Part 37: Hallucination

"Hey, here you go, Blowjob-chan!"

"Who the hell are you calling Blowjob-chan?"

Nakata-senpai yelled, gritting his teeth.

"Come on, stop calling Nakata-senpai Blowjob-chan!"

"Seriously..."

Watching his friend being teased in that perfect combination, Hibiyakōsuke made a bitter face.

Behind the back gate of Gakkyō High School.

Supplies were being continuously brought in from the convenience store just nearby.

He thought it was a simple job.

All he had to do was vaguely watch his comrades shuttling back and forth over the short distance.

Nakata Gōzō was in charge of the operation.

As combat personnel, the selection included Imano Rintarō, Kimino Asuka, and himself.

"Ahh... I wish I'd been paired with Senpai instead."

Carrying the shovel on her shoulder, Asuka let out a sigh.

"Come now. Please don't complain so much."

The seniors should have been heading toward "Captain" by now.

Compared to the other side, where they might encounter a horde of zombies at any moment, this place was quite safe.

Even if attacked, they could just retreat through the back gate and take down the zombies safely from the secure area.

Everything inside the convenience store was scheduled to be completely collected within a single day.

This was due to a suggestion that even milk long past its expiration date could potentially be made drinkable through processing.

Additionally, a plan to reinforce the school fence had also emerged.

Since the store shelves would be needed for this purpose, they had to be removed.

It seemed that those carrying out such tasks were far more burdened than the combat personnel.

I had at least offered to help my companions.

Because some of their companions knew that others had been working through the night building barricades.

But,

You are our lifeline. Please conserve your strength, just in case.

Yeah, that's right.

It almost seemed as though they were trying to mask their guilt over being "zombie killers" by overburdening themselves with harsh work goals.

Well, that’s fine, I suppose.

Still, just standing around idly doing nothing… that’s not really ideal…

“Bored…”

“Mmmmm… I should’ve brought a manga with me…”

Rintaro himself was yawning widely.

"What if you're so absorbed in a manga that you don't notice a 'zombie' sneaking up on you?"

"But hey... Uuu. I really wish I'd been with you, Senpai, after all..."

"Whatever it is, just don't let your guard down."

"Relax, it's fine. After all, we've got Senpai's secret technique."

Rintaro chuckles heartily.

"Hey, how about we bet on whether the next 'zombie' that attacks us is male or female?"

A deep sigh.

"...What do I get if I win?"

"Yeah, that's true. Maybe a kiss from you, senior?"

Pouting.

"You're not gonna let that happen."

"Really? If I ask enough times, maybe I can make it happen?"

"If I have to ask that many times, it's not really a reward anymore."

"Guess you're right."

He chuckles again, shaking his head.

"Ah, whatever. How about one piece of gum?"

"Deal."

"Then I'm picking female."

"...So it's a guy on this side."

"Actually, which one do you think has more 'zombies'?"

"Who knows. I'd bet there are more female 'zombies,' though. Guys are stronger and faster. There should be more men among the survivors, too, besides here."

"Still, there are strong girls at our school, you know.♪"

"True."

The two share a laugh.

Who would have thought that one day, they'd be having such a trivial conversation on a street corner crawling with 'zombies'?

Things I never would have imagined, not even on the day I met Senpai.

"Hey, Kousuke-kun."

A sudden voice calling out to Ko Suke.

Turning around, I saw a particularly tall, handsome guy looking down at me.

Nakata Hidetoshi. A second-year senior from the same school.

"What is it, F… Hideyoshi-san?"

This guy had recently been exposed for jilting three girls at once and had since been shunned by the girls.

Ever since then, he'd been mocked by everyone with disgraceful nicknames like "Mr. Nakata" or "Fellachii."

"Can't you give me a word of caution, too? You're going too far with this teasing."

"Teasing... that is..."

"Of course, calling me those odd nicknames! 'Fera' or whatever! Don't you think that's ridiculous?"

"Ah... "

Kosuke looked away.

To be honest, he'd actually laughed behind closed doors about that incident too.

Still, it's not surprising that such a strange mood builds up under these circumstances.

"Please forgive us. Everyone's just starved for a bit of humor."

"Maybe, but there are things even I can't tolerate."

"Rumors are just rumors—things will settle down eventually."

"I can't hold out for seventy-five days!"

A dry laugh escapes, as if in agreement.

"Sure, but isn't it kinda your fault, Takanashi-senpai? You're the one who's been grabbing at anyone who comes by."

Rintarō interjected, unable to watch any longer.

In response, Takanashi-senpai indignantly retorted,

"I did my best, you know! Everyone came on to me—just came right up and pressed against me. They were the ones... you know, practically asking for it. I just couldn't bring myself to push them away, so I went along with it."

"Yeah, maybe... but still..."

"Listen, it's not my fault if I'm good-looking!"

Ah.

So he really is aware of how handsome he is.

Kosuke briefly closed his eyes, thinking about what a senior would do in a situation like this.

The conclusion came quickly.

"...I understand your point, Hidetoshi. I'll make sure to warn everyone else."

A senior would definitely do something like that.

He might make a quick "ugh, this is troublesome" face for a moment, but that's all.

"S-so, is that right...? Good. I'm relieved."

Senpai Nakata's expression softened.

If you say it to the hero, everyone else will surely fall silent.

Please stop

Instantly, Ko Suke narrowed his brows, clearly displeased.

I'm no hero, that's for sure.

Saying that, I headed toward my friends who were working deep inside the convenience store.

Everyone has good intentions at heart.

After saying just a few words, he readily accepted it.

That'll do.

With a deep sigh, Ko Suke returned to his post.

He'd been feeling lately that incidents like this were becoming more frequent.

They say romance often blossoms in crisis situations—like on a swaying suspension bridge—and that seems exactly right.

From what Ko Suke knew, couples were popping up left and right among the refugees.

Back then, he'd once sneaked condoms out of a convenience store.

That was for distributing to those couples.

Having a teenage girl give birth in this situation? That's no joke.

That's what I believe is the unanimous decision of the refugees at Sakagahara High School.

▼

The anomaly occurred a few minutes later.

"W-wah... waaahh! Waaahhhhh!"

A scream.

On the opposite side of where Ko Suke and the others were stationed.

The spot where Ko Suke's childhood friend, Takehisa Yūo, was supposed to be on watch.

In an instant, the days he’d spent with his friend flashed before his eyes, and Ko Suke sprinted like a spring-loaded mechanism.

At the spot where the voice had come from, Yuuo’s figure was pinned beneath a single female “zombie.”

“—Gh!”

Ko Suke kicked the “zombie”’s face with all his strength.

‘Woo… OOOOOOOOooooo…’

The “zombie”’s hands, torn away, slashed through the air.

In the next instant, Hatiro, who had somehow caught up, drove the survival knife precisely into the creature.

A combo taught by the senior.

"Hahahaha! The bet's mine!"

Even in this situation, Hatiro's spirits remained unchanged.

"Eijou...! Hey! Are you alright?!"

Hastily helping him up, his slender friend gave a weak smile.

"Sorry... I messed up..."

"Are you hurt? Did it bite you?!"

"Ah... that's fine. But it was close."

Looking closely, part of Yūō's clothes was torn apart.

So that was why it had been by a hair's breadth.

Shortly after, Asuka arrived.

"Um... did something happen while I was in the bathroom?"

"It's fine... it's all fine now."

It seemed Yūō had been alone.

"Seriously... what were you just staring at, you idiot!"

Even if they were close friends, this was undeniably a moment that called for anger.

The road was wide. There had been more than enough time to notice the approaching "zombie."

"You're putting everyone else in danger just because of your carelessness!"

"I'm sorry... Seriously, I'm sorry..."

But Yūō clearly wasn't himself.

Instinct from their long friendship made Kōsuke frown.

"Did something happen?"

"Nothing... Nothing at all. Really, nothing happened."

For a moment, cutting off his words,

"——Shut up, be quiet!"

Suddenly, Yūō raised his voice sharply.

To Kōsuke's knowledge, this was the first time he'd ever seen the man act like this.

"Everything's fine. It's okay now."

Rintarō and Asuka both wore the same expression.

"It doesn't look like it at all..."

"I'm sorry... But I heard a voice."

"A voice?"

"An auditory hallucination... But it's gone now. I can't hear it anymore."

Sitting cross-legged on the asphalt ground, Yuo clutched his head.

"Am I going crazy? 'Take up your weapon,' 'Take up your weapon'... It keeps repeating, over and over... I can still hear it."

"...You're fine. Just tired. Right?"

"Yeah... I hope that's all it is."

Yuo Takehara clearly showed his worn-out face toward me.

"Haha... Kousuke. I might really be a lost cause."

"What's wrong?"

"This time, it's like... 'the level has increased.' I can hear it so clearly....Clearly."