Chapter 39

"Yanagi, you're such a..."

"Back now, Oda."

Our eyes met, and I made a light-hearted remark, and we both laughed.

"Ah..."

Kaede suddenly hugged me, and I supported her body.

She clung to my clothes tightly, pressing her cheek against my chest as if listening to my heartbeat.

"We made it, didn't we? Azami, are you hurt anywhere?"

"A-ah."

Her joy seemed exaggerated, and I felt a bit awkward responding, but in reality, if it weren't for my strength from the other world, the fight with the zombies downstairs would have been extremely dangerous.

I knew she was genuinely worried about me.

Still, Kaede followed my instructions and climbed the ladder without looking back.

Understanding her feelings, I stroked her head, this time consciously.

In response, Kaede wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed her face into my chest even more tightly.

Then, the door to the room was opened forcefully.

"Senpai!"

"Hey, Yuki."

Yuki, who appeared from there, stopped moving abruptly upon seeing me.

"...What's wrong?"

"No, no, nothing at all. Uh, is this girl Kaede?"

"Yes, but... Oda, could you at least check for injuries first?"

Yuki seemed a bit suspicious, but I decided to get the physical check done first.

I'll introduce her to everyone later when I greet them.

"Ah, yeah. Kaede, you'll be checked in the next room."

At Oda's words, the female police officers waiting nearby took Kaede away.

Kaede looked at me with a worried expression, and I smiled to reassure her, saying I'd be back soon.

"...Senpai, what kind of... Senpai?!"

"Hm?"

After Kaede and the female police officers left, I started to take off my clothes, and Yuki blushed and called out softly.

I ignored her and quickly stripped down to my underwear.

In a way, we're the most familiar, and we've been living in this shelter for a long time, so there's no need to be embarrassed now.

However, Yuki seemed to think otherwise, looking away while glancing at me occasionally.

"Ah, Yuki, I'm sorry."

"Senpai, you have no sense of decency... Also, I noticed this the other day, but hasn't Senpai's body become more muscular?"

I apologized in my current state, but Yuki, who seemed to have gotten used to it, looked at me intently and said,

Indeed, it's abnormal for my body to change so much in just a month.

But it's actually the result of three years of training in the other world.

"It's just the clothes making me look slimmer."

"Slimmer? But your arms were so muscular..."

"...I've been working out during the fall and winter."

I hadn't undressed in front of Yuki before, but I had worn short sleeves, so I made up an excuse while Yuki gave me a suspicious look.

After Oda finished checking me, I put on my pants.

"Still got a great body, Yanagi."

I chuckled at Oda's suggestive comment and put on my shirt.

Just as I was about to put on my jacket, Yuki came closer and poked my stomach.

"...What are you doing?"

"Just admiring Senpai's great body..."

"..."

"Ah! No, I mean! As Oda said, it's a great body! Haha..."

When I finished dressing and looked at Yuki curiously, she seemed to realize something and waved her hands in front of her, laughing awkwardly.

"What do you mean by 'no'..."

I sighed in exasperation, and Yuki continued to laugh nervously with a red face.

+++++

I had warned her beforehand, but even though she was a woman, being examined in a different room in front of others was embarrassing, and Kaede's face remained flushed for a while after the check-up.

We then moved to the living area with Kaede and Yuki, and greeted everyone, who were all very welcoming.

Now, the three of us are in my room, and Kaede seems to have settled in.

Looking at Kaede, she seems a bit restless, probably due to the anxiety of living in a new shelter.

"Kaede, it's okay. Everyone here is nice, right?"

Even when we were greeting everyone, and when I first came here, despite the lack of food in this world, everyone welcomed us with warm smiles.

Even though they are refugees, they do their assigned jobs without complaint.

The men even do dangerous jobs.

They must have their complaints, but I think they are not bad people for helping Oda and the others.

"Yes, if Azami says so. I trust Azami."

"Take your time to get used to it."

While blind trust isn't ideal, if it helps ease her anxiety, it's fine for now.

"Anyway, let me introduce you again. This is my junior from before the pandemic."

Seeing Kaede smile and Yuki staring at us, I changed the subject.

Yuki, suddenly called on, laughed awkwardly again.

"Ah, ahaha. I'm Yuki Sumire. Nice to meet you again."

"Yes, I'm Kaede Fujii. Nice to meet you, Yuki."

"Can I call you Kaede? And you can call me whatever you like."

After they exchanged words, I turned to Yuki.

"Yuki, can you take care of her when I'm not around?"

"Of course, no problem... But the way you say it, Senpai, you're really planning to help Oda and the others, aren't you..."

"Of course. Since I'm staying here, I want to do what I can."

At my answer, Yuki sighed deeply.

It's better than being desperately stopped, but I'm not satisfied with being exasperated either.

Yuki might think I'm just a troublesome person.

"Well, Oda is calling me, so I'll go. Sorry to leave you with this, Yuki."

"Senpai is always so abrupt... Okay, I understand."

Kaede, who had been looking at Yuki and me nervously, stood up on her knees and grabbed my clothes when I stood up.

"Azami, where are you going..."

"Just going to talk. I'll be back soon."

Interrupting Kaede's words, I reassured her, and she looked relieved.

"Then, Kaede, you'll stay with the big sister, okay?"

Yuki said this to Kaede in a friendly manner, and I left the room, grateful for her help.