"Calm down, Yuri. Control your emotions; don't get too agitated."
Inaba Tsukiyo reached out and cupped Wakasa Yuri's cheeks, slightly opening her eyes and gazing into Wakasa Yuri's eyes.
She should have realized it sooner. Although Wakasa Yuri was the most rational person in the School Life Club, her heart was also very fragile.
Their current situation couldn't allow Wakasa Yuri to continue like this. If she didn't calm down, Wakasa Yuri might have a mental breakdown.
"No matter what happens, we are here. Even if it's a difficult matter, I will help you. Whatever you want to do, I will help you, Yuri."
Inaba Tsukiyo wasn't sure why Wakasa Yuri suddenly became so fragile. What needed to be done now was to stabilize Wakasa Yuri's emotions.
Once Wakasa Yuri's emotions calmed down, she could tell her what she wanted to do, and then she would try her best to help her.
Large tears streamed uncontrollably from Wakasa Yuri's eyes, quickly wetting her cheeks.
Wakasa Yuri's vision was blurred by tears, but she still looked at Inaba Tsukiyo.
This girl was different from her; she needed others to protect her, but Inaba Tsukiyo didn't need anyone to take care of her. She was so strong, yet she took on the role of protecting others.
Wakasa Yuri, gradually calming down, wiped the tears from her eyes, and her emotions slowly returned to normal.
To avoid causing too much commotion, Inaba Tsukiyo and Wakasa Yuri went to a nearby classroom; they needed to have a good talk.
Wakasa Yuri made a cup of hot tea for Inaba Tsukiyo. While drinking the tea, Wakasa Yuri recounted the story of her younger sister, Kouru.
She had a younger sister who was very attached to her, a very cute and cheerful sister.
Wakasa Yuri loved her very much. For this sister who loved to share her entire world with her, Wakasa Yuri also gave her the utmost affection.
However, all of this had changed. The original world became dangerous, and the outbreak of zombies destroyed everything.
"Is that so? Your most precious sister...? Hehe~ It feels like my older sister. However, my older sister is even more amazing than me."
Although her older sister wasn't her biological sister, and she wasn't in this world.
If she were to come to this world, she would probably use her power to establish her own faction in this world; that's the kind of person she was.
"Yes, very precious. Before, I always took care of Yuki as my sister, but when I saw that person with the Nishikowa Elementary School badge, I remembered Kouru. Although only a few days have passed, Kouru's situation must be very dangerous."
The reason that zombie came out of Nishikowa Elementary School was also because Nishikowa Elementary School didn't have enough supplies, otherwise it wouldn't have risked its life to leave the school.
Although there were teachers in the school, when she thought of the principal they saw in the deep room where supplies were hidden on the second basement floor, she didn't think the teachers could be relied upon.
That guy was just a coward. This was the thought of everyone who saw the principal's body.
Even they were alive and well, yet this guy, for reasons unknown, perhaps a guilty conscience or something else, chose to commit suicide, which was truly ironic.
"Hey... Tsukiyo-chan, you must also have someone very important, right? The ring you wear on your ring finger must have been given to you by someone very important, right?"
"...Yes, very important. If it weren't for her, I would probably have died long ago."
Inaba Tsukiyo was silent for a moment. Regarding her past, a large part of it she didn't remember very clearly.
However, Inaba Tsukiyo always remembered everything about her very clearly.
Because of her, she was able to find salvation and live until now.
"I promised her that I would live well. I couldn't be alone like before; I had to find many, many friends and not be lonely."
At this point, Inaba Tsukiyo couldn't help but laugh. That guy herself didn't have many friends, and she didn't know what right she had to say that to her.
Inaba Tsukiyo put down her cup, came to Wakasa Yuri's side, reached out and took her right hand, and smiled.
"Do you know why I don't call you Sister Ri like Kurumi and Yuki? Because my actual age is much older than yours."
Yes, her actual age was even greater than the combined ages of the other members of the School Life Club. Calling Sakura Megumi Sister Megumi was just to go along with Takenouchi Yuki.
Wakasa Yuri's first thought was disbelief, but then she thought of Inaba Tsukiyo's mature demeanor, which exceeded what she should have at her age, and she began to doubt if she was really much older than her.
"Regarding a girl's age, Sister Ri, you should know that it's a secret. What we need to discuss is going to save Kouru."
"When Kurumi went home before, she didn't find her parents. We don't know what happened to her parents, but I don't want Yuri's sister to be in trouble. So... let's go together tomorrow."
They would go early to Nishikowa Elementary School, where Kouru was, to find her, although they didn't know about Kouru's safety during this time.
But no matter how slim the hope, Inaba Tsukiyo would not give up; she would hold on tightly to it.
Wakasa Yuri opened her eyes and looked at Inaba Tsukiyo. Although the ultimate goal of this conversation was to persuade Inaba Tsukiyo to help her rescue Kouru, she didn't expect Inaba Tsukiyo to agree so readily before the topic was even broached.
This feeling was like in manga or novels, where the male protagonist appears like a god to help the female lead when she is at her most helpless.
Although Inaba Tsukiyo was also a girl, Inaba Tsukiyo's help shone on her fragile heart like a ray of light.
"How cunning. If Tsukiyo-chan were a Boy, you would definitely be the so-called harem male lead right now. We are all Tsukiyo-chan's heroines."
"Huh? Harem male lead? I'm not some strange thing like that. I'm just doing what I want to do. Although I've thought about doing that sort of thing (in a low voice)... And... you're crying again, Yuri."
She had finally managed to comfort her, so why was she crying again? It was truly baffling.
"No, it's because I'm too happy. The tears are uncontrollable."
Wiping away her tears, sniffing, she said with a sob and a smile.
This scene of crying and laughing was a bit perplexing, but these must be the so-called tears of happiness.
"Is it really okay? Risking your life for me and all... We don't know the situation at Nishikowa Elementary School, and even if we drive, it will take a while to get there."
"Even so, we have to go there. It's not a question of whether we can or not, but that we must. Are we going to give up this opportunity because of a little difficulty? You don't want that either, do you, Yuri?"
"Besides rescuing people this time, we can also look around the area for things we need. So don't put too much pressure on yourself, Yuri."
In order to prevent Wakasa Yuri from having too much psychological burden, Inaba Tsukiyo found a particularly awkward excuse to comfort her.
As expected, Inaba Tsukiyo really didn't know how to comfort people well.
The clever Wakasa Yuri, of course, heard that this was just an excuse to comfort her and couldn't help but laugh.
Then, before Inaba Tsukiyo could react, she hugged Inaba Tsukiyo tightly.
In an instant, Inaba Tsukiyo felt herself sink into a warm embrace, which was not only warm but also very soft.
Wakasa Yuri hugged Inaba Tsukiyo tightly, just like Takenouchi Yuki had said, Inaba Tsukiyo's body was very soft.
"I'm sorry, I know this is very selfish. But just for a moment, let me hug you, okay?"
Wakasa Yuri tightened her embrace of Inaba Tsukiyo, burying her cheek in Inaba Tsukiyo's hair, and her mood gradually calmed down.
Sensing Wakasa Yuri's gradually calming heartbeat at close range, Inaba Tsukiyo gave up on pushing Wakasa Yuri away. After hesitating for a moment, she hugged Wakasa Yuri's waist.
Although she didn't like being hugged like this, Wakasa Yuri was acting spoiled towards her. It was obviously inappropriate to push Wakasa Yuri away at this time, so she could only let Wakasa Yuri hug her.
"Yuri, you must also like hugging Kouru like this."
"Yes, whenever Kouru is sad, I hug her like this. When she cries because of something, I also hug her like this, and wait until she cries herself to sleep before carrying her back to her room."
"Then am I the one being comforted by you now?"
"Mmm-hmm (shakes head), I'm the one being comforted. Thank you, Tsukiyo-chan."
Wakasa Yuri was well aware that she was actually very fragile inside. Besides being a support for others, she also hoped that she could occasionally rely on others like this.
So she was very grateful to Inaba Tsukiyo. If it weren't for her coming to her, she would probably have fallen into missing Kouru and eventually collapsed because her spirit couldn't bear it.
"Don't say thank you, Yuri. Recover well and prepare, because of my eyes, I can't drive. For tomorrow's operation, it's best if just the two of us go, and the others stay here to guard the place."
Although she felt that the location of Megurigaoka City, the outbreak of the apocalypse had blocked some roads.
The road to Nishikowa Elementary School tomorrow would definitely not be so easy, so it was best to prepare well for tomorrow's operation.
After listening to Inaba Tsukiyo's arrangements, Wakasa Yuri nodded.
She had no objections. After all, there was no need to drag others into this dangerous journey. This was already the best arrangement.
Just as Inaba Tsukiyo was about to separate from Wakasa Yuri after saying this, she suddenly felt a soft sensation on her forehead.
Through sensation, Wakasa Yuri's delicate cherry lips lightly touched her forehead.
"Yuri, what are you doing?"
"Hehe ~ Don't misunderstand. I always do this when Kouru wants a reward. This is just a very ordinary kiss."
"I'm not your younger sister, don't do things like this. It feels so strange."
Inaba Tsukiyo began to struggle weakly, but she didn't notice Wakasa Yuri's slightly flushed cheeks.