"Are you the only one here?"
"Yes... Oh! When you came, did you see another girl? A girl about my height?" Upon hearing Takeru's question, Miki remembered her friend and asked excitedly.
"I'm afraid we didn't see anyone else. We came from an apartment building in the distance and just drove here," Takeru replied gently.
"I see... There was another girl hiding here with me. She left this morning," Miki said, biting her lip sadly.
Seeing this, Takeru just shook his head and patted her shoulder lightly, 'Leaving in the morning with so many zombies around... the chances of survival were slim.'
"We're going to clear the zombies in this shopping center. Would you like to wait here for us?" Takeru asked Miki calmly.
"I... I can fight zombies too!" Miki took a deep breath and declared.
"I understand. Let's find you a weapon first," Takeru said.
Miki said this to show her value. Though still a high school student, her experiences had matured her. Takeru and Rikka had fought their way here alone, clearly indicating their strength. She didn't want to be left behind.
"Hello! Is anyone there?" As they walked, Takeru continued calling out loudly, checking for other survivors.
He also opened shop doors, turned on the lights, and without hesitation killed any zombies that approached...
Seeing Takeru's swift and decisive actions, Miki stared in shock, not expecting him to be so strong.
Though she didn't fully understand the technique, witnessing Takeru sever zombie heads before they could react was deeply impressive.
"How about this?" While Miki was stunned, Takeru walked over with a brand new baseball bat.
"Ah, yes!" Hearing him, Miki quickly nodded and took the bat.
Just as she did, a zombie lunged from a corner, charging straight at her.
"Ice Arrow!" At the crucial moment, Rikka fired an ice arrow, piercing the zombie's head.
Watching the zombie die right before her eyes, Miki froze. What shocked her even more was the ice arrow Rikka had just conjured...
"Rikka, you should use this too. Your mana must be low," Takeru said calmly, handing her another bat.
"I understand," Rikka nodded, feeling her mana pool of about 20 points, and accepted the bat.
"What... what was that?" Seeing Takeru act as if Rikka's power was normal, Miki asked blankly.
"Superpowers. When the virus broke out, while some people turned into zombies, she and I unexpectedly gained special abilities. We call them superpowers," Takeru explained without blinking.
"Superpowers?" Hearing this, Miki was astounded. Rikka was also surprised Takeru lied so smoothly, but she wasn't foolish enough to expose him.
"Alright, the zombies here are mostly cleared. Let's gather all usable supplies," Takeru said, turning to both girls.
"Okay!" Naturally, they didn't argue and began their own 'shopping' spree.
As time passed, the entire massive shopping center was thoroughly cleared by Takeru. He killed every zombie in sight.
Since the Reincarnation Space didn't display his kill count, only confirming Mission 2 was complete, Takeru didn't know the exact number.
Due to the time, they decided not to leave after clearing the zombies. Takeru planned to stay with Miki and Rikka for the night. He also wanted to see if the main characters would arrive. If his memory served, they would come here tomorrow or the day after...
Shaking his head, Takeru decided not to wait passively. He planned to actively search for them, potentially triggering or completing a mission.
…
At night, Miki gazed outside, feeling the day's events were unbelievable. She never imagined being rescued, yet her friend was now missing...
And the fact that superpowers now existed in the world... Speaking of which, she stared blankly at Takeru, who was diligently training while wearing weighted gear.
"299... 300!" With a tired exhale, Takeru finished three hundred push-ups and stopped.
"What's wrong? Something on your mind?" Noticing Miki's troubled look, Takeru asked.
"Um... Takeru... will you leave?" Seeing his concerned gaze, Miki asked softly.
"Why do you ask that?" Takeru was surprised.
"I... I don't know why. I just have a feeling that soon, you'll leave me behind," Miki voiced her worry, hearing his casual tone.