He must be on his way to the clock tower, but I couldn’t see him anywhere near it, and instead of him, the virus monsters began to approach the clock tower.
“Hey, Ms. Cherry. This isn’t the time to do that. I think we should move.”
Knox, still on my back, grabbed his axe. I took off running, still carrying Knox.
I’d been running for a while and suddenly realized that I still had time and stamina, and that I might as well stop at a grocery store while I searching for Ethan.
“Where’s the grocery store?”
Running with Knox in my back, I quickly scanned my surroundings.
The monsters gathered in front of the fountain had lost interest and were scattering. Some of them had spotted me and Knox from a distance and were running toward us.
“Down, down, Sinclair, down!”
At Knox’s shout, I quickly crouched down. The viral monster had gotten close enough that it swung its long arms at us.
It knocked me off balance and I rolled to the ground with Knox. A small groan escaped his lips.
I quickly grabbed my axe and swung as the creature tried to reach for us again.
Puck!
This time, the monster was hit by the axe and sent flying.
Spitting out a groan of pain, Knox picked himself up and looked at the flying creature in surprise.
“What are you really?”
“Cherry Sinclair.”
But now I remembered my past life.
I swallowed the afterthought and pulled Knox’s hand to help him up from his seat. With a small groan, Knox limped over and grabbed his bag.
Of course, I couldn’t afford to be so lazy. I scooped him up and took off running again, watching the monsters closing in.
According to the map, the grocery store should be around here.
I scanned the neighborhood and spotted a grocery store tucked away next to an inn. The glass on the front door was broken, so I was able to get inside with ease.
I dropped Knox at the entrance and went straight for the axe, just in case there were any virus monsters left inside.
“Ms. Cherry, I think we should cover this place first.”
Knox sighed and struggled to his feet, pointing to the broken front door glass.
I picked up a tablecloth that was rolling around nearby and tossed it to Knox, who peered inside while he covered the broken window, which was thankfully clear of people or monsters.
“There’s more monsters around than there were before, and it’s going to be hard to get out of here without a back door.”
I raised my eyebrows at Knox’s comment.
“There’s no back door, that’s the only way out, and there’s no window, here.”
“……So we’re isolated.”
I slumped in my seat. The grocery store was still full of fresh vegetables and other food. But what was the point of all this if I couldn’t survive here and now?
“I’m sorry, I got greedy.”
I mumbled in a daze. Knox, who was peeling a lollipop, stared at me. He popped the candy into his mouth and replied tiredly.
“Come on, you saved my life.”
“I’m surprised you’d use that word.”
It was not a word I would have expected to hear coming out of Knox’s mouth, the paragon of arrogant aristocracy.
“It’s a word your friend used, and she isn’t the only aristocrat who uses it.”
Knox replied nonchalantly.
“My friend? I don’t have a friend……?”
I scratched my head, then realized. The only person in Brunel that Knox would consider a friend was Vanilla, an aristocrat who might have used the word.
“Ah. You mean Miss Vanilla.”
But since when has Vanilla been a friend of mine? Vanilla would be the only one to use that kind of greeting.
‘Anyway, I wonder if she’s okay.’
I walked over to Knox, who stood hobbling in the doorway, the gash on his thigh looking worse than it had earlier.
His face was calm, but his lips were blue and trembling. It was almost a wonder he was able to keep his cool in the face of such embarrassment.
“Sit down, let me see your wound.”
Knox didn’t bother to stop me. I pressed his shoulder and he meekly took a seat against the front door.
I stared at the wound, visible through his torn and tattered pants. Just as Knox had described, it had been pierced by a sharp iron bar.
“That’s going to hurt.”
I frowned at the wound.
“We’ll have to disinfect it first. I think this one needs a tetanus shot…….”
“You know about tetanus shots?”
Knox asked, and I looked at him like I didn’t understand why he didn’t know that, and then I remembered that I was Cherry Sinclair.
Most people in this world were ignorant of medicine unless they were experts. And a demented Cherry Sinclair would be even worse, Knox must have thought, and I was certainly who he suspected I was before I remembered my past life.
I skirted around Knox’s question, looking for something to disinfect the wound.
“I traveled abroad from a young age and picked up quite a bit of miscellaneous knowledge.”
I’m going to use that excuse whenever people question my knowledge in the future. It’s perfect.
I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough when I meet Harrison, but for now, I don’t even know if he’s alive or dead.
‘I hope he’s okay.’
I let out a worried sigh, thinking of Harrison.
Luckily, Knox seemed to shake his head and move on.
“Don’t worry, I gave the shot when we were in the clock tower earlier.”
“Was there anyone else there?”
“No…….”
Knox hesitated for a moment, his voice trailing off, and then held up his doctor’s coat. Inside the gown was a small belted bag tied around his waist.
“I brought some medical supplies.”
“Oh, my God!”
Medical supplies, thank you very much.
Medical supplies were one of the things Happy House was lacking. I’d asked Harrison to get them for me, but it took a while because specialized medical supplies have to be approved by the medical association before they can be made available to the public.
The world ended before we had a proper medical supply.
“I’ve got the first aid down, but I haven’t bandaged it yet. Can you help?”
Knox asked me in a gentle tone. I nodded and grabbed some antiseptic and bandages from his belt pouch.
I smoothed out his tattered pants, poured on the disinfectant, and applied the bandage.
“Thank you, Lady.”
Knox smiled brightly. I patted his leg and stood up.
“Anyway, we’ll head out when the monster’s numbers are down, but keep an eye on it, you can do that with a broken leg, right?”
I said, grabbing an empty bag and stuffing the groceries into it. Flour, bread, vegetables and meats, condiments and rice, I packed them in with great care.
“If you put this in, too.”
Knox picked up a pack of cigarettes rolling on the floor and tossed them to me. There was room in the bag, so I tossed the cigarettes in and grabbed a bottle of whiskey.
“You used to smoke?”
I don’t think I’d ever seen him smoke before the Apocalypse; I’d always seen him sucking on a lollipop.
Knox pushed the curtains aside slightly and peered outside before answering me.
“I’m trying to quit smoking, but I don’t think I need to anymore. I don’t know when I’m going to die, so why bother with my health?”
Knox wasn’t panicked, and he wasn’t despairing. It was as if he knew the world would come to this someday.
Of course, if he did, he wouldn’t be smoking, as he said.
I finished gathering my bags and set them on the empty table. I sat down in a chair and took a moment to dry off.
“I wonder what happened to Lord Ethan.”
“He should be fine, he’s not one to die easily.”
Again, Knox sounded unconcerned. He sounded as if he knew Ethan better than anyone.
I’d noticed earlier, but talking to Knox made it seem like none of this really mattered.
“How do you know Sir Ethan will be okay?”
“Because that’s just the kind of guy he is.”
No, that’s not what I meant, but Knox didn’t explain further.
Silence fell over the grocery store. Except for the sounds of monsters wandering outside the door. Knox leaned back against the front door and looked at me.
“Can I call you Cherry, now that we’ve gotten to know each other?”
“Just keep using the honorific. We’re not that close yet.”
“Yes, Ms. Cherry.”
Mr. Knox nodded, showing no sign of being offended.
He kept checking out the door with a lollipop in his mouth.
He didn’t seem nervous, but I wasn’t sure if he was the type of person who didn’t show it, or if he really wasn’t nervous.
And then, out of nowhere, Knox looked at me. Our eyes met head-on. He smiles, a beautiful smile, and suddenly asks me a difficult question.
“Do you know why the world is the way it is, Ms. Cherry?”
There it was. A question I’ll be asked for years……!
He must be on his way to the clock tower, but I couldn’t see him anywhere near it, and instead of him, the virus monsters began to approach the clock tower.
“Hey, Ms. Cherry. This isn’t the time to do that. I think we should move.”
Knox, still on my back, grabbed his axe. I took off running, still carrying Knox.
I’d been running for a while and suddenly realized that I still had time and stamina, and that I might as well stop at a grocery store while I searching for Ethan.
“Where’s the grocery store?”
Running with Knox in my back, I quickly scanned my surroundings.
The monsters gathered in front of the fountain had lost interest and were scattering. Some of them had spotted me and Knox from a distance and were running toward us.
“Down, down, Sinclair, down!”
At Knox’s shout, I quickly crouched down. The viral monster had gotten close enough that it swung its long arms at us.
It knocked me off balance and I rolled to the ground with Knox. A small groan escaped his lips.
I quickly grabbed my axe and swung as the creature tried to reach for us again.
Puck!
This time, the monster was hit by the axe and sent flying.
Spitting out a groan of pain, Knox picked himself up and looked at the flying creature in surprise.
“What are you really?”
“Cherry Sinclair.”
But now I remembered my past life.
I swallowed the afterthought and pulled Knox’s hand to help him up from his seat. With a small groan, Knox limped over and grabbed his bag.
Of course, I couldn’t afford to be so lazy. I scooped him up and took off running again, watching the monsters closing in.
According to the map, the grocery store should be around here.
I scanned the neighborhood and spotted a grocery store tucked away next to an inn. The glass on the front door was broken, so I was able to get inside with ease.
I dropped Knox at the entrance and went straight for the axe, just in case there were any virus monsters left inside.
“Ms. Cherry, I think we should cover this place first.”
Knox sighed and struggled to his feet, pointing to the broken front door glass.
I picked up a tablecloth that was rolling around nearby and tossed it to Knox, who peered inside while he covered the broken window, which was thankfully clear of people or monsters.
“There’s more monsters around than there were before, and it’s going to be hard to get out of here without a back door.”
I raised my eyebrows at Knox’s comment.
“There’s no back door, that’s the only way out, and there’s no window, here.”
“……So we’re isolated.”
I slumped in my seat. The grocery store was still full of fresh vegetables and other food. But what was the point of all this if I couldn’t survive here and now?
“I’m sorry, I got greedy.”
I mumbled in a daze. Knox, who was peeling a lollipop, stared at me. He popped the candy into his mouth and replied tiredly.
“Come on, you saved my life.”
“I’m surprised you’d use that word.”
It was not a word I would have expected to hear coming out of Knox’s mouth, the paragon of arrogant aristocracy.
“It’s a word your friend used, and she isn’t the only aristocrat who uses it.”
Knox replied nonchalantly.
“My friend? I don’t have a friend……?”
I scratched my head, then realized. The only person in Brunel that Knox would consider a friend was Vanilla, an aristocrat who might have used the word.
“Ah. You mean Miss Vanilla.”
But since when has Vanilla been a friend of mine? Vanilla would be the only one to use that kind of greeting.
‘Anyway, I wonder if she’s okay.’
I walked over to Knox, who stood hobbling in the doorway, the gash on his thigh looking worse than it had earlier.
His face was calm, but his lips were blue and trembling. It was almost a wonder he was able to keep his cool in the face of such embarrassment.
“Sit down, let me see your wound.”
Knox didn’t bother to stop me. I pressed his shoulder and he meekly took a seat against the front door.
I stared at the wound, visible through his torn and tattered pants. Just as Knox had described, it had been pierced by a sharp iron bar.
“That’s going to hurt.”
I frowned at the wound.
“We’ll have to disinfect it first. I think this one needs a tetanus shot…….”
“You know about tetanus shots?”
Knox asked, and I looked at him like I didn’t understand why he didn’t know that, and then I remembered that I was Cherry Sinclair.
Most people in this world were ignorant of medicine unless they were experts. And a demented Cherry Sinclair would be even worse, Knox must have thought, and I was certainly who he suspected I was before I remembered my past life.
I skirted around Knox’s question, looking for something to disinfect the wound.
“I traveled abroad from a young age and picked up quite a bit of miscellaneous knowledge.”
I’m going to use that excuse whenever people question my knowledge in the future. It’s perfect.
I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough when I meet Harrison, but for now, I don’t even know if he’s alive or dead.
‘I hope he’s okay.’
I let out a worried sigh, thinking of Harrison.
Luckily, Knox seemed to shake his head and move on.
“Don’t worry, I gave the shot when we were in the clock tower earlier.”
“Was there anyone else there?”
“No…….”
Knox hesitated for a moment, his voice trailing off, and then held up his doctor’s coat. Inside the gown was a small belted bag tied around his waist.
“I brought some medical supplies.”
“Oh, my God!”
Medical supplies, thank you very much.
Medical supplies were one of the things Happy House was lacking. I’d asked Harrison to get them for me, but it took a while because specialized medical supplies have to be approved by the medical association before they can be made available to the public.
The world ended before we had a proper medical supply.
“I’ve got the first aid down, but I haven’t bandaged it yet. Can you help?”
Knox asked me in a gentle tone. I nodded and grabbed some antiseptic and bandages from his belt pouch.
I smoothed out his tattered pants, poured on the disinfectant, and applied the bandage.
“Thank you, Lady.”
Knox smiled brightly. I patted his leg and stood up.
“Anyway, we’ll head out when the monster’s numbers are down, but keep an eye on it, you can do that with a broken leg, right?”
I said, grabbing an empty bag and stuffing the groceries into it. Flour, bread, vegetables and meats, condiments and rice, I packed them in with great care.
“If you put this in, too.”
Knox picked up a pack of cigarettes rolling on the floor and tossed them to me. There was room in the bag, so I tossed the cigarettes in and grabbed a bottle of whiskey.
“You used to smoke?”
I don’t think I’d ever seen him smoke before the Apocalypse; I’d always seen him sucking on a lollipop.
Knox pushed the curtains aside slightly and peered outside before answering me.
“I’m trying to quit smoking, but I don’t think I need to anymore. I don’t know when I’m going to die, so why bother with my health?”
Knox wasn’t panicked, and he wasn’t despairing. It was as if he knew the world would come to this someday.
Of course, if he did, he wouldn’t be smoking, as he said.
I finished gathering my bags and set them on the empty table. I sat down in a chair and took a moment to dry off.
“I wonder what happened to Lord Ethan.”
“He should be fine, he’s not one to die easily.”
Again, Knox sounded unconcerned. He sounded as if he knew Ethan better than anyone.
I’d noticed earlier, but talking to Knox made it seem like none of this really mattered.
“How do you know Sir Ethan will be okay?”
“Because that’s just the kind of guy he is.”
No, that’s not what I meant, but Knox didn’t explain further.
Silence fell over the grocery store. Except for the sounds of monsters wandering outside the door. Knox leaned back against the front door and looked at me.
“Can I call you Cherry, now that we’ve gotten to know each other?”
“Just keep using the honorific. We’re not that close yet.”
“Yes, Ms. Cherry.”
Mr. Knox nodded, showing no sign of being offended.
He kept checking out the door with a lollipop in his mouth.
He didn’t seem nervous, but I wasn’t sure if he was the type of person who didn’t show it, or if he really wasn’t nervous.
And then, out of nowhere, Knox looked at me. Our eyes met head-on. He smiles, a beautiful smile, and suddenly asks me a difficult question.
“Do you know why the world is the way it is, Ms. Cherry?”
There it was. A question I’ll be asked for years……!
