Akio Kimura

"Haru, close your eyes."

 "Is that Akio!?" Haru exclaimed, surprised to hear the familiar voice in an unexpected situation. 

The person who spoke to Haru after throwing an object into the air was Akio Kimura, the former student council president and one of the good friends of Haru. He was also the same person who had announced safety measures within the Auditorium and survival essentials throughout the school when they were stuck in the lab.

Despite being stunned after hearing Akio's voice, Haru quickly grasped the meaning behind his friend's intent as his eyes were staring at the object that just flew between him and Roachina.

Haru didn't think further as he acted swiftly the moment he heard Akio's words. He quickly covered his eyes and turned away without giving it a second thought.

Bang! The metallic object, resembling a stun grenade, exploded with a loud bang, filling the dim classroom with a blinding, intense white light.

"SCREECCHHHHH!!!" The Roachina, unlike Haru, had its eyes fixed onto the object, and when the grenade immediately exploded, the monster screeched as its eyes were blinded and its ears were stunned by the blast. 

But Haru also wasn't without any harm. Although he reduced the effect on the eyes by timely covering them, the loud bang still affected his hearing, and all he was hearing was a continuous high-pitched sound.

The very second after it detonated, Haru opened his slightly hazy eyes, which were affected by the grenade, and landed his gaze on the Roachina screeching in loss of sight and hearing.

'Is this a chance?' Although his ears were significantly affected, he didn't have much problem with sight, and seeing the Roachina in a vulnerable state filled him with confidence and hope, encouraging him to use this opportunity.

However, the moment he was about to take a step forward, something strange hit his heart. 

'What-? Why am I feeling this again!?' Haru didn't know why, but instead of confidence to slay the Roachina, he was feeling a sense of dread.

It wasn't the same feeling of dread he felt when he was cornered by Roachina. Instead, it was the same feeling he experienced back in the lab and the moment before Aki was bitten.

'Damn it!' Haru was stuck in a dilemma. Should he use this opportunity to kill the Roach or flee while Roachina was distracted? 

If it were before, Haru wouldn't have hesitated to ignore his feelings and go straight for Roachina. However, after understanding and facing the same situation not just once but twice, Haru couldn't make a hasty decision just based on the logic. 

"Shit!!" For the first time in a while, rather than thinking and doing things logically, Haru trusted his feelings and made a run toward the broken window while Roachina was stunned in shock.

He did not waste any more time, knowing the urgency before he quickly leaped through it into the corridor, and there his eyes landed on a single person standing there in surprise.

He was Akio Kimura, the former student council president who was tall, black-haired, and smart-looking with stylish spectacles resting on his nose. Although his complexion was bad-looking given their situation, his appearance didn't seem as bad as Haru's, considering he had been fighting non-stop and was drenched with Zombie's black blood.

Looking at Haru jumping out of the window, surprise came over Akio's face, and he said something with his arms raised in doubt.

'What?' Haru, whose ears weren't working properly, couldn't hear what he was saying but somewhat understood what he was trying to ask.

"Hey, Akio! I can't hear you because of the earlier blast, but trust me! We have to leave this place quickly!!" Haru immediately shouted as he began to sprint in the direction of the staircase, pulling Akio along.

Akio was bewildered by Haru's sudden action, thinking that he had missed a good opportunity to finish that terrifying monster. But as they reached near the staircase within seconds, Akio heard something that shook his heart.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

It was the sound of repeated explosions that lit up the entire corridor and shook the building a little, changing Akio's expression.

'I think it was a good idea...' Although Haru couldn't hear the explosions, looking at Akio's stunned expression and feeling the vibrations on the floor as they descended down, he somewhat understood that Roachina was on a rampage.

Haru couldn't help but be glad and relieved that he heeded his feelings rather than thinking logically because it was what helped him survive. He knew that if he had chosen to attack when it lost its sight and hearing, he could have been at a complete disadvantage, especially if it unexpectedly went into a Rampage. Furthermore, he wasn't willing to take the risk when Aki's life was in his hands.

'But I don't think it will take long before it calms down and senses that we are not there anymore...' Haru thought as he reached the ground floor with Akio and was on the way to get away from the building. 

Haru managed to slip away unnoticed because Roachina, despite gaining some intelligence, had a confusion in its instincts and a minor error in its thinking. This led the monster to focus on causing explosions in the classroom to defend itself rather than actively pursuing Haru.

Previously, Haru had forced Roachina to launch a small fiery-ball to protect its eyes. As a result, the monster believed Haru was responsible for its loss of sight and hearing. To shield itself from potential harm and avoid being cornered, Roachina went into a rampage. Instead of thinking more logically and locating Aki, who was not in the classroom, the monster acted impulsively to ensure its own safety.

"!!" As they came out of the building, Haru suddenly started hearing the loud noise of explosions, albeit less than normal. 

Realizing that his hearing was somewhat better, he looked toward Akio and said, "You really saved me back there, Akio. Thanks for the help."

"Hmm? You can hear me already?" Akio turned toward Haru upon hearing his voice.

"Yeah, somewhat. But what the hell are you doing here? Weren't you in the Auditorium?" Haru asked. 

"Please, Haru. Did you expect me to stay inside while other students were struggling to survive? I can't do that! I was searching for more survivors nearby but who knew I would find you facing all alone against that horrifying monster!" Akio explained as he adjusted his spectacles while running.

A small chuckle escaped Haru, acknowledging the kindhearted nature of his friend. However, aware of the danger posed by the Roachina, Haru said cautiously, "Although I am glad that you helped me escape, that monster isn't a normal one, and it won't be long before it recovers and comes after me!" 

"What? Can't we just hide from it?"

"It can sense my location somehow, so I can't really hide from it." Haru spoke in a low voice, concealing the fact that the monster could only sense Aki. Although he felt bad about lying to his friend, he had no other choice but to hide this fact.

"What!?"