"So what about you, Rei?"
Shuya ignored Saya, who was currently dying of embarrassment beside him, and turned his gaze toward Rei.
"Huh?"
Rei was twirling a strand of hair around her finger, looking slightly awkward after Shuya's previous answer.
Could she really be blamed?
It was clearly that pink-haired glasses girl Saya who misunderstood first. And she even tried to offer herself to Shuya right in front of her!
Was it wrong for her to get a little worked up?
However, the moment Shuya called her by name, Rei's whole body trembled. She quickly snapped out of her embarrassment and answered.
Shuya asked curiously, "Don't you want to go back and check on your family?"
If he remembered correctly, Rei had always been quite family-oriented in the original story. So why was she staying completely silent while Saya was actively asking to be taken home?
"No need," Rei shook her head. "I already called home before dinner and told them I'm safe."
After all, the zombie crisis had only been going on for less than half a day. TV signals were still working normally, so phone lines were obviously fine too.
While Shuya had been busy cooking dinner earlier, Rei had taken the chance to contact her family and explain the situation.
Thanks to the warning Shuya had given her in advance, her police captain father had taken time off and stayed home with the family. He wasn't stuck at work like in the original story, which meant Rei didn't have to worry about losing contact with them.
Now that her family was safe and she no longer had that burden, the girl who had finally managed to live under the same roof as the boy she liked had no intention of leaving.
Rei suddenly smiled playfully and said, "Or… are you trying to kick me out?"
"Not at all," Shuya shook his head. "Stay as long as you want. It's not like we're short on food."
As the man who currently owned an entire cold-storage warehouse full of meat in the middle of the apocalypse, he said those words with absolute confidence.
"Really?"
The corner of Rei's mouth curved into a smile. She spoke her true feelings in the form of a joke: "Then it's a promise, okay? As long as I don't want to leave, you're not allowed to chase me away."
Without waiting for his reply, she hopped away like a lively rabbit.
Rei had decided: she would not accept any answer from him.
As long as she didn't hear a rejection, it counted as agreement.
After all, a girl's little willfulness was meant to be used at times like this, right?
Shuya scratched his head. Since Rei didn't need to go home, that meant the only person he had to send back was Saya.
He turned to look at the pink-haired girl beside him. She was still completely frozen in her embarrassed state.
He reached out and lightly tapped her forehead with his index finger. "Come back to earth, Takagi."
"Ah?"
Feeling the touch on her forehead, Saya instinctively stepped back.
She quickly covered the spot Shuya had touched with her hand. Her face turned even redder than before.
She lowered her head, staring intently at her ten cute white toes that were currently fighting each other on the floor.
If Shuya touched her head right now, he would discover that her brain was so overheated it was practically steaming.
"Let's go, Takagi."
Shuya took a few steps, then turned around when he noticed she wasn't following. "Takagi?"
"Oh— right!"
Only then did the pink-haired girl snap out of it. She hurriedly caught up and walked behind him.
Even though Shuya wasn't facing her, Saya's eyes stayed glued to his heels the entire time, too scared to look any higher in case he suddenly turned around.
After changing into outdoor shoes, Shuya led Saya to the underground garage.
Since Saya's house was quite far away, he obviously wasn't going to walk. He was going to drive.
He pulled off one of the dust covers.
A sleek, extremely cool-looking motorcycle was revealed.
Shuya wasn't particularly a motorcycle enthusiast and didn't recognize the brand, but the bike's aggressive styling still made his eyes light up.
He gently ran his hand across the body.
The streamlined frame, cold metallic skeleton, and pure black leather seat… every curve radiated power.
He had to admit—Rika had excellent taste.
"This one it is!"
Shuya nodded in satisfaction.
He swung his leg over the seat, patted the black cushion behind him, and said to Saya, "Get on."
"Um… isn't there a car over there? Why don't we take that instead?"
Saya finally couldn't hold back and spoke up.
As a rich young lady from a wealthy family, she had never ridden a motorcycle before.
But that wasn't the real reason she suggested taking the car.
If she got on the motorcycle, she would have to press her entire body against Shuya's back and hold onto him the whole time…
Just thinking about it made her body tingle.
"You sure have a lot of demands," Shuya said impatiently. "Get on if you want to. If not, I'm going back to sleep."
Although there was indeed an armored vehicle in the garage, the road conditions after the outbreak would be terrible. In this situation, two wheels were far more convenient than four.
He had no intention of explaining that to her.
"No—no, I'll ride! I'll ride!"
Saya panicked and quickly climbed onto the motorcycle behind him.
"That's more like it. Hold on tight. Don't fall off later."
Shuya reached back, grabbed both of Saya's hands, and pulled her forward so she was pressed tightly against his back. He then wrapped her arms around his waist.
He immediately felt a soft, warm pressure against his back.
He hadn't paid much attention before, but Saya actually had quite the figure. It felt like hers might even be bigger than Saeko's.
Of course, he wasn't deliberately trying to cop a feel.
He only let that thought linger for less than a second before starting the engine.
The cold mechanical beast roared to life.
Exhaust pipes blasted out powerful air currents as the tires gripped the ground with a low growl.
Shuya released the brake, twisted the throttle, and the stylish motorcycle shot forward like an arrow, carrying the two of them into the night.
Saya hugged Shuya tightly, pressing herself as close to him as possible.
No matter how cold the night wind was, it couldn't disperse the rising heat coming from her body.
She buried her face into his back, greedily breathing in his scent while feeling the warmth radiating from him.
Suddenly, Saya seemed to realize something. Her breathing hitched.
An unbelievable thought popped into her mind:
…Don't tell me I actually like him?
Shuya naturally had no idea what the girl behind him was thinking.
After riding for some time, another motorcycle suddenly caught up from behind and pulled alongside them.
Shuya glanced sideways. The rider was wearing a helmet, so he couldn't see her face.
But a magnetic, charming female voice came from under the helmet:
"Young man, you've got pretty good taste~"
"Sis also has a similar motorcycle at home. Want to race me for a bit?"
"If you win, big sister might consider giving you a little reward, you know~"