Feeling the blood, bits of head, and skull fragments in my hand was kind of uncomfortable. The dead guy's blood was too viscous, and the smell wasn't exactly ambrosial.
My body was acting on instinct. I just remembered my mother's words to help everyone, and my own mind wouldn't have been too happy if such a cute girl died.
But... I was surprised by how instinctively it all happened, that I didn't even need a few moments to think. I just did it, and it was all because of the "Iron Nerves" trait I recently got from the Gacha.
[Save Saya Takagi]
[Silver Ticket]
"You okay?" I stood up to my full height and offered the pink-haired girl my bloodied hand.
"Ah... y-yes!" She firmly gripped my hand without any disgust, and I pulled her up—a bit too hard, it seemed, judging by how she slammed into my chest. "Ouch..."
"Sorry, pulled you too hard." I had heard a lot about Saya Takagi: that she was overly arrogant, liked to call others by demeaning nicknames, and so on. Also, that she was a beautiful girl. But only the last part matched what people said, because this girl was still staring at me in astonishment.
"N-no, ow, I mean, yes, it's fine!" She abruptly pulled away from me and, blushing fiercely, nodded with an awkward smile.
Yeah, something was definitely off with this girl. A person can't fall in love with someone in a second; I just don't believe in that kind of thing, even if that person saves you from death.
I looked around. My team, which included Takashi, Hisashi, Rei, and my K-imoto, had already approached me.
Kohta Hirano, the guy with the homemade nail-gun rifle whose pop I'd heard on the roof, got up from his knees and looked at me uncertainly. It was understandable; delinquents like me usually bullied guys like him, overweight and with glasses.
Standing a short distance away were Saeko Busujima herself and the school nurse, Shizuka Marikawa. Both were looking in amazement at the zombie's shattered skull painting the wall, but for some reason, Busujima was blushing as she looked at the mess. Does she like blood?
"So, are we all okay with going into the faculty office to discuss things there?" Hearing my voice, they instantly snapped out of it, as if coming out of a trance.
"It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Isao Tsumugi. Many of my kouhai in kendo spoke of your valor in fights, but I didn't think you were this strong." Saeko approached, extending her hand for a handshake, which I returned.
"Yeah, Isao-kun! That was amazing! You just appeared next to Saya-chan like you came out of thin air and then—SPLAT—you blew that dead guy's head up!" I knew Shizuka-san was... well, not the sharpest tool in the shed, but to talk almost like a child? Just as I was about to reply, I was interrupted.
"So are we going into the faculty office or not?" The question was asked by Saya, who had her brows furrowed and arms crossed. Half of her face was covered in zombie blood, and her shirt had small bloodstains on it too.
"Yeah, we should get inside before any of the dead hear our voices and come over."
When I looked at my team, Hisashi and Takashi were already heading into the faculty office, with Kohta following them. Rei and K-imoto stood where they were, waiting for me.
"Sigh..." With a sigh, I started walking toward the office too. "Well, let's go."
The faculty office was empty. Shizuka let out a happy moan as she sat down in a chair and rested her head on the table. Saya went to the sink, the guys started barricading the door, and Saeko stayed next to me, while Rei and K-imoto went over to Saya and started a conversation.
"So, how old were you when you started training, Isao Tsumugi-san?"
"Yeah, no need for that 'Isao Tsumugi-san' stuff. Just call me Isao, or Isa, or whatever's comfortable. And I've been training since I was 13, if you can call constant fighting training."
"Of course," she nodded, looking at me now with sharper eyes, as if she'd understood something. "I also trained with a sword from a young age, though I was younger than you when I started. My father began training me when I was seven."
Honestly, it sounded like child abuse, a father deciding to train his daughter with a sword at seven. But at the same time, it felt like a plot from some manga about a swordswoman, and since I know that most people's lives are made up of stupid clichés, this girl was no simpleton.
"Hmm, sounds cool..." She interrupted me.
"I knew you'd like it. Would you like to learn the Art of the Sword? I wouldn't mind teaching you!" Her eyes shone with something like anticipation.
"Later. Right now, we need to get out of the school, so you can't teach me here."
"I know. I was just suggesting it and wanted your consent."
Our conversation continued, discussing what we'd noticed about the dead, comparing our observations.
"Hey, guys," Kohta Hirano whispered to Takashi Komuro and Hisashi Igou. Both were his classmates, but they didn't interact much, and nobody really tried to talk to him.
"Yeah, Kohta-san?" Takashi looked at him, holding a set of keys, trying to figure out which one was for the bus. Hisashi sat in a chair next to him, staring at the ceiling with a blank, tired expression.
"Uh... aren't you guys scared of that upperclassman?" He pointed at Isao Tsumugi, the tall guy with dyed hair who was currently talking to the legendary Saeko Busujima, who was practically clinging to him.
"Who? Isao? Nah, he's a pretty good guy, all in all." Takashi waved his hand dismissively and went back to sorting the keys.
"Yeah, Isao might look like a delinquent, but he's actually a pretty good leader. It's only thanks to him that Rei and I are alive."
"Uh-huh, and he was killing zombies so easily, like he didn't even feel tired swinging that bat." Takashi said that, and Kohta looked at the bats in their hands, which already had a few small dents.
"Sigh, okay, it's just that he and his face scare me. Guys like that are usually the villains in manga." Hisashi and Takashi both flinched.
"Please, don't talk about that to us, especially me," Takashi flinched again as if remembering something terrifying. "I've known him since middle school. He helped me when a kid a year older from his class was bullying me. He came up and said, 'You bastard, not only did you mess with my little sister, but you're also messing with my kouhai!' and then beat him up with a scary look on his face. Afterward, he took my juice and made me bring him a juice box at least once a week. Man, he was a real jerk back then."
Just a juice box once a week? Usually, bullies tormented him much worse, drawing on his face in the bathroom, forcing him to literally scrub his skin off with soap and water to get it off, pouring water on him when he was on the toilet, and making him bring them food almost every day.
"Yeah..."
"I'm curious, did you make this yourself?" Hisashi pointed to his modified nail gun. Of course, it was no match for the rifles at his father's shooting range, but it was better than getting close to the dead, whose hands were deadly strong, heh.
"Oh, yeah! Takagi-san and I went to the workshop and found a nail gun with two gas canisters. One is almost empty and still inside the gun, and the other is in my bag now. As for the stock, I glued it on after sawing off a hammer handle and used duct tape. To compensate for the weight, I also had to remove the safety on the nozzle, otherwise it wouldn't fire. A nail gun usually requires its nozzle to be pressed against a surface to work, but without the safety, that's not a problem." He spoke without stopping, and Takashi and Hisashi listened attentively, and it... it felt so nice. Takagi-san wouldn't have listened to him at all.
"You're a smart guy, Kohta." Takashi walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.
"I agree with Takashi. Not many people could have done that, and your decision to make a stock was a good one, or else your arms would get tired from the weight and frequent firing." Hisashi nodded, still looking at the ceiling, but this time giving a thumbs-up.
He smiled shyly and thanked them, and they continued talking, though Takashi kept sorting through the keys.
"Are you okay, Saya-san?" K-imoto, as her brother called her, approached Saya and handed her a towel she had found, making Saya jump.
"Ah! Y-yes... this is embarrassing to say, but you're Isao-san's younger sister, right?"
"Yes, I'm his younger sister, Kotobuki Tsumugi, but you can call me K-imoto, I don't mind." She gave her a sweet smile, even though she didn't like the way Saya was glancing at her brother.
"Thanks for the towel..." She began to wipe her wet face. "Ah, much better. Walking around with a face half-covered in blood doesn't really suit a lady." Yeah, a lady. She had heard how Saya treated that chubby guy who was now talking with Takashi-san and Hisashi-san.
"Takagi-san, weren't you in the classroom when Takashi, Hisashi, and I left?" Rei, who was next to her, asked Takagi, who raised an eyebrow.
"Hmph, a genius like me immediately sensed something was wrong. When Komuro, of all people, was acting so panicked—usually he's calm, and lately, he's been rather sad—so when he burst into the classroom like that, I knew something was up and left immediately." Rei's eye twitched when the big-headed girl called herself a genius.
"And when did you meet Hirano-san?" she asked, looking at the guy who had most likely been protecting her all this time.
"With that fat-ass idiot?" She rolled her eyes, as if not noticing their gazes, which instantly became disapproving. "I took him with me when I saw him crawling out of the classroom. Someone has to help me decide what to do and be the man by my side, though he didn't turn out to be as manly as some..." Saya looked mesmerized at her brother, who was talking with that cow Busujima, who was flaunting her boobs right next to him.
"I don't think you should call Hirano-san that, Takagi-san." Rei's words caught Takagi's attention.
"Ha, as if I asked you how to properly address that idiot. If it weren't for me, he'd already be another one of those zombies, one that would be even slower and heavier." She looked at Rei with arrogance, causing both Rei and her to bristle.
"That's really rude, Takagi-san. Hirano-san was helping you this whole time, saving you." Saya looked at her intently, then sighed.
"Yes, that was the idiot's job, which is why I took him with me. And if it weren't for me leading us to the workshop class, he wouldn't have even been able to pick up that nail gun, not to mention he almost failed his job twice, but... since it's rude..." Saya rolled her eyes. "I won't call him that anymore."
It seemed like there was a completely different reason Saya didn't want to talk about, but she didn't care right now. She and Rei moved away from Saya-san and stepped aside.
They started a conversation about what they were doing before all this began. Rei started talking about her failed relationships with Takashi and Hisashi. She broke up with the first one because he was an idiot too focused on himself while trying to seem like a hero, and the second was too dependent on Takashi, having no opinions of his own.
"Girl, I feel for you..."
"What about you, who did you like before all this started?" An image of her brother, whom she had been sitting on, appeared in her mind, and she once again felt his rough hands on her butt, then blushed furiously.
"Th-there was no one I liked..."
"Oh really?" Rei smiled playfully at her. "But your cheeks are red, and you started stuttering, which means you're lying, Kotobuki-san."
"Stop it, Rei!"
"Haha, I'm just kidding, Tsumi, just a joke!"
Honestly, it felt as if Rei had been her friend for a long time, even though they had only started talking a few hours ago.
And it seems that hardships really do bring people closer. She felt a warmth in her heart, knowing she had made a new friend.
Takashi found the bus key and, with a sigh, placed it on the table. Then he turned on the TV hanging on the wall to check the news. What if this was only happening in their city and the whole city was already under quarantine?
That thought vanished instantly when he turned on the TV. All the news channels were going crazy. He didn't even notice the others were also watching the television intently, observing the rapidly changing channels.
"It's... happening everywhere..." Kohta, beside him, made a frightened sound.
"The situation is completely fucked, guys. The whole world has gone to shit." No one commented on Isao's crude words...
"Language, young man! You shouldn't say such rude things in front of ladies!" Shizuka-san pointed a finger at Isao.
"Yeah, yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that everything's gone to shit, and that most people are dying like pigs right now because of their own stupidity, while the other half has started going wild due to the instant collapse of the government and law enforcement like the police and so on." He sat down in a chair, grabbing his head with both hands and muttering something under his breath. "Think... think..."
"Saya, your parents were some kind of big shots, right? And you lived in a mansion across the river?" Isao suddenly addressed Saya, who hesitated for a moment but still answered.
"Uh, y-yes, but why are you asking?"
"What are the chances your dad started turning the mansion into a full-blown stronghold with space for civilians?" He looked at her intently, and Saya looked like she had only just thought of it but answered instantly.
"One hundred percent. Father would do something like that the very moment he found out what was happening in the city and around the world."
"Hmm, then here's the plan. Right now, contact your relatives and ask where they are. We'll take the bus and pick up everyone we can, then head to Takagi's mansion."
Everyone around him nodded, and he leaned back in his chair.
"For now, get some rest and contact your families. Find out only where they are, and tell them not to move. We don't have time to search for them all over the place. It's already late afternoon, and in a few hours, about four to be exact, it'll be sunset. Visibility will be poor at night, and we'll have to find shelter somewhere and get delayed in this damn city."
Another nod. Rei asked Kotobuki for her phone. Hisashi sat tensely, holding his phone, as if hesitant to call his father. Knowing what a strict father he was, he could sympathize with him. He himself had tried to contact his mom on the roof, but she didn't pick up, and all he could do was worry about her.
The only ones not doing anything were Saeko, Saya, Kohta, Shizuka-sensei, himself, and the Tsumugi pair, one of whom was almost lying in his chair with his eyes closed.
Seeing the area from a bird's-eye view was incredible, but right now, the beauty of it was ruined by how many zombies were in the parking lot.
It seemed many thought they could drive away if they got to their cars, but either they didn't make it in time or some other misfortune occurred, and now the parking lot was literally teeming with them at every meter.
That's when he tensed up. The crow, still unnamed, obeyed his mental request and descended onto the bus, looking at the dead with undisguised curiosity.
He tensed up because he knew it would most likely be hellishly difficult here, and he would have to reveal his metal control power, but he wouldn't do it until the last possible moment.
He honestly didn't want anyone to know about it, as it was an incredibly useful dagger he could use on bastards like Shido, if he wasn't already dead.
His mind was racing with thoughts again, and he could only sigh.
Gacha? Use the silver ticket.
[Scavenger]
|Uncommon Trait|
Whenever you go scavenging, whether it is for treasure, lost parts, artifacts, etc., you have a better chance of finding something useful.
Hmm, a good trait. It'll be helpful when the time comes...
"Phew, so what's the situation, guys?"
"My father isn't answering. Same with my mom." Rei looked like she was about to cry.
"Mine either..." Hisashi was scowling.
"My mom didn't answer either..." Takashi nodded grimly.
I looked over at Saeko and Hirano. Saya's parents were at their mansion, and as for whether Shizuka-sensei had parents, I had no idea. Usually, students always know about such things, but almost nothing was known about Shizuka-sensei except that she had a massive boobs, a low IQ (though that's questionable, given she's a certified doctor), and that she's a blonde.
"Both of my parents are abroad." Hirano adjusted his glasses and looked at me uncertainly.
"I'm not worried about my father, but he's currently in China for a special tournament he was invited to. He's probably enjoying killing the living dead right now." Saeko looked him straight in the eye, making him sigh.
"Then it's settled. Here's the plan: we take the bus, drive out, go to my place, stop there for a while to eat, and then head to the Takagi mansion. Everyone clear?" They nodded, and Takashi tossed him the bus keys. "Move quietly. And Takashi, these are definitely the bus keys, right?"
"Yeah, Marikawa-sensei said they are."
"Marikawa-sensei?" I looked at the woman, who was watching me with interest.
"Yes, don't worry, Iso-kun!" She nodded, deliberately moving her head and body too much, causing her breasts to do a boing-boing. All the guys except me blushed, but you can't get me with such basic techniques. I refuse to blush at something like that.
"Then let's go, my friends, and may this be an easy path for us."