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It was the season when cherry blossoms drifted through the air, blanketing Fujimi Academy in pale pink petals, making the whole place look like a scene out of a dream.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
That peaceful scene shattered in an instant. At the school gates, a lone figure staggered forward, hurling himself again and again against the iron bars.
The loud noise quickly drew the attention of nearby teachers and the gate guard. Curious and confused, they gathered by the entrance, trying to figure out what was going on.
When they got close enough, they finally saw him clearly—a middle-aged man. Something about him seemed… off. His face was pale, his eyes glassy, and he kept slamming his body into the gate without saying a word.
"Hey! Who are you? Stop messing around—this is a school!"
Mr. Kobayashi pushed his glasses up and glared at the man, convinced he was just some troublemaker.
"Forget it, Mr. Kobayashi. Let me handle this."
Mr. Tejima waved him off. He'd seen plenty of weirdos loiter around the campus before. Best way to deal with them? Kick them out fast.
Rolling up his sleeves, he strolled over to the gate, hoping to look good in front of the others. Maybe even earn a bit of admiration.
But none of them noticed the man's back. His shirt was torn wide open, exposing a gaping wound—one that should've been fatal.
Reaching the gate, Mr. Tejima shoved his arm through the bars, grabbed the man by the collar, and yanked hard, slamming him against the iron.
"Wait, Mr. Tejima—don't use too much force!"
Kobayashi frowned. If word got out that a teacher here resorted to violence, it wouldn't exactly make parents eager to send their kids to Fujimi.
Tejima turned his head, ready to brush it off, when suddenly the man lunged forward and sank his teeth deep into his arm.
Blood spurted like a fountain.
"AAAAHHHHHHH!"
Tejima screamed in agony, yanking his arm back. He didn't break free because the man let go—he broke free because a chunk of his flesh had been ripped clean off.
He collapsed to the ground, clutching his bleeding arm, rolling in the dirt in mindless pain.
The other two teachers and the guard froze, horrified, unable to even form words.
"I can't stop the bleeding!"
His final cry rang out, his body convulsed, and then he went limp. Motionless.
The others finally snapped out of their daze and rushed to his side, staring down at Tejima's lifeless body in disbelief.
"He's… he's dead."
The guard's voice cracked, eyes wide with shock.
Nobody could believe it. Something that simple—one bite—and he was gone.
"That's impossible… just a wound on the arm…"
Mr. Li slapped a hand over his mouth, staring in horror. Death from something like that? It made no sense.
Then—
"Uhh…"
Tejima's fingers twitched.
The three froze, hope flashing across their faces.
"He's alive! Mr. Tejima, you're okay, right?"
Kobayashi hurried forward, relief flooding his voice.
Tejima's eyes snapped open. But instead of life, there was only a cloudy gray glaze. With a sudden lurch, he raised both arms and lunged at Kobayashi.
The teacher never stood a chance. Tejima clamped down on his neck, blood spraying across the ground as Kobayashi's scream tore through the air.
"Ahhh!"
Tejima slammed him to the floor, gnashing and tearing as Kobayashi convulsed helplessly, his blood pooling wider and wider across the ground.
The other two stumbled back in terror, watching with wide, disbelieving eyes.
Off in the distance, someone else saw it all happen. Without hesitation, they turned and sprinted back to their classroom.
Inside the quiet kendo hall, Saeko Busujima stood perfectly still, as though she'd been waiting.
"It's begun," Venom's voice murmured in her mind.
She slowly opened her eyes and lowered the wooden sword in her hands.
"Then let's begin," she whispered, turning and stepping out of the dojo.
The moment she emerged, chaos greeted her. Students were running, screaming, while figures with blank eyes and ravenous mouths chased them down, tearing into their flesh.
Shrieks and cries for help echoed across the campus.
Saeko lifted her bokken, her grip steady. With a sudden burst of speed, she dashed forward, swinging in one clean arc. Her strike smashed into a zombie's head, sending it flying aside.
Then, without pause, she kept moving, weaving through the blood-soaked campus, her wooden blade cracking skulls and clearing a path through the nightmare.
"....."