"W-What did you say?" Kuga and the others were equally stunned by his statement.
Haru continued, his expression turning cold. "What's the matter? Shouldn't you all be glad that I am taking her away with me when you all are being wary of her? Do you still have a problem with us?"
"H-Haru-kun... you aren't coming with us to the auditorium?" Orimura asked, her eyes filled with worry, grief and guilt. She did not want Haru to take such measures all by himself.
He turned toward Orimura and replied, "Those people at the auditorium would never accept bringing her inside, and I am not going where Aki is not accepted."
"HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY!?" Kuga Yoshida erupted upon hearing his response. "She's bitten by a Zombie! You can't save her! No one can save her! Why can't you understand that!?"
Haru's eyes seemed to lose their spark even more as he replied, "Crazy? Yeah, I must be. Even then, why do you even care? Don't you hate me and wish me gone?"
The one who mattered the most to him was already losing her life. Now, Haru felt nothing but emptiness within him. He was aware that what he was doing was risky, dangerous, and might be without any purpose or meaning. But, right now, all he wanted was to find a place where he could spend their last time together and away from others.
"You!!" Kuga Yoshida's eyes flashed with anger as he heard Haru's response, but the stubborn yet lifeless expression on Haru's face, indicating that he had given up on everything, left Yoshida unable to say anything and reason with him, let alone convince him otherwise.
Haru, without bothering more with them, he walked toward the Beast's corpse to get his sword which was still in the beast's head.
But as he picked up his sword and sheathed it, his eyes caught something beside the beast.
'That...' A glimmer of recognition flickered in his eyes for a second before fading away.
Carefully, he bent down, supporting Aki with one hand, and retrieved two items: his custom lighter and a peculiar-looking card.
The card he found wasn't the usual white one, but instead had a distinct appearance.
[You have acquired a Yellow Card!]
"I'll be taking this with me. You people can have that crossbow over there for your safety," Haru said as he showed them the yellow card.
Somewhere within his heart, Haru hoped that the card would somehow produce a cure to help Aki. However, given the history of the card providing only weapons and the slim chance of obtaining a cure, he wasn't overly optimistic. After all the things he had been through since the morning, he didn't want to unnecessarily raise his hopes.
But as he was about to use the card with a heavy yet somewhat hopeful heart, a shout came from behind, stopping him in his tracks.
"S-Sensei! T-The zombies are coming!" one of the remaining four students cried out in alarm.
"What!? Already!?"
Their eyes filled with panic as they looked behind them.
"Growl!" There, they saw not one, not two, but multiple reddish eyes moving toward them in the dark.
"Everyone, run! We can't fight them now! JUST RUN TOWARD THE AUDITORIUM!" Orimura quickly shouted as they saw the sheer number of zombies that were coming from behind them.
They couldn't risk fighting them all, but luckily for them, they were close to their destination, and the zombies were still meters away from them in the opposite direction.
But as they were running away, Orimura noticed something and shouted in panic, "Haru-kun! What are you doing? COME HERE QUICKLY!"
Instead of running along with them, Haru stood in front of the entrance door of the building on their left. His intention was clear - he was planning to do something different from the rest.
"This is where we part, Sensei... I hope you all make it out alive. Farewell," Haru said as he made his way into the building.
"Haru..." Grief and guilt filled Orimura's heart as she helplessly stared at him entering the school building. She wanted to help him but even if she wanted to go after him, it wouldn't be possible with zombies already closing in on them.
"Forget about him! We have to go now!" Kuga Yoshida shouted as he pulled Orimura forward, and started running away. The Zombies were on their tail, and he knew that they couldn't afford to be careless.
"Yoshida-kun... Haru-"
"Don't worry about him. That bastard wouldn't die so easily. So worry about yourself first," Kuga Yoshida told her as they hastily ran. No matter how much he would deny or doesn't express it, his heart was also filled with worry. But they could do nothing now, not with the horde behind them.
****
After locking the glass door behind him, Haru supported Aki on his back with one hand while gripping his sword with the other. As he stepped into the dimly lit corridor, he found himself in the company of several pairs of red, glaring eyes.
"GROWLLL!!" The corridor was infested with a few hungry zombies, all fixated on Haru the moment he entered the building.
"GET LOST!!!!"
Seeing the oncoming threat and the very reason behind their distress, a surge of rage overtook Haru's hollow eyes as he lunged forward, his sword slicing through the air.
"Growl!" The guttural growl of the zombie resonated as its bloodied mouth gaping wide open.
But even with Aki on his back, Haru swiftly maneuvered his sword to meet the zombie's neck, severing it before the creature could get any closer.
[You have killed as Level 3 Zombie! 6 EXP Gained!]
'It is because of them!! Just because of them that Aki is dying!!' His mind was now filled with nothing but hatred as he looked at the Zombies and the very reason why Aki was in such state.
Gripping his sword tightly, he lunged towards the nearest zombie, not allowing it an opportunity to strike.
"Ha Ha Ha" But as he fought, his breath became heavy.
Exhaustion was taking its toll on Haru's body as he fought off the relentless surge of zombies, all while carrying Aki.
Despite the overwhelming odds, he continued to push forward, not for himself but for her.
"Don't worry Aki... I am never going to leave you behind no matter what"