When I returned to Rea after finishing my talk with Mitsurugi san, she wore an expression of relief.

It feels weird to think that my presence gives someone peace of mind.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No, thank you for worrying about me. And for protecting me from Inuzuka san earlier."

"I was surprised because I didn't expect you to get so angry for me."

"I was surprised myself. It's the first time I've ever snapped like that... Even though I was the one acting all high and mighty, telling you not to be controlled by revenge."

Perhaps Rea was scared of how I acted back then.

Looking at Inuzuka san, it's easy to understand why I'm so obsessed with revenge.

"I think I was a bother. I'm sorry."

Rea apologizes like this, but I'm grateful.

Because she shouldered my hatred for me.

I was able to calm my excited feelings just a little bit.

"Not at all. If you hadn't done it, I probably would have."

For now, she can act as high and mighty as she wants—but seriously, Inuzuka san had lost too much of her reason back then.

It might have been just right to bring her back to her senses.

"Enough about her, let's hear about what you wanted to discuss, Rea."

"Yeah... I want you to look at this."

Saying that, Rea held out her smartphone in front of me.

Since she can't charge it, the battery is below 50%, which is worrying.

What she wanted to show me, even if it meant using up her precious remaining battery, was an email screen.

"Mother? You mean an email from your mother?"

When I read the word aloud, Rea nodded with an anxious face.

Her mother was deeply involved in Kaisei kyou, and even tried to take Rea away once.

She said her parents divorced when she was young, and she hasn't seen her once since then, but—

"This is an email from this morning, right."

"I was trying not to use it as much as possible because the battery is dying, but this morning after you left, Erika, I was curious and just checked my notifications. And there was an email."

"The content is... 'I'm so glad you're safe. I'll come see you right away, wait for me.' It looks like she's monitoring you or something."

Or perhaps, she really is watching from somewhere.

There's no contact with the outside.

But for some reason, communication is possible between devices inside the school.

"Your mother—no, whoever sent this email is inside the school."

"Inside the school!?"

"By the way, the fact that it displays 'Mother' means her contact info is registered in your smartphone, right?"

"No, that's not it... Well, um, it is registered, but I only found out just now. I shouldn't know my mother's contact info."

"You mean someone registered it without your permission?"

"I don't know if it was before or after the school got weird. But I've had it with me the whole time since coming here, so I don't think anyone else could have done it... You might think it's suspicious, but it's true."

"I'm not doubting you on that, so don't worry."

"Erika..."

Rea's pale face—that's not something you can fake.

Or rather, Kaisei kyou is much more suspicious, so they'd probably do something like that.

I think under the premise that her words are true.

"Your mother was involved with Kaisei kyou, right."

"I don't know what rank she was, but I think she was a devoted believer."

"And there's a possibility that all the teachers in this school are believers of Kaisei kyou."

"You mean... they're lurking in the school?"

"If it's a teacher, they could easily mess with your smartphone while you're away during P.E. class, right?"

"Why would they do such a thing... No, in the first place, I've never seen anyone resembling my mother in this school."

"For another person from the same religious group to threaten you... Hmm, there's no need for them to target you either, Rea. If it were me or Marin, I'd understand."

"Right, exactly. That's why I increasingly feel like there's no one but my mother who would do something like this."

This is... difficult.

Obviously I can't solve it, but even if I tell Rea "it'll be okay," I can't find a concrete way to protect her.

But, assuming the teachers are the enemy, since they are human, they can break through the sanctuary's barrier.

There's no guarantee they won't attack while I'm away.

After all, Kaisei kyou's doctrine is to destroy the world by the hand of the evil god Giraiguu and reach the True World.

If we take that literally, our existence, clinging to life while the world rots away, is a hindrance.

"I wonder if my mother is really coming to see me. What should I do then..."

"It's pathetic, but all I can say are cliché things like 'I'll protect you when that happens'."

I wanted to say something more clever.

It's frustrating.

But even so, Rea still smiles at me.

"Just you saying that is far from ordinary. And you really do protect me, Erika."

"But that alone won't wipe away your anxiety, Rea. And we can't just stay in the infirmary forever, either."

Make a weapon and leave it here?

No, if the enemy has powers similar to mine, a normal human wouldn't stand a chance.

Maybe putting Rea in my party would be best, but am I going to use that suspicious function on her and take her into life-threatening battles?

I'm sure Rea would gladly accept if I asked, but right now—with that skill and all, I don't feel up to it.

As I was agonizing over this, I felt the gaze of Rea sitting next to me.

She was staring intently at me with her bright, wide eyes.

"...What is it?"

When I met her eyes and tilted my head, she said bashfully.

"I was just thinking that you're seriously thinking about protecting me."

"Of course it's serious, especially in this situation."

"That alone is enough. Thank you, I'm glad I consulted you."

Saying that, Rea leans against me.

Feeling that weight, I—felt a pain in a part of my heart different from revenge.

It's the frustration I felt earlier.

I wanted to be stronger, strong enough so I wouldn't have to feel this worthlessness.

"You know, ever since my mother disappeared, somewhere in my heart I had this idea that I shouldn't rely on others."

Rea began to speak softly, word by word, as if whispering.

I gave a modest "Yeah" in response, swallowing my frustration for now, and decided to listen to her story.

"My dad worked hard to raise me, and I didn't want to cause him any more trouble than necessary."

A father and a daughter, alone.

It's not hard to imagine they had struggles different from my family's.

A father probably wouldn't understand the heart of a daughter coming of age, and there must have been many problems they had to solve individually.

So maybe it was natural for Rea to arrive at that way of thinking.

"But—when zombies actually appear, I have no choice but to be protected, right?"

Yes, it's the environment that changes people.

If the world changes, people can't help but change too.

"I know it's not good, but leaning against you like this, Erika, makes my heart feel so light. Relying on you, Erika, makes me feel calm even in such a scary place. It feels so good that I'm still doing it."

I know very well that it's a meltingly sweet swamp that's hard to get out of.

That's exactly why I'm afraid of losing it, and why it hurts when I do.

But—if I could protect it forever, I think there would be no happier life.

"I wonder if this is okay. Am I the only one feeling good?"

Rea's confession ends.

If I tell her no, she will pull away.

Not that I would ever wish for that, though.

"It's the first time I've ever had someone rely on me like this."

"What about the person named Yumemi chan?"

"Yumemi chan protected me. I was the one relying on her."

"Ah, I see..."

"I never imagined that just being relied upon by someone, just wanting to protect someone, could make me feel so positive about my own existence."

I feel just as comfortable.

This is by no means a one-way exploitation.

I am receiving much more from Rea than I am giving.

She probably doesn't think so, though.

"If you say that, maybe I should rely on you even more."

Rea said that teasingly, then leaned over further and rested her head on my lap.

I let her do as she pleased, stretching out my bent knees as a warm weight settled on my thighs.

"Wow, I rarely get to look up at someone like this, but actually doing it is embarrassing."

"This is my first lap pillow in my life."

"Actually, me too."

To be honest, I can feel some stares.

I know I'm getting carried away without reading the room, but the joy of this interaction outweighed the pain of the stares.

I look down at Rea and run my fingers through her hair.

She narrowed her eyes comfortably.

"I'll give you Marin and Hiyami san's contact info later."

I drop my voice a little and tell Rea.

"Eh? Is it okay for me to join that?"

"I'll try asking. Honestly, I don't trust them enough to tell them everything, but I think it's better to tell them about your mother. If something happens, it'll be faster to ask them for help if they're closer."

"Erika... you said you weren't on very good terms with your sister, right? It was a little awkward when they came to this room, too."

"I mean, we were on bad terms. We finally had a heart-to-heart in this situation and managed to reconcile a bit."

"And yet you'll ask them for me?"

"...Because we decided to fight together. I think they'll agree if I ask. They both probably have a hero complex where they'd gladly save anyone other than me."

Asking... huh.

I said it easily, but honestly, asking Marin for a favor pisses me off a lot.

But I couldn't find any other way to wipe away Rea's anxiety.

Then, Rea silently stared straight into my eyes.

Without blinking, with slightly moist eyes.

"What is it?"

"I just thought I like seeing the face of someone seriously thinking about me."

"What's with that all of a sudden..."

I wonder what she's going to say next, and then she said something embarrassing thing again.

Because I was thinking seriously about it, the embarrassment is even stronger.

My ears quickly got hot, and I instinctively looked away from Rea.

"You're a little too cool, Erika."

"I've never been told I'm cool or anything... I don't think it's possible for someone like me."

"Even though you're desperate to survive yourself, you're properly thinking about me too."

"That's because anyone would want to help you."

It's obvious.

Probably anyone, not just me, would do the same if it were Rea.

That's right, Rea just has that much charm, it's not like I'm special.

Rea doesn't understand her own cuteness.

In reality, she lives in a completely different world from someone like me, and we were supposed to end our lives without ever interacting, exchanging words, or even making eye contact—

"I might fall in love with you."

"Uhieeeh!?"

...O-Oou... U, ah.

What should I do, I exceeded my brain's limits and let out a voice like a boiling kettle.

Oh crap, everyone is totally looking this way!

Hiiii, so embarrassingggg!

"Ah, no, it's nothing..."

I tried to explain myself while floundering, and everyone looked away.

But some people were still glancing this way... Well, of course they would, giving a lap pillow and having this kind of interaction, you can't help but look.

"Ehehe, surprised?"

"Jeez... don't tease me."

"I might not be teasing."

"Fueh?"

I drop my gaze.

Rea was smiling and staring intensely at me—and her eyes seemed to harbor very strong emotions.

Eyes that I felt like I had seen—somewhere, sometime before.

My heart races.

It's even affecting my breathing.

Not just my face, my whole body grew hot, and even though I wanted to cool my head, I couldn't take my eyes off Rea.