Late at night, as the lights were turned off, the room sank into darkness.
Haizaki slipped back under the covers once more. The comfortable, soft touch relaxed his entire body. He truly needed a proper night's sleep.
As for Utaha beside him?
He had no intention of doing anything. Paying too much attention would only bring unnecessary trouble.
From returning from the apocalypse to 2019, and then arriving in the present "Solitary Apocalypse" world, his mind had been under constant strain.
Now, he could finally rest a little.
Before long, Haizaki's breathing became steady.
Utaha, lying flat on the other side of the bed, still carried a trace of unease in her heart, but her stress response to the darkness and loneliness had clearly eased.
At the very least, she felt confident that she could fall asleep peacefully and get some rest.
However…
Utaha turned slightly onto her side, her gaze shifting toward Haizaki.
The man rested with his eyes closed, his breathing gradually settling.
He was asleep—though whether truly asleep or pretending, she couldn't tell.
"Good night…"
Utaha spoke softly.
Her gratitude toward Haizaki was real, but so was her caution.
In an unknown world, beside a man she barely knew, how could she possibly adapt completely to the situation?
She still felt unsafe.
After a moment, she shifted her body, changed her position, and closed her eyes.
If I sleep, it should get better, she thought.
…
"Ah—!"
The girl screamed as she jolted awake from a dream.
"Huff… huff…"
Utaha gasped for breath, cold sweat pouring from her forehead.
She had another nightmare.
Once again, it was about the earthquake.
In the dream, she was writing her novel when the earthquake suddenly struck. She had no time to escape. The falling ceiling crushed her, pinning her beneath it. She didn't die immediately; instead, as blood slowly drained away and her body grew colder, she experienced the sensation of dying.
In the dream, she struggled, resisted, cried out for help—but no one came.
The only vague figure that appeared merely stared at her coldly, unmoved.
Even at the final moment of her death, that figure wore a mocking smile.
Awakening in terror, Utaha gulped in air, the lingering imagery making her realize why she had dreamed this dream again.
"Yusuke-san…"
As her racing heartbeat gradually calmed, Utaha looked toward the other bed—only to find that Haizaki was no longer there.
Why… was he gone?
Her pupils contracted, her anxiety deepening.
Why wasn't he there? He should still be in the room.
She fumbled for her phone and quickly entered the call screen, then noticed the time in the upper-right corner.
April 11, 2019, 7:03 a.m.
It was already morning.
She let out a small sigh of relief, guessing that Haizaki had simply gotten up.
But this brief relaxation made her realize something else—she didn't want Haizaki to disappear. It had happened once when she knocked on his door last night, and now again.
"I'm afraid of him disappearing. Maybe it's the suspension bridge effect? Even if it's not, it's probably close."
Utaha wiped the sweat from her forehead, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down.
Although she still had nightmares in the latter half of the night, at least she had slept. Her mental state was much better now.
"Get up…"
With a desire to see Haizaki sooner, Utaha decided to get out of bed.
She threw off the blanket, her shapely figure exposed to the air.
"Where are my pants and shoes?"
She searched around, but aside from an outer top, she couldn't find any other clothes.
Suddenly, she remembered—she was in Haizaki's room.
"I'm still half asleep."
Shaking her head helplessly, she picked up the clothes and prepared to return to her own room.
Last night, she had been too panicked to care about what she was wearing. Now, her sense of embarrassment began to surface.
Last night, it seemed she had been… more or less completely seen.
That was how she defined it.
Perhaps Haizaki had even secretly touched her while she was asleep.
She immediately dismissed the thought—it was nothing more than malicious speculation and served no real purpose. So she stopped overthinking, got up, and walked toward the door.
*Click—*
She opened the door.
The air froze instantly as their eyes met.
Neither of them had expected such an awkward coincidence.
"Turn around—"
Three seconds later, Utaha finally reacted. As she spoke, she pulled her jacket tight to cover her front.
"I've already seen everything. Looking a bit more won't make any difference."
As full and well-endowed as ever, almost no different from two years later. It was hard to imagine how she had grown into that figure.
"It will."
Utaha replied seriously.
"Then you'll have to worry about it all the time."
After speaking, Haizaki reached out and placed his hand on Utaha's shoulder.
The girl trembled. Instinctively, she thought he was about to make a move. She stepped back with her right leg, her hands unconsciously clenching into fists.
"You're blocking the way."
The pressure on her shoulder caused Utaha to retreat half a step.
She stared blankly.
That man had definitely done it on purpose.
"Someone turned into a panda because a beautiful girl slept beside him."
Noticing the dark circles under Haizaki's eyes, Utaha froze, then realized something.
On the surface, he claimed he wouldn't touch her—but his body had been quite honest.
"I'm a panda—who do you think is to blame? Who knocked on my door in the middle of the night and ruined my sleep? Who had nightmares and kept shouting my name so loudly that I couldn't fall asleep? Meanwhile, the one having nightmares slept like a log, clinging to my arm and refusing to let go, crying and begging me not to leave…"
Utaha's eyes widened slightly as she remembered.
When she slept last night, it did seem that her arms were wrapped around something. The warmth she felt had reassured her.
So that was it.
She opened her mouth, her crimson lips moving slightly. Her wine-red eyes flickered with struggle, but in the end, it all turned into a single apology.
"I'm sorry…"
"I accept it. Some things are still something you have to overcome on your own. I'm not a psychologist—I can't provide much effective help."
Utaha fell silent.
…