The group had boarded the bus, Rei had gotten on Hayabusa with Allen, and they were about to leave the school. However, an unexpected group appeared, shouting for help.
Everyone could hear them in the distance. It was a group of at least ten people, including students and teachers, running from afar.
"That's Shido-sensei."
Saeko recognized the teacher in question, since he was the homeroom teacher of Class 3-A, hers, Allen's, and Kazu's class. Despite her surprise, Saeko remained silent, showing no joy at seeing this teacher.
"Bastards…" Saya muttered with disgust.
"What's wrong, Takagi-san?" asked Kyoko, sitting next to her. Kyoko felt conflicted—under normal circumstances, she would have scolded Saya, but now they were no longer teacher and student, just two women trying to survive. So she chose not to criticize her and instead asked the reason behind her comment.
"Don't you find it strange they just happened to show up at this exact moment?" Saya narrowed her eyes.
Allen's group had gone through hell to cross the horde, even losing two people in the process, yet these people hadn't shown themselves once. Only now that they had reached the bus and cleared a relatively safe path did they decide to appear.
"Takagi-san, don't you think you're overreacting? Look, there's Komuro-kun—weren't you friends? I don't think they would take advantage of us," Hirano said with an optimistic smile.
Takashi may not have helped him like Allen did, but at the very least, he was one of the few who had never bullied or mocked him.
"That's true, but there's also the possibility that they were two separate groups," Saya adjusted her glasses. "Look, Komuro, Igo, and Teshima-sensei all have bloodstains, meaning they fought zombies. But the rest? Nothing at all. Most likely, they hid the entire time."
When she finished speaking, everyone fell silent. Saya's analysis made a lot of sense, but if that was the case, it meant the group trailing behind had used them. Maybe it was just a coincidence, maybe they simply arrived too late—but maybe not.
"As expected of you," Allen said, still sitting on his motorcycle next to the bus.
"Hmph, what did you expect? I'm a genius~"
"Of course," Allen chuckled, making Saya blush.
Everyone went quiet. In the end, the decision of whether to wait or not belonged to Allen. Rei wanted to tell him to let Shido die, but she knew Allen had no memories, so he didn't know what kind of trash Shido was. And since Shido came with her friends, letting him die meant letting them die too.
Allen swung his metal pipe, smashing two zombies near him and Rei.
"We'll wait…" Allen said, while Rei bit her lip. Noticing this, he whispered to her, "If I see him make the slightest insidious move, I'll take him out…"
Rei widened her eyes, blinking adorably in disbelief at what she had just heard. Allen shouldn't know anything about Shido, yet he understood Rei hated him and was willing to promise to deal with him.
Rei rested her head on Allen's back. "Thank you."
Allen's attitude had changed, but even before that, one thing hadn't changed in Rei's eyes: no matter how surreal it sounded, that a teacher and a politician would harass a high school girl just because her father was investigating them, Allen believed her and decided to help her.
How absurd! That was something out of a movie. Rei had hinted at this to Takashi and Hisashi, but one hadn't believed her at all and the other had supported her, though deep down she knew that even Hisashi doubted her words. Yet Allen's words when she told her story had been different:
– How much would you be willing to pay to solve your problem? –
'His gaze wasn't kind, his words were dry and cold, and yet I felt happy.'
....
Takashi struck a zombie with a baseball bat, pushing his way toward the bus. They had seen a group trying to escape from a distance but hadn't managed to catch up to them.
"We need to hurry!" Teshima shouted. He had noticed a couple of teachers in that group (Shizuka and Kyoko), so he assumed it was Allen. Although the guy was lazy and kind of an asshole, he wasn't a bad student, so Teshima trusted that he wouldn't leave without them. Still, the longer it took, the more danger they themselves were in.
'I ran away once already. There won't be a second time. I'll get these kids back to their parents!' Teshima thought as he swung his axe at another zombie.
"Wait, Teshima-sensei, not all of us are in your condition!" Shido panted behind him, looking exhausted and pathetic. But in his mind, he looked at Teshima with disdain. 'Stupid musclehead, at least you're good for clearing the way. Who would've thought not getting you expelled, even though I hated you, would turn out to be a good decision?'
Shido smiled toward the bus. Unlike Teshima, he had hidden in a classroom with other students while screams filled the school.
'Now, how should I play this?'
Shido was a selfish man who had no problem discarding anyone useless to him. Looking at the students running beside him, he realized it would be easy to manipulate them into idolizing him. His eyes slid toward a student's cleavage, and he smiled faintly.
'Society is finished. Morality, laws, ethics—it's all gone. Only those who adapt to this new reality will have power. I'll use these students and teachers as my first followers…'
Despite his thoughts, Shido began to feel nervous as he started falling behind the others.
'Damn it! I'm the son of a minister—do you think I've ever had to run in my life?! This is bad, if I fall behind…'
Just then, a student beside him tripped. The boy wore glasses and, absurdly, was carrying books while running.
"Shido-sensei! Help me, I twisted my ankle…"
"Oh, I see," Shido said with a dazzling, friendly smile—then immediately kicked the boy in the face, making him scream.
"AHHH!"
"Thanks, Yamaguchi-kun, scream louder so I can get away."
Shido smiled while the zombies ignored him and swarmed Yamaguchi instead. One bit into his arm, another tore off his nose. It was a cruel sight—the poor student being torn apart by zombies—but Shido, responsible for it, ran off with a devastated, tearful expression.
"Yamaguchi-kun, no!" Shido shouted so loudly that several students and Teshima at the front turned back.
Everyone saw the student being devoured and Shido looking absolutely stricken.
"Damn it! Hurry, Shido-sensei!"
Teshima stopped to wait for him. Shido's act of kindness had secured him the protection of Teshima, who, a moment earlier, hadn't even been looking his way.
'Honest types are so easy to manipulate…'
In this new world—or rather, this regression of society—personal strength would be more valued. So Shido needed the strongest man to back him, which would allow him to take leadership once they were safe.
...
"Did you notice?" Rei whispered against Allen's back. "That guy's a bastard who'd stab you in the back while singing you Happy Birthday."
From Allen's perspective, the zombies blocked most of the view, so he didn't see Shido's exact actions. But he did see a student fall, and Shido paused, only to start running again, lamenting the death of one of his "beloved" students.
"His reaction is over the top, and his eyes are those of a snake…" Allen thought for a moment. Shido was clearly a bastard, but… did he deserve to die just for that?
"Rei, do you want to kill him?"
The girl froze. She hated Koichi Shido and had no problem letting him die—but killing him with her own hands?
Rei had killed many zombies since the apocalypse began, but this was different. This was a human. Could she really take her weapon and drive it through Shido's skull?
Allen grinned confidently. "Come on, girl, don't get like that. If he becomes a problem, I'll handle it."
Rei, who had been worried and depressed, laughed when she heard Allen's words.
"In that case, I'll trust you~"
"Of course. But you know I don't work for free," Allen said, looking into Rei's eyes.
Rei smirked. "I don't have any money."
"I know," Allen replied with a piercing look and a half-smile. "I'll think of something."
Rei trembled as a blush spread across her face. She had forgotten Allen wasn't Japanese, so shyness wasn't part of his diet. Strangely, that made her happy.
Saeko, watching this exchange, shot Rei a dangerous glare—but it soon faded, replaced by her usual calm demeanor.
Since Allen ordered them to wait, they did. Teshima eventually arrived with the other students, and Shido was the last to make it.
With everyone aboard, the bus roared to life and began to move. Shizuka wasn't an expert driver, but she managed to dodge several zombies while running over others.
Allen followed behind the bus with Rei. He couldn't help but glance back at Fujimi one last time. Inside that school were three mutants, one of them extremely dangerous. At this point, he didn't even know what the victory conditions were—but he understood that if he died, it was game over.
– "Be careful, he's serious" –
Allen remembered the message he had left for himself. Yet his gaze showed no fear. His will was still the same.
"No matter what comes in the future, I—"
Allen's thoughts were cut off as he looked back at Fujimi. Not because of the school itself, but because something enormous was falling from the sky behind it.
It was a plane!
"Rei, hold on tight!"
Allen accelerated Hayabusa to its maximum while honking the horn. Shizuka glanced in the rearview mirror and turned pale.
"What is that?!"
"That's impossible!"
"AHHH!"
"Shizuka-sensei, faster!"
"I'm trying!"
....
The plane whose passengers had been infected and turned into zombies crashed into the main building of Fujimi.
A huge roar shook the entire place, and pieces of debris flew through the air. The nose of the plane came out of the building like a guided missile chasing the survivors. On its way, it crushed all the zombies.
If that wasn't enough, the plane's fuel ignited, causing it to be wrapped in flames and smoke, like a meteorite.
Allen sped up even more.
The plane almost crushed them but lost speed due to friction.
They barely escaped.
The bus had been lucky enough to leave earlier. If they had delayed ten more seconds, this would have ended in tragedy.
'Tsk, you gotta be kidding me' Allen wasn't paranoid, but for a plane to choose Fujimi to crash into was an absurd coincidence.
"That was way too close!" Rei had been clinging to Allen like a koala, which wasn't surprising—who could stay calm when a plane almost fell on top of them?
"No matter, looks like we're safe for now"
Rei was impressed by the calm Allen showed. It should be noted that there was a bus full of people having panic attacks.
Allen accelerated and aligned with the bus, signaling Shizuka to follow him.
The blonde nurse managed to steady her heartbeat and followed Allen. The rest of the group also seemed to calm down slowly, though some girls were still scared, crying, and holding onto their knees.
"Rei!" Takashi called out to her through a window.
"Takashi, I'm glad you're alive. I wouldn't know how to explain it to Auntie otherwise."
Takashi felt uncomfortable seeing Rei on a motorcycle with Allen, but he was also relieved she was okay.
"Yeah, I also wouldn't know how to explain it to Kiriko-san if something happened to you."
"He is... Allen Walker..." murmured Hisashi, frowning.
Just like Takashi, he didn't like seeing Rei with Allen.
"You're pretty popular," Allen said, chuckling under his breath.
"Huh?" Rei blinked in confusion.
"Those two look jealous, like I stole their princess."
Hearing Allen's words, Rei blushed. She then turned to Takashi and Hisashi for a moment before hugging Allen tightly.
"Hey!" Saya leaned out of another window, unable to hold back from cursing at Rei.
Kyoko laughed at the situation. Unlike the younger girls, she was more mature and could accept that Allen was popular and attractive, so it was only natural that he would draw the attention of more than one girl.
'Including me,' Kyoko thought, pressing her thighs together.
Takashi and Hisashi felt like they had swallowed a dead insect. But they forced themselves to let it go. As for Hirano, he felt Allen was incredible and admired him even more as his "aniki." Kazu, on the other hand, just laughed bitterly—life was far too unfair.
"Thank you," said Teshima as he collapsed into a seat. "If you hadn't waited for us, we might already be dead."
"Don't worry, Teshima-sensei. In a world like this, we all want a helping hand," said Kyoko.
The teacher was more aware than anyone that if not for Allen, she would be dead.
*Cough*
Shido's voice interrupted the conversation.
"It's true, we haven't thanked you yet," Shido smiled as he looked over the group.
"You don't have to thank us, Shido-sensei."
Saeko's calm, emotionless reply was expected. Yakuza and politicians had complicated relationships—sometimes best friends, sometimes worst enemies.
"I see," Shido smiled softly. "Even so, I must thank Busujima-san and her incredible skills, which I truly appreciate."
"..." Saeko remained indifferent to Shido's flattery.
"By the way, I was wondering, who is the leader of your group?" Shido asked, widening his smile.
The man was an expert at taking the floor, using a tone that pretended humility and gratitude while subtly trying to control the conversation.
Saya and Saeko exchanged glances, but before they could answer, Takashi spoke.
"We don't have a leader, we just do what we can to survive."
Of course, the "we" Takashi spoke of referred to himself, Teshima, and Hisashi—not Allen's team.
Shido seemed to have hit the mark.
"That's not right!" Shido spread his arms. "This is the apocalypse, the world is ending, and society as we know it could collapse. A leader is essential for survival."
There was truth in Shido's words. In a small group, having someone capable of making decisions was crucial. Time wouldn't be wasted on endless discussions, and sometimes a single bad decision could cost dearly. Having multiple egos clashing in emergencies was suicide.
"Busujima-san can't be, she's still too young. Teshima-sensei, though strong and noble, is too impulsive for leadership. Kyoko-sensei lacks character, and Shizuka-sensei... well..."
"What do you mean by that?" Shizuka puffed her cheeks.
Saya had already realized Shido's intentions and felt disgusted. However, despite being a genius, the girl lacked Shido's advanced communication skills.
"That's..." Takashi couldn't respond.
'As expected from a politician's son...' Hisashi thought regretfully, recalling the story Rei had told him. Apparently, he was wrong, and Shido really was a piece of shit.
"Shido-sensei..." Teshima tried to speak but was cut off by Shido's exaggerated gestures.
"Dear students and teachers, let's be honest—we need someone to guide us, to protect us, someone in whom we can place our hopes."
"And who do you propose? Yourself?" Saya mocked.
"Miss Takagi," Shido smiled at her, but that smile made her shiver, like being looked at by a degenerate.
"W-what?"
"Miss Takagi is a genius capable of seeing the bigger picture. Don't worry, if you choose me, I will be the one to provide you shelter and a path to follow!~" Shido touched his chest. "Just trust me. I swear on my life, I would give it for any of you!"
Once Shido finished his speech, a student stood up and started clapping, then another joined in. In the end, the students outside of Allen's core group seemed delighted—except for Yamada and Kawamoto. These two were the students who had joined Allen along with Takuzo and Naomi.
Neither of them let themselves be swayed by Shido's words for the simple reason that they already had a leader.
Yamada was a young man with an honest appearance. He only wanted to see his family again.
Kawamoto was a red-haired girl with short, slightly messy hair, its tips sticking up. Her eyes were yellow-orange in color. She always wore the uniform, had no outstanding attributes—her figure was average. But beyond that, she was desperate to survive. If she hadn't met Allen, she might have been seduced by Shido's words.
Shido's smile tightened. Two more students weren't present, and given that even Yamada and Kawamoto didn't support him, he couldn't even secure half the group's approval.
"Please, you must understand our situation—we need a leader," Shido insisted.
....
"Allen, we have to stop Shido from doing whatever he wants."
Allen didn't answer immediately; he was looking at his minimap, which had expanded three times bigger since he was traveling in a vehicle.
Even after escaping, Allen needed more resources, so he was searching for golden points, which meant supply crates.
"Rei, do you really think I should worry?"
Rei fell silent for a moment. Thinking it through, even if Shido were the best speaker in the world, could he really take Allen's people away from him?
Rei thought about it and the answer was obvious.
....
"Save your breath, Shido," Saya sneered.
A vein on Shido's forehead twitched, but he didn't erase his smiling expression. "What do you mean, Takagi-san?"
Saeko smiled, her voice carrying a strange sweet tone. "That we already have a leader~"
"Don't bother, Shido-sensei. He'll be the one to decide what to do next," Kyoko didn't even look at Shido as she spoke. Instead, she clutched the suitcase Allen had entrusted to her, pouted, and thought, 'Saeko and Saya are very beautiful girls, but my chest is bigger. Not as big as Shizuka's, but still bigger than theirs... so have confidence, Kyoko!'
After that thought, the woman blushed, trying to push it away.
Shido clenched his teeth, his gaze shifting to Teshima, but he was just as confused as him.
Shizuka, who was driving, noticed Rei signaling her to slow down. She didn't hesitate to obey. Seeing this, Allen's group turned their attention forward, ignoring Shido's existence.
Allen smiled as he stopped. On his minimap, no supply crates appeared—only two different points: one green and one blue.
'Looks like supply crates aren't the only things I left behind.'
====
A/N: If you're wondering, yes, that plane is the one that appeared in the previous chapter ;3
If you want to read more, there are up to ten chapters ahead on Patreon.
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