"Here." Haizaki turned toward his backpack, took out a bottle of mineral water, and handed it to the girl.
Utaha twisted the cap open and drank several mouthfuls without caring about her appearance. As the mineral water moistened her parched throat, she felt comfortable all over. She then used some of it to lightly rinse her face.
"Thank you…"
"It's good that you're fine." Yes—so long as Utaha was safe, his efforts hadn't been in vain.
"I still want to thank you. If it weren't for you… but how did you find my location so quickly?" Now that she had calmed down, Utaha looked at Haizaki with a hint of confusion.
"Toyogasaki Academy has your records," Haizaki replied casually.
To confirm Utaha's location as early as possible, he had no choice but to rush to Toyogasaki, risking his life to enter the building and search for her files. Thinking about it now—if the school building had collapsed and trapped him inside—what would he have done? The thought made Haizaki feel a lingering sense of fear.
"…"
Utaha parted her lips slightly but didn't know what to say. A simple "thank you" felt far too light. She could imagine how dangerous it had been for Haizaki to enter Toyogasaki during the earthquake just to find her records.
"Boom, boom, boom…"
The ground began to shake again. The tremor wasn't strong—just a normal aftershock—but having experienced it once already, Utaha developed a psychological shadow. Like a startled bird, her face turned pale and her body tensed up.
"Let's go. We should leave Tokyo as soon as possible. My current plan is to check Narita Airport first. If Narita doesn't work, we'll head to Nagoya and use the airport there to go to the Eastern Union…"
His determination to leave Japan had only grown stronger.
"I…"
"Don't want to leave?"
"…"
Utaha pressed her lips together, her expression hesitant and conflicted. She knew that searching for photos and her computer right now was dangerous, but once she left Japan, she would never have another chance to find them.
"Oh, right. When I was looking for you earlier, I found your family photos, laptop, manuscripts, and some other things. I put them over there."
Haizaki pointed to a pile of items by the roadside. He figured there had to be something in there that Utaha would want to take with her.
"Thank you, really, thank you…" Hearing this, Utaha became visibly excited. She truly hadn't expected that Haizaki had already found them. It was really wonderful.
"It's fine. Go see what you want to take."
After speaking, Haizaki finished the remaining half bottle of mineral water in one go. The cold water moistened his throat, making him feel refreshed.
Utaha quickly ran over and began rummaging through the pile.
Three minutes later, seeing the girl return holding her things, Haizaki spoke again.
"Let's go to Toyogasaki Academy's field first. After that, we'll check on Narita Airport."
"Mm…"
At 3:40 p.m., the two arrived at the Toyogasaki Academy field. Haizaki greeted Utaha briefly, threw his jacket over himself, and lay down to sleep. Utaha stared at him in astonishment. Soon after, she smiled—she understood that Haizaki was truly exhausted. Though not much older than her, he had used up all his strength to save her and was utterly worn out. All she could do was quietly sit by his side and keep watch.
…
*Whirr—whirr—whirr—*
Accompanied by the loud rotation of helicopter blades and the roar of engines, the two were on their way to Nagoya. Cracks had also appeared on Narita Airport's runway, and Haizaki ultimately decided to abandon Narita and head to Nagoya instead.
An hour and a half later, they arrived in Nagoya.
The sun was setting, but from the aerial view, Nagoya didn't seem to have been heavily affected by the earthquake. The airport was operating normally. This allowed Haizaki to breathe a sigh of relief.
At the earliest, they could leave Japan tomorrow.
Considering that in the main world, Tokyo hadn't experienced a major earthquake in April 2019, Haizaki guessed that this earthquake was a survival trial for the two of them in the "Lonely Apocalypse" world. And beyond earthquakes, there were countless other natural disasters. The pressure weighed heavily on him.
"Power supply is normal, water supply is normal. You can shower and rest for a while. I'll go out and find some food."
"Um…" Utaha hesitated shyly.
"Could you also bring back some clothes for me—not just an outer jacket…"
Utaha wasn't in much better shape either. Her long black hair was smeared with grime, her fair skin was covered in gray dust, and her clothes were in even worse condition. Haizaki could even see the tender skin beneath her torn black stockings.
"I understand."
Seeing Haizaki turn to leave, Utaha hesitated again before speaking.
"Um… the size…"
Involving her measurements, even Utaha felt embarrassed to say it out loud.
"I'll bring more clothes. You can choose for yourself."
"Mm, thank you…"
…
*Splash, splash…*
Hot water steamed from the showerhead, cascading over her body as the grime slowly washed away. Inside the bathroom, Utaha thoroughly enjoyed the comfort of the shower. After finishing, she dipped her hand into the bathtub to test the temperature. It was just right. She lifted her long legs and stepped into the tub.
As her body was enveloped by the warm water, Utaha completely relaxed and let out a soft, involuntary hum.
"Mm…"
"Soaking in a bath really is the most comfortable."
She was so happy she almost wanted to cry. After facing life and death and enduring mental struggle, she finally understood that being able to bathe peacefully was a kind of happiness.
Five minutes later, as she soaked in the tub, her thoughts were filled with Haizaki. She was deeply grateful that he had saved her and had decided to go with him to the Eastern Union. But when she thought about the decades of life ahead, she still felt a bit lost and uncertain.
"Hopefully you're not…"
"Click—"
The sound of the hotel room door opening made Utaha's eyes widen slightly. She couldn't believe Haizaki had returned so quickly.
"Splash—"
She quickly stood up from the water and grabbed a bath towel to wrap around herself. She knew that if Haizaki truly wanted to do something to her, the thin towel wouldn't offer much protection. But at least it gave her a sense of security.
"Tap, tap, tap…"
Footsteps drew closer, moving step by step toward the bathroom.
Utaha unconsciously held her breath, remaining perfectly still, focusing all her attention on Haizaki outside. She hoped Haizaki wasn't that kind of person. Their future together was long, and the development of their relationship should be gradual, not rushed. If Haizaki really tried to force himself on her, she wouldn't submit.
"I put the clothes outside. Dinner will be ready in about half an hour… it's instant noodles."
Hearing the last part, Utaha froze, her face filled with shock.
"I'm going to shower in the next room. If there's anything, we'll talk when we eat…"
Haizaki placed the full set of clothes she would need outside the bathroom. As for the scene inside the bathroom—it was certainly tempting—but Haizaki knew what he should and shouldn't do.
"I understand," Utaha replied perfunctorily. Soon after, she heard Haizaki's footsteps retreating and the door closing.
That was it?
She couldn't believe it had ended just like that. Fewer than two sentences—he dropped off the clothes and left. Did he really have no thoughts at all about a beautiful girl bathing inside?
Utaha felt as though she might have encountered a fake man.
But it was precisely because of Haizaki's behavior that she let out a sigh of relief, and her trust in him increased considerably. Still, she understood that what kind of person Haizaki truly was would require long-term interaction to know. After all, time reveals the heart.
…