Episode 62: Friends

The next day.

I woke up naturally as the sky began to lighten.

Today, for sure.

Today, I must head to the place where that so-called "slave master" is.

To avoid waking anyone who's still asleep, I make my way toward the back entrance of the supermarket.

Then,

"Going somewhere?"

I'm stopped by Satona.

I hadn't expected anyone to be around, so I jump in surprise.

"I couldn't sleep much... I get distracted talking to that kid."

"Yeah, now that you mention it, we talked late last night, didn't we?"

"You were listening?"

"No. I went to bed right away."

"Is that so..."

The woman let out a long, deep sigh, as if expelling every last bit of air from her lungs.

"I have a request..."

"If it's just listening..."

"Could you... take that kid with you? Take Ayame-chan with you?"

I was slightly surprised by the unexpected request.

Even I could sense how significant her presence was to the people here.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have risked their lives to come back this far.

Surely, in this place, Ayame-chan had been a symbol of "safety."

As long as she was around, zombies weren't something to fear anymore—maybe even a better place to move to could be possible.

I couldn't understand why anyone would deliberately distance themselves from such a person.

"Besides, wouldn't she have to agree herself?"

"Maybe. She's kind-hearted, so... she might even become our goddess again."

Our goddess, huh.

"But that wouldn't work. Not us. No matter what we do, we can't stand beside her. She needs a friend she can truly be honest with. Someone like you."

A awkward silence settled for a moment.

"...If she’s willing, tell her to follow us. We’ll be moving forward while roasting zombies along the way, so she should be able to catch up."

"Got it. Thanks."

Rinaka offered a tired smile.

A look he never showed in Aya’s presence.

"Hey, you."

"Yes?"

"Are zombies scary to you?"

"No, not at all."

"That's right....I've gotten completely used to it lately. Before coming here, I've killed a few—'zombies'... and humans too."

"Human beings?"

"Yeah. The violent ones. For a while, I even called that man 'husband' or something like that. He wasn't just threatening me—he was putting Takada-san and the others in danger too. At that moment, I happened to have a knife on hand. He didn't suffer long, I'm sure."

"Hmm."

"I didn't feel anything at all. We were together for fifteen years, but I thought 'zombies' were much harder to deal with."

I could intuitively sense what Richinaka-san was trying to say.

"Listen. Just a month or so ago, I couldn't even bring myself to kill an insect. And yet, I stabbed the man I once loved without hesitation. You seem like a smart kid, so you probably understand. The true terror of 'zombies' isn't just their strength. They slowly, bit by bit, break down our sense of normalcy and drive us mad....Hey, don't forget this— you can use magic. And you're far stronger than us....But your hearts are the same as ours. Once broken, they can never be repaired."

Rinaka murmured softly.

The machine gun talk from last night felt like a lie.

"Take good care of her, okay."

It was as if she had known all along what Ayaka would choose.

"I understand."

Nodding, he left the supermarket.

▼

About two hours later...

"Hey! Nee-chan!"

A girl was waving from behind.

"……Well. You came after all."

I say, not particularly surprised.

"Yeah. Everyone's fine now. There's plenty of food, and they've got a lead on other survivors. They're even planning to build a new barricade."

"I see."

"And if there's a bad guy around here, we've gotta take him out! I mean, once the two of us are together, we're unstoppable! We could take on a monster, no problem! ……That's why"

So Ayaka gently lowered her gaze and softened her voice,

"So... um... can I come with you too? I think I won't be any trouble..."

Of course, there was no reason to refuse.

Just as she needed me...

I too needed a friend.