Morning light slowly crept through the cracked windows of the abandoned house.
Dust floated quietly in the pale sunlight.
For the first time since the apocalypse began, the city felt almost… peaceful.
Inside the house, Maru slowly opened her eyes.
"…Ugh."
She stretched lazily and sat up.
Her muscles still ached from yesterday's training.
"Why do I feel like I got hit by a truck…"
She rubbed her eyes and stood up, walking toward the hallway.
At the same moment, another door creaked open.
Hikari stepped out of the small room she had slept in.
Her hair was slightly messy and her glasses were tilted crookedly on her face.
She looked half asleep.
"…Morning."
Maru waved tiredly.
"Morning."
Both of them slowly walked toward the bathroom.
Then—
Click.
The bathroom door opened.
Steam drifted out into the hallway.
Rishiro stepped out.
He wore nothing but a towel around his waist.
Water still ran through his dark hair and across his shoulders.
For a moment—
Everyone froze.
Maru's brain stopped working.
Her face turned bright red instantly.
"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
She spun around so fast she nearly hit the wall.
Hikari stared at him.
Her eyes widened behind her glasses.
"…Oh."
A second later—
A tiny drop of blood appeared under her nose.
"…Ah."
She quickly covered it with her hand.
Rishiro blinked.
"…What?"
He looked between them in confusion.
"Why are you guys acting weird?"
Maru shouted without turning around.
"PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!"
Rishiro looked down at himself.
"…I have a towel."
Hikari quietly turned around as well, trying to calm herself.
"…Please leave."
Rishiro yawned.
"…Okay."
Completely oblivious to the chaos he caused, he walked past them and headed toward the room.
Maru slowly turned back.
Her face was still red.
"…Dumbass."
Later that morning—
The group stepped outside into the city again.
But something felt different today.
The streets were no longer silent.
Survivors stood in groups everywhere.
People were talking loudly.
Arguing.
Whispering.
Rumors were spreading.
Maru frowned.
"…What's going on?"
Daichi scratched his head.
"Feels like everyone heard something."
They walked through the street, listening to the conversations around them.
"…I'm telling you, it's true!"
"I saw the aftermath myself!"
"There were yokai bodies everywhere!"
Another voice spoke nervously.
"They say someone was hunting them all night."
"A player?"
"No way."
"Some people think it might've been a yokai."
Hikari adjusted her glasses.
"…Interesting."
"A large number of yokai disappeared overnight."
Daichi blinked.
"Someone wiped them out?"
Nearby survivors continued whispering.
"I heard it was a shadow moving across the rooftops."
"Yeah!"
"My friend said the street looked like a battlefield."
"No one saw the attacker clearly though."
While everyone talked excitedly—
Rishiro stood slightly behind the group.
Yawning.
"…Ah."
He stretched lazily.
The rumors clearly didn't interest him.
Maru glanced at him.
"…You're not curious?"
Rishiro shrugged.
"Not really."
He looked like someone who had just woken up from a nap.
To him, the entire conversation felt meaningless.
Meanwhile the rumors continued spreading through the street.
"The hunter killed dozens of yokai."
"They're calling him the Night Hunter."
"What if he's not human?"
Hikari looked thoughtful.
"…Whoever did this must be extremely strong."
Daichi nodded.
"Yeah."
"No normal player could do that."
Rishiro scratched the back of his head and yawned.
"…Maybe because they're stronger than us."
Maru stared at him.
"You're weirdly calm about this… and did you even sleep last night? You keep yawning."
Before Rishiro could answer—
A voice interrupted from behind them.
"Well, well."
The crowd slowly parted.
A familiar figure walked forward.
Kenta Moriyama.
Several members of his group followed behind him.
Beside him stood Yumi.
She watched quietly as the tension in the street suddenly changed.
Kenta's eyes immediately locked onto Rishiro.
A smirk appeared on his face.
"Well."
"Look who's still alive."
The surrounding survivors grew quiet.
Everyone sensed the tension between the two groups.
Maru stepped forward slightly.
Daichi tightened his grip on the axe.
Hikari watched carefully.
Rishiro, however—
Just yawned.
The two groups now stood face to face in the middle of the crowded street.
And the atmosphere slowly began to grow tense.
End of Chapter 19