As the two stared at each other, the white-haired girl suddenly spun around and kicked the nearby shelves.
BANG!
The shelves—and Romani along with them—were sent flying several meters back. His body slammed into the floor, forcing the air from his lungs.
"Ah!" he let out a pained grunt.
What kind of strength is that?! he screamed internally.
"You pervert!" the girl snapped, brows furrowed as she raised a gun and aimed it straight at him.
"Why were you peeking at me?! You think I'm some helpless girl? Dream on!"
"W-wait! This is a misundersta—"
BANG!
The gunshot echoed through the convenience store. The bullet tore through the shelves beside his head.
Romani froze.
Slowly, stiffly, he turned his gaze toward the smoking hole inches from his face.
"Are you trying to kill me?!" he shouted.
The girl smirked triumphantly.
"Yeah. That's right, pervert."
"That's completely unreasonable! How can you call me a pervert when I didn't do anything wrong?!"
"'Didn't do anything wrong'?" She scoffed. "Do I look stupid enough to fall for that? Kaslana's instincts are never wrong. If my instincts say you're a pervert, then you're a pervert!"
"That's too illogical—that's slander!" Romani protested.
Before he could finish, loud, distorted groans echoed from outside—and then from every direction.
"Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap!"
"Tch." The girl clicked her tongue. "This is your fault."
"How is this my fault? You're the one who kicked the shelves and fired a gun!"
The groans grew closer.
Romani panicked—but the girl had already moved on, crouching down and sweeping food off the shelves into a bag.
"Oi. Don't just stand there," she barked. "Help me pack."
"Eh—what?"
"Hurry! Help me, please!"
The sudden switch caught him completely off guard, but Romani snapped out of it and rushed to help. He grabbed his own scavenged bags and began stuffing supplies alongside hers.
Soon, the backpack was so full it looked absurdly heavy.
Romani stared at it, doubt creeping in. There's no way she can lift that…
Then she casually slung it over her shoulders like it weighed nothing.
Romani's jaw nearly dropped.
"Follow me!" she said brightly, already turning and sprinting toward the exit.
"W-wait!" Romani shouted, scrambling after her.
Outside, pale corpses had begun to move. Silhouettes emerged from alleys and broken streets, their groans overlapping into a nightmarish chorus.
Romani swallowed hard and ran as fast as he could.
Even so, his eyes remained fixed on the girl's back.
Despite carrying that massive load, she was fast—inhumanly so. No matter how hard he sprinted, he couldn't catch up.
What kind of monster-level strength and speed is that?! he screamed in his head, legs burning as he continued chasing her into the ruined city.
After navigating for what felt like forever—mostly because the white-haired girl kept changing directions—Romani's legs were burning by the time they finally arrived at a quiet building.
"Hah…!"
"Hah…!"
Romani bent over, gasping for air as thick sweat slid down his face, mixing with dirt and making him look even worse than before.
"You okay?" the girl asked.
Despite running the entire way with a massive backpack on her back, she looked completely unfazed. No heavy breathing. Not a single bead of sweat.
"Y-yeah…" Romani swallowed, then straightened slightly. "What about you…?"
"Totally fine." She nodded easily.
"Wait—I've got a napkin in my bag. Let me grab it."
She bent down and rummaged through her pack. A moment later, she turned back and extended a slender, pale hand holding a pink napkin. With a bright smile, she said cheerfully,
"Here. I've only used it a few times—it should be fine for wiping your face."
Romani stared at her for a second before accepting it.
"Oh… thank you. You're a very kind young lady."
"Heh." She scratched the back of her head, grinning in slight embarrassment.
"No problem, no problem. Kaslana always saves people in danger—it's kind of our thing."
Romani didn't waste any time. He soaked the napkin with water and splashed it over his face, finally washing away some of the grime.
"Excuse me," he said while wiping his face, "do you have any idea what happened to this city?"
"Eh… not really." She tilted her head. "Yesterday everything was peaceful. Then the next morning, it was suddenly filled with those disgusting people."
"I see. Thank you for answering."
"No worries, no worries—ah!" She suddenly perked up.
"Mister, what are you going to do now? I'm planning to head back with Mei and Bronya."
Mei and Bronya… friends, I assume.
And I still don't know what caused all of this… If this is global, humanity is doomed. If it's the work of something higher—then I can't allow it to continue.
Romani narrowed his eyes, thinking hard. After a moment, he took a deep breath.
"I don't know," he finally said.
"For now… I'll just focus on surviving."
The white-haired girl stared at him for a moment. Then, without a word, she rummaged through her bag. One by one, she took out the food they had painstakingly gathered and held it out to him with a bright smile.
"Since that's the case, you can have it!"
Romani froze, staring at her in a daze.
Noticing his hesitation, she waved her hand dismissively.
"It's fine, it's fine. You can take it. I can always find another convenience store later and grab more."
"I—" Romani hesitated, looking at the supplies in her hands.
"Oh yeah!" She suddenly remembered something.
"I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kiana—Kiana Kaslana! If you ever need help, just shout my name and I'll fly over to you!"
"Solo–…" He paused for a split second.
"Romani Acharman. Nice to meet you, Miss Kiana."
As he looked at the food she was offering, Romani finally made a decision. Staying with her meant shared resources—but more importantly, safety. Alone, his chances were slim.
"Miss Kiana," he called out, still not daring to take the supplies.
"Yeah?"
"Would it be possible… for me to stick with you?"
"Eh?" Kiana blinked. "Stick with me?"
"I won't be a burden," Romani quickly added.
"I'm a doctor—well, not officially yet, but I've studied medicine for three years. I have experience treating wounds and injuries."
"Hm…" Kiana tapped her chin, squinting at Romani as if judging him very seriously.
Then—
"Okay!"
She grinned brightly, the decision made far too easily.
"You can stick with me!"
"R-really?" Romani blinked in surprise.
"Yeah!" Kiana nodded enthusiastically.
"A doctor is super useful, especially in a place like this. And you don't feel like a bad guy." She pointed at him. "My Kaslana instinct says you're fine."
'But you just previously told me your instinct said I'm a pervert!'
"That… sounds oddly reassuring." Romani gave a weak smile.
"But!" Kiana suddenly leaned closer, her expression turning mock-serious.
"If you do turn out to be suspicious, I'll knock you out first and ask questions later."
"I… suppose that's fair."
"See? You get it already!" She laughed, then shoved the bag of food into his arms.
"Here, take these. You're coming with me now, so no refusing."
Romani finally accepted the supplies, holding them carefully.
"Thank you, Miss Kiana. I won't forget this kindness."
"No need for that!" She waved it off.
"Helping people is just normal stuff.
Besides—" she turned and pointed ahead, "—we've got a safe place waiting. Mei will nag me if I don't bring everyone back in one piece."
"Mei… sounds dependable."
"She is!" Kiana puffed out her chest.
"And Bronya too. You'll like them—probably."
She started walking, then paused and glanced back at him.
"Oh, right. One more thing."
"Yes?"
"Try not to die, okay?" she said cheerfully. "I just promised I'd help you."
Romani chuckled softly, following after her.
"I'll do my best."
And with that, the unlikely pair moved forward—into a ruined world, bound by a simple choice and a kindness that neither of them yet understood the weight of.