The ever-clueless Shizuka Marikawa suddenly chirped up like an excited child.
"Ahh… I've got it! My friend has a house nearby—it's suuuper nice! And guess what? She's not home, and she left me the key!" she beamed, bouncing like a kid talking about a candy store.
"No way. We should stay together—with our teacher and classmates. Plus, there are soldiers across the bridge. If you leave, they'll need a doctor, and maybe other people too. If you go out there, you'll be walking right into zombie territory," Komuro said as he stepped closer to Shizuka and the other girls, his voice dipped in that emotional guilt-trip tone often used to sway people.
"So what are we supposed to do?" one of the girls asked, and soon they all started whispering among themselves again.
"My house isn't anywhere near here. Given the current chaos, it's impossible to get there. And more importantly—we have no food or water," Saeko Busujima spoke calmly, her voice cutting through the chatter. "I'm going to the house Ms. Shizuka mentioned."
Komuro, who had initially planned to go with them, paused. His memory flashed back to Kenthelion—the mysterious figure who had just arrived in the area.
If I run into him… I'm screwed, he thought. That guy had a gun, and a sword modded like a chainsaw. No thanks.
He glanced at the girls, realizing they were about to head off. A part of him wanted to stop them—but another part told him it might be safer not to follow.
"It's better if we all stay together," Komuro began, trying to convince the group. "Takagi Saya's house is just across the way. We can head there first—together."
His words sounded sincere, but deep down, it was a calculated move. Komuro deliberately mentioned Saya's house to stop her from leaving. If Saya stayed, then that fat nerd Kohta Hirano would stay too. Miyamoto Rei? She'd never leave Komuro's side. That only left Saeko Busujima and Shizuka Marikawa—if they hesitated, Komuro's plan would work.
Upon hearing that, Saya Takagi began to hesitate. She didn't want to stay with Wisteria, but her home was nearby. If she could get there quickly, she might be able to take control of the situation.
Meanwhile, Kohta Hirano kept stealing glances at Saya. In his mind, he was her loyal knight, ready to protect her no matter where she went.
Miyamoto Rei was visibly uncomfortable around Wisteria. Something about him disgusted her. But Komuro? He seemed different lately. Mysterious. Unpredictable.
"Looks like it's just me and Miss Shizuka Marikawa who'll be heading out. I hope the rest of you stay safe," Saeko Busujima said calmly, making her decision clear.
"Saeko Busujima, where are you going?" Wisteria asked, stepping forward just as she and Shizuka were about to leave the school bus.
Saya Takagi, Saeko Busujima, Shizuka Marikawa, and Rei Miyamoto didn't respond. They stared at him coldly, clearly uninterested in engaging with him.
Komuro was the one who broke the silence.
"Mr. Wisteria, Miss Saeko and Miss Shizuka are heading to the house of Miss Shizuka's friend," he said plainly.
"You can't leave, Miss Shizuka!" Wisteria snapped, his tone taking on that of a politician giving a dramatic speech. "All the students are here. You and I are both teachers—we need to protect them. You're a doctor! What if someone gets sick while you're gone?"
As he spoke, Wisteria couldn't help but let his eyes wander to Shizuka's large chest. He had been eyeing her for a while now. There was no way he was letting her go.
Shizuka, clueless and a little ditzy, was visibly confused. She didn't know what to do. Saeko gently grabbed her arm, starting to guide her down the steps of the bus.
"Saeko Busujima, why are you—"
Before Wisteria could finish his sentence, Saeko Busujima raised her wooden sword and pointed it directly at his chest. Wisteria flinched in fear and stumbled backward, terrified, as he watched the two of them step off the bus.
"They're no longer with us. We don't need to care about them anymore. What matters now is helping each other and surviving this crisis together…"
Wisteria began brainwashing the remaining students on the bus with his usual manipulative tone.
Under Shizuka Marikawa's guidance, the two women continued on. Around the area of her friend's house, the streets were oddly quiet. No zombies in sight—only corpses scattered everywhere, many with gunshot wounds to the head or cleanly split in half.
Nearby, some Inquisitors and Adepta Sororitas spotted the two women but didn't interfere. They had seen them earlier with His Excellency. The holy warriors continued sweeping the area, clearing it for His Excellency to rest.
"Judging by the number of headless zombies, Kenthelion might be up ahead," Saeko said quietly. "There are too many precision kills... I don't even know how he did this so fast."
"Eh?! Kenthelion's ahead? Let's go find him now!" Shizuka's eyes lit up like an excited child as she grabbed Saeko's hand and dragged her along.
Night had fallen as they followed the trail of corpses and arrived at a large villa.
"This is my friend's house!" Shizuka squealed, hopping like an overjoyed child.
"Open the door and let's go inside."
"Oh! Oh! Okaaay, I'll open it now!" Shizuka dug through her bag, muttering, "It should be here—wait, where is it—ah! Found it!"
They entered the house without even noticing the Humvee parked out front and made their way inside.
After a refreshing shower, Kenthelion strolled back into the living room. The lights were dim, a soft glow from the TV screen lit the room as he picked up his game controller. With a bowl of snacks in reach and a glass of red wine in hand, he settled back into the couch, ready to enjoy a rare moment of peace in a world gone mad.
But that peace was short-lived.
The front door creaked open.
Instinctively, Kenthelion paused the game and turned his head, eyebrows raised. He wasn't expecting company—especially not them.
Standing in the doorway were two familiar faces: Saeko Busujima, her expression unreadable as always, and the ever-energetic Shizuka Marikawa, who was already squealing in delight.
"Why are you two here?" Kenthelion asked, voice tinged with surprise. "Did something happen on the way? Were you in danger?"
"Kenthelion-saaaan!" Shizuka cried out like a child reuniting with her favorite plush toy. "We followed a trail of zombie corpses and—I didn't expect you to be here! This is my friend's house!"
Without waiting for permission, she rushed forward and threw her arms around him, nearly spilling his wine in the process.
Kenthelion blinked, momentarily stunned. He looked at Saeko, who remained at the entrance, watching silently. Her hand rested on the hilt of her wooden sword, but her posture was relaxed. It was clear she trusted him.
Kenthelion felt the softness of Shizuka Marikawa's large chest pressing against his own as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. He gently patted her back, keeping his expression calm, then turned his gaze toward Saeko Busujima, who stood a few steps behind.
"You didn't run into any trouble on the way here?" he asked evenly. "Where are the others?"
Saeko shook her head. "No trouble. You already cleared the path. We found piles of corpses—zombies with crushed skulls or sliced in half. Honestly, I didn't expect to find you at my teacher's friend's house. And... the rest of the people from the bus didn't come with us. It's just the two of us now."
Kenthelion gave a faint smirk. "I told you we'd meet again," he said, locking eyes with Shizuka, who was still clinging to him like a long-lost lover.
"Mr. Kenthelion," Shizuka chirped cheerfully, sounding more like a schoolgirl than a school nurse, "why are you here? Do you know my friend too?"
The goofy woman rubbed herself closer, her body language playful, yet borderline dangerous. Kenthelion could feel the weight of her body pressing into him. He resisted the urge to chuckle and kept his composure.
"I don't know anyone here," he replied with a shrug. "I was just walking, saw this place, and figured it was a good spot to rest. I didn't realize it was your friend's house."
"That must mean we were fated to meet again!" Shizuka beamed like a kid unwrapping a surprise gift.
Saeko, watching the two with a quiet intensity, didn't say a word. Her expression remained unreadable, but her grip tightened slightly around the wooden sword in her hand. She wasn't the type to show emotions easily—but in that moment, there was a small flicker of jealousy in her eyes.
"I've prepared dinner. Let's eat together—just the three of us," Kenthelion said with a calm smile.
Saeko Busujima nodded quietly and began wiping the table with gentle, graceful movements. Watching her, Kenthelion's mind drifted back to his old world. Before he transmigrated here, Highschool of the Dead was a popular anime—and he had been one of its many fans.
Now, here he was, living with Saeko Busujima herself.
Marrying a Japanese wife means marrying someone obedient, gentle, and refined, he thought with a small smile. Maybe there's some truth to that after all.
Meanwhile, Shizuka Marikawa, acting like a playful child, was draining the bathtub. "I want to use Rika-chan's hot spring bath next!" she sang cheerfully as she skipped down the hall.
Kenthelion glanced at her and smiled softly. Such a silly girl… but endearing.
He stepped out onto the balcony, lit a cigarette, and looked out over the city near the bridge. Huge fires burned in the distance, gunshots echoed intermittently, and hordes of zombies were running toward the bridge. Kenthelion squinted, thinking to himself:
Looks like the chaos at the bridge is already happening... just like in the comic.
Suddenly, a transmission came through from the warship orbiting above—the Saint Celestine.
"Your Majesty, we are ready to deploy the Astra Militarum troops. Where shall we land them?"
"Send them to Haneda Airport—Tokyo International Airport. Establish a temporary military base there, and gather all surviving civilians. We will turn it into a safe zone."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
Kenthelion stared into the night sky with determination. He remembered that many survivors had taken refuge at the airport in the comic. Sending the Astra Militarum there was the first step toward saving them—and laying the foundation for a secure safe zone amid the chaos in Tokyo.