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

"Where are the Self-Defense Force personnel now?"

"Mainly in Terminal 3, and also on Runway D and the adjacent Floating Island Town."

Next to Terminal 3 is the international air cargo terminal, which consists of three cargo buildings and one refrigerated building, and naturally has plenty of food inside.

Runway D is built on another small artificial island that extends southward, and it is currently the only runway capable of handling passenger aircraft.

As for Ukishima-cho, it is an artificial island in the neighboring city of Kawasaki. It only has factories such as solar power plants, oil refineries, and chemical plants, meaning that the fuel and electricity are basically all sourced from there.

These locations are all in the west or south.

"...Uesugi, is it okay for you to call me that?" Sakuta Azusagawa stopped and turned around.

"Yeah, of course."

"What brings you here?" he asked.

"Well, the main thing is to find out the Self-Defense Forces' movements and what their plans are. Do you know Azusagawa?"

"I don't know, but someone should know." Then, Sakuta Azusagawa turned and walked purposefully in one direction.

"Are you all doing well here?" Uesugi Genshin asked inquiringly.

"It's quite ordinary. At least in this building, everyone can barely survive." Sakuta Azusagawa couldn't say anything hopeful, because there was no hope at all. Things might get a little better, but that was all.

The facilities are fairly complete and can be used by everyone.

Although water resources are scarce and queuing is the norm, it's still quite good.

“I saw people outside taking baths with rainwater,” Uesugi Genshin said, referring to the incident.

“At first, we let other people use it, but things would go missing from time to time, and once a woman was almost raped. Because there were people everywhere, it was discovered immediately. But since then, we haven’t allowed outsiders to come here,” Sakuta Azusagawa explained the reason for doing so.

"How despicable."

"Yes." Sakuta Azusagawa understood what he meant without even asking.

Neither side has done anything particularly good, but in the current environment, there is no solution.

"Sakuta."

From the left came shouts. Sakuta Azusagawa looked over and asked, "What's wrong, Kunimi?"

Azusagawa's good friend, Kunimi Yuuma, came over and said, "Your sister has been talking about you. Why haven't you come back yet?"

Suddenly, he noticed Uesugi Genshin beside him and blinked in surprise, "You're not that...?"

"Uesugi Genshin."

"I am Kunimi Yuuma."

The two shook hands in a friendly manner.

Kunimi Yuuma looked at him with curiosity and laughed, "I saw your battle online back then, it was really impressive."

“But it’s also very dangerous. I’d rather not do it again.” Uesugi Genshin waved his hand, replying with a look of weariness.

"Hahaha, that's true." Kunimi Yuma laughed cheerfully, "If it were me in that kind of dangerous predicament, I would have died long ago."

"What died?" A female voice came from the side. It was Yuuma Kunimi's girlfriend, Saki Kamiri.

She walked over with an anxious and annoyed expression, and when she saw Uesugi Genshin, her eyes widened, and her face immediately became even angrier.

"Yu-ma, let's go." With that, she pulled Kuni-mi Yu-ma along and started walking to the side.

"Sorry, sorry. If anything urgent comes up, remember to call me." As he was being led away, Kunimi Yuuma stood with his hands in front of his chest, apologizing with a wry smile.

"Okay, I understand," Sakuta Azusagawa said, then watched his friend being pulled away by his girlfriend.

"She's still the same as before," Uesugi Genshin remarked, not much different from when he first met her.

"Because she loves Kunimi." That's why she cares and is concerned.

“But this kind of constraint and possessiveness is something only true love can endure,” Uesugi Genshin said, turning his head to the side.

“They argue all the time,” Sakuta Azusagawa shrugged. “They make up right away, though Kunimi does like her a lot.”

He did agree with what Uesugi Genshin said about true love.

"Well......"

"Can I go check on my sister first?" Sakuta Azusagawa turned to look at him at that moment.

"I don't care." It doesn't take much time.

"Let's go then." Sakuta Azusagawa immediately changed lanes and headed in another direction.

Entering what should have been a fast food restaurant, the seats inside were now packed with people.

The family members sat together in one seat, and at night they slept here, some on the narrow seats and some under the table.

"Brother, brother." Before the result arrived, a cute girl waved in their direction, but upon seeing Uesugi Genshin, she immediately hid her body behind the seat, only peeking out a little bit of her head and eyes.

“She’s a little shy,” Sakuta Azusagawa explained regarding his sister’s impolite behavior.

“Kaede, it’s not that I’m shy.” Azusagawa Kaede was about to retort, but when Uesugi Genshin looked over, she immediately lowered her head and avoided eye contact.

“Sakuta-nii, you’re finally back.” Sitting opposite Azusagawa Kaede was Makinohara Shoko, who was shorter than Azusagawa Kaede.

He's definitely 1.5 meters tall without a doubt. In comparison, Azusagawa Kaede, who also has a youthful appearance, is only the height of a high school student.

She acted so cutely that people thought she must not be a high school student.

"Yes, I'm back, Shoko, Kaede," Sakuta Azusagawa said with a gentle smile.

"Welcome back." Although Azusagawa Kaede's face was pressed tightly against the seat, she still tried her best to speak, while not daring to look to the side.

To show his friendliness, Uesugi Genshin took out some snacks he had left in his pocket and offered them to Azusagawa Kaede, "Want some Pockey?"

"..." Azusagawa Kaede glanced at Pockey, her stomach rumbling loudly in perfect sync, but she still shook her head. "Brother, you won't let me accept things from strangers."

"Don't worry, Kaede. This is an acquaintance of your brother," Sakuta Azusagawa said with a smile.

Under Uesugi Genshin's encouraging gaze, Azusagawa Kaede finally reached out and took the Pockey, "...Thank you."

What a polite girl!

"You're welcome," Uesugi Genshin said with a smile.

After receiving the Pockey, Azusagawa Kaede crawled under the seat to the other side, where Makinohara Shoko was sitting, and then shared the box of snacks with Makinohara Shoko.

"How's the food here?" Uesugi Genshin asked Azusagawa Sakuta.

“There’s not enough to eat, but at least we can survive.” Sakuta Azusagawa laughed self-deprecatingly. “The Self-Defense Forces send some food every day, but it’s a drop in the ocean compared to the number of people.”

"You don't look like you're barely alive," Uesugi Genshin said, looking at the other person's well-nourished face.

"That's because I sometimes sneak out with Kunimi." Sakuta Azusagawa said quickly but quietly, not wanting the neighbors to hear.

Strictly speaking, this kind of thing is strictly prohibited by the Self-Defense Forces, since if someone gets injured, they might bring in zombies.

"It's not very healthy, but it's got the calories." After saying that, he looked at his sister, "Feng, I have something to do, please wait a little longer."

"Okay, Kaede will wait patiently for her brother to come back." Kaede Azusagawa, who had bitten off a piece of Pockey with her front teeth like a rabbit, put down the snack in her hand and said obediently.

“Yes, very good.” Sakuta Azusagawa nodded approvingly, then said to Shoko, “Please keep an eye on Kaede.”

“No problem.” Makinohara Shoko smiled reassuringly.

“Let’s go then.” Sakuta Azusagawa said to Genshin Uesugi, and then walked out. “We can go find Ms. Hirokawa first. As a Kanagawa native, she takes good care of Kaede and is also one of the people in charge.”

"One of them?"

"Originally, this Kanagawa settlement was composed of small Kanagawa groups, each of whose leaders were essentially politicians, wielding a portion of the power."

As he walked, he pointed ahead and said, "That's the person. His surname is Hirokawa, and he seems to be from Yokohama."

Uesugi Genshin looked in the direction he pointed and saw a mature woman.

Her brown hair fell to her shoulders, and she must have permed it before. Even without makeup, she had a capable expression, a dignified demeanor, and spoke in a very unrestrained manner.

Her beautiful face makes it hard to guess her exact age, but her maturity suggests she's probably around 30.

However, she is not very tall, only about 1.6 meters, which is considered an ideal height for a female high school student.

"Miss Hirokawa!" Sakuta Azusagawa called out. As Miss Hirokawa, who was talking to a man, turned her head to look at him, he raised his hand and waved.

"I'm sorry, we'll talk about this later." Miss Hirokawa said to the man in a tone of refusal, then immediately turned and walked towards Uesugi Genshin.

"What's wrong? Is something wrong with Feng?"

"Kaede, it's good." Sakuta Azusagawa dispelled her worries. "It's this person who needs to see you."

Then Miss Hirokawa looked at the person next to her and asked, "Who are you?"

"This is Uesugi Genshin, he just swam over from outside," Sakuta Azusagawa introduced.

"Huh?" Miss Hirokawa was stunned, though she quickly regained her composure. "Someone from outside, how did you...?"

"Can I ask you something?" Uesugi Genshin interrupted her.

"Wh-what?" The other person couldn't help but open their eyes wide with curiosity.

"You... do you have a daughter named Hirokawa Uzuki?"

Hirokawa's surname, Yokohama native, and this inherited beauty.

Based on these factors, Uesugi Genshin had a vague guess, and now it was just a matter of confirmation.

"!!!" The other person gasped in surprise, then leaned forward excitedly, "You know about Uzuki?!"

“Yes,” Uesugi Genshin nodded in reply.

Is she still alive?

"Yes, very healthy."

"Then where is she now?"

"We are in Chiba now."

"Chiba...?" She lowered her head, deep in thought.

“Miss Hirokawa, I never expected you to have a daughter,” Sakuta Azusagawa sighed from the side. What’s more, the daughter is with Uesugi.

"Ah, yes." The other person nodded. "I do have a daughter named Hirokawa Uzuki."

She admitted it, which means that this is indeed the mother of Hirokawa Uzuki, the captain of Sweet Bullet and an idol and model.

Chapter 283: My Daughter's Friend is Amazing

"By the way, how old is Ms. Hirokawa's daughter again?" Sakuta Azusagawa asked curiously.

"16 years old, I think. I should be a first-year high school student," Uesugi Genshin answered, turning his head to answer for him, since he was in the same grade as Kaori and their ages should be the same.

"..." Sakuta Azusagawa was dumbfounded. Miss Hirokawa looked so young, yet she had a daughter in high school.

Ms. Hirokawa noticed Sakuta Azusagawa's confusion and explained, "I gave birth to that child when I was 18 years old."

"That's amazing too." Sakuta Azusagawa didn't know what to say.

Even Uesugi Genshin was looking up at the sky. Mai's mother was said to have given birth to Mai when she was very young, so when they last met, she didn't look like a mother with a daughter who was almost an adult.

“Let’s not talk about this.” Ms. Hirokawa turned to look at him. “The last time I spoke to Uzuki on the phone, she said she was at her friend’s sister’s house.”

"Yes, it's at the home of her teammate Toyohama Kazuka's older sister, Sakurajima Mai, in Kamakura, right?" Uesugi Genshin confirmed that what he said was true.

"So you're the brother Uzuki was talking about." Miss Hirokawa breathed a sigh of relief and asked with concern, "Uzuki, how is she now?"

“I’m currently in Chiba, spending time with friends. I’m not doing too badly.” Uesugi Genshin looked around. The corridor was covered with things and people were lying down, making it look like a refugee camp. “At least it’s better than here.”

"That's good." She then patted her chest, a relieved expression on her face. "At the time, she only said that she was safe and that I didn't need to worry."

"That's because I was afraid you'd go to her," Uesugi Genshin said with a smile, spreading his hands.

“Unnecessary worry.” Miss Hirokawa sighed and turned her face away.

“No, that’s very possible,” Sakuta Azusagawa said to Genshin Uesugi. “Hirokawa-san is usually very strict, and she’s very assertive when arguing with people, never losing a fight.”

"Th-that is..." Perhaps feeling that this was not a very honorable thing, Miss Hirokawa turned her face away shyly, wanting to explain.

Then Sakuta Azusagawa continued, "But that's precisely why everyone trusts her, since she's the one arguing for everyone's sake. And Ms. Hirokawa takes good care of Kaede and the others; she's a very good person."