[Item Acquired: Stamina Potion]
[Weapon Acquired: Grenade Launcher, Grenades (6/6)]
…
[Item: Stamina Potion]
[Rarity]: Common
[Type]: Single-use
[Effect]: Restores Stamina to full instantly on use.
…
[Weapon Acquired: Grenade Launcher]
[Ammo: 6/6. Area damage. Highly effective against clustered zombies.]
Aiden hefted the launcher. Heavy—heft that bit into the palms. Heavier than it looked; an adult had to put real muscle into keeping it steadied.
By then, Yukino had efficiently packed everything.
The jug of mineral water was huge, but the girl's careful mind had found several empty bottles and filled three big ones to the brim.
Both backpacks were stuffed to bursting with snacks.
Aiden took stock of his current kit:
Arc Lightning Arrow scroll ×1, medkits ×2, pain pills ×3, stamina potion ×1, grenade launcher ×1 (6 rounds), three large bottles of drinking water, and a mountain of snacks.
They'd fought hard all the way up. Both were tired.
Leaning against the desk together, they ate donuts and chips to refuel.
In the past, Yukino would never touch these waistline-killers…
But now, in a world where tomorrow wasn't guaranteed, who could afford vanity?
Who knew whether there'd be a next meal?
As she crunched through crispy chips, the ice on her expression slowly thawed.
Eating—humanity's plainest survival need.
And, sometimes, the simplest happiness…
Compared to the still-prim Yukino, Aiden was much less polite—he wolfed down six donuts before stopping.
He took a long pull of water, clapped the crumbs from his hands, and unrolled the [Arc Lightning Arrow] scroll.
[Learn Magic: Arc Lightning Arrow?]
[Yes.]
[Arc Lightning Arrow — (0/10)]
In an instant—
what took an ordinary person three days to pick up and seven to get usable, Aiden grasped at once.
"Arc Lightning Arrow."
He tried guiding the new mana inside him.
Power coursed through the forming circuit at high speed.
Gradually,
lightning gathered, boiling in his palm.
"…?"
Yukino, nibbling cake like a little hamster, froze—eyes going wide at the swelling knot of light in his hand.
Rumble…
The quiet room filled with the crack and sizzle of caged thunder.
A three-inch bolt coalesced above Aiden's palm,
its shaft slightly curved, hinting at an arc.
"Go."
He flicked it.
Brilliant light drenched the room,
ripping sight away in a flash.
The bolt burst,
white glare burning, heat slamming outward—
the sofa ahead was blown into ragged chunks in an instant.
Terrifying output.
Even in the drifting down of fluff, tiny sparks skittered and snapped—
the paralysis effect the scroll had mentioned.
"Th-that's… impossible!"
Yukino was stunned.
She lifted her head, staring in disbelief. "How can you learn magic from a scroll that fast… It's supposed to take at least three days just to get in the door!"
"Ever consider… maybe I'm a genius?"
Enjoying the rare look of shock on the ice princess, Aiden curved a teasing smile.
"You… are hiding something."
Sharp as ever, Yukino could tell Aiden had secrets.
But seeing he wouldn't say, she huffed through her nose. "Hmph. I don't care to know anyway."
("Your mouth's practically curling up far enough to hang a kettle," Aiden thought.)
From outside the office, faint zombie howls drifted up.
Both faces tightened. No more joking.
Aiden tightened his grip on the kukri; Yukino nocked an arrow again. "Where to next?"
"Faculty office first," Aiden said, eyes on the door. "We might find more supplies."
"Then back to the third floor. Even if we leave, we're not walking away without enough guns."
In the apocalypse, guns were life.
He wasn't going to leave that treasure pile for someone else to scoop.
…
Back in the classroom, Kakeru watched the wall clock hands grind around,
and his mood curdled further.
He wet cracked lips and rasped to Hayato, who looked just as haggard, "Hayato, what now… just keep waiting?"
"Shou…"
Hayato hugged the M870 pump-action shotgun, sighing heavily. "Honestly, we should have gone with Aiden-kun to scavenge a while ago."
It was obvious.
Sitting and stewing in the classroom was just a slow death.
For the moment, the room could still be called "safe."
But as time passed—no food, no water—how long could they hold out?
A breakdown was only a matter of time.
"Actually… I agree."
Kakeru worked his dry throat, trying to coax out saliva. "But the second you proposed moving a team, that Makoto kid started bawling."
"And of course those baseball guys around Taisuke had to baby that wimp," he added sourly.
The room had split into two camps.
On one side, Hayato's push-to-act group—
people who, after all this, had accepted reality.
Even if going out meant danger, they refused to sit and wait for death.
On the other, Makoto, Taisuke, and students from other schools.
Terrified of leaving even with guns in hand, they wanted to wait one more day.
Maybe, just maybe, rescue would show up from the government…
(End of Chapter)
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