“This item, isn’t it from the Vtuber Nuno Genshi Yumeyume Utsushiyono! Wow, that’s also a limited edition! Oh my god, I’m so jealous!”

Suddenly, Hinoyama shouted in a voice that was unlike his usual self. When I looked at him in surprise, his cheeks were flushed with excitement.

“Huh? Yumeyume Utsushiyo? What’s that?”

“Don’t you know?! It’s a Vtuber who’s been the talk of the town lately! Not only is she cute, but her bright and soothing voice, skillful storytelling, and most importantly, her high accuracy in fortune-telling are all highly praised! If you don’t know her, then you’re behind the times!”

Hinoyama suddenly raised his voice, sounding unlike himself. His cheeks were flushed with excitement, and he seemed surprised that the others didn’t know about Yumeyume Utsushiyo, a popular Vtuber.

Hinoyama-san is speaking so quickly that it’s hard to keep up, and I can see Jinguichi looking at me for help.

“Diya said she’s also a fan,” I offer.

“Really?! If only she had told me earlier, we could have bonded over it,” Hinoyama-san exclaims, still brimming with excitement.

“So, what is this Vtuber? Is it like my niece’s thing?” Jinguichi asked

“I see, some explanation is needed here. Vtubers are like YouTubers, but with virtual or 3D avatars. The person behind the avatar is often not revealed, and there’s a certain mystique surrounding them…” explained Hinoyama.

Hinoyama was holding his head in disbelief, while Jinguichi had eyes like those of an alien, staring in surprise.

As for the one who was passionately talking about how great Yumeyume was, let’s leave them be for now.

It’s more important to understand the current situation.

Regardless of the VTuber, there are fans of Dia present here.

What does this indicate?

“There’s no such thing as a coincidence.

They were intentionally gathered here.

By whom… it must be Diya.

Why… to help us.

That’s the only explanation I can think of. They were worried about us when they couldn’t reach us, and gathered the viewers here in some way.”

Perhaps we should consider that the VTuber named Yumeyume also helped us,” but we can leave conclusions for later, as it is only speculation.

Regardless of the reasons, it is certain that this is a great opportunity.

“Jinguichi-san, Hinoyama-san, let’s descend the mountain.”

Thanks to the commotion that brought many villagers together in one place, we were able to safely descend the mountain.

The sun had completely set, but we managed to reach the spot where we had parked their car, quickly got in, and left the scene.

Just to be safe, Jinguichi -san is riding in the back of the truck. He is hidden from view by a cardboard box, so no one can see him from the outside.

As we passed through a single-lane road and entered a two-lane national highway, we took a breather.

We had been anxious about being caught up, but there was nothing the pursuers could do in this busy location.

While a Hollywood movie might depict a car chase, they weren’t foolish enough to do anything that would draw attention to themselves.

“Looks like we managed to escape,” Hinoyama said with a relieved expression from the driver’s seat.

“Yeah,” Jinguichi replied.

…

I am happy for the help I received, but I cannot simply be glad.

The connection between the villagers and the zombies is one thing, but most importantly, we still don’t know if Iwaro is safe.

I look back and try to catch a glimpse of Jinguichi’s condition from the rear window.

He’s sleeping on a cardboard box instead of a mattress. It’s understandable.

Honestly, I wished we could have saved Iwaro more than this person. I highly valued not only his personality but also his skills as an engineer.

I wonder how he is doing now. Has he been captured by the villagers, or did he lose his life while trying to escape?

What good does it do to dwell on such things?

I made a decision to abandon people all over Japan and around the world. I decided that I would survive even if it meant leaving more and more people to die.

There’s no right for me to be shaken up over abandoning just one person.

The vibration of the car is comforting to my tired body. It would feel so good to just fall asleep like this.

Just before my eyelids close, I remember something and my eyes widen.

“Oh no!”

I take out my smartphone and turn it on.

I had turned off the power to conserve battery since we were in an area without reception.

The screen is filled with a mountain of notification history.

Despite being late at night, there was a message just three minutes ago.

The sender was, of course, my sister and Diya.

I call my sister, and before the first ring stops, she answers.

“Jin-chan! Are you okay? What happened? We’ve been worried sick! Are you hurt? Is Iwaro-san okay? And Jinguichi-san? What about Hinoyama-san?”

My sister bombards me with questions as soon as she answers the phone.

My sister’s voice is on the verge of tears as she fires off questions rapidly.

“Calm down, Yae-ne. I’ll tell you everything. Is Diya with you?”

“She’s right here! So, is everyone okay!?”

Her voice is just as panicked as my sister’s.

I have no choice but to tell them the truth, including what happened to Iwaro-san.

“I had no idea something like that happened. Jin-chan, thank you for all your hard work. You must be exhausted, but please be careful coming back home.”

“Thank you, Yae-ne.”

“I’m sure Iwaro will be okay! He’s so big and strong, after all! Remember, the trip isn’t over until everyone comes back home!”

It was comforting to hear Yae-ne’s genuine words of appreciation. Even Diya, who had the closest relationship with Iwaro, was trying to be strong and not worry others, despite her own pain.

“Although it’s not really a field trip. I’ll tell you all the details when I get back. I want to hear about what’s going on with you too. Alright, talk to you later.”

With those words, I hung up the phone.

While I did want to hear the full story from Diya about the commotion that happened at the foot of the mountain, I was reaching my limit.

“Excuse me, could you let me sleep until the next rest stop? After that, I will take over driving.”

“Sure, no problem. Good night.”

I’m exhausted. I just want to surrender to drowsiness and not think about anything for now.