Upon seeing the outcome, everyone quickly understood that Kanato Sumida had brought this upon himself. Judging by the massive points deduction he suffered, he must have found out he was infected and tried to drag someone else down with him.
"Why did you do something like that?" Neon rushed over and asked him, deeply perplexed.
Kanato, sprawled on the ground with a contorted expression, spat out all the injustice he had ever suffered. He once loved basketball, but a car accident had destroyed everything. Even after recovery, he was left with severe lingering effects. After being forced to abandon basketball, the people around him began to distance themselves.
Following that, he grew to hate anyone more fortunate than him. This hatred particularly focused on Neon, a rich girl and popular influencer with millions of fans. That's why the ideal world he wrote on his Desire Card, after being selected for the DGP, was a world where humanity was extinct.
"If that's the case, why didn't you wish for a world where you could play basketball to your heart's content?" Neon found his mindset completely incomprehensible.
"Enough! I don't care anymore!" Kanato screamed, his voice strained.
Keiwa was about to say something when Raven stepped forward, kicked Kanato over, and took the Magnum Buckle from his Driver.
"As punishment for attacking us, I'll be taking this," Raven said coldly.
If the opponent hadn't been an infected player who hadn't fully turned into a zombie yet, directly killing him would have resulted in his own disqualification. That was why he held back from dealing a lethal blow, opting to break his leg instead.
In his mind, however, Kanato was already a dead man. Raven would make sure to "look after" him in the next round of the game. He wouldn't allow the punishment to be as simple as just being eliminated and having his memory wiped.
Soon, Tsumuri appeared, informing them that the current wave of Jyamato had ended and they could return to the lounge.
In the lounge, Neon sat down to drink a beverage, but she suddenly felt unwell. She began to slump over. Thankfully, Raven caught her in time, cradling her in his arms.
Keiwa rushed over, anxiously asking, "Are you alright?"
"She was also bitten by a zombie," Raven stated calmly.
Neon looked up at him weakly, her eyes filled with reluctance. Am I really going to die with such regret? Unable to help herself, she grasped Raven's lapel tightly, tears streaming down her face.
"Hahaha, my condolences," the limping Kanato laughed from afar, gloating over his success. His objective had been achieved.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Raven helped Neon sit up on the sofa, letting her lean on him.
"Raven-san, you should stay away from me now. What if I turn into a zombie?" Neon, having recovered slightly, quickly said. She then tried to stand and move away.
Although she desperately craved a comforting presence right now, she didn't want to endanger anyone else.
Raven didn't stop her. Perhaps this crisis will help Neon mature, he thought.
After a long while, Girori emerged to inform the waiting contestants that it would take some time before the next wave of zombies appeared, and those who wished to go home could do so.
Neon chose to leave.
She found herself on a busy street, pulling a suitcase and walking aimlessly. It wasn't long before her two bodyguards suddenly appeared.
"Let's go home, Ojou-sama," the two foreign bodyguards, one Black and one White, said to her.
"Why did you find me? I wasn't live streaming this time." Neon looked at them in alarm.
She instantly realized that a tracker must have been planted in her suitcase. A wave of despair washed over her. It seemed there was no escaping her mother's control.
Just then, a voice drifted over lazily.
"Hey, dragging a young lady away in broad daylight like that... that's not very appropriate, is it?"
Hearing that voice, Neon's downcast eyes immediately brightened. She turned and saw Raven standing behind her.
"Who are you?" the two bodyguards demanded, their tone hostile.
The Black bodyguard stepped forward, intending to use his height and physique to intimidate Raven into backing off. They had been ordered not to let any suspicious male, especially one this handsome, come near Neon.
"I'm her friend," Raven replied casually.
At the word "friend," Neon felt a pang of disappointment. She didn't want her relationship with Raven to be just "friends." But it was too late to confess now, and she might even be rejected. That would only add to her regret. Neon decided it was best to use the last bit of her life to go home.
"I don't care who you are. You'd better stay away from Miss Neon, or the Madam will be displeased," the White bodyguard coldly warned.
"And if I don't?"
"Then we'll have to get rough."
"Stop! I'll go with you, alright?" Neon shouted. She was about to step forward, but her eyes were filled with reluctance.
Seeing this, Raven instantly grabbed her hand, pulling her back until she was leaning against his chest.
"If you want to get away from them, just say the word. I can help you." Raven said, wrapping his arms around Neon from behind.
"What are you doing!"
"Let go of Ojou-sama!"
Seeing the embrace, the two bodyguards immediately lunged forward.
However, before the Black bodyguard could even get close, he was kicked away, slamming into the White bodyguard behind him.
"Oof!"
The two tumbled over, rolling several times on the ground. They looked utterly pathetic.
By the time they regained their senses, Neon was gone. The phones they used for tracking her had also been smashed on the ground.
Meanwhile, on another street, Raven was running, holding Neon's hand.
This action filled her with a unique sense of romance. It felt like running away with the person she loved, a scenario she had only ever imagined in her dreams.
They finally stopped when they reached the entrance of a café. Neon gasped for breath, patting her full chest.
"Wha... where is this?" she asked curiously.
"It's my café. Come in and have a drink." Raven invited Neon into his shop.