Chapter 74

Senpai, liar.

You said you weren't afraid of the infected.

And yet, in the end, you ended up in the hands of the infected.

This fact deeply shook all the evacuees.

Until now, no one who had safely reached the shelter had ever ended up like that.

The police officers had also managed to get here without being attacked by the infected.

Of course, it was probably because the Otas and others had worked so hard, but there was a tendency to believe that everything would be fine as long as we were prepared and took precautions.

However, we were once again made aware that there are times when we simply cannot resist the monsters outside and can only die.

Senpai wasn't a very talkative person and didn't speak much beyond what was necessary.

Even when Kaede and I visited Senpai's room, we mostly just nodded in agreement or answered when spoken to.

So, I think Senpai didn't communicate much with anyone else.

Still, everyone was very saddened by Senpai's death.

I think Senpai must have been someone everyone, both evacuees and police officers, relied on.

When people were attacked by the infected at the bottom of the ladder as they evacuated, Ota always looked very distressed.

I've seen that pained expression many times, thinking they might have been saved if they had just taken one more step.

But now, thinking back, I feel that Ota's expression when he reported Senpai's death was something I had never seen before.

Right after hearing the news, I was so overwhelmed with shock and tears that I might have just imagined it.

It wasn't an expression of mourning for death, but rather one of regret, as if he was reluctant to part or feeling guilty.

It seemed like he was hesitating about something.

It didn't feel like he was just stating the fact that Senpai had died.

At that moment, I thought that Senpai must have been very important to Ota, which is why he had that expression.

Kaede stood there, dazed and motionless, after hearing Ota's words.

Even after the meeting ended and everyone dispersed, she just stood there, not moving.

Unlike me, she didn't cry or scream, and when others tried to comfort her, she just gave empty responses.

When my tears dried up and I realized I shouldn't be like this, I looked at Kaede, and she was still staring at the floor with a sad, vacant look.

Of course, it was natural to feel this way because Senpai had died, but it felt different, almost like the grief Ota had shown, not for death itself, but for the loss of Senpai.

I couldn't understand why Kaede was acting this way when I was already so sad about Senpai's death.

A few days have passed since then.

The cleanup at the department store is complete, and the dirty floors have been cleaned.

There was plenty of cleaning supplies, and we collected rainwater on the roof in buckets to use for cleaning.

It was a night when the reality of starting a new life in this place finally sank in, after all the moving work was done.

"Maybe it's a strange thing to say, but..."

Just before bedtime, Kaede suddenly spoke in a small voice.

Since that day, Kaede had been very quiet and only spoke when I initiated a conversation, usually only about necessary tasks.

When she suddenly spoke, I thought she might have regained some composure.

But the words that came out of her mouth were not what I had expected.

"I don't think Azami is really dead."

"Kaede...?"

The lights were already off, so I couldn't see her expression.

At first, I thought it was just a child's fantasy, a refusal to accept the truth.

But Kaede didn't sound like she was joking or making it up.

Her calm tone even seemed to carry a sense of certainty.

"Why do you think that?"

"It's..."

Kaede hesitated for a long time, as if unsure whether to say it.

I waited quietly for her to speak.

"...Just a feeling..."

"Just a feeling..."

"...Besides, when we met Azami at the hardware store, she often went out alone. It doesn't make sense that she would be attacked by the infected when Ota and other police officers were there."

I had heard this story when the two of them came to the police station.

Senpai was indeed amazing.

She had run around alone to protect Kaede.

But I didn't think that was enough to prove that Senpai wasn't dead.

"Maybe, that's true."

Probably, it's just a refusal to accept the fact.

I said this and moved closer to Kaede, hugging her tightly.

"Yuki... do you know anything?"

"...What do you mean?"

Kaede, curled up in my arms, asked.

I didn't understand what she meant.

"No... nothing."

Kaede said this, shifted a little, and buried her face in my chest.

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