Having finally decided to set off together, Inaba Tsukiyo decided to first check the department store or convenience store to see if she could find the necessary supplies there.
Because there were five of them, and to carry more things, besides the car Sakura Megumi already had, Sakura Megumi also found another classroom's car in the faculty office, calling it a 'borrowing.'
With two cars, they could now carry more things.
However, Sakura Megumi, being an adult, already had a driver's license. As for who would drive the other car, they were all students.
When assigning driving duties, Kurumi, Wakasa Yuri, and Takenouchi Yuki looked at each other and realized none of them had a driver's license.
Even though they were third-year high school students, learning to drive was still a distant prospect for them, so the situation quickly became very awkward.
Of course, Takenouchi Yuki absolutely could not be allowed to drive here. Without even discussing it, everyone tacitly agreed to this decision.
Letting her read the map was fine, but letting her drive? It was hard to say if she might accidentally cause a fatal car accident or go speeding.
After all, there were originally no roads in this world, but because of female drivers, anywhere could become a road.
"It's no problem for me to drive, you know. Of course, if you can trust me, then I absolutely have no problem," Inaba Tsukiyo suggested with a smiling face.
Actually, it was no problem for her to drive. Even if she couldn't see, she could sense her surroundings, and she was very clear about all the precautions needed for driving.
It was just that no one dared to let her drive, or rather, no one in this world would let a blind person drive. What was the difference between that and seeking death?
Even Takenouchi Yuki didn't think Inaba Tsukiyo could be a good driver, and this suggestion was immediately rejected.
Although it was a pity, Inaba Tsukiyo said nothing. Anyway, she had no intention of driving from the start.
In the end, Kurumi drove. Although they were very worried, they could only decide on that.
"Excursion! Excursion! Excursion!"
Takenouchi Yuki, sitting in the passenger seat, was clearly in high spirits. It felt just like a club excursion.
"You're definitely the type who gets excited about excursions, Yuki. Did you used to be too excited to sleep before excursions?"
"No... no such thing! That absolutely never happened!"
Apparently, she had been hit where it hurt. Takenouchi Yuki's pretty face turned crimson, and she stammered, her voice very soft, unlike her usual energetic self.
Along the way, everyone kept teasing each other, and the gloom lessened, replaced by constant laughter.
Following behind, Sakura Megumi looked at the other car, seeing the situation in the car ahead through the rear window, and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
She had been a little worried about the situation ahead, but now it seemed everyone was doing great.
"Hey... Tsukiyo-chan. Can you tell me a little bit about what you want to do?"
Inaba Tsukiyo's decision to change her plans midway and go search for supplies first was mostly because they were going to follow her.
Sakura Megumi was very grateful to her, but she felt a bit guilty. It was because of her insistence on coming along that Tsukiyo had changed her decision.
"I... I don't know either. It's just a premonition. I have to go to that place. If I don't, things might get worse."
Inaba Tsukiyo also didn't know what was at the place she was going. She only knew that she had to go there.
However, to go there, she had to ensure the safety of the others. After this incident, she understood that Kurumi and the others would not let her leave here.
Given that, she chose to postpone her trip to that place, slightly boost everyone's combat strength, and stabilize things a bit before leaving. This way, even if they followed, Inaba Tsukiyo could be at ease.
She wanted to turn the school into a safe zone, but she didn't know if the school could always remain safe. If the school was accidentally discovered by some survivors, and those people wanted to come in, what should they do?
Should they drive these people away, or take them in? Given the personalities of Sakura Megumi and the others, they would definitely choose the latter.
Although the [Emergency Evacuation Notice] stated that mercy and tolerance were unnecessary emotions, there were always some people who didn't want to abandon others, and always some who were self-centered.
"Sister Megumi, do you know? Actually, I had a dream last night. I dreamed that I wasn't here, and you all were surviving at school, and in the end, an accident happened, causing you to be scratched by those guys."
Now, only she and Sakura Megumi were here. Inaba Tsukiyo didn't want to tell this to the others, but Sakura Megumi could know about her dream, as it concerned her.
As she spoke, Inaba Tsukiyo gripped mikazuki munechika tightly in her hand. That scene was still very clearly imprinted in her mind.
Sakura Megumi's gaze in the rearview mirror changed. She opened her mouth but said nothing more.
Inaba Tsukiyo's words didn't stop. She continued to talk about her dream, especially the part where Sakura Megumi chose to face the zombies alone outside the door, protecting everyone, and even after being bitten, she relied on her remaining consciousness to reach the Second floor basement.
"I... I'm very worried about something like this happening. I don't know what this dream means, but I don't want to see it happen. So, when we go search for supplies later, Sister Megumi, you need to be careful. I... I don't want to..."
"So, you worry too much, Tsukiyo-chan."
Sakura Megumi interrupted Inaba Tsukiyo's words. She looked at the dilapidated street outside with a smile.
"Didn't you also say? In your dream, you weren't there. But you are with everyone now. If real danger happens, you will protect us, won't you?"
If she had heard this yesterday, Sakura Megumi might have been scared, but after her knot was untied, Sakura Megumi had become much more open-minded.
She believed in her and the others' future. Even if they encountered danger, Inaba Tsukiyo would definitely protect them.
Inaba Tsukiyo was silent. What she feared most was this kind of unconditional trust.
If she couldn't repay this trust, then the pain it would ultimately bring would be indescribable.
She had experienced this feeling of powerlessness—a feeling that even made her dejected for a period of time.
She would not make promises easily, but once she made a promise, she would use two hundred percent of her effort to fulfill it.
Touching the ring on her right hand, and recalling the power she gained when dealing with the zombies on the First floor, Inaba Tsukiyo slightly opened her pupils, and a gleam of light flashed in those crimson eyes.
After seeing Takenouchi Yuki in the car ahead waving to her with a smile, she smiled and waved back.
The road conditions were terrible, with overturned cars everywhere and zombies walking on the road.
Most of the roads were impassable due to cars blocking the way. Although it would waste some time, everyone decided to take a detour.
Kurumi, sitting in the back, was somewhat bored looking out the window. The driver had changed to Wakasa Yuri, and she needed to rest properly.
Takenouchi Yuki sat in the passenger seat, giving her directions, and the car suddenly became quiet.
Kurumi was somewhat bored looking at the scenery outside, but as they passed a street, Kurumi's eyes widened.
"Stop! Stop!"
"Eh?"
Wakasa Yuri, who was driving, was startled by Kurumi's words. Although she didn't know what happened, she quickly braked, and Takenouchi Yuki's head accidentally hit something.
But Kurumi paid no attention. She pressed tightly against the car window, staring straight at a house in front of the window.
She was calm, but her pupils were constantly trembling, indicating that her heart was struggling.
"What's wrong, Kurumi?"
"No, I didn't expect... there's nothing?"
Kurumi didn't say anything explicitly, but her heart was very restless at this moment, or rather, she was putting on a brave face.
Takenouchi Yuki, sitting in the passenger seat, turned her head and noticed that the house Kurumi was looking at had a sign that read [Ebisu-zawa].
Kurumi's full name was Ebisu-zawa Kurumi, which meant...
"Is this Kurumi's house?"
Takenouchi Yuki, a simple-minded girl, didn't notice Kurumi's emotions and asked very innocently.
After Kurumi and the others' car was forced to stop, Sakura Megumi, who was following them, also stopped her car. She got out with a puzzled look, wanting to check the situation, and then found a nameplate that read 'Ebisuzawa'.
"Is this… Kurumi's house?"
Sakura Megumi clearly understood why the car had suddenly stopped. It must have been because Kurumi saw that this was her home and couldn't help but stop.
Inaba Tsukiyo got out of the car, went to Sakura Megumi's side, heard her words, and looked up at the mansion.
At this moment, Kurumi got out of the car, a shovel in her hand. She looked at Sakura Megumi and Inaba Tsukiyo standing by the car and forced a smile.
"Are you okay? Do you want to…"
"No, Sister Megumi. I can go alone; I'll be back soon."
Kurumi gave a strained smile, turned to look at the mansion, and slowly walked towards the gate.
Sakura Megumi and Inaba Tsukiyo watched Kurumi disappear from their sight. Sakura Megumi clasped her hands in front of her, somewhat worried about Kurumi's state.
"Tsukiyo-chan, Kurumi… is she going to be okay?"
Although she had just adapted to the current situation, would she break down if she saw something she shouldn't inside?
Even though Kurumi usually fought zombies with Inaba Tsukiyo as the main combat force, she was still a girl. Was it really okay for a girl to witness such a cruel scene?
"That depends on her; I believe in her. Besides… I haven't heard any movement inside the house."
Apart from Kurumi's voice, there was no other sound in the house. The people inside had probably long since gone to who-knows-where.
While she didn't know what had happened to Kurumi's parents, seeing the house in disarray always brought to mind unpleasant images.
"I'll… go take a look too. Sister Megumi, please be careful."
It wasn't a good idea for both combatants of the team to leave, but Inaba Tsukiyo was somewhat worried about Kurumi and wanted to go check on her.
Sakura Megumi nodded in understanding. At this moment, it was better to let Inaba Tsukiyo go along. Inaba Tsukiyo had the most contact with Kurumi, so even if something happened, Inaba Tsukiyo could handle it.
After observing that there were no other zombies nearby, Inaba Tsukiyo entered the house, following Kurumi's voice into the mansion.
Inaba Tsukiyo quickly found Kurumi. She was in a room, which must have been her room.
She was lying there, clutching something tightly, her body trembling continuously.
Without a word, Inaba Tsukiyo sat down by the bed and reached out to pat Kurumi's back.
"Tsukiyo-chan…"
Kurumi looked up, her eyes showing tear tracks. Although she knew Inaba Tsukiyo couldn't see them, she still reached out to wipe her tears away.
"It's okay, everyone is here. You're not alone, Kurumi. We'll all bear it together. Don't be like Sister Megumi, trying to endure everything by yourself."
"…Mm, I know. It's just, I really can't be as strong as Tsukiyo-chan. Even though… even though I decided to protect everyone like Tsukiyo-chan, I still…"
The usually energetic Kurumi became very fragile at this moment. Although the senior who turned into a zombie was killed by Inaba Tsukiyo, it didn't cause her any psychological trauma.
But facing her family, whose fate was unknown, she couldn't help but… "Actually… I'm not strong at all. For a long time, I cried constantly, and I kept avoiding reality."
Truly, no one in this world could claim to be absolutely strong. They merely used a mask called strength to conceal their inner fragility.
"Like you, I also feel sad and helpless. That's why I want us all to be together, and that's how I can keep going."
Inaba Tsukiyo reached out and hugged Kurumi, stroking Kurumi's beautiful hair, comforting her.
"Mm, mm! Thank you, Tsukiyo-chan. It's so good to have you all by my side."
Nodding vigorously, Kurumi's small head buried itself in Inaba Tsukiyo's embrace.
Although it didn't have the same effect as Sakura Megumi and Wakasa Yuri, Kurumi's emotions gradually calmed down.
"Really… thank you, Tsukiyo-chan."