Two-dimensional Doomsday Countdown

"Click…"

"Drip-drip…"

In less than five seconds, the call was connected.

Yuji didn't take the lead, and only the sound of breathing could be heard from the other side of the line.

"Hello! This is Yuji."

In the end, Yuji decided to speak first and broke the silence.

"I'm Kasumigaoka Utaha."

The girl's voice was firm, completely different from the emotion expressed in the email, but Yuji could feel the restrained excitement in her words.

It's so good to hear your voice again!

Yuji looked at the scenery outside the window and smiled. At the very least, his return might change the course of the future.

Kasumigaoka Utaha, on the other end of the line, held the phone tightly, her fingers turning white.

There are still good people in this world.

She felt a little happy.

On the [-]th day, she didn't notice any change in the world. As usual, she took a leave from school and stayed home, writing and writing to catch up on her drafts. Even after emailing her editor and getting no reply, she didn't notice anything wrong.

On the second day, the [-], she couldn't stand eating bread and milk anymore. She left her room and went downstairs, only to find that her parents were gone. She had no choice but to go out—and what she discovered made her heart tremble.

The streets were deserted and silent.

The world had changed drastically, but she didn't know it.

She went to Toyosaki filled with anxiety and unease, hoping to find people. But in the end, she found only a despairing reality.

Subconsciously, she thought the entire world had abandoned her.

Everyone had vanished—and she was left alone.

She returned home in a daze, curled up in a corner, and finally fell asleep without realizing it.

When she woke up again, she browsed the web absentmindedly and finally came across a message.

There are still people in this world—only in Chiba, Japan.

Her lifeless eyes lit up, and the light of hope reemerged in her heart. She completely ignored her appearance, edited an email with trembling fingers, and sent it.

She was still worried about the other person's personality. After making contact, if he asked for her exact location, she was willing to reply—but in the end…

One email after another, one phone call after another—all seemed to sink into the void with no response.

Hope crumbled in an instant.

From despair to hope, and from hope back to despair—the emotional swing even made her think about suicide.

What's the point of living alone?

No parents, no editors, no classmates—everyone she knew, and even strangers, had vanished. What reason did she have to keep living?

Until the phone rang that morning, and the number on the screen startled her and gave her hope again.

It was the number she had dialed [-] times the night before, until she finally screamed in despair.

"Student Yuji, do you know what happened to this world? Why did everyone disappear, except us?"

"I'm sorry… I don't know."

"You don't know?! Then we should…"

Kasumigaoka Utaha's words stopped abruptly. After her joy, she calmed down a bit and became vigilant again. Even if the other party was the only one, could they be trusted?

Kasumigaoka Utaha, who knows her appearance and charm very well, can't help but be afraid that after the two meet, the other party will have irrational thoughts about her and even choose to be tough.

Women confront men, there is a natural weakness.

"I'm in Chiba and I plan to leave Chiba for Haneda Airport on [-]. If you don't mind, Kasumigaoka, you can come to Chiba to meet me, or I can come to you."

"Why are you going to Haneda Airport?"

What to do at the airport in this situation. She didn't understand Yuji's purpose in going to Haneda Airport.

"Fly the plane back to the Eastern Union..."

"what???"

The girl was shocked.

No matter what happened to Kasumigaoka Utaha, she never thought that the boy on the other end of the line would fly back to China, so she was sure that he wasn't joking with her.

"I want to return to my country to see the situation in the Eastern Union. My home is there. Even if I really have to die one day, I want to die in the land of my homeland."

Yuji's words were a bit profound, and Kasumigaoka Utaha could understand her thoughts. In other words, she would choose to go home and take a look.

"Do you know how to fly a plane?"

"Yes, otherwise I wouldn't even think about going back to China."

"Now, network communication and electricity are working normally, but as time goes by, they will inevitably become paralyzed, and we may not be able to contact each other until then."

Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned, she knew that what Yuji said was true.

"Since I know there are still people there, I'm determined to leave for Haneda Airport today and make flight arrangements. If you trust me, Kasumigaoka, and plan to leave with me, please contact me before noon on the 10th. As for me, if communication is interrupted, please arrive at Haneda Airport before the agreed time."

"Do you have to leave?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly wondered if this was Yuji's plan to force her to find her as soon as possible.

"Well, I've decided."

According to what he knew about Kasumigaoka Utaha in his memory, Yuji felt the pressure, and it was impossible to gain the girl's trust in a short period of time.

He hurriedly requested a meeting, but was mercilessly rejected by Kasumigaoka.

Leave Kasumigaoka alone? He can't do that. But persuasion? In the current situation, no matter how much persuasion, more persuasion will only increase the girl's vigilance.

And he has no more time to waste in Japan. Now that he knows about his assistant's situation, he can begin the next stage of his plan.

In the end, Yuji could only choose the side pressure method, so Kasumigaoka Utaha took the initiative to contact him and chose to meet in person. From then on, Yuji believed that the two could build a good relationship for a long time.

And if the worst happens, then...

"Student Kasumigaoka, I hope you continue to live strong. Only by living can one have hope. Perhaps in a year or so, the world will return to normal and your parents and relatives will appear again..."

Don't be defeated by yourself!

"Goodbye, I'll contact you next time..."

"See you."

She hesitated to say anything else, but finally decided not to say anything.

Yuji hung up the phone.

Then you can start the next step.

Haneda Airport is 32 kilometers from Chiba as the crow flies.

Police helicopters have sufficient range.

Today is a great day to fly.

On the other end of the line, Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned his back against the wall, gritted his teeth, and took a deep breath.

She faced the biggest problem of her life.

To trust or not to trust is an important choice related to the future of life.

"It's just the two of us, don't even show kindness!"

The boy named Yuji spoke objectively and rationally, but he placed the cruel reality before her and let her make her own choice.

"You don't know how to say things like 'I won't hurt you,' 'I won't do anything to you,' 'Don't worry,' and 'Please trust me!'"

But to be honest, Kasumigaoka Utaha also knew that if Yuji said this, she would be even more suspicious.

It is better to live or die alone than to be humiliated and tortured.

But death... It trembled in his heart and he was afraid of it,

She still has unfinished business, dreams, and many beautiful things in life that she has not experienced, and she is still reluctant to end her life.

However, rejecting Yuji and living alone, Kasumigaoka Utaha's heart continued to throb with uneasiness.

Although there are still people in the world, she chooses to live alone, in the true sense of the word.

She can really do it!

After a year and a half, all this will be over... Hehe, how is that possible?

Kasumigaoka Utaha doesn't believe that the world can return to the past, although she still misses the world that was once beautiful in her heart.

Only when you lose it can you understand the preciousness of life.

...