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Inside the empty classroom, only Saeko, Shizuka, and Venom remained.
Shizuka blinked at her, wide-eyed. "Eh? What's going on?"
"Desperate times," Saeko muttered, forcing herself to stay calm. "So I don't have a choice."
She steadied herself, then whispered, "I'm starting."
Venom grinned as Saeko Busujima's clothes melted into liquid, sprouting black tendrils that slithered over Shizuka Marikawa and coiled around her body.
The tendrils devoured Shizuka's outfit in seconds, then clung to her skin and reshaped themselves into a new set of clothes.
"This was a designer brand! But whatever… as long as I'm with Venom, it's fine."
Shizuka looked down at the living black substance wrapping around her, a little regretful that her expensive clothes had been eaten. Still, her disappointment quickly faded, and she smiled, running her hands over the slick surface like she actually enjoyed becoming one with it.
"This is just a loan," Saeko cut in, sounding slightly jealous. "When this is over, he's still mine."
Venom chuckled, glancing at Saeko's curvy figure. From his system space, he pulled out a fresh set of clothes and held them out to her.
"Here. Put these on."
Saeko took them without hesitation and changed quickly. Shizuka, of course, couldn't resist making a bit of a mess halfway through, and Venom didn't mind getting tangled up in it either.
A short while later, the classroom door creaked open, and Saeko and Shizuka stepped out, both of their faces still faintly flushed.
"Next time you pull something like that, I won't forgive you," Saeko muttered, cheeks pink, before turning on her heel and striding away.
"Saeko-chan's mad," Shizuka said in a clueless, almost childlike tone, tilting her head as she watched her friend leave.
"It's fine. She'll cool off," Mini-Venom said from Shizuka's shoulder, trying to reassure her.
"Mm." Shizuka nodded quickly and hurried to catch up with Saeko.
…
On the way to their destination, the three of them spotted trouble ahead—two students, a boy and a girl, surrounded by a horde of zombies.
Without hesitation, Saeko stepped forward, her wooden sword flashing as she cut a path through the creatures.
It didn't take long before the road was clear, the last zombie collapsing in a spray of blood. Saeko flicked her blade clean with a practiced motion, then turned and rejoined Shizuka.
The rescued pair stared in shock at the corpses littering the ground.
The girl stepped forward first, bowing slightly in gratitude. "Um, thank you. I'm Rei Miyamoto, second year. You saved our lives."
The boy followed, nodding quickly. "I'm Takashi Komuro, also second year. Thank you, really."
"I'm Saeko Busujima, third year," she replied coolly before stepping back beside Shizuka.
"You're Saeko-senpai? The one who won the national championship last year?!" Rei gasped, eyes wide. She couldn't believe she had just met that Saeko in person—her name was famous across the entire school.
"This isn't a place to linger. Let's move," Saeko said firmly, then turned away with Shizuka.
Rei immediately rushed after them. Two people alone were too vulnerable; sticking with Saeko-senpai was clearly safer. Takashi hesitated for only a moment before following as well.
Saeko noticed them tagging along but didn't comment, continuing forward.
Soon the group of four emerged into the plaza.
Not long after, Saya Takagi arrived, leading a group of survivors.
"Saeko-senpai, I brought everyone here," Saya said with a relieved smile, hurrying to her side.
"Good work," Saeko replied with a nod, her expression softening just a little.
"Boss!"
At that moment, more than twenty armed fighters stepped forward and saluted her respectfully.
Saeko gave a small nod, acknowledging them with a faint smile.
The group split naturally into two sides: one with Shizuka, Saya, Saeko, and the mercenaries; the other made up of the rescued students.
They waited quietly in place. Any zombies that approached were silently cut down by the mercenaries before they could make a sound.
After a while, Saeko judged the timing was right. She turned her gaze toward the school gate and said calmly:
"They should be here any moment."
BOOM!
With a thunderous crash, the school's iron gates were smashed open by a roaring Humvee.
Cars streamed through the school gates one after another, engines roaring as they plowed straight into any zombies that stumbled into their path. The creatures didn't even have a chance—smashed aside like ragdolls.
When the convoy screeched to a halt, the doors flew open in unison. Men and women in matching uniforms poured out, armed to the teeth, moving with mechanical precision. Without a word, they spread out and began sweeping the school grounds.
"Rat-tat-tat-tat!"
Gunfire echoed across Fujimi Academy. Zombies dropped one after another, heads bursting open as every shot hit its mark. The squad moved like clockwork—quick, sharp, flawless in their coordination, as if they'd been drilled in special ops training their entire lives. They didn't need words; a gesture or a glance was enough.
In less than fifteen minutes, the campus was clear.
"....."