Under a sky stained black, I fled from the humanoid monsters closing in—the "Black Zombies."
Fortunately, they were sluggish. Their movements were slow enough that I could maintain a lead even at my pace. The problem, however, was their sheer numbers.
I knew where I needed to go, but the path was blocked. Inch by inch, I felt myself being cornered.
I should have taken a car, but I didn't own one, and my father’s wasn’t parked out front. I suppose I should have expected that nothing in this trial would be easy.
As I rounded another corner, I realized my mistake.
My mind held not only my original memories but also the memories of this world. Because of that, I understood that this specific path led to a disaster. As if confirming my fears, the entrance to a massive shopping district appeared at the end of the road.
"Dammit..."
These monsters had first emerged from within the neighborhood houses. If they were appearing as if to replace the people who had been there, then a shopping district at the end of the year would be...
"There are too many of them..."
A horde of Black Zombies literally choked the street, spilling out of the shopping district toward me. Behind me, the group that had been pursuing me was closing the gap. I was caught in a pincer attack.
What now? There was no escape, and I had no time to think. Pushing forward was suicide. The crowd behind me was large, but could I weave through them?
I had to. Even if the odds were slim, I couldn't give up here.
Deciding the rear offered a better chance of a breakthrough, I spun around and sprinted toward the sluggish monsters. As the distance closed and I prepared to dodge, a sharp crack of gunfire rang out. The zombie directly in front of me burst like a water balloon, dissolving into black liquid that soaked into the asphalt.
"What?"
I skidded to a halt, stunned. A girl in a white lab coat appeared before me, dual-wielding handguns. She moved like a dancer, weaving through the monsters and systematically thinning their ranks with her pistols.
"Looks like I made it in time!"
"...Erina?"
It was the girl from the lab who looked exactly like Kuro—Erina Kurusu, the person I had spoken with so many times in this virtual world.
"But why?"
I couldn't wrap my head around it. If everyone in this world had turned into a monster, she should have too. More importantly, she was a character in a world Shiro-san had built—why was she helping me?
Before I could find an answer, the roar of an engine tore through the air. A motorcycle charged into the fray.
Another familiar girl was at the handles. She leaped from the moving bike, letting it slide into the mass of zombies spilling from the shopping district. As she landed, she leveled a submachine gun and fired a burst into the bike. A massive explosion erupted, blowing the monsters to pieces.
"Kaito-san! Over here!"
"Arisa!? What... what is happening!?"
"Explanations later! We need to get out of here now!"
Arisa Mamonaka grabbed my hand and started running. Erina followed close behind.
We sprinted toward a larger thoroughfare, where yet another familiar face was waiting.
"Iris-san! Do it!"
"On it!"
The woman, Iris Reafeed, pulled a pin from something in her hand. Wait—was that a grenade!?
The explosive flew in a perfect arc, landing in the middle of a zombie cluster and detonating with a thunderous roar.
"Whew! Nice arm, Iris-san."
"Hehe, naturally."
Iris joined our group, and the four of us sprinted down the road until a large van came into view ahead.
"Kaito-san! In here!"
"Lidi-senpai!?"
Lidi Quannet? My mind was reeling.
Following her lead, we piled into the van. Lidi slammed the door shut and shouted toward the front.
"Ririka! Go!"
"Understood!"
Sitting in the driver's seat was Ririka Saigyouji.
"Hey there, Kai-chan. How’s it feel to be the lead in a zombie flick?"
"Even Fey-san is here... Seriously, what is going on?"
Fey Murakumo’s lazy voice drifted from the back seat. Every member of the university research lab—the people I knew in this world—was here.
Arisa spoke up while slamming a fresh magazine into her submachine gun.
"Sorry we're late. The 'Help Characters' have officially arrived."
"Help characters? What does that even mean? And where did you get those weapons!?"
"Well, the short version is that we were created based on the women Kaito-san loves in the original world. We've received the feelings of our counterparts. In this virtual world, we’re the only ones who can be your allies. As for the guns, there were piles of them left at Yumegaoka University. I guess the God who built this world left them for us, basically telling us to bring it on."
"Allies... then you're..."
I looked at the lab members. Every one of them nodded, their expressions filled with warmth. Dammit... I felt like I was going to cry. I couldn't have asked for more reliable reinforcements.
"Now, Kaito-san, tell us where we’re going. We’ll get you there!"
"...Thank you, everyone."
After offering a heartfelt thanks, I told them the destination.
Kuro had told me I needed a place where I could clearly recognize the reality of my parents' deaths. Two locations had come to mind.
The first was the site of the accident. I would never forget it. But that probably wasn't the place. The area had been completely renovated during urban redevelopment a few years ago; the scenery had changed. While it was the physical location, it wasn't the place as it existed in my memories of that day. I felt it was too weak to serve as the "proof" I needed.
That left only one other candidate. The place I had visited countless times.
"Ririka-senpai! Get on the highway. We’re going to the southern outskirts... to Jifuu Cemetery!"
"You got it! Hold on tight, I’m flooring it!"
The cemetery where my mother and father sleep. That was where I needed to go.