On August 7th, the wind still showed no signs of weakening, and the rain continued to pour down with a constant crash.
The abnormal weather had already lasted seven days.
Fortunately, when choosing the location back then, Haizaki had fully considered the possibility of heavy rain. The villa area they were in was not severely affected, and the ample supply reserves ensured they did not fall into a temporary shortage of necessities.
"I'll handle the feeding today. I'll also check the surrounding villas. With winds this strong, it's very likely that windows could shatter."
He couldn't manage everything, but at the very least, he needed to inspect the villas surrounding Villa No. 5, where they lived.
Many supplies were stored in nearby villas.
Villa No. 4 was mainly used as a breeding area for chickens, ducks, and geese. Villa No. 6 was primarily for storing diesel generators and vehicle fuel.
Further out, Villas No. 3 and No. 7 were also used by Haizaki to store essential supplies and equipment.
In the four months since arriving in Wuhua City, this was the first time such strange weather had appeared. Haizaki made up his mind to prepare and guard against such situations even more thoroughly in the future.
Doing more preparation was never wrong.
"I'll go with you."
Compared to yesterday and the day before, the wind was even fiercer today.
The howling wind made Utaha worry about Haizaki's safety if he went out alone.
"Kasumigaoka-san, you should stay home."
The wind was simply too strong. For a girl like her to go out would be far too dangerous.
"Then… maybe you shouldn't go either… Even if they eat less for a day, they won't starve…"
"I'm worried the glass might break. If that happens, the chickens and ducks could get blown away…"
Haizaki said with a smile, joking lightly. Of course, he absolutely did not want that to actually happen.
Although he hadn't had the chance to eat those meat chickens, he didn't want them blown away by the storm either. Some of the hens only needed a few more months before they could lay eggs—they were precious to him.
Crack—
"Ah—!"
A sharp sound of shattering glass suddenly rang out from the first floor of the villa.
The wind instantly rushed in through the broken window.
The gale, mixed with shards of glass, was extremely dangerous.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Haizaki froze for a moment, then immediately rushed over to check on Utaha. A shard that had flashed past earlier made his pupils shrink, leaving him shaken with lingering fear.
"No, I'm fine. I'm not hurt."
Utaha was also frightened. The glass had shattered without warning.
They had clearly closed and secured all the windows.
"I'll fix it. Stay here and don't go near the windows."
Haizaki rushed to the storage room to grab tools, put on protective gear, and headed to the broken window.
One half of the window had shattered, while the other half was covered in dense cracks.
Keeping his distance, Haizaki took out a hammer and smashed the remaining glass.
Crash—clatter—
Bang—
As the glass fell, Haizaki jumped back a step to avoid being hit.
Replacing the window was obviously impossible right now. For the time being, he could only use the prepared wooden boards to nail it shut.
Once the weather improved, he would deal with the window properly.
"I'll go over there. You—"
But unexpectedly, while he was repairing the window, Utaha had already changed into outdoor training clothes and put on a raincoat.
Clearly, she had decided to go out with Haizaki.
"Really, stay here—"
"I want to go take a look. I won't get in your way."
"Put on a helmet. When we go out, hold onto me and don't let go."
"Mm…"
She tied up her hair and put on a steel helmet.
"Be careful…"
Haizaki pushed the door open, and the violent wind hit them head-on, forcing him to squint.
Only by experiencing it firsthand could one truly feel how powerful the wind was.
Haizaki gestured to Utaha that they could move out, then closed the door behind them.
She reached out and tightly gripped Haizaki's left wrist, the one holding the tools.
Haizaki paused for a moment but said nothing.
This was fine. At least the pressure on his wrist let him know the girl was right beside him.
The two lowered their bodies and struggled forward step by step toward the outer wall.
Perhaps this storm would never truly end.
"Come here, stay close to the wall…"
Just after leaving the villa courtyard, Haizaki pulled the girl over forcefully, and the two leaned against the wall, gaining a brief moment of rest.
The trees around them rustled violently, their straight trunks visibly tilting. Haizaki even suspected they might be uprooted and blown away at any moment.
"Kasumigaoka-san, maybe you should go back first…"
Haizaki raised his voice, afraid she wouldn't hear him, but the only response was the girl shaking her head in refusal.
"Then stay close to me…" Haizaki pointed to himself and shouted again.
She nodded.
Haizaki switched the tools to his right hand and grabbed the girl's right hand with his left.
"Lower your body. Hold onto me tightly. Let's go…"
"Mm…"
The two relied on the wall as they moved toward Villa No. 4. A distance of just over thirty meters took them several minutes to cross.
"Alright, go inside…"
Although he was wearing rain gear, Haizaki could still feel his clothes and shoes soaked through.
Especially his socks, which were wet and clinging to his feet, making him uncomfortable.
Click—
The moment the villa door closed, the sound of wind and rain instantly diminished, as if entering a completely different world. Outside, the storm raged violently, while inside, it was quiet and calm.
Haizaki headed toward the chicken enclosure. This time, he was here to check on them.
The moment he opened the door, wind and rain rushed in, battering him.
It was broken. The window was shattered.
Two chickens failed to avoid it in time and were blown straight toward Haizaki.
"Cluck—!"
"Cluck—!"
Haizaki quickly shut the door.
"The glass is broken. It looks like there are only four chickens left inside."
Including the two blown into their current room, a total of three chickens had been swept away.
Utaha felt distressed. She had raised those chickens since they were small and had grown attached to them.
She fed them every day, watching them grow. They were one of the few joys in her life.
Haizaki went to check the ducks and geese. Fortunately, none of them were harmed—not a single one was missing. The four remaining chickens were also moved over.
"You rest here. I'll go look around. Maybe they're still nearby…"
Noticing the girl's low mood, Haizaki made his decision and headed for the door. Besides, those were hens—two hens!
He couldn't just ignore that. He'd been looking forward to them for so long. They were about to start laying eggs. Now they were gone—how could he accept that?
But Utaha reacted quickly and hurriedly grabbed Haizaki.
She had personally experienced how fierce the wind outside was. For Haizaki to go searching for three chickens blown to who-knows-where was simply too dangerous.
It wasn't worth it.
"Trust me. Give me some time. If I can't find them, I'll come back."
Watching Haizaki's retreating figure, Utaha felt her sadness washed away by a faint sense of warmth.
He… really did care about her.
Utaha thought so.
...