Cold night wind moved quietly through the destroyed streets while distant fires burned across the ruined city skyline. Smoke drifted endlessly through the dark sky above while infected screams occasionally echoed far away between abandoned buildings. The group rested temporarily near the collapsed railway entrance after escaping the underground tunnels alive. Everyone looked exhausted. Bloodstained clothes, injuries, dirt, and exhaustion covered all of them after surviving hours underground against the Apex Mutation.

But despite everything—The atmosphere somehow felt lighter now.Mostly because Arata laughed earlier.And nobody could stop thinking about it.Yuna still stared at him suspiciously while sitting across from him on top of a destroyed concrete barrier. "You’re hiding emotions from society."

Arata looked tired already. "...That sentence doesn’t even make sense."

"It makes emotional sense."

"That’s worse."

Reina quietly ate emergency crackers nearby while watching both of them with amusement. "Honestly, I’m still recovering mentally from hearing him laugh."

Kaede calmly nodded beside her. "It sounded surprisingly normal."

Arata looked offended slightly. "...What was that supposed to mean?"

"You usually sound emotionally dead," Reina answered immediately.

"...Thanks."

"You’re welcome."

Meanwhile nearby, Akari sat silently on the hood of an abandoned car while gripping the baseball bat loosely beside her. Her violet eyes occasionally moved toward Arata before immediately looking away again whenever she noticed herself staring too long.

Unfortunately—

Yuna noticed every single time.

And she absolutely planned using that information for violence later.

Airi carefully finished wrapping fresh bandages around Arata’s arm while speaking softly. "You should rest for at least a few hours."

"We can’t stay exposed outside long."

"You also can’t fight forever."

Arata stayed silent afterward.Because honestly—She wasn’t wrong.His body hurt constantly now.The new skill pushed his physical limits harder than expected. Muscles burned painfully every time adrenaline faded slightly. Even breathing felt heavier now.

Yet somehow—He still felt strangely awake.

Maybe because everyone survived.Maybe because he wasn’t alone anymore.

Or maybe—His eyes unconsciously shifted toward Akari briefly.She immediately looked away.Yuna saw that too."Ohhhhh."

Akari instantly looked horrified. "...Stop making that sound."

"That was a very emotional glance."

"It absolutely was not."

"You literally synchronized eye contact."

"That’s not a thing!"

Reina immediately joined helpfully. "Actually it kinda is."

"YOU TOO?!"

Kaede calmly raised one hand slightly. "...I also noticed it."

Akari looked betrayed by humanity itself.

Meanwhile Arata quietly stood afterward before walking toward the nearby road intersection to scan the surroundings. Burned vehicles blocked portions of the streets while emergency sirens echoed faintly somewhere distant through the city.

The infected seemed quieter here for now.

Too quiet honestly.

Akari eventually stood too before following him silently without realizing it herself.

Yuna noticed immediately.

"...Look at that." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Reina smirked slightly nearby. "Automatic movement."

Kaede nodded calmly. "Interesting behavioral pattern."

Airi quietly smiled without saying anything.

Meanwhile several meters away, Akari stopped beside Arata while crossing her arms awkwardly. "The others are annoying."

"Very."

"They’re definitely misunderstanding things."

"Probably."

Silence followed afterward.

Cold wind moved gently through the ruined streets around them while moonlight reflected across broken glass scattered everywhere.

Then Akari quietly spoke again.

"...You really scared me earlier."

Arata glanced toward her slightly. "...When?"

"Underground." Her eyes lowered slightly afterward. "When that thing threw you across the room."

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Softer now.

More honest.

Akari quietly gripped the baseball bat tighter unconsciously. "For a second... I thought you were actually going to die."

Arata stayed silent briefly.

Then finally answered quietly.

"...Sorry."

Akari immediately looked annoyed. "You apologize too much."

"Yeah."

"You really think carrying everything alone is normal, don’t you?"

Arata looked toward the ruined city ahead again instead of answering.

Which itself became the answer.

Akari sighed softly afterward. "You know what your problem is?"

"Apparently many things."

"You keep acting like your life matters less than everyone else’s."

Silence.

Heavy silence.

Because once again—

She understood him too easily.

Arata lowered his eyes slightly afterward. "...People survive better if someone protects them."

"And who protects you?"

No answer came.

Akari already expected that.

For some reason—

That hurt her chest more than expected.

Then suddenly Yuna’s voice echoed loudly from behind them.

"WHY DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A ROMANTIC SCENE?!"

Akari nearly died instantly from emotional damage.

"It’s NOT!"

Yuna pointed dramatically from across the street. "YOU WALKED AWAY TOGETHER UNDER MOONLIGHT!"

"That’s because HE walked away first!"

"And you followed automatically!"

"...I hate you."

"Emotionally noted."

Reina laughed loudly nearby while Kaede quietly looked impressed somehow.

Even Arata almost smiled again.

Akari noticed instantly.

"There!" She pointed accusingly. "That almost-smile thing!"

"You’re still obsessed with that?"

"Because it keeps happening!"

Arata sighed quietly afterward while looking away slightly.

And unfortunately—

That tiny reaction alone somehow made Akari’s heart beat faster again.

Which officially became a serious problem now.

Suddenly distant gunfire echoed through the city.

Everyone’s expressions immediately changed.

Multiple explosions followed shortly afterward while smoke rose several blocks away between damaged buildings.

Reina instantly stood. "Military?"

Kaede narrowed her eyes toward the distance. "No." She paused briefly. "Too disorganized."

Yuna loaded her rifle again immediately. "Survivors?"

Another explosion echoed afterward.

Then screaming.

Human screaming.

Arata’s expression darkened slightly. "...We’re moving."

Nobody argued.

The group immediately began heading through the ruined streets carefully while staying alert for infected nearby. Burned vehicles and abandoned military barricades filled the roads while blood covered portions of the sidewalks beneath flickering streetlights.

The city felt dead.

But not empty.

Never empty anymore.

As they moved deeper through downtown streets, the sounds of combat became clearer.

Gunfire.

Shouting.

Infected screams.

Then finally—

They found the source.

A group of survivors remained trapped inside a partially destroyed convenience store while dozens of infected surrounded the building from every side. Broken windows covered the streets while several dead infected already littered the area nearby.

Inside the store, three survivors desperately tried holding the entrance shut.

A man.

An older woman.

And a little girl.

The child looked terrified.

Akari’s eyes widened slightly.

"...There’s a kid."

The infected suddenly broke through the front entrance partially.

The little girl screamed instantly.

Arata moved immediately.

Without hesitation.

Without thinking.

He sprinted directly toward the infected crowd.

Yuna sighed dramatically while raising her rifle. "Yep. There’s the hero complex again."

Everyone followed instantly afterward.

The street exploded into chaos.

Gunfire echoed between buildings while Arata cut through infected with terrifying speed now. Reina moved beside him like a whirlwind while Kaede’s arrows pierced infected heads one after another from behind.

Akari sprinted directly toward the convenience store entrance while swinging the baseball bat violently through infected surrounding the doorway.

CRACK.

Another infected dropped.

Then another.

The little girl inside the store stared at her with wide frightened eyes.

Akari immediately softened her expression slightly afterward.

"It’s okay!" she shouted while fighting. "We’re getting you out!"

The child slowly nodded fearfully.

Meanwhile nearby, Arata moved nonstop through the infected crowd while blood covered his blade completely now.

Yet despite the violence—

His eyes constantly checked the group automatically.

Akari.

Yuna.

Airi.

Everyone.

Always making sure they stayed safe.

And honestly—

Yuna noticed that immediately too.

The realization made her chest feel strangely warm.

Which annoyed her deeply.

The infected numbers slowly decreased under the group’s attacks until finally the last infected collapsed onto the blood-covered street.

Silence returned afterward except for heavy breathing.

The convenience store survivors slowly emerged afterward while shaking nervously.

The older man bowed repeatedly. "T-Thank you... thank you..."

The little girl quietly hid behind him while staring toward Arata.

Then softly asked:

"...Are you superheroes?"

Silence followed briefly.

Then unexpectedly—

Arata smiled slightly.

A real small smile.

"...No," he answered quietly. "Just survivors."

Everyone froze again after seeing it.

Especially Akari.

Because this time—

The smile stayed longer.

Warm.

Gentle.

Human.

And somehow—

Seeing him smile at the little girl made her chest ache painfully.

Not sadness.

Something else.

Something warmer.

The little girl slowly walked toward Arata afterward while holding a tiny stuffed rabbit tightly against her chest.

"...Thank you for saving us."

Arata looked awkward instantly. "...It was nothing."

Yuna immediately whispered nearby toward Reina. "He’s terrible with children."

"Emotionally catastrophic," Reina agreed.

The little girl suddenly offered the stuffed rabbit toward Arata. "You can have Bunbun."

Arata looked completely unprepared for this situation.

"...I can’t take that."

"But heroes always get rewards."

"We’re not heroes."

The little girl frowned stubbornly. "Still."

Akari quietly watched the interaction beside him.

And suddenly—

A strange image appeared in her mind.

Arata smiling softly inside a peaceful world that no longer existed.

A normal life.

A family.

Warm sunlight instead of blood and monsters.

The thought hit her unexpectedly hard.

Then suddenly—

The little girl looked directly toward Akari.

"...Is he your boyfriend?"

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Akari stopped functioning mentally.

"...W-What?"

The little girl pointed innocently. "You keep looking at him."

Yuna instantly collapsed laughing nearby.

Reina nearly choked on emergency food.

Kaede quietly turned away to hide a smile.

Meanwhile Arata looked equally emotionally destroyed.

Akari’s face burned red instantly. "I AM NOT LOOKING AT HIM!"

The little girl blinked innocently. "...But you are right now."

"...I’m leaving this city."

Yuna wiped tears from laughing too hard. "This apocalypse became worth surviving."

Even Airi quietly giggled softly afterward.Arata slowly covered his face with one hand again.

"...Why is this happening to me?"