Yukino raised her hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling clearly.
"You really don't need to worry about me," she said. "I'll just stay here."
Kisaragi Akira let out a quiet sigh.
Her mindset hadn't truly changed yet.
"Yukino," he said seriously, "you're too naïve. I'm lusting after your body—how could I possibly let you die?"
"Do you remember the prompts before entering the game space?"
"…Prompts?"
Yukino's heart skipped a beat at his blunt words, but she still frowned and thought carefully.
Even now, she couldn't recall them clearly.
Akira hadn't expected her to remember, so he explained calmly.
"The system notification said: This is the first game."
"Then what happens if there's a second game? A third?"
"Since it's a game, its purpose is to make players stronger. Survival is just the foundation—performance rewards will definitely exist."
"If there is a second game, do you really think you could make it through again without growing stronger?"
His words struck deeply.
The more Yukino thought about it, the more sense it made.
At first, all she had wanted was to stay by Akira's side.
But she had to face reality.
I'm too weak.
Weak enough to be useless. Weak enough to become a burden.
Clenching her teeth, Yukino felt frustrated with herself.
She wanted to repay Akira for saving her life—but she had nothing she could offer.
If it came down to it…
Maybe the only thing I could do is sacrifice myself.
Akira was deep in thought, rubbing his chin.
What Yukino needed was a way to kill zombies from a distance.
But firearms from the apocalypse game's shop required points—and even if she bought one, a beginner might not know how to use it properly.
Suddenly—
An idea struck him.
His eyes lit up.
He opened the group chat.
Unknown:"@March 7th, Little March, are you there?"
March 7th:"I'm here! What do you need?"
Kisaragi Akira:"Are you still at the Black Tower Space Station?"
March 7th:"Yep. The Astral Express is still docked here."
Unknown:"I need your help getting a weapon—from Lady Black Tower or Esté."
March 7th:"Hmmm… what kind of weapon are you looking for? We can't afford anything too extreme."
Kisaragi Akira:"Requirements are simple: small, pistol-sized, long-range, high energy output, and strong enough to blow a person's head off with a normal shot."
Saeko Busujima:"Is Akira-kun planning to use it against zombies?"
Kisaragi Akira:"That's right."
Exusiai:"What do zombies actually look like?"
Unknown:"This is what they look like."
Exusiai:"Ugh… that's disgusting."
Saeko Busujima:"They look very similar to what I've seen in movies."
March 7th:"Ew… gross. But your request isn't that hard. I'll go ask around."
A short while later—
March 7th:"Got it! Esté gave us one. She said it's basically a toy—a pistol powerful enough to blow someone's head off. It recharges extremely fast using solar energy."
March 7th:"We'll send it over right away."
[Ding! March 7th has sent a private red envelope to Kisaragi Akira!][Ding! Kisaragi Akira has claimed it!]
Kisaragi Akira:"Thanks, Little March."
[Ding! Kisaragi Akira has sent a private red envelope to March 7th!]
Akira sent 500 Doomsday Points in return.
Consider it payment for the weapon.
...
"Eh?!"
Yukino's eyes widened.
A blue, pistol-shaped object suddenly appeared in Akira's hand.
That weapon definitely hadn't come from the apocalypse game shop.
"Here," Akira said. "Try this. A new weapon."
He repeated March 7th's description for her.
"A solar-powered, high-speed charging energy gun."
The sheer science-fiction feel was overwhelming.
...
They pushed aside the barricade and opened the dormitory door.
Several zombies had already gathered outside.
Since it was daytime, their movements were sluggish and dull.
"Try firing it," Akira said.
He took Yukino's hand and guided the gun toward a nearby zombie.
"…"
The warmth of his hand enveloped hers, and his breath brushed lightly against her neck.
Meeting his calm, expectant gaze, Yukino felt her thoughts go blank.
She relaxed, took a deep breath—
And pulled the trigger.
A blue energy bullet slammed into the zombie's chest.
Bang!
The zombie exploded.
"This… this is amazing!"
Yukino was stunned.
The power was terrifying—almost like a shotgun at point-blank range.
And yet—
There was no recoil at all.
"Perfect," Akira said. "Now you can help me clear the zombies."
He took her hand again and moved forward.
Feeling the warmth in her palm, Yukino unconsciously tightened her grip.
"Thank you… for helping me this much," she said softly."If you ever need anything, tell me. I'll repay you."
Akira turned back and smiled.
"I'm lusting after your body."
"…."
Yukino didn't respond.
She followed him with a flushed face, clearly deep in thought.
...
For the rest of the day—
Akira cleared a path ahead using Water-Dirty Thunder and Eclipse Thunder Form – Northern Azure Pool.
Yukino followed closely behind, using her energy gun to eliminate remaining zombies.
His newly upgraded Primal Stone — Vector Manipulation (Level 2) also proved extremely effective.
The Doomsday Chat Group's leveling system didn't align with Academy City's standards.
In Academy City, the gap between ability levels was enormous.
Level 1 and Level 2 espers were nearly useless.Level 3 had some combat value.Level 4 surpassed Level 3 by a huge margin.Level 5… existed on a completely different plane.
By comparison, Akira's S-rank Primal Stone — Vector Manipulation (Level 2) fell somewhere around a Level 2.5—between a weak Level 2 and a proper Level 3 esper.
Combined with Yukino's energy gun, their efficiency skyrocketed.
The cleanup was completed far faster than expected.