April 10, 2019.
Tokyo Time: 11:55 AM
All preparations were complete. Over the course of three days, Haizaki had finished preparing a civilian airliner at Haneda Airport, including refueling and confirmation, clearing the runway, and conducting system self-checks.
On the 9th, the test flight of the passenger aircraft was successful. Under normal circumstances, with good weather and no malfunctions, Haizaki could successfully fly the aircraft back to the Eastern Union.
At this moment, Haizaki stood quietly beside a U.S. military armed helicopter that had been brought over from Yokosuka Naval Base.
"Five minutes left…"
Two days had already passed since his first contact with Utaha. Ever since their call ended on the 8th, Utaha had not contacted him again.
Haizaki initially thought there might be an issue with the communications network, causing calls and emails not to go through. However, he later confirmed that it was simply the girl choosing not to contact him.
During this period, he also did not take the initiative to contact Utaha. Instead, he continued completing preparations while waiting for the girl to reach out on her own.
Unfortunately, even now, he had received no contact at all.
Haizaki looked toward the distance. The vast Haneda Airport had aircraft scattered across it, but he did not see the girl.
"One minute left…"
Haizaki opened his phone screen once more and stared at the time displayed. He estimated that Utaha would not be contacting him.
What followed was his choice.
Do nothing and directly fly the plane out of Japan, or make one final attempt to contact her before leaving and decide his actions afterward.
"So this is your answer? If that's the case, then so be it."
After thinking for a moment, Haizaki still decided not to contact Utaha.
Although the overall environment did not contain threats that would severely endanger life,
with only two people left in the entire world, she still could not let go of her pride and reserve. If she were to initiate contact, she should understand the signal and meaning that such an action would convey.
Haizaki felt it was better to let things rest for now and allow her to face reality more clearly.
If she did not come to terms with reality, it would not be beneficial for their future shared life.
When she eventually figured things out, he could come back and pick her up then.
After all, after returning to the Eastern Union, he would be conducting flight training anyway.
At most, it would simply be "training" involving a single flight of over two thousand kilometers.
As long as he managed the risks properly and continued improving his skills, it was still feasible.
As for the aircraft itself, he could only rely on the aviation knowledge currently provided by the "system" and his own continued learning to improve his abilities in that area.
"But why did the assistant have to be you?"
Seeing a familiar person from his previous life again naturally made Haizaki happy. At the same time, because it was Utaha, he felt a sense of guilt for drawing someone he knew into this "Solitary Apocalypse."
Although someone had to become the assistant, if given a choice, Haizaki truly did not want that person to be a former acquaintance.
When facing someone he knew from his past life, he knew he could not remain completely calm and rational.
Moreover, knowing the girl's personality, Haizaki worried about the situation he least wanted to occur in the future.
After one year, the assistant would lose all memories of the "Solitary Apocalypse" world. To her, this place was less like reality and more like a dream that would be forgotten upon waking.
"I hope things will be better this time."
Haizaki held onto this hope—that the year ahead would unfold according to his plans.
The agreed time finally arrived.
Yet there was still no sign of the girl at the airport, and the phone remained completely silent.
"It's time. Goodbye…"
Haizaki murmured softly to himself, then boarded the plane and entered the cockpit.
The various instrument displays were familiar to him now.
He did not feel much unfamiliarity toward the aircraft cockpit.
Following the procedures, he began operating the controls.
"Vrooom—"
The engines began their warm-up, releasing a low roar as the airliner vibrated slightly.
Five minutes later, all preparations were complete.
The phone placed to the side still showed no response—no emails, no calls.
At this moment, Haizaki shook his head and completely gave up.
Waiting any longer would only be a waste of time. Since he had no intention of initiating contact, he should decisively take off now. He hoped Utaha could live on her own here for a while.
After all, there would be no immediate threat to her life—at worst, water and electricity would eventually run out, and living conditions would become more difficult.
As for food and drinking water, there was no need to worry. The supplies of Tokyo alone were more than sufficient to support a single person.
"Goodbye…"
As Haizaki spoke, his hands began the final operations.
But at that moment—
Haizaki felt shaking.
Seated in the cockpit with his seatbelt fastened, he clearly felt intense tremors.
The scenery in his field of vision swayed violently. The ground trembled, and powerful sounds of collapse and cracking echoed from all directions.
"An… an earthquake…"
Buildings in the distance tilted and collapsed. Cracks spread across the flat surface of the runway.
This was definitely an earthquake—and a high-magnitude one.
Haizaki's heart leapt into his throat.
He immediately shut down the engines, halted all takeoff procedures, unfastened his seatbelt, grabbed his phone, and rushed out.
The earthquake continued. The ground shook violently, and planes parked on the runway tilted and began to slide.
Disregarding his own safety entirely, Haizaki rushed toward the armed helicopter the moment he reached the ground.
In less than three minutes, the helicopter was airborne.
"Don't die!"
The call he dialed still did not connect. Each "beep, beep" made Haizaki's heart sink further.
He absolutely did not want the girl to die.
His decision to leave had been made on the premise that the girl was safe.
Now that an earthquake had occurred, how could he possibly leave without confirming her safety?
At this moment, Haizaki could no longer maintain his previously composed and controlled demeanor.
But why did an earthquake have to occur at this exact moment?
A trace of doubt flashed through Haizaki's mind.
It was simply too coincidental. Not earlier, not later—precisely when he was about to leave Japan, an earthquake struck.
Moreover, Haizaki clearly remembered that in April 2019, in the original world, Japan did not experience an earthquake—certainly not one of this magnitude.
The two worlds were indeed different.
From now on, his actions could no longer rely one hundred percent on the common sense of the original world.
...