Chapter 651: 'To The Place I Need to Go'

Under the blackened sky, I run away from these black humanoid zombie-like monsters…… black zombies that are closing in on me.

Fortunately, the black zombies moved slowly, so even the relatively slow me were able to escape from them. However, the problem is their numbers.

I know where I need to go, but I can't head in that direction. I feel like, slowly but surely, I'm being pushed into a corner.

In situations like this, it would have been great if I could ride a car, but I didn't have a car of my own, and Dad's car also wasn't in front of our house. I guess the world just won't make it easy for me huh?

With this thought in mind, I realized my mistake just as I was about to turn the first few corners.

Not only did I regain my original memories, but I also kept the memories of the me in this world in my head, which is why I understood that this road I'm running leads me to the worst place.

As if to affirm this thought, I saw the entrance to a large shopping district at the end of the road.

[……D*mn it……]

The black zombies first emerged from inside the neighborhood houses. If, hypothetically, these monsters replaced the people who were originally living in those houses…… The shopping district at the end of the year……

[There's too many of them here……]

A horde of black zombies literally filled the shopping district and started limping towards my direction…… and behind me, there are also the black zombies that had been chasing me from before…… This is bad! I'm trapped!

What should I do? There's no way out…… I barely even have the time to think! There's no way that I could survive charging forward…… There are quite a few behind me, but can I get through while avoiding them?

No, I have to get through them! Even if it's unlikely, I can't just give up here!!!

Thinking that there was still a better chance of breaking through the rear than at the front, I immediately turned around and headed towards the black zombies slowly approaching me.

As the distance between me and the black zombies was getting closer and closer, the moment that I was about to change direction to evade them…… With the sound of dry gunfire, the black zombie in front of me burst like a popping water balloon, seeping into the ground like black liquid.

[……Eh?]

As I stopped in my tracks at that unexpected situation, a girl in white labcoat, carrying two handguns appeared in front of me. The girl moves like a dancer, slipping through the black zombies and killing them one by one with her handguns.

[……Looks like I made it in time!]

[……Eri…… na?]

Yes, appearing in front of me was the labcoat-wearing girl that looked like Kuro…… someone I've been talking a lot with in this virtual world, Kurosu Erina.

[……Why?]

I don't know what was going on. If all the inhabitants of this world had turned into black zombies, then she should have obviously been a black zombie like the others. No, putting those matters behind, she was a character in the world Shiro-san created, so why is she helping me?

At the same time as these questions popped into my head, I heard the sound of an engine, and saw a motorcycle barreling towards me.

Riding the motorcycle was another familiar girl, who then jumped off it, leaping towards me, abandoning her motorcycle still speeding through.

With no one controlling it, the motorcycle rolled along the ground as if it was sliding, and when it reached the horde of black zombies that came from the shopping district, the girl fired the submachine gun in her hand towards the motorcycle…… and with a loud explosion, many black zombies were blown to pieces.

[Kaito-san! This way!]

[Alyssa!? W- What in the world is……]

[We'll talk about it later! For the time being, let's get out of here!]

The girl who appeared on a motorcycle…… Mamonaka Alyssa, took me by the hand and started running, with Erina following behind us.

As we ran with my hand held by Alyssa, we turned onto a larger street and saw another familiar person in front of me.

[Iris-san! Please do it!]

[……Unnn!]

The girl who heard Alyssa's words…… Iris Leavitt-san pulled the pin out of something she was holding in her hand————- Eh? Wait a moment, isn't that a grenade!?

Thrown in a neat parabola, when the grenade reached the horde of black zombies…… a thunderous explosion roared out.

[Fyuuu~~ Iris-san, you have quite the throwing technique there~~]

[……Ehhen~~]

As the four of us ran down the road, with Iris-san joining us…… a large one-box car came into view at the end of the road.

[Kaito-san! This way!]

[Liddy-senpai!?]

This time, it’s Liddy Quanette-senpai!? S- Seriously, what in the world is happening here!?

Even though I'm feeling perplexed with what's happening, we followed Liddy-senpai's words and jumped into the car. Liddy-senpai then quickly closed the door and called out to the driver.

[Riri! Let's get out of here!]

[I understand!]

Sitting on the driver seat…… was Saigyouji Ririka-senpai.

[Yahooo~~ Kai-chan. How does it feel being the protagonist of a zombie movie?]

[Even Fae-san…… Seriously, what in the world is happening?]

Speaking to me from the rear seat with her usual insipid voice was Murakumo Fae-san…… Now, all the lab members, my friends in this world are here.

Even as I had no idea what was going on, Alyssa spoke up while changing the magazine of her submachine gun.

[I know it's too late to say this now…… but we, the "Ally Characters" are here to help you.]

[A- Ally Characters? W- What do you mean? Or rather, what the heck is with that weapon!?]

[Well, it's that, you know? To explain it simply, we were created based on Kaito-san's lovers in the original world, and each of us received the emotions from the original us. In other words, we're beings that feel that we're Kaito-san's ally even in this virtual world. Incidentally, as for these weapons, there were plenty of them in Yumegaoka University…… The God who created this world must have prepared them for us when we're going to help you.]

[……Ally…… in that case……]

Hearing Alyssa's words, I looked around at the lab members gathered here…… and they all nodded with warm smiles. Ahh, d*mn it…… I feel like I'm about to cry. Seriously…… They're encouraging reinforcements.

[Now, Kaito-san! Please tell us our destination! We'll be here to support you!]

[……Thanks, everyone.]

After expressing my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who rushed to my aid, I told them the place that I'm aiming for.

When Kuro told me about how I need to go to a place where I could clearly recognize Mom and Dad's death, there were two places that came to my mind.

The first would be that place where Mom and Dad died…… The accident site that I will never forget. However, it's probably not there. The accident site had been renovated a few years ago as part of an urban redevelopment project, and the landscape around that area had changed.

It may be the place where the accident occurred, but it was different from the accident site that I had remembered. If that were the case, I thought that that place would be weak in terms of me clearly recognizing my parents' death.

In that case, there was only one option left. That place that I had visited many times back then……

[Riri-senpai! Go through the highway heading towards the southern suburbs…… To "Tokikaze Cemetery"!]

[I understand! We're going full speed…… Please hold on tight!]

The cemetery where Mom and Dad lie…… is the place I should aim for!

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [They're Gun-fu fighting…….]

? ? ? : [They're just basing it on the original Kuro-san. Incidentally, Alyssa-chan is a versatile gun-fu fighter who can switch between assault rifle, submachine gun, and sniper rifle, allowing her to deal with enemies from all distances.]

T/N: I'd like to see this in the manga, or at least the smug/teasing Iris-san (VR Isis-san)