Azlan took Akane around the minimarket that had become his base. They started from the shopping area in front, neat shelves with remaining stock of canned food and snacks, then to the back warehouse full of spare cardboard boxes, the aroma of dust and dry food greeting their noses.
Next, the staff room with a simple desk and metal lockers, followed by a small clean bathroom thanks to the rainwater tank on the roof.
Finally, Azlan opened the door to the manager's room which also functioned as his private bedroom.
Standing in the manager's room, Akane let out a long sigh, her eyes sweeping the mess around.
"Azlan-kun, you're just like most men, huh... Your room is so messy."
The room was indeed messy: shirts and pants scattered on the floor like piles of forgotten worn fabric, blankets and pillows on the single bed not folded rolled up haphazardly, and instant food wrappers and empty water bottles adding to the filth on the floor.
Azlan: "😐"
He fell silent and didn't argue. His focus all this time had only been on Senjutsu training and survival. Room tidiness was a luxury he had never thought about.
"This isn't a good place to chat. Let's move to another room."
Turning around, Azlan walked to the staff room, his steps quickly leaving that mess.
(Azlan-kun must be embarrassed about his messy room being seen by a girl, right? He's not as indifferent as he appears. So cute~)
Giggling inwardly, Akane hurried to chase after him, a small smile playing on her lips.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
In the staff room, the atmosphere was tidier with a table in the middle and chairs around it.
"You must be thirsty. Drink this."
"Thank you."
Sitting in a chair, Akane accepted the mineral water bottle that Azlan gave her.
(He even opened the cap for me before giving it.)
Without realizing Akane's thoughts, Azlan sat across from her.
"Feeling better?"
"Mm."
The brief conversation ended, leaving a slightly awkward silence.
Akane stared at her bottle for a moment, then raised her head.
"Oh yeah, what did Azlan-kun mean about me coming from another world? Can you tell me in more detail? I really don't understand what you were talking about earlier."
"Where is this actually? Why is this city filled with zombies like in movies?"
Now, with her mind calmer, the doubts and questions filling her heart finally overflowed.
"This might sound implausible. But, actually, both you and I, Akane, we're not from this world."
This was the conclusion that Azlan obtained from his analysis with Albion after months of exploration and finding new corpses.
Not only Kurokawa Akane and Aki Tomoya were somehow thrown into this post-zombie apocalypse world, even Azlan Farid was part of this anomaly.
His initial speculation that he was thrown into the future turned out to be invalid. They were all strangers in a strange land, lost in a reality that didn't belong to them.
"Indeed, that sounds implausible. It's easier to believe that this is all a giant reality show, with hidden cameras watching our every move, and our reactions becoming entertainment for viewers at home."
Akane shook her head slowly, her eyes staring at the table between them, as if trying to digest the crazy reality that Azlan had just revealed.
"But... I believe Azlan-kun isn't lying."
That statement made Azlan stunned. He had already prepared various proofs and further arguments to convince her. Unexpectedly, this girl actually accepted his impossible explanation so easily.
"You're surprised I immediately believe you?" Akane asked, as if she could read his mind. A small bitter smile appeared on her lips.
"This might sound a bit narcissistic, but actually, I'm quite skilled at distinguishing between lies and truth. After all, my main profession is an actress."
Akane looked straight into Azlan's eyes, and for a moment, Azlan could see a flash of experience and maturity behind her beautiful young face.
"In the world of acting, we don't just memorize dialogue. We have to become that character. We create lies so convincing that the audience believes our tears are real, our anger is genuine, and our happiness is authentic."
"We are peddlers of dreams, but also experts in the art of deception. To be able to create the perfect lie, we must be able to recognize what's real."
"I'm used to reading micro-expressions, tone of voice, and body language. And from the way you spoke earlier... I didn't see a single sign that you were lying to me."
Her explanation stunned Azlan. This was a completely new perspective for him.
"That's new knowledge. You've broadened my horizons, Akane. All this time, I've always thought politicians were the biggest liars in the world."
"Eh? You're not wrong, Azlan-kun."
Akane could sense the hidden hatred in Azlan's tone toward political figures.
"I know this sounds crazy, Azlan-kun, but besides my strong intuition that you're not lying. Everything I've seen and experienced so far... is too real to be just a TV reality show setup."
She glanced toward the staff room window, where snow continued to fall peacefully over the dead city.
"Everything I've seen and experienced so far... is too realistic to be just a TV reality show. The scale of all this—a truly destroyed, abandoned metropolitan city filled with zombies."
"What TV station would waste their resources this much, build a set this large, just for a third-rate actress like me? It doesn't make sense."
Pausing for a moment, Akane showed a bitter smile. She then squeezed the 4D Pocket she now held in her hand.
"Then, there's this object. The 4D Pocket. I accidentally found it from a Light Ball, and its function is truly beyond reason. I've never heard of any country or company capable of developing portable dimensional storage technology like this. This object alone is already irrefutable proof that I'm dealing with something extraordinary."
However, her gaze then focused entirely on Azlan.
"But what's most convincing is Azlan-kun himself."
"Not only can you defeat those zombies with your bare hands, punching their heads to pieces, you can even fly in the air with light wings emerging from your back. That's something humans don't have, Azlan-kun. No normal human can do things like that."
"With all the evidence before me, however illogical and hard to believe all this is—a girl suddenly thrown into a post-apocalyptic world with the gift of a dimensional pocket—I must believe that everything I've experienced is not fake. We're truly in a strange world, Azlan-kun."
Akane ended her explanation, letting out a long sigh, as if she had just laid down a heavy burden from her shoulders.
"Your thought process is very impressive, Akane."
That praise came from Azlan's mouth sincerely. In his usually cold eyes, now shone a glimmer of admiration.
"I've heard women prioritize feelings over logic. But you're different. You're able to analyze evidence with a cool head and draw rational conclusions, even though the reality is so hard to accept."
What else could Azlan do? The rhetoric and arguments he had prepared turned out to be unnecessary. Akane had jumped over all that and landed on the same conviction as him, perhaps even with a more careful thought process.
Akane blushed hearing his praise.
"Ah, not really that much... I just... tried not to panic and think as clearly as possible. In a situation like this, panicking will only make everything worse, right?"
"Right."
Azlan was grateful that Akane wasn't the type of annoying woman who was difficult to discuss with using common sense.