They were looking for an open area where they could rest, far from everything. Takashi checked the surroundings before nodding with certainty, sensing no zombies nearby and making sure there was no danger. Rei shot Nanashi a reproachful glance for not helping, but Takashi didn't give it much importance; he even seemed calm, finishing his inspection thoroughly.
Even so, that bad feeling wouldn't leave Nanashi.
The couple settled into the back seat, and Takashi, exhausted, reclined his seat slightly and fell asleep almost instantly. It had been far too long a day—too many things had happened to keep thinking straight—and they all ended up asleep, completely worn out by everything they had endured.
The next morning, Takashi explained his plan: to go back for their companions, the ones he had escaped with at the beginning of the chaos.
Nanashi barely listened. His mind was still tangled in the thread of future memories, while his eyes stayed fixed on the road. Rei, on the other hand, wore a tense expression. For her, the most sensible thing was to escape with Takashi and leave everyone else behind. It was selfish, yes—but after everything they had been through, she felt Takashi was all she had left. She couldn't bear to lose him again.
Takashi, however, didn't share that view. Beyond keeping his promise to Busujima-senpai, he believed they could regroup and survive together. He remembered the hands of his classmates that hadn't been raised that day—at the very least, he needed to warn them about that teacher.
But plans rarely went the way one wanted.
As they tried to reach the bridge, they ran into a blocked road, packed with cars, some of them abandoned. At this rate, they wouldn't make it to the East Police Station, so they decided to detour and get as close as possible to Onbetsu Bridge.
Nanashi forced himself to concentrate so he wouldn't crash in the chaotic street. After parking the car, his head a complete mess, he nodded automatically to Takashi's words.
"Nanashi-san, we're going to check the bridge. We'll be back soon, I promise," Takashi said, his seriousness leaving no room for doubt.
"Alright. I'll wait here," Nanashi replied in a tired voice.
He barely processed his own words. Maybe that was it—the promise. Takashi's words gave him a fleeting sense of security. In his memories, Takashi had always been a man of his word… the closest thing to a hero.
But something didn't fit.
Something inside him warned that everything could go wrong.
Things probably won't happen the way I remember them. Everything could be different now…
"Takashi, that guy gives me a bad feeling," Rei murmured once they were far enough away.
"Don't be ridiculous. He helped us, and he doesn't seem like a bad person. If he wanted something, he would've tried last night," Takashi replied.
He had tried to stay awake almost the entire night, but exhaustion had eventually beaten him. If Nanashi had bad intentions, Takashi wouldn't be alive right now. Takashi understood what the world had become—many people would do crazy things from now on. That was why he had promised to come back: Nanashi didn't seem like a bad guy, and he felt no reason to distrust him.
"But he's way too casual. He calls you by your name. He has no manners," Rei grumbled.
Takashi just smiled. It wasn't worth arguing over. Still, deep down, Nanashi's familiarity had surprised him; he had been alert that night, but in the end, he realized he had misjudged him.
Rei tried to distract herself from her thoughts with a gesture of closeness. Acting on impulse, she clung to Takashi, wanting to recall the burning feeling from yesterday, and kissed him. It was a brief moment—almost absurd in the middle of all that chaos—but enough for both of them to feel a bit of calm, of safety.
Then they resumed walking, hand in hand, weaving between empty vehicles toward the bridge.
In the distance, Saya was resting after splitting from the teacher's group. She watched the road, hoping to recognize a familiar figure among the crowd.
Takashi couldn't have crossed… He must still be around here, looking for us, she thought, biting her nail.
And she wasn't wrong.
She spotted him running alongside Rei, slipping between buses.
I knew it. My assumption was spot on. I shouldn't doubt my intellect, Saya thought.
"Komuro!" she shouted.
Takashi looked up, startled.
"Saya!" he replied, smiling in relief.
Saeko and the others turned at the sound of the name and ran toward them.
"Guys…" Takashi smiled when he saw them safe.
"Komuro-kun," Saeko said, bowing her head slightly with a gentle smile.
"There's something important I need to tell you—" Takashi began, but Saya interrupted him.
"First we need to find a way across before it gets dark. Then we'll talk."
Takashi nodded. She was right; talking now would only slow them down. He looked at all his classmates—the ones who hadn't raised their hands—and smiled. What mattered now was finding a way to cross.
After failing to cross, watching the river's flow rise rapidly and with night approaching, Shizuka suggested resting at a friend's house.
"That's fine, but before that, we need to go back for someone," Takashi said, guilt creeping into his voice as he remembered Nanashi. "I promised I'd return."
Saeko nodded.
"If it's a promise, Komuro-kun, then it must be kept."
A knock at the door pulled Nanashi from his daze. When he opened it, he found six figures bathed in the orange glow of sunset—a group that looked almost heroic.
The first to throw herself at him was Shizuka Marikawa, the school nurse.
"Finally! A police officer… I was so scared…" she sobbed as she hugged him tightly.
"I'm sorry, I'm not an officer," Nanashi replied awkwardly.
The contact made him blush, recalling absurd scenes that now felt completely out of place.
"We told her," Saya interjected, arms crossed, "but she seems more interested in dumping responsibility on someone than actually listening."
The group introduced themselves. Saya raised an eyebrow when she heard his name, but Kohta gave a thumbs-up with a bright smile.
"Nice name, man. I should change mine too—something heroic or brutal, now that the world's turni—ah."
Saya twisted his ear.
"Idiot. You're not eight years old."
Nanashi didn't quite understand, but he smiled politely.
Seeing everyone exhausted, Shizuka took the wheel and drove them to her friend's house. Nanashi felt relieved not to have to drive anymore; his mind was completely worn out, and he had no desire to get behind the wheel again.
Once there, Takashi and Saeko secured the perimeter. Nanashi and the others watched from a distance in silence so as not to draw attention.
Everything seemed to line up with his premonitory memories… though there were slight variations—signs that fate had already begun to deviate.
Inside the house—
"Could you stop making out for one second?" Saya snapped, annoyed.
Hearing that, Rei clung even tighter to Takashi, almost instinctively, marking her territory.
Rei felt threatened by all the girls. She wasn't stupid enough to think anyone would go after Kohta—she knew they'd all want Takashi, especially Busujima Saeko.
Saya snorted. It wasn't jealousy, but frustration. Seeing them act like the world wasn't falling apart irritated her—especially that Takashi didn't seem opposed to it either.
Nanashi ignored them. All he wanted was to sleep in a bed tonight. The car seat had been miserable, and he had only slept thanks to sheer exhaustion.
He asked for permission to shower, and under the hot water, he felt the fatigue, sweat, and grime melt away. For a moment, he almost fell asleep standing—until a knock on the door brought him back to reality: the girls were demanding their turn.
When he stepped out, he saw them wearing bathrobes. The sight alone was enough to make him blush and awkwardly look away. Rei wasn't among them.
He searched the friend's wardrobe and found a military outfit. Standing before the mirror, he examined his reflection. His slender body and unremarkable face didn't inspire respect.
Nothing heroic, he thought.
Comparing himself to Takashi—who, in his memories, had everyone falling for him—only made it worse.
He tied his hair, adjusted the clothes, and sighed. With his hair loose and his small frame, he could easily be mistaken for a woman; he was only slightly taller than Saya, which made the clothes fit well—if a bit loose.
Nanashi checked the other rooms, looking for anything useful to defend himself with. He knew there would be weapons there—he remembered seeing them in his visions. But aside from the locker Kohta was desperately trying to open, he only found several bundles of money hidden under a mattress.
He remembered machines that required bills to operate—like the gas station—and decided to store them inside his ring. They might be useful later.
At that moment, he saw Rei and Takashi enter a room together. No sound came from inside; maybe it was soundproofed.
I know what's going on in there, he thought, with a mix of discomfort and curiosity.
Takashi and Rei, sorting out their feelings… The thought made him blush.
He chose to forget about it and went back to helping Kohta, who was still stubbornly trying to force the locker open.
A joyful shout broke the silence when they finally succeeded.
"Look at this!" Kohta exclaimed, ecstatic. "A Springfield M1A1 Super Match, semi-automatic—a masterpiece. The M14 series is just a waste of ammo! A reinforced Knight SR-25! And a modified AR-10! There's also an Ithaca M-37 riot shotgun… Holy shit, all of this is illegal in Japan! The nurse's friend is amazing!"
Only Nanashi and Kohta were in the room, Kohta inspecting the weapons. In the background, the TV could be heard reporting on events near the bridge. Nanashi already knew what was happening—it replayed in his mind like a script—so he stopped paying attention.
Kohta was talking so excitedly he could barely breathe. He turned to Nanashi, grinning wildly.
"Nanashi-san, with these weapons and that military Humvee, nothing in Japan will stand in our way!" He laughed maniacally before starting to teach him how to load, disassemble, and use the guns.
As they were filling magazines, an unexpected voice interrupted them.
"Nanashi-kun… I'm so jealous…" Nurse Shizuka said, staggering toward them, clearly drunk. She clung to him from behind. "Rei and Takashi are… locked in that room. I even saw Rei sneaking off with a bottle. They think I don't know what they're doing… Moo… I'm jealous."
Nanashi tried to ignore her; this was an important moment, and he truly appreciated Kohta's patience in teaching him. But being ignored, Shizuka changed targets. She latched onto Kohta, who immediately blushed, and kissed him on the cheek.
Kohta collapsed instantly, a thin stream of blood running from his nose.
Shizuka smiled triumphantly.
"If I knew where the master key was… those kids would learn…" she murmured as her eyelids slowly closed.
Trying to keep his composure, Nanashi grabbed some clothes and carefully dressed her. Kohta was out of commission, so he couldn't help.
Shizuka was lighter than he expected. He lifted her into his arms as she, half-asleep, clung to him like a koala.
"Nanashi is really a good man…" she whispered with her eyes closed.
Nanashi didn't know what to say and stayed silent. He didn't know if he could consider himself a good person. Even though he had awakened without memories, he knew what evil was—and he would do whatever it took to survive.
He found an empty room and laid her down there. As he was leaving, a scent coming from the kitchen made him stop. A fleeting thought crossed his mind: Nurse Shizuka would surely wake up hungry.
He remembered that no one had eaten since yesterday. Ever since consuming the bean, he had felt satisfied—but when he caught that aroma, curiosity pushed him to try it.
It would be his first meal since waking up in that patrol car.