Chapter 1
While Senji slept peacefully, more than half an hour had passed, and Marikawa-sensei had reached the highway, where there was a traffic jam.
They couldn't move any further toward the location meant to protect citizens from the danger of the undead.
"At this rate, we'll never reach the safe zone," Alicia said to her seatmate, Takagi, who nodded.
"It would be best to walk. Should we abandon the bus and leave them to their fate?" Takagi subtly pointed to the group behind them.
"That's the safest choice," Takashi said seriously. "A populated area like this will only work against us if we want to survive."
"Even if we rely on the police, who are doing their best to guide us calmly so no one panics, there's no way to be sure what'll happen once they overrun this place… If gunfire breaks out, we'll be condemned…"
A short imagined scenario came to mind: they fire weapons to stop the invading undead, but stray bullets become commonplace, hitting any civilians trying to escape death.
"That would be a disaster…"
"Have we all agreed to continue on our own?" Saeko, the senior student, asked to confirm if everyone was on the same page.
Everyone nodded with determined expressions.
"I'll go wake my dad." Alicia carefully stepped from her seat and walked over to her father's, where he was sleeping restlessly, sweat covering his face as if something bad was happening to him.
{Senji}
Two dark silhouettes appeared in Senji's vision. They were two women, rising from below, whose hands slithered like snakes and wrapped tightly around Senji's torso to keep him from escaping.
He tried to move, to get away—but he couldn't.
"Ugh… this kind of nightmare again…"
Though he thought he was moving, the truth was he never could. His mind was playing tricks on him, making him believe he was struggling when in fact his body never budged.
The hands reached his neck, and their "faces" came close.
He saw their dark lips coming toward his.
"Dad, are you okay?"
Senji looked confused at his daughter. The nightmare vanished just before the silhouette's lips touched his.
"...Yeah, I think so."
Senji rubbed his face and noticed how much he was sweating.
"Did something happen?"
Deciding not to dwell on the dream, he asked why she woke him. Though in truth, he was glad.
"It's fine," Alicia said, not digging into it further. "We've decided to leave. The bus stays behind—for them."
Senji understood exactly what she meant.
"So they've decided to abandon the bus and survive on their own…" he looked at his daughter. "Given how they've acted so far, I'd say they have a better chance that way."
He recalled how the teens, despite their fear, fought back against the undead. They had the will to survive.
"Mmm… there's a lot of people," Senji said, looking out the window at the unmoving traffic and the pedestrians walking along the road. If the undead reached this part of the city, they'd be in real danger.
"I suppose that's why they made that choice."
"There's no way out in the direction the cars are headed," Alicia added.
Although Senji listened and glanced at the others in the group, his body felt uncomfortable, a chill crawling down his back. Even if he didn't want to think about the nightmare, it still haunted his mind.
He decided to light a cigarette, pulling one and a lighter from his pocket to calm his nerves.
"Have you already decided where you're going?" he asked.
Saeko responded, walking toward him with the group behind her.
"We'll cross the Onbetsu Bridge. It'll take longer, but we're aiming for the Hisashi Police Station."
"I'd like to come with you," said Marikawa-sensei from the driver's seat. It seemed she enjoyed being with the students.
"Are you sure?" Takagi asked, curious why Marikawa wanted to join them.
"I don't have family nearby, and my relatives live far away… I don't like asking this, but… I really don't like Shidou-sensei," she said, glancing to the side.
"No one likes that guy."
"You all saw what a piece of trash he is," Senji added, overhearing Alicia's whisper about disliking Shidou.
"I realized that while you were asleep," Alicia said with a blank stare at her father.
Senji said nothing.
"What's wrong with all of you? Aren't we supposed to be working together…?"
Shidou-sensei had approached them, complaining subtly.
"It's a little uncomfortable to say this, Shidou-sensei, but we have our own goals. This isn't a school trip, so we're under no obligation to partner with you," Takagi replied with a smile, openly stating her unwillingness to cooperate.
"Hmm…" Shidou frowned, not willing to let them go so easily. "I see you've made up your mind. Do whatever you like then, Takagi-san. After all, Japan is a free country!"
He put his hands in front of his nose with a smug smile—one that nobody in the group liked.
"But…" Shidou licked his lips unpleasantly. "Marikawa-sensei is in a tough spot! We can't afford to lose our nurse, right? If you stay, Marikawa-sensei, I'm sure Takagi-san and the others will too. We're really counting on you…"
Faaash!
"AH!"
Clack!
A nail flew swiftly, grazing Shidou-sensei's cheek before embedding itself into a seat, startling a student with dark circles under his eyes.
"H-Hirano-kun…?" Shidou touched the fresh wound, beginning to tremble. If the nail had hit his head, he'd be dead.
"I didn't mean to miss. You just got lucky." Hirano's voice was dripping with hatred. "It's not like you usually hang around students like me… Do you have any idea how many people bullied me at school?!"
He began recalling the abuse he endured.
"Most of them are standing right in front of you, and don't you dare say I deserved it!! I held back! I always endured it! I wanted a normal life, that's why I put up with it! But normalcy is dead now! The concept of normality is gone!"
"That's why… I'll kill you. You might still be alive now, but I will kill you."
Hirano's eyes showed that he meant every word. He gripped the nail gun tightly, pointing it straight at Shidou-sensei.
"H-Hirano-kun… D-Don't you think you're overreacting a bit…?"
Shidou-sensei now feared for his life. At any moment, Hirano could pull the trigger and end him.
"Busujima-senpai, we're getting off the bus! Take the lead! I'll cover the rear!!"
"You're a real man, Hirano-kun." Saeko gave him a beautiful smile, seeing his determination and growth—no longer hiding who he was.
They all exited the bus. Senji paused at the door, giving a blank stare to the group that would now travel with Shidou-sensei.
"They'll only suffer, following that man."
Senji thought, not truly worried about the teens who stayed behind. To him, they didn't matter. Only his daughter did.
He shut the bus door, then listened as his daughter's group began to discuss.
"So what now? I don't really know this area," Saeko asked.
"First, we need to check if the Onbetsu Bridge is open," Takagi answered.
"It's probably blocked. This much traffic isn't normal around here," Hirano pointed out.
Meanwhile, inside the bus…
Shidou-sensei looked out the window while dabbing the blood from his cheek with a handkerchief.
"Sensei?" asked the short-haired girl, worried.
"Well! We finally got rid of those parasites," Shidou-sensei said, putting on a fake smile to mask his bitterness.
The students who had stayed behind looked at him, trusting that expression.
{Half an hour later}
We had walked quite a distance to reach Onbetsu Bridge. I glanced sideways at the people who were walking the road we had just come from.
Some had diverted to other paths. They must have realized that heading down the main road wouldn't save them.
Even from here, I could see vehicles barely moving. But with more police and military arriving to protect civilians, it became clear—we wouldn't be moving much today.
Some people would likely die tonight.
"We haven't found any way to cross the bridge."
"Neither have we."
"What about upstream?"
"They're building a dam up there. We can't cross, and I doubt there are any shallow areas."
As I listened to their conversations—none of which interested me—I noticed a motorcycle abandoned in the distance.
I'll go get it. No one needs me right now.
Senji walked off. His daughter noticed but chose to stay behind, figuring something must have caught his attention.
"Hey, back in grade school, I used to play around there. The water was drained," Takagi mentioned.
"Oh… I don't know about that, but it's been raining a lot lately. The water level might have risen," Komuro said, worried.
"Um…" Marikawa raised her hand. "Maybe it would be a good idea to calm down and find a place to rest."
"R-Rest?" Hirano asked, confused.
"It's only an hour until nightfall." Marikawa showed the time on her watch. "If it gets dark… we won't be able to see where we're going. It'll be very hard for Busujima-san and Senji-san."
"That's true. But where can we stay safe until morning?" Takagi brought up an important point—where could they hide from the undead once night fell?
"Won't it be too cramped?"
Saeko made a small joke to lighten the mood.
"Ha." Komuro let out a weak laugh.
"I doubt there's a place big enough for all of us."
"Ah, I know a place we can use. We can walk there," Marikawa said, a ray of hope.
"Is it your boyfriend's place?" Takagi asked teasingly.
"N-No! It's a friend's house," Marikawa replied nervously, waving her hands in denial. "She's always busy at the airport, so she gave me the keys to take care of her place."
"Is it an apartment? Does it have a nice view?" Hirano asked, curious.
"Yes, it's a maisonette next to the river. There's even a small market nearby," Marikawa answered with a smile. "And it has a car we can use. It looks like a tank—four doors, and huge!!" she added, swinging her arms excitedly.
"We'll need to find a way to get it onto the road," Saeko said, imagining what kind of car it might be.
"Honestly, I'm exhausted. I'd love a place with electricity and a hot bath," Takagi said, rubbing the back of her neck.
"N-Not a bad idea." Hirano muttered, fingers on his chin while eyeing Takagi's large chest.
"Perverted fatty!" Takagi kicked him in the butt.
"We'll need transport to get to Marikawa-sensei's friend's house quickly," Komuro said.
"Don't worry about that."
Komuro looked over—Alicia had spoken up suddenly after quietly listening to everything.
He was about to ask, but she answered before he could.
"Dad is bringing a motorcycle."
She pointed with her thumb toward the center of the street—Senji was pushing a motorcycle by the handlebars.
"Um… something wrong?" Senji asked, noticing their stares.
"You seriously didn't ride it to get here faster?" Takagi asked, adjusting her glasses.
"That would've made too much noise. There were already a lot of undead where I found it. If I'd started the engine, they would've chased me here and endangered everyone."
"That… was a good call." Takagi was embarrassed—she'd forgotten that noise attracted the zombies. Just like Senji said, if he had ridden in, they'd be swarmed.
"Here, kid." Senji handed the motorcycle to Komuro.
"Why me?" Komuro asked, confused.
"I've never ridden one in my life. I'm guessing you have… right?"
Senji wasn't sure if Komuro had, so he asked, uncertain.
"Heh." Komuro chuckled. "Yeah, I've ridden one illegally before. Thanks for getting it. Shizuka-sensei, hop on."
Komuro got on the bike and called Marikawa, who sat behind him and leaned into his back, embarrassing him.
"Sensei and I will scout the place ahead, Busujima-senpai."
"Understood," Saeko replied.
Komuro drove off.
"Mmm…" Marikawa hummed. "This is so comfy!" she pressed her large breasts into his back.
"Sensei, you don't need to hold on that tightly…" Komuro muttered, blushing.
"What? Did you say something? I can't hear you!" Marikawa was enjoying the ride.
After a few minutes, Komuro arrived at the neighborhood on the other side of the bridge.
"We're here. It's this one," Marikawa informed him.
"Wow…" Komuro was amazed by the vehicle parked in front of the large house.
"See? Doesn't it look like a tank?" Marikawa said with a playful grin.
They began to rest. A few minutes later, the rest of the group arrived.
Marikawa waved her arm to signal them.
Saeko noticed her gesture.
"There they are," Saeko informed the group.
"A Humvee," Hirano said, jaw dropped at the vehicle.
Takagi was equally surprised.
"What kind of friends does she have…?" Takagi muttered, curious.
"'They' won't get through the fence, so we'll be able to sleep peacefully," said Miyamoto, relieved.
"Hmm, there are zombies in that house…" Senji observed as undead came out from the back, through windows and the door.
"More are approaching," Alicia noted, watching as a group of zombies began surrounding them.
"You all go inside. I'd like to have a little fun," Senji said, gripping the bat he still had since Komuro gave it to him.
"I can't let you have all the fun," Saeko said, stepping beside Senji with her bokken firmly in hand.
"Sorry, Senji-san, but I want to help too. I can't keep relying on others to protect me," Komuro said, holding a steel pipe and rolling up his school jacket sleeves.
Alicia's footsteps echoed as she joined her father's side.
"Same here. We all need to change for the better."
Alicia gave Senji a radiant smile. Her words triggered a memory from his past.
"It's time to change, don't you think… Senji Muramasa?"
That name.
A name that still held meaning to him, even though he'd abandoned it—because he was no longer the man he once was. A distant memory of a blacksmith who had once longed to forge the ultimate sword… and had succeeded. Though he used the katana only briefly, it was enough to fulfill that ancient wish, back when he was still alive in the Muromachi era.
Even in this new life, the shadow of that dream remained. With his own hands, he had once again forged [Tsumukari Muramasa], though it now sat collecting dust, untouched for centuries—because he hadn't had the will to use it again.
Now, only one goal remained.
To die.
It would be simple to take his own life—but that wasn't what he sought.
Just as Azi Dahaka once told him when they first met: what he desired was a [Hero]—someone with the resolve to kill him, someone unshaken by the horrors the three-headed dragon might unleash.
That goal, not even originally his, had ended up resonating with him. He too began seeking someone worthy of ending his hollow life.
But unfortunately, that [Hero] still hadn't appeared.
"I'm already a thousand years old, Jesus. Change… might be too late for that."
"Haha." A gentle laugh echoed from a man in white robes. "It's never too late, Senji Muramasa. What matters is your determination to change. If you're trapped in the past, you'll never take the step toward the future. Tell me, Senji, how can you change if you don't take that crucial step?"
"Mm… a step, huh…" Senji turned away from the man in robes.
"I see," the robed man murmured, gazing at the stars. There had been a small shift—especially in the cosmology of the Oni that represented Senji Muramasa, known as the Oni King Sengo. The man's eyes sparkled. "What you're about to do… is already a big change."
From that day on, the people who used to fear for their lives when they saw the [Demon Lord] walking near their homes stopped being afraid.
And for the next hundred years, Senji Muramasa committed no genocides.
He gave the people of Little Garden peace and tranquility.
Senji sighed.
"So… a change."
He took it as something positive. He even allowed Alicia to fight by his side—for safety, of course. That way, he could cover her from behind in case of any zombies she couldn't see.
And that night marked the first time they truly welcomed the end of this new world.