The four of them sat at the table: Nanashi, Saeko, Saya, and Kohta. Outside, the distant unrest of the city could be faintly heard—screams and gunshots echoing through the night. Inside, dim lights illuminated their exhausted faces. Nanashi and Kohta instinctively averted their eyes the moment they noticed Saeko's outfit; Kohta clutched his nose tightly, his face flushed, while Saya merely stared at them with irritation.
"Everything is getting out of hand," Saya murmured, breaking the silence.
"Relax, Takagi-san," Kohta replied, trying to sound confident as he toyed with his weapon. "With this guy and the others, we'll make it to the police station without any trouble."
Nanashi remained lost in thought and muttered something grim:
"I heard on the news that this is happening all over the world."
The silence fell again, heavy with despair.
"But you don't have to worry, Nanashi-san," Kohta said, trying to lift the mood. "The military will stabilize the situation. Zombies can't do anything against bullets, after all."
"How naïve," Saya replied, adjusting her glasses with a sharp gaze. "If the chaos is global, then there are far more variables to consider. But there's one undeniable truth: if the United States is in chaos, its military forces stationed in Japan will act only under their own orders. If their country is compromised, they'll withdraw all support and prioritize their own recovery. Japan will be left without direct aid for months—maybe years… or worse."
She paused for a moment, lowering her voice.
"They could launch expansionist campaigns. In a global crisis, whoever stabilizes first will conquer whatever remains."
Kohta swallowed hard. Saeko looked at Saya with quiet understanding.
Nanashi observed her closely. Her analysis was ruthless—worthy of the one who called herself the smartest among them.
"C-come on, Takagi-san, that sounds way too extreme," Kohta said, a bead of sweat running down his temple.
Silence once again settled over the table.
Nanashi drifted back into his premonitory memories. He still had to fulfill that warning—the one urging him to take them to the Takagi mansion. With his interference, things might not unfold the same way.
I'm just accompanying them, and so many things have already changed… and still… could someone die? he thought grimly.
He let out a resigned sigh and finally tried—tried to convince them.
"Is the police station really a safe place?" Nanashi asked. He wanted to steer them back toward the group's original idea after crossing the river—the Takagi mansion. Not only because of the warning urging him to take the students there, but also for his own survival. He didn't know what would happen after that.
After thinking it through, Nanashi truly believed that the mansion was a safe place—and that perhaps its fall could be prevented. With his premonitory memories, he might be able to avoid it. He grew more determined by the second to convince them to head there directly.
"Even if we go to the police station, we don't know how well protected it really is. We should secure a refuge first," he added seriously when no one responded.
Nanashi was almost certain that Saya and Saeko understood what truly mattered for the group—unless they were insane.
Kohta, uncomfortable, replied:
"Could we talk about this when Komuro-kun, Miyamoto-san, and Shizuka-sensei are here? I don't want to discuss something this important without them."
Saya clicked her tongue, crossing her arms.
"What does it matter? It's rational to think about a refuge before throwing ourselves into danger. Or are you telling me that idiot Takashi and his girlfriend are going to fight zombies without thinking about where they'll crash at night?"
"Hiii—" Kohta let out a small yelp, stumbling backward awkwardly.
"Looks like it's well soundproofed. They didn't hear me," Saya muttered after snorting, clearly testing whether Takashi could hear them from that room.
Saeko let out a soft laugh, understanding what Saya was trying to confirm.
"I think it's a good idea," Saeko intervened. "We lose nothing by securing a refuge before moving forward. Komuro-kun and Miyamoto-kun still have family to look for, so I understand why they're acting this way. Having each other gives them some stability in the face of an uncertain tomorrow."
She spoke calmly, though a fleeting pang ran through her chest—a brief, bitter ache as she mentioned Takashi.
Kohta understood as well and tried to contribute, suggesting possible shelters. Saya cut him off immediately. Nanashi remained silent, listening, while Saeko—slightly distracted—didn't intervene either.
"Your ideas aren't viable. You don't know the area well, and living humans will be just as dangerous as the dead," Saya explained, biting her nail in frustration. Fear ran through her too—she still knew nothing about her parents. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "With so many variables, only one place meets the conditions to survive: my house. It has an emergency power system and is located on elevated ground. It's the safest option."
Kohta joked, trying to ease the tension:
"Takagi-san's house, huh? I've never been to a girl's house before, hehe…"
"Fatass, don't test my patience," Saya snapped, glaring at him while raising her fist.
Saeko let out a soft chuckle. Kohta shrank back and hurriedly apologized. At least that distracted Saya from worrying about her parents.
"Then Takagi-san's house will be our destination. What do you think, Busujima-senpai?" Kohta asked, carefully avoiding looking too much at Saeko's revealing outfit, afraid his nose might bleed again.
Saeko nodded.
"I don't think it's a bad idea. Takagi-kun is the most rational among us. But before that, we should introduce ourselves properly," she said with a smile. "There's no point in keeping so much formality if we're going to trust each other with our lives. What do you think?"
The three of them agreed. Nanashi was the last to speak.
"You can call me Kohta."
"I'll allow you to call me Saya."
"Saeko. I'll be in your care."
"Nanashi… I'll also be in your care," he said stiffly.
Saya raised an eyebrow.
"Are you really going to keep using that name? Or do you have eighth-grade syndrome? You're not a kid anymore."
Saeko intervened, trying to steer the situation away from triviality.
"He must have his reasons. I hope you'll trust us enough to tell us someday."
Nanashi simply nodded. How could he explain something like that without sounding insane? He couldn't even imagine what would happen if they knew about the crimes he had never committed.
Kohta wouldn't stop talking about weapons—how to handle them and use them properly. Saeko served the food shortly after.
The aroma filled the room, warm and unfamiliar. The taste was comforting. Nanashi ate slowly, savoring every bite, oblivious to Kohta urging him to hurry. Saya finished quickly and went to sleep. Only Saeko and Nanashi remained at the table.
"Was it good?" she asked, watching him with curiosity.
Nanashi looked up, surprised.
"Very… really delicious."
Saeko watched him in silence, noticing his clumsiness with the utensils and that almost childlike expression as he ate. For a brief moment, both of them seemed to forget the noise of the world outside—leaving only calm, and a fleeting sense of normalcy.