"Yeah, we're not as strong as Yukinoshita. Our chances of surviving if we leave the school are way too low. And besides, what she said might not even be right. Who knows, maybe after some time, these corpses will just leave on their own to find new prey. Then we can leave safely," said one of the group members.
"Exactly! I don't want to turn into one of those things," echoed another.
The group voiced their agreement, especially the rich girl, who was particularly adamant in her refusal.
Faced with their arguments, the bearded middle-aged man had no rebuttal. Deep down, he was likely hoping for a rescue as well.
…
After Yukino and Kei passed through the door leading off the rooftop, they found themselves on the open-air walkway connecting the school building to the staff office.
At that moment, a commotion ahead caught their attention. Not far from them, three students—two boys and one girl—were locked in a struggle with a corpse.
One of the boys, with gray hair, had the corpse in a headlock, but the creature had sunk its teeth into his arm. The other two students, one male and one female, were frantically trying to attack the corpse, attempting to free their friend from its bite.
Unfortunately, they were attacking the corpse's body, which had no effect.
Eventually, after some urging from the female student, the other boy, with black hair, screamed as he swung a baseball bat and smashed the corpse's head, preventing the gray-haired boy from losing his entire arm.
"Are you okay, Hisashi?" asked the girl with blonde hair, her face framed by two strands of hair sticking up in the shape of ahoge. She looked at the gray-haired boy with deep concern.
"It's just a bite, no big deal," the boy replied, clutching his bleeding arm.
Hearing this, both the blonde girl and the black-haired boy visibly relaxed.
However, they hadn't yet realized the severity of the situation—soon enough, the gray-haired boy would become one of the walking dead.
At this point, Yukino and Kei reached them. Yukino glanced at the gray-haired boy with a mixture of pity and detachment.
"Anyone bitten by a corpse will soon become one of them. If you want to avoid that fate, I suggest staying far away from him," Yukino advised coldly.
Her words immediately drew the trio's attention, though the blonde girl reacted with anger.
"What are you talking about? Hisashi won't turn into one of those things!" she snapped.
The other two boys, however, exchanged uneasy glances. They had suspected as much but had chosen to suppress that grim reality.
"Whether you believe me or not is your choice. I'm just offering you advice," Yukino said, unfazed by the girl's outburst, and turned to continue walking toward the school building.
"Wait," the gray-haired boy called out, wincing in pain as he clutched his arm. "Are you trying to escape through the school building?"
"And if we are?" Yukino replied coolly.
"My name is Hisashi Igou. These are Rei Miyamoto and Takashi Komuro. The building is swarming with those creatures—it's dangerous to go through there. Why don't you join us on the rooftop and wait for rescue?" Hisashi proposed.
He looked hopefully at Yukino and Kei, noticing the real katana swords they carried. He saw the bloodstains on Yukino's blade and realized she was no stranger to combat.
Having strong allies would greatly increase their chances of survival, and Takashi was willing to do whatever it took to protect his girlfriend and his friend.
"No, thanks. We just came down from the rooftop, and waiting for rescue there isn't a viable option," Yukino said dismissively. Then, her tone shifted. "However, if the two of you want to escape with us, we can work together."
Yukino had observed their earlier fight against the corpse. While their skills were still amateurish, they showed potential. More importantly, she needed a way to leave the school. The area around the school was likely teeming with corpses, and no matter how skilled she was at swordsmanship, she couldn't fight them all off alone.
Her offer, however, angered Rei Miyamoto.
"What do you mean 'the two of us'? What about Hisashi? I'm not leaving him!" Rei shouted.
Deep down, she knew the truth, but she was in denial, clinging to her boyfriend for support. The outbreak had shaken her, and she wasn't ready to accept the inevitable.
"Rei, don't be like this. I can already feel my strength fading. I don't have much time left," Hisashi said heavily, gripping Rei's shoulders.
"No, no, no! You're not going to turn into one of them, Hisashi!" she cried, shaking her head in denial.
Yukino, meanwhile, had no patience for their emotional drama. The more time they wasted, the harder it would be to escape.
"Have you made your decision?" Yukino asked, her cold eyes sweeping over the trio. "Either you come with us or you stay here and wait for rescue. Just so you know, there are already eight people on the rooftop. If you're too slow, you might find yourselves locked out."
Hisashi and Komuro's eyes flickered with concern at the mention of the rooftop. If they were locked out, they'd be forced to face the corpses head-on. But at the same time, if they made it inside, their safety would be bolstered by the larger group.
"You're not from our school, are you?" Komuro asked, noticing their different uniforms.
"No, we're not. Does that matter?" Yukino responded indifferently.
"You said you came from the rooftop. Are the eight people there your companions? Did you leave them behind?" Komuro pressed.
"Hey! What kind of question is that?" Kei interjected angrily. "What do you mean 'leave them behind'? They weren't our companions to begin with! They were too scared to leave, so they stayed behind on their own."
"Forget it, Kei. Let's go," Yukino said, clearly uninterested in continuing the conversation.
At this point, Yukino had completely abandoned the idea of working with them. Komuro's attitude confirmed to her that he was the type who would bring unnecessary trouble to the group.
With that, she turned and began walking toward the school building again, not waiting for a response.
As she left, Komuro's expression darkened, still upset about Yukino and Kei abandoning the other survivors.
"Takashi, Rei, let's head to the rooftop with the others," Komuro suggested.
"Alright," Takashi agreed.
…
"Yukinoshita-san, how are we going to get out of the school?" Kei asked nervously, clutching her sheathed sword. The scabbard was already stained with blood, a reminder of the five corpses she had managed to kill with Yukino's help.
"I plan on driving," Yukino replied, cutting down another corpse in their path.
The school's hallways weren't overly crowded with corpses, though a few were crouched down, feasting on the remains of fallen students.
Over the past few minutes, Yukino had conducted a series of small experiments to gauge the weaknesses of the corpses. She had learned that they primarily relied on sound to locate prey, so as long as they stayed quiet and avoided areas with large groups of corpses, they should be able to move relatively safely.
That being said, these corpses possessed immense strength. If they were surrounded, even Yukino would have a hard time fending them off. For now, both of them moved with extreme caution.
"Driving?" Kei echoed.
"Yes, look over there," Yukino said, gesturing out the window.
Kei followed her gaze to the school's parking lot, where a large bus was parked. The area around the bus was surprisingly clear of corpses.
"A school bus? Can you drive, Yukinoshita-san?" Kei asked, surprised.
"Of course not, I'm just a high school student," Yukino said matter-of-factly. "That's why we need to find someone in the school who can drive. The bus keys are most likely in the staff office."
Yukino turned to Kei with a serious look.
"Our current objective is to reach the staff office and find someone who's still alive."
"And if no one's left alive?" Kei asked hesitantly.
"Then I'll drive myself. I may not have driven before, but I know the theory," Yukino replied calmly.
"Okay..." Kei gulped, nodding resolutely.
After spending some time together, the tension between them had lessened. Kei now considered Yukino a trustworthy partner, even if she was still wary of her.
For Kei, Yukino was her only hope for survival. Without her, she wouldn't last ten minutes in this nightmare. Even if Yukino ended up driving the bus like it was a death trap, Kei was prepared to stick by her side.
Using the map pinned to the wall, Yukino had already pinpointed the location of the staff office. Without further delay, they made their way there as quickly as possible.
When they arrived on the right floor, a scream suddenly echoed through the hall, drawing the attention of nearby corpses.
Yukino's expression hardened. The scream had come from the direction of the staff office.
If the office was overrun with corpses, things could get complicated. Even if there were survivors, finding the bus keys amidst the chaos would be difficult.
"Let's go check it out," Yukino said, giving Kei a quick glance as she signaled her to follow closely.
They quickly cleared out the corpses blocking their path as they approached the office.
At the same time, two figures emerged from the opposite direction, also heading toward the office. One was a tall, voluptuous girl with long, deep purple hair, wielding a wooden practice sword with ease. Her movements were quick and efficient, taking down the corpses with precision.
Behind her followed a blonde woman with a large bust, holding a white handbag and looking somewhat dazed.
Yukino couldn't help but stare in surprise. The difference in proportions between her own petite figure and the girls she had encountered was stark. Whether it was Rei Miyamoto or these two women, they all seemed to have an unfair advantage in the chest department.
Even Kei, who stood about ten centimeters shorter than Yukino, was already developing a respectable bust, leaving Yukino feeling rather disgruntled.
Inside the staff office, the scene was gruesome. A pink-haired girl with twin tails was sobbing as she plunged a power drill into a corpse's skull. Blood and brain matter splattered all over her, soaking her clothes.
And, unsurprisingly, she too had an impressive bust.
In the chaos, about a dozen corpses had gathered in the office, drawn by the girl's earlier scream.
Yukino exchanged a glance with the purple-haired girl, and with a nod of understanding, they sprang into action.
Yukino focused on the left side of the room, cutting down several corpses with swift, graceful strikes. Kei followed closely behind, assisting where she could.
The purple-haired girl, meanwhile, made quick work of the corpses on the right side with her wooden sword, displaying a level of skill that caught Yukino's attention.
Though Yukino had been trained extensively in swordsmanship by her twin sister, she couldn't help but admire the girl's technique. It was clear she wasn't just a casual practitioner—her swordsmanship was on par with, if not superior to, Yukino's own abilities.