Part 10: A Moment of Relief

After locking the side gate, the teacher and I carefully surveyed the entire campus grounds before returning to the main entrance.

After our check, we confirmed that our high school was surrounded by fences, walls, and a sturdy iron gate—making it highly unlikely that "zombies" could breach the premises.

Schools are generally designed to prevent outside intrusion, so choosing this place as our first destination was definitely the right call.

▼

Well, that's about it.

Let me introduce the new member!

I'm just kidding.

I mean, there aren't really any weird people here, to be honest.

Apparently, the total number of people who made it here safely is forty-three.

There are certainly people of all ages here, from children to the elderly, who have escaped the disaster, but it seems that students from this school and their families are the most numerous.

As expected, everyone looks utterly exhausted, and many are injured.

The most seriously injured was an elderly man in a wheelchair. It appears he fell down some stairs during the journey, striking his body hard, with blood seeping through his bandages.

Fortunately, thanks to his thoughtful son and daughter-in-law, he managed to make it this far...

That said, naturally, I can't introduce all 43 individuals one by one, so here I'll focus only on the main characters.

First, Mr. Asada Gōzō, the father of Rica-chan.

Mr. Asada, who appears somewhat frail, is still a police officer.

Apparently, Mr. Asada was designated as the group leader.

Next was Mr. Sasaki Yōsuke, the teacher.

He reportedly had been at the school from the beginning. Thank you for working weekends.

It was Mr. Sasaki who invited the people seeking rescue into the school.

And it was he who went together with the female teacher, Ms. Suzuki Asaka, to lock the back gate.

At that time, they didn't introduce themselves to each other,

As for me, "I wasn't particularly interested."

They said the other party thought it was natural they would know their own name.

It seems she thinks all the students know her name.

...a bit overly self-conscious?

Well, I guess it's fine.

For now, it seems that this community is kept in order by these three individuals as its core.

Mr. Sasaki is a trusted advisor for adults.

Mr. Asaka serves as a counselor for the children (approximately more than half of the people here are in their teens).

The one who oversees this arrangement is Mr. Asada, affectionately known as "Rika's dad."

▼

Although everyone still seemed hesitant to venture outside the school grounds, they appeared to feel significantly relieved upon learning that the area within the premises had been secured.

After finishing my task, I sat in the corner of the second-year class 3's classroom, which had temporarily become a gathering spot, and nibbled on the calorie bar I'd brought—chocolate flavor.

Too delicious.

If I were to be greedy, I'd want some milk.

I'm not really much of an eater, but that day, perhaps because I'd been moving around so much, I was surprisingly hungry.

Two bars vanished in an instant.

You get sleepy after eating, right?

"Right away, probably not more than a few days... Anyway, it's not going to be a big fuss. It'll settle down soon. Soon... "

As if hypnotizing the family with those words, an uncle nearby was murmuring reassuringly, and before I knew it, I was dozing off.

Then,

"Um...?"

A hesitant voice called out.

Looking up, I saw a little girl.

"Big sister, are you strong?"

Her gaze was fixed on the keepsake sword I was holding.

As I hesitated over how to respond,

"Sorry, now~"

her mother appeared, gently but firmly taking the little girl away.

That's when I finally realized.

It seems I'm a bit isolated from the people around me.

Well, given that I was swinging a sword seriously, it's only natural they'd keep their distance.

I thought I'd been living quietly, avoiding standing out from those around me, but now here I am, impossible to miss. Goodness me.

As soon as I start paying attention, every glance from others feels painfully sharp.

I decided to pretend to go to the restroom and find some secluded spot where I could just lie down and hide.

As I pondered where to go, my feet naturally led me to my own class—3rd year, class 3.

I climbed the stairs up to the top floor.

The classroom was located right in the middle of the school building.

Inside, there was a classroom I recognized—but slightly different, as if seen through a new lens.

I couldn’t quite place the odd feeling until I realized it was the first time I’d come to class in my slippers. Not really important, though.

I took my seat.

It was quiet.

So quiet, in fact, that I opened the window to pass the time, and suddenly the entire cityscape came into view.

Black smoke rose intermittently from various points. It seemed a fire had broken out somewhere in the distance, though the source remained invisible.

Looking toward the road, as expected, "zombies" wandered aimlessly.

No living figures were in sight anywhere.

Only the dead moved about.

I realized anew how surreal the scene was.

The sensation of severed flesh and bone still lingered in my palm.

It felt as though I were trapped in a dream.

"Um..."

And then, at that moment.

A faint voice came from the door—Rika-chan's voice.

Looking over, I also saw Kousuke-kun's figure.

The arrival of the perfect couple.

"Am I interrupting?"

Shaking my head side to side, Rika-chan hopped over, moved the desk aside, and began arranging things on it.

One box of chocolate sweets, several cans of juice.

"Oh wow, splendid. A sweet shop in the middle of nowhere..."

I'm a lifelong tsubu-kon (red bean paste) fan. I'm always at odds with those who prefer kinako.

"Teacher Sasaki found a bunch of snacks in the staff room. Want to eat some together?"

"Of course."

Even though I'd just finished eating, for some reason I was already feeling hungry again.

Maybe this is a side effect of my skill.

Rika-chan giggled, clearly finding something amusing.

"Senpai, you were just eating a Calorie Mate in front of everyone, weren't you?"

"So what?"

"That's when everyone finally realized. Since we came here, you haven't eaten anything yet."

"Huh."

I replied casually, but a faint sense of gloom crept in—already, my reputation as a glutton was solidifying.

"Seriously, though. Eating right after killing someone? You've got some nerve, Senpai."

That comment came from Koosuke.

"Ugh, Ko-chan, pick your words more carefully."

As for me, I laughed nervously, trying to brush it off with a forced smile, though inside I was breaking out in cold sweat.

Now that he mentioned it, I suppose my behavior had been a bit thoughtless.

Last summer, during my second year of high school, I’d spent days without eating or drinking, obsessively playing games—until I collapsed from exhaustion.

It was something I thought I'd avoid by not repeating the same mistakes...

Picking at the tatsumaki village with careful restraint, as if to appear modest.

Where did you get that sword?

Kosuke-kun came over, curious and eager. Since there was no need to hide anything, I told him exactly as it was.

A keepsake from Grandpa... Cool...

It's unclear where the "cool" part was in the current conversation, but he seemed thoroughly impressed.

"Come on, really. Who said you stole this from a yakuza?"

Rika pouted.

"Wait a second. Did I look like I was involved with the yakuza or something?"

When she asked, the two quickly shook their heads in panic.

"No, no, no. We just thought you weren't an ordinary person. And that kind of skill? That's definitely the work of an expert—like what Professor Asakura said."

That woman teacher, saying things like that behind my back...

Well, whatever. It's not that big a deal anyway.

I suppose you could think that—no surprise there.

"I'm just a regular high school girl who happens to like games."

"Yeah, right."

Rika-chan nods emphatically, as if to say, “You can’t deny it.”

Well, I suppose I’ve been acting a bit out of this world ever since this morning.

Then I remembered the real reason I came to school today.

To gather information.

Just what the hell is going on?

What’s the cause?

How is the country handling it?

How long until the situation stabilizes?

Unfortunately, none of my questions received answers that satisfied me.

Apparently, they were caught off guard just like me.

I heard the incident began three days ago, but I can't help being shocked at my own carelessness.

How could I have stayed completely oblivious, engrossed in gaming for three days, while the world outside seemed to be ending?

However, the situation had only reached this point recently—apparently around yesterday evening.

I've heard that a terrifying number of "zombies" surged forward like a wave from the Ikebukuro direction, and by the time they passed through, the streets had been completely devastated.

It was said to have been like a sudden storm that erupted throughout the city.

The two managed to escape unharmed, having evacuated to the school early when the "zombies" first appeared in Shibuya.

It was said that right after the outbreak began, many people refused to believe the reports, thinking the whole thing was a cruel prank by a television show.

Indeed, even as late as yesterday afternoon, there were comedy programs mocking the existence of "zombies."

I completely understand how they must have felt.

The general consensus is that "zombies" exist only in American movies or video games—purely fictional creatures.

That preconception was stronger than I expected; even now, this morning, when I saw a "zombie" with my own eyes, I couldn't believe it for a while.

"Ah, I see..."

After hearing the whole story, I deeply understood.

"But according to Ricca's father, the Self-Defense Forces had already started moving by the day before yesterday. It shouldn't take much longer than that."

There's some logic to that.

Zombies of this level should be manageable even by someone like me. With armed Self-Defense Force personnel, they'd be dealt with in no time.

But there was one thing that puzzled me.

"...What about the 'Dragon'?"

"Huh?"

They lock eyes.

"Didn't the news cover the 'Dragon' at all?"

Kosuke's expression changed. It was as if he were questioning my sanity...

Um, like, "Dragon"—is that the kind that appears in games like "Dragon Quest"?

Hmm. Something a bit more elaborate... If I had to compare it to anything, maybe the Rajang from 'Monster Hunter' was closer.

"Wait... are you serious? You're not kidding, right?"

Yes. I saw it from my apartment this morning.

"Zombies," once thought to be mere figments of imagination, are now real.

There wouldn't be anything strange about a dragon being there.

The two people before me seemed finally able to accept the reality.

Their expressions froze, one by one.

With a sigh, they became certain.

This incident wasn't nearing its end.

It was surely only just beginning.