A youth story of a passerby at the end of the world

Chapter 114: Their Own Destinations

"Heave-ho..." Sakurajima Mai tried to lift the huge glass jar that was full of contents, but things didn't go as planned, or rather, she underestimated the weight.

Uesugi Genshin had just walked in from the door when he asked, "What's this?"

"Pickled vegetables, they'll keep longer this way, right?" Sakurajima Mai was wearing a white shirt and a mint green knee-length skirt, with pink bunny slippers on her beautiful legs in dark brown pantyhose.

When she collected vegetables from other apartments that she couldn't finish in a short time, she realized that most vegetables couldn't be kept in the refrigerator for a month; they would start to rot at most half a month.

At this point, she was thinking about how to store the food, and the first thing that came to her mind was to make pickled vegetables, which could prevent the growth of harmful microorganisms and extend the shelf life of the food.

Whether it's white radishes, carrots, cucumbers, or peppers, she put them all into sterilized glass jars and marinated them with salt, soy sauce, and other seasonings.

It's only been a little over a week, not yet time to finish, but it would be such a waste to just leave it here.

So she was squatting there in an unseemly posture, it seemed that she was too heavy to care about her appearance.

"A miscalculation," she muttered. The jars came in various sizes, and this was the biggest one.

“…” Uesugi Genshin slightly averted his gaze, which made Sakurajima Mai tilt her head.

It seems she was completely unaware that her lower body was being seen through her black pantyhose; she was so unguarded. And... white is too innocent, isn't it?

Nothing can be done.

"His underwear was completely exposed."

He sighed and had no choice but to point it out clearly.

Mai, suddenly realizing what had happened, lowered her head to check her lower body, no longer caring about the jar, and tugged at her clothes.

"I wouldn't care about something as trivial as having a younger guy see my underwear."

Pulling her skirt down in the middle, her face flushed crimson, a mixture of embarrassment and anger welling up within her. The embarrassment was directed at the man before her, while the anger was directed at herself. Had it been someone else, she certainly wouldn't have been unaware of it.

"We should be about the same age, right? And why is your face so red?" Uesugi Genshin clicked his tongue, subconsciously wanting to pop this pretentious balloon.

"That, that's because of excitement!" Whether it was a flustered remark or something else, her next words shocked Uesugi Genshin.

"...Perverted women" really exist in the world, he was still convinced that they only appeared in R18 works.

"Who's the pervert?!" Sakurajima Mai glared at her fiercely. "Don't just stand there watching, come and help."

“Yes, yes.” Uesugi Genshin slowly walked over and squatted down. “This takes up a bit of space.”

"Hmm..." Sakurajima Mai looked at Uesugi Genshin through the glass jar, "Have Waka and the others finished moving their luggage?"

"Yes, the trunk is packed full, are we really going to move this?" He pressed his palm against the lid of the glass jar.

“Ha…” Sakurajima Mai closed her eyes and thought for a moment, “Forget about this one, let’s give some to Grandma, including this big one.”

She ultimately failed to persuade the old man. No matter how she tried to convince him, he was eventually moved by his words, "I'm old, I'm content, this house is the final meaning of my life."

She lost contact with her children, and her husband passed away last year. This house, which her children had dutifully left behind, held the atmosphere of her life with her husband, and contained every detail of the final chapter of her life, so she couldn't bear to leave.

Although Mai Sakurajima disagrees, objectively speaking, it is indeed too romantic.

“Then I’ll move it over there.” Uesugi Genshin picked up the glass jar, and Sakurajima Mai helped support him until he was steady.

"It's really heavy." It's not easy to carry, so I have to hold it in my arms.

"Pfft, hehehe...right~" With a face full of "I knew it," she burst out laughing, her smile as radiant as a flower.

She carried a few small jars of pickled vegetables and walked ahead.

After the old man accepted the food, they carried the remaining pickled vegetables to the car. The other people in the apartment got on the bus, and Fengbin and Xiang also got into the jeep early.

"Let's go," Uesugi Genshin announced from the driver's seat, one hand on the steering wheel.

"Oh!" the people in the back seat responded, just like before.

Mai Sakurajima in the passenger seat simply smiled slightly and didn't say anything, but you could sense that she had let go of something and felt completely relaxed.

The jeep led the way, following the route Uesugi Genshin had taken, hopefully he hadn't completely forgotten.

The bus behind him, driven by Uncle Haruno who knows how to drive, will follow closely.

The destination, of course, is Shuchiin in Tokyo's Minato Ward.

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Several days after they left, a black SUV pulled up in front of the apartment building.

After the car came to a stop, a woman got out. She was wrapped up tightly in a leather coat, so her figure was not visible, but it was clear that she was not fat.

She is taller than the average Japanese woman, even without wearing high heels.

He wore enormous aviator sunglasses, the lenses of which were so big they almost covered half his face. The heavy-looking dark glasses concealed his dark blue eyes deep behind the oversized lenses.

She was also wearing a mask, whether out of caution or prudence, because her face was not clearly visible. The only thing we knew was that she had long black hair, hidden under her clothes.

She was carrying a large sledgehammer; it was hard to imagine where she had found the weapon. If she smashed it on a zombie's head, the zombie's skull would probably be badly damaged.

He looked around warily, then looked down at the corpse of a man crawling with maggots on the ground; it looked like it had been dead for at least a week.

She looked around, breathed a sigh of relief, and seemed much more at ease. Looking up at the apartment building entrance covered with newspapers, the woman walked over.

Reaching the ninth floor of the apartment building, she walked along the corridor and finally stopped in front of the apartment door with the name "Sakurajima" on it.

...It's been so long since I've been here.

The woman took a deep breath, reached out her hand, and was about to knock when she realized that the door was not closed at all. Her outstretched hand paused in mid-air, her fingers trembling slightly.

The room was quiet, which made her think of something bad.

Her breathing became rapid, and as she desperately suppressed the rising panic, she pushed open the door.

"..."

The place was deserted long ago, but it was kept fairly clean. Every time she opened a door, her mood alternated between hope and despair.

It was finally confirmed that there used to be people here, but they left on purpose.

The closet was mostly empty, and a large section of the neatly folded underwear of various colors was missing; it had been tidied up before leaving.

She was probably seeking refuge there, a fact that evoked both relief and a sense of loss in her heart.

After another inspection, no useful clues were left to indicate where the owner of the house had gone.

She pulled down her mask and took a breath of fresh air, at which point most of the woman's face was revealed.

She must have been a beauty in her youth, and she still looks stunning now; the phrase "still charming and graceful" is absolutely perfect to describe her.

She took off her sunglasses and tossed them onto the coffee table, then sat down on the sofa, placing the weapon she was holding aside.

Quietly watching the hands of the clock turn, time also slipped away with the woman's breathing.

She was suddenly startled when the beautiful evening sunlight streamed through the glass doors of the balcony onto her face.

Perhaps there are other clues in this building.

So she stood up, picked up her weapon, and restored herself to her original appearance.

Ninth floor, eighth floor, seventh floor...

She roughly looked through all the apartments with their doors open.

She had no idea which floor she was on, but she actually saw living people!

"Um..." she called out.

The other person was also surprised, "Young lady, is there something you need?"

...It's been a long time since anyone called her that. Indeed, given her age, calling her "little girl" would be perfectly appropriate.

"There used to be a lot of people here, right?"

"Ah."

"Have you seen Mai Sakurajima on the ninth floor?" Her tone quickened, eager to confirm.

"Hmm, Mai, she's a very kind-hearted girl." The old man smiled kindly. "And you are?"

"I am Mai Sakurajima's mother."

"I see. But they left a few days ago." The old man waved to her amicably. "Anyway, would you like to come in? I'm cooking."

“…Yes. Thank you for your help.” Ms. Sakurajima bowed slightly.

He went inside with the elderly woman and helped her cook.

During the meal, we chatted about things here, and of course, most importantly, about my daughter.

After learning that a young man had arrived and was leading everyone in the apartment building to relocate to Tokyo.

...They clearly came from Tokyo.

"I understand," she said, expressing her heartfelt gratitude.

The next destination was then confirmed.

Minato Ward, Tokyo.

Chapter 115: Back to Back

The Wrangler stopped right in the middle of the road, which was narrow enough for only two cars to drive side by side, but it was a rare good road.

It wasn't blocked off at the time because there were two-story old-style apartments on both sides.

But now it's half blocked.

Most likely, it was the roar of the car accelerating that startled the zombies, and as a result, they gathered aimlessly and wandered around on this road.

As the Wrangler stopped, the bus following closely behind braked at a safe distance, with a small tail still trailing behind them in the distance.

"What..." Hirokawa Uzuki in the back seat said, troubled.

There's no going back.

"I'll take care of it." Uesugi Genshin gripped the knife on the car door with his gloved right hand. "Mai, step on the gas and drive forward. It's an automatic, so don't worry, it's very easy to drive."

This area is a residential area, and the risk will continue to increase if you stay here even for a short while.

Without touching anything in the car or pressing the handbrake, he quickly got out.

With a swift draw of his sword, he severed the head of the first lucky victim.

Uesugi Genshin jumped aside, and another zombie brushed past him. As he turned around, the zombie's tetanus claws ripped through the air.

It didn't lose its balance when it missed its first attack. It turned around and attacked again, its mouth full of yellow teeth stained with black ash and red flesh, its sharp teeth only an inch away from his chest.

To outsiders, it was incredibly dangerous; a heart-wrenching fear crept onto the faces of those inside the vehicle, spread to their limbs, and gripped their throats.

For Uesugi Genshin, the sword had already penetrated its body, the intestines spilled out, and the sound of the blade colliding with the spine was crisp and clear.

He jumped back, changing his direction again to draw the attention of the horde of corpses rushing towards him.

As he jumped away, he used his arm, wrapped in polyester fiber and wool, to deliver an elbow strike, slamming it hard into the side of the zombie's head.

The next second, the zombie, having lost its balance, was burst apart by a baseball bat.

"..." Uesugi Genshin hesitated for only a blink of an eye before the sword continued to dart about. "Why did you get off the carriage?"

"Let me help you." Mai Sakurajima looked after his left side, on the left side of the road, as she swung her baseball bat at a zombie.

"Just stay in the car."

"Ha... You're the one who came to help us, but you expect me to watch you fight like this? What a joke!"

This girl must be very proud; otherwise, she wouldn't have decided to retire from the entertainment industry after the swimsuit photo incident.

“I am enough on my own.” He took one step, then another, and then leaped forward, his long sword flashing continuously.

"That's not the point!" Mai Sakurajima smashed a zombie away, her attitude as resolute as her strength.

"I'm more efficient when I'm alone."

"Is that so?" Mai Sakurajima chuckled coldly. "The two of us are definitely not a case of one plus one being less than two."