Hyuuga seemed to have finally finished straightening herself up, but she kept standing there with her back turned to me. She must’ve been feeling pretty uncomfortable.
Standing there, watching her small back—the change came over me.
My eyes were open, but it felt as if my vision was gradually narrowing. The next second, I realized I could no longer move my arms. The end had finally come.
This is bad! Hyuuga’s back is still turned to me—
“…Hyuu…ga…”
I called out to her, but my tongue wouldn’t move the way I wanted it to. I couldn’t speak properly, as if my entire mouth had been anesthetized.
“…Quick…get awa…”
I somehow managed to squeeze out those few brief words, and Hyuuga slowly turned around.
“Ha-ha… That was a million times more embarrassing than I thought it would be…,” she mumbled as she looked at me. Then her eyes went wide.
“…Wow, you look a lot more like a zombie now.”
“Ru…run…”
“Sorry, but I’m not running. I’m going to have you bite me and become a zombie.”
“Wh…wha…?”
“I’m tired, and I don’t want to be alone. I’d rather give in and turn into a zombie than say good-bye to you. Oh, I know! Why don’t you infect me with a kiss instead of a bite? It’s more romantic that way. Then we can tie our hands together with a piece of string so we’ll stay together even after we’re both zombies, and neither of us will ever have to be lonely.” Hyuuga took my hand, her eyes shining with hope.
She couldn’t do that. There’s no way you can just give in and let yourself die.
“Yuuma… Good-bye…,” Hyuuga mumbled with an expression of resolve. She slowly moved her face closer to mine.
It was all my fault. If I’d been more forceful pushing her away, maybe Hyuuga wouldn’t have given up on living…
My vision had turned gray, my consciousness seemed on the verge of fading, and all the joints in my body were as hard as rocks. But I gathered up the last of my strength and forced out a single word from deep inside.
“…D…on’t…”
Hearing my raspy voice, Hyuuga stopped moving.
“—Hmm? What did you say?”
“…Don’t…”
“Are you trying to tell me not to become a zombie?”
“…Ye…s…”
“There’s no point living in a world like this, though. You can’t tell me not to become a zombie when it’s happening to you. It’s irresponsible. If you want me to keep on living, then stay with me forever.”
The moment I heard Hyuuga’s pained words, I suddenly felt a heat inside my heart. It slowly spread throughout my body, as if it was moving through all my organs. Every cell in my body seemed to be rejecting my fate.
I had to protect Hyuuga. That was my duty.
I gritted my teeth. My arms felt like lead, but I slowly managed to lift them up through sheer determination.
“…I…will stay…with you…!!”
“Wha—?!”
“…I…will protect…you… I swear it!!”
I squeezed out my voice and grabbed her shoulders with both hands.
Only seconds earlier, Hyuuga had looked completely gray, but then she suddenly regained her normal color, and our eyes met.
“…Um, Yuuma? Is it just me, or are you speaking normally again?” she asked, wide-eyed.
Then it hit me: That paralyzed feeling I’d had was gone, and I could move my hands again, though they were still gray. I no longer had chills or felt exhausted. My narrowed vision was back to normal.
“…Guess the zombification stopped.”
“It’s stopped…?” Hyuuga asked with an incredulous look, staring at my face. “…Um, this seems a bit hard to ask, but are you sure you haven’t already become a zombie?”
“—What?”
“Well, your eyes are cloudy, and your skin’s gray. Appearance-wise, you really look the part.”
“Huh?! I do?”
I immediately pulled out my phone, turned on the camera, and checked my face.
“—?!!”
Hyuuga was right. No matter how I looked at it, I had the face of a zombie.
“…Huh?! What’s going on?”
“That’s what I should be asking you.”
“Maybe…I managed to retain my mind. Did I hang onto my consciousness even as a zombie?”
“Don’t ask me.”
“Right. What do I do now, though?”
“How should I know? …I let you see my boobs thinking you were about to die…”
“Oh, uh, well…”
“This wasn’t the deal! You better take responsibility!”
Hyuuga covered her breasts with her hands and pressed her face close to mine, tears in her eyes. I couldn’t help but avert my gaze.
“Forget what you just saw! Erase it from your memory right now!”
“I don’t think that’s how it w— Urgh. Aaaaargh!”
“Don’t think you can fool me by pretending!”
She’d seen right through me. Even though I looked exactly like a zombie.
“W-wait a minute! I’m sure I’ll turn into a zombie on the inside as well any second now!”
Yet ten minutes later, there was still no sign I was losing my self-awareness.
Was it really possible that I might not turn into a zombie completely…?
“This is terrible. Your mind still hasn’t been taken over,” Hyuuga said with a reproachful glare, her cheeks puffing out in annoyance.
“I never thought this would happen, either, so won’t you please just calm down…?”
“No.”
“Yeah, didn’t think so…”
“Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy you haven’t lost your consciousness, but I just can’t accept this… This black mark on my life will never go away as long as you’re alive…”
“Wasn’t it supposed to be a memory of your youth?”
“It would have become that the moment you died… But I never would’ve let you see my breasts if I’d known you wouldn’t completely turn…”
Hyuuga bit her lip. She seemed to regret her rash behavior under those extreme conditions with every fiber of her being.
“I’m really sorry. I’ll do anything if it means you’ll forgive me.”
“…Anything…?” Hyuuga’s eyes glittered suspiciously while she continued to pout. “Do you really mean that?”
“O-of course.”
“Then you’ll be a dog if I ask you to be one?” she pressed, an overbearing look in her eyes.