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

"Tsk."

Without milk, the bitterness of coffee and the sweetness of sugar cannot blend well together.

"Is the milk expired?" Uesugi Genshin shouted in that direction.

"Yeah, it's expired three days ago," replied substitute player Hayasaka Ai, sticking her head out from the side.

"..." So, Uesugi Genshin put down the cup and pushed it to the side with the back of his hand.

"..." Looking at the coffee being pushed over, Kasumigaoka Utaha found it amusing; it seemed like she had done the same thing before.

Once, during a date in Shibuya, I pushed an incredibly sweet cake towards him because I couldn't finish it and felt guilty about gaining weight. Then, he boldly took a big bite out of it with a fork. I bet he didn't like such a sweet cake either. He looked like he was forcing himself to eat it.

Holding the cup with both hands, Kasumigaoka Utaha also took a sip. "Hmm, it's so bitter."

“Right?” With his elbows resting on the table, Uesugi Genshin was pleased that she shared his thoughts.

"If you want sugar, go add it yourself." Hayasaka Ai stuck her head out and shouted, even though he was the one who told her to make the coffee.

"Okay." He called back. The sugar in his coffee reminded him of a long, long time ago, when he was a child and would add sugar to his medicine, holding his breath and gulping it down—that's what kids do.

"Glug glug," Kasumigaoka Utaha said, lifting her teacup and taking several sips. "There's only half left."

"Ha..." After glancing at the depth of the glass, Uesugi Genshin returned his attention to his work for the day.

In addition to tables showing daily food consumption and reserves, there are also income and expenditure statements for each department, and the warehousing report for Xinhang Building Materials submitted by the engineering team...

Ah, and Yukinoshita also perfectly resolved the matter he asked her to help with.

But to be honest, he's really multi-talented, a student at Soubu High School.

He only mentioned that he hoped to have protective gear that would be convenient for outdoor combat, but unexpectedly, even design drawings were produced, although they were somewhat different from what he had expected.

“This…” Uesugi Genshin spread out several design drafts, and Asayuki Yukinoshita smiled wryly, “Isn’t it a bit…”

That's a bit too fantastical.

Cosplay?

"They were originally from the drama club." Yukino Yukinoshita tossed her hair, indicating that they were making a fuss over nothing; they were professionals, not amateurs.

"No, no, no, isn't putting chainmail over leather armor a bit much?" He pointed to the arm armor section of a picture. "By the way, how do you make chainmail?"

"It seems they're planning to use staples?" Yukino Yukinoshita wasn't sure either.

"Really? Are you serious?" Uesugi Genshin looked back at the design. He had seen materials piled up in the warehouse of the building materials company in Xinhang, such as wood and sheet metal, which made him think about whether he should upgrade his equipment.

The thickness of the clothing on the front of the upper body is enough to protect against the scratches and bites of zombies; the real danger lies in the edges and corners, such as the face, neck, and ankles...

Unfortunately, zombies also possess the instincts of wild beasts. Just like lions, when hunting even-toed ungulates, they avoid the horns on the head and bite the neck. Judging from their behavior, zombies seem to have the awareness to "tear off" clothes before attacking.

So he also wanted to criticize another design of neck brace, saying, "Has this person watched too much Tokyo Ghoul?"

"?" Yukino Yukinoshita has never watched anime. No, to be precise, she has watched it, like Doraemon and Detective Conan, since she can watch them on YTV when she watches TV.

The neck brace in the picture extends all the way to the lower half of his face, which does meet his requirement of not obstructing his vision, but the style is too similar.

The pattern of teeth drawn on the mouth is not so much similar as it is exactly the same.

"Cosplay?" Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced at it and couldn't help but sigh. She knew about it because someone had read it and found the manga at his house.

“Right?” he said.

"No, putting aside the style, at least in my opinion, their function... seems to be able to play a role." Yukino Yukinoshita's tone was uncertain as she didn't know how to evaluate it, but it didn't seem to have any major problems.

"Ha..." Uesugi Genshin covered his eyes, looking at these unique designs with a bit of a headache. "Let them make them first, but! At least don't make them so childish. We're not kids anymore. Please pass this on to them."

"Understood," Yukino Yukinoshita nodded in agreement.

-----------------

Having made a promise with Rumi that her brother would make her breakfast the next day, Uesugi Genshin saw the people in the room off and planned to wash up and go to bed.

Shiyu left naturally, without looking back or mentioning the previous incident. So what exactly was she trying to say?

"This is a real headache." Drying his head and shaking off his sticky, wet hair, Uesugi Genshin walked back to the living room.

"what happened?"

"It's nothing. By the way, why didn't you come to play earlier?" Uesugi Genshin sat down opposite Sakurajima Mai, poured himself a glass of whiskey, and she had already taken his glass and placed it on the table.

"That's not necessary."

There was no need to talk about anything else. Sakurajima Mai looked like she didn't want to talk. She listlessly tore apart the beef jerky in her hand, her soft lips slightly parted, and she ate the torn pieces of meat one by one, chewing them slowly in her mouth, very ladylike.

Shrugging, Uesugi Genshin picked up an ice cube from the side and poured it into his glass with a crisp, pleasant "clink."

She wasn't oblivious; she watched as Kasumigaoka cautiously stepped out of the room, as if about to do something "astonishing."

But looking at the relaxed expression on the other person's face, it seemed nothing had happened or had been interrupted yet. Thinking about this, a strange sense of anxiety welled up inside me. What was it...?

I want to drink oolong tea.

"?" Uesugi Genshin looked at the other person in surprise, and casually replied, "Well, I'm off tomorrow anyway."

He got up, went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, squatted down, and took out the water of life that was inside.

Based on the proportions he measured, a new glass of wine was placed in front of Mai Sakurajima.

"Ah, wait a moment." Uesugi Genshin ran back to the bedroom, returning with a box of matches in his hand.

He took out a stick, lit it, and flicked it across the glass, instantly creating a vibrant blue flame.

"It's beautiful."

"Well, it's beautiful."

Only the bathroom light was on, and the flickering light from the flames illuminated the dimly lit living room. The two of them waited quietly for the flames to go out.

Chapter 159: The Metaphor of Failure

"Brother, you can cook!" Tsurumi Rumi said obediently as she sat in a chair, watching Uesugi Genshin busy in the kitchen.

"Isn't that obvious?" Carefully assemble the French toast and bacon and egg mixture so you don't have to wash two plates.

"Why did you suddenly decide to make breakfast?" Rumi Tsurumi asked softly as she watched him turn around and place two plates on the table.

He carefully placed it down without making a sound, and Uesugi Genshin wiped his hands with a towel. "I can't always have Yukinoshita feeding you."

You are my sister.

“I’m not a small animal,” Rumi Tsurumi calmly retorted, just like Yukinoshita.

Uesugi Genshin gently ruffled her hair with his clean hands. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but it smelled sweet and milky. "Hahaha... Of course, my little sister is much cuter than any animal."

Shaking her head sullenly to shake off Uesugi Genshin's clutches, Tsurumi Rumi picked up her chopsticks, put her hands together, and said very politely, "I'll start eating."

Taking a sip of whiskey, Uesugi Genshin chuckled, "How does it compare to what Yukinoshita did?"

Swallowing the food in her mouth, Tsurumi commented, "The flavor is a bit strong." It's mainly a bit oily, completely different from the style of Yukinoshita's cooking.

Ah... the Japanese food here is really very light," Uesugi Genshin thought to himself, though he had always had the stomach of a northerner from another country.

It's his fault.

Rumi Tsurumi then added, "But it smells delicious." It's very tasty.

"Hehehe... Is that so?" Uesugi Genshin relaxed, picked up his chopsticks and silently said, "Let's start eating," a habit he had developed in this life.

"Mmm, delicious," Uesugi Genshin said affectedly, as expected of him.

"It's so embarrassing," Tsurumi Rumi remarked, criticizing the shameless act of praising oneself.

"Ha ha ha ha......"

-----------------

Since it's a holiday, there's no need to go to the temple.

The morning workout was done at home, while the younger sister monopolized the game console, occasionally watching her brother show off his muscles.

After working up a sweat and taking a shower, Komachi came over and brought the Kawasaki family to play games with him.

So, after entrusting Rumi to Komachi, Uesugi Genshin decided to go out for a stroll.

As I stepped off the elevator, my hair, which wasn't completely dry, felt the bright sunshine and cool breeze—it was incredibly pleasant.

"Ah..." What a leisurely morning.

Looking over there, at the end of the road, the obstacles were no longer just piles of desks and traffic jams.

Instead, they rebuilt and reinforced the road using materials from Xinhang, and carefully sealed every small opening along the entire road.

However, there are already plans to expand the safe zone, and it will probably be demolished again soon.

As he walked into the campus of Soubu High School, he nodded kindly in response to the students who greeted him. Everyone "saw" him, which was probably largely due to the conspicuous sword at his waist.

The school didn't become deserted because of the short holiday, although not everyone was actually on holiday; there were still people setting up a stage on the playground.

Those who are supposed to cook will still cook, but only one or two people are left on duty in the canteen. Today we are mainly eating heated canned food, so we don't need a lot of people. One person is enough to keep an eye on things.

After finishing his meal, Uesugi Genshin looked at the crystal-clear blue sky and decided to go to the rooftop for some fresh air.

Hopefully no one is there...

Although not many people knew that the lock on the central staircase leading to the balcony was broken and it wasn't locked again, so much time has passed that the news has spread.

He took out a bottle of Chivas Regal whisky from the small refrigerator in the empty student council room. This Scotch whisky was brownish-yellow with reddish tinge, clear and transparent, with a caramel aroma and a certain smoky flavor.

Because the area is rich in peat, peat is used in the malting process, which gives most Scotch whiskies a peaty flavor, which they call a distinctive peaty aroma.

At this time, Yukinoshita is probably setting up the stage on the playground, and Isshiki is probably running errands for Yukinoshita, so there is no one in the student council room.

Walk up the stairs to the rooftop.

Silent and empty.

There was hardly anyone around, so Uesugi Genshin climbed to the top of the stairwell, ignoring the dust blown by the wind and sun, and lay down.

Even though the sun overhead was obscured by white clouds, the light was still plentiful.

Without human activity, the Earth's air has become much fresher.

Taking deep breaths of fresh air, I squinted my eyes, enjoying this time of doing nothing.

......

Two people suddenly came up to the rooftop. Uesugi Genshin rolled over and lay face down, sticking his head out.

One of them was someone he knew.

-----------------

The moment she entered, the air pressure caused a gust of wind from the rooftop to blow over, lifting her skirt.

She held down her skirt, which was halfway down, with both hands, ensuring it wasn't soaked.

A boy who looked extremely nervous stood opposite her, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Sakurajima-san!" he shouted.

"Yes," Mai Sakurajima replied. She had a pretty good idea of ​​what he wanted to do, having been suddenly summoned to the rooftop.

"I...I...I...Hoo...You, you...Xi, hiss..." He stammered, unable to utter the words.

He was also very nervous. In fact, Mai Sakurajima, who was opposite him, was an actress that at least 70% of Japanese people knew. He naturally knew that everyone was very surprised when Mai Sakurajima came to Sobu High School.

Despite the surprise, people gradually stopped paying attention to him because of his nonchalant attitude. However, not paying attention doesn't mean they didn't take it seriously.

He also wanted to experience his youth.

Then the question that was on the tip of her tongue became, "What...what's your favorite food?"

"Huh?" Mai Sakurajima was taken aback at first.

Looking at the incredibly nervous boy opposite her, she began to think seriously, "Hmm..."

"Sure enough, it's all over." With his last bit of courage, the boy hurriedly fled the scene.

He opened the stairwell door, didn't look back, and walked quickly, forgetting to close the door behind him.

"Pfft..." Uesugi Genshin subconsciously laughed out loud when he saw this scene. He didn't think there was anything wrong with his mentality of watching the fun.