Chapter 76: Sickening Situation

Eriri had chosen a good spot — the rooftop. Standing beside her with arms crossed, Mai silently observed. However, Mai had used her "Cognitive Disappearance" ability, meaning Eriri couldn't detect Mai's presence. Mai's gaze clearly asked, "Who is this girl?"

Eriri soon provided an answer with her actions. She bowed deeply to Rei Ao.

"Sorry, Rei Ao-kun. I was too sensitive last time and my attitude was rude. Please forgive me for being disrespectful!"

So, she was here to apologize. Mai was curious about what had happened to require such an apology and continued to quietly watch.

"Your apology is sincere, so I'll forgive you," Rei Ao said. He wasn't petty enough to hold a grudge over something so trivial.

Hearing his forgiveness, Eriri felt a weight lift off her chest. But another concern still weighed heavily on her mind. Standing back up, she quickly bowed again. "And thank you for saving me earlier."

Rei Ao raised an eyebrow. "It feels like you're here for more than just an apology and thanks. Is there something else?"

"Uhm..." Eriri awkwardly scratched her head, her eyes darting around as she struggled with embarrassment. "It's, um, about... my 'doujin'..."

Ah! Eriri mentally panicked. It was so embarrassing to talk about!

"If it's about your doujin, I already told you I'll keep it secret. Whether or not you believe me is up to you."

Rei Ao maintained his calm stance. "I'm not the kind of person who'd expose someone's hobbies."

He glanced at her. "Since you've come to find me, I'm guessing you've already gathered some information about me at school?"

"…Y-yes. Sorry," Eriri admitted, her head hung low.

"There's nothing to apologize for," Rei Ao replied, sighing slightly. "I think my reputation at school is decent. Maybe you should try trusting me."

"This…"

Eriri hesitated, thinking about what she'd heard from others. There were no negative rumors about Rei Ao, and at this point, she had no other choice but to trust him.

"This is really important to me..." Taking a deep breath, Eriri nodded firmly. "Rei Ao-kun, I'll trust you."

Rei Ao smiled and extended his pinky finger. "Just to be safe, how about a pinky promise?"

"Pff…"

Eriri couldn't help but giggle. "Rei Ao-kun, I didn't expect you to be this funny, but…"

She actually hooked her pinky with his, her face blushing. "Liars have to swallow a thousand needles."

"You're pretty childish yourself," Rei Ao teased.

"Hmph." Eriri pulled her hand back with a playful huff. Changing the subject, she said, "Alright, that's settled. Let's go."

"I'm staying here. My friend is waiting for me."

"Friend? Oh, okay. See you, Rei Ao-kun."

With the weight of her worries lifted, Eriri left the rooftop feeling lighter. Before coming here, she had been really anxious, afraid that she wouldn't be forgiven.

"Rei Ao-kun was surprisingly easy to talk to, and he didn't even ask about the doujin…"

As she descended the stairs, Eriri realized that Rei Ao had never once looked at her with disgust. Her gaze fell on her pinky.

"Hmm…"

Her blush deepened. 'I actually hooked pinkies with a guy… How embarrassing!'

Covering her face, she quickly hurried down the stairs.

"Hmph, pinky promises with a twin-tailed blonde beauty, huh?" Mai's playful voice sounded from behind Rei Ao on the rooftop.

"Rei Ao-kun, don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

This all happened right in front of her, and yet another girl had been pulled in.

Rei Ao smiled slyly as he slowly moved closer. "What would you like to hear, Mai?"

"Of course, I want to know how you two met... Wait, what are you doing?!"

Before she could react, Rei Ao had already wrapped his arms around her waist.

"What do you think? I'm going to tell you the story of what happened between me and Eriri."

"But you're— now...!"

"There's no helping it. Just telling a story would be too boring."

"Is this really how you tell a story?!"

"Heh, this is what you call a vivid, immersive retelling."

…

The Comprehensive Academy Student Council.

This was the highest authority within the Comprehensive Academy, aside from the principal. Even the interior design reflected its elevated status, being extravagantly luxurious. Compared to the simplicity of the desks in Yukino's Service Club, the expensive-looking sofas, chairs, and tables here were strikingly different.

At this moment, the student council room was very quiet. A girl with sleek black hair, a delicate face, and cold, wine-red eyes was reviewing the academic performance reports of her grade over the past two years since her enrollment.

This girl was 'Kaguya Shinomiya', the student council president.

"Rei Ao..."

No matter how she looked at it, the drastic change in his grades was too sudden. There was also another piece of information she had uncovered: Rei Ao had recently broken all the school's physical fitness test records.

Theoretical test scores could be cheated. However, 'Shizuka Hiratsuka' and 'Mafuyu Kirisu', the teachers overseeing the tests, had both confirmed the legitimacy of his results. But as for the physical fitness tests, those were impossible to cheat, as they were conducted under public scrutiny.

"How did he manage this?" Kaguya frowned as she pondered over it.

This was the first time her academic standing had ever been surpassed by someone else.

Just then—

Knock, knock!

Without warning, the door swung open. A pink-haired girl with a bow on her head burst in.

"Oh my, I'm so tired!" The pink-haired girl dramatically collapsed onto the sofa in front of Kaguya.

In that brief moment, Kaguya's gaze couldn't help but be drawn to the way the girl's chest bounced and then pressed down onto the couch, making Kaguya's forehead twitch.

This girl was 'Chika Fujiwara', the secretary of the student council—someone Kaguya always found difficult to handle. Especially the way her chest seemed to stand out—Kaguya found it particularly bothersome because 'she didn't have any!'

She had already perfected everything else, but when it came to her body, particularly her chest, she was quite average, if not underwhelming.

"Sigh, I'm so jealous of you, Kaguya-chan. You don't have to worry about your grades at all. Unlike me, I did poorly this time and now I have to take extra lessons."

Chika pouted, almost on the verge of tears. The extra lessons would cut into her time for playing board games—the beloved activity of the president of the board game club! It was just too tragic and unfair!

"Kaguya-chan, please teach me how to quickly improve my grades! I'll do anything!"

She looked up at Kaguya with a pitiful expression.

"Heh." Kaguya stared at her indifferently. Chika always made these kinds of requests, only to back out every time. Kaguya was used to it by now.

But this time, Kaguya spoke up in her usual calm tone, "Perhaps you could ask that 'Rei Ao' fellow."

"Rei Ao?" Chika tilted her head, confused. Then she remembered. "You mean that guy who skyrocketed to the top spot in the rankings!"

Of course, Chika, who loved gossip, had heard about him. Besides her favorite topic—romance—she knew a little about all the latest rumors.

Rei Ao's name had been circulating among the students, especially after his miraculous rise in the midterms.

Some of the rumors included things like:

"The most handsome guy at Comprehensive Academy with the best physique!"

"The mysterious connection between two transfer girls in second and third year and Rei Ao!"

All kinds of talk were centered around this boy named Rei Ao.

Especially after the midterms, discussions about him had only intensified.

Thinking of the miracle of Rei Ao's grades, Chika's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"If it's him, maybe it really could work!"

"..."

Kaguya hadn't expected her casual, offhand remark to be taken seriously, but it seemed Chika was absolutely earnest about it.

…

Quiet underground parking garage.

"Huff, great, this off-road vehicle should be enough for us," Saya Takagi said as she closed the car's hood, wiping the sweat off her forehead with a sense of satisfaction.

They were planning to head to the house of Shizuka Marikawa's friend to retrieve firearms and weapons. However, the distance was significant, and walking would not only be dangerous but time-consuming. Having a vehicle was essential.

In the meantime, Saeko had been completely engrossed in hunting zombies. Once she started, it was like she became a different person—slashing her way through every corner and sometimes disappearing for half the day. They couldn't just sit around and wait for her to return, not knowing when that would be. So, the other three decided to be productive by finding water, food, and a vehicle.

"Can it start?" Shizuka asked.

"Relax, I've already got it covered. Get in," Saya said confidently, thumping her chest.

Starting the car was an easy task for her.

"Where to?" Rei Miyamoto asked.

"First, we'll go to the gas station—we need fuel," Saya replied.

Saya drove the off-road vehicle, taking Rei and Shizuka to a nearby gas station to refuel. Afterward, they headed toward the largest shopping mall in the area. Along the way, they ran over a few scattered zombies without much trouble.

"Let's grab some water and food, then get out of here," Saya instructed.

All three wrapped their arms and legs with duct tape, checked their makeshift weapons, and cautiously entered the mall. They quietly avoided the wandering zombies and made their way to the food section. Taking out the bags they had brought, they started filling them with supplies.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

A sudden voice interrupted their actions.

The three of them turned cautiously, their guard up. They saw a young man wearing the uniform of Fujimi Academy.

Saya raised an eyebrow. "You're from Fujimi Academy?"

So, there were other students who had also escaped like them.

"You are too!" The young man's eyes scanned them, lingering especially long on their chests, before he quickly averted his gaze and tried to appear serious. "This mall has already been taken over by our teacher and group. If you want to take anything, you'll have to ask permission from our teacher."

"Huh?" Rei frowned. "Why? This mall doesn't belong to you."

The young man shrugged in mock helplessness. "This is the apocalypse now. All resources for survival need to be handled carefully."

He was trying to sound sincere, but the way he looked at them—like prey—betrayed his true intentions. "Don't worry, the teacher is very reasonable. Come with me."

Rei, Saya, and Shizuka exchanged wary glances, but eventually decided to follow him.

As they followed, the young man licked his lips, muttering under his breath, "Three perfect catches. I hope Shido-sensei rewards me after he's done."

They were led to a room that appeared to be sealed off from the outside.

Knock, knock.

The young man knocked rhythmically, almost like a code.

Click.

The door opened.

"Please, go in. The teacher is inside," the young man said, grinning maliciously.

"What's this teacher's name?" Saya asked, leading the way inside.

The moment all three women stepped through the door, it slammed shut behind them.

"What are you doing?!" Rei demanded, turning to face the young man.

"Heh heh heh…" He stopped pretending, his sinister grin widening. "Shido-sensei, I brought some thieves who were trying to steal our food!"

Rei's face twisted in anger. "We weren't stealing anything!"

"Not stealing? Then what's that in your bags?" A voice, confident and familiar, rang out.

Rei froze. She recognized that voice all too well. Turning around, she saw a man with glasses, smiling as his eyes glinted behind them.

"It's you!!!"

"Long time no see, Miyamoto-san," the man said, pushing his glasses up slightly, a smirk on his lips.

Rei clenched her fists in rage. This wasn't some helpful teacher—it was 'Koichi Shido', the man who had deliberately held her back a grade.

Shido's gaze slid past Rei and landed on Shizuka, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. "Ah…" His eyes gleamed with lust. He had long desired this woman, and now she had walked right into his hands. This must be fate, he thought.

His lecherous stare made Shizuka visibly uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Saya quickly realized something was wrong. There were about a dozen students around them, all male.

"Rei, Shizuka-sensei, we need to get out of here. Now!" Saya urged.

"Run? Where do you think you're going?" Several male students blocked the door, their eyes predatory as they leered at the three women.

The three women stood back to back, readying themselves.

"What are you planning?!" Saya demanded.

Shido chuckled darkly. "What do you think?" He gestured with his eyes, and one of the students opened a nearby door.

Inside, the three women saw something horrific—seven or eight young girls, completely naked and locked up. Their eyes were vacant, their bodies covered in bruises and wounds.

In that moment, Saya, Rei, and Shizuka realized the sickening truth of what had been happening here.

~~~

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