In Honkai with Tom Cat

It is another morning. The bright sunlight filters through the clouds, illuminating the chaotic city of Nagazora. Due to the occurrence of the Honkai, there are almost no living beings left in Nagazora; most have been turned to dust by the influence of Honkai energy, or transformed into undead warriors and Honkai beasts.

The once bustling city has turned into a dead city, where silence and death have become the main themes.

However, not all places are so desolate. Inside a department store, two young girls are hiding in a room, looking out the window at everything outside. One girl has brown hair and black eyes, appearing to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, standing about 1.7 meters tall, with healthy wheat-colored skin and a beautiful face. Her eyes are bright and full of spirit, clearly a traditional athletic girl.

The other girl has blonde hair and blue eyes, also around fifteen or sixteen, slightly shorter at about 1.6 meters, with fair skin, long and delicate hands, and an elegant appearance reminiscent of a refined young lady. The former wears a plain black school uniform, while the latter is dressed in the uniform of Thousand Feathers Academy.

"Yoko, what should we do..." The blonde girl, Miyo, looks anxious. "We've been trapped here for three days... We're running out of food and water."

"We have no choice... Miyo, there are too many monsters outside... It's impossible for just the two of us to go out..." Yoko frowns. "There are so many monsters here; if we hadn't hidden well, we would have been in trouble by now."

The two girls exchange glances and sigh, sitting down in despair. Yoko Mamiya comes from an ordinary family, while Miyo Hayami is the daughter of a millionaire. Their fathers were comrades in the military and had a close relationship, which allowed them to become good friends despite their different backgrounds.

A few days ago, Miyo had planned to return to school and invited Yoko to go shopping together. While they were in the VR experience center on the first floor, they fell asleep while trying out the latest VR technology. When they woke up, the entire department store had changed, filled with unfamiliar zombies and monsters. They managed to escape to this small room and have been hiding ever since.

Three days have passed since the disaster began, and the snacks and water they bought are running low. With so many monsters outside, they face the grim reality of either starving to death or being killed by the creatures outside.

As they sit quietly, Miyo suddenly clutches her stomach. "I'm sorry, Yoko, my stomach hurts. Can you take me out to the restroom?" Fortunately, this small room is next to the restroom, and they always go out together when needed.

"Okay, Miyo, just wait a moment." Yoko nods and walks to the door, moving the heavy object blocking it. Just as she unlocks the door and opens it, she suddenly feels a force pushing her out.

Along with her, the baseball bat she had taken for protection also follows. Before she realizes what is happening, the door slams shut behind her, and she hears the sound of it being locked.

"Miyo, what are you doing? Miyo!" Yoko feels an indescribable panic and anger at her friend's unexpected action. She stands up, ready to break down the door, but hears Miyo's voice from behind it.

"Don't bang on the door, Yoko, and keep your voice down." Hearing Miyo's voice, Yoko stops her attempt to break the door.

"Yoko, listen carefully. If we stay here, we will only have one way out—death," Miyo calmly tells Yoko. "But if you go out, there might still be a chance for survival."

"After all, you have great athletic ability and are in good health," she continues.

"But I can't leave you behind! Miyo, if we're going, we go together!" Yoko insists.

"I'm sorry... If you take me with you, you'll just have an extra burden," Miyo replies sadly. "My physical ability has always been weak. If I run away with you, I won't be able to keep up, and we would both die."

"How can you say that..." Although Miyo's words are harsh, they reflect reality.

"Besides, I might not die. The remaining food and water can support me for several days..." Miyo reassures Yoko from behind the door. "Maybe by then, you'll find someone to rescue me."

"...Is there anyone left out there?" Yoko asks.

"I don't know, but with such a big incident, the government and military won't just sit back and do nothing." After thinking it over several times, Yoko finally grits her teeth and picks up the baseball bat.

"Miyo, wait for me here!" she cries, her voice tinged with tears. "I will definitely come back to save you."

With that, she leaves, tears streaming down her face. "Yoko is gone now," Miyo says with a sad expression from behind the door. "Don't come back, Yoko..."

She leans against the door and sits down. "It's really dangerous here."

Miyo has not told Yoko one thing. That night, she seemed to have gained some strange power. This power heightened her senses, allowing her to perceive things beyond the ordinary. The reason they managed to hide in this small room was due to Miyo's enhanced perception.

She had deliberately pushed Yoko out because of this intuition. Now, she can sense that there is an indescribably terrifying presence deep within the massive department store. She has been sensing it since the second day, and as time passes, that presence seems to grow more frightening.

Fortunately, it appears to be in a state of incubation or slumber, so it cannot move yet. If Yoko had taken her with her, it would have certainly led to their demise. But her intuition tells her that if Yoko goes alone, she might be able to escape.

In this uncertain situation, Miyo can only trust this strange instinct. "It's good that only one person can go out. Yoko... you must survive..." Tears stream down her cheeks as she remains alone, praying deep within her heart that her close childhood friend will return safely.

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