Crackle, crackle—
A campfire blazed in Room 1501. The shattered window now served as a chimney, and the two girls sat on small stools, warming themselves by the flames.
Then Kyoko suddenly rose from her seat and said,
"I need to check you. Please empty your pockets. Sorry, but it's for safety."
"Like this?"
Huaxiu's soft voice reached Kyoko's ears.
By then, Huaxiu had already turned out every pocket she had. After confirming there was nothing suspicious, Kyoko had not even had time to speak before Huaxiu's next action startled her.
The girl began quietly taking off her clothes, unfastening the buttons one by one. That fair, lovely skin was gradually exposed to the air.
"Stop taking things off. That's not what I meant."
Kyoko hurried to stop her, but Huaxiu kept moving.
"I want you to check whether I've been scratched, Miss. In times like these, one careless mistake can cost you your life. You can't be too cautious."
That was what she said, but both girls' faces had turned an unnatural shade of red.
One blushed out of shyness.
The other out of shame at her own filthy thoughts.
The inspection was over quickly.
A pot sat over the campfire, cooking a double portion of instant noodles. Kyoko had even taken out her last can of beef. She had not yet sorted through the food they scavenged today, so none of that had been brought out.
"Thank you…"
"You can call me Takashiro Kyoko. No need to keep using honorific language with me like I'm some convenience store clerk. Can you tell me what happened after the outbreak began? We can exchange information."
Because Kyoko had slept through an entire week, she knew very little about the earliest phase of the outbreak. She had collected and organized some information after waking, but firsthand testimony was still necessary. In any situation, intelligence was one of the key factors in securing victory.
"It's a little messy. Can I tell it slowly? N-no, I won't waste too much of your time, Sister Kyoko."
Huaxiu was stumbling over her words now, as though the courage she had summoned to get through what happened earlier had completely drained her dry.
Kyoko could understand that well enough. Huaxiu was just a rebellious middle-school girl, yet in less than half a month she had gone through something this horrific. Even an average adult man would have a hard time enduring such an experience.
Kyoko took off her gloves and reached out, intending to pat Huaxiu on the head.
Huaxiu did not dodge.
Instead, she leaned straight into the touch.
The warmth of Kyoko's palm settled against the girl's forehead, and Huaxiu felt her body temperature rise. In the dim yellow firelight, though, it was impossible to make out the color of her face clearly.
The scene seemed to make even the flames burn brighter. The broth in the pot burbled noisily. If not for the charred black walls around them, and if they had been in any normal setting, anyone seeing the two of them would have thought this was a sweet yuri romance manga.
Feeling as though her mind had begun overheating, Huaxiu seemed to enter some kind of overclocked state. It was not long before she had sorted out the timeline.
Just then, Kyoko finished preparing the food and divided it into bowls, letting Huaxiu eat first and talk later.
The two of them ate in silence. It had been a long time since either of them had eaten something hot, and both devoured the meal ravenously, completely ignoring any notion of ladylike manners.
In the apocalypse, being able to eat at all was enough. Who cared about anything else? Were they supposed to sit there posing elegantly for zombies?
Even though the food was still scorching hot, they finished it quickly, leaving not a drop of soup behind.
They were eating almost as fast as Kyoko's old high school cafeteria crowd from her previous life.
The bowls were completely clean, the tableware empty. Kyoko casually set them aside. Using water to wash dishes was a luxury now, and she did not have nearly enough to waste it that way. They had found some bottled mineral water today, yes, but even without considering any other uses, the basic supply for just the two of them would not last a full week.
"Now can you tell me properly what happened over the past few days? I'm pretty curious about how the situation changed."
Huaxiu felt much better by now. The rough draft she had already prepared in her mind came pouring out in one go.
As Huaxiu spoke, Kyoko felt as if she herself had gone back to that special day—January 1.
"The situation at the very beginning was…"
At 2:00 a.m. on January 1, Tokyo time, there were still about five hours left before sunrise.
Under the night sky, a heavy cloud cover blanketed the Japanese archipelago. Deafening alarms blared across every major city. On giant screens in city squares, on televisions in people's homes, on the phones modern people could not live without, even on loudspeakers out in the countryside, the same speech by a middle-aged man was being broadcast.
Yurizono Huaxiu, who had only recently gone to sleep, was jolted awake by the shrill warning sirens.
Still drowsy, she rubbed her dry eyes. The light outside her window was so glaringly bright that for a moment she almost thought it was already morning.
Having just crawled out from under her blanket, Huaxiu had no idea what was going on. She stood there in a daze for a moment—then the whole building began to stir.
Some people living downstairs, the kind who clearly had connections or insider information, had already begun packing in the middle of the snowstorm and driving off toward somewhere safer.
When Huaxiu turned on her phone, every page was flooded with reports that a zombie virus had erupted in the real world. Every social platform was exploding with discussions about it.
At that point, the Japanese government's control over the internet had already been pushed to the limit, and fear was spreading online faster and faster.
Once Huaxiu understood what was happening, she reacted just like the panicked people fleeing around her. She grabbed what belongings she could carry and prepared to escape.
Public transportation had already shut down for the night. In the face of increasingly frequent malicious incidents, long-distance trains were no longer running after dark, and even the buses had long since stopped.
In the end, Huaxiu spent an outrageous amount of money to hire a taxi driver willing to take her all the way to Tokyo.
No matter what, Tokyo was still one of the most important places in Japan. The government was there. The imperial family was there. Security and protection had to be strongest there. Faced with an apocalyptic zombie outbreak, surely the people at the top—however stupid they might well be—would not just abandon the capital and run, right?
The roads leading to Tokyo were packed with residents fleeing for safety. Traffic was horribly congested, and the heavy snow forced every car to move cautiously. Slow as it was, at least it kept collisions from happening.
Even before reaching the outskirts of Tokyo, Huaxiu saw police and military personnel conducting extremely strict inspections all along the way, while exhausted medical workers struggled to keep up with screenings. It was far beyond anything she had imagined, and it completely shattered her previous impression that the Japanese authorities would simply do nothing.
Though that impression would soon be restored.
When she finally reached the perimeter of Tokyo, she discovered that many refugees just like her were being turned away by soldiers and police.
The broadcasts were repeating one policy over and over:
Tokyo was allowing people out, but no one in.
Refugees were ordered to return home and wait for further instructions from the government.
After all that effort to flee, after going through every checkpoint and procedure, what did it mean that they still would not be allowed into Tokyo once they arrived? Even Tokyo locals who had left the city were not being allowed back in.
The refugees erupted in an uproar. Some of the more impulsive ones even tried to rush the barricades. But the Self-Defense Forces and the Metropolitan Police, both armed and ready, had no patience for what they now viewed as disorderly civilians. Gunfire broke out almost immediately.
Rubber bullets and tear gas rained down on the thousands of refugees, sending them fleeing in panic.
And if someone with extraordinary hearing had listened carefully then, they might have noticed that gunshots were also ringing out inside Tokyo.
Shouting, screaming, the sound of chaos, and gunfire—all of it was drowned beneath the blare of the emergency alarms. Everything had happened far too suddenly. People were falling.
And some of those who stood back up were no longer human.
Huaxiu felt as though only a few hours had passed, and yet the world had changed as completely as night turning into day. The ordinary, comfortable life she knew had been replaced in an instant by panic and disorder.
Run. Leave Tokyo without looking back.
Leave behind the place where her family was.
Huaxiu could not hitch a ride back this time. The driver she hired had already gone. She had no choice but to try to make it back to Fukushima on foot.
Except—what "on foot"? Without transportation, how was she supposed to get back to Nihonmatsu? She would never make it in a day.
The roads were already clogged with panicked crowds. The weather offered no mercy. Snow fell in sheets, making travel even harder.
In the end, she grabbed an electric bicycle by the roadside in the confusion and rode it through the night and snow, managing to get back to her residential complex before the virus had fully exploded around her.
By then, the sun had already climbed high in the southeastern sky, streaking the blue heavens with red like a curtain soaked in blood.
It was already after eight in the morning.
Huaxiu had been on the move all night. Her mind was hazy, her legs weak, and the winter wind had left her body almost stiff with cold.
She abandoned the now-dead electric bike and staggered toward the entrance of the complex.
Only to realize something was terribly wrong.
When she looked closer, she froze in horror.
A truck had overturned near the gate. Several humans were devouring one of their own. Blood stained the ground red. The wet ripping sounds of teeth tearing flesh were sickening. Around them, a few still-normal people fled in complete panic.
Scenes of people feeding like beasts were unfolding all over the place.
Terrified as she was, Huaxiu still ran into the complex. Since the infected were busy eating, they did not show much aggression toward her, and she escaped by sheer luck.
A police car with flashing lights arrived too late. The window rolled down, a burst of gunfire rang out, and several bodies were left on the ground before the car sped away again. Presumably there were more urgent matters elsewhere, urgent enough that they could no longer even maintain the most basic order.
Inside the complex, things were no better. The Japanese police who usually strutted around with such authority were nowhere to be seen—most likely all redeployed elsewhere.
The shutter of the convenience store had been violently hacked open. A considerable number of people were already looting it.
The shop owner lived upstairs. Protected by a sturdy door, he witnessed the infuriating scene below. The sheer shock of it caused him to pass out and collapse on the spot.
No one cared.
Remembering that there was barely any food at home, Huaxiu went to the convenience store too.
Because everyone was busy grabbing whatever they could, and because supplies were still plentiful at that point, there were not many real conflicts. Tugging down her hat and mask to conceal her face, Huaxiu started "shopping" as well.
Sanitary products for girls during their period.
Two three-liter bottles of mineral water.
A random assortment of snacks grabbed in panic.
Only when she found herself struggling under the weight of everything in her arms did she finally stop. Seeing others still frantically looting around her, she slipped away cautiously.
She was still a minor, after all. Doing something like this put her under enormous psychological pressure.
So before she left, she put her wallet directly on the register counter.
Then she ran.
She almost slipped on the snow several times before making it back to her building.
The elevator was still working then, but being trapped inside it was far too risky, so she chose the stairs instead. Climbing from the first floor to the twentieth was hard enough for an adult man, let alone a middle-school girl carrying a huge load of supplies.
Squeezing out the very last bit of strength in her body, her adrenaline pushed to the limit, she finally made it home.
After running around all night, tired and sleepy beyond words, Yurizono Huaxiu locked the doors and windows and then collapsed onto the sofa, falling asleep almost instantly.
She had no idea how long she slept.
But when she woke, the sun had already been reduced to the faintest lingering glow.
There was barely any furniture in her family's old home—not even something as basic as a wall clock. Her phone had vanished somewhere along the way too, leaving her with no real way to tell the time.
There was still electricity and gas, but the water had already stopped, probably because the extreme cold had frozen and burst the pipes. Fortunately, there was still some stored water in the apartment, and with the supplies she had just brought back, she could hold out for a while.
After hastily satisfying the bare minimum of her body's needs, Huaxiu decided she had to do something.
She began reinforcing the doors and windows.
Outside, chaos had reached a terrifying level. Looking out from the twentieth floor, she saw fire everywhere—burning buildings, smoke rising high into the sky, roads packed with chain-reaction car accidents. Disorder reigned everywhere. The military and police were pouring firepower into the city like mad, with gunfire and artillery echoing nonstop, but even then it felt as though they were gradually retreating away from the urban center.
By the afternoon of January 2, the electricity and gas were cut off as well. The temperature inside the apartment began slowly drifting toward the outdoor temperature. Outside was below freezing. Inside was only slightly above it. Frail and slender to begin with, Huaxiu had no choice but to layer on more warm tights.
That same day, the sky above was filled with extreme electromagnetic activity. High in the upper atmosphere, beyond anything Huaxiu could see, an ionized layer formed that was powerful enough to interfere with electronic equipment. Humanity's carefully built satellite systems were finished.
On January 3, continuous gunfire could no longer be heard in the city.
It had been replaced by the howls of the infected.
There was no sign of any other living person remaining in the building anymore. Anyone who could flee had already fled. After the apocalypse began, staying in the city was simply too dangerous. It was like living inside a demon's den.
On January 4, with the most basic utilities gone, Huaxiu could do nothing but chew instant noodles dry. She had no lighter, so she could not start a fire. Drinking ice-cold mineral water left her stomach aching for a long time. That day, once again, she was unable to go outside.
On January 5, her supplies had already dropped below half. She needed to cut consumption even further. Outside, all gunfire and artillery had gone silent. It seemed the military had fully withdrawn.
On January 6, while standing in front of the mirror, Huaxiu was attacked by a worm that crawled out of the drain.
She pinned it down with a toilet plunger, then stomped it to death with all her strength.
Afterward, looking at the ruined shoe she could no longer wear and the filthy bathroom, Huaxiu burst into tears so pure and helpless they were almost crystalline.
Fighting back nausea at the smell, she swept the thing into a trash bag with a broom and threw it out the window.
Mom, Dad, I miss you. I want to go home.
On January 7, the snowfall outside had become so heavy that even the infected could not bear it. One after another, they began hiding inside buildings. Huaxiu had wanted to go out and try her luck that day, but once again she gave up.
On January 8, she had only a little water left. There was still some food, but by then the thought of eating it already made her want to vomit. Her body had gone unwashed for far too long. She had only the few changes of clothes she brought with her. Luckily it was winter—if it had been any warmer, sweat alone would have made everything unbearable.
Huaxiu was reaching her limit.
The physical suffering, combined with the mental strain, began making the idea of escape feel almost merciful.
"If I leave this hell behind… maybe things will get better."
That was what she said while looking down from the rooftop of the twentieth floor.
The day before, she thought she had heard a huge commotion from lower down in the building. The "prisoners" inside the tower had all started becoming restless. For the moment, she abandoned her darker thoughts and decided to wait until evening to see what was happening.
That afternoon, Huaxiu had been napping—
Well, of course she had. There was no entertainment, she was not going outside, she barely ate anything, and the room was freezing. What else was she supposed to do except curl up under the blanket and sleep?
Then shouts and howls erupted from below.
Carried on the wind was the smell of burning.
Looking out the small window of her inner bathroom, she saw a black figure on the fifteenth floor hurling fire downward.
So there really was another survivor in this building.
With the mindset of treating a dead horse like a living horse doctor might still save, Huaxiu decided to try contacting this unknown survivor.
On January 9, after determining that the person seemed to be somewhere around the fifteenth floor, Huaxiu wrote down her intentions on paper. Afraid the person might not notice, she wrote many copies and scattered them throughout the corners of the fifteenth floor.
After doing all that, she returned to her little nest and waited for the final result.
And that brought them back to the present.
After hearing Huaxiu's account, Kyoko did not react dramatically. She simply leaned a little closer toward her.
Human nature in the apocalypse might be more volatile than ever, but someone who still possessed compassion could not just stand by and watch such a tragedy unfold. Within the limits of one's own ability, if something could be done, then it should be done. If you could lend someone a hand, then you should.
Even if people cursed you as soft-hearted, so be it.
After all, fighting alone was never a long-term solution.
And besides—why should she feel hostility toward a girl who had only just turned sixteen?
With that in mind, Takashiro Kyoko accepted Yurizono Huaxiu as her companion.
"Looks like you really do need help, little miss. I'll take you in. From today on, we're partners. But you'd better work hard—I don't like lazy freeloaders."
"I can do it. I won't let you down, Sister Kyoko."
Tears escaped Huaxiu's eyes before she could stop them. Kyoko gently wiped them away with her hand.
It was late.
In the end, the two of them returned to Kyoko's apartment. After taking off all her gear, Kyoko intended to let Huaxiu sleep in the other bedroom, but though Huaxiu did not say it aloud, she was clearly terrified of being left alone.
Fortunately, before going to bed, Kyoko realized that.
After checking the doors and windows, she went to Huaxiu's room.
Huaxiu naturally welcomed her arrival. The double bed was large enough for both of them. The two girls lay down back to back, and time slowly slipped into the next day.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter108)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 99
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 95
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 99
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 92
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 47
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 44
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 43
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 26
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