Shintoko...

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[5:30 AM]

A dull thunk was heard as the car shuddered upon its collision with yet another body, a few vehicles lay scattered off the road and dead bodies littered across the street.

"Watch it, Shizuka-San!" Exclaimed a teenage girl who wore a high school uniform and glasses adorning her face; she had vibrant pink hair which she mostly kept in two pony tails on either side of her head.

"Ah, Sorry, Saya-chan. " mumbled the now tired Shizuka through a drawn out yawn. She had blond hair and brown eyes, and she was the eldest in the vehicle filled with high school students. They were accompanied by a newcomer; a child who appeared to be around 9 or 10 years old, with short pink hair and purple irises.

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"Alright! Let's run it one more time, my way!" Hirano exclaimed, gearing up to sing his twisted version of the nursery rhyme for the little girl, but abruptly interjected midway threw his song.

"HIRANO! You fat otaku! Don't bastardize mother goose!" Saya scolded which jolted Hirano.

"O-oh, my bad, Tagaki. '' Hirano sighed, feeling a tad down from being shouted at until the little girl reached out to comfort him.

Takashi and the rest, who had been dozing off in the car, slowly began to wake up, bewildered by the sudden commotion. 

"Hnn... what's, what's going on? "It was Rei who mumbled through fatigue; Having just woken up, she rubbed her eyes in an effort to chase away her fatigue, She then looked over the two beside her.

"Seems like you're having fun, Takashi." Now fully awake, Rei smirked and pointed out the other girl who had been asleep, half naked, on Takashi's lap. As the girl woke up, she rubbed her eyes, similar to what Rei had done.

"W— what?!" Takashi blushed, flustered as he turned to face the scene.

"Rise and shine, Saeko, you're drooling by the way." Rei teased and leaned closer to Takashi. She clung to him as she commented on the mess the girl named Saeko was in, which caused her to turn red with embarrassment. The girl in question had long straight hair. Her hair and eyes were similar in color; a shade of lilac that complemented her well.

Takashi smiled sheepishly upon seeing Saeko's flushed face, though that dimmed quickly. A vivid memory surged within him.

"Is something on your mind, Takashi?" Rei asked, seeing his sudden shift in demeanor, her concern was evident.

"It's just, do you remember that thing we met at the gas station?" Takashi remembered the odd incident that led to encountering the strange creature.

"Yeah... what about it? D— Did something happen?" Rei's expression turned serious, a touch of unease creeped in at the mention of the anomaly.

Silence enveloped them, punctuated only by the sounds of the engine as the car drove forward. The dawn's light filtered through the window, casting a soft, golden hue over the occupants. All ears listened attentively, waiting for the teen to break the quietude with whatever news he had to share.

"An incident occurred on the west bridge a few hours ago. That thing... I'm not sure of its intentions, but I saw other humans. Held captive by it." Takashi recounted the scene he witnessed on TV before the news abruptly cut off, presumably to prevent panic.

"Komuro is right. I saw it too. Bullets had no effect on it. There was some kind of field that glowed faintly when it was hit." Hirano chimed in,

"Its actions weren't clear when I first saw it. But it didn't seem to attack us directly. Did it go berserk and lose control?" Rei pondered aloud. Despite the creature's initial non-aggressive behavior towards them, its actions elsewhere seemed to have caused chaos.

"Since you mentioned that it isn't hostile, could you describe its appearance or if it had any characteristics?" Saya raised a brow as she inquired, she leaned forward in her seat to piece together the unfolding mystery.

"It stood around four meters tall, with long limbs, charcoal toned skin, a featureless face, humanoid but slender in body. it seemed intelligent and well mannered when I first encountered it," Takashi explained, leaving the rest to contemplate his words.

"That's what I find hard to believe, Komuro. You also mentioned that there was a 'Strange place' that resembled a hypermarket? For all I know, that thing must have been some sort of mutation." Hirano expressed his skepticism, unwilling to accept the description of that place.

"Smart move on its part; it must have manipulated you to bring it here. Once you two left, it probably pursued its own agenda. It's somewhat believable since you are that easy to fool. " Saya sighed at how foolish Takashi had been to fall under its tricks.

"You mentioned captives?" Saeko probed.

"Yes, two were held by its arm, and there was one on its back. that's the thing I don't understand," Takashi recalled the scenes on the TV.

"Is that a friend of yours?" Ms. Shizuka interjected, observing the conversation from the car's rear view mirror and slowed down the vehicle.

"No, not a friend." Takashi sighed, wondering if she had been paying attention to the discussion.

"Hm, then who's that? Does that not fit your description." She halted the car and pointed toward a towering figure in the distance.

Takashi's widened eyes fixated on the figure in the distance, the very creature they had just discussed, it was as if merely speaking about it had summoned the strange being to their location . The rest mirrored his reaction as it steadily approached their way.

Hirano readied his rifle, despite prior knowledge that bullets were ineffective against it. He'd fire if it came any closer to them. The others followed suit, preparing themselves in case the creature proved hostile.

"Wait! I know him! That's Adam, my classmate!" The child they had saved pointed at the figure, revealing others in the distance walking alongside it.

"Wait, those were the ones held captive by it. Then..." Takashi remained skeptical, questioning their earlier assumptions, observing who he thought were former captives walk alongside the creature.

"Can, can I go talk to him? It's been a while since we've talked." The girl hesitated, expressing concern for her classmate.

"Do you really know him? Alice-Chan?" Ms. Shizuka inquired, glancing back from the driver's seat.

The girl named Alice nodded, prompting a tense silence.

"I'll go with her." Saeko broke the silence and volunteered to accompany Alice to meet her friend.

"I'll come too." Takashi offered.

"I'm in as well!" Rei chimed in.

"Is that how it's going to be?" Takashi sighed, knowing Rei would object vehemently if asked to stay behind. He glanced towards the others. "Are you two planning on tagging along?" He checked with the others.

"I'm good. My specialty is long range, so if anything goes wrong, I've got your back." Hirano confidently gestured; imaginary stars twinkled, indicating his reliance on his sharpshooting skills.

"I'll stay, I gotta make sure this idiot here doesn't screw up." Saya folded her arms, exasperated by the current scene displayed by Hirano.

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"In about an hour or so, we will reach the academy." Toru announced as they neared the school.

"That reminds me, Toru. What are your plans after we find your Ka-san? " Akemi asked,

"I— I honestly don't know," Toru admitted, his gaze shifting toward Kazuhiro. "If she's alive, we'll scout for a safe space. You mentioned that your door connects to multiple worlds? If so, then we might seek refuge in a peaceful one."

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps approaching them paused their conversation.

"Adam!" A girl, bursting with enthusiasm, sprinted toward Toru with her arms open wide Not having had the time to brace himself for the impact, Toru was toppled to the ground. Toru grunted and narrowed his eyes, surprised as he recognized her. "Alice?" Alice grinned at the mention of her name.

"To think we would meet again this soon." Takashi approached.

"Takashi?" Kazuhiro echoed his name. He didn't think they would cross paths anytime soon.

"Hm? Then he must be the one who brought you to our world." Toru stated, though still pinned on the ground by the girl. " Can I please stand now, Alice? " he murmured, irked at the current position he was in.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Alice awkwardly giggled, sensing Toru's discomfort and offered a hasty apology as she helped him back up. Meanwhile, Akemi's emotions flared at the sight of an unexpected arrival.

"Of all the people I wished to drop dead, and yet here you are, still alive!" Akemi bursted out.

"That's—" Asahi averted his gaze from the manga, and was shocked to see the newcomer. He attempted to calm Akemi's rising anger, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Akemi, noticing his grip halting her advance, irked her. "Asahi! Don't you remember what that bitch has done! That snobby shit deserves every pain given to her—"

"That's enough, Akemi!" Asahi stopped her by adding pressure to her shoulder.

"It's fine." Saeko spoke, her head down, not willing to make eye contact. "I understand your sister's rage. What I have done was an immature act on my part." Her tone had a hint of guilt in it.

"Busujima-san, it's fine—" Asahi tried to console her.

"No, no it isn't. I'll head back to the car." Saeko informed the two before she turned on her heel and began walking away from them, her pace was slow as if each step had been weighed down by guilt. No one dared to stop her. Asahi pondered if he should reach out to her but stopped and only sighed at the unexpected encounter.

Those around had to watch the scene, they were unwilling to talk about what just happened since it only involved those three.

"I'll head back too." Rei said shyly which was much unlike her nature. She was concerned about Saeko and followed her lead, returning to the car.

"I apologize for the scene earlier." Asahi bowed towards Takashi.

"No, no! If only we knew better, then this would have been avoided." Takashi tried to wave it off. A memory triggered within Takashi, the reason why he chose to approach Kazuhiro. "By the way, store clerk. Why did you cause a scene earlier? The incident on the west bridge, what was that about? it roused a lot of attention, globally too."

He was about to answer, but Toru explained their urgency in crossing the bridge instead.

 "Had to get to our destination; the quickest route was the bridge." Toru answered in his monotone voice. 

"Hm? Where are you going, Ad-" Alice got interjected by Toru correcting her.

"It's Toru, Alice. and we're heading to Shintoko." Toru clarified as he then glanced back towards the twins. "Adam used to be my birth name; I chose to go by the name Toru. I hope that clears up any questions you may have about my identity. "

The twins only had to nod as they were about to ask about his name, only for it to be answered. Kazuhiro pondered whether this knack for anticipating their questions was Toru's specialty, a peculiar skill in foreseeing their inquiries.

"The academy?! Mind if I join?" Takashi's surprise at the mention of the school made him eager to come along. "There's someone I know from there. I wasn't sure since it was a bit far, and a friend's house happens to be the closest." Takashi said his reasoning on why he wanted to come.

"What's your name?" Toru inquired.

"It's Komuro Takashi." embarrassed, he scratched his head for not introducing himself at first.

"Komuro, as in Komuro Yuko sensei? She happened to be our math teacher this year." Toru guessed, connecting the dots, which made Takashi nod slowly in confirmation.

"I wanna come too!" Alice eagerly raised her hand, expressing her wish to join, but Takashi shook his head.

"No, that's not happening, Alice-Chan. I know You'll be safer with everyone else." Takashi suggested, leaving Alice in a sulky mood. He then went over to guide her back to the car. "You don't mind me tagging along, do you?" He looked back,

"The more the merrier." Asahi shrugged with a smile, and no one objected after that.

Before they journeyed toward the school, Takashi's group wasn't thrilled about him leaving them, but eventually, they complied and drove off to Takagi's estate, his other childhood friend's place.

Breaking the silence, Asahi, was partially engrossed in his reading, and decided to engage in small talk. "Komuro Takashi, right? What year are you in?" he inquired as they made their way to the school.

"I'm in my second year. Since you guys know Busujima-San, I'm guessing you're in your third year?" Takashi assumed.

"That's right, my dear Kouhai." Asahi smirked, not often using the term since he rarely hung out with younger peers.

"So, do you guys know-" Trying to steer the conversation elsewhere, Takashi was interrupted, a familiar cycle with Toru's interjections.

"Know about the store? Yes, we were informed about it." Toru stated, holding onto Kazuhiro's back.

This interruption made Asahi sigh, gaining a better understanding of Toru's character.

"Alright, thanks..." Takashi scratched his head as he was unable to finish his question. Both Kazuhiro and Akemi weren't bothered by it since Kazuhiro was familiar with Toru's tendency to interrupt others, including him, while Akemi didn't seem to mind it; she just found it endearing.

"Hn. There it is, just a few blocks ahead," Toru nodded, spotting the school in the distance.

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Splat! "Seriously, the more we approach, the more they appear, and God damn they are fast runners," Asahi said, wiping the blood splattered onto his face as he smashed in a child's head with a metallic bat.

The rest were now standing in front of the open gate, which was the entrance to the school grounds.

A horde could be seen walking around the courtyard; they would be caught amidst the crowd if they were to walk all the way to the main entrance of the building.

"So, how should we approach this? Surely, we can't charge right through; we must find another way in." Akemi surveyed the haunting scene. Her heart wrenched at the sight of children once bubbling with joy and laughter now trudging, bloodied and aimless amongst the dead.

"Time isn't on our side. We can simply have Kazuhiro-san clear a path for us." Toru countered, his expression unyielding as he glanced at the children his age; there wasn't a speck of concern shown on his stoic expression.

Ting! Kazuhiro pulled out the device to inspect the sound coming from it.

xxxx

__Mission(s)__

The Last Lullaby:

Objectives:

The front yard is flooded with the dead, and one of the ways to get in is to charge right through, slaughtering those in your way.

Difficulty: ☆☆ | Normal

Reward(s):

▪︎ 500 SC

▪ 10 (AGI)

▪︎ 10 (STA)

▪︎ 10 (AP)

▪︎ Minor decrease in favor with Akemi.

▪︎ Minor increase in favor with Toru.

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Do you wish to accept the mission?...

Yes | No

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A Latecomer's Path:

Objectives:

The gates are shut, leaving those that arrived late outside. Surely, there are ways in which they can get in.

Difficulty: ☆☆ | Neutral

Reward(s):

▪︎ 500 SC

▪︎ 10 (INT)

▪︎ 10 (DEX)

▪︎ 10 (AP)

▪︎ Minor decrease in favor with Toru.

▪︎ Moderate increase in favor with Akemi.

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Do you wish to accept the mission?...

Yes | No

You can only choose one of the two routes.

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The entity paused, considering the options. "Toru, I suggest you get down from my back. Stay here until it's clear." the entity commanded, stashing the device away before making a choice. Toru complied, and the others stood their ground, watching intently.

Not wasting anymore time, Kazuhiro dashed straight ahead.

A putrid stench hung heavy in the air as bodies crumpled under the entity's swift and deadly strikes. With each step forward, claws became crimson with the vile blood of the undead. The grotesque spectacle unfolded, prompting Akemi to instinctively shield both eyes of hers and Toru's from the gruesome sight.

The cacophony of slaughter drew the attention of the surrounding undead. Their mangled forms lurched forward, drawn by the sounds of violence, yet despite his frenzied charge, none could breach the lethal storm surrounding the entity. Limbs and torsos were torn asunder, leaving nothing but mangled remains scattered on the unforgiving ground.

A crimson tide of blood showered the entity. Each strike was carried out with ruthless efficiency, the relentless assault carving a path through the sea of decayed flesh.

A final stomp on the head to the last corpse that was crawling, ending the slaughter.

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A loud whistle rang through the air of silence that had settled over the surroundings. "Man, That was awesome, Kazu-San. A ten out of ten scene." Asahi's voice rang out behind Kazuhiro.

Though some weren't as energetic as Asahi, Takashi trembled, unsettled by the overwhelming strength demonstrated.

Toru remained impassive, uncaring of his surroundings, while Akemi frowned at the sight.

"We could always find an alternative, you know?" Akemi murmured, a hint of disappointment in her voice as she glanced at Kazuhiro.

"Nonetheless, we can access the building now. Finding another entrance in a large school would've been time-consuming," Toru stated content with the efficiency of the chosen path.

The group ventured into the school, Kazuhiro trailing behind, trying to rid himself of the remnants of the slain undead. As he ducked under the building's entrance, a sprawling hallway greeted him, vast and ominous in its silence. Halls once filled with the cacophony of children chatting and laughing now lay dead much like its current occupants.

Inside, Asahi marveled at the school's grandeur. "Man, that's some high-class school. I wish mine was half as big. Who knew you'd be a rich kid, Tor-"

"The school is divided into six buildings: A, B, C, the auditorium, the cafeteria, and the gymnasium. We'll split up," Toru cut in, redirecting the conversation. Akemi raised her hand, wanting to accompany Toru, but before she could speak, Toru continued, "And I'll be with Kazuhiro-san," leaving Akemi to sulk in disappointment.

"I'll go alone. I have a feeling survivors might be hiding in either the gymnasium or the cafeteria" Takashi declared.

"Well, I guess Akemi and I will head to the cafeteria. Come on, sis." Asahi sighed, dragging his sister away, regretting her missed chance to accompany Toru. Takashi also departed, aiming for the gymnasium in hopes of finding survivors.

This left Toru and Kazuhiro standing in the eerie, blood-stained hallway of the school.

"Toru?" Kazuhiro glanced toward Toru for guidance.

"We'll head to building C. She used to teach classes around there," Toru's monotonous voice reverberated through the quiet hallway as he walked forward. Kazuhiro matched his pace as they moved ahead into the unsettling depths of the school.

The tense silence lingered as Toru and Kazuhiro traversed the echoing halls, nearing the interconnected buildings A and C, connected by a sealed pedestrian bridge where sunlight streamed through expansive glass windows. Only the sound of their footsteps shadowed their movement.

"I don't understand, Toru. Why didn't you join Takashi? There's a high chance your mother could be seeking shelter in either of the two areas." The entity questioned Toru's decision to head to a seemingly desolate building where no signs of survivors had been spotted during their venture.

Toru maintained his silence, unwilling to divulge the reasoning behind his choice. There was a hint that he possessed information the entity lacked.

Suddenly, Toru halted, prompting the entity to stop in tandem. Setting down his backpack, He glanced at the boy, slowly unzipping his bag.

The gadget Kazuhiro carried around dinged. He slipped his abnormally large hand and retrieved the device. Upon reading the message, that prompted him to look ahead at the end of the hall. A sole person was walking towards them.

xxxx

__Mission(s)__

Of mother and son: -Failed-

Objective(s):

Help in search for Toru's mother, Alive!

Difficulty: ☆☆☆ | Hard

□ Failure:

▪︎ -1000 SC

▪︎ A new ability.

xxxx

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