"Didn't I already tell you? We're just two people who met once. I accidentally hit their car door while riding my bike and left my phone number." Sosuke Kitahara leisurely raised his cup.
Utaha Kasumigaoka bit her lip. They'd known each other long enough for her to know he wasn't the type to help someone out of pure kindness. Leaning forward with her arms resting on the low table, wearing Sosuke's oversized T-shirt, her ample chest softly trembled with her movement, revealing more of her fair skin and a faint, enticing cleavage. "You're not secretly in love with her, are you? Even if you want to play the hero, now's not the time to risk your life for someone who might not even appreciate it. What if you end up losing everything?"
"I told you, it was just a one-time encounter. Helping them is simply a transaction. You saw the news, Tokyo's roads are completely jammed."
"But what if they go back on their word? What if the helicopter arrives and they won't let us on?"
Utaha stretched out her bare, soft foot to nudge Sosuke's calf, her cool toes making him squirm. "What if she's a professional scammer, luring naive little boys like you into traps? And when there's no helicopter, she'll just cry and make a scene what are you going to do then?"
"Even if we can't get on the helicopter, there's still the yacht."
Sosuke pulled her playful foot away and scoffed, "No one can take what's mine. I've already made up my mind. We'll get the yacht keys first. If the hotel is swarmed with zombies, we'll just take the yacht and leave Tokyo."
"Well, I've said what I needed to say. It's not like I have anywhere else to go anyway. If you insist on going, I'll just follow you." Utaha picked up her chopsticks again, fishing more food from the bubbling pot. "Better eat up now who knows when we'll get our next meal."
"So that's what you were worried about?"
Sosuke paused before grinning. "Relax, as long as I'm alive, I won't let you get bitten. I've changed since the brush with death."
Utaha pouted, but the memory of the afternoon's events softened her gaze. They'd both danced on the edge of death. If Sosuke hadn't held on, he would've turned into a zombie, and she probably would've ended up as his meal.
For some reason, the words "becoming one" flashed through her mind, and her face flushed red.
Just then, Sosuke received a system notification Utaha's trust level had reached 85%.
Utaha ate a few more bites before setting her chopsticks down and standing up in her shorts, her long legs fully exposed beneath the oversized T-shirt.
Sosuke, fresh out of the shower, suddenly realized that all his clothes were still spinning in the washing machine. Utaha, wearing nothing but his oversized T-shirt, had just enough fabric to reveal her figure. The soft cotton traced the perfect curve of her body like a freshly picked peach.
"What are you staring at?"
Utaha glared at him, then glanced down. The T-shirt wasn't see-through, but she had no idea how vividly a man's imagination could work with the slightest hint.
Sosuke quickly averted his gaze. "Where are you going?"
"To move the laundry to the dryer. Then I'm going to bed." Utaha tied her hair back, revealing her smooth forehead. "We need to rest. There'll definitely be zombies at the hotel, and I don't want to face them half-asleep."
"No, you can't sleep yet."
Utaha instantly crossed her arms over her chest and took a defensive step back. Sosuke sighed, "Where are you even going with this? Alone with a man if I really wanted to do something, do you think you could escape?"
Utaha struck a graceful pose under the moonlight. The cotton T-shirt seemed to have a faint translucence, barely hinting at the pureness of the skin beneath.
"Want me to lift it up for you?"
Utaha suddenly looked back at him. "Look, but no touching!"
Sosuke instinctively agreed. He thought, if she really did that, there's no way I'm letting her go tonight.
Utaha grabbed a pillow from the couch and hurled it at him.
"Who could resist an offer like that? You really overestimate me."
Sosuke caught the pillow and tossed it back to the couch, his expression turning serious. "Enough joking. I'm going to teach you a breathing technique that'll increase your chances of survival. You need to take it seriously."
Though the system didn't respond to his inquiry, Sosuke decided to teach Utaha the breathing technique anyway. The system had already acknowledged her as a teammate. If she mastered the breathing technique, her survival rate and zombie kill efficiency would increase, which would also mean more points for him.
It was a solid investment.
Ten minutes later, Utaha slowly exhaled and opened her eyes, staring at her hand with suspicion. "Sosuke, I don't feel anything."
Sosuke didn't respond. The system screen showed that Utaha was still in the learning phase. Unlike him, she couldn't immediately master the breathing technique. It would take time.
"That's normal. Just keep practicing the breathing I taught you. Eventually, you'll notice the difference."
Sosuke offered no further explanation, and Utaha didn't press him. She faked a yawn and excused herself, still worried that he might demand she fulfill her earlier promise.
If he really pushed for it what would she do?
Utaha didn't know the answer. But after the hotpot, her hair smelled like the broth, so she went for another shower.
Sosuke didn't bother cleaning up the hotpot on the balcony. He returned to his room to gather more route and regional information while the internet was still working.
Sosuke stretched and yawned.
At some point, it began to rain heavily. Looking out the window, the city was swallowed by darkness, its oppressive chill seeping in.
Sosuke shut the window. Just then, the ceiling light flickered. A deep rumble of thunder rolled in, startling him. Before he could react, a second thunderbolt hit, and the ceiling light went out completely, plunging the room into darkness.
After confirming the power outage, Sosuke undressed and climbed into bed, his consciousness gradually fading as sleep took hold.
"Knock, knock..." In his half-asleep state, Sosuke heard knocking.
He snapped awake, gripping his katana for comfort. Remaining silent, he stayed alert.
"Sosuke, are you awake? Can you open the door?"
"Utaha? What time is it?"
Once he confirmed it was Utaha, he kept his katana in hand, pulled back the blanket, and carefully cracked the door open.
Seeing that everything was fine, he opened the door wider. Utaha stood there in his T-shirt, clutching her blanket, looking conflicted and vulnerable.
She lowered her head, softly saying, "The thunder won't stop, the power's out, and I can hear the zombies... I can't sleep. I'm scared."
The thunder roared on, lightning slashing the sky. Seeing Utaha looking so pitiful was rare. Sosuke smiled and stepped aside. "My bed's not big, but if you don't mind the squeeze, you can crash here tonight."
"Sure. I brought my blanket. I sleep really quietly, I won't bother you."
Utaha quickly hopped into the room like a deer, choosing the side closest to the wall.
A thunderstorm, a man and a woman alone in a room it felt straight out of a cliché romance novel. Sosuke thought it would be perfect if the next thunderclap scared Utaha into his arms.
But when he lay down, the thunder quieted instead.
The scent of Utaha's freshly washed hair was pleasant, but having her soft presence so close made it impossible for him to sleep.
He shifted to make himself more comfortable and put some distance between his ear and her tempting, soft lips. Utaha gave him a push, playing the victim. "Stop moving! How am I supposed to sleep if you keep squirming?"
"You've got some nerve blaming me. It's your fault you smell so good."
"Blame your body wash. I used yours. Go argue with it."
Sosuke's wide, bright eyes gleamed in the dark. He asked in a low voice, "Hey, does what you said this afternoon still count?"
Utaha stole a glance at him, her face flushed. "What did I say? I don't remember."
"Seriously? That wasn't even that long ago."
Utaha grinned mischievously. "Let me teach you something, Kitahara-kun. Never trust what a woman says."
Her delicate chin tilted upward, long lashes fluttering, her nose straight, and her rosy lips unbelievably captivating. Sosuke's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help leaning down and lightly kissing her.
When their lips touched, Utaha's eyes widened. She didn't scream or pull away just stared at him, making Sosuke too embarrassed to go any further.
He followed her gaze to his hand and realized he'd unknowingly rested it on her waist. Flustered, he pulled it back.
"Let's just say I'm claiming a kiss. It's my first kiss, just a peck on the lips you're not losing anything."
Sosuke rubbed his nose and spoke with forced confidence. "From now on, I'll protect you. No matter what danger we face, I won't stand by. And if anything happens, don't shoulder it alone, okay?"
"Okay... let's count that as fulfilling my promise."
Utaha's heart raced as she forced herself to sound calm. After a moment, she added, "I liked the second half of what you said. If you could stop having such dirty thoughts while saying it, that'd be even better."
Sosuke nearly choked, coughing loudly as Utaha burst into giggles beside him.
He checked the trust level no change.
Sosuke shook his head with a sigh. Forcing something just wasn't in him. Besides, they were tied together by something much deeper now. Losing that over something trivial would be too costly.
"Sleep. We've got an early day tomorrow."
Sosuke tugged the blanket, ensuring they wouldn't catch a chill, and quickly drifted to sleep.
Listening to Sosuke's steady breathing, Utaha rested her chin in her hand, gazing at him with a tender look in her eyes. She gently touched her lips, her face flushing again.
"First kiss, huh... idiot."
The rain continued outside as her eyelids grew heavy. Lacking the courage to return to her own room, she leaned against Sosuke's chest, found a comfortable spot, and peacefully fell asleep.