The next day.
Outside, the winter dawn had just broken. The still gray sky was interspersed with soft orange hues on the eastern horizon.
Frost froze on the surface of the window glass, forming intricate crystals that reflected the dim light. The piercing cold air felt even through the concrete walls, making the entire frozen Tokyo City seem to sleep in silence.
At a height of more than 100 meters, the wind whispered softly around the skyscraper, carrying fine snow flakes that swirled around.
Inside the house built on the building's roof, warmth still remained from the night before.
"Yawn..."
Azlan's sound sleep was disturbed by an unbearable urge from his bladder. With eyes still heavy and a lazy body, he forced himself to leave the warm and comfortable mattress. The cold air outside the blanket immediately attacked him.
In a half-conscious state, his steps stumbled toward the toilet. In front of the door, he yawned widely while pushing the door handle without thinking.
"Azlan-kun?!"
A woman's startled voice echoed clearly in the house inhabited by only two people.
"Huh?"
Hearing that familiar voice, Azlan froze in place, his brain still foggy with sleep suddenly jolted. His gaze, still blurry, focused on Akane's figure sitting on the toilet. Her pajama pants and panties were pulled down below her knees, revealing white thighs and—
"Akane? What are you—"
Before his brain could fully process what he was witnessing, the clear sound of flowing water—accompanied by a faint smell of ammonia that suddenly filled the air—broke the silence.
Under Azlan's widening gaze, Akane with cheeks flushed to her ears, was urinating!
"Azlan-kun... don't look... please close the door."
She quickly hid her bright red face with both hands.
The burning shame made her want to disappear. How embarrassing, Azlan witnessing her most private moment.
"Ah, yes...!"
Jolted from his daze, Azlan closed the toilet door as fast as lightning. His heartbeat pounded loudly in his ears, and all sleepiness had vanished.
*CLICK!*
Not long after, the sound of the toilet flushing was heard from behind the door. Then the door opened slowly, and Akane appeared with her head bowed low, avoiding eye contact.
"I'm sorry, Akane."
Azlan immediately apologized without any excuse.
"Please, forget what just happened, Azlan-kun." Akane whispered, her cheeks still red. "And... it's also my fault for not locking the door."
Akane was a rational woman. She wouldn't shift her own mistake to others. Wrong is wrong, no need to make excuses to justify oneself.
This was a quality advantage that the majority of women didn't possess!
"Okay. I'll forget it." Azlan promised sincerely.
Although his words were firm, his heart betrayed him.
A universal principle of humans: The more humans are forbidden, the more they want to violate it.
So, the brief image of Akane's figure in a half-naked state—white thighs, stunned embarrassed expression—was clearly imagined in his mind.
(What am I thinking! Forget it! That's very disrespectful to Akane!)
Azlan shook his head hard, trying to drive away that image. With quick steps, he entered the toilet, hoping cold water could help calm his chaotic mind.
"..."
Meanwhile, Akane who had reached the bedroom, quickly closed the door. She didn't immediately get into bed, but instead crouched on the floor, burying her still burning face between her knees.
"Oh my, that was so embarrassing!" She moaned in a muffled voice. "I never thought a lewd scene like in manga would actually happen to me!"
She bit her lower lip, shame surging in her chest.
"What's worse... Azlan-kun saw me... peeing! He won't think I did it on purpose, will he? Or think I'm weird?"
Her head was full of excessive worries.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
That morning, the atmosphere between them both felt somewhat awkward and quiet.
Akane, who usually always started conversations with stories or questions, this time was quieter than usual. She was busy with her breakfast, avoiding eye contact that lasted too long.
On the other side, Azlan indeed wasn't the talkative type, so he chose to remain silent, worried that his words would accidentally touch on sensitive topics or remind them both of the embarrassing incident at dawn.
After a simple breakfast, Azlan neatly wore the blue scarf Akane gave him around his neck. He stood in front of the entrance door, preparing to leave.
"My plan today is to clean up all the zombies still wandering on the lower floors of this building. Although the access door to this rooftop is tightly locked, there's no guarantee they can't break in someday."
"If that situation happens when I'm away, it will be very dangerous for you. Better safe than sorry."
Hearing Azlan's explanation that he was doing all this for her safety, a warm feeling flowed in Akane's heart. The remnants of this morning's awkwardness seemed to vanish covered by feelings of emotion and attention. She stepped forward, her small hands gently rearranging the scarf folds on his neck.
"Don't take risks that endanger yourself, Azlan-kun." She whispered, her eyes full of sincere worry. "Remember, there's me waiting for your return here."
"Understood." Azlan answered, feeling the warmth from Akane's touch and words.
"Safe travels."
Akane opened the door for him. The cold morning wind immediately hit, bringing flakes of frost. Azlan stepped out, and with a pair of shining blue-white wings that appeared from his back—manifestation of Divine Dividing—he floated slowly before flying away from the roof.
Akane waved her hand until Azlan's figure disappeared. She stood for a while in the cold wind before finally going back inside the house that suddenly felt very quiet.
"Well, what should I do now? Hmmm..."
After seeing off the 'head of household' going to 'work', Akane now thought of activities to fill her free time throughout the day.
"Oh, right! The pile of dirty clothes hasn't been washed."
She walked to the window, seeing the winter sun shining brightly although the air remained cold.
"The sun is shining bright today. Don't miss this rare drying opportunity in winter like this."
With firm determination, Akane headed to the bathroom, collecting all the dirty clothes—both hers and Azlan's—and began washing using the washing machine they got from an electronics store at the mall.
Meanwhile, Azlan had already landed in front of the skyscraper's entrance. A dark atmosphere and rotten smell greeted him. He took a deep breath, his blue eyes scanning the corridor full of slowly moving shadows.
With distance separating them, they both carried out their respective roles. One was tasked with maintaining security and ensuring survival, facing terror in the darkness. The other took care of 'home', ensuring that daily life continued, creating normalcy and warmth in the midst of chaos.