Out in the corridor, Yukino finally snapped back to reality.
She stole a glance at Nanashi's profile, her gaze filled with complicated emotions.
After a moment of hesitation, she gathered her courage and asked, "That guy…?"
"Dead."
Before she could finish her sentence, Nanashi answered bluntly.
"…"
Yukino bit her lip.
He had killed someone because of her. She couldn't let him take all the blame.
Summoning her resolve, she declared, "Nanashi-san, if someone has to take responsibility, I will. I won't let you go to jail for this."
SMACK!
"Ow!"
Yukino winced as Nanashi flicked her forehead.
"Are you stupid? There are no laws in this world anymore," he said flatly.
"Scumbag or not, with the way he was, he would've died to zombies sooner or later. I just saved him the trouble."
His meaning was clear.
He wasn't someone who bothered with moral dilemmas. There were no laws, no justice—only survival. And if killing trash like that made things easier, then so be it.
Too lazy to argue, Nanashi stopped and raised his right hand.
"That being said… Can you let go of my hand now?"
"Huh?"
Yukino blinked in confusion.
Only then did she realize—
Their fingers were interlocked.
And she was the one holding on.
"!!!"
Flustered, she yanked her hand away and quickly hid it behind her back.
Nanashi glanced at her now-red earlobes but said nothing.
He simply kept walking.
Yukino pursed her lips and stared at her right hand.
That warmth… it was strangely comforting.
Shaking off her thoughts, she hurried after him.
After climbing up one more floor, Yukino noticed something odd.
There wasn't a single moving zombie.
Sensing her confusion, Nanashi spoke, sounding a little impatient.
"I searched three floors looking for you. Of course, I cleared them out."
Fortunately, his Five-Elements Lightning-Dharma weren't purely Ki-based. They drew on his life energy, which could quickly replenish with rest.
This was likely a special advantage granted by the Doomsday Roulette for acquiring abilities.
As they moved, Yukino followed Nanashi, carefully rechecking the floor.
She assumed he was searching for other survivors.
In reality, he was just racking up points.
Then, a thought struck him. He turned to Yukino.
"Have you ever killed a zombie before?"
Yukino shook her head.
"Wanna give it a try?"
"Me?" Yukino pointed at herself, startled.
"Yeah. Since this world works like a game, there should be rewards for killing monsters."
Nanashi was curious—would Yukino gain anything from zombie kills, even without the Doomsday Chat Group?
Only one way to find out.
…
Soon, the two came across a zombie.
Before it could react, Nanashi raised his hand. In an instant, Dark lightning ensnared the creature's limbs, locking it in place.
"…"
Even though she had seen this ability multiple times along the way, Yukino still couldn't hide her amazement and curiosity.
She didn't fully understand it, but from what she had heard, it was supposedly a form of lightning magic.
"Go ahead. Give it a try."
Nanashi handed her a steel pipe.
"Alright."
Gripping the pipe tightly, Yukino stepped forward.
"Roar..."
Even with its limbs restrained, the zombie's grotesque head twisted and thrashed violently as it let out a guttural, savage growl.
Taking a deep breath, Yukino steadied herself, determination flashing in her eyes.
"HA!"
With all her strength, she drove the steel pipe straight into the zombie's mouth—
Squelch!
The pipe pierced through its skull, silencing it instantly.
With a firm tug, she pulled the weapon free.
The zombie's head slumped forward.
As the Dark Lightning dissipated, its lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
She did it.
She actually killed a zombie!
Heart pounding, Yukino turned to Nanashi with excitement.
He gave her a small smile and a thumbs-up.
For some reason, that simple gesture filled her with an inexplicable sense of happiness.
Still gripping the steel pipe, she walked over to him—
And then, something strange happened.
A katana suddenly materialized in her hand.
Yukino blinked in confusion before quickly piecing things together. Organizing her thoughts, she explained:
"After I killed the zombie, the Doomsday Game sent me a notification. I gained 1 Survival Point and unlocked the Store function."
She continued, "The store lets me exchange points for items. Right now, there are only five options: food, water, katanas, pistols, and bullets."
"Food and water cost 1 point for 3 portions each. Katanas cost 1 point. A pistol costs 5 points, and bullets are 10 rounds for 1 point."
Nanashi stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"So, it works like a game shop."
"Nanashi-san..."
"Just call me Nanashi. No need for formalities."
"…"
Yukino hesitated for a moment before nodding.
"Alright. Then… just call me Yukino."
Clearing her throat, she pressed on.
"But Nanashi, you've killed so many zombies. Why don't you have any points?"
Nanashi shook his head.
"I'm… special."
He did have points—but not Survival Points from the Doomsday Game.
His points came from the Doomsday Chat Group instead.
1 zombie = 1 Doomsday Point.
Adding the 500 points he had from the start, his total was now 850 points.
Yukino didn't overthink it.
Nanashi had special powers even before the apocalypse. It made sense that he had his own unique system.
Looking up, she noticed the sky was getting dark.
"We should find a place to rest," she suggested. "There are still six days left. We need to stay in top shape."
Nanashi nodded.
As for where they would stay—he already had a plan.