Anime Crossover: Post-Apocalyptic Survival, My Stand is the World

"I see…"

Looking at the final coordinate on the map, surrounded by all the clues like the center of a spider web, Yukino Yukinoshita instantly understood everything.

Her voice turned somewhat cold, carrying a hint of anger at how life had been wantonly toyed with.

“That woman, she wasn’t ‘hunting’ at all.”

"She is 'collecting' slaves."

"The time of those survivors who strayed into her territory."

She paused for a moment, then uttered the cruelest, yet most reasonable, conclusion.

"Come and replenish her own ammunition."

Chapter 141 Afternoon Tea with Idols and Ghosts

Shinjuku Ward, outskirts.

On a commercial street completely blocked by abandoned vehicles and overturned garbage cans, deathly silence is the only "main theme".

The wind blew through the broken shop window, making a low, mournful sound, swirling up a few faded posters of idols, which spun helplessly in the air before falling limply to the ground.

The air was filled with a smell of dust and decay, a scent of the past, as if the entire city was in an eternal hangover after a grand celebration.

However, in this ghost town where time seems to have frozen, there is an extremely discordant figure.

Kato Megumi.

She was carrying a huge, military-green hiking backpack that was completely disproportionate to her petite frame.

It was filled with drinking water, high-energy food, and basic first-aid supplies. It was so heavy that it made her shoulders sag slightly, adding an uncoordinated sense of weight to her already somewhat slender figure.

She walked confidently down the middle of the street, her pace neither hurried nor slow.

Her unremarkable brown bob remained unmoved by the apocalyptic winds.

Everything about it was completely out of place with the surrounding ruins filled with the atmosphere of apocalypse and death.

It's like she's a lone source image that was edited in post-production and the layer blending mode was forgotten.

She exists in this scene, yet she doesn't belong to it.

A massive, guard-type monster, resembling a small armored vehicle, slowly patrolled past her in a side alley.

The heavy footsteps, like war drums, shook the ground with every step.

Its scarlet compound eyes, filled with a ferocious aura, swept over the location of Kato Megumi with the aimless scrutiny of a high predator.

Then, just like that, without hesitation, the past was ignored.

In its simple yet cruel world of perception, that place holds nothing.

The girl in the school uniform seemed to be nothing more than a breeze brushing against his cheek, an unmoving gray stone, part of the backdrop of this dilapidated world, possessing no information worth noting.

Kato Megumi was used to this.

She simply stopped quietly, as if she had truly become a statue, patiently waiting for the enormous creature to walk away with its heavy footsteps.

Then, she glanced at the blank tactical watch on her wrist.

On the screen, a small green dot representing a life signal was flickering faintly in an office building not far ahead, like a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

"Next target point."

She spoke softly to herself in a voice only she could hear, as if setting a program for herself. Then, she continued taking those ordinary steps.

……

ten minutes later.

In an office on the third floor of an office building, a room was locked from the inside, with desks and filing cabinets blocking the view from the inside.

The three survivors, who were already starving and on the verge of unconsciousness, stared blankly at everything in front of them.

They couldn't even tell whether it was a final hallucination before death or a real miracle.

They stared at the bottle of water that had suddenly appeared before them, so clean that it seemed as if water droplets were still dripping from its walls.

And a well-packaged compressed biscuit that smells enticing.

And that ordinary girl in a school uniform, who seemed to have always been in this room, yet also seemed to have just appeared.

She stood there quietly, her features delicate yet so beautiful that you could almost forget what she looked like at any moment.

"Um... excuse me..."

One of the men, who looked like a white-collar worker, rubbed his eyes, which were blurry from hunger, in disbelief. His chapped lips trembled slightly, and his voice was as hoarse as sandpaper.

"Are you... an angel?"

"No."

Kato Megumi shook her head and answered earnestly in her usual calm tone, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

"I'm just a 'deliveryman' passing by."

After saying that, she quietly turned around under the gazes of the three men, who were filled with gratitude and disbelief.

Before she could react, her figure vanished into the shadows outside the door, like ink merging into water, as if she had never existed.

His achievements and fame remain hidden.

……

at the same time.

On the rooftop of another, taller residential building, a full kilometer away from her.

Mai Sakurajima was holding a military-grade high-powered (BJDC) telescope. She was lying behind the parapet, covered with a camouflage net, blending into the rooftop environment.

Like a reliable lighthouse, it guides the small figure navigating alone in the dark ocean.

"Hui-chan".

Her voice, transmitted clearly through bone conduction headphones, reached Kato Megumi's ears as if whispered in her ear.

"At the three o'clock position, at the end of the street, in the basement of that Lawson convenience store, there are three very faint life signals."

Her tone was calm and professional, completely lacking the gentleness of a national idol she usually exuded.

“But be careful.” Her tone became serious.

"According to the low-altitude reconnaissance by the drone, there are two 'patrolmen' loitering at the store entrance. They seem to be attracted by the scent of the survivors in the basement and are extremely aggressive."

"receive."

Kato Megumi responded simply, her steps without the slightest pause or hesitation.

This is the tactic of their most special "search and rescue team".

A collaboration that brings out the best in both individuals, a collaboration that can be described as an art.

Mai Sakurajima, with her idol-level insight and extraordinary strategic vision, provides the most precise macro-level command and intelligence support from a high vantage point and in an absolutely safe location.

She's like the player who has activated the "God's perspective" in this two-player game.

With her god-like stealth abilities, Kato Megumi conducts highly efficient yet absolutely safe micro-infiltration and supply delivery on the ground, amidst perilous ruins.

She's like a player who's turned on an "invisibility cheat" in a game.

Together, they staged a series of miraculous, silent rescues in this land of death.

……

A few minutes later.

In a temporary safe house located on a high floor of an apartment building, which Mai had cleared out in advance.

The three survivors, who had just been rescued from the convenience store basement and were still in shock, were somewhat bewildered as they looked at the two incredibly beautiful girls in front of them.

This...this combination...could it be that I've already starved to death and am now in some otaku's fantasy of "paradise"?

Mai Sakurajima ignored their unreal gazes.

She simply smiled, as if hosting a top-tier fan meeting, and gently placed three cups of steaming hot black tea, which she had personally brewed, along with several exquisite tea snacks brought from Totsuki Academy, all imbued with the queen's touch, in front of them.

"Let's eat something first."

Her voice was gentle, instantly soothing the survivors' fear and possessing a reassuring magic.

"From now on, you are safe."

A survivor who looks like a high school student looks at the afternoon tea in front of him, which is a luxury in the apocalypse, smells the long-lost aroma of black tea, and looks at Mai-senpai, who is so beautiful that he almost forgets to breathe, and Kato Megumi, who seems to have always been there, yet also seems to have just appeared.

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and muttered to himself.

Am I... hallucinating from hunger?

"Is this... heaven?"

Chapter 142 Rock and Roll in the Ruined City

"Thank you for your hard work, Mai-senpai, Kato-kun."

From the walkie-talkie came Yukino Yukinoshita's cool yet approving voice.

"Your efficiency is even higher than expected. All known survivors in Area A have now been rescued. Please lead them back to the base immediately to rest."

"receive."

Mai Sakurajima responded, her voice slightly breathless from the rapid movements she had just made.

She was just about to turn around and organize the few survivors behind her who were still in shock to evacuate, and with her reassuring smile, she brought this thrilling but safe search and rescue mission to a close.

however--

at this time.

A faint, yet incredibly wild electric guitar solo, brimming with vitality and rock spirit, suddenly burst forth like a lightning bolt piercing the night, tearing apart the suffocating silence of this ghost town.

The voice was rough, unrestrained, and full of power.

Each note was like a scorching bullet, accurately piercing everyone's eardrums and instantly attracting everyone's attention.

"Wh...what was that sound?"

The few survivors who had just recovered their senses had all the color drain from their faces in an instant.

Their bodies tensed uncontrollably, their faces pale as they looked around frantically, as if the voice were some kind of deadly curse.

"Is it... a new monster? One of those that makes sounds..."

"wrong."

Mai Sakurajima frowned deeply. She raised her hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, and then listened intently.

Those ears, belonging to a top idol and possessing an extraordinary sensitivity to music, clearly distinguished that it was an electric guitar.

Moreover, the player's skill level is extremely high.

The melody, brimming with passion and power, was executed with impeccable skill, from rapid tapping to frenzied sweeping.

That was not just noise, but a magnificent movement full of anger, resilience, and vibrant life.

It was as if a soul, unwilling to bow to this apocalypse, was using music to unleash its wildest roar at the entire desolate world.

but…

In this apocalyptic world where even taking an extra breath is considered a waste of energy, and in this ghostly place where making the slightest sound could lead to death.

Which reckless idiot dared to cause such a commotion?

"The source of the sound is... over there."

Kato Megumi, who had been quiet all along, suddenly reached out and pointed to a residential building that was still relatively intact amidst the ruins not far away.

The wild guitar music was coming from the rooftop of that building.

"I gonna go see."

Mai made a decision. She couldn't let such a huge source of noise continue to exist.

This is no longer just simple recklessness; it's practically announcing to all the monsters in Shinjuku through a megaphone: "There are living people here, come and eat them."