Episode 18: A Brief Parting

"Whoa-ho! I'm gonna become a hero! My energy's rising!"

Rintaro jumps up and down on the spot, doing what looks like warm-up exercises.

"Alright then. I'll live up to my senpai's expectations!"

Even Asuka, who usually seems so carefree, seems to have a slightly tense voice today—just a little.

Asuka-san, even though we're the same age, please don't treat me like a senior.

"It's fine. You're the senior, after all."

Asuka laughing with a smug grin.

Let's hope this won't be our final exchange.

Senior...

Kosuke, his face set in a stern expression, saw us off.

I...

No need to spell it out.

"Um, leg"

I point to his right foot.

You're not cured, are you?

"Wha...?"

It's pointless to hide it.

After all, I've been pushing through overly ambitious self-training just a week after spraining my ankle.

It should take a little more time for Kanaji.

"Kou-chan, you've been pushing yourself too hard all along."

That was the words of his girlfriend, Rika-chan.

Since losing two companions with whom he had once closed the main gate together, he seemed to avoid expressing his pain as much as possible—almost as if punishing himself.

Apparently, it seemed unlikely that the two becoming "zombie" prey had nothing to do with him twisting his ankle.

Kosuke seemed to feel responsible for his companion's death.

Ah, that's how it is, huh.

Honestly, I find it hard to keep up with someone carrying such a heavy burden.

You know, in stories, that's basically a clear sign the character's about to die.

In the end, Kōsuke-kun was asked to step aside from this round's team.

"……You're not wrong, Kōsuke. You'd be better off staying behind."

It was Tada Ritsuko, former track and field team member, who offered him a lifeline.

Her words carried weight, especially since she'd been so quiet until now.

"Then, I'll leave it to you, Ritsuko-san."

"……Yes."

If anything were to go wrong, I'd be confident she'd handle it.

To be honest, she's probably stronger than I am right now.

"……Before that, Senpai..."

"Yes?"

"Can I hug you?"

Huh?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Ritsuko suddenly pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Mugyuu...?"

Ritsuko is a woman who stands a full head taller than me, and her strength is no joke.

I couldn't resist at all, completely at her mercy.

"Please come back alive..."

Her whispered voice.

Looking up, I noticed Ritsuko's cheeks were slightly flushed.

...Wait?

Could it be that you're one of the people from the lily field?

Before I could make sense of it,

"Ahh, that's cheating..."

Asahina also complained.

...No way,...um...

Asahina, you're not seriously thinking of something like that, are you?

This isn't a lily-themed sale, you know?

I believed you, didn't I?

"Whoa, whoa! This is getting kinda perverted, y'know!"

Only the carefree Taro seemed unusually cheerful.

▼

Perhaps because we'd been eliminating them regularly for experience points, almost no "zombies" were visible near the main gate.

Once outside the grounds, we dashed straight toward where "Captain" was located.

It seemed there was an unprecedented "Captain" craze sweeping through the zombies, making our journey surprisingly peaceful.

"Phew... I'm getting shivers... I think I'm about to pee..."

Indeed, even just walking down a familiar path, I could feel a tingling sense of tension.

"Please follow the procedure I explained."

"I understand, I understand."

Asuka replies.

"But, Senpai, are you really okay going alone?"

Well, not really okay at all, but...

Still, it's not like I have zero chance of success.

"There's no problem. I've got heaven's favor on my side."

I replied.

Asahina seemed slightly dissatisfied, but she ultimately accepted it.

We reached the "Captain" not long after that.

"Everyone, stay hidden until you get the signal."

"Got it."

"...Yes."

The "zombies" prioritize targets in this order:

Threatening opponents > Humans in sight > Human scent > Sounds

I already knew that they would be drawn in this general order of priority.

As long as I was attracting the "zombies'" attention, the danger to those hiding, like Ryotaro-kun and Asuka-chan, should be virtually nonexistent.

Timing my move after confirming that Ryotaro-kun and Asuka-chan had safely hidden, I headed toward "Captain."

Along the way, I spotted a military truck, presumably from the Self-Defense Forces, parked by the roadside.

I looked closely and thought, "Why did they stop right here, after coming this far?"... Wow.

The corpse of a "zombie," completely mangled, was tangled around the tires.

It seemed the vehicle had gotten stuck because of that.

Their desperate attempt to flee to the rooftop of "Captain" must have been their only option.

I thought I might find Self-Defense Force weapons if I searched for a military truck, but even if I managed to get a gun, I wouldn't know how to use it. In the end, I should probably rely on a blade I'm familiar with.

At that moment, the sound of gunfire—ta-tan, ta-tan—rang out from the rooftop.

It seems the Self-Defense Force member we've been watching has begun fighting back.

They're clearly in real danger now.

I leapt over the parking lot barrier and hurried toward the rooftop.