"A-Aki... I'm truly sorry for everything..." Haru whispered quietly, his voice barely audible.
He wanted to express a multitude of sentiments—his emotions, the gravity of their situation, the situation regarding their parents, the way he may have treated her in the past, and above all, about Miami.
However, just witnessing her current fragile state made it all the more challenging for him to find the right words.
"No... D-Don't be. It's alright... at least we are together now." Aki whispered, her voice barely audible as she continued to tremble, visibly overcome with emotion.
"Aki..."
While these two were in their own world, the rest of the people finally took a breath of relief that it was actually Haru, their schoolmate, who came and saved them from the terrifying Level 4 Zombie.
"Tsk." But seeing them like that, or rather seeing Haru, Yoshida didn't share the same sentiments as the others.
"What? Feeling jealous? Want a hug from me?" Orimura teased him with a big grin, seeing an opportunity.
"Shut up..."
"How cold!" she replied, in a way that did not suit her image.
After a while, as Haru noticed Aki's trembling had stopped, he spoke to her, "Idiot... you're grown up and still crying like a baby."
"!!" A sudden realization dawned on Aki, and she quickly separated herself from Haru. Her face was burning red as her eyes darted everywhere to avoid Haru's amused gaze.
"What? Hug time over?" Haru asked with his smile teasing on his tired face.
"S-Shut up..." she replied, her face still flushed.
Seeing her like that, a certain memory from the past came over his mind, where they both were happy and together.
Remembering those peaceful yet heartfelt times, Haru opened his mouth to say something further, but no words came as he suddenly felt a sharp pain all over his body.
Before he could do anything, his body also stopped moving, no longer under his control, and he fell forward as his consciousness began to fade away.
"Haru!? What's wrong?!" Aki panicked, seeing his body tumble forward, and quickly caught him.
'Damn it... What's happening... ?' With that fleeting thought, Haru lost consciousness.
After enduring emotional stress and battling relentlessly to reach Aki, Haru's body had undergone significant strain without any rest. Finally reaching Aki, his mind and body relaxed, leading him to lose consciousness in order to recover.
***
"Mhm." Haru opened his eyes, finding himself in a dimly lit room with only the faint light seeping in from the windows.
As he became aware of his surroundings, he found himself lying on the ground, feeling the discomfort throughout his body.
"Haru!!" Aki rushed to his side upon hearing the sound of movement.
"What... happened?" Haru asked, feeling aches and pains all over.
'When did the sky turn dark?' His confused gaze shifted toward the window, noticing the brightness of the moon, indicating that it was already nighttime, despite his recollection of the sun still being high in the sky.
"You suddenly lost consciousness..." Aki's voice carried concern as she crouched beside him and asked, "Are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah-- Cough!" Haru replied but his response was interrupted by an uncontrollable bout of coughing.
"Here, take this." Orimura swiftly handed him a glass container filled with water.
"Orimura-sensei..." Haru acknowledged her before hesitating and questioning, "Is it safe?... cough"
Despite feeling incredibly thirsty after enduring so much, he was cautious about consuming anything without assurance, particularly after witnessing people turning into zombies.
"It's fine, don't worry." Orimura pointed to her System's interface and continued, "At least according to our System."
"What... System?" Confused by the term 'System,' Haru asked, "Don't tell me its that hologram screen that appears and disappears at random!?"
"Hmm? What are you saying? We can summon it at will. With its inbuilt Appraisal skill, we know that this water is safe to drink."
Haru thought to himself, 'what? Then why does it only appear when I kill those monsters? Oh wait, it did say something about initializing.'
Nevertheless, observing the trust placed in the 'System' by them, he gave in and drank the water as Aki kept on insisting.
While he was drinking and quenching his accumulated thirst, Orimura gestured to his sword leaning against the wall and inquired, "If your system is not working as it should, then how did you obtain that sword? I don't think our school possesses such a thing."
Haru turned toward the sword, remembering how he had received it after killing his fellow student, and responded a bit heavily, "That... came out of a white card which I obtained after killing a Zombie."
Upon hearing Haru's words, Aki brought out something and asked, "Is this the same thing?"
Haru's eyes widened in surprise as he nodded, confirming, and then inquired, "Did you also get one?"
Aki shook her head and explained with a hint of sadness, "N-No... We found this near... Maemura's body..."
"That..." Haru felt a pang of guilt as he realized that it was Maemura, Aki's friend, who had turned into a Zombie and he was the one who had killed her.
"I-It's fine... to survive... what else can we do?" Aki shook her head as she spoke, her eyes appearing hollow for a moment.
"Aki..."
"Take this... it's yours since you earned it." Aki swiftly handed him the card, as if she did not wish to dwell on the topic any longer.
"Aki..." Haru's heart ached at seeing her like this, but he could do nothing to alleviate the pain, as he himself was grappling with the internal struggle of remaining sane after killing all those people, including his good friend, Miami.
Haru sighed as he helplessly accepted the card, and then a message from the System appeared in front of him.
[You have acquired a White Card!]
[Do you wish to use it?]
As the System menu materialized in front of Haru, he pressed "yes" without hesitation, understanding the importance of obtaining another weapon for their survival.
Swoosh! The white card instantly reacted to his command, emitting a radiant light that captured the gazes of the curious onlookers within the dimly lit room.
As the brilliant light eventually faded away, it revealed a sleek and sturdy black crossbow in Haru's hands.
[Congratulations! You have acquired a Black Crossbow and bolts x 50!]
[ERROR! System has not initiated yet!]
[There is no information about the Black Crossbow!! Please wait....]