Under the blackened sky, I run away from these black humanoid
zombie-like monsters… black zombies that are closing in on me.
Fortunately, the black zombies moved slowly, so even the relatively
slow me were able to escape from them. However, the problem is their
numbers.
I know where I need to go, but I can't head in that direction. I feel like,
slowly but surely, I'm being pushed into a corner.
In situations like this, it would have been great if I could ride a car, but I
didn't have a car of my own, and Dad's car also wasn't in front of our
house. I guess the world just won't make it easy for me huh?
With this thought in mind, I realized my mistake just as I was about to
turn the first few corners.
Not only did I regain my original memories, but I also kept the
memories of the me in this world in my head, which is why I
understood that this road I'm running leads me to the worst place.
As if to affirm this thought, I saw the entrance to a large shopping
district at the end of the road.
[…D*mn it…]
The black zombies first emerged from inside the neighborhood houses.
If, hypothetically, these monsters replaced the people who were
originally living in those houses… The shopping district at the end of
the year…
[There's too many of them here…]
A horde of black zombies literally filled the shopping district and
started limping towards my direction… and behind me, there are also
the black zombies that had been chasing me from before… This is bad!
I'm trapped!
What should I do? There's no way out… I barely even have the time to
think! There's no way that I could survive charging forward… There are
quite a few behind me, but can I get through while avoiding them?
No, I have to get through them! Even if it's unlikely, I can't just give up
here!!!
Thinking that there was still a better chance of breaking through the
rear than at the front, I immediately turned around and headed
towards the black zombies slowly approaching me.
As the distance between me and the black zombies was getting closer
and closer, the moment that I was about to change direction to evade
them… With the sound of dry gunfire, the black zombie in front of me
burst like a popping water balloon, seeping into the ground like black
liquid.
[…Eh?]
As I stopped in my tracks at that unexpected situation, a girl in white
labcoat, carrying two handguns appeared in front of me. The girl moves
like a dancer, slipping through the black zombies and killing them one
by one with her handguns.
[…Looks like I made it in time!]
[…Eri… na?]
Yes, appearing in front of me was the labcoat-wearing girl that looked
like Kuro… someone I've been talking a lot with in this virtual world,
Kurosu Erina.
[…Why?]
I don't know what was going on. If all the inhabitants of this world had
turned into black zombies, then she should have obviously been a black
zombie like the others. No, putting those matters behind, she was a
character in the world Shiro-san created, so why is she helping me?
At the same time as these questions popped into my head, I heard the
sound of an engine, and saw a motorcycle barreling towards me.
Riding the motorcycle was another familiar girl, who then jumped off it,
leaping towards me, abandoning her motorcycle still speeding through.
With no one controlling it, the motorcycle rolled along the ground as if
it was sliding, and when it reached the horde of black zombies that
came from the shopping district, the girl fired the submachine gun in
her hand towards the motorcycle… and with a loud explosion, many
black zombies were blown to pieces.
[Kaito-san! This way!]
[Alyssa!? W- What in the world is…]
[We'll talk about it later! For the time being, let's get out of here!]
The girl who appeared on a motorcycle… Mamonaka Alyssa, took me by
the hand and started running, with Erina following behind us.
As we ran with my hand held by Alyssa, we turned onto a larger street
and saw another familiar person in front of me.
[Iris-san! Please do it!]
[…Unnn!]
The girl who heard Alyssa's words… Iris Leavitt-san pulled the pin out
of something she was holding in her hand—— Eh? Wait a moment, isn't
that a grenade!?
Thrown in a neat parabola, when the grenade reached the horde of
black zombies… a thunderous explosion roared out.
[Fyuuu~~ Iris-san, you have quite the throwing technique there~~]
[…Ehhen~~]
As the four of us ran down the road, with Iris-san joining us… a large
one-box car came into view at the end of the road.
[Kaito-san! This way!]
[Liddy-senpai!?]
This time, it's Liddy Quanette-senpai!? S- Seriously, what in the world is
happening here!?
Even though I'm feeling perplexed with what's happening, we followed
Liddy-senpai's words and jumped into the car. Liddy-senpai then
quickly closed the door and called out to the driver.
[Riri! Let's get out of here!]
[I understand!]
Sitting on the driver seat… was Saigyouji Ririka-senpai.
[Yahooo~~ Kai-chan. How does it feel being the protagonist of a
zombie movie?]
[Even Fae-san… Seriously, what in the world is happening?]
Speaking to me from the rear seat with her usual insipid voice was
Murakumo Fae-san… Now, all the lab members, my friends in this world
are here.
Even as I had no idea what was going on, Alyssa spoke up while
changing the magazine of her submachine gun.
[I know it's too late to say this now… but we, the "Ally Characters" are
here to help you.]
[A- Ally Characters? W- What do you mean? Or rather, what the heck is
with that weapon!?]
[Well, it's that, you know? To explain it simply, we were created based
on Kaito-san's lovers in the original world, and each of us received the
emotions from the original us. In other words, we're beings that feel
that we're Kaito-san's ally even in this virtual world. Incidentally, as for
these weapons, there were plenty of them in Yumegaoka University…
The God who created this world must have prepared them for us when
we're going to help you.]
[…Ally… in that case…]
Hearing Alyssa's words, I looked around at the lab members gathered
here… and they all nodded with warm smiles. Ahh, d*mn it… I feel like
I'm about to cry. Seriously… They're encouraging reinforcements.
[Now, Kaito-san! Please tell us our destination! We'll be here to support
you!]
[…Thanks, everyone.]
After expressing my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who rushed to my
aid, I told them the place that I'm aiming for.
When Kuro told me about how I need to go to a place where I could
clearly recognize Mom and Dad's death, there were two places that
came to my mind.
The first would be that place where Mom and Dad died… The accident
site that I will never forget. However, it's probably not there. The
accident site had been renovated a few years ago as part of an urban
redevelopment project, and the landscape around that area had
changed.
It may be the place where the accident occurred, but it was different
from the accident site that I had remembered. If that were the case, I
thought that that place would be weak in terms of me clearly
recognizing my parents' death.
In that case, there was only one option left. That place that I had visited
many times back then…
[Riri-senpai! Go through the highway heading towards the southern
suburbs… To "Tokikaze Cemetery"!]
[I understand! We're going full speed… Please hold on tight!]
The cemetery where Mom and Dad lie… is the place I should aim for!