Chapter 23

"Ah, Azami-san, I can walk on my own!"

"Don't move too much, it's dangerous."

After returning to the boys' changing room, I picked up Kaede in a princess carry. Kaede, with a red face from either the fever or embarrassment, protested, but I ignored her and carried her to the staff room, placing her on the bed.

"Azami-san, this is...?"

After leaving the changing room, I went to the toilet as planned, then moved the office table and chairs to create space, and brought in the bed for sale. I thought that if she could sleep in a better environment, her body would rest more easily.

"Now you can rest properly. Or rather, it would have been better to bring in at least a mattress or futon."

"...Yeah... I didn't think of that."

Indeed, after being chased by zombies and then seeing her mother turn into one, she probably didn't have the mental space to worry about comfort. Her father must have been even more anxious than what she saw. And now that he's gone, it's even worse.

Maybe that was a slip of the tongue.

"No, I'm sorry. Anyway, just rest and get better."

"...Okay. But, can we talk a little until I fall asleep?"

Kaede nodded and looked up at me. I moved an office chair from the wall to the side of the bed and sat down.

"Um. I was thinking about asking you something earlier, but I didn't..."

"What is it?"

It must be something before she went to sleep. Just like then, Kaede opened and closed her mouth without speaking, but this time she seemed to have made up her mind and opened her mouth.

"...Are Azami-san's parents... safe...?"

Kaede's eyes were trembling. What was she thinking when she asked that?

Was it simply out of concern for the safety of my parents, who had saved her? Or did she want to share some kind of comfort because her own parents had died, and if I was in the same situation, she could empathize? Maybe she herself didn't even know.

"Unfortunately, they passed away a long time ago. It was a car accident. Maybe it was better that they died before the world became like this. Since then, I haven't had a family."

I added, "And I don't have any siblings either."

"That's... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked such a strange question."

Kaede, still unsure why she asked, apologized with a mix of complex emotions.

"I don't mind. I told you, you can ask me anything without hesitation."

I meant it, and to prevent Kaede from feeling unnecessary guilt, I spoke in a calm tone.

"...Azami-san, you're so kind."

Kaede stared into my eyes, and my heart beat loudly under her gaze.

I, kind?

My heart pounded fiercely at the thought of being called something I wasn't. In the other world, I always doubted my own kind, let them die, and even killed many of them with my own hands. In the end, I left the few trusted companions I met in that world and returned to Japan. There's no way I could be kind.

For a moment, silence filled the room. Then, regaining my composure, I slowly spoke.

"...That's a misunderstanding."

Honestly, I was starting to think that this situation right after returning was some kind of punishment for my mercilessness. If that's the case, I want the punishment to be directed only at me, not involving others.

Unable to meet Kaede's gaze, I looked away.

"Alright, it's time to sleep."

I said brusquely, standing up from the chair.

Kaede reached out to me for a moment but stopped, then spoke.

"...I understand... Azami-san, you're kind, so you won't leave, right?"

"...I'm not kind."

In response to Kaede's words, which seemed to express her fear of being alone, I moved to the sofa and lay down.

Kaede, seeing this, seemed to give a small laugh.