'
She glanced at her own, and her expression sank a little.
"..."
While Jin-ah was having those kinds of thoughts, Shizuka reached the group, panting a little, and pointed firmly at Saeko.
"Saeko-chan, let me take care of those wounds, okay?"
She sat on her feet, placed her first aid kit on the ground, and unzipped it with energy.
"It's not necessary, I—"
"No buts!"
Shizuka puffed out her cheeks and wagged her fingers.
"No no no. Leave it to me!"
Saeko sighed softly, looking around. There weren't any zombies nearby. In the end, she agreed and kneeled down in seiza posture.
"This'll hurt a little, okay?"
"Go ahead."
Shizuka said while cleaning the blood from her arm, disinfecting it, and starting to bandage it. Then she leaned down to tend to the wound on her thigh with the same care.
When she finished, Saeko flexed her arms a couple of times and nodded.
"It's perfect. Thanks, sensei."
"Hehe, you can always count on me~. If you get hurt, Sensei will take care of it!"
Shizuka showed a smile on her sleepy-looking face while puffing out her chest.
At that moment, Yuu's voice came from behind.
"Good work. You all did well."
They all looked up.
With a calm smile, he raised his hand and patted Saeko, Rei, and Jin-ah's heads. Their expressions melted under his touch, and it felt really good being touched by him.
Then his eyes landed directly on Shizuka.
"Shizuka."
"Huh?" She tilted her head.
"Do you want skills too?"
"Huh!?"
"You might awaken one of the healing type. And I think that'd suit you pretty well."
×××
While the girls were fighting the monsters in the distance, Saya stayed by Yuu's side.
For some reason, her eyes stayed fixed on the boy's profile. His long lashes, the calm line of his jaw lit by the light, his deep golden eyes, his serene, composed face…
'Why do I keep looking at him like this…?'
She held her breath without realizing it, until he turned his head and smiled at her.
"Hm? Something wrong, Saya?"
"N-no! Nothing at all!" She turned her face away immediately. And she felt even more embarrassed because it felt like she'd been caught doing something improper.
Yuu chuckled softly at seeing her like that.
"That reaction's suspicious."
"It's not!"
The blush on her cheeks didn't go away, and with her heart a bit restless, Saya managed to regain a bit of composure.
'What a dangerous guy…'
After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly spoke.
"Hey, don't you think all this is too strange? Zombies evolving and mutated insects. Doesn't it seem like a god's playing with humans?"
"A god playing, huh? Why do you say that?"
Saya crossed her arms beneath her boobs and took a deep breath.
"Because it doesn't make sense. It can't just be a virus like in the movies. This is too unreal for it to be something that was born naturally. And if powers like the girls' exist, then it's logical to think someone else is behind it. That's why I say, maybe it's a higher being like a god."
—Plaaaf!
The sound of a clap made Saya look at him, surprised. All she saw was a wide smile on his dangerously handsome face.
"Brilliant! To reach that conclusion… you're pretty smart, Saya."
She flicked one of her pigtails with her hand and said,
"Hmph. Well, of course. I am a genius, after all."
However, her lips trembled a little before she spoke again.
"On our way here I talked with the girls. I asked Shizuka-sensei why she called you Kami-sama. She told me it was because you were. And Busujima-senpai, Rei, and Jin-ah confirmed it."
Saying that, she looked up, locking her eyes on him.
"So tell me, Izumi-kun… is it true?"
The wind stirred the boy's hair as he watched her in silence. Finally, he tilted his head slightly.
"You're not wrong. You could say yes. I'm a type of god."
"A type of… god?"
Saya kept staring at him with wide eyes as her heart skipped a beat.
God.
She, who had devoted her life to logic and evidence, who'd only after the apocalypse had begun to consider the possibility that something like that might exist, now had one standing right in front of her.
If someone mentioned god, maybe what came to mind was an old man with a beard living among the clouds. Not a beautiful boy who didn't look older than her.
Of course, it wasn't like she suddenly trusted what Yuu had said, but even so, the awakening of the girls' powers that he called followers… being able to make magical weapons with strange metals… Those were things a normal human definitely couldn't do.
Even so, she was sure that her heartbeat now wasn't really because of excitement. Rather, she felt uneasy. One could even say a small spark of fear ran through her heart when she asked,
"Were you the one who caused the apocalypse?"
It was the conclusion her analytical mind had been pulled toward. After all, if a god exists, and he's here now, in the middle of ruin, what role did he play in it?
Yuu's smile didn't fade, and he said,
"Do I sow disaster, or do I reap what others have sown? Is the storm to blame for falling, or the sea for not resisting it? The world always looks for someone to blame, Saya."
Saya looked at him, confused.
"Though I don't really blame you for thinking that. But I can assure you that this time I'm just a simple traveler looking for friends."
×××
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