Two-dimensional Doomsday Countdown

From a high altitude, Yuji could see more directly the destruction caused by the earthquake.

At least one-tenth of Tokyo's buildings were tilted, many skyscrapers had collapsed, and the entire city was filled with gray smoke and dust.

Boom…

Explosions had even occurred in some areas.

Natural disasters held terrifying power — enough to easily destroy a city.

"This city… can't be saved anymore."

Yuji pushed the armed helicopter to its maximum speed. The sooner he arrived, the greater Kasumigaoka Utaha's chances of survival.

Wouldn't it have been better if that woman had just left him alone?

If she had come before noon, he would have already taken off and avoided the earthquake entirely.

If he had contacted her first, tried to convince her, spoken his mind — maybe she wouldn't have waited until now.

"You must stay alive!"

Yuji prayed she was still alive.

Fifteen minutes later, the helicopter reached Fengzhizaki Academy.

The school courtyard was the best landing zone.

The major quake had passed, but it was unclear when aftershocks might follow.

Grabbing the toolkit and medical bag left inside the helicopter, Yuji rushed toward the building — where he had files with Kasumigaoka Utaha's home address.

All he could do now was hope she had stayed at home.

---

April 10th, 11:00 AM

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at the time displayed on her phone. There was only one hour left before the appointed time.

In just one hour, that man would be flying from Japan to the Eastern Union.

By then, the two of them would truly be separated.

Once he arrived and settled there, would he fly back to pick her up?

Kasumigaoka Utaha laughed. She couldn't imagine him taking such a huge risk just for her.

"It's time to make a decision. No more hesitation. No more wasting time."

She reminded herself.

Since that morning, she'd been stuck in indecision, constantly checking her phone, always feeling like there were calls or messages — but every time, it was just her imagination.

For three days, she hadn't taken the initiative to contact Yuji — and he hadn't contacted her either.

That made her feel like maybe he didn't care about her at all. But then again, part of her feared the darker side of human nature — maybe Yuji was using psychological pressure to push her into reaching out first.

"It's getting late. At least send a message saying you're leaving…"

Now and then, she made up excuses — maybe something had happened to Yuji, maybe that's why he didn't call — but before she could even press the return button, she'd toss the phone onto the bed.

"So irritating…"

Kasumigaoka Utaha was worried and conflicted.

Deep down, she knew how she truly felt.

Though she still had some doubts about Yuji, she couldn't help but feel anxious and panicked at the thought of having to survive alone once he left for the Eastern Union.

That heavy feeling of unease pushed her toward choosing to "trust Yuji and take the risk."

But because of her feminine pride — and a few other reasons — she decided to wait for Yuji to make the first move.

She waited, hoping for a proper phone conversation first.

If the conversation went well, she would tell Yuji where she was.

They had met in real life.

That's why she was risking both her life and her future.

But surprisingly…

Yuji never called or sent her an email. It shattered her expectations.

"Still fifty minutes left… Forget it. I'm done thinking about it. I'll just live alone. It's not like I can't survive on my own."

There was no need to worry about food or water.

Vegetables and meat would spoil, but rice and flour lasted a long time — and Tokyo had more than enough long-term food supplies to last her a lifetime.

Kasumigaoka Utaha wasn't worried about supplies at all.

Her only concern was electricity and internet access.

But she didn't need to worry about that just yet. She could figure out a solution later — or simply adapt.

Kasumigaoka Utaha lay on the bed, her small head buried in the large, soft pillow, long black silk-clad legs swinging lazily, her pleated skirt disheveled, and white panties fully exposed.

It was a beautiful, alluring sight.

But sadly, there was no one there to see it.

After sobbing and shouting a few times to vent her frustration and dissatisfaction, she decided to close her eyes and rest.

She didn't want to think about the headache anymore.

Indecision was truly exhausting.

She had only been waiting for Yuji's reaction. If he reached out, she would speak with him. If he didn't… then forget it. She wasn't the kind of woman who couldn't live without a man.

But then, stunned — Kasumigaoka Utaha felt the bed shake… and the tremor grew stronger and stronger.

As someone who had always been educated about earthquake safety, she immediately recognized what was happening.

"An earthquake…"

And it definitely wasn't a mild one.

She leapt to her feet, didn't bother with shoes, rushed to the door, and ran downstairs as fast as she could.

Only in an open space could she be safe.

Crack…

A loud snap echoed from above. Just as Kasumigaoka Utaha reached the first floor, she instinctively looked up. Cracks had formed in the ceiling and were rapidly spreading like a spiderweb.

Her pupils shrank. In a flash, she turned and ran to the corner of the living room.

Boom…

She had barely crouched there for a second before the ceiling collapsed with a thunderous crash.

Cough, cough, cough…

Kasumigaoka Utaha curled up. She felt no pain and knew she wasn't hurt — but her vision was blurred, and the air reeked of dust.

"Will I die of starvation? Dehydration? Or be buried alive and suffocated…"

She wanted to laugh, but laughing felt worse than crying.

Who would've thought a massive earthquake would hit and trap her in her collapsed home?

"Maybe this is the world's revenge on me!"

No one was coming to save her.

There was no way the only other person would come to rescue her.

She couldn't contact him — couldn't even tell him where she was.

Because she had kept her guard up against Yuji, he had no way of knowing her location, and couldn't come for her.

Besides… by now, Yuji must already be flying in the sky!

The girl buried her head between her knees, silently drowning in misery.

And deep down… she still wanted to live.

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