As time passed, the next day arrived. In the afternoon, Takeru left some money for Miu, said goodbye, and headed towards Yukino's apartment.
Their residences weren't far apart, so they could all walk there.
At 2:40 p.m., Takeru knocked on Yukino's apartment door.
"Takeru, you're here," Yukino said, stepping aside to let him in.
"Sorry for intruding."
Although they agreed to meet at 3:00 p.m., everyone had apparently chosen to arrive early. Except for Yui and Ui, who lived a bit farther away, Taihei, Rikka, and the others were already waiting with Yukino.
"Hey, Takeru!" The others waved at him. Takeru quickly returned their greetings.
About five minutes later, Yui and Ui arrived. After brief greetings, precisely at 3:00 p.m., everyone vanished from the spot.
This time, when Takeru regained consciousness, he was once again in a pure white space.
But unlike last time, Yukino and the others weren't there… only himself.
"Separated?" Takeru frowned, scanning the surroundings, confirming no one else was present.
Sighing lightly, he checked his Reincarnation Watch. This time, there was only one world to choose from.
Gakkou Gurashi (School-Live!).
Takeru was somewhat familiar with this anime. The theme was clearly a zombie apocalypse world.
Since there were no other options, Takeru checked the exchange list, finding no new items available.
He then inspected the items he had purchased in the main world, confirmed they were still there, and without further hesitation, selected to enter.
A white light enveloped Takeru, and he disappeared from the spot.
...
Elsewhere, Yukino and the others, also seeing only one world available, checked their items. Seeing no one else around, they directly chose to enter, thinking the probability of being together was likely high since there was only one mission world.
As for Takeru, when his vision cleared, he found himself in a plainly decorated room with a simple double bed, a TV, some supplies, and a bathroom not far away.
A faint, special glow seemed to surround them.
His sharp hearing picked up faint footsteps outside.
Besides himself, a familiar figure lay before him… Rikka. Unlike Takeru, she was still unconscious.
Most notably, both their clothes had changed, and they now wore simple tracksuits.
Ignoring Rikka for now, Takeru first checked his Reincarnation Watch.
[World Introduction: This is a world where an apocalypse has erupted. A large number of humans have been infected by an unknown virus, turning into mindless zombies. Zombies carry a special virus. Being bitten leads to infection. Survive with all your might.]
[Main Mission 1: Survive for seven days.]
[Main Mission 2: Eliminate thirty zombies.]
[Side Mission: Hidden...]
Reading the mission details, Takeru fell into thought. A virus could be considered a type of poison, right? Could his Poison Dragon Devourer skill provide immunity?
Shaking his head, he stopped overthinking. He wasn't overly concerned about the zombies. If they were like those in the manga, they probably couldn't even breach his defense.
Next, Takeru looked at his item slots. The slot containing the box of supplies he bought from the real world was grayed out. He tried to retrieve it with a thought.
[Manifest the box? Detected items within the box. Manifestation cost: 896 points.]
"Cancel." Without hesitation, Takeru refused, though it got him thinking. While manifestation required points, it could be a crucial life-saving option in many situations.
However, the Health Recovery Potions and Mana Recovery Potions he had stored earlier could be freely retrieved without any point cost.
"Mmm... Where... Takeru-kun?" While Takeru was deep in thought, Rikka woke up. At first dazed, she quickly regained full awareness.
Seeing Takeru, she hurried over to him.
"Check your mission first. Mine is to survive and hunt. What's yours?" Takeru said directly upon seeing her awake.
"Eh? Right!" Reminded by Takeru, Rikka quickly looked at her Reincarnation Watch.
"My mission is to survive for seven days and eliminate thirty zombies. The side mission is unknown," Rikka promptly reported.
After speaking, she froze. Reading the world introduction and the elimination mission, she began to tremble involuntarily...
Hearing her report, Takeru nodded. Their missions were clearly identical.
"Um, Takeru-kun... what are zombies?" After a long silence, Rikka finally asked, her voice laced with fear.
"I think we'll see them soon enough," Takeru replied calmly.
He had mentally prepared himself for elimination missions. However, now faced with it directly, he felt his heartbeat quicken slightly.