Taking off from Nagoya Airport, Yuji finally arrived in the city of Wuhua after a four-hour flight.
At that moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha had already fallen asleep, her eyes closed, and Yuji's right hand…
The girl was still holding onto him, though her grip had shifted.
Now, his right hand rested in a delicate, soft, and warm spot against her.
A slight movement could fully immerse him in the gentle, elastic sensation of her embrace.
Yuji glanced to the side. The girl's eyes were tightly shut, her long eyelashes trembling faintly, her chest rising and falling steadily with calm breaths.
No matter the posture, a beautiful girl naturally drew attention, exuding charm and allure.
"Kasumigaoka, Kasumigaoka…"
Yuji placed his left hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"We've arrived at our destination. We can get up now."
"Mmm…"
Kasumigaoka Utaha let out a soft hum, clearly still lost in the bliss of sleep.
"Get up, or I'll leave you behind."
Her closed eyelids snapped open, revealing her wine-red eyes, slightly hazy at first. After a moment, her pupils focused, landing on Yuji.
"We're… here?"
She seemed to have faintly heard Yuji say he'd abandon her—or was that just a dream?
She felt a bit disoriented. She was afraid of being alone, afraid of not having Yuji nearby, though she didn't want to admit it.
"Well, it's 4:30 p.m., Eastern Union time. We need to hurry."
At night, many things become harder to manage.
Moreover, it was unclear whether Wuhua's electricity supply was stable. If the power went out, they'd face more issues tonight.
"Alright, I understand."
She responded, then noticed their position. Her arms had been tightly wrapped around Yuji's right hand, pressing it against her chest, where she could clearly feel the warmth of his touch.
What now?
How could they resolve this awkward moment?
She loosened her grip, letting her hands fall naturally. It took less than a second, but to her, it felt like an eternity. That single second stretched endlessly.
Filled with unease and shyness, Kasumigaoka Utaha finally glanced at Yuji, curious about his reaction.
Yuji's expression remained unchanged—calm, his gaze steady and unreadable. He withdrew his hand and unbuckled his seatbelt as if nothing had happened.
Was that it? Just like that?
Seeing Yuji's composed reaction, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt relieved but also slightly disappointed.
This was probably for the best. Pretending nothing happened would spare them both any embarrassment.
After Yuji stepped out of the driver's seat, he paused, turned, and asked Kasumigaoka Utaha, "Need any help?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha froze for a moment, unsure what he meant.
Then her still-drowsy mind recalled what happened during takeoff. Back then, her body had been too weak to even stand.
"I'm much better now."
After a restful nap, she felt significantly refreshed.
Even when she consciously recalled the earthquake and volcanic eruption, she no longer felt overwhelming panic.
Had she overcome it?
Not quite.
She still needed more time to fully shake off the shadow of the disaster.
…
After disembarking, Yuji quickly located a vehicle. Once inside, he casually opened the electronic navigation map and entered their destination for the night.
"You've already picked a place to stay before coming here?" Kasumigaoka Utaha, seated in the passenger seat, noticed how swiftly Yuji operated the navigation, clearly well-prepared.
"It's just a temporary spot. If we need to stay long-term, I'll have to inspect the place in person. The residence needs at least an independent power supply."
Yuji started the car and followed the navigation's directions.
The destination was only ten kilometers away. Given their current speed and potential traffic, forty minutes should suffice.
"There can't be many places like that, right?"
"Not many, but I've identified a few options. I expect we'll have it settled by the day after tomorrow at the latest."
Hearing this, Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't press further.
She left everything to Yuji.
But the view outside the window…
Compared to Tokyo, Japan, her first impression of this Eastern city was how spacious the streets were.
Yet, like Tokyo, it felt cold and desolate, with no one in sight, completely devoid of the vibrancy and bustle a city should have.
Even the Eastern Union, thousands of kilometers away, was like this. Kasumigaoka Utaha finally let go of her last shred of hope.
It seemed only she and Yuji remained in this world.
…
Twenty minutes later, Yuji arrived at their destination.
It was a mid-tier hotel in a good location.
A well-known supermarket in Wuhua was less than a hundred meters away. The hotel was also close to the municipal government, and Wuhua's city headquarters wasn't far off.
When Yuji first considered this, he thought the private residences of top military and political leaders would be the most suitable long-term home for them.
Those villas likely had independent power supplies.
For two people accustomed to modern society, living without electricity was unthinkable.
"We'll stay at this hotel for the next two days. Once I find a suitable place to settle, we'll move there…"
Yuji pointed to a villa not far away and added, "A five-star hotel is an option, but it's not necessary. If Kasumigaoka Utaha insists, I wouldn't mind taking her there."
After all, the world was theirs to shape.
"Yeah, that's fine."
Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't care much about where they stayed tonight. To her, all places felt the same.
In a foreign country, in an unfamiliar city, as night fell, she felt an increasing chill and loneliness from the outside world.
Only the person beside her brought a sense of familiarity and safety.
With that thought, she inched closer to Yuji.
She knew she needed to overcome her psychological struggles.
But for today, on her first day leaving her homeland to start a new life in this strange
country, she allowed herself to rely on him a little.
Starting tomorrow, she'd be the same Kasumigaoka Utaha as before.
Strong, proud, and brimming with confidence.
In this world, she had to become resilient and tough.
If one day Yuji disappeared, she'd at least need to survive…
Recalling the two times she thought Yuji had vanished, Kasumigaoka Utaha reminded herself not to grow too dependent on him.
…
On the third day after Yuji and Kasumigaoka Utaha arrived in Wuhua, they set out again for the permanent residence Yuji had confirmed.
They headed to the military complex in Wuhua. The villas there had their own power supply. As long as they could secure diesel, electricity wouldn't be an issue.
"And water?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked, still confident in Yuji's preparations.
After four days with him, she knew he was meticulous and thorough. There was little to worry about.
Being around a man with such habits made her feel at ease.
"There's a separate water supply."
That was an unexpected bonus.
With water and electricity secured, their basic needs for the next year were guaranteed.
"Hmm…"
Her wine-red eyes flickered as Kasumigaoka Utaha studied Yuji's profile. He wasn't strikingly handsome and didn't stand out in a crowd.
Yet, after four days together, even without the earthquake rescue, she had come to sense Yuji's unique charm and appeal.
Living with him felt comfortable and effortless.
"What's wrong? Something up?"
"No, nothing."
How could she admit she was thinking about him?
…
Over the next two days, on the 12th and 13th, Yuji cleared the road leading to the villa area. Thanks to those two days of hard work, on the 14th, he brought the girl to the villa area without issue.
Ten days of human absence hadn't made the villas look old or rundown. Instead, the unchecked vegetation gave the area a natural, verdant charm.
"Is this the life of the elite?"
"Probably. It's partly for security and partly for housing quality. But from now on, this will be our home."
Kasumigaoka Utaha hadn't expected one of her life goals to be achieved so easily.
"Happy?"
"To an extent. It fulfills one of my life goals."
Kasumigaoka Utaha's curiosity piqued.
"A villa?"
"Yeah, owning a villa through my own efforts."
But that goal no longer held much meaning for him.
"No other life goals? Like marrying a beautiful, kind girl and having a few kids?"
"A fancy house, a nice car, a beautiful woman—don't most guys chase that? I used to think the same, but as I got older, I realized it's nearly impossible."
Yuji spoke calmly.
He wasn't pretending to be some aloof gentleman.
He dared to face his true desires.
Kasumigaoka Utaha disliked men without ambition or dreams.
Even if the dream was mundane or cliché, it was still something to strive for.
Those who gave up after facing reality were, to her, the least ambitious and determined.
In her worldview, the pursuit of a dream mattered more than the dream itself. Through setbacks and trials, people overcame obstacles and pressed toward their goals unwaveringly.
The moment a dream was realized brought greater happiness than the dream itself. Even in failure, there was much to gain.
Yuji struck her as someone who, before even taking a step toward his dream, deemed it impossible and gave up.
They were like two different people.
Had the apocalypse forced him to become the determined, rational person he was now?
"Is that what you thought?"
"Yeah, that's what I used to think."
"And now?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha asked eagerly.
She hadn't realized when it started, but she wanted to understand Yuji better.
"Now? I don't think that way anymore. I just do what needs to be done."
Dedicate his life to the greatest cause: saving humanity and preserving civilization.
He had loftier goals now.
"Is that so?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha replied softly.
He said no more.
Yuji noticed her reaction but didn't feel the need to elaborate. Some things were better left unsaid.
Silence settled between them as they entered the fifth villa in the complex.
"Go to the second floor and pick a room. I'll handle the unnecessary stuff in the villa. Let's aim to clean it this morning…"
The villa wasn't too dirty overall, but the air was thick with dust and mustiness.
It needed a thorough cleaning to become a suitable home.
"Here's an air purifier and a mask…"
These were tools Yuji had brought. As for cleaning supplies, he'd discovered yesterday that Villa No. 5 had plenty, including a vacuum cleaner.
"Besides the rooms we'll use, I plan to use the rest for storing supplies."
"No problem, you decide. I'll head upstairs first."
Kasumigaoka Utaha gathered her personal belongings—a photo album, a laptop, and a small bag of clothes—and went upstairs.
Yuji turned to the kitchen on the first floor.
He decided to start there.
Opening the cabinet, he found it fully stocked with dishes. Then he opened the fridge, and a foul odor wafted out. He grimaced.
Food with a short shelf life had spoiled.
Yuji picked up an egg and shook it.
"Gone bad? Looks like no fresh eggs for us."
Though they had preserved salted duck eggs and century eggs, it was a shame—fresh eggs could elevate their meals.
Considering food, Yuji decided to move a fridge that afternoon.
Since Wuhua's power supply was still operational, some frozen meat was still good.
But if the power failed, the meat would spoil.
His expectations weren't high; he just wanted enough meat to last a year.
Yuji took two steps, turned on the faucet, and water flowed.
He wet a towel, wrung it out, and began cleaning the kitchen.
However, he knew finding a fridge was the easy part—moving it was the challenge.
It would be tough to load it into the car and bring it into the villa alone.
"I'll ask her later. She can at least lend a hand."
Yuji decided to call Kasumigaoka Utaha.
The thing was too big and heavy for one person to manage.
…