“Ugh… Ugh…”
Yuma slowly opened his eyelids. It was dimly lit, and he didn’t know where he was.
Rough sand clung to his cheeks, and pain ran through his entire body. He couldn’t remember what had happened, and he was simply confused.
“Where is this…?”
Yuma somehow raised his upper body and looked around. Gentle waves were lapping at his feet. It seemed to be a sandy beach.
He tried to stand up somehow, but his body still wouldn’t move freely.
Even so, he spurred on his legs and desperately stood up, staggering.
Although it was difficult to move his body, he didn’t seem to have any major injuries. Yuma placed his right hand on his chest and cast Recovery Magic. Small wounds disappeared in an instant, and he felt a little better.
Looking around again, he could see that the sky was covered with thick clouds. That was why it was so dim.
There was no one on the beach, only Yuma was there.
“What’s going on? I was supposed to be on the Submarine… What happened to Rui and the others?”
He stood there, not knowing what was going on, but he thought there was no point in staying there, so Yuma started walking.
He desperately moved his awkward body and climbed a small hill from the beach.
When he reached the top, his vision opened up, and he could see far into the distance. There were rows of buildings, but they were all collapsed.
Yuma frowned at the惨凄惨 sight.
“Is this… Australia? If so, does that mean the Submarine sank?”
Yuma felt a chill run down his spine. There should have been nearly a hundred crew members on the Submarine, including Rui, Akito, and Alicia.
He didn’t think Rui and Akito would die easily, but he didn’t know about Alicia and the crew.
If the Submarine sank, it was possible that everyone had died. Yuma felt uneasy as he walked aimlessly.
“Was it attacked by Monsters…? Or was it an accident?”
Yuma closed his eyes and held his head with his right hand. His memory was completely blank.
If there was a major accident, why am I still alive? With that question in mind, he walked towards the city.
The approaching cityscape was devastated.
The concrete roads were cracked, and many of the buildings were collapsed. There was no doubt that they had been attacked by Monsters.
He looked for any surviving humans, but there was no sign of anyone.
Even so, Yuma continued to walk a considerable distance, hoping to find someone. His awkward body screamed in protest, and he gradually became unable to stand.
“Damn… Is this my limit?”
Yuma leaned against the wall of a collapsed building and slid down to the ground.
Once he sat down, he couldn’t move. He raised his face and looked into the distance, where he could see the setting sun through the gaps in the clouds.
The already dark surroundings became even darker.
Not knowing what to do, Yuma was at a loss. At that moment…
“Hmm?”
A faint sound. It came from an alleyway beyond the building.
He wondered if it was a Monster, but it didn’t feel like it. Yuma couldn’t move, so he stared intently at the corner of the building.
Then a girl peeked out, cautiously looking this way.
Yuma was a little surprised, but he waved at the girl, saying, “Hey.” The girl trembled, but came out of the shadows of the building and approached.
She was probably about twelve or thirteen years old. She was a white girl with blonde hair, wearing a red checkered dress.
She was probably a local child. Yuma smiled and beckoned, trying not to scare her. The girl, still wary, came within about three meters and spoke to Yuma.
“Ah, sorry. I don’t understand English at all.”
He didn’t have earphone-type translator. It would be nice if he could speak everyday conversation like Rui, but Yuma’s listening ability was hopelessly low.
Yuma tried to communicate with the girl using gestures.
The girl understood this and pointed, saying “that way, that way.” It seemed that there was a place to live over there.
He somehow stood up and walked slowly.
The girl immediately noticed that Yuma’s body was awkward. She took Yuma’s hand and tried to guide him.
Yuma said “Thank you” and walked down the alley with the girl.
◇◇◇
After walking for a while, they arrived at what looked like a commercial facility.
Was it a shopping mall? It was relatively undamaged, and the building retained its original form. The girl pried open the automatic door with her hand and went inside.
Yuma also went through the door in the same way, but the girl ran ahead.
Yuma, still dragging his right leg, couldn’t run after her. As he walked slowly, the girl returned with an adult woman.
A young woman with black hair wearing denim. She was probably in her late twenties.
“Um, are you from here?”
Yuma spoke in Japanese. He knew it wouldn’t be understood, but he couldn’t just remain silent.
The adult woman looked at Yuma with wide eyes.
“Are you Japanese? I’m Japanese too.”
The woman said, sounding a little excited. Yuma’s tension also skyrocketed when he was answered in Japanese.
“Really!? Oh, that’s great. I don’t understand English at all, so I was really in trouble.”
As Yuma answered happily, the woman smiled and explained to the girl behind her in English. The girl nodded and looked at Yuma.
Yuma, who made eye contact, spoke to the girl.
“Thank you. Thank you for bringing me here. You helped me a lot. By the way, what’s this child’s name?”
The black-haired woman said, “Ah,” and stroked the girl’s head.
“This child is Luna. She’s a local child. I think she was worried about you because you were injured, so she brought you here.”
“I see, Luna. That’s a nice name.”
When Yuma held out his right hand, Luna put out her small hand and shook it. Yuma turned his gaze to the woman.
“I’m Mitaka. And you are…”
“Ah, I’m Anzai. I came to Australia for study abroad.”
“You’re a college student. You’re older than me.”
“Mitaka-san, were you living around here?”
Anzai asked as if it were obvious. Yuma shook his head, saying, “No.”
“I came from America. But I got separated from my friends.”
“Eh!? America? When did you come?”
“I arrived today.”
“Today!?”
Anzai opened her mouth in surprise. She had an incredulous expression, but the girl, who couldn’t understand the language, just stared at Yuma with a puzzled look.