That 61, at the supermarket.
For the five-member family consisting of Mr. Satō, Ms. Satō, and the two children, dinner was remade.
"Remade" in this case just meant opening canned goods one after another.
"Today... I thought Aya-chan would be happy, so... you know..."
Ms. Satō took out a canned good as if it were a special gift.
"Whoa! Yes! Canned pudding!"
Aya-chan beams with joy. Seeing this, Mr. and Mrs. Takada smile warmly.
"Actually, we found a warehouse full of canned goods just a short walk away. This is the last one left. We saved it especially for Aya-chan, since she likes it so much, right?"
"Wow! I love it! Really love it!"
Even though it's before dinner, Aya-chan opens the can and starts eating right away.
"Alright. Today's a reunion celebration—can I have a drink or two?...Hey, Mom?"
"Fufufu. Well, I suppose I can make an exception for today..."
"Aw, come on! Dad always gets the best treatment!"
"You're still too young for that."
I watch them laughing and chatting from a little distance away.
In these times, just watching people who seem happy is enough to warm the heart.
Then again, I'm a bit on the outside looking in, I suppose.
I wasn't bothered by that kind of position before the world became this way, so it didn't matter much.
"But why are you back now?"
Responding to Ayaka's question, Satona answered.
"That's right, exactly!...Lately, there's been some monstrous thing showing up around here, and it's been nothing short of terrifying!"
"Monstrous thing?"
It's a monster tiger as big as a mountain! That thing's been prowling around nearby, barking nonstop from morning till night, making us absolutely terrified... We had to flee all the way up north. But since there's a chance I might run into Ayaka-chan again, I gathered my courage and came back here. And look—those zombies around here have been completely wiped out, and I can even hear a girl's voice coming from the kitchen! I was so moved, I nearly burst into tears like a child again.
Rinaka is speaking at lightning speed, spouting words nonstop.
Takada (father) frowned slightly and continued.
"Just think—once that monster gets its hands on something, even reinforced concrete buildings get torn apart. …But it seems to have gone somewhere else now. It's quiet, you see. That 'monster' used to scream uncontrollably every few hours for no reason at all."
"Ahh… that one, huh…"
Saya-chan took a dramatic pause before saying,
"I got it."
"……………huh?"
Everyone's eyes instantly went blank.
A pretty good reaction. All that effort really paid off.
"You got it… Saya-chan?"
"Yeah, me, the one over there, the big sis!"
All eyes turned to me.
"Could it be… you too have that strange power?"
"That's right! Big sis fights with a sword! Pretty cool, right?"
Her memory seemed completely erased of trying to defeat me the previous night.
"It wasn't just Ayame-chan..."
"Then, does onii-chan know magic too?"
The question came from a girl around ten years old, her eyes sparkling.
"Show me, show me!"
"Alright, fine."
With a touch of pride,
"——Fire."
A flame ignited at the tip of my finger.
"Oh... oh..."
Everyone, I can do it—just a little, okay?
But somehow, they don’t seem all that surprised...
“That’s the same thing as Aina-chan’s, isn’t it?”
Rinaka gives a straight-up reaction.
Ah...
Right, Aina-chan did learn *Fire Magic I*, too.
Not being surprised—could it be because it’s not the first time?
Pouting.
"If you want something better, then how about this—*Electric Switch*!"
When Ayano called out, every single light in the supermarket suddenly turned on at once.
The crowd erupted into cheers and applause.
"Man, Ayano’s ability is really handy, isn’t it!"
"Only Ayano could pull something like that off!"
"Heheh, well, yeah, I guess."
There was something about this whole situation...
For a brief moment, I almost considered acquiring a magic skill just to show off right here and now—but I managed to resist at the last second.
B-But I'm not even bothered, okay!
▼
After finishing my meal, I quickly slipped into bed.
It seems that Ayano-chan is particularly fond of a woman named Satona-san.
The two of them seemed to be chatting late into the night.
I think I heard Ayano-chan crying a few times during the conversation.
It seemed few of the people who had taken refuge at this supermarket had managed to survive.
I couldn't help but worry about the safety of everyone left behind at Sakagahara High School.
Well, I guess worrying about things I can't change is pointless—it only gives me a stomachache.
Yesterday and today have been such hectic days.
Wait a minute…
Oh right—what exactly was I coming here for again?
Oh well, whatever.
As I vaguely pulled at the threads of memory, I found myself, without noticing, drifting into a dream.