Just a small, insignificant note for this chapter for better illustration: In Japan, traffic drives on the left, which is why the steering wheel is on the right-hand side. But anyone who paid attention in AiB already knows that anyway xD

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"I'll go and see what's going on down there in a minute," Chishiya told me after our breakfast together. I had to admit that I hadn't had the courage to look out of the window to take a closer look at the bloody massacre on our doorstep since the incident the day before. "It will probably be necessary to clear a few bodies out of the way. It won't be long before they start to decompose. I'd hate to have that stench right outside the door."

"Can you even manage it on your own?" I asked with a scrutinizing glance at his injured arm.

He smiled slightly.

"Probably not."

I sighed heavily at the thought.

"Okay, I'll come with you. At least I'm feeling a little better today."

Chishiya got up from the table and cleared away our dishes while I followed suit.

"I'll go ahead and see where the King of Spades is hanging out. If everything is all right, I'll let you know," he informed me.

I nodded and watched as he took his weapon out of the bedside table again and left the apartment shortly afterwards.

He came back a few minutes later and gave the go-ahead. Then we went downstairs together.

Chishiya had been right about the smell. I could smell the bodies even before I saw them. When I took a closer look, I felt the nausea rise up inside me. Right in front of the door was a dark blue station wagon with smashed windows and a man sitting in it with his head on the steering wheel. Apparently he had been shot directly in the back of the head.

There were countless other bodies lying in the street, some of them covered in blood. I hesitantly ran after Chishiya, who was carefully scanning the area.

Suddenly I froze as a severed arm lay right in front of my feet. I turned away in disgust and was about to spill the contents of my stomach on the asphalt, but managed to control myself just in time.

"There's a lot of work ahead of us." Chishiya handed me a shovel he had found in the basement of the house. "Start digging a pit over there! I'll collect the bodies in the meantime."

He put on a pair of disposable gloves and set to work.

I groaned. Could it actually get any worse? Disposing of bodies in the morning. This was exactly what I had always dreamed of.

I walked over to the meadow and looked for a soft spot in the ground. When I found a suitable one, I started digging. After a short time, I was completely exhausted and sweat was running down my forehead. And don't even get me started on the calluses on my hands.

Exhausted, I dropped into the grass next to it to rest for a moment. When Chishiya arrived with the first bodies, he gave me a stern look.

"That won't be nearly enough. The pit needs to get a lot deeper."

I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, it does. Give me a break. I'm already totally out of breath."

"It's time you got some stamina back, otherwise you'll hardly make it through the next few games alive."

Upset, I picked myself up and grabbed the shovel again. Then I continued digging, a little disgruntled.

It felt like an eternity before Chishiya had collected all the bodies. When the pit finally met his requirements, we threw them in together, which was the worst part of the whole operation for me. Finally, I shoveled the hole back in. After that, I was at the end of my tether.

When we had finally finished everything, we looked down at our work. Chishiya was already turning away again, but I couldn't tear my gaze away. We had just buried almost a dozen bodies and it seemed wrong to leave them behind like that.

"Shouldn't we...say a prayer or something?" I asked hesitantly.

Chishiya turned to me briefly, his hands buried in his jacket pockets again. He just shrugged his shoulders.

"You can do whatever you want if it makes you feel better."

I groaned and looked down at the fresh earth one last time. Maybe later then. At the moment, I was far too exhausted anyway. I followed Chishiya a little guiltily. Before we went back upstairs, however, he took a look at the car outside our front door, which was now completely empty.

"Wait a minute," he said and opened the door to sit down in the driver's seat. He turned the ignition key and the car actually started.

"Is that one of the vehicles from the Beach?" I asked, frowning.

"I assume so. And it looks like the tank is still full enough to get to the hospital and back."

Chishiya switched off the engine again and removed the key.

"Wait a minute, you don't want to drive there right now?" I asked with a skeptical expression.

"No, let's get some rest first. But we should try to find more antibiotics and painkillers as soon as possible. We took the last two Penicillin this morning and the supply of paracetamol is also running low. We could take some with us in this car," he said and then got out again.

"But... you can hardly drive with your arm, can you?"

He smiled smugly.

"That's right. That's why you're going to do it."

I stared at him, completely stunned, as he simply walked past me and took the stairs back up.

"Me?" I called after him pointlessly, but didn't dare contradict him. I felt a little queasy at the thought of getting back into a car after such a long time.

"What?" he asked with a raised eyebrow when we got back to the top. "Are you saying you can't drive a car?"

"Yes, of course I can," I lied and crossed my arms in front of my chest a little indignantly.

"There we go... we'll set off in the afternoon so that we're back before evening."

I cursed inwardly. Apparently the day was going to get worse after all. What had I done to deserve all this?

About four hours later, we had packed everything we needed for our trip and got into the car - me in the driver's seat and Chishiya in the passenger seat. He pressed the car keys into my hand.

"You drive and I'll tell you where to go," he explained bluntly. I nodded tensely and put the key in the ignition with sweaty hands, while Chishiya looked at me expectantly, which automatically made me even more nervous. I slowly took my left foot off the clutch and stepped on the gas with the other as I shifted into first gear. The car bumped briefly and the engine died. I smiled a little embarrassed.

"What was that?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"Sorry," I mumbled and made a second attempt, stalling the car again.

Chishiya didn't look too pleased and I wanted to sink into the ground somewhere.

"Didn't you say you could drive earlier?"

"Well...well." I scratched the back of my head, a little embarrassed. "I passed the theory, but I failed the practice twice."

I saw Chishiya roll his eyes in annoyance.

"And why didn't you tell me before?" he growled.

I lowered my eyes, embarrassed.

"I was a bit uncomfortable," I said meekly.

Chishiya groaned.

"Okay. So now follow my instructions exactly..."

More patiently than I had expected from him, he explained to me step by step how to start the car and it actually worked on the first try. I was completely stunned. "Now maybe you should release the handbrake first." I nodded and followed his instructions. We slowly rolled off. "Good, now shift into second gear."

I changed gears and pressed the accelerator a little harder, but started to lurch a little because something jumped in front of me and I almost ran over it and realized out of the corner of my eye that it was a rabbit.

"What now?" I asked tensely, looking at him from the side.

"Look at the road and try not to hit a tree for now."

"Okay," I muttered glumly.

"Now turn right."

I steered and we drove around the bend at a creeping speed.

"Shouldn't I shift into third?"

He looked at me doubtfully for a moment.

"Sure," he then just said.

I shifted into third gear a little hesitantly and panicked again when the car started to go noticeably faster. When I saw something lying on the road in front of me, I quickly turned the steering wheel to avoid it and swerved off the road. I slammed on the brakes and was thrown forward violently. When we came to a halt, we were right in front of what had once been a shop window of a sushi restaurant.

"Why did you swerve? It was just a corpse," he snapped at me.

"I'm really sorry," I mumbled meekly.

"Didn't you learn in driving school that you should brake for obstacles and not swerve?"

"Yes, I did," I mumbled, feeling dumber every second.

"Then do it next time!"

"Yes, yes," I replied defiantly.

Chishiya put his hand to his forehead in resignation.

"Who would have thought that I would die in a car accident rather than from my gunshot wound?" he said, more to himself, before addressing me again: "Now put the car in reverse..."

It took a while, but with Chishiya's help I managed to get back on track.

When we finally came to a halt in front of the hospital in question, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, have i been better?" I asked him before switching off the engine.

"A little, but if that had been a real driving test, you would have failed it without mercy. I don't know how you manage to almost cause an accident even when there's no traffic."

I grinned a little sheepishly. Then we got out of the car and took our bags with us.

There was a yawning emptiness in front of the large clinic building. The wild plants, however, had taken back a lot of the space and were growing out of every niche in the ground. Some were even framing the dreary facades of the buildings and gradually climbing up the walls towards the sky. It wouldn't be long before there would be nothing left of the former human world.

"It's a bit like The Walking Dead, isn't it?" I said as we climbed the steps to the entrance.

Chishiya raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Didn't think you'd watch something like that."

"I don't usually, but my ex-boyfriend was really into that zombie stuff. He probably would have preferred me to be one too."

From my stupid babbling, I realized that I was still incredibly nervous and asked myself why at the same time. After all, it couldn't be the driving at the moment. But when I saw Chishiya's mocking smile, my heart suddenly started beating much faster.

"So your ex prefers lifeless girls? I'd give that some serious thought."

"Well, he wasn't particularly sensitive, he was more practical."

I only realized how ambiguous that sounded when I finished the sentence.

"Practical, then? Well, I'd rather not ask any more questions," Chishiya replied with an amused undertone.

I bit my lower lip a little uncomfortably while Chishiya went ahead and tried to open the door at the main entrance. Surprisingly, it was open. I followed him into the deserted foyer, where everything looked as if it had just been abandoned. There were even a few patient files on the reception desk and the computer was still in its place, completely untouched. I ran my finger over the wood and wiped away a thick layer of dust.

"It's almost as if no one has been here for years."

Chishiya turned to me.

"Come on, we have to keep going," he said. I hurried after him. He obviously had a specific destination, almost as if he knew his way around these rooms. We went up one floor and came to another long corridor. Chishiya headed for one of the rooms which, according to the door sign, was only accessible to staff. He opened the heavy glass door and I followed him in silence. The room looked like a simple office with several workstations. On the left-hand side was a huge duty roster with lots of names on it. There were hooks next to it and red ribbons hanging from them, each with a medical card attached. Chishiya quickly grabbed one and put it in his jacket pocket.

"Hey, what was that all about?" I asked indignantly, and then I finally realized. Chishiya had obviously worked in this hospital earlier to complete his practical part as a medical student. I looked at the roster and actually found Chishiya's name on the list.

"You're not exactly quick on the uptake, are you?"

"You... worked here?" I asked, still perplexed by this realization.

"Yes, I worked here in pediatric surgery."

"You mean children's surgery?" That sounded absurd in the context of Chishiya, especially the part about the children. "Wow," was all I could manage.

"Come on, we have to get going," he said and left the room again. I followed him into another room, which seemed much more sterile than the one before. Here, too, everything seemed strangely untouched. There were just a lot of white cupboards lined up close together with several drawers, all neatly labeled. Chishiya walked purposefully to one of the compartments at the back and pulled open the second drawer from the top. "Looks like we're in luck."

He set his backpack down and spent some time searching through the medicine cabinets for anything that might be useful, then tossed them into the backpack while I just stood by and watched.

At some point, I saw something fall out of Chishiya's jacket pocket. He didn't notice and I took my chance and grabbed the ID.

I held it up confidently and then turned away from him to look at the photo in the light. The sight almost took my breath away. As is usual with ID cards, only Chishiya's face was on it. He was wearing a white doctor's coat and his white-blonde hair was obviously tied back at the nape of his neck. He was without question the most attractive doctor I had ever seen. How could someone be so outrageously good-looking?

"Give me that!" he growled and tried to snatch the ID card out of my hand, but I quickly backed away and giggled.

"Oh noooo, I'm never giving that back."

I waved it playfully in front of his face.

"You're being really silly," he replied with a frown and now crossed his arms.

"Who wanted to hide this from me? It certainly wasn't me."

He sighed heavily.

"Fine. Keep it if you really want to," he said and then turned away from me again, almost indifferently.

"Can I really?" I asked, trying not to let my pleasure at this show too much.

"Sure. After all, it's just an ID card. Do what you want with it."

I grinned mischievously and then looked at the photo of his angelic face again, completely delighted.

"Have you got it then?" he asked as he watched me and narrowed his eyes a little.

I lowered the ID and kept it safely in my pocket.

"Don't always be so grumpy."

"I'd just like to get back while it's still bright. At your driving speed, we'll never get there."

I quickly scurried through the door to follow him out again.

On the way back, my driving went a little better. However, when we passed a large shopping center, I slammed on the brakes.

"What's this going to be?" Chishiya asked, frowning.

"Well... um...I'd just like to get some new clothes to wear. I promise it won't take long."

I looked at him pleadingly.

"Okay, fine," he sighed.

"But you'd better park the car somewhere else. I'd like to stop someone stealing our stuff from the car."

I nodded and then pulled into the parking garage next door.

"So, shall we buy a parking ticket?" I grinned as we walked across the parking deck.

"You really seem to be feeling better again," Chishiya said in amazement as we strolled towards the shopping center together. Then I headed for my favorite clothing store, but was quickly disappointed to find that most of it had already been stolen by other players.

"They really should restock their merchandise. This selection is an imposition," I complained.

Chishiya walked through the store somewhat indifferently, his hands back in his jacket pockets, looking around the men's department.

It took me a while to finally find something suitable in my size. As soon as I had gathered a few things, I put everything in a basket and then looked for Chishiya. When I found him, he had obviously just put on a cream-colored cardigan.

"Isn't that a bit too much color for you?" I asked in a sarcastic tone.

"I guess you're right," he said, taking it off again and putting it back on the display.

"But it looked good on you. Why don't you take it with you," I said and held my basket out to him.

Chishiya raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Do you work here?"

I laughed.

"Yes, that's right. And if you don't take this with you now, I'll get in trouble from my boss. So you don't really have a choice."

"Well, then I admit defeat," he said and put the cardigan in the basket.

"Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?" I asked with a fake salesgirl smile and curtsied a little.

"Sir? Do you think I'm that old?" he asked in amazement.

"Well, as far as I remember, you still haven't told me your age."

Chishiya hesitated a little.

Then he said:

"Twenty-five."

"Twenty-four," I said, smiling warmly at him.

"We should go now, before it starts to get dark," he said, glancing outside.

I nodded a little gloomily. Just when it was starting to get fun, we had to leave again. Nevertheless, I knew that Chishiya was right. As we walked side by side on the way back, I briefly had the absurd thought of reaching for his hand. I had absolutely no idea how he would react, but I was relatively certain that it wouldn't be the reaction I was hoping for. But the idea alone was enough to make my heart beat faster.

When Chishiya suddenly stopped in front of a bookshop, I paused, irritated.

"I'll be right back," he said and went inside. I just smiled, but followed him. "You don't have to come with me."

"I know, but I like bookshops," I said and stroked the covers a little dreamily, but then realized that they had already collected a lot of dust. "Are you looking for anything in particular?" I asked as he looked around the store with interest.

"No."

I saw him go to the section with the medical books, but the small selection obviously didn't seem to meet his specific requirements. Eventually he turned back to the fiction section, where I was also browsing. When I spotted one of my favorite books on one of the tables, I smiled and reached for it to leaf through it. Then I held it out to Chishiya.

"Here. I'm sure you'll like this one," I said with conviction and pressed it into his hand. He took it and looked at the meaningless white cover with the title Nothing.

"And how are you going to judge that?"

"Hmm," I said, thinking for a moment. "Intuition."

"Aha, very convincing."

He turned the book over anyway and read the short summary on the back.

"It's about the meaning of life and how to find it," I explained and smiled a little.

"I see..."

For a moment, he just seemed to stare absently into space, completely absorbed in his thoughts. Then he reached for two more books and tucked them under his arm.

"When you're ready, let's get out of here."

I nodded in agreement, almost bursting with joy inside. He had actually taken my recommended book with him.

"Okay."