The Ming Dao - Fugu flashed in a swift slash. The gale-force wind swirling around the blade, carrying razor-sharp sword energy, instantly coalesced into a whirlwind over three meters tall. It tore through the hallway, ripping ceiling tiles loose and flinging debris aside as it roared down the corridor in pursuit of the fleeing Kappa-tō Taiji.
"Gyaaaah—Gurk!"
Taiji's slight frame was torn from the ground by the cyclone. His shriek of agony from the lacerating energy was abruptly cut off as the howling wind forced its way down his throat. His eyes bugged out violently as he clutched his neck, gasping soundlessly like a broken rubber squeaky toy.
Yanagi only now realized his Hidden Technique - Whirlwind Slash didn't just immobilize targets—it had the hidden bonus of noise cancellation. Without that effect, those screams echoing through the deserted halls could have drawn unwanted complications.
He moved swiftly to finish the floundering kappa within the vortex. But the kid's Defense and Constitution stats were even lower than Yanagi had estimated. The Whirlwind Slash's sustained damage ticks hadn't even finished their cycle before Taiji just… expired. The corpse bounced violently within the dying winds, flailing so convincingly it seemed momentarily alive.
CRASH!
Seconds later, the winds dissipated. Taiji's body, along with a rain of fragmented debris, slammed to the floor. His clothes hung in rags, skin lacerated by countless fine cuts from the wind blades, leaving him a bloody, pulpy mess.
"Yanagi-kun! Are you alright?!"
Ignoring his repeated warnings, Juric Saechika hurried around the corner, her hurried steps causing her prodigious j-cup breasts to surge like tidal waves beneath her blouse.
"I'm fine," Yanagi replied calmly, retracting the Ming Dao - Fugu into his inventory space. He offered her a reassuring smile. "Sensei, I told you to stay hidden no matter what you heard out here."
"But… Sensei was worried about you," she murmured timidly, pressing her index fingers together like a scolded child, her voice growing softer. "Besides Saeko… Sensei hasn't had many friends in this city. Yanagi-kun, you're really the only one…"
Japan was still a deeply male-dominated society. Witnessing Shōji Takashi forcibly drag Miyamoto Rei away and strike her while her boyfriend, Igo Yū, stood by without protest was proof enough. While Juric held the title of teacher, under Japanese law allowing marriage at sixteen, the high school senior Yanagi impersonated was effectively a legal adult. In moments of crisis, Japanese women, regardless of age, often defaulted to deferring to the nearest capable man.
Especially after watching Yanagi effortlessly dispatch multiple Undead with a single blade stroke, Saechika had long stopped seeing him as just the boy who used to shamelessly nap in her infirmary for the air conditioning. Unconsciously, she'd begun viewing him as the man she could rely on, the man she needed to trust in this terrifying new world. Her tone when speaking to him subtly shifted, becoming more submissive, more unquestioning, like any ordinary woman leaning on her protector.
"Ah? Yanagi-kun, these two…?"
Saechika finally noticed the two corpses on the floor and jumped back with a startled gasp.
"Just a couple of Undead that weren't properly cleaned up earlier. Dealt with," Yanagi dismissed it casually. Against any other NPC, such a flimsy excuse would have raised suspicion. But this busty airhead famously lacked critical wiring when it came to practical details—or perhaps just refused to waste brainpower on inconsequential things. She accepted his explanation without a second thought.
"Oh? Is that so?" Her lips parted in surprise before she placed a hand on her ample chest, exhaling with relief. "That sounds terribly dangerous! Yanagi-kun, I'm so glad you're safe!"
Watching the tall, voluptuous yet childishly naive Saechika visibly brighten at his safe return, a genuine smile touched Yanagi's lips.
Similar to defeating bosses, Player versus Player kills also yielded loot boxes. Unlike a boss's auto-loot, however, these required manual acquisition – the classic "loot the corpse" mechanic. Under Saechika's bewildered gaze, Yanagi quickly brushed a hand over the bodies of the two Japanese players.
[ACQUIRED - Dai Higashi's Loot Box] [ACQUIRED - Taiji's Loot Box]
The prompts flashed across his reticular HUD. No time to examine the contents now. He dumped both boxes directly into his personal storage space.
Exiting the gymnasium through the back entrance, Yanagi met up with the two members of the One-Winged Angels squad waiting as instructed just outside the door.
"Yanagi, took you long enough! Hit a snag in there?" Ross asked. Though usually seeming scatterbrained, he could be surprisingly perceptive at times.
"Mmm. Had two tails. Took care of it," Yanagi nodded, his tone flat.
Ross's expression instantly morphed into ⊙a⊙, a virtual ∑ symbol materializing above his head in the universal sign of shock.
"Speak like a goddamn human!"
Sapphee's temple pulsed with a visible vein. Her fist connected solidly with Ross's face.
Result: Rolling. Leaping. Cupping his face in agony.
"Apologies, Yanagi," Sapphee stated with eerie calm, punctuating her words with sharp kicks to Ross's rolling form. "This idiot picked up these… anime expressions somehow. Seems to have forgotten how normal people communicate."
"Your bond... is truly special," Yanagi managed, the corner of his mouth twitching. Respecting their… unique dynamic seemed the only polite option.
About thirty seconds later, Ross scrambled up, covered in grass and leaves, gingerly rubbing his jaw. "So, Yanagi, extraction time?"
"Affirmative," Yanagi confirmed, his voice low. "We eliminated two of theirs. While their squad affiliation is unknown, with Japanese players... consider this a formal declaration of war. Plus, we're holding a monopoly on Saechika – a prime strategic asset. Staying here paints targets not just from the Japanese factions, but likely invites treachery from our own supposed allies too."
"But how? The school bus, like in the source material?" Sapphee pressed, anxiety evident. In the original storyline, after Fujimi High fell to the Undead, the protagonists escaped using the coach bus parked in the lot – a crucial early-game vehicle.
Navigating the sprawling hellscape of Makuro City without transport would be suicide. Even for Players, facing near-endless waves of Undead on foot was a losing proposition. That bus wasn't just convenience; it was their lifeline.