"Tap… tap…"
The sound of soft footsteps stirred Nanashi from his sleep.
His eyes snapped open. Instinctively, he sat up and turned toward the source of the noise.
The refrigerator door stood open, its dim interior light casting a glow on a tall, slender figure.
Thin, silk-like pajamas clung to her frame, barely concealing what lay beneath.
Nanashi blinked.
Shizuka turned around, her eyes still half-closed with sleep.
Even that simple motion was enough to make his heart skip a beat.
From this angle… her smooth, pale skin was clearly visible.
"Awake already?" she murmured, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
Nanashi swallowed hard, forcing himself to look away.
Was this some kind of test?
Under the blanket, he clenched his fists, steadying himself.
"...What are you doing up so late?" he finally asked.
Shizuka placed a finger on her lips, tilting her head.
"Hmm… what was I doing?"
Nanashi nearly choked.
Are you serious?! You don't even remember why you got up?!
Then, as if a light bulb went off, she perked up.
"Oh! Right, I wanted some water."
She retrieved a glass from the fridge and took a long sip.
A single droplet escaped, sliding down her throat… then further down between her cleavages…
Nanashi forced himself to look anywhere but there.
After finishing her drink, she set the glass down, closed the fridge, and, still dazed, mumbled,
"Good night, Nanashi-kun."
Then, just like that, she turned and walked away.
Nanashi sat there in silence.
...What the hell just happened?
He exhaled slowly, pressing down against his rising frustrations.
"Emptiness is form, form is emptiness…"
Muttering the mantra under his breath, he tried to purge the images from his mind.
Eventually, he drifted back to sleep.
Morning
When he opened his eyes again, daylight had already broken.
Nanashi stretched as he sat up from the sofa.
At the same time, the door to Lemuel's room creaked open.
"Good morning, Nanashi," she greeted with a radiant, energetic smile.
Then, another door swung open.
"Good morning, everyone," Shizuka greeted drowsily.
Still clad in her barely-there pajamas.
Again.
Nanashi froze.
But before anything else could happen, Saya yanked her back inside and slammed the door shut.
A second later, a loud, exasperated voice rang out from within.
"What are you thinking?! You're not even dressed yet!"
Nanashi exchanged glances with Lemuel.
He blinked innocently.
"Do you believe me if I say I didn't see anything?"
Lemuel grinned mischievously.
"Haha, you lucky guy! A beautiful woman throwing herself at you first thing in the morning—impressive!"
"Enough teasing," Nanashi shot her a glare.
One by one, the rest of the group emerged from their rooms.
Shizuka, completely oblivious to what had just transpired, carried on as if nothing had happened.
Nanashi wisely chose not to bring it up.
"We should get moving," he said, brushing off the morning's absurdity.
As for breakfast?
Bread.
They'd eat in the car.
…
For three consecutive days, everyone was busy clearing out the zombies.
Rei and the others joined in as well.
They wanted to gain more experience so they wouldn't panic when facing zombies in the future.
Throughout this process, they benefited from the occasional guidance of Nanashi, Lemuel, and Saeko.
For that, they were deeply grateful.
But above all—
It was because of Nanashi that they could live so easily.
What they didn't realize was that Nanashi had his own motives.
He simply wanted to kill more zombies.
He believed that the more he killed, the greater the rewards he would receive.
Just the thought of it filled him with energy and excitement.
The woman around him also got to witness the extent of Nanashi's abilities.
With every step he took, the earth shifted beneath him.
He controlled the wind, soaring through the sky at will.
Teleportation, lightning, and other supernatural feats left them utterly stunned.
And then there was his appearance—
A good personality, a handsome face, and a perfectly sculpted physique.
It made people wonder…
How could someone so flawless even exist?
Of course, aside from slaughtering the zombies, plenty of other interesting things happened to Nanashi.
Like trying to suppress his raging body.
Again.
And again.
And again.
He wasn't sure if they were doing it on purpose, but almost every night, Rei, Shizuka, Saeko, and Saya wandered around in nothing but silk pajamas.
He wouldn't make a move without clear consent—
But if any of them so much as hinted that they were willing, he wouldn't hesitate to teach them a lesson.
Having experienced so much since the world ended, Nanashi had long since embraced his true self.
He followed his desires.
If he wanted to kill, he killed.
If he wanted to do something, he did it.
If he wanted a woman, he took her.
Of course, he was still a gentleman. He never forced anyone into anything.
What a shame.
Not a single one of them gave him even a hint.
Not a single signal.
And that, more than anything, frustrated him.
But the biggest surprise of all—
Among all these women with impossibly large knockers—
The one who truly left an impression on him… was Lemuel.
It had happened by accident.
Nanashi had gone to see her about something, only to walk in at the worst possible moment—
She was changing.
From head to toe, he saw everything.
And what stuck with him the most—
Soft, pink, porcelain-white skin…
And the legendary 'White Tiger'.
He didn't expect her to be so clean and white down there.
The Fifth Day
It was time to set off for the gathering place.
Their journey was smooth, free of unexpected incidents.
The previous accident between Nanashi and Lemuel hadn't caused any awkwardness between them.
If anything, she remained as carefree as ever—
As if nothing had happened at all.
Sitting in the car, Lemuel held her rifle with gleeful enthusiasm.
She fired without hesitation.
According to her—
"Bullets cost money. Right now, I can shoot for free. Might as well make the most of it!"
Meanwhile, Nanashi unleashed a bolt of lightning from his palm, striking down a horde of zombies.
Their reckless display left the others speechless.
Even Saeko, usually composed and disciplined, got swept up in their antics.
She raised her gun—
And started firing like Lemuel.