CHAPTER 4

"Busujima Saeko-senpai!" Okada's voice trembled with excitement, his face lighting up despite the chaos around them.

"You must be Okada, the freshman in the kendo club," Saeko replied, her eyes scanning him quickly before returning to the task at hand.

"Gyaah! Senpai knows me! Now I can die in peace!" Okada wiped his tears, overwhelmed by her acknowledgment.

Niikaz and Kazu exchanged pitying glances, clearly unimpressed by Okada's dramatics.

"I'm Ishii Kazu. Just call me Kazu, and this is Niikaz. We're in the same class as Okada," Kazu introduced himself quickly, shifting nervously.

Saeko nodded slightly but remained focused. "We have to get out of here first. The situation doesn't allow for much more conversation." Without another word, she positioned herself at the front, leading them through the chaotic school grounds. The moans and growls of the undead echoed faintly behind them, reminding them that safety was far from guaranteed.

Marikawa-sensei, still shaken, hurried beside them. "I need to go to the faculty room. Can we stop there first?"

Saeko frowned. "The faculty room is far from here. It will be tiring." She deftly stabbed her wooden sword into the heads of any stumbling corpses that crossed their path, her precision flawless.

Behind her, Niikaz maintained a watchful eye, her fingers twitching slightly, almost as if she were eager for more action. Any creature that Saeko pushed aside was swiftly dealt with by Niikaz, her gun firing silent, deadly shots to their heads. The soundless destruction was almost eerie.

The group walked in a tactical formation: Saeko led the way, Marikawa in the center, and Kazu and Okada on either side of her. Niikaz, always at the rear, shot down any creature that dared approach, making sure none of them were left alive. It was a brutal and efficient system-Niikaz almost seemed to anticipate the movements of the undead before they even appeared.

Saeko's movements were a sight to behold. Everyone knew she was a top kendo player, but watching her in action was mesmerizing. She dodged incoming creatures effortlessly, dispatching them with swift strikes that sent them tumbling to the floor, where Niikaz finished the job.

"Why are we going to the faculty room, Sensei?" Okada asked, gripping his stick tightly. "Shouldn't we just get out of here?"

"If we go there first, we can get the car keys," Marikawa replied quickly. "Everyone keeps their keys in the faculty room. We can use my car to escape."

Kazu furrowed his brow. "How many people can fit in your car? Will it even hold all of us?"

Marikawa hesitated. "U-uh..."

A loud groan interrupted their conversation as a creature lunged toward Kazu. He swung his stick in panic, managing to knock the undead figure aside, but not before it grazed his arm.

"Aim for the head!" Niikaz called out from behind, her voice filled with cold amusement as she fired a round into the creature's skull, sending it crumpling to the floor. She seemed to be enjoying this far too much, a grin creeping onto her face as she shot down another zombie. There was a disturbing relish in her eyes as she mercilessly pulled the trigger, each shot precise and deadly.

"Niikaz, you're not bad at this," Saeko commented, glancing back at the carnage behind her.

"Thank you. You're quite skilled yourself," Niikaz replied with a wry smile, clearly more interested in the killing than conversation.

"W-what about the bus?" Okada stammered. "Couldn't we use that to escape?"

"I-I'm not sure if I can drive it," Marikawa muttered, pressing a finger to her lips anxiously.

"We'll figure that out when we get there. For now, we need to hurry to the faculty room," Saeko said as she drove her sword into the forehead of another advancing creature, sending it stumbling into the wall.

Marikawa, trying to keep up, tripped and fell to the ground with a thud. "Aaah! Seriously! What's wrong with me?"

Saeko sighed and bent down to help her. "You can't run in those clothes." Without hesitation, she grabbed Marikawa's skirt and ripped it at the hem, exposing her violet panties to make running easier.

"AAAAAH!" Marikawa and Okada screamed simultaneously, though for very different reasons.

"T-this is Prada!" Marikawa exclaimed, her eyes filled with horror. She had sacrificed meals to buy that skirt, and now it was ruined. Her cheeks puffed in indignation, her anger directed at Saeko.

"Bu-Busujima-senpai, you can't do that! Th-that's so bold!!" Okada blushed furiously, pretending to cover his eyes with his hands while still peeking between his fingers.

(What a pervert,) Niikaz thought, casting a disgusted glance his way.

Kazu, equally flustered, looked away quickly, his face flushed. Niikaz caught his reaction and glared at him. "What??" Kazu asked nervously, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Nothing," Niikaz muttered, rolling her eyes and shrugging.

Saeko remained unfazed. "Which is more important? A brand or your life?"

"BOTH!" Marikawa shouted, clutching the remnants of her skirt defensively.

Suddenly, Niikaz's expression grew serious. "The faculty room is close, right? I hear something ahead."

The group fell silent, their senses sharpening as they moved closer to the source of the noise. From the distance, faint sounds of struggle and a girl's frantic voice echoed down the hallway.

They reached the entrance to the faculty room and paused. Inside, they could hear the unmistakable sounds of someone in trouble-a girl's voice crying out in fear.

"Get away from me!" The girl's voice was desperate, her words thick with panic as the sound of something heavy scraped across the floor.

"That's Takagi-san!" Kazu whispered in alarm, recognizing the voice.

Ahead of them, in the dimly lit hallway, they could just make out the figure of Takagi, cornered by several advancing undead. She was trapped, her back pressed against the wall as the creatures closed in, their decaying arms outstretched, ready to tear into her.

"Takagi!" Takashi's shout rang out, his voice filled with worry as he came running from the other side of the hallway, his eyes wide with fear as he saw the girl in peril.