Hirano remained in shock for a moment before recognizing Allen. Even though their interactions had been limited to yesterday when Allen saved him, he couldn't help but call out to him as if he had just seen his ancestor.
This sudden burst of joy from Hirano also left Allen puzzled. Of course, he recognized Hirano, but he never thought they had any bond. There was always the possibility that Hirano knew him from the past. In that case, he'd just use the excuse of amnesia—it seemed like the simplest way to explain things.
"For now, it's better if you stand up."
Allen offered his hand to Hirano to help him up and couldn't help but notice the nail gun he carried. This wasn't an ordinary one—Hirano had improvised a stock with duct tape and wood. It was quite ingenious, giving the weapon more stability.
"Thank you, Senpai. My name is Kohta Hirano," the boy said with a smile. "Also, I apologize for the trouble. This makes it the second time you've saved me, and I feel like I'm becoming a burden, hehe."
"Don't mention it. And by the way, you don't need to use 'Senpai' when referring to me. I'm not that picky about those things." Allen smiled. It didn't matter whether the person he saved had a good opinion of him or hated him, but helping someone polite was a pleasant surprise. After all, this was the apocalypse—it was better to have people you could trust at your back.
"No way! You've already saved me twice. I must maintain proper etiquette!"
Hirano refused and then gave a military salute, his eyes shining with admiration.
"I see…"
Allen was confused.
Leaving aside Hirano's strange fanaticism, when he looked at the zombies on the ground, all of them had nails embedded in their heads, usually two or three per corpse. That showed Hirano had very good aim. But this was strange—this was Japan. How could he have experience handling weapons?
"Wait, do you actually know him?" Saya asked, baffled. To her eyes, Allen was the complete opposite of Hirano. Plus, Allen was from a higher grade. How could they possibly be connected?
"..."
Rei looked at Hirano, then at Allen. She knew the boy with long hair, small eyes, square glasses, and an overweight build since they were in the same class. Still, in her opinion, the only possible connection between Allen and Hirano was that Hirano seemed to be some kind of gun otaku—and Allen, well, was Allen.
Allen shrugged. "Yesterday I ran into some unlucky guy being bullied by three lowlifes. I beat them up, and Hirano promised me his eternal loyalty in return."
Hirano froze at Allen's words, but then saw his mocking smile and realized he was joking.
"Come on, man, don't be so stiff," Allen said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "We're in the apocalypse, but that doesn't mean we have to lose our sense of humor."
Everyone stared at Allen in disbelief. Exactly because they were in the apocalypse, they thought they should be at maximum tension. How could anyone relax when people were being eaten alive right next to them?
"Well, let's leave the chit-chat for later. It's time to get out of here."
Allen's tone turned serious. Of course, what he said was true. But being in a school with over a thousand zombies, some of which might be mutants, wasn't exactly the best place to relax. More importantly, it was already two in the afternoon, and Allen wanted to get out of here and find shelter before nightfall.
Noticing the shift in Allen's attitude, the others nodded. It wasn't something they consciously decided, but everyone followed Allen's lead. Whether consciously or unconsciously, they had chosen him as their leader.
....

....
The group advanced, clearing the hallway until they reached the teachers' lounge. As expected, it was filled with zombies—thirty in total. A pretty large number, but with their current strength, it wasn't a problem.
Hirano raised his nail gun without hesitation, but now that the initial euphoria had passed, he felt nervous. Even if he was strong enough to fight zombies, he knew that if they grabbed him, death awaited.
Just as he was about to fire, Allen stopped him.
"You're going to need that ammo once we leave here. It's just twenty of them. Better watch the rear with Kazu. Saeko, Rei—you're with me. The rest, don't let your guard down."
"Yes!"
The group responded instantly, moving into position as if they had practiced it.
Allen didn't comment. This was for the best. In a situation like this, he wouldn't hand over command to anyone else. After all, who better than Allen Walker to lead in an apocalypse?
Saeko grinned with anticipation, stepped into position with her bokken. Then she launched forward with terrifying speed, crashing into the first zombie and crushing its skull. With the same momentum, she leapt and, upon landing, smashed another in the head.
The zombies swarmed her, three at once. But instead of fear, Saeko's smile widened with a blush on her cheeks. She swept her bokken, striking all three on the head.
Rei also attacked, using her broomstick like a spear. With precise movements, she pierced the eye of one corpse, then quickly pulled it out and stabbed another.
The zombies tried to grab Rei's weapon, but Allen had warned her—these creatures had monstrous strength compared to normal people. If they caught her spear, she had to abandon it immediately.
To avoid that, Rei chose to thrust in short, sharp jabs, giving them no time to grab her weapon. It worked, but Rei wasn't a prodigy like Saeko. More than once she missed piercing the eye directly, forcing her to strike multiple times to finish off a zombie. Even so, she managed to kill several.
Allen, on the other hand, was more straightforward. With a spinning kick, he sent two zombies flying into others, knocking them down. Immediately, he used his knife to stab them before they could get back up. The technique was so unfair to the zombies that everyone couldn't help but feel Allen was cheating.
While the rest looked like they were fighting for their lives, Allen looked like a video game character farming aura and experience.
That said, none of them complained. Allen was their ally, and his overwhelming strength was their blessing. Soon, the zombies were reduced to corpses.
At that moment, Saya took the initiative to collect the students' phones and unlock them.
"Shizuka-sensei, Kyoko-sensei, you've seen how effective this tactic is. It's better if we continue with it."
Hearing Saya's words, both women moved to help. Kyoko felt reluctant to strip these young students of their belongings. Not long ago, they had been calling her "sensei" and complaining about homework. But she knew Saya was right.
Phones were a way to protect themselves, since the zombies were blind. Besides, she wanted to be useful. Deep down, she felt that if she didn't help, she might end up abandoned. Of course, Allen wouldn't do that, but she didn't know him well enough to be sure. Fear was natural.
Allen noticed the worries on the faces of the three non-combatants, but at this moment, there was no time to deal with their fears.
Saya approached a corpse with its head smashed in. Suppressing her disgust, she checked its pocket and pulled out a phone, then used its hand to unlock it. She made sure to change the password before turning it off and storing it. She didn't know when the power grid would go out, so it was better to keep half the phones off for later use.
....
Allen smiled at Saya. This stubborn, proud girl was doing her best to contribute to the team. Seeing that everything was under control, Allen decided to enter the teachers' lounge, approached the door, put his hand on the knob, and as he was about to open it, he froze.
There was something…
Even without powers, Allen's senses were far sharper than those of a normal person. He could feel it.
A chilling sensation. A penetrating bloodlust. A murderous gaze that froze him to the core. A threat.
Allen turned around, his eyes scanning the area. Rei, who was right behind him, was surprised by his reaction. But Saeko, whose instincts were the sharpest, understood something was wrong. Her eyes widened, and her body tensed.
Allen managed to see in the rear guard that Kazu was striking a zombie while Hirano was reloading.
"Not there…"
In the center, Shizuka was complaining that her skirt kept tearing from bending down too much, and Kyoko sighed, scolding her for being picky in such a situation.
"Not there either!"
Just as Allen was beginning to lose patience, the answer came from where Saya was. The girl was searching the pockets of a body next to the window.
Allen didn't have to look any further, he saw it peering in through the window, There was a pair of piercing, soulless eyes watching from outside... Watching Saya.
"Saya!"
Allen's shout alerted everyone, including the confused girl who didn't understand why all eyes were suddenly on her. Saya was a genius, capable of analyzing and understanding situations far faster than a normal person, so she quickly realized there was danger behind her.
She turned around just in time to see the creature, it was small, deformed, with large claw-like hands, and the skin on its lips was missing, giving it a terrifying appearance. It was a mutant zombie, a variant, a monster.
That thing let out a creepy laugh before jumping toward Saya.
"...!" Saeko tried to run toward Saya, and Hirano tried to aim at the thing, but neither would make it in time.
Saya froze in fear. She knew that even if they killed the creature a second later, if it bit her—or even grazed her with those claw-like fingers—she would be dead.
I won't allow it!
Allen didn't stay still. His senses sharpened to the limit. Before he could even think, his body had already reacted—he threw his knife with speed and precision. It surpassed Saeko's movement and pierced the sharp-toothed creature right in the head. Even so, it still crashed onto Saya.
"NOOO!" Saya screamed in terror.
Saeko was the first to reach her, pulling the already dead zombie off her. Allen's knife was embedded in its skull. The ability to throw a blade with such precision was alarming, but beyond that, everyone was more concerned for Saya.
"Let me see, Saya-chan!" Shizuka ran over and began checking Saya for bites.
"I… I'm fine!" Saya understood why everyone was so worried.
Allen let out a breath of relief. Even in his current state, he had managed to react at that speed. But regret weighed on him—he had neglected such a vulnerable area, thinking the second floor was safe. That mistake had put someone without combat ability in danger.
When Allen reached Saya, she looked back at him with tears streaming down her cheeks, while the faces of most turned pale.
Allen froze as his eyes fell on Saya's abdomen. Her clothes had been torn, leaving a cut mark on them—but worse, there was a scratch across her stomach.
Saya had been infected.
"...!"
"No, I'm fine… I'm fine," Saya said through tears. But she knew the truth. She was far too smart to let herself deny reality. "No… mom! Dad!"
Shizuka hugged her as Saya cried uncontrollably.
Allen stopped moving. What could he do? Nothing.
He was the man who always had a plan, an option, a path. It had been a long time since he'd been left with none. But that was only because he always had some kind of power or ability to compensate.
Now he had nothing.
If the wound had been on her arm, he could've cut it off immediately. But on the abdomen?
"Isn't this too unfair?" Allen muttered, feeling powerless. No… it wasn't.
[Host, if you break the seal, the world ends. You lose, and you will have to abandon this world.]
'So I should let her die?' Allen scoffed. Since when does he do things like that?
[Who are you fighting for?]
'...!'
Objectively, the stubborn girl in front of him was practically a stranger—someone he'd only met less than a day ago. Compared to the loved ones waiting for him back home, she carried little weight in his heart.
Saya was expendable.
'But...' Allen clenched his fists.
[...]
….
Allen sat on the desk of an empty classroom while Saya sat against the wall, her head buried in her knees. He had sent the others to the teachers' lounge—he felt it was his failure, so he had to take responsibility.
Many wanted to object, but realistically, the possibility that Saya was immune to the virus—or whatever turned people into zombies—was so minuscule it was laughable.
Allen clenched his fist, unable to even look at Saya. He felt pathetic and useless for being unable to save even one girl.
"Damn it…"
The people in Chat felt just as powerless. But it was pointless—this world was simply that cruel. Children, women, the elderly—it didn't matter if someone was innocent or young. Against these creatures, everyone was the same, and anyone could die.
"It's not your fault…" Saya said weakly.
Allen looked up and saw that her color had drained, her face turning pale.
"Saya"
"It's not your fault. We underestimated the zombies. We thought they were blind, clumsy creatures. Even I, a genius, underestimated them. That's why it's not your fault." Saya said, forcing a smile.
Allen was speechless. Was this girl really trying to comfort him? Even in this moment, when her life was ending, when she should be thinking only about herself, she was consoling him?
Saya smiled at Allen's expression. "What's wrong? Are you afraid you'll be lonely without me? Don't worry, at least you'll get to be number one again…"
Allen stood up, walked over to Saya, knelt, and embraced her.
"I'm sorry I can't save you…"
"Idiot, can't you see… I'm trying so hard not to cry…" Saya began to sob and returned to Allen's embrace. "I… I don't want to die…"
"…" Allen couldn't respond. He didn't want to lie and tell her everything would be fine. Judging by her condition, she had only minutes left. All he could do was hold her in silence.
Was there really nothing he could do?
Did he really have to let this moody, stubborn, proud, childish girl die?
Did he really have to accept this ending?
They hadn't known each other long enough. They hadn't spoken that much. He didn't even know what she liked or disliked. Her story hadn't even begun, and it was already ending.
Allen tightened his embrace around Saya. He felt furious—at Lucifer, at this world, at whoever had caused this apocalypse.
Saya noticed Allen trembling, but it made her feel happy. At least she wouldn't die alone. At least she'd die beside someone who cared.
Allen tried to recall—he had watched movies, anime, read novels, and even played countless zombie games. There had to be some kind of knowledge that could help him now.
Huh?
Something strange happened. When he tried to remember, it felt like parts of his memory were missing. He could recall titles like Dying Light, Resident Evil, or Dawn of the Dead, but nothing specific. No details, no characters—nothing.
That bastard…
Allen cursed Lucifer. He had been sent to this world with all disadvantages, no advantages. Nothing but a knife and…
"...!"
Allen suddenly stood, startling Saya. In his hands, he summoned the ration packs and the green plant. As unfair as this world was, Allen wasn't stupid enough to believe that a supply crate would only contain food and a single damn plant.
"Saya, do you trust me?" Allen asked with a confident smile.
"Huh?" Saya didn't understand at first. But when she saw the look in his eyes, she smiled back. "With my life!"
'Fuck you, Lucifer, not even you can take a woman away from me!'
====
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