---
"Are you going to stay at the hotel and wait for news, or are you coming with me?"
After breakfast, Yuji asked. He needed to prepare for takeoff.
Aircraft selection, runway clearance for takeoff, satellite positioning confirmation, route and weather conditions for the Eastern Joint Landing Zone.
All of this takes a lot of time to complete.
"I'm going with you..." There's nothing to do here. If I go, maybe I can help Yuji with something, even if it's just lending a hand.
"Alright. But be mindful of your behavior and don't touch anything..."
"I'm not a child."
Kasumigaoka Utaha grew slightly irritated, and her wine-red eyes revealed her discontent.
"Minors are children."
"So are you."
"You really are a child."
She was so angry she couldn't speak.
She couldn't get mad, couldn't lose her temper with that man, otherwise she'd be the one to suffer in the end. With that in mind, Kasumigaoka Utaha endured it.
When she arrived at the location and followed Yuji to help prepare the plane for takeoff, she realized how useless she was.
She had clearly come here with the intention of helping Yuji and proving her worth, but in the end, faced with the bulk of Yuji's tasks, all she could do was stand awkwardly to the side like a wooden statue.
She couldn't help much with the takeoff prep, and the only way she could assist was by doing small things like handing over tools and water.
And things like wiping away sweat—she could do that.
Yes, Kasumigaoka Utaha ended up doing something like wiping his sweat.
When she noticed the sweat on Yuji's forehead was about to drip into his eyes, she grabbed a tissue and gently wiped it off.
Any resistance?
A little. As a girl, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed performing such an intimate act like wiping a man's sweat, to the point that when she first noticed it, she hesitated for a long time—unsure if she should do it—until the sweat was about to sting his eyes, and she took action.
It was something small that anyone could do. Even if she didn't, Yuji could easily manage it himself.
But small details reflect one's way of doing things, and she used this to show Yuji she was unwilling to be a useless burden.
They were equals. She might not be able to help much now, but she was determined to one day prove the meaning of her presence and contribute to their shared life.
Yuji was a little surprised at first, but he didn't stop her.
Kasumigaoka Utaha wanted to do what she could and prove her value, and that was exactly what Yuji wanted to see.
"Huh, finally done..."
Yuji let out a long sigh, having finally completed all the preparations.
The ANA flight was originally scheduled to arrive in Linhai City at 8:15 AM on April 2nd, but on that day, all of humanity disappeared, leaving only this fully-prepared passenger plane.
"Thanks for your hard work."
Beside him, Kasumigaoka Utaha held a tissue and wiped the sweat from Yuji's forehead again. Counting this moment, she had probably done that five times now.
Her expression had grown much calmer, though deep inside, she still felt a lingering sense of shame.
"Thanks..."
The girl's eyelashes trembled as she leaned closer, her wine-red eyes glimmering with emotion, and her unique fragrance was refreshing. Yuji had to admit that, in that moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha, caring for him and wiping his sweat, exuded a deeply feminine gentleness.
Even though her expression was cold and she seemed aloof, Yuji's heart still trembled unconsciously.
That kind of tenderness… was intoxicating.
"Thanks, I can do it myself now!"
"This is all I can do for now. It's just a small thing. I just... want to help. Is that so bad?"
"Actually, it's fine if you do nothing. It doesn't matter."
"You're trying to use me like a decorative vase..."
She—Kasumigaoka Utaha—would never be some useless flower vase. She had her own dignity and pride.
"No."
Kasumigaoka Utaha said, "If that really were your intention, then I'm not interested in you now, and I think the chance I ever will be is very, very low."
Very, very low?
Kasumigaoka hadn't completely denied it. That wasn't right. Based on her personality, a complete and absolute rejection would be more like her.
Could it be...
Yuji sensed a possibility in his mind—and it gave him a bad feeling.
It made Yuji feel even more stressed.
"What a shame. I thought I had a chance!"
He scrambled to clarify himself, not wanting things to head in the direction he least wanted.
"The goddess who used to be out of reach... is still out of reach now."
Upon hearing Yuji's self-deprecating words,
Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned, feeling uneasy inside.
"I know very well what our situation is, so don't worry. We're just living in the same place to survive. I promise I'll do my best to avoid anything that would make us both unhappy."
"Yes, let's both avoid anything that would make us feel unhappy," Kasumigaoka Utaha reaffirmed.
"Don't worry. Time will tell."
Yuji breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as she, proud and dignified like Shiyu Xiayao, could maintain that pride until April 4th next year, things would be fine.
He could control his own emotions and behavior—but what he couldn't control was hers.
Yuji, having lived with her for the past few days, was well aware of the charm of this girl named Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Her beautiful face, well-proportioned body, and fair skin gave her an almost perfect appearance. She could easily win the hearts of millions with just her looks, and her tough exterior paired with a soft interior gave her a unique charm and appeal.
It could be said that as long as she were willing to drop her pride and restraint in pursuit of a man, few men could resist her.
...
"The preparations are done. After lunch, we'll depart for the Eastern Union."
After all, the Kasumigaoka Utaha before him was no longer the same girl from his memories.
No one could predict what the future held—no one could be certain.
"Okay, but I have a question. Can Yuji-kun give me an honest answer? Did you take the huge risk of flying back to the Eastern Union just because you missed your homeland?"
From Kasumigaoka Utaha's point of view, flying a passenger plane all the way back to the Eastern Union was incredibly risky.
"Not just that. There are other reasons... You just experienced the major earthquake yesterday. Next time, Japan might face volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, typhoons, tornadoes, and other natural disasters. Typhoons especially strike Japan every year."
I remember clearly—the typhoon that hit in October in the original world... was terrifying.
"Earthquakes are just accidents. A person is lucky to go through a major one once in their life."
"But once you do experience one, it can shape the rest of your life. I can't risk meeting another in the future. Rather than stay here and leave my fate to luck, I'd rather take a risk and fly back to China to avoid certain disasters selectively."
"Very cautious."
Kasumigaoka Utaha wanted to say Yuji was being a little paranoid—especially about natural disasters.
"Better safe than sorry. Now that it's just the two of us in the world, even a mild cold could become an irreversible tragedy if untreated."
She felt like Yuji was making a big fuss over nothing, but in the long term, maybe he had a point.
In a hundred-year lifetime, especially in disaster-prone Japan, it's not unlikely to experience a couple of major ones. And she had just lived through one.
"Let's go! After lunch, we'll head for the Eastern Union. By the way, what do you want to eat?"
Yuji, walking ahead, asked casually.
"Can I make a request?"
Yuji looked confused. "Okay, let's call it a welcome gift for our first meeting!"
"A cheap welcome gift."
She grumbled with a smile.
"So you want it?"
"Of course. I just want curry rice..."
"That's a bit complicated..."
Woman, don't give me that look that says "you can't even manage that"!
"Curry rice really is a bit much right now. Let's go with something simpler. But if you truly want it, I'll make you eat curry rice until you're sick once we reach the Eastern United."
"You never get tired of curry rice."
Kasumigaoka Utaha shot back. The relaxed and improved tone of the conversation gave her a little push.
With this kind of atmosphere, she could finally say it.
"I'm sorry... I want to apologize for what happened last night."
"You mean keeping you up because of the noise I made, or because you misunderstood and thought I was going to violate you?"
Being so bluntly confronted by Yuji, Kasumigaoka Utaha was furious! How could she say something like that?!
Yuji, that guy, really didn't understand a woman's heart. This man had clearly never had a girlfriend and would probably stay single for life.
"Yeah, but with a man and woman alone in the same room, you didn't feel anything for me at all?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha straightened her back deliberately, accentuating her chest. Unable to calm her mind, she sought some sense of security through conversation.
The girl's graceful curves entered Yuji's field of vision. This pair of justice... really was quite large.
Kasumigaoka Utaha noticed his gaze—and smiled.
Of course, all men are the same. Yuji was just better at controlling his expressions.
But he was still a man. He still had normal male reactions.
"I'm a normal man..."
Ah, the classic excuse: "I'm a normal man," followed by lines like "being attracted to women, having desires, having impulses—those are all normal biological responses. I blame you for being too pretty, having a nice body, and fair skin."
Blame it all on the woman.
That was a trick men often used, and she knew it well.
"Isn't it normal to have thoughts?"
Perfect.
Exactly what she expected.
At that moment, her heart filled with a quiet smile of success.
His indifference had made it hard for her to confirm his real feelings, which had truly bothered her.
"But like I said earlier, I know myself well, and your concern is pointless."
What?
Amazing.
So unconventional.
"Can I trust you?" she asked softly.
"Yes. We still need to live well until the day humanity returns."
Kasumigaoka Utaha felt that Yuji was trying to live on, holding out hope for humanity's return.
This man was... inexplicably kind.
"Kasumigaoka-san, like I said before, you're definitely attractive, and yes, I have feelings for you."
Kasumigaoka Utaha blinked, surprised by Yuji's straightforwardness.
"Really?"
"Really. If I didn't think about a beautiful girl like you, with fair skin and a great figure, I'd be lying—or there'd be something wrong with me, physically or mentally."
The main point being—yeah, that pair really was big. Compared to her, Yukinoshita was in a different league. But honestly, Yuji didn't care about the size.
Nope, not at all.
"Hmph."
After Yuji said that, she gradually felt at ease.
"Anyway, like I keep saying—time will tell. Oh, and what do you want for lunch? Simple dishes are fine."
"It's fine. I'm not picky about food."
Yuji nodded.
He thought back to his past life.
After the onset of the "Cataclysmic Doomsday," when Kasumigaoka Utaha opened fire at full force—it was so shocking that even the Honkai Beast had unleashed its fury.
Yuji still felt a chill when he thought about it.
Meanwhile, Kasumigaoka Utaha was thinking about what she could do in their future life.
Cleaning the house.
Preparing meals.
Washing dishes after meals—just anything she could handle.
But why did all of those sound like the duties of a housewife?
Thinking about that, she couldn't help but glance at Yuji beside her.
It really did feel... like she was about to start living with him.
…