March 7: "I'm so jealous of you guys! Not only did you get to visit Saeko's world, but you also gained so many benefits. Unlike me, who can only stay cooped up in the space station. Pam Crying.JPG!"
Aqua: "…"
She just chuckled silently, too busy with her own work to comment.
Saeko Busujima: "@Tatsuki, Tatsuki-kun, we've come up with a new plan."
Tatsuki: "Let's hear it."
Saeko Busujima: "Since my strength has increased dramatically, there's no longer any need to avoid the undead."
Saeko Busujima: "After witnessing my newfound power, everyone agreed to follow me and establish a safe zone of our own. We've found a villa to use as a base."
Their decision was surprising but made sense.
Tatsuki supported the idea.
Tatsuki: "That's a good choice. Crowded places tend to breed conflict and unpredictability."
Exusiai: "Exactly, people's hearts can be hard to read."
March 7: "Sigh, the thoughts of some bigshots are always beyond me."
Saeko Busujima: "I'm relieved to see your support."
Saeko Busujima: "@Tatsuki, Tatsuki-kun, I also discovered something very important. Killing undead now gives me points—roughly 1 Apocalypse Point for every 3 undead. There's also a special mission called Apocalypse Termination."
Tatsuki: "Apocalypse Termination?"
Curious, Tatsuki clicked on the group's features and noticed a newly unlocked module: Apocalypse Journey.
Opening it, he saw a notification:
[Apocalypse Journey]: Apocalypse Termination
[Duration]: Unlimited
[Participants]: Unlimited
[Mission Objectives]:
1.Kill undead to earn Apocalypse Points.
2.Terminate the source of the world's undead virus to earn Apocalypse Points.
So there was such a mission!
Tatsuki: "Then, Saeko, you can focus on becoming stronger."
Saeko Busujima: "One last thing, Tatsuki-kun—Rei and the others are hoping you can come back again, myself included."
Tatsuki: "…"
Tatsuki wasn't an idiot; this was a blatant confession!
But…
Why didn't they say this while I was still there?!
Tatsuki felt a headache coming on.
Handling situations like this was exhausting!
Next time we meet, you better be ready for some discipline. Prepare to face the wrath of SP!
Aqua: "Huh? That's weird!"
March 7: "Agreed, it's really strange."
Exusiai: "Tatsuki, it seems you've become someone they can't stop thinking about."
Exusiai, saying this, wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it herself.
Thinking back to being carried through the air and having his body seen, Tatsuki's thoughts became a little jumbled.
Tatsuki: "Don't worry. If there's a chance, I'll definitely return."
This was Tatsuki's promise.
It was also his way of telling Saeko Busujima: "You're mine now!"
Saeko Busujima: "I'll be waiting eagerly."
Just as their conversation wrapped up:
Ring ring ring!
Tatsuki's phone rang.
Glancing at the screen, he saw it was a call from Yukino, a contact he had added not long ago.
"She's calling at this time?"
Raising an eyebrow, he answered.
The moment he picked up, Yukino's voice came through urgently.
"Tatsuki-kun, could you come to my house? It's in… [address details]."
"Please hurry, I'll be waiting."
With a click, the call ended abruptly.
Tatsuki's mind filled with question marks.
"Yukinoshita Yukino? The school's untouchable beauty?"
He glanced out the window; the sky was already darkening.
Inviting him to her home at this hour?
For a brief moment, an inappropriate thought crossed his mind, but he immediately dismissed it.
Yukino wasn't that kind of person—of this, he was certain.
Her voice had sounded a bit rushed. It was likely that something had frightened her or she was in danger, prompting her to call for help.
Without hesitation, he grabbed his jacket and headed out.
Combining his control over forces and wind manipulation, Tatsuki moved at a speed akin to teleportation. With the reflective layer shielding him, he was completely unaffected by the airflow. To onlookers, he was invisible—only a sudden gust of wind rushing past gave away his presence.
Yukino's apartment wasn't far from his home. In under three minutes, Tatsuki was in the elevator and standing at her door.
Ding dong!
He pressed the doorbell.
Inside, he heard hurried footsteps approaching the door. It seemed she was checking through the peephole, as the door didn't open immediately.
A few seconds later.
Click!
The door unlocked.
Seeing that it was indeed Tatsuki, Yukino let out a long sigh of relief.
"It seems I guessed right. Did something happen?"
Her current appearance, however, left Tatsuki momentarily stunned. Breathtaking was the perfect word.
Her hair was loose, still damp with water. Her bare shoulders and fair arms were exposed, and she was wrapped only in a towel.
Noticing the heat in Tatsuki's gaze, Yukino tightened her grip on the towel and crossed her arms over her chest.
Though she wasn't particularly self-conscious, she still shot him a flustered and annoyed glare.
"Don't look at me with that criminal stare, or I'll really call the police."