Cold water dripped endlessly from the cracked underground ceiling while ergency alarms echoed through the darkness behind them. The sound of distant infected screams continued shaking the collapsing parking structure as Arata and Akari ran deeper through the ergency maintenance tunnel beneath the university. Their footsteps splashed through shallow rainwater covering portions of the floor while dim red ergency lights flickered weakly overhead.
Behind them, the Apex Mutation roared again. The sound echoed through the tunnel like an earthquake. Akari’s breathing beca heavier beside him while she tightened her grip around the tal baseball bat still stained with infected blood. Despite exhaustion, she never once complained or slowed down. Arata noticed that imdiately. Most survivors panicked after experiencing sothing like that creature. Akari didn’t. Fear existed in her eyes, but she kept moving anyway.
The tunnel curved sharply downward while steam escaped from damaged pipes lining the walls. The deeper they moved, the colder the atmosphere beca. Rusted maintenance doors appeared along the sides while old ergency signs flickered through the darkness.
Then suddenly the entire tunnel shook violently. Dust fell from the ceiling instantly. Akari stumbled slightly from the impact before Arata grabbed her arm instinctively to steady her. For one brief second, their eyes t again. Her violet eyes looked colder up close. Not emotionless. Lonely. Then Akari quietly pulled her arm away again.
"...Thanks." she said.
Arata nodded silently before continuing forward.The silence between them afterward felt strangely awkward. Not uncomfortable. Just unfamiliar. Because both of them were people unused to relying on others.
Another roar echoed sowhere behind them.Akari looked back briefly. "...It’s following us."
"Yeah." Arata replied.
"You sound calm about it ?." she ask him.
Arata glanced toward her slightly. "Panicking won’t help." Akari stared at him for several seconds afterward, "...You really are strange."
Before Arata could answer, a loud tallic crash suddenly echoed ahead. Both stopped instantly. Sothing moved in the darkness. Low growling followed shortly afterward.
Infected.
At least six of them slowly erged from deeper within the tunnel beneath flickering red lights. Their bodies looked partially decomposed while black infection veins covered their skin unnaturally.One infected imdiately sprinted toward them, Arata moved first.
His blade flashed across the tunnel instantly. The infected’s head separated cleanly before crashing across the wet floor. Another rushed from the side. Akari swung the bat hard enough to crush its jaw sideways before Arata finished it imdiately afterward.
The tunnel erupted into chaos.
Three infected charged simultaneously while screaming violently. Akari dodged backward instinctively before smashing the bat into one infected’s skull repeatedly until it stopped moving. Another grabbed her jacket from behind.
Arata intercepted instantly.
His blade pierced directly through the infected’s throat while blood splattered across the nearby wall. The final infected lunged toward Akari suddenly. Without hesitation, she pulled a combat knife from her boot and stabbed directly upward through its eye.
Silence returned.Only heavy breathing remained afterward.
Water dripped quietly from nearby pipes while the infected corpses slowly stopped twitching across the tunnel floor.
Arata glanced toward Akari briefly, "...Nice reflexes."
Akari wiped blood from her cheek silently before answering.
"I survived this long sohow." she replied.
Simple response, But Arata noticed sothing important, She adapted quickly.
Most civilians froze during close combat.
Akari didn’t, Even under pressure.
Then suddenly her knees weakened slightly. Arata caught her shoulder imdiately before she collapsed completely.
Akari looked annoyed instantly. "...I’m fine."
"You’re exhausted." Arata said .
"I said I’m fi—" Her body betrayed her completely after that sentence ended. The adrenaline finally faded. Arata noticed the shaking in her hands imdiately now. And the blood. A lot more blood than before.
Several deep wounds covered portions of her arms from fighting infected earlier inside the cafeteria.
She hid them until now, Of course she did.
Arata sighed quietly before looking around the tunnel carefully.
"There." he said , A small maintenance room stood partially open nearby. The room looked abandoned but intact enough for temporary shelter.
Akari frowned slightly. "...Stopping is dangerous."
"So is bleeding to death." he replied.
The room itself remained surprisingly untouched compared to the rest of the underground tunnels. Old maintenance equipnt filled the corners while ergency batteries still powered one flickering ceiling light overhead.
Rainwater dripped softly through nearby pipes while distant roars echoed faintly far behind them.
Arata blocked the damaged door entrance carefully using broken equipnt afterward before finally turning toward Akari again.
"Sit." he said to her .
Akari crossed her arms slightly. "...You sound bossy."
"You sound stubborn." he replied.
"...I am stubborn."
"Yeah. I noticed."
For the first ti since eting her, a tiny smile almost appeared on her face.
She finally sat near the wall afterward while breathing heavily.
Arata crouched nearby before opening dical supplies taken from the armored vehicle earlier. Airi always forced extra supplies onto him before missions. Now he understood why.
Akari watched silently while he prepared bandages.
"...You know dical treatnt too?" she asked.
"A little."Arata replied.
"That answer sounds suspicious." she said .
"I learned after getting injured repeatedly."
"...That makes more sense."
Arata carefully cleaned one of the wounds on her arm. Akari imdiately flinched slightly.
"You’re injured worse than you thought." arata said
"I’ve had worse." she replied
"You say that too casually."he said . Akari looked away quietly afterward.
Silence filled the small maintenance room again while distant infected screams echoed faintly through the underground tunnels outside.
Then suddenly she spoke quietly.
"...Why did you save earlier?" she asked.
Arata continued wrapping the bandage calmly.
"You were about to die." he replied .
"That doesn’t answer the question."she said .
He finally glanced toward her slightly.
"...Leaving soone behind feels worse." he said
Akari stared at him silently after hearing that.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then she looked down quietly toward the fresh bandages around her arm.
"...You really are strange." she said.
Arata ignored the comnt completely.
A few minutes later the atmosphere inside the room finally beca calr. The distant sounds of chaos felt farther away now while the ergency light flickered softly above them.
Akari leaned quietly against the wall while holding the tal bat across her lap.
Arata sat opposite her while checking system notifications silently.
[New Companion Candidate Detected]
[Compatibility Evaluation In Progress]
He closed the screen imdiately.and start speaking in his mind. Absolutely not, The system needed to stop acting weird.
Akari suddenly glanced toward him again. "...What are you looking at?"
"Nothing."he replied
"You looked annoyed." she said.
"Because I am."
"...Interesting."
Arata narrowed his eyes slightly. "You analyze people a lot."
"I studied psychology." she replied
"That explains it."
Akari rested her chin lightly against her knee afterward while watching him quietly.
"You carry pressure strangely."
Arata looked toward her slightly.
"You don’t act like soone trying to survive." Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "You act like soone trying to carry everyone else."
Silence followed imdiately, Because she wasn’t wrong.Arata looked away afterward.
"...Sobody has to."
Akari stared at him silently for several seconds before speaking again.
"That mindset destroys people eventually."
"Maybe."
"You say that like you already know."
Arata didn’t answer.And sohow that silence itself beca his answer.
The atmosphere grew quieter afterward. Not awkward. Just heavy.
Rainwater continued dripping softly through nearby pipes while thunder echoed faintly sowhere above the underground tunnels.
Then suddenly Akari’s stomach growled loudly, Complete silence followed. Arata slowly looked toward her.
Akari froze instantly.For the first ti since eting her, she actually looked embarrassed.
"...You didn’t hear that." she said while blushing.
"I definitely heard that." Arata replied.
"...No." she said.
Arata opened one of the ergency food packs calmly before tossing it toward her.
Akari caught it automatically.
"...Thanks." she said.
"You protected students for weeks with barely any supplies." Arata leaned slightly against the wall afterward. "You need food."
Akari stared quietly at the packaged food for several seconds.l, Then muttered softly, "...Nobody shared food without wanting sothing in return before."
Arata frowned slightly, "What?"
"Nothing." But her expression changed afterward, Softer now, Less guarded.
Yuna would absolutely lose her mind seeing this mont, Arata thought silently.
The image alone almost made him laugh slightly, Almost.Akari noticed imdiately.
"...Did you just almost smile?" she said
"No." Arata replied
"That was definitely almost a smile."
"You’re imagining things."
"...Interesting."She looked strangely satisfied afterward.
Several minutes later the atmosphere beca calr enough for exhaustion to finally hit both of them properly. The nonstop fighting, escaping, and chaos earlier had drained almost all their energy.
Akari rested quietly against the wall while finishing the ergency food slowly.
Then suddenly she spoke quietly again.
"...Do you think your friends survived?"
Arata remained silent briefly then -"...Yeah."
"You sound certain." she said
"Because they’re strong."Arata replied.
Akari lowered her eyes quietly afterward.
"...I used to think that too."
Arata noticed the slight pain hidden behind her voice imdiately. People she trusted before probably died here, Or abandoned her, Maybe both, Then unexpectedly he spoke quietly.
"You should sleep for a little while."
Akari blinked slightly. "...What?"
"I’ll keep watch."
"You don’t trust enough for that."
"Probably not."
"...Honest at least."
"But you’re exhausted."
Akari looked like she wanted to argue again. Then her body betrayed her completely once more.She looked away annoyed afterward.
"...Fine."
A few minutes later, she finally fell asleep quietly against the wall.And sohow she looked completely different asleep.
The cold guarded expression disappeared entirely, Now she just looked tired, Lonely, Human.
Arata watched silently while distant thunder echoed softly through the underground tunnels outside.
Then his eyes moved toward the tal bat resting beside her, A normal weapon, Cheap, Damaged.
Yet she survived this long using only that, Protecting others, Alone.
Arata understood now why he respected her already, Because despite fear, she never stopped fighting.Hours passed slowly afterward.The underground tunnels remained strangely quiet now while rain continued falling endlessly sowhere above the city.
Then suddenly Akari moved slightly in her sleep.
"...Don’t leave..."Her voice sounded barely audible, Weak, Almost frightened.Arata froze slightly after hearing it.Then silence returned again. Several minutes later Akari’s eyes slowly opened. And imdiately realized she accidentally fell asleep.
She sat upright instantly while gripping the bat again.
"...How long i have been sleeping? " She ask.
"About two hours." he replied.
Her expression changed imdiately afterward.
"...You stayed awake the whole ti?"
"Yeah."
"...Idiot."
Arata frowned slightly. "What?"
"You’re injured too."
"...Not as badly."
Akari stared at him quietly again, Then unexpectedly she spoke softly.
"...Thank you." No cold tone, No sarcasm Just honesty.
For one brief second, the atmosphere between them felt strangely warm despite the cold underground tunnel surrounding them.
Then suddenly the entire maintenance room shook violently, Both stood instantly.
Another roar echoed through the tunnels outside.
Closer again, The Apex Mutation found them.
Akari tightened her grip around the bat imdiately.
"...You’ve got to be kidding ."
The creature roared again while heavy footsteps approached through the underground darkness. Closer. Arata grabbed his weapon imdiately before looking toward the tunnel exit.
"...We move again."
Akari stepped beside him silently afterward, Not behind him, Beside him.
And sohow that small detail mattered more than either of them expected.
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