Seeing Haizaki still staring at her, frowning without speaking, Yukino finally broke the silence. Perhaps it was because his prolonged gaze made her feel uncomfortable.
"Yusuke-kun, can you believe me now?"
If even this wasn't enough to convince him, then she had no better way. And after that, what should she do? Yukino felt a sudden sense of confusion.
A lonely, deserted world—a world where human civilization had vanished due to a virus. As a seventeen-year-old girl, how was she supposed to survive alone?
"At the very least, you are Yukinoshita-san. That much is certain."
Maintaining a certain air of mystery, keeping a sense of distance—this was the best way to make Yukino believe his identity.
"Then now, can you tell me… your identity?"
Yukino pointed at the handgun at Haizaki's waist and asked. Compared to the Haizaki in her memory, the one standing before her now gave off a sharp, cold aura.
Perhaps it was the result of five years of time.
The growth of a man.
But in terms of appearance, there wasn't much change. The twenty-two-year-old Haizaki looked almost the same as the seventeen-year-old Haizaki. It was his eyes and temperament that made him feel unfamiliar.
"First, let's find a safe place."
He needed time to weave together an identity and five years of experiences.
"Mm."
The girl nodded and followed Haizaki to the nearest building.
Haizaki chose a room on the second floor. The house was covered in thick dust, the air filled with a faint moldy smell. Long abandoned, everything had returned to its most primitive state.
In the office, Haizaki found a torn piece of clothing and casually wiped off a chair.
For Haizaki, finding the assistant was the first important task completed. But what he found hardest to accept, hardest to imagine, was that the assistant was Yukino.
The system seemed to always choose girls he had known in his previous life. If the assistant in the third apocalypse world was also someone familiar, Haizaki would be certain the system wasn't randomly selecting assistants at all.
But what did it matter? Faced with the assistants the system gave him, he could only accept.
Even if the assistant couldn't provide any real help, her existence itself represented points and experience. That was, in essence, a form of "assistance."
Even if the assistant were a detestable stranger, he would still do his best to ensure she survived until the end. All the more so if she was someone familiar.
"Sit wherever you like."
Haizaki gestured to the chair opposite him.
"Mm…"
Yukino sat properly on the chair, unconcerned about the dust left on it.
"In January 2021, countries discovered unknown technological ruins at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. After exploration and salvage, it unexpectedly triggered a global viral crisis. The unknown virus, named the 'Crystallization Virus,' began spreading in late March 2021. In less than a year, humanity was nearly wiped out…"
Haizaki organized and explained the information he had gathered from newspapers and journals.
"And I was among the first batch of personnel preserved by the Eastern Union. Before the virus outbreak spread widely, I entered a national strategic base and was placed in a biological hibernation chamber, physically isolated."
"When I woke again, two years had already passed…"
This helped Yukino understand why Haizaki's appearance hadn't changed much.
Although she was skeptical about the hibernation chamber, which sounded like advanced black technology, considering the existence of unknown ruins, she accepted it. Perhaps humanity had obtained more advanced technology from those ruins.
"For nearly a year after waking, I studied, trained, and assisted researchers in studying the Crystallization Virus. But the base still suffered infections. And due to energy issues, I and others had to leave, seeking new opportunities. Three days ago, I arrived here in Chiba…"
"Why come to Japan, and specifically Chiba…"
Yukino knew such a question might provoke Haizaki's displeasure, but she had to ask. If he was unhappy, she was willing to apologize.
"The vaccine… We couldn't find the latest virus vaccine produced by the Eastern Union in the later stages of the outbreak. Many records were incomplete."
"So I turned my attention to Japan, the closest country to the Eastern Union with scientific capability. As for Chiba, I simply wanted to revisit the place where I had lived for three years."
Yukino basically understood Haizaki and the situation of this world.
A biochemical apocalypse. A theme common in films had become reality.
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But mostly, she felt dazed and lost. Even now, she maintained her usual cold expression.
"Your companions…?" Yukino asked hesitantly.
"Mm. Some didn't want to take risks. Some were infected by the Crystallization Virus. Now… they're probably gone."
Haizaki's tone was calm, but his eyes flickered with sadness. This made Yukino feel a pang of guilt.
"Sorry."
Yukino didn't continue asking about Haizaki's background. She still had many doubts, but for now, this was enough. Asking too much would only increase his resentment. In the harsh reality of the apocalypse, she needed to avoid actions that could cause misunderstanding or conflict.
"It's fine. Anything else you want to know?"
Haizaki's indifferent tone continued. But in Yukino's eyes, it was a deliberate act to comfort her.
"I… the 'me' of this world, is she dead?"
Her words trembled slightly. Yukino didn't feel much connection to "her," but since they were essentially the same person, asking if she had died made her instinctively nervous.
"She was infected by the Crystallization Virus."
Haizaki's tone was flat, as if speaking of someone unimportant. But Yukino noticed the faint tremor and sorrow in his eyes.
Facing the death of someone familiar, any normal person would feel grief. And Haizaki, catching her gaze, realized his emotional control was improving. If the system graded disguises, he thought he could reach D-level.
"Can I know your relationship with her?" Yukino asked softly again. Partly out of curiosity, partly to decide how she should interact with him in the future.
"Classmate relationship."
Haizaki, in constructing the "Crystallization Mutation" world's Yukino, used his knowledge of the Yukino from his previous life as the template.
This way, there wouldn't be any major logical problems.
Just classmates?
Yukino froze for a moment. She couldn't understand why such a thought had suddenly come to her.
"What are your plans from now on?"
Although she was asking Haizaki, it was more because she herself felt lost about the future.
"Find the vaccine. Even if there is no vaccine, then find Japan's research materials on the virus. In the end, there's only one goal—to survive."
Yes, that goal would never change. He had to survive. Survive until the day the "Crystallization Mutation" ended.
On that basis, he had to complete more system tasks, earn more points and experience.
Seeing the girl fall silent, Haizaki spoke: "Then what about you, Yukinoshita-san? This world is no longer the peaceful, safe world you knew. Everything has changed."
Yes, she knew this world had changed. Raised in a sheltered environment, how was she supposed to survive in this apocalyptic world? She didn't know.
She lifted her head, her dark blue eyes meeting Haizaki's gaze.
"If you don't have your own plan, I hope you'll act together with me."
Haizaki knew Yukino wouldn't have any plans. At most, a normal person would think of going home to look around. Beyond that, nothing.
"We haven't been infected by the crystallization virus yet, but no one knows if we'll remain uninfected. We need the vaccine."
"If you don't want to act with me, I won't force you. I can give you some supplies and weapons, as a gesture of our classmate relationship…"
He gave Yukino the right to choose, letting her decide for herself. But in the end, what choice would a normal person make?
Haizaki waited for her answer.
Yukino lowered her head slightly, silent. Other than acting with Haizaki, did she have any other choice? No.
Her dark blue eyes lifted again, locking onto Haizaki. Her lips moved slightly as she spoke: "Being with you… won't I just be a burden?"
At least in Yukino's view, right now she was more of a burden to Haizaki. She didn't want him to keep her close out of some ulterior motive.
After all, in her mind, aside from her body's appeal and value to a man like Haizaki, she had no other worth.
"You and her… you really are different. At the very least, she would never say something like 'being a burden.' She was always full of confidence, never afraid of provocation or challenge."
As if recalling something nostalgic, Haizaki continued: "One more person means one more strength. Don't underestimate yourself. I need your help. So, Yukinoshita-san, team up with me. Will you?"
Haizaki extended his hand.
Yukino finally placed her hand lightly in his palm. She had made her decision. Other than him, who else could she choose?
"Full of confidence" and "never afraid of provocation or challenge"—
Wasn't that her? How was she any different from "her"? She was simply adjusting to the current reality.
Still, Yukino remained curious about what the "her" of this world had been like.
…
April 16th, Tokyo time, 8:36 a.m.
Haizaki handed Yukino compressed biscuits and bottled water. He had removed all labels from his supplies before entering the "Crystallization Mutation" world.
Haizaki managed his belongings carefully, minimizing anything that might raise suspicion about his identity. Now, he was glad for his caution.
Facing Yukino, a girl of icy intelligence and sharp thought, he had to be extremely careful—mindful of his words, actions, and possessions. One slip, and the lie he had built would be exposed.
After the "Crystallization Mutation" world ended, Yukino would forget everything, just like Utaha. Even if his true identity was discovered, it wouldn't matter. But Haizaki still chose to continue interacting with her under the identity he had created.
Perhaps he still couldn't fully trust what the system said. Even if Utaha had truly lost her memories in reality.
But the claim of assistants being "randomly chosen" was like a fishbone stuck in his throat—he couldn't fully believe it.
In any case, the next apocalypse world's assistant would confirm once and for all whether the system was truly random or deliberately meddling.
"Rest for ten minutes, then we'll leave here."
"Thank you…"
Taking the compressed biscuits and water Haizaki handed her, Yukino felt her throat dry. She twisted open the bottle, sipping lightly, then tore open the biscuit package, nibbling small bites and swallowing with water.
It was her first time eating compressed biscuits. Rather than tasting bad, they simply had no particular flavor.
"What will we do next? Collect survival supplies?"
"Mm. Supplies are fine. The ones I brought from the Eastern Union can last a few days. What we need now is a temporary shelter. In a few days, we'll head to Tokyo…"
He had to complete Main Mission Two—find the cause of the crystallization outbreak.
The virus came from unknown ruins in the Pacific, but he didn't know where those ruins were. He needed information.
And beyond that, there was the matter of the vaccine. The newspapers mentioned its successful development, but why had humanity still perished? Or perhaps some humans had survived, hiding in some corner of the world.
These were all pieces of information he needed to gather.
Haizaki suspected these details were tied to system tasks. For permissions, for more points and experience, he had to dig up and complete as many tasks as possible.
This was only a two-star apocalypse world. The difficulty wasn't too high yet. If he gave up and simply waited out the 270 days of survival to return to the original world…
Then what about the future apocalypse worlds? Three-star, four-star, even higher difficulty worlds— Without points and experience to gain better permissions and strength, how could he endure those brutal worlds?
He was here to strengthen himself, to seek opportunities and possibilities for surviving the "Disaster Apocalypse" in the original world.
He needed to take risks. Nothing came without risk.
Even if he hid in a corner, danger might still find him, forcing him to face harsh reality.
People walk on the ground, but misfortune falls from the sky. Those who get into car accidents never think beforehand that it will happen to them.
…