Chapter 19: Crisis Resolved

Leaning hopelessly against the wall, Utaha Kasumigaoka suddenly felt a profound sense of release. Memories from her seventeen years of life flashed before her eyes like a lantern reel. She desperately breathed in what she believed to be her final moments of warmth. Sosuke Kitahara, who had been lying on the floor, slowly crawled toward her. Utaha suddenly felt a soft pressure on her chest. Sosuke's hand was pressing there like a cat, and his half-opened mouth loomed closer to her neck with those familiar zombie groans. Utaha let out a bitter smile. "You always liked staring at my legs. Why are you so obsessed with biting my neck now? Your filthy hand is on my chest. Do you even know how painful it is to be bitten on the neck? It would bleed so much. I'd probably look really ugly after I die." Her smile deepened as she whispered, "But even then, it's still better than becoming a zombie. I just hope someone will eventually break into this room and kill the hideous versions of us. That way, at least you'll have company on your way to heaven." Warm breath brushed against her neck. His wet teeth were already pressing down. Utaha slowly closed her eyes, bracing herself for the end. Her final thought was at least Sosuke brushed his teeth; his breath didn't smell. Just as she was about to accept her fate, she felt something soft and wet lick her neck. "Even as a zombie, you're still such a pervert. Can't you just bite me properly? Why do you need to taste me first..." Utaha cursed inwardly then froze. Zombies were brutal, mindless. They never hesitated, let alone paused to savor anything. "Sosuke! Are you okay? I knew it I knew you'd make it!" Utaha immediately sat up, overwhelmed with joy as she hugged Sosuke tightly. "Say something! Why are you still pretending? You scared me to death just now. Do you know I was this close to chopping you down with a single strike..." Clutching him tightly, tears streamed down her face. No one who hadn't gone through life-or-death situations could possibly understand this kind of bond forged by survival. She thought they wouldn't make it through the day, but now here they were, clinging to life. After her emotions gradually calmed, Sosuke still showed no response. He remained limp in her arms. Utaha quickly wiped her tears and gently laid him on the ground. His face was still pale, and his parched lips kept moving. "Sosuke, what do you want to say?" She leaned close to his mouth and heard him faintly whisper, "Water... water..." "Water? Ah, okay, okay, I'll get it right now!" Utaha sprang to her feet and dashed out of the room, grabbing a bottle of water with unprecedented speed. She returned, lifted Sosuke's head onto her lap, and carefully unscrewed the cap to feed him. But Sosuke's mouth barely opened, and the water dribbled everywhere, soaking her stockings. Utaha hurriedly tried to pry his mouth open, but she poured in too much and he started choking. "You're so troublesome! Do you want to drink or not..." Utaha was completely flustered. She had no medical training, and her panic only made things worse. Looking at his cracked lips, Utaha seemed to make a monumental decision. She bit her lip, blushed furiously, and grumbled, "Damn it, you're really taking advantage of me..." She took a small sip of water, held it in her mouth, and leaned down... ... ... "Ah! Sosuke, you're awake!" Utaha suddenly straightened up from her chair, her face lighting up with joy as she looked at the now-conscious Sosuke Kitahara, who still seemed dazed. He glanced around the familiar room and the darkened window. His voice was hoarse. "Kasumi... where am I?" "Your room, of course. We're still at your house. You've been unconscious for over an hour." Utaha sat on the edge of the bed, gripping his hand tightly, her face full of concern. "How do you feel? You kept saying you were thirsty, so I gave you some water, but I didn't dare feed you anything else. Are you hungry? I can get you something to eat..." "Let's wait on that. But... what was in the water? My mouth feels kind of bitter... but also a little sweet, like fruit." "It was just bottled water. Maybe it had a bit of sugar added." Utaha quickly averted her gaze. Though she didn't wear makeup, she always applied fruit-flavored lip balm to keep her lips from drying out. "Wow, sugar in bottled water? No wonder it tasted sweet. Cheapskate companies, huh?" Sosuke wiped his mouth in mock disgust, making Utaha furious. She was about to retort when Sosuke suddenly pointed at her legs. "What happened to your stockings? Why are they soaked?" A strange expression crossed his face. "Wait... did you..." "Shut up!" Utaha's face turned crimson as she glared at him. "It's just spilled water." "Ah, I see." Sosuke sighed in relief. Suddenly, Utaha lunged at him and hugged him tightly, her soft body pressing against his chest. This kind of intimate embrace from a beautiful girl would usually thrill him, but right now, after narrowly escaping death, all he felt was a deep sense of gratitude. He gently patted her back. "Don't worry, I'm back." "Here, have some more water. Your lips are still really dry." Utaha sat back and handed him the bottle, shaking her head with a soft chuckle. "Seeing you still act like such a pervert really puts me at ease." Pfft Sosuke nearly spat out the water. He stared at her, bewildered. "What do you mean? Do you actually like me being a pervert? Or are you a closet masochist?" "At least you're still the same Sosuke." Utaha smiled brightly, then pointed at his arm. "Oh right! Sosuke, your arm what's going on? The wound is completely gone! Not even a scar is left. How did you do that?" "Really?" Sosuke raised his arm in disbelief. Sure enough, it was perfectly healed, without even a scab. His eyes widened in shock. "I was really only unconscious for an hour?" "Just over an hour. It's almost 7 PM now." Utaha was just as puzzled, frowning as she thought it over. "Do you think you've mutated? Like in those movies? Usually, people bitten by zombies turn quickly, but you just went into a coma from dehydration. Your body was also really cold, like ice, and you sweated a lot, which should normally help cool you down, but you were freezing..." "Maybe because you were only scratched? Maybe the virus amount was low, and your strong immune system suppressed it. But this healing speed doesn't make sense. Could it be that your body produced an antibody or even mutated slightly? Otherwise, this is completely unexplainable!" "I'm not sure... maybe... maybe my father left me something." Sosuke was certain it wasn't an antibody. The virus was evolving rapidly. Only high-tier Awakened ones could resist it after multiple evolutions, and even then, their enhanced physique couldn't be replicated or passed on to ordinary people. Recalling the mysterious flashes before losing consciousness, Sosuke frowned. "Let's check the computer. Maybe my father left something for me there..."