The journey to the convenience store was very smooth. There were only a few zombies wandering nearby, and even without Inaba Tsukiyo's intervention, the others could handle them.
The convenience store hadn't been looted yet, and there were still many daily necessities and food inside.
According to the previous arrangement, everyone ran to the warehouse to find food with a longer shelf life, and of course, they didn't forget to bring water.
During this process, one Boy did not follow the others to the warehouse, but instead stood in front of the cashier, looking at something displayed there, his eyes filled with struggle.
Soon, he figured something out. When he reached out to pick up the item, a hand suddenly extended and firmly grabbed his.
He turned his head and saw that Inaba Tsukiyo, who should have been keeping watch outside, had appeared before him at some point, grabbing his hand.
"You... you..."
"Quiet. I don't think you want others to know you're trying to take something like this, do you?"
Inaba Tsukiyo half-opened her right eye, looking at him exasperatedly. This Boy was still thinking about such things even at a time like this.
This Boy was quite a refined type, probably popular at school. He vaguely remembered a girl sitting with him on the bus; they were likely a couple.
The Boy, who hadn't expected his actions to be discovered, awkwardly withdrew his hand and stood to the side, head bowed.
"If I'm not mistaken, unlike other Boys, you should have a very close female friend. Is that girl your girlfriend?"
"Huh? Oh, um. Yes, we got together in our first year of high school. We were classmates in the same middle school, and we agreed to come to Fujimi Academy together."
"Oh? So you made a pact that if you came to Fujimi Academy together, she would date you? Not bad. Compared to some emotional idiots, you're quite good at facing your feelings."
Inaba Tsukiyo didn't have the mindset that students shouldn't date; on the contrary, she thought Boys who studied hard for the person they liked were very admirable.
The Boy scratched his head shyly. He hadn't expected Inaba Tsukiyo to not criticize him, but to encourage him instead, which surprised him a little.
However, he could tell Inaba Tsukiyo didn't want him to do such things, so he said nothing, standing there, waiting for Inaba Tsukiyo's next words.
"I understand that you Boys in puberty have these thoughts about the opposite sex, especially a Boy like you who has a girlfriend. Have you ever held hands?"
"Uh... um."
"Really? Have you ever kissed? Don't lie; I can tell if you're lying from your heart rate."
"...Yes."
"..."
Alright, they had held hands and even kissed. This was already the level of a life winner, no wonder he had such thoughts.
They had already reached second base; soon it would be third base and home plate. If she hadn't stepped in, it would probably have been home plate tonight.
"Let me ask you again, have you already taken the final step?"
"Huh? No, no! Absolutely not that! We're still students. And this is reality, not some galgame. We know we need to control ourselves."
The Boy denied it, his face flushed. He clearly distinguished between the real world and the two-dimensional world.
Although he wasn't someone who didn't play games, he was very clear about the difference between games and reality. Boys who treated girls like characters in a game were often single.
(Katsuragi Keima: Nani?)
Moreover, he wasn't that kind of Boy, so they had never done anything too out of line, and that kind of thing even less so.
However, the reason he had taken that item this time was mainly because the other party was too scared, and he was also very scared. To avoid leaving regrets for both of them, he wanted to try.
"Hm, I understand. Don't think I want to criticize you; on the contrary, your actions are understandable. After all, even though you've recovered, deep down, you're still very scared."
The once normal world suddenly became like this, familiar classmates dying before their eyes, the dead coming back to life to attack the living. This setting was too sanity-draining.
If it weren't for Inaba Tsukiyo and others helping, they probably wouldn't have escaped Fujimi Academy and would have become one of the zombies.
If Inaba Tsukiyo hadn't stopped them, they would probably have been misled by Kouichi Fujitō, and their morality would have gradually collapsed.
"You want to use this method to prove that you care about her, that your hearts are connected. This can soothe her heart and also make you feel that in this environment, you have a goal you must strive for."
"But don't you think it's too early to do such a thing at this time? And by doing this, are you really being fair to her?"
Although she was petite, like an Elementary School Student, her words gradually calmed the originally shy Boy, who listened quietly to what she said.
Although the scene looked very comical, the Boy felt like he was facing someone experienced, and Inaba Tsukiyo's words were quite convincing.
"You like her, and she likes you. You both care deeply about each other. But in this situation, if you take advantage of her vulnerability and take away her most important thing, then you are no different from Kouichi Fujitō and those people."
"What is love? You are still a student, you might not fully understand this feeling. But you know you like her, you can fight those monsters for her. But have you ever thought about performing such a ritual after providing her with a safe environment? Although I don't know if you've heard this saying, dating without the intention of marriage is just messing around. So what about you? Are you just playing with her? Or do you want to be with her for a long, long time?"
"Are you planning to be with her for a while, or for a lifetime?"
"A while... a lifetime..."
The Boy kept muttering these two phrases, lost in thought.
Memories of him and the girl kept appearing in his mind. Every day they would agree to meet somewhere, sometimes arriving early at her doorstep to see her sooner.
Some people say that students don't understand what liking someone truly means, that it's just because of a feeling they've never experienced before that they think they like the other person.
But what if this feeling truly is love? One must know that the feelings between students are often not like adults, with material connections (referring to the two-dimensional world here). It is true, genuine liking without other factors.
When they first started dating, they wanted to spend more time together, deliberately taking longer routes home.
At night, they would lie awake, unable to sleep because they were thinking of the other person, only able to convey their feelings through phone calls.
The first time they held hands, the unprecedented warmth in their hearts, the warm current flowing through their souls, made them clasp their fingers tightly, unwilling to let go of each other's hands.
It was this somewhat clumsy emotion that made their bond the most stable, which is why such a thing could not be allowed to happen.
What the Boy wanted was to spend a lifetime with her, not just a while.
The reason he hadn't taken the final step with the girl was precisely because he hoped to continue their journey together.
Not breaking up after high school, he also wanted to get into the same university with her, just like they got into Fujimi Academy together.
Then, entering society together, and finally, putting on that ring symbolizing their vow—that was the future he wanted.
Even if this world was no longer as peaceful as it used to be, he didn't want to change his decision because of it. He wanted to be with her forever.
"I'm sorry, Inaba. I know what to do now. You're right, what I want is a lifetime, not a while."
"Hm, very good. Being able to think this clearly shows that you're not a heartless Boy. However, this isn't enough. Besides determination, you also need the strength to protect her. After all, the environment is no longer the same."
Inaba Tsukiyo was very satisfied with his answer. Only rational people could survive in this chaotic era.
Only by having such a strong desire to protect others could they survive in this environment, and even create hope.
While Inaba Tsukiyo and the Boy were talking, Komuro Takashi was sitting near a shelf not far away, listening to their conversation.
He and Hirano Toda hadn't gone to the warehouse to look for things; they planned to find the biscuits and other items they needed on the shelves first, and unexpectedly overheard these words.
This also made Komuro Takashi and Hirano Toda have a great change of heart towards Inaba Tsukiyo. Originally, he had thought Inaba Tsukiyo was someone who only spoke through violence, but he hadn't expected this side of her.
But what was with this maturity that didn't match her age? And what was with that line, 'You're still a student, you don't understand what love is'?
Does she even understand what love is? Are you kidding me? She looks like she's only thirteen or fourteen years old, how could she possibly know such things?
Hirano Toda, noticing that Inaba Tsukiyo had finished talking with the Boy, quickly pulled Komuro Takashi away from there, as it wouldn't be good if they were discovered eavesdropping.
After Komuro Takashi and Hirano Toda left, Inaba Tsukiyo, holding Mikazuki Munechika, came to the shelf where they had just been standing and couldn't help but laugh.
These two guys, they actually thought she hadn't heard someone eavesdropping on their conversation?
If it weren't for the fact that the content of the conversation wasn't anything too important, how could she have let them eavesdrop here?
In fact, it wasn't just Komuro Takashi and Hirano Toda; there were quite a few others hiding in the shadows, listening in on their conversation, but she just didn't say anything.
Firstly, these words were meant for those Boys with excessive hormone secretion, and secondly, it was to prevent these Boys from doing certain sleep-disturbing actions when they rested at night.
She certainly didn't want to hear certain blush-inducing, heart-pounding sounds while she was sleeping.
'Hmph! Men,'
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