In a large building near the center of Tokyo city.
"[Building completely cleared, master!]"
"First, we need to set up the tents; it will be dark soon, and we should take advantage of the remaining daylight." Jacob looked at Usagi and awaited her response, needing to know if this floor was suitable for spending the night.
"This place is good. We're on an intermediate floor, so it won't cause us many problems." Usagi nodded without much thought, deciding to use this floor for the night.
She had considered that it might be better to look for a hotel with rooms, but she quickly dismissed the idea of asking Jacob. If there were other people, she believed it wouldn't be a good idea to go to places where people commonly gather.
As night approached, Usagi quickly lowered her heavy backpack onto the ground, feeling a bit tired. When she looked at Jacob to see if he needed help, she discovered that he had already started setting up the tent.
"It seems there's nothing he can't do at first glance..." Usagi thought before she also began setting up her tent.
"At least, I'm sure I'll soon find answers. No matter what it takes, I'll know what happened to Tokyo..."
To a large extent, based on how she interacts with others, after a long time of not having friendly relationships with people since her father disappeared, Usagi could be considered a very normal girl.
She didn't seem very cheerful, nor did she show uncontrollable emotions when she woke up in this desolate place. Although she didn't want to admit it, she was comforted by being with Jacob, who didn't seem to be a special man. Though he was quiet and mostly serious, he maintained a certain distance and respect above all. Moreover, the fact that he was a foreigner further reassured her.
Usagi doesn't know why, but she thinks that Jacob is more excited about discovering what this place is and how he managed to go through all this, rather than finding out what happened to the rest of the people. Though she is kind-hearted, she would prefer to act alone than with others. However, as the hours passed, she discovered that Jacob didn't seem to mind much who he was with, which led her to internally accept acting alongside him.
On the other hand, Jacob realized that Usagi seemed completely unconcerned about the sexual implications between a man and a woman, which he truly appreciated. He couldn't stand feminine women, so after studying Usagi a bit, he offered her to act together with him.
These actions might be a bit unexpected given their usual behavior, but considering all the factors, even if he could act alone, Jacob didn't mind acting alongside her as long as Usagi could keep up with him.
In this situation, she kept up with him and quickly accepted what the priorities were without wasting time. Even when they encountered the man in the black suit, she didn't overreact and understood that he was only protecting their safety.
Jacob knew that if she were an ordinary girl, she might have cried, screamed, or sought a strong shoulder to cling to with her feminine charms. But Usagi was different; Jacob had no doubt that she could fend for herself when she set up her own tent without saying a word. Therefore, he knew that she seemed to be important in the events that were about to unfold in this world.
So now, he would teach Usagi a few things without any problem, and at this moment, he was very surprised by that girl. Later on, they both set up the tents without major issues. Although this floor was mostly clear, it was a suitable place for now.
"Seems like everything is ready. We should eat something before doing anything else." Said Jacob as he took a sip of water.
"What do you want to eat? We mostly have instant noodles and canned soup. I brought some food that will expire soon, but it'll do for now." Usagi moved towards her backpack and started making suggestions.
"Hmm, let's eat what expires faster. Tomorrow, we'll pass by a store and get more food. In this situation, it's better to have a good amount of water and food stored rather than having little."
Since Jacob anticipated spending much more time in this place, he had long considered the food problem, and his mind was giving him alerts on how to address those concerns.
Usagi nodded upon hearing these words. Just as Jacob said, she had also considered the food problem. Although she knows how to hunt, there was nothing indicating that animals were also present in this place. Even if they were, they were in the city of Tokyo, and no animals could be found in this place.
Looking around, she quickly took out the necessary items to heat the food and then grabbed a jar that said 'packaged fire.' This type of fire was quick and instant, so they took several for heating the food.
After taking out the food, Jacob helped Usagi and began setting up a survival mess kit suitable for heating food. This type of cooking pot doesn't take up much space and is mostly used for camping and survival purposes.
Jacob skillfully handled the mess kit and started heating the food while Usagi took out other condiments she had found in the store. Once the food was ready to serve, Jacob took the first bowl and served Usagi, then took another bowl and served himself.
"Mmm, I used to do these kinds of things for my comrades when I was in a special area of military conflict. During that time, we learned to eat even what a dog would ignore," said Jacob without looking up. Even if there were no conversation topics, he felt calm next to Usagi and didn't feel uncomfortable with the silence.
Usagi looked at Jacob and then took her plate of food, saying, "My father used to take me mountain climbing. I learned a lot, and everything I know now is thanks to him. I prefer climbing a mountain to hanging out with a group of friends."
Jacob didn't turn his gaze. He understood that society affects everyone in some way or another; it was inevitable. In this life, if you're not strong and resilient against the adversities of life, the waves will consume you, and you won't be able to lift your head to breathe.
"I can't deny that I don't care much even if all the people have disappeared, but that's just my perspective on something that only happens in my mind."
Jacob smiled slightly, and his words were sincere. This was one of the reasons why he doesn't have friends or why people tend to distance themselves from him even before they can get to know him. His words may not be socially accepted in a close circle of people.
But Usagi doesn't care about that. She worked hard since she was a child to fit into all circles of friends, but it only ended up hurting her. If her father hadn't shown her the world of climbing back then, she could have truly fallen into a bottomless pit of bitterness, depression, and self-hatred.
While eating his food, Jacob looked up and said, "I don't usually hide what I think, so I genuinely hope you're okay with that. And if you ever feel like you can't stay close to me, you can honestly say so."
Upon hearing this, Usagi smiled and said, "What matters most to me is finding out what happened. Right now, I don't have the headspace to focus on anything else."
When Jacob heard this, he smiled to himself. Some of the words she said were truly sincere, but the nonsense of friendship or mutual hatred is something he never expected to hear from someone else.
In general situations, Jacob knows when a person can't bear to be by his side, when they feel uncomfortable or hate him, despise or detest him in their thoughts. Even before that happens, Jacob won't give anyone the chance to walk away from his side. By the time someone decides to distance themselves, they won't be able to see his shadow.
Right now, what he was really doing was being a little sincere, studying what Usagi said and seeing what she thought of him with a few honest words, discussing topics that no one could hear here and acting a bit out of place.
What would you do if your friends, parents, acquaintances disappear, and someone you just met tells you that they don't really care that all of them have disappeared?
The normal reaction in this situation would be for that person to explode emotionally, which would indicate to Jacob many of those sensitive issues that society suffers from. But Usagi was truly different; his words didn't matter to her at all, and she directed her thoughts toward a broader and important topic.
Jacob stood up, took a black hoodie and put it on, then grabbed the pistol that the man in the black suit had left behind and holstered it at his waist while holding the rifle in his hand.
In this situation, it wasn't important to carry the shotgun. So many weapons were just a hassle, not only to carry but also for mobility. With the telescopic sight of the rifle, they could see what was happening beneath the buildings more clearly without straining their eyes.
After Jacob cleaned the mess kit with some water, he looked at Usagi and said, "We should make use of the remaining daylight to observe the situation from above. Bring the shotgun so you get accustomed to using it. Later, I'll teach you the basic rules of how to handle it."
Usagi glanced at the shotgun she had left in its case, hesitated for a moment before taking it along with the case and followed Jacob to the rooftop of the building. She didn't really think it was convenient to carry both weapons, but she appreciated that Jacob didn't keep all the weapons to himself, showing that he cared for her to have a weapon too.
With this, Jacob demonstrated that he was truly interested in working together with her, which increased Usagi's trust in him even more.
On his side, Jacob was thinking about the meal he had eaten. He didn't know if it was good, but at least it filled his stomach. He now returned to the important topic at hand – if there was no electricity in this place, it would be a real challenge to find the game location.
However, he had considered that if there were suddenly a place with light, there might be someone behind it, and it would involve his illogical reasoning that this place was being controlled by people, administrators who brought them to this place.
But even so, a part of Jacob told him that he was overthinking it.
What kind of power would that organization have to recreate an entire city exactly as it was before? Not only were there abandoned cars on the roads, stripped of all human activity, but also food in restaurants and credit cards embedded in the payment devices.
How powerful could those people be who brought them to this place in such a way? The enemies he had to face must be considered, even those who were not directly rooted in being his enemies.
But for now, Jacob decided to keep his mind as open as possible and entertain all the illogical reasonings, no matter how absurd they may seem. After all, there was nothing logical asking for an explanation of this intriguing situation.
When Jacob least expected it, he arrived at the rooftop door. Fortunately, the door was open, so Usagi and he could enter without much trouble.
"From this height, we'll have a better view of Tokyo. We need to climb over that low fence," Usagi started picking up the pace and reached the building's edge.
Jacob, who didn't think much of it, put the loaded rifle aside, leaned his body slightly, and signaled to Usagi to climb up. When Usagi saw this, she nodded and placed her right foot to climb onto the fence more easily.
"Look at the roads, focus on the streets, and see if there are people. If we're right, there should be people either searching for food, answers, or information like us."
Jacob reminded Usagi to pay attention to those details and try to find clues. But after a few minutes, she didn't find anything useful, which made her frowned.
It's daytime, so normal people would be active during this time, but this wasn't a normal situation. And if they follow the illogical game, most people should be inside the buildings.
What are they doing if they're not on the streets? Resting, sleeping, eating, or waiting... What are they waiting for?
"The games..." Jacob suddenly muttered.
"The games?" Usagi turned to Jacob, who seemed to have figured something out, and asked.
"Yes, if there's no one outside right now considering it's daytime, everyone should be waiting for something, and the only thing that comes to my mind is the games."
Jacob reached out his hand and helped Usagi down from the fence, while he immersed himself in his deep thoughts. If he is right, all they have to do is wait for the night. Therefore, while they still had time, he would explain to Usagi how they would act if he turned out to be correct.
"Usagi, this is the plan..."