Yuika thought that if she was going to go for her mother, she should at least ask where the hospital was located, or else she would simply get lost in the city.
She looked at the three remaining people, particularly Rina. "I would ask you a favor," she requested. "Can you tell me how to get to that hospital? Please."
Rina and Aika stared at her with wide eyes, unable to imagine that Yuika would dare to go out alone in search of her mother in a city infested with the undead.
Riku looked at her, feeling the same need to find his parents, though his fear of zombies kept him cautious. He couldn't imagine what Yuika must be feeling, going out into the city alone, yet he was deeply moved by Yuika's bravery in risking herself to save her mother, so after a brief reflection, he proposed, "What if we go together?"
Yuika and Rina looked at him in astonishment, shocked by the offer he just made.
Yuika blinked several times, incredulous at the boy's proposal, and a "What?" came out of her mouth without being able to avoid it.
On the contrary, Aika also gaped, but then her expression changed to indignation. "You have to be kidding me!" she shouted angrily.
Everyone ignored Aika's scandal.
Rina watched Riku intently, but he only had his eyes fixed on Yuika, as if her opinion was the only one that truly mattered, which made her heart clench.
She felt a deep pain in her chest because since her childhood she had had feelings for Riku, although she had always hidden her love.
She knew he only saw her as a younger sister, so that didn't stop her from holding onto the hope that one day she could be more than that.
She still believed that as long as Riku didn't take an interest in anyone else, there was a chance, but seeing him look at Yuika, she began to experience a small emotional breakdown.
She had always kept her feelings for Riku to herself, knowing that he wouldn't have shown interest in anyone before the zombie apocalypse, but this new attention towards Yuika left her baffled.
I couldn't understand why I was feeling this small emotional crisis, I tried to avoid thinking about the possibility that the boy liked me and found the girl with light blue hair attractive.
She struggled to consider other reasons why Riku would want to help Yuika, realizing it could simply be concern for her safety when she was out alone in a city filled with zombies. Or perhaps, he simply shared her desire to be reunited with her parents, which made her feel more relaxed and allowed her to smile as she said, "That's a great idea. The hospital where I saw her is only a few blocks from your house, Riku."
Riku's eyes lit up as he heard the words of the girl he considered a little sister. "If she's close, we could also go to my house," he exclaimed happily, looking at Yuika, waiting for her answer. "It would be safer to go out in a group; we'd have a better chance of surviving."
Thinking carefully, Yuika considered that, although the most sensible thing was to accept the proposal, since the boy's words had a foundation, survival as a group was more viable.
However, there was a small problem with that group: It was that this group included Rina, the female protagonist, and as I mentioned before, Yuika wanted to avoid the protagonist and her yandere followers as much as possible.
Just as Yuika was about to reject Riku's offer, Aika intervened furiously. "No! No way!" she shouted indignantly. "Are you all out of your mind? Don't you remember that we were recently brought to the brink of death by those disgusting creatures?" she exclaimed, looking at the trio as if they were out of their minds.
Hearing his sister's screams, Riku frowned. "Aika, we need to find our parents. We can't stay here. No one will come to help us..." he tried to make her understand.
Aika interrupted him confidently. "That's not true, Mom and Dad will come looking for me, I know it," she stated hopefully. "Besides, they promised it when we talked to them."
Riku just looked at her and remained silent, not wanting to break her bubble of illusion. "However, it's not safe; this school is full of zombies. It would be better if we went home and took refuge with our parents there; they don't need to come here," he explained patiently to his sister.
It was at that moment that Yuika intervened. "Aika has a point," she said, catching the three's attention. "I mean, we can't try to leave the school, at least until tomorrow because of that wound," she explained, pointing at the boy's injured abdomen. "If he's not careful, it could reopen, and he won't be able to run in his current state."
Rina fixed her gaze on the wound on the abdomen of the boy she liked, feeling sad seeing Riku hurt. "Then it would be better to discuss it tomorrow," she commented.
Riku had no choice but to nod before turning his gaze to the light blue haired girl. "Think about what I said," he suggested.
Suddenly, someone's stomach growled.
Yuika turned her gaze to the three remaining people in the room, finding a blushing Rina, probably her stomach growling, she also found a Riku licking his dry lips, she turned her gaze to approach her camping backpack and took out the four nutrition bars she had stored, as well as the water bottle that was only half full "Is anyone hungry or thirsty?" she asked, raising the bars in one hand and the water bottle in the other.
The blonde was the first to approach and extend her hand. "Give me the water." I don't ask for it, I demand it.
Yuika walked past Aika and over to Rina and Riku, where the boy was still sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, and Rina was just a few steps away.
She extended her hand with the nutrition bars to Rina, who wanted to decline the offer, but her hunger won, so she timidly took a nutrition bar and muttered a "Thank you."
Aika became enraged at not being attended to and claimed, "Hey! Are you stupid?" she shouted rudely, "I told you to give me the water and you just ignored me," she said as she approached Yuika and grabbed her arm tightly.
—They are my rations, and if I want them, I won't give them to you— Yuika said, pulling her arm to free herself from the blonde's grip, which she achieved on the first try —And I'll tell you that with your behavior, I don't feel like sharing it with you, in fact, I preferred to throw them away before giving them to you—
Aika became irritated by the attitude of the light blue haired girl, she clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms with force while grinding her teeth. She was about to throw a couple of rude words, when her stepbrother Riku interrupted her "Aika, stop fighting with Yuika" Hearing those words, she turned her gaze towards her stepbrother giving him a threatening look.
Yuika ignored the blonde again and approached Riku, kneeling down to be closer to him. She opened the cap of the water bottle. "Drink this," she ordered, and when she noticed that the boy was about to refuse like Rina, she added, "You need it. You've lost a lot of blood. You need to eat and drink to regain your strength."
Hearing those words, Riku no longer objected and grabbed the bottle with effort, beginning to drink.
Riku felt even more grateful for the help he received from Yuika; he believed her to be a kind and considerate person for sharing her food and drinks with them, something he was sure others wouldn't do under these circumstances. He had seen many movies about the zombie apocalypse and understood that people's true nature was revealed in moments of danger, whether good or bad.
After finishing all the water, Riku received a nutrition bar from Yuika. This time, Riku didn't resist and took it. But deep down, he promised himself he had to find a way to repay her for everything she'd done for them.
Once Rina and Riku finished eating, Yuika realized there were only two nutrition bars left and no water. Or at least that was until Aika took a bar and gave her a defiant look in the process. She simply rolled her eyes and ignored the fact that she hadn't given her permission to touch her food.
Realizing she only had one nutrition bar left, Yuika felt it was time to go out and find more food. After all, she still had two rooms to inspect in this hallway.
With that idea in mind, Yuika stood up and began packing her things into her camping backpack, hiding her knife in the sleeves of her uniform.
Rina, who was watching his actions, asked him curiously, "What are you doing?"
Riku looked up to see what they were talking about and noticing that Yuika was hanging her camping backpack, he asked with a frown, "Where are you going?"
Aika, who had just finished eating her nutrition bar, looked at her with disdain. "Yeah, sure, you just want to leave us now that there's no more danger," she said boldly. "You're going to escape, because you know that with my stepbrother injured we'd only slow you down instead of helping you," she said mockingly, pointing at Riku, who looked down, feeling ashamed of the truth in those words. "But I can't blame you; if I were you, I'd do exactly the same thing..."
—Shut up already— Yuika interrupted, already tired of the blonde's behavior —Really, I'll just go get some food and come back— she explained seriously, staring at Riku who still had his head down
Rina's beautiful face turned into an adorable pout. "But there are so many zombies, it's not safe to go alone."
At that moment, Riku looked up at Yuika —Rina is right, give me some time to recover so I can go with you— he tried to persuade her gently.
Yuika denied it again. "I told you, you lost a lot of blood and you need to replace it by drinking a lot of water, and now there's no water. I need to go get it and also food," she replied. "If not, you'll remain weak from not eating or hydrating properly."
Aika interfered again where she wasn't needed. "Of course, go and be a hero. Let's see how long you last when you come back covered in wounds, or maybe you won't even come back," she mocked, laughing.
—Shut up, Aika—insisted the three remaining people, frustrated by her attitude.
Yuika stood up with the intention of leaving; she couldn't stand being in the same room as the blonde anymore, who she found extremely irritating. With a "I'll be back," she turned and quickly fled the room, ignoring Rina and Riku's calls to her.
As she left the living room, she let out a long sigh; if she spent one more moment with that conceited blonde, she was sure she would have thrown her out the window to silence her once and for all.
I didn't understand how Rina could tolerate her; I could understand Riku, since he was a gentle guy, but Aika, the female lead, was definitely a saint for putting up with someone like that.
Wait a minute... Riku and Aika? Why did you feel their names sound so familiar?
At that moment, a sharp pain in her head hit her hard, she felt like everything around her was moving, so with no other option, she slowly leaned against the hallway wall, confident that there wasn't a single zombie nearby, since she had exterminated them.
The pain was intense, and suddenly he found himself back with the unknown girl from his dream; and although her face was still blurry, he could recognize her form, and she began to tell him more about the novel.
The stranger spoke to her with frustration, saying that she didn't like the way the female protagonist treated her harem; she maintained that she didn't truly love any of them, despite the fact that they did everything for her, she said that she used them at her convenience, and it bothered her that she hadn't gotten over her first love, that he hadn't even reciprocated her love and that he had died a long time ago, that in the novel they mention that he had been torn to pieces by zombies, a day after the zombie apocalypse at school, trying to save his sister and Rina.
Simply put, the boy was an unforgettable memory and first love for the female lead.
He also mentioned a secondary character, describing her as blonde and extremely attractive, but incredibly arrogant and evil; he claimed she shouldn't have survived to the end of the novel, given how poorly she treated the female protagonist. He said it would have been better if she had died at the hands of one of the male protagonists, but Rina wouldn't allow it, as she was the stepsister of his first love, and the only thing he had left of him.
Yuika just listened to the unknown girl, who told her her complaints and frustrations about the novel; in truth, she wasn't too interested, until she mentioned the name of the blonde secondary character who had survived: Aika Yoshida.
At that moment, he regained consciousness and found himself back in the school hallways.
Yuika stood where she was, trying to process the information she had just received; what were the chances that the Aika she had just met was the arrogant and evil character the unknown girl had mentioned?
There were multiple coincidences, such as the fact that both Aikas had a stepbrother, that they were both blondes, and that the word "arrogant" definitely fit perfectly with the Aika she had just met; however, if they were really the same person, that would imply that Rina's unrequited love was Riku, Riku Yoshida.
The light blue-haired girl gently tugged at her hair, trying to remember what the stranger had said: she informed her that the boy had died before the events of the novel and the awakening of the humans' powers, and that there was only a brief summary of his death. He died one day after the outbreak of the zombie virus at school, while trying to save his sister and Rina, being chased by a group of zombies; he was injured, but did not hesitate to create a distraction so the girls could escape, sacrificing himself in the process. He did not become a zombie, nor acquire powers (this was a risky way to awaken his ability), because he was torn apart by the undead.
However, this sacrifice on Riku's part was what made Rina never be able to forget him, even if she was with the male protagonists, she would change them without hesitation for the opportunity to see him again, it also made Rina feel a need to protect his sister at all costs, since she felt that she owed it to him for saving her and she was the only one who reminded her of Riku.
Yuika froze as she realized something important: Today was the day Riku died. In the novel, it was mentioned that no one helped the group of three when they were chased by zombies, and that's why he sacrificed himself. However, she helped them today, which meant there was no reason for that sacrifice, which leads to Riku still being alive.
Rina's first love, which had been unforgettable and unrequited, was still alive, and it was all her fault.
I had no idea how this would affect the development of the novel.