92 Fujimi high

Passing the gate, Alex was surprised to see a car already waiting for him. Recognising Kengo, Alex nodded at the man.

Once in the car and the driver behind the wheel, Alex asked.

"I know I said I would pass before the school start, but there was no need to send someone."

"Okusama said since they would bring you directly to the school, and Ojou-sama would be gone for the following months, a shopping trip was needed." Responded Kengo with an impassive face.

"And it just so happen the day when I said that I would come? How convenient." Alex raised a brow at this.

"Indeed, Okusama thought the same." Responded Kengo with an impassive face, making Alex sigh, seeing the barely veiled attempts of Yuriko.

In the past two weeks, Alex passed in the Takagi Estate; most of the days were used to go through the entire Japanese curriculum, starting from the elementary school, on Alex demand, junior high school and the first two years of high school. Thankfully, Alex asked help from Saya, who had already had gone partially through the material of the year she would enter.

Yuriko had taken over from there. It had need Alex barely three days to memorise the entire list of kanji existing in the Japanese alphabet, much to the shock of both women. Other than that, he had learned quite a few things about them.

Among them was that Yuriko playful but caring character. Since she learns of his past, she never attempts to take a mother role around him, but much more like a big sister. He hadn't had to contact Saya, other than their short session, as she was still weak and needed a lot of sleep to recover.

With Soichiro, he found a great sparring partner. While one was a kendo practitioner and the other more of a free, formless art, both had learned a great deal from each other. As he expects, Alex was naturally nimbler and faster, while Souichiro was more of a strength type, even if fast.

He needed to reign on his natural strength while facing the man, but it immensely helped him learn how to use the required force.

With the good relations he formed with the three, the personnel of the estate naturally followed. He was seen as a borderline adopted son of their employer and a respected man among the Don men. THey wouldn't fold in four to help him. Still, THey would take the time and consider his opinion; two weeks weren't enough to gain unconditional trust, after all.

As the car park in front of the door, the two guards in post snapped in a respected salute while a servant rapidly took his bag.

Nodding at the men in passing, Alex couldn't help but shake his head, knowing the servant was indeed following Yuriko orders.

-Seems you won't escape the shopping trip.- Lightly snicker CS.

'There still time.' Responded him, hoping that the present would be enough to pay it off. 'And there still Souichiro, I can still use him as a shield, pretexting some work needed to be done.'

~~~

Entering the dining room where the family of three were sharing the last breakfast before the start of the school, Alex took a chair naturally, immediatly served by a maid.

Before they finish, Alex whispered a word to the servant, having taken his luggage, who nods and hastily exit the room, shortly returning with three high-end lacquered and finely engraved boxes on a small trolley usually used for bringing the food.

All three looked at Alex with some puzzlement."Just some small gifts for the warm welcome of the Takagi house." Said simply Alex while shrugging at their looks. "The square box his for the young mistress." Informed Alex to the servant.

Delicately taking the box, he offered it to the young female. Taking and opening it, Saya's eyes widen before her gaze snapped back to Alex, who smiled.

"Oh, my!"

Yuriko at her side covered her mouth with a hand while exclaiming and marvelling at the finely crafted charms and glittering bracelet. Seeing her daughter push the box to her, Yuriko giggled at the hasty look in her daughter's eyes before fastening the jewellery to her left wrist.

The piece perfectly wrapped around her wrist, not too tight nor loose enough to hinder her movement.

"Thank you." Blushed her while unconsciously bringing her hand to her chest, burying her arms in it.

"Your welcome!" Smiled him back, happy that she would wear it. "For the lady of the house, the medium box." Said Alex, briefly looking at the waiting servant behind them. "I know it may be an unusual gift, but who knows when one will found himself in need of a good blade." Added Alex as Yuriko open her.

Seeing the short knife's sheath, Soichiro eyes widen before his gaze locked on the elonged remaining box, having a good idea of what was inside. When his wife unsheaths it, the deadly shine of the blade takes them both off-guard.

"This must have coast a fortune; you shouldn't!" Whispered Yuriko, still enthralled by the weapon.

Unlike his wife, Soichiro immediatly recognises the blade's craftmanship and the particular metal used for the edge. As he was presented with the last box, he unclasped the claps, revealing the katana inside. Like his wife, he partially unsheaths the blade.

"As expected. Those blades haven't been commissioned, Yuriko, but crafted by Alexander-san." Said the man while his gaze was firmly examinating the ha of the blade. Before he could send the order, a servant returned with a wooden post habitually use to train his kata.

With a swift motion, the blade passed the post, cleanly cutting it into two, effortlessly.

"Such a sharpness!" Said him, with an appreciative gaze, before turning to Alex. "I can't accept this; this is beyond a gift, a masterpiece not seen since years." He started, only to be cut by Alex.

"You have your pride as a man and honour as bushido practitioner, and I have mine as a crafter. This had never been a blade to trade for profit nor promise, but a gift of appreciation."

Knowing the feeling, Soichiro could only nod curtly. Sheathing the blade, he unfastens the blade at his side, placed it in the box, and replacing it with Alex creation. This was the highest honour he could make for the blade, using it not as a decorative piece but as a weapon, ready to defend him.

"I must go; Busujima-Sensei will shortly depart oversea; it will be my last chance to cross blade with him before the next six months."

~~~

Soichiro words made Alex's brain froze for a second.

'I have been to optimist on our time left, buddy. From Souichiro words, Saeko father will be back in September, and she says he was oversea in the plot, which means the outbreak will happen before that.' Frowned Alex at the news.

-Even if the plot had changed, better be sure everything in place before that.- Said CS, equally serious as of the situation, closer than they expected.

'Thankfully, everything is done. All that remains is to have a good look at the school ground. The house is complete, the wards done and installed, just needing to be raised. I could raid supermarkets and 24/7 for food and store them. My storage is empty safe for my weapons.'

-Why do you need to know the structure of the school ground? I could understand for the building, but the entire school?-

'Because I don't trust the plothole that zombies would enter the ground because a dumbass wanted to look manly while man holding a poor flesh bag banging at the school grid. With the virus, it nearly assured that some students would turn mid-class.

I need to know the structure because I have no intention of quitting it so easily. With the gym habitually enough to house the entire school population, this could be easily changed into a stronghold. The place had a dormitory and a large kitchen. With many students and professors that would become zombies, this could be enough to feed survivors, plus the place had an infirmary stocked with the basic medicine.'

-Seeing things like this...- Agreed CS. -The only real problem would be to trap the zombies, but it may not be such a problem.-

~~~

With the unsuspected betrayal of Souichiro, Alex couldn't escape the shopping trip. While he cursed the man for his defection, it brought an unseen boon to him, as they go for Taiei Shopping Town for this. Making sure to remember the way from the estate to the town, Alex silently subit the few hours of torture.

Those turned into a pleasant experience when Yuriko was done with him and turned to Saya. The poor girl sudden growth spur brought her nothing but endless teasing from her mother and shame at letting Alex know that her undies were now too small and needed an upgrade.

While he stood outside the shop, just the fact knowing that he knows left the poor girl more red than pink and silent as a mouse for the rest of the rip.

~~~

Once the mentally scarring event was done, the three rapidly head toward Fujimi high. Passing the bridge he knows would turn into a feast festival for zombies under a few months, Alex took in mind the actual distance separating the estate and the school. Like most modern cities, Tokonosu spent on a large amount of land, making the travel from two points, long of several kilometres. This was furthered by its geographical presence, the sea and the mountain shortly after on the other. The city had to develop in length rather than expand concentrically.

The high school, a relatively new building, was constructed outside of the city's heart and the new expansion of the city. Construct on natural mound' top near the mountain; the school offered a oversee point on the city below. Along with the building, they would be around a hundred meters above the remaining of the city.

Entering the ground, it was as he expects, a large campus made of several constructions. Among them was the large, central building, the school itself. High of four stories, housing a year per level, along with club room at the top. To the classes side was another smaller three stories tall construct, the staff room of the numerous teachers need to teach the large numbers of students.

Parallel to the two was the Gymnasium, as long as the school building itself, housing four basketball court, side to side.

Behind them where the six large dormitories, for each year and separating female to male. AS the city's only high school, the school needed to house some fifteen thousands students staying year-round inside its walls.

Following Kengo, while Saya and Yuriko go their way to the female, second-year building, Alex enters the third year one.

At the front of the entry, a counter with a middle-aged man was sitting, small stacks of paper visible. Seeing someone coming, the man raised his head.

"Third year?" Asked him, while it was adequately indicated, there was always some lost child each year, primarily those coming for the first time.

"Yes, Alexander Evans." Nodded Alex back to the man, who took a wooden tablet with a list of the students registered for the year to come.

Hearing the foreign name, the man quickly spotted it, as it was the third year's sole.

"Here you are!" Said the man, spotting it and checked it. Raising his gaze at Alex, he took a sheet from the three stacks. "Here are the dormitory' rules, the content and state of the room's furniture, along the form binding your responsibility of its condition, at the end of the year. Following the possible degradation, the school reserve the right to bill any needed for reparation." Said him while guiding Alex to fill the form. "You will need the sign of your guardian..."

"No need, I'm of age and legally recognised as such." Said Alex, signing at the end of the document.

Seeing the difficult face of the man, Kengo steps forward. "If you are compliant, Okusama allowed me to be appointed as your guardian for any school-related issue, waka."

"Mn, then please." The Dorm manager eased, seeing this while mentally noting Alex of age status and the evident wealthy status.

"All right, thank you! Here your key, you're room on the last floor, N°120."