Six days later.
Shinjuku.
Above the city frozen in silence, Azlan floated slowly in the air thanks to Divine Dividing. The winter wind buffeted his face as he swept his gaze downward. The skyscrapers that were once bustling now looked like giant tombs, deserted and without human life.
"The number of Titans has increased... Where did this increase come from? Are they reproducing? But it doesn't look like that."
Azlan observed the colossal creatures, concluding that they had no reproductive organs, thus dismissing the possibility of Titans breeding like living creatures.
"Forget it. There's no use thinking about all this. As long as there are no hundred-meter-tall Titans, my and Akane's residence remains safe. No matter how many Titans appear."
He was completely unaware that his statement just now was like raising an ACG-style death flag.
Ignoring several Titans below staring at him with terrifying expressions with outstretched hands as if wanting to reach him, Azlan instead slowed his flight.
His focus was only one thing, searching for chickens.
Yes, chickens!
Azlan went out looking for chickens at Akane's request.
As a housewife handling cooking matters, Akane complained that eating canned meat was unhealthy if consumed daily. After all, canned meat was processed food, mixed with chemicals to last long, and not fresh.
"Titans and zombies are only interested in humans, they really ignore animals."
From above, Azlan witnessed a pack of wild dogs hunting rats among stalled cars, and a fox crossing calmly in front of a walking Titan, unnoticed.
"It won't be easy to find chickens outside. This is the peak of winter. They must be looking for warm places to hibernate, or at least hide."
With that, he changed direction, deciding to fly toward a residential area. If lucky, perhaps there was someone's house that used to keep chickens and still remained until now.
"Help! Anyone please help me!"
A desperate female voice broke through the cold air and pierced his ears. Azlan immediately stopped, his entire body tensing.
"A survivor?"
Although the incident with Sawagoe Tomaru had left trauma, it didn't mean Azlan became apathetic. Now he was just more careful and selective before helping. But still... he wasn't the type to let someone die just like that.
"Alright. Let's check."
*WHOOSH!*
His silhouette immediately shot forward, slicing through the air toward the source of that voice.
A few moments later, Azlan arrived at the location. However, he immediately realized he was almost too late.
In the distance, a woman was upside down—her body hanging with her head pointing to the ground. Her left leg was gripped by a fifteen-meter-tall Titan preparing to feed her body into its wide-open mouth.
The woman had given up. Her eyes were tightly closed, her face pale; she awaited the pain as her flesh was torn, without truly understanding what was happening or how she could have reached that point.
*SHIIINK!*
Before the Titan could move its hand further, a flash of white light struck. A Ki sword shot from Azlan's hand, cutting the Titan's hand precisely at the wrist with deadly precision.
*BAM!*
The Titan's large hand fell to the ground with a thud.
Gravity pulled the woman's body down, but Azlan was ready. With sharp reflexes, he caught her, bringing her into his embrace as if her weight was no more than a sheet of paper.
"T-Thank you so much..."
The woman opened her eyes, her face pale and wet with tears, but her voice trembled with extraordinary gratitude.
"..."
Azlan didn't respond. His gaze was cold, not because he didn't care, but because he was calculating time before other Titans became aware and surrounded them.
Without waiting a second, he shot upward, leaving the Titan that had lost its prey.
Within seconds, both had landed safely on a tall building's roof. The sound of Titan footsteps was only faint from below, unable to reach this height.
Azlan lowered the woman carefully. Only now, after the immediate threat was resolved, did he actually observe her properly.
The woman... was beautiful.
Her long hair was a reddish-brown color like maple honey, flowing down to her back. Her skin was so pale and smooth, like untainted white porcelain.
Her elegant face was adorned with a pair of captivating green eyes. Her body shape was truly ideal: perfectly harmonious body curves, breasts that were full yet proportional, and a slender waist without any excess fat.
Undoubtedly, her beauty was truly comparable to Kurokawa Akane.
How could Azlan notice such detailed particulars?
The answer was simple yet unexpected: the woman before him was only wearing light blue swimwear resembling a bikini!
The thin fabric hardly concealed anything. Her body lines were clearly visible, making Azlan instinctively avert his gaze.
"Once again, thank you for saving me."
The woman wiped the remaining tears on her cheeks with the back of her hand.
"My name is Kamiki Mirai. May I know your name?"
"Azlan Farid. Just call me Azlan."
"Azlan..." Mirai repeated softly while smiling, as if trying to remember his name. "A nice name. Thank you so much, Azlan-kun. I will definitely repay this debt someday."
When Mirai bowed deeply to show her gratitude. In that motion, her full breasts swayed slightly, but Azlan deliberately averted his gaze elsewhere.
(Unlike that certain bastard who repaid kindness with evil, this woman doesn't seem to be a bad person.)
That was his initial assessment of Kamiki Mirai. Her tone of thanks was sincere, her gaze direct, and she didn't immediately ask for more help. However, the scars of Tomaru's conspiracy were still fresh. Azlan had learned not to trust easily.
Perhaps this was a perfect act. Who knows?
"You're welcome. Mirai, do you mind if I ask you something?"
"Please ask, Azlan-kun."
Mirai straightened her back, showing a gentle smile. She didn't mind Azlan calling her first name familiarly.
"Mirai, are you... a pervert?"
"Huh?"
That smile froze on her face, replaced by a stunned and confused expression. Her pale cheeks began to be colored with a faint red tinge, a mixture of coldness and sudden embarrassment.
"W-Why does Azlan-kun think that?"
"Because you're only wearing underwear."
"This is a swimsuit!"
Reminded by Azlan that she was only wearing that small piece of light blue fabric, the adrenaline surge that had been sustaining her also subsided. Mirai immediately shivered. The blowing wind struck her widely exposed skin, making her hair stand on end. Her hands hugged her own body, trying to withstand the cold that suddenly became unbearable.
"To me, swimwear and underwear don't look different."
Saying so, Azlan removed the thick jacket he was wearing. Without hesitation, he draped it over Mirai's shoulders.
"Sorry for troubling you."
Mirai didn't refuse. Her cold hands immediately gripped the jacket's edges tightly, pulling it to wrap her body, bringing a faint scent of Azlan's body, a scent that somehow gave a sense of security filling her senses.
Wrapped in that large jacket, her figure that previously looked so "exposed" now appeared smaller and more fragile. Only her reddish-brown hair and green eyes still gazed at Azlan with remaining gratitude and confusion.
Mirai lowered her head, hugging herself with the jacket more tightly.