The school parking lot was located to the left of the school gate, and from the teaching building's perspective, it was on the west side. After leaving the classroom, the three of them walked directly toward the west parking lot. Once they stepped outside, they were exposed and easily seen by other students on the campus, including the group trying to leave the school, led by the male protagonist.
Takashi Komuro, along with Rei Miyamoto, Saya Takagi, and Kouta Hirano, was walking down the hallway when they saw Altair's group of three walking slowly through the courtyard as if they were taking a casual stroll.
"Look, it's Marikawa-sensei!"
Shizuka Marikawa, being a teacher, was quite popular, especially among the male students.
"And there's Busujima-senpai! Who's that third person? How did they get out?"
"They're walking pretty slowly. Aren't they afraid of getting attacked?"
"Look at those people near them!"
From above, they could see that a few zombies were wandering near Altair's group, yet none of the zombies had any intention of attacking them.
This left Takashi Komuro's group puzzled. They had encountered many zombies on their way, and almost every time the zombies would rush at them without hesitation. So why were these three seemingly ignored by the undead?
"If they're fine, why don't we call them to help us?"
Saya Takagi who had been nervous and scared the whole way shouting out the window after spotting Shizuka Marikawa below.
"Marikawa-sensei!"
Despite being a bit of an airhead, Shizuka Marikawa was still an adult and a teacher. In the sudden apocalyptic crisis, Saya Takagi, as a young girl, naturally wanted someone reliable to depend on.
In the original story, Altair thought that role was best fulfilled by Saeko Busujima, who was a third-year senior. She was always calm, with the highest combat ability in the group, providing a strong pillar of support. But now, Saeko wasn't part of their group. Among the four remaining members, there were two men and two women. Rei Miyamoto was headstrong, and so was Saya Takagi. Kouta Hirano was an overweight military enthusiast, and Takashi Komuro was currently useless.
So, when Saya Takagi saw Shizuka Marikawa, she immediately saw her as a potential protector and cried out for help. However, instead of getting a response from Shizuka Marikawa, her call caught the attention of all the zombies wandering in the courtyard, who collectively looked up at her.
The sight of all those zombies raising their heads at once terrified Saya Takagi. She quickly pulled her head back inside, retreating a few steps to lean against the corridor wall.
"Aaaah!"
Outside the window, the zombies that heard her began howling and rushed towards the source of the sound.
"Let's go, we need to move, or we'll be surrounded." Takashi Komuro urged as he grabbed Rei Miyamoto and started running. Saya Takagi was shocked as she watched him run, not even thinking about her.
"Takashi!"
Frightened and angry, Saya Takagi called out and quickly followed, running after Takashi Komuro. Kouta Hirano, being a chubby otaku, silently followed them, having no room to protest.
"Takashi, where are we going?" Rei Miyamoto asked as she ran, still being pulled along.
"To Marikawa-sensei. I'm not sure why the zombies aren't attacking them, but they must have some sort of plan."
Unlike Saya Takagi, who had been calling for help, Takashi Komuro instinctively decided to head towards Shizuka Marikawa, believing safety lay in numbers. The more people they had, the safer they'd feel. So, the four of them started moving toward Shizuka Marikawa's group.
In the courtyard, Shizuka Marikawa also heard someone calling her. However, when she turned to look for the source, she didn't see anyone... just the zombies suddenly starting to run.
Realizing the danger, Shizuka Marikawa became nervous and moved closer to Altair, gripping his left hand as she anxiously scanned their surroundings.
"Altair-chan, we should hurry."
"Alright, we can pick up the pace."
Altair had been walking at a normal pace because there were too many zombies in the courtyard. While he could deal with them, it would be troublesome. He could certainly handle them on his own, but with two people behind him, things would become complicated. If the zombies all attacked at once, especially in an open area with no cover, even Saeko Busujima wouldn't be able to hold them off, and Shizuka Marikawa would be even more helpless. If the zombies swarmed them, it would be a major hassle to deal with.
Now that someone else had drawn the zombies' attention, he no longer had to worry about the numbers.
Altair's group quickly reached the parking lot. Following Shizuka Marikawa's directions, they found her car, and Altair immediately grabbed the keys and sat in the driver's seat.
"A manual transmission?"
"Yeah, why?"
Shizuka Marikawa, sitting in the back, anxiously watched the zombies outside the window, fearing they'd approach at any moment, and answered his question absentmindedly.
"No problem."
Altair inserted the key with a sigh, recalling how to operate a manual car. Even though he knew how to drive, and his driving test had been done with a manual, after getting his license, he had only driven automatic cars. It had been years since he had last driven a manual, and now it felt a bit unfamiliar.
"Alright, clutch in, then start the engine."
Following his memory, Altair successfully started the car. As soon as the engine roared to life, the sound drew the attention of the nearby zombies. This world hadn't yet reached 2010, so car engine technology wasn't very advanced in terms of noise reduction, and the engine's rumble was loud enough to attract the zombies.
"Altair-chan, they're coming! Let's go!"
"Yeah, I'm going now."
Altair shifted into first gear, lightly pressed the gas pedal, and slowly released the clutch. The car began to move.
Once it was moving, the process became familiar again. Altair floored the gas pedal, pushing the engine to over 3,000 RPM, with the car's speed hitting 30 km/h. He quickly shifted into third gear and floored the gas again, speeding toward the school gate.
The school gate wasn't a retractable one but more like a garden gate. At the start of the outbreak, zombies had pushed the gate open, and it hadn't been locked or even latched. It was only slightly ajar.
The car sped up and crashed through the gate, charging onto the road.
As the car sped off, Takashi Komuro and the others had just rushed out of the classroom and into the courtyard, catching only a glimpse of the car's taillights disappearing into the distance.
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