Rain slowly began falling outside the ruined office building by afternoon. Dark clouds covered the city sky while cold wind echoed softly through broken windows across the upper floors. Water dripped down destroyed streets below where abandoned cars remained scattered like forgotten memories of the old world. Distant infected screams still occasionally echoed through the city, but compared to the chaos underground earlier, the atmosphere now felt strangely calm.

Too calm honestly.

And everyone knew calm moments during apocalypse never lasted long.

Inside the upper office floor, Reina stretched lazily across a couch while cleaning blood from her combat blades. "You know," she muttered casually, "if someone told me one month ago that I’d be hiding from zombies inside an office building while watching romance drama unfold between survivors, I probably would’ve punched them."

Akari nearly choked on water instantly. "THERE IS NO ROMANCE!"

Yuna immediately pointed dramatically from nearby. "DENIAL!"

Kaede quietly drank tea somehow obtained from abandoned supplies while speaking calmly. "Statistically speaking, emotional attachment under life-threatening conditions develops rapidly."

Akari stared at her blankly. "...Why did you say that like scientific research?"

Kaede blinked slowly. "Because it is."

"YOU TOO?!"

Meanwhile nearby, the little girl sat beside Arata while drawing random pictures across old office papers using colored markers she found earlier. Surprisingly, Arata allowed it.

Mostly because she somehow decided he belonged to her now.

"Look," the little girl said proudly while holding up the drawing. "This is you."

Arata stared at the paper silently.

The drawing showed a black stick figure holding a sword beside several smaller stick figures.

One of them had long hair and a baseball bat.

Akari accidentally noticed it from across the room.

Then immediately looked away before anyone saw her reaction.

Unfortunately—Yuna saw everything.

"...Interesting."

Akari looked dead inside already. "Please find another word."

"No."

The little girl suddenly pointed at another drawing proudly. "And this one is your girlfriend."

Silence.

Everyone slowly looked toward the paper.

The stick figure beside Arata clearly had long dark hair.And a baseball bat.Akari stopped breathing instantly."...I’m leaving the building."

Yuna collapsed laughing across the couch while Reina nearly fell onto the floor from laughing too hard.

Even Kaede quietly covered her mouth to hide a smile.Meanwhile Arata looked equally emotionally destroyed.

"...Kids are terrifying."

The little girl blinked innocently. "Did I say something wrong?"

Airi gently patted her head afterward while smiling softly. "No. Not really."

Akari stared at Airi in betrayal. "...Doctor why are you helping them?"

Airi quietly giggled again.And honestly—

Seeing her laugh made the atmosphere softer instantly.

Arata noticed that too.Airi always carried warmth around her.The kind people naturally trusted.The kind apocalypse destroyed first.

Which was exactly why he worried every time she smiled too much.

Outside thunder echoed loudly afterward while rain intensified against shattered windows across the office floor. Cold wind drifted through the room softly while everyone settled into temporary rest positions again.

Arata quietly moved toward one of the upper floor windows afterward to check the streets below.

Then immediately sensed footsteps behind him.

Akari again.

At this point it almost became automatic.

She stopped beside him while holding two cans of coffee from old vending supplies.

Without speaking, she handed him one.

Arata blinked slightly before taking it. "...Thanks."

"Don’t make it emotional."

"...Okay."

Silence settled comfortably afterward while rain continued falling outside the ruined city.

For several moments—Neither spoke.

Which strangely didn’t feel awkward anymore.

Akari eventually leaned lightly against the broken window frame beside him. "You really don’t rest, huh?"

"Can’t sleep easily."

"Nightmares?"

The question came quietly.

Carefully.

Arata stayed silent briefly afterward.

Then finally answered.

"...Sometimes."

Akari lowered her eyes slightly.

Because honestly—

That answer hurt more than expected.

The rain outside intensified while thunder echoed softly across distant buildings.

"...You know," she muttered quietly, "before all this... I used to hate boring days."

Arata glanced toward her slightly.

"I always wanted excitement. Something dramatic. Something different from normal life." She laughed softly afterward. "Now I’d sell my soul for one boring afternoon again."

Silence followed.

Heavy but peaceful silence.

Then Arata quietly spoke.

"...What was your life like before?"

Akari blinked slightly.

Because honestly—

Nobody asked her that in a long time.

She slowly looked toward the rain outside afterward.

"...Pretty normal." A small smile appeared across her face. "Too normal honestly. I skipped classes sometimes. Argued with teachers. Played games instead of studying." She paused briefly before laughing softly again. "My mother used to yell at me every morning because I never woke up on time."

Arata quietly listened beside her.

Akari’s expression softened slightly afterward.

"...I remember thinking adulthood sounded annoying." Her voice became quieter now. "Now I’d give anything just to hear her yelling again."

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Pain quietly filled the silence between them.

Arata understood that feeling too well.

Akari slowly looked downward afterward. "I don’t even know if they’re alive."

For several seconds—

Only rain answered.

Then unexpectedly—

Arata gently placed his hand against her head.

Akari froze completely.

"...What are you doing?"

"You looked sad."

"...That’s your solution?"

"Apparently."

Akari stared at him speechlessly while his hand remained softly against her hair for several seconds longer.

Warm.

Careful.

Unexpectedly gentle.

And somehow—

That small action completely destroyed her emotional stability.

Her heartbeat became painfully loud instantly.

Arata slowly removed his hand afterward while looking slightly uncertain himself.

"...Was that weird?"

Akari looked away immediately. "...Very."

"...Sorry."

"But..." Her voice softened unintentionally. "...not bad."

Silence followed again.

Dangerous silence this time.

Because both suddenly became very aware of each other standing too close near the rain-covered window.

Then suddenly—

"OH COME ON."

Yuna’s voice exploded from behind them again.

Akari nearly died instantly.

Yuna stared at them dramatically while holding instant noodles. "YOU’RE HEADPATTING HER NOW?!"

"It wasn’t a headpat!" Akari shouted immediately.

"That was absolutely a headpat."

"You saw NOTHING!"

"I SAW EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT!"

Reina immediately appeared from the hallway afterward looking excited. "What happened?!"

Yuna pointed dramatically again. "He touched her hair."

Reina gasped loudly. "NO WAY."

Kaede quietly walked into the room too before calmly observing both of them. "...Interesting progression speed."

Akari looked one step away from mental collapse already.

Meanwhile Arata quietly covered his face with one hand again.

"...Why is surviving monsters easier than this?"

Airi eventually appeared nearby too after hearing the chaos. Her silver eyes moved between Arata and Akari briefly before a tiny smile appeared across her face.

Soft.

Gentle.

But slightly sad too.

Akari noticed that immediately.

And once again—

That uncomfortable feeling returned.

Then suddenly alarms echoed faintly from lower floors.

Everyone’s expressions changed instantly.

Reina immediately grabbed her blades. "Movement downstairs."

Kaede quietly moved toward the window afterward before narrowing her eyes toward the streets below.

"...Large infected group approaching."

Yuna loaded her rifle instantly. "How large?"

Kaede paused briefly.

"...Too large."

The atmosphere shifted immediately.

Warmth disappeared.

Reality returned.

Everyone quickly moved toward the lower floors afterward while rain continued pouring outside the ruined city. Through shattered lobby windows, hundreds of infected slowly flooded through nearby streets toward the building.

Not wandering.

Moving together.

Like something guided them.

Arata’s expression darkened instantly. "...That’s not normal."

Then suddenly—

A massive roar echoed somewhere through the rain-covered city.

Everyone froze.

The infected immediately became more aggressive afterward.

Yuna’s face slowly lost color. "...Please tell me that’s not another mutation."

Reina tightened her grip on her blades. "With our luck? Definitely another mutation."

The office building trembled slightly afterward.

Heavy footsteps echoed distantly outside.

Closer.

Closer.

The little girl quietly grabbed Akari’s sleeve fearfully. "...Are the monsters coming here?"

Akari immediately crouched beside her afterward while forcing a small smile. "Yeah." She gently patted the child’s head. "But we’re not letting them hurt you."

The little girl slowly nodded.

Meanwhile Arata stared through the rain-covered lobby windows toward the distant streets.

Something massive moved between the buildings outside.

Too large to see clearly yet.

But definitely coming toward them.

The system flickered violently before his eyes.

[Warning: High-Level Threat Detected]

[New Mutation Type Approaching]

[Survival Probability: Low]

Arata quietly exhaled afterward.Then slowly drew his blade again.Behind him, everyone prepared for battle silently.

Rain continued falling outside while infected surrounded the office building from every direction.

And somewhere within the storm—Another monster was coming.