That was when I noticed Hoshimiya looking uncomfortable.
“Um… I will, so could you turn around…?”
“S-sorry!”
I took my eyes off Hoshimiya’s naked body submerged in the clear, hot water and hurriedly turned away. Then I heard her step out of the tub.
This was a big problem for a lot of reasons… As I stepped out into the changing area, I started to run through in my mind what we’d have to do.
While Hoshimiya got dressed, I got my other dorm mates together in the cafeteria and warned them not to use the tap water because it might be contaminated.
“I checked the other taps in the dorm, and contaminated water came out of all of them. A zombie may have gotten into the water pipes somewhere.”
This meant it wasn’t just food we needed to stock up on, but drinking water as well.
“I’m sorry, Tsukishiro, but I need you to guard the gate. Haruka, Ichinose, could you both secure all the taps in the dormitory with rope so no one accidentally uses the water? Also…Hoshimiya and I are going to move to the fifth floor. You should avoid getting too close to us until I tell you it’s safe.”
“You’re moving to the fifth floor? What for?”
“…Hoshimiya was covered in contaminated water. We need to monitor her progress to see if she was infected with the virus.”
“Oh…” The gravity of the situation seemed to have finally sunk in for Haruka.
There was a chance we might lose one of our dorm mates.
Hoshimiya eventually showed up wearing a T-shirt, so we grabbed some food and drinks and went to her room.
“…I wonder if I’ll really turn into a zombie…,” she mumbled once we were alone.
“I don’t know… Did the contaminated water get in your mouth?”
“I don’t think so. I was washing off and noticed the smell right away.”
“Then the virus probably didn’t enter your body, and you should be okay…”
We still didn’t know if it really was a virus turning people into zombies. If it was, though, I’d heard that they could even get into you through your eyes, so we had to be extremely vigilant.
“How long do I have to wait to see whether I’ll turn into a zombie?”
“At least an hour, I’d say. Still, if possible, I want to keep an eye on you for at least half a day.”
“Until tomorrow morning…? Will you stay with me in my room tonight?”
“As long as you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. Besides, you’d probably worry if you didn’t keep watch over someone at risk, right?”
“Yeah… The dorm rooms can’t be locked from the outside, so the only way to prevent other people from getting hurt would be for me to keep an eye on you—or to tie up your hands and feet.”
“That’d suck, being tied up for half a day…”
“You can do whatever you want, though, since I’ll be watching you.”
“Thanks,” she said quietly with a sigh. “Honestly, it doesn’t even seem real to me that I could become a zombie. I know the world’s a mess right now, but I still can’t believe it.”
“I know how you feel. I still wonder whether everything that’s happened since yesterday might all be a dream.”
“I wish it was. You saw me naked.”
“I…”
“Did my body look weird?”
“How should I know? I didn’t look that closely.”
“Liar. You were staring at me after I got into the bathtub.”
“I was just watching to make sure you got all the zombie blood off… Though, your body did enter my field of vision…”
“You got a good look at my boobs, didn’t you?”
“…I think I might’ve caught a glimpse.”
“So what’d you think? I’m pretty proud of their shape.”
“I wasn’t looking at you like that because I was in anti-zombie mode at the time. I was so focused on the blood that I barely remember anything else.”
“Hmm, is that right…? Then did you see my tummy? I’ve gained a bit of weight recently, so I must look all gross.”
“Huh? It looked pretty flat to me.”
“So you do remember.”
“Uh…”
After catching me out, Hoshimiya gave a shy smile. Her face was bright red.
“Now…this is a very important question… Did you see below my belly button?”
“…Um…”
“Wait, forget it. I don’t want to know.” She cut me off and covered her ears. “That won’t change anything now— Let’s drop the subject,” Hoshimiya said with a clap, before continuing at her usual rapid pace.
“Like, I could turn into a zombie, and this is what we’re talking about? Having you see me naked is a major incident, but I might not even be able to have a regular conversation with you in a few minutes, so I need to make sure I don’t have any regrets… That said, how should I be spending what could be my final moments…?”
“I don’t know… It’d be nice if you could talk to your family one last time, but phones aren’t working…”
“If you meet them after I turn into a zombie, could you thank them for everything they did for me?”
“Sure.”
“—Ha-ha! That sounded like something a person who’s about to die might say in a movie,” she said, poking fun at herself. But I didn’t feel like laughing.
“I always thought it was a corny line, but after what’s happened, I get it,” Hoshimiya continued. “You want people to think of you as a good person after you die, and you want to leave them a nice message.”
“I get what you mean.”
“Haah… When I think about the fact that my life might end today, all sorts of regrets come bubbling to the surface. I should have done more than just play games.”
“Like what, for example? If there’s anything we can do in here, I’ll help you out.”
“Let’s see… For one, I wish I’d gotten myself a boyfriend and done all sorts of fun things with him… Honestly, I’m just one big raging ball of desire, aren’t I?”
“No, I know how you feel. If a zombie bit me, I’d probably think the same way.”
It was like I was watching myself from the day before, and I found myself more than a little surprised that girls thought like that, too.
“You do, do you…?”
Hoshimiya thought that over for a moment, then for some reason, she suddenly covered her face with both hands, hiding everything from her eyes down.
“…Then how about having sex with me?”
“Wha—?!”
“You said that if there was anything we could do in this room, you’d help me out,” Hoshimiya pressed, shyly yet surely.
I couldn’t help looking at her ample breasts.
“I—I did say, but…”
“Do you have a girlfriend, Kousaka?”
“No…”
“Then what’s the problem? Or…don’t you want to have sex with me?”
“That’s not the issue…”
“Stop beating around the bush… Didn’t you get excited when you saw me naked…?”
“Well… It was an emergency, so I wasn’t thinking about it at the time. But I guess…”
“Glad to see you being honest with yourself.”
The corner of her eyes crinkled in a smile. Even her ears and hands were bright red now.
“…There’s just one problem if we do that.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“We don’t know exactly how the zombie virus infects people. Bites might not be the only way it spreads; it’s possible that it could be transmitted through the mucous membrane.”
“What does that mean?”
“Like through kissing…or sex stuff.”
“Oh right. So if I have the zombie virus in my body, I’ll end up infecting you.”
“Exactly.”
Of course this was all just a ruse; I’d already contracted the zombie virus, so it wouldn’t matter for me if we did anything like that, regardless of whether Hoshimiya was infected.
But if she wasn’t, then I might infect her.
“So I feel really bad about it, but I’ll have to turn you down this time…”
“Okay… I understand. Forget what I just said.”
Hoshimiya turned her back to me, and a heavy silence filled the room.
But after about three minutes, she suddenly turned back around to face me.
“I’m seriously regretting suggesting something so embarrassing.”
“L-let’s just forget about it. Anyone can make mistakes, especially when they’re facing the possibility of imminent death.”
I should know: It had happened to me.
“I don’t want you thinking I’m a slut, though,” Hoshimiya said. “I’m in a life-or-death situation…and I just thought I wouldn’t mind doing it with you.”
“…I’m honored.”
“Don’t think I’ll say yes if you come begging for sex after I turn out to be okay. You only get the one chance.”
“I won’t.”
“You’re sure? I know you were staring at my breasts when we first met.”
“That…was just my natural instincts…”
“Would you have said yes if I’d tried to seduce you wearing a camisole?”
“…Of course not.”
“What was that weird pause, then?”
“What pause?” I tried to bluff, but Hoshimiya just gave me a weak smile.
“…Hey, can we just chat for a little while? …It’s kinda scary when things are quiet.”
“Sure.”
“Then, do you mind if I call you by your first name, Yuuma?”
“Not at all.”
“You can call me Lisa.”
“Okay.”
“Great. So…what should we talk about…? Yuuma… Don’t you get scared fighting zombies?”
“I mean…of course I do.” I thought back to how I’d felt before I discovered I wouldn’t lose my self-awareness after turning into a zombie. “Getting bitten by a zombie is pretty much a death sentence that turns you into a monster like the ones we see— Sorry. I shouldn’t say that when there’s a chance it might happen to you.”
“No, it’s okay… You’re right; it’s terrifying to think about… Yet all I did while you were out getting supplies was laze around in my room… If I don’t turn, I’ll need to help everyone out more…!!” she said, clasping her hands tightly.
I continued talking with Lisa, feeling guilty the whole time that I was lying to her…