Under the moonlight, the girl looked breathtakingly beautiful.
Ryuji met her gaze, took a deep breath, and in the end… he didn't leave.
Instead, he quietly sat down in the corner of the room.
The girl hesitated for only a moment before leaning into his chest, burying her face against him.
She had been through too much fear tonight.
Ryuji gently wrapped his arms around her, letting her rest against him. He could feel the warmth of her body, the soft rise and fall of her breath…
And her scent—intoxicating, delicate, yet faintly tainted by the lingering traces of blood.
Even so, in this moment, that fragrance was a test of his self-control.
A test he wasn't sure he could pass.
The girl's body was soft and curvaceous—so much so that she didn't seem like a mere girl anymore. Strictly speaking, she was more like a perfectly ripe peach.
'Wait a minute… wasn't Food Wars basically a fanservice anime? And wasn't she supposed to be a blonde tsundere?'
As Ryuji gently stroked the girl's back to comfort her, his mind wandered to these thoughts.
If he remembered correctly, she was definitely a tsundere. But looking at their current situation, where was the arrogance? This girl in his arms was nothing more than a delicate young lady—one who had been completely shattered by fear.
A chef, yes. But more than that, a genuine princess of the culinary world. A young woman who practically ruled the food industry in the East. A lady so powerful that even the heiress of a massive meat conglomerate had to play second fiddle to her.
'If I were in her world, there's no way I'd ever get the chance to interact with her, right? Then again… if we're talking preferences, I actually liked the other girl better—the one called 'Ikumi'…'
It was astonishing how circumstances could change a person.
The once-proud Erina Nakiri had become so vulnerable.
As Ryuji reminisced about Food Wars, a different thought suddenly struck him—his actual favorite character was the unashamedly fanservice-heavy meat-loving blonde, the one who never stopped talking about A-grade wagyu.
Why?
Simple.
She was big and she showed off—and that was just…
"Ugh…"
A startled gasp pulled Ryuji out of his thoughts.
That was when he realized—there was a real young woman in his arms right now. One whose figure rivaled that of Ikumi. And thanks to their current position, she could definitely feel… changes.
Ryuji coughed awkwardly. To be honest, he wasn't exactly in the mood for such things right now, but what surprised him even more was that Erina didn't pull away.
Instead, she clung to him even tighter, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, refusing to face the cruel reality outside.
With a sigh, Ryuji pulled the blanket from the bed, draped it over both of them, and let exhaustion take over.
Together, they fell asleep on the cold floor.
When morning arrived, Ryuji was the first to wake—not out of habit, but because of his very urgent need to relieve himself.
Careful not to wake Erina, he gently lifted her onto the bed before dashing to his bedroom to take care of business using an old plastic bottle.
But when he stepped back out, he was met with an unexpected sight—
Erina, still dressed in nothing but an oversized shirt, standing by the doorframe, her cheeks tinged with red as she looked his way.
When she noticed his gaze, she turned her head to the side and muttered in a voice barely above a whisper—
"It's… it's not like I was worried about you or anything…"
Her tsundere reaction was almost refreshing.
Especially since they were about to head out and face yet another life-or-death situation.
By the time Erina had properly dressed, Ryuji handed her a can of luncheon meat.
"Our food supply is running low. Today, we need to scavenge more supplies and find a safer shelter. Or at least get new tires for the RV."
Last night, the zombies had been far stronger and faster than expected. Even their detection range had expanded.
And if it weren't for those same zombies driving away the wolf pack, their biggest concern this morning wouldn't be food—it would be getting torn apart by hungry wolves.
"…Alright."
Erina glanced at the dwindling food stockpile and nodded. She already knew why their supplies were running out.
Ryuji had clearly been searching for food yesterday, but because of her, he had been forced to stop. Now, with her added to the group, their consumption rate had effectively doubled.
So she had no objections about helping him scavenge.
"Make sure to wear something thick but easy to take off—nothing that'll restrict movement. I don't know if the wolves are still out there, and I need you to stay put until I say it's safe."
As Ryuji spoke, he opened his own can of luncheon meat and took a bite—only to watch Erina's eating habits in stunned silence.
With practiced precision, she cut the meat into small, delicate cubes, then drowned them in honey before swallowing them down like medicine.
She didn't even chew.
Didn't even let the food linger in her mouth longer than necessary.
Ryuji couldn't help but stare.
Erina fidgeted under his gaze before lowering her head.
"…This is the only way I can eat it."
He didn't say anything.
He didn't need to.
He could see it—the way her body instinctively resisted the food. The way she fought back the urge to gag.
It wasn't an act.
And it wasn't something she could control.
"It's fine. Everyone needs time to adjust."
He gave her a small smile before finishing his own portion. Then, pulling out two bottles of water, he handed one to her while pouring the other into his honey jar.
Erina took the bottle but hesitated to drink.
Instead, her expression turned somber as she murmured,
"…I must be useless, huh? A burden…"
For the first time, she resented her own tongue.
If it weren't for her God Tongue, she wouldn't have been discovered by the zombies so easily.
If it weren't for it, her meeting with Ryuji wouldn't have been so chaotic.
If it weren't for it, she wouldn't be such a picky eater in a world where food was scarce.
"…Maybe," Ryuji said nonchalantly. "I wouldn't know. I don't have your ability, so I can't judge. But what I do know is that right now, the most important thing is staying alive."
Because tomorrow wasn't guaranteed.
Erina still didn't understand how Ryuji could remain so calm in the face of all this despair, but she nodded seriously nonetheless.
"…Mm."
Once their meal was finished and they'd rested for a few more minutes, both of them donned thick coats scavenged from the RV.
Then, gripping a hatchet in one hand and a sharp chef's knife in the other, Erina took a deep breath.
Ryuji glanced at her, his expression serious.
"If we run into wolves, don't worry about me—just protect yourself."
Taking one last deep breath, he placed his hand on the door handle.
He didn't know if there were zombies outside.
He didn't know if the wolves were still lurking.
So he had to prepare for the worst.
Erina tightened her grip on the knife, her golden eyes flashing with determination.
"…I'll do my best."
Ryuji smirked.
"Alright—let's go."
With that, they stepped into the unknown.
Ryuji's heart began to race. He pushed open the door and darted out swiftly. The sound of his landing wasn't too loud, but it was enough to alert any nearby zombies.
But nothing happened.
The eerie silence around him made it seem as though both the zombies and the wolves had disappeared entirely.
The two cautiously surveyed the area around the RV. After confirming that there were no immediate threats, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. Naturally, Ryuji's gaze shifted toward the houses nearby.
Previously, he hadn't dared to scavenge here—for a simple reason: zombies.
There had been several wandering at the entrance of the town, and the densely packed houses bore clear signs of their presence.
If a fight broke out, it would attract half the town's undead, and by then, things would truly become disastrous.
But now, things were different. Most of the zombies had been drawn away, and Ryuji needed to verify something.
Most importantly, there was a supermarket close to their RV. Yesterday's wolf pack had already lured out all the zombies inside.
If possible, he wanted to check if there were still supplies left in the supermarket.
Moving carefully through the tall grass, Ryuji and Erina approached the nearest house. Ryuji peered through a broken window, scanning the rotting floor and abandoned furniture. Only after assessing the environment did he and Erina cautiously enter through the broken-down door and begin searching for anything useful.
There wasn't much food left behind. The only things they found were some vitamin tablets and a few pieces of candy. However, something unexpected caught Ryuji's eye—a small box of gold bars sitting on the table.
Under normal circumstances, he would have been overjoyed. But in this post-apocalyptic world, gold was practically useless. Still, out of habit, he took one as a keepsake—never leave empty-handed, after all.
With that, the two left the house and moved on to the next one.
Their second search also went smoothly—no zombies in sight. More importantly, they found three cans of chicken and some well-preserved ham.
But something felt... off.
"This is strange..."
Ryuji frowned as he looked at the empty bedside tables and storage cabinets.
"What's wrong?" Erina asked, pausing from her search through the pantry for spices.
"They always say Americans love their guns, but where are they?"
Ryuji couldn't wrap his head around it. It wasn't like they weren't being thorough. They had opened every drawer, checked every possible hiding spot...
Yet after searching two houses, they hadn't found a single firearm. Not even a stray bullet casing.
It made no sense.
"Maybe... the owners took them when they left?" Erina offered hesitantly, giving him an awkward smile.
"Maybe."
Ryuji shook his head. He had really been hoping to find a gun—preferably a submachine gun. With one, even if they ran into a massive horde, at least they would have a fighting chance. At the very least, he could go down with some dignity.
But so far, he hadn't found a single weapon, which left him feeling uneasy.
Even if he didn't plan on using it, just having one would make a difference.
And if they encountered other survivors...
Taking a deep breath, Ryuji pushed those thoughts aside. After last night, when he held Erina in his arms as they slept, he realized something—they were both running fevers. That meant there was a high chance they no longer needed to worry about other survivors.
"Alright, let's check the next house. We'll head to the supermarket last..."
He packed the food Erina had gathered into his backpack, ready to move on.
But just then, a voice echoed behind them.
"The store is open for business!"
At the same time, there was a distinct clicking sound—like a lock being released.
Both Ryuji and Erina froze, their heads snapping toward the source of the voice.
Behind the house that had been blocking their view, a strange flag fluttered atop a building.
The broadcast had come from there.
The two exchanged glances, then nodded.
If there were other survivors running a store, that was the best possible news. It meant there was still some form of human society left.
Why were they so sure the broadcast had come from a living person?
The answer was simple.
This town had lost power a long time ago.
Forget a broadcast—even the streetlights didn't work.
"Let's be careful. If it's just a timed broadcast and there are zombies nearby, we'll leave immediately," Ryuji whispered.
Moving quietly, they approached the source of the broadcast.
What they saw was a fortress.
Surrounded by layers of barbed wire and reinforced walls, the building had clearly been modified for survival. Its gate had been reinforced with metal plating, making it an ideal stronghold for the apocalypse.
Inside the fortified enclosure, within a metal shack with added security bars, stood a woman behind a counter.
A woman with a stethoscope around her neck.
She wasn't rotting.
She was breathing.
And most importantly—there were no zombies inside.
Ryuji could confirm it for one reason.
She was big.
With every breath she took, certain assets of hers visibly moved.
And that alone was proof enough that she was alive.
"An actual human!"
Ryuji and Erina's eyes lit up with excitement.
Without hesitation, they headed toward the only living person they had seen in a long time.
As they got closer, Ryuji kept a watchful eye on the building, checking for any hidden zombies lurking behind the door. But he found nothing.
Not only that, but there wasn't a single other person inside.
However... something was off.
The shopkeeper...
Didn't seem to notice them at all.