Morning came, and when Kyoko opened her eyes, she saw a sight that had not graced this cold world for what felt like ages: the sun. Its light spilled across her face, warm enough to make her skin itch.
"Huaxiu, wake up. Time to get up."
Sitting up, Kyoko reached for her clothes with one arm while the other gently shook Huaxiu beneath the blankets.
"Mmm… Kyoko, what is it?" Huaxiu rubbed her sleepy eyes, still half-lost in dreams.
"What else could it be? The weather's finally good today. We eat fast, then head out. I'm getting all of you to our destination before the day is over."
Kyoko smoothed down the few rebellious strands of Huaxiu's golden hair, finished dressing, then stepped out into the corridor to wait for her.
The sun still hung low in the east, only just emerging from beyond the distant mountains, yet its brilliance already spread across the land with fierce intensity. Half the sky looked as though someone had splashed boiling blood across a vast curtain of clouds. Gold and crimson mingled together, wave after wave, stretching endlessly into the horizon.
If a poet had been standing there, they surely would have composed verses in praise of such a scene.
Unfortunately, the only witness present was a high school girl.
"So beautiful," Kyoko murmured, leaning against the railing as she watched the sunrise.
In the old days, she would have taken a dawn like this for granted. But after so many days of relentless snow, after so long without seeing the sun properly, she could no longer look at it with the same indifference.
Without her noticing, nearly a month had passed since life had fallen apart.
What are we supposed to do in the future?
The thought came suddenly.
That's right… what happens to us now?
If no one helps us, how are we supposed to survive on our own?
Infected creatures, the Saints, hostile survivors… there were too many threats to count. Even something as ordinary as catching the flu could take one of them down. Medicine, clothing, food, clean water… all of it was consumable. And now there were more of them than before.
They could not keep living forever by scavenging what others had left behind.
No. Stop. Don't think about it now. It's too annoying. Let's wait until the horde has passed first.
Why ruin a morning like this with those thoughts?
Live in the present. Look at the smiles of the people beside you.
Make practical plans for the near future. Keep the long-term worries in mind, but don't drown in them.
I, Takajo Kyoko, refuse to lose to this rotten world.
Clenching her fists, Kyoko swore she would not bow to hardship. Whoever stood in her way—whatever they were, whatever species they belonged to—she would never surrender. She would endure. She would push through.
The winter sunlight was a good omen.
The outside air had not grown much warmer, but perhaps the human heart had.
The morning breeze brushed across Kyoko's determined face. Her short black hair had grown a little too long over the past month, enough that the wind could toy with it like thin willow branches.
"Kyoko… you look…"
Huaxiu had stepped out, removing the beret she had just put on. She stared at Kyoko, bathed in sunlight, then blurted out in a daze, "Kyoko, you look so cool!"
Kyoko laughed and reached out. "When am I not cool?"
Her hand landed right on Huaxiu's cheek.
"Hey, don't pinch my face! What if it swells up and stops looking pretty?"
At that moment another door opened nearby, and the tall pink-haired fox girl emerged, looking surprisingly refreshed.
"Morning… The sun's really nice today…"
Ye Ling had clearly meant to greet Kyoko, but the moment she saw the two of them flirting, her words shriveled up on the spot. With no idea what to do, she immediately fled downstairs under the excuse of going for a morning run.
Kyoko burst out laughing.
Did anyone think this fox girl was some kind of smooth romantic veteran?
No, not at all.
Beneath the fox ears and tail, Ye Ling was simply a twenty-six-year-old woman with absolutely zero experience in love. Faced with something like this, she was hopelessly shy, her courage collapsing on contact.
"All right, let's go make breakfast."
Taking Huaxiu by the hand, Kyoko headed downstairs.
Smoke soon rose in thin curling strands. Flames crackled under an iron pot, and the hot broth began to bubble and boil.
As they ate, the entire group admired the brilliant sunrise outside.
Once the meal was over, they did not linger. It was time to move.
When they left, only tire tracks and a fire still faintly warm remained behind.
Today, unexpectedly, the road was smooth.
The mountains were still steep, the road still narrow and winding, but Kyoko's driving had improved dramatically. Before long, they left the cramped twisting mountain road and reached a broader two-lane route.
Sunlight poured down on the road ahead, gilding it in gold. The warmth was just enough that everyone trapped inside the vehicle eagerly poked their heads out. Two of them leaned halfway out of the thirty-millimeter turret hatch, letting the air rush over them. It still carried winter's chill—but now there was also the faintest whisper of spring.
"Are those greenhouses?" Dorothy pointed at a cluster of long buildings wrapped in plastic sheeting by the roadside.
"They definitely are. Haven't you seen them before?" Huaxiu replied with certainty.
"Not in Italy. Though maybe they have them in the Alpine regions? The elevation's pretty high there."
"What's Rome like?" Huaxiu asked.
Dorothy thought for a moment. "I don't really like it there. My family was always going back and forth to the Vatican, so I went a few times too. But honestly, I prefer Florence."
The people in the back chatted and laughed as they traveled, hardly looking like a group making a strategic retreat.
Kyoko, sitting at the wheel, found herself smiling too. From time to time, she deliberately spoke to Ye Ling in Chinese so the fox-eared girl would not feel left out.
Ye Ling, however, still spoke very little. Even when Kyoko addressed her directly, she always seemed to take a moment to process it, and her answers were short.
Kyoko let it pass. Maybe Ye Ling, seeing everyone else so cheerful, had been reminded of home and of family far away.
At any rate, the vehicles felt better today. Maybe Kyoko's maintenance yesterday had worked. Maybe it was just the weather. Either way, by noon the convoy had reached the Shin-Ōkawa Bridge.
The great river below was still frozen solid. A few infected wandered across the ice, and when they noticed the vehicles, they tried to give chase.
It was pointless.
No matter how hard they ran, the stupid infected were left behind in the snow, choking on exhaust fumes.
By midday, Kyoko estimated that if everything continued this smoothly, they would reach their destination before nightfall.
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 139)
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 (Chapter171)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter100)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter184)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 168
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 156
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 105
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 185
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 160
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 150
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 76
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 97
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 116
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 75
Uma Musume: I Want All 93
I Can Copy Unique Skills 79
Summoning an Evil God, but the 55
Supernatural Multiverse 75
My Harem Is Indescribable 68
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 70
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 69
Still playing traditional Honk 49
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 53
What Should I Do After Switchi 42
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 50
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 38
Transmigrated as Sukuna 35
Checking In in Demon Slayer 40
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 55
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