Once again… he was hated by Utaha.
The final scene between him and Utaha in the apocalypse of his previous life surfaced in his mind once more.
...
"I'm leaving…"
"Can't you stay?"
She didn't want him to leave. In this perilous world, as long as they continued staying in the safe house, based on their supply consumption, they could last for more than half a month. Perhaps by then, the government would locate them.
After all, there were more than twenty people here.
"According to the broadcast, the government is preparing to evacuate the Kanto region. If we keep hiding here and don't contact them, we'll all die. At most three days—I'll be back…"
That was what he said.
Only by contacting the government would they have hope of surviving together. He had to live as long as possible and gather more information about the catastrophic apocalypse.
Hiding here was not the best option.
"Even if it's only… half a month, as long as I'm with you… that's enough. And why does it have to be you? Can't someone else go?"
There were clearly others—why did it have to be him?
"Someone has to go. Trust me, okay? Just three days."
He wasn't used to placing hope in other people's hands. Rather than waiting on others, he preferred to go himself and seize the opportunity.
Besides, even if someone else managed to contact the government, would they dare to come back? Would they be able to convince the government to return and rescue them? That was another issue entirely.
"If you insist on going, then I'm going with you."
But he shook his head and refused.
"Utaha, stay here and wait for me to come back. Be good, okay?"
"I'm going with you. If you abandon me, I'll go out and look for you myself…"
"Are you… threatening me?"
"If you think it's a threat, then so be it!"
She remained resolute, without the slightest intention of compromising.
But how could he possibly agree?
In the end, left with no choice, he used sleeping pills, entrusted Utaha to Eriri, and instructed her to take care of her and keep her from acting recklessly.
If luck was on his side and he moved fast enough, he might even return before Utaha woke up.
"I hate you…"
Those were the last words Utaha said to him before losing consciousness.
When he finally contacted the government and returned with rescue personnel—
The girl… was gone.
Because that was already the agreed-upon fourth day.
...
Looking back at Utaha, staring once again into those wine-red eyes filled with sorrow, resentment, and anger, Haizaki's breathing grew heavy.
From the moment he returned through time, he had already decided to abandon everything from his previous life and devote himself fully to the grand goal of overcoming the apocalypse.
But who could have imagined that the "Trans-Spatiotemporal Human Civilization Salvation System" would choose Utaha as his assistant in the Solitary Doomsday world, catching him completely off guard.
If she were merely a stranger, he could have maintained distance completely. Enduring one year would not have been a problem. But because she was someone he knew from his previous life—a companion who had survived the apocalypse with him—how could he possibly be completely heartless?
Haizaki even suspected that the system had done this deliberately.
A one-in-a-million chance, and it still chose Utaha—how could there be no hidden agenda?
But now that things had reached this point, what else could he do?
He could only accept it.
"I'm leaving."
Haizaki left those words behind, changed into his outdoor clothes, and left the villa.
At this moment, he would rather face the raging wind and rain outside than face the girl's tears and resentful expression.
Standing in place, Utaha silently began clearing the tableware.
The pain radiating from her right palm didn't make her frown at all.
If that slap could have woken Haizaki up, she felt it would have been worth it.
But as things stood now, she had failed.
Haizaki was still immersed in his own world.
"I'll definitely write you as a scumbag,"
Utaha couldn't help but laugh—a self-mocking laugh so bitter it made her want to give up on herself entirely.
"Cheating on multiple girls, playing with emotions, abandoning people, refusing responsibility—men like you deserve to be single for the rest of your life…"
Now, only through words could she vent the anger in her heart.
She sped up her cleaning. Five minutes later, she returned to her room, slammed the door shut with a loud bang, and locked it.
Her fingers struck the keyboard forcefully, accompanied by muttered repetitions of words.
But ten minutes later, she collapsed over the computer desk, breaking down in sobs.
"Why am I the only one who survived…"
"Why is this world left with only you? Why is there no one else…"
"You bastard… a man who plays with feelings…"
Exhausted, her consciousness gradually faded, and she fell asleep sprawled over the desk.
Perhaps… sleeping could make her forget all the worries and pain.
Perhaps… after sleeping, everything would be better.
...
Haizaki went to Villa No. 6.
Two windows there were shattered, and large amounts of rainwater had soaked the supplies and machinery stored inside.
Thunk. Thunk.
Holding a wooden board against the window with one hand, Haizaki hammered it into place with the other.
He didn't know whether this strange weather was truly a typhoon, but if it were, Wuhua City shouldn't have been affected this badly.
After all, he had chosen Wuhua City precisely because he had carefully considered the issue of summer typhoons in the Eastern Union.
Avoiding earthquakes, typhoons, and other large-scale natural disasters had been part of his long-term planning before returning from Japan—but now…
Haizaki looked at the howling wind and pounding rain outside and ultimately stopped thinking further.
If he truly wanted confirmation, he would need satellite data—which would likely require going to the Wuhua City Meteorological Bureau.
"Next room…"
He needed to deal with the soaked supplies and equipment as quickly as possible.
This strange weather forced Haizaki to consider the possibility that even fiercer and more dangerous natural disasters might occur over the next eight months.
He needed to prepare more thoroughly.
On the second floor of Villa No. 6, windows were shattered and doors damaged. The powerful wind made it difficult for Haizaki to even remain standing.
"Villa No. 5 must be reinforced."
He had chosen the military residential compound because he trusted the quality of its construction. But faced with this abnormal gale, even the villas had problems.
"Or choose an even safer place, like Yonggu Military Base."
Sacrificing comfort for safety.
But considering the girl's current state, Haizaki decided to postpone this plan. Enclosed environments were more likely to cause psychological issues.
Sometimes, Haizaki thought that if he were alone, he might feel lonely—but at least he could endure it.
Utaha added a sense of warmth and life to his days, relieving much of his pressure.
Having someone familiar beside him, talking with him, made him feel like he wasn't alone.
But… the problems arising from their relationship also affected him.
For example—the thing he least wanted to happen had already happened.
...