Lemuel, Saeko, and the others saw everything clearly.
Nanashi had simply flicked a coin.
And then—Koichi Shido's head exploded.
"Shizuka, drive."
"A-Ah! Oh! Yes…yes!"
Shizuka had witnessed Shido's head burst open at close range. The spray of red and white matter had been horrifying.
Her hands trembled on the wheel, her mind blank with fear, but Nanashi's firm command snapped her back to reality.
The car roared to life.
Some of the students, still processing what had just happened, rushed forward in desperation.
"Wait! Leave the car—"
Bang!
Another head exploded before the sentence could be finished.
"!!!"
Realization dawned.
If they tried to stop the car, they'd be shot in the head.
They had a sniper!
Instantly, the remaining students cowered, lowering their heads, not daring to make another move.
Nanashi casually tossed another coin, letting it spin between his fingers.
From the upper floors of the school, many students watched in shock as a black jeep sped down the road. Bodies in its path were sent flying like ragdolls.
The vehicle crashed through the school gates, breaking free from the campus.
As the group drove onto the main road, Shizuka spoke up.
"My friend's house has weapons. If we head there, we can stock up."
With a destination set, the tension in the car eased slightly, giving everyone a chance to talk.
"Um... can I ask something?" Saya finally broke the silence, unable to hold back her curiosity.
She glanced at the angelic figure beside her, her eyes drawn to the glowing halo floating above her head. It moved perfectly in sync with her, suspended as if by magic.
"And you," she turned to Nanashi, "you just flicked a coin and... that happened. Are you two... angels? Or people with supernatural abilities?"
Lemuel chuckled, her golden eyes gleaming with amusement.
"I'm not an angel, nor do I have superpowers. I'm from Laterano. Just call me Lemuel."
Nanashi nodded. "I do have supernatural abilities. As for my introduction—I'm Nanashi, and I'm a friend of Saeko's."
Saya frowned slightly. "A powerful esper... and someone from Laterano?"
She glanced at Saeko.
How exactly did Saeko-senpai know these two?
"My name is Rei Miyamoto," Rei said, her voice quiet, as if lost in thought.
"I'm Shizuka Marikawa! And, um, Nanashi-kun... do we know each other?"
Shizuka's face showed genuine confusion.
She didn't recall ever meeting Nanashi before.
Nanashi exchanged a glance with Saeko.
Saeko understood and answered calmly, "I told Nanashi-kun about you."
Shizuka blinked, then nodded in realization. "Oh, I see!"
Saya, however, wasn't convinced.
She sensed there was more to the story.
But she chose to let it go—for now.
"We need a plan," Nanashi finally spoke, his tone serious.
He wasn't talking to everyone—he was talking to Saeko.
"First of all, you all need to understand—we can only stay here for five days."
The air in the jeep tensed.
"Second, our mission isn't to wipe out all the dead. We're here to contain the outbreak as much as possible."
"We don't have the means to eliminate every single zombie. The infection is spreading worldwide."
"We can help you for now, but in the end, survival is up to you. You need to build your own safe zone."
Nanashi left out one key detail.
He strongly suspected the Doomsday Chat Group wouldn't send them here for free.
There was a high chance that completing this mission would yield rewards.
And if there were benefits to be gained, he was more than willing to take action.
Saya clenched her fists.
"Only five days? Where will you go after that?"
Nanashi didn't answer.
Instead, he looked at Saeko.
Saeko's expression remained calm.
Five days.
It was impossible to rely on these two strangers forever.
She turned to Saya.
"Saya, do you still want to find your parents?"
Saya bit her lip, then nodded firmly. "Yes."
"Then first, we gather weapons from Shizuka-sensei's friend's house. After that, we'll search for your parents."
"Once we've secured them, we'll find a place to establish a safe zone."
Saeko had made the decision.
From the start, Rei had remained silent.
Something felt… off.
Nanashi scanned the interior of the jeep.
Then it hit him.
Someone was missing.
'Hm? Where's Komuro Takashi?'
With such a question in his mind, he asked tentatively.
"You escaped on your own... where's your boyfriend?"
Rei flinched.
Saeko on the other hand ran a hand through her hair and she said simply, "I don't have a boyfriend. And I don't have any boys I like."
Her standards had changed.
After seeing someone as powerful as Nanashi, ordinary boys no longer interested her.
Saya crossed her arms, scoffing. "Hah! Same here. Most guys are just idiots who let their lower half do the thinking."
Shizuka sighed dramatically. "And I… I'm just an old, single woman... Wuuu..."
Nanashi nearly rolled his eyes.
She was beautiful.
Age didn't matter—attractive women would always have admirers.
Only Rei…
She remained quiet, staring down at her lap, her fingers gripping her skirt tightly.
Saya sighed and gently patted her shoulder.
"Rei, I know. But… what's done is done. Takashi and Hisashi are both gone now. We have to move forward."
"…"
Nanashi was taken aback.
He had expected Hisashi's death, but how had Takashi Komuro died?
This incident made him realize something once again.
Reality is reality.
Anime is anime.
While the two shared certain connections, their developments were not set in stone.
After learning what had happened, Nanashi chose not to press further. He saw no point in reopening wounds.
Instead, he quietly closed his eyes, appearing to rest—though in reality, he opened the chat group.
Chat Group Conversation
March 7th had already sent several messages.
March 7th: "@Saeko @Nanashi @Lemuel What's going on? What's wrong? Why aren't you responding?!"
Nanashi: "We've arrived, rescued them, and are heading out to get some weapons."
March 7th: "Finally! You had me worried sick! [Angry.JPG]."