Chapter 77

In the end, the shutter was not broken.

According to the motion sensors, the zombies seemed to be gradually dispersing, but given the number that had gathered earlier, if we went outside now, it would likely happen again.

"Um..."

In the tense atmosphere, the two had been whispering to each other until just now, but in the now silent store, the boy holding the pistol I gave him spoke up.

"What is it?"

"Thank you. Really, thank you for helping us."

Although he still seemed on guard, I could tell that the boy's hostility had significantly diminished compared to before.

On the other hand, I still felt the same hostility from the girl's gaze.

"It's nothing. Besides, they're still out there. We're not out of the woods yet."

I said this and plopped down on the floor.

In truth, with me here, they were guaranteed to be safe.

The boy nodded at my words and sat down on the floor as well.

"I'm Takeru Higa. This is Momo."

"...Momo Hako."

As the two began to introduce themselves, I rubbed my temples.

When I first sensed their presence, I considered simply ignoring them.

However, I thought it would be wrong to leave someone who could be saved, so I ended up helping them. But saying my name felt like deepening the connection, and I hesitated for a moment.

"Alright... Takeru and Momo. I'll call you that for convenience. I'm Yagi Gekkei, call me whatever you like."

But since I've helped them, I suppose I have some responsibility.

The question is, how far will I go with this...

"Mr. Yagi, right? Um, why are you here?"

"...I was moving around aimlessly and just happened to stop here. What about you two?"

"Stopped... Are you living alone?"

"Yeah, pretty much. What about you?"

Momo remained silent, but Takeru also fell silent at my question.

I tilted my head and waited silently for him to continue.

After a moment of silence, Takeru spoke.

"We were... in a shelter, but a pandemic broke out inside, and we had to escape."

It turned out that on the day of the pandemic, Takeru and Momo had taken refuge in a shelter.

The school was surrounded by a wall and was built sturdily, and fortunately, there were no injuries that day.

As a result, unlike many other shelters, it didn't immediately collapse, and it functioned well as a shelter for a while.

However, as time passed, the food situation became dire, the internal order began to break down, and then, to make matters worse, people started dying inside and turning into zombies, causing a pandemic.

Both had lost their parents in the chaos and have been moving together ever since.

"I see."

It's possible that the deaths inside were the catalyst.

"Sorry to hear that. I apologize."

"No... It's fine..."

Well, in this world, if you listen to the stories of those who have survived, you'll probably hear similar tales, so there's nothing to apologize for.

Takeru looked down and replied to my apology.

"...So, you don't have any urgent business, right?"

"...No."

"Then, stay here until things calm down outside. I don't want to have helped you only for you to go out and die immediately."

"Thank you. I'll take you up on your offer."

"Don't worry about it."

I said this and lay down on the floor.

+++++

In the dim light of the low-lumen LED lantern, the three of us spent the time quietly.

The two were still on guard.

The fact that they were still on guard in this situation suggests that something significant happened, even though they didn't mention it earlier.

"...How old are you two?"

The sudden question in the silent air made them both flinch.

"...16. We should be in our second year of high school."

"Ah, sorry for startling you. I see."

"No, is something wrong?"

"No... Just a thought."

Takeru looked at me with a question mark, but I waved it off.

Kaede and Yuki reached the shelter without killing any zombies and have stayed there.

In contrast, these two have probably killed many zombies.

The blood on their clothes might not be just from zombies.

I don't mean to judge who is good or bad.

But I felt sorry for these two.

Their faces, which should not be those of children, made my heart ache.

Especially from Momo, I felt a gaze that seemed to trust nothing, and it hurt before I could feel bad.

Suddenly, I thought about the other world.

In that world, humans come of age at 15.

At that age, many adventurers would set out and die easily to monsters.

Rindou also left on a journey with me at that age, slaying monsters and even people.

Something unimaginable by the standards of the original Japan.

Thinking about it, that world was truly a hell.

But this world now might not be much different.

The existence of these two clearly shows it.