"Look outside, daybreak."
Yami Tsukishiro tilted his chin toward the light spilling through the cracked window, then turned his back to her.
"I'm heading out. This supply point's yours if you want it."
Today, his target was clear, find Nishikigi Chisato and Takina Inoue.
They were his operators, after all. Letting them die here wasn't an option.
[The second wave of mutant beasts is approaching!]
The City of Mutated Beasts' prompt echoed at the perfect time.
Watching Yami's retreating back, Eriri suddenly felt a rush of unease.
She had slept so peacefully last night and it wasn't because she felt safe in a mall during a beast siege.
It was that shadow barrier.
She had no proof, but deep down, she knew it had been his doing.
Now he was leaving, and the thought made her chest tighten.
"W–wait!"
Her hand shot out before she even processed what she was doing, fingers clutching his wrist.
And then the realization hit her.
What the hell am I doing?!
"What is it?" Yami asked, his mood surprisingly calm after a good breakfast.
"That… that…"
Eriri froze. She'd stopped him on impulse, but now her brain had completely blanked.
Finally, with her heart pounding, she blurted out
"C–can I go with you?"
He'd heard these exact words before...from a certain Kasumigaoka Utaha, so it didn't exactly shock him.
He was ready to give the same dry answer…
But those nervous, watery blue eyes made him pause.
Not because he was some lust-driven pervert though he could admit Eriri was cute but because she gave off the air of… a promising pet.
…Oh great. I think I just awakened something dangerous in myself.
Suppressing a sigh, he nodded.
"You can follow me. But there's one condition you have to either learn how to use a gun or find a way to kill mutant beasts on your own before tonight. Think you can do that?"
"Eh?!"
A gun? She'd never touched one.
A mutant beast? Just thinking about their fangs made her shiver.
Her confidence wavered hard. But she bit her lip, clenched her fists, and said
"I'll… I'll try my best!"
"Good attitude."
Yami smirked faintly, finding her determination oddly similar to Utaha's.
He pinched her chin lightly, then frowned at the dust on her face and the exhaustion in her eyes.
"You should take a bath."
"E–eh?! A bath?!"
As an illustrator with a very suspicious imagination, Eriri instantly pictured something else entirely.
She crossed her arms over her chest and backed against the wall.
Seeing the misunderstanding, Yami rolled his eyes.
"Don't get the wrong idea. You're just filthy. If you're worried I'll peek, I'll wait outside."
"…!"
She glanced down at her dirt-stained, torn clothes and realized… yeah, she was a mess.
Blushing, she muttered, "S–sorry! I misunderstood…"
Then, after a moment's hesitation, she added more softly,
"Um… could you wait for me here? I… I'm a little scared."
"As long as you're not worried about me peeking, fine by me."
He shrugged.
"Thanks…"
Face still red, she rushed into the bathroom.
---
"Wuuu…"
The steady sound of running water came from behind the frosted glass.
Through the hazy surface, you could just make out the outline of Eriri showering inside.
Bored, Yami Tsukishiro flipped through the rankings and dungeon maps on his interface.
Then, without looking up, he spoke casually
"Yami Tsukishiro."
"W–waah?!"
There was a startled yelp from behind the glass.
Even separated by the frosted barrier, she was clearly nervous about bathing with a man nearby.
The sudden sound of his voice had nearly made her jump out of her skin.
"I said… my name is Yami Tsukishiro," he repeated, tone unhurried.
"Oh…" Eriri blinked, momentarily stunned.
Only now did she realize she hadn't even known his name.
"I… I'm Eriri. Sawamura Spencer Eriri."
"Then I'll just call you Eriri. Sound good?"
Eriri instinctively covered her chest even though the glass hid everything.
"Y-yeah… Can I… can I call you Yami-kun?"
"Either way works."
With that simple exchange, the tension in the air seemed to ease.
The warm water washed over her, and her breathing gradually steadied.
She lowered her gaze to her toes, the mist in the room fogging up her thoughts.
Everything from yesterday still felt like some surreal dream.
Her lips parted slightly.
"Yami-kun… do you know what happens to people when they die here?"
"I don't know. Maybe they wake up back in reality… maybe they die there too. Why? Worried about a friend?"
"No! I… I don't have to worry about him anymore!"
Her reply was too quick, almost defensive.
She didn't want him to get the wrong idea about her feelings.
Not that she even fully understood them herself.
She pressed on, her voice quieter now.
"He… he made me feel uneasy. I don't want anything to do with him anymore. At the start, he wouldn't listen when people told him to stop."
"He tried to drive you away, and even shot at you… People should take responsibility for what they do. I never thought you were in the wrong, Yami-kun."
Yami raised an eyebrow at that.
He hadn't originally planned to bring her along, but now… she'd caught his interest.
"Oh? You're more interesting than I thought, Eriri. I like that way of thinking."
Her cheeks warmed.
"U-uh… no, I just… suddenly realized a lot of things."
Still, being praised like that made her feel oddly happy.
At least she wasn't misunderstood.
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