"U-Um, Shizuka-sensei... me too. I'm also worried about my family." Beside her, another middle-aged, balding teacher spoke up quickly, looking terrified that she might say no.
"I understand. I'll stay here and look after the students," Shizuka-sensei repeated, her voice steady.
"Yes... yes. Thank you... I'm counting on you." The middle-aged teacher bowed repeatedly.
"We're counting on you."
The two teachers exchanged a glance and hurried out of the building together.
Watching them leave, Shizuka turned to Kagehiro Shiro. "Aren't you going with them?"
"Going with them makes it look like I'm deserting my post."
"You... don't say things like that." Shizuka took a deep drag of her cigarette and exhaled, the smoke veiling her expression.
Shiro knew the old saying: Loyalty and filial piety can rarely both be satisfied. Choosing one often meant sacrificing the other. Shizuka had chosen her duty to the school.
"I know. I'll be back," Shiro said, jingling the car keys in his hand. He wasn't sure if he was saying it to her or to himself.
Shizuka said nothing, simply continuing to smoke.
"Shizuka-sensei!" A voice called out from behind. It was Hachiman.
Hikigaya Hachiman was following Yukinoshita Yukino and the President toward the Student Council room when he heard the whispers from the crowd.
"Is it really quiet out there?"
"The zombie thing is a prank, right?"
"The person on the broadcast was a teacher, though. They wouldn't fake that."
"Should we just leave? We can't have class anyway. Let's just go home."
At least stay in a safe place, Hachiman thought. Until the final outcome was clear, no one would know if he was a hero or a fool. The price of being wrong was his life.
He understood the logic of those wanting to leave. They felt home was safer. If Hachiman's house wasn't so far away, and if he didn't need to ensure Komachi's safety, he might have done the same. But the school was secure as long as the barricades held. Going out now was a gamble with staggering stakes.
As the trio pushed through the crowd, a girl was squeezing past in the opposite direction.
"That's..." Hachiman watched the girl. She was walking with a focused, hurried pace, hindered only by the dense crowd.
Silver hair, green eyes. She wore the Sobu High summer uniform with a jacket tied around her waist and a skirt length typical of a Tokyo "bad girl." Her sharp aura was currently thinned by a look of sheer desperation and anxiety.
She was blocked by the crowd near Hachiman and accidentally slammed into his shoulder as he tried to move out of her way. She didn't apologize; she just spared him a glance and tried to keep moving.
But that glance made her realize something. She grabbed Hachiman's arm as he tried to pass.
"What is it?" Hachiman asked.
"You... are you in my class?" she asked. Her eyes fixed on the beauty mark under his right eye for a split second.
"Yeah. I'm in Class F."
"Have you seen Shizuka-sensei?" the girl—Kawasaki Saki—asked frantically.
"She's checking the barricades. Why do you need her?"
"My siblings..." Saki muttered, not bothering to give him a full answer.
The word siblings made Hachiman's heart skip a beat.
Chapter 13: Even if the Car gets Smashed...
"Sensei."
Hachiman approached Shizuka-sensei, with Kawasaki Saki trailing behind him.
Unlike Hachiman, who maintained his usual expressionless "dead-fish eyes" and hands-in-pockets slouch, Saki was visibly vibrating with anxiety.
Hachiman knew that his sister, Komachi, and Saki's brother, Taishi, were in the same class at the local middle school. The situation was clear.
"Where's Yukinoshita?" Shiro asked.
"I told her everything she needs to watch out for. She should be fine," Hachiman said. He felt a strange sense of unease—they should be sticking together, yet they were all being pulled apart by their own priorities.
Shiro was going to Tokyo for Utaha. Hachiman had his sister. Yukino might be picked up by her family at any moment.
"Let's hope," Shiro muttered. He was worried about Yukino's rigid, unyielding social stance. In an environment like this, her lack of "softness" could cause friction with the students. He just had to trust she could hold the fort until they returned.
"Sensei, my sister is at the middle school nearby. I need to go get her. Kawasaki's brother is at the same school," Hachiman explained.
"Do you two... truly understand the situation?" Shizuka asked. She looked at Hachiman, knowing he was usually the most rational of the bunch. "The outside isn't safe. Are you really going?"
"Yes."
"I have to. Both my brother and my little sister are at school," Saki insisted with the urgency of an eldest sister.
"Your little sister too?" Shizuka took a puff of her cigarette. "Is she at the middle school?"
"No, she's at preschool."
"Sigh... I'll drive you," Shizuka decided. "You're my students, after all."
Is that okay? Hachiman wondered. It was the best possible solution for them, but could Yukino handle the school alone if Shizuka-sensei left? But if he didn't go, or if they had to manage the preschooler too... he had to prioritize Komachi.
"Wait, Sensei! What about us?"
The voice belonged to a first-year girl standing behind Hayama. She asked with a tone of pure innocence, as if she were asking what was for dinner.
The girl had flaxen, shoulder-length hair and acorn-brown eyes. Her neck ribbon marked her as a freshman. Saki shot her a sharp, impatient look, though her gaze was naturally intimidating to begin with.
"Ah, this is Isshiki Iroha," Hayama Hayato introduced her. "She's the manager for the soccer club. She's been helping out."
This underclassman is a master of 'acting cute'... Shiro thought. Even if her cuteness was a calculated performance, it didn't change the fact that she was genuinely adorable. She was a "sly-cute" type who could probably announce she was a school idol and no one would question it.
Still, the fact that she was out here instead of hiding in a room meant she was brave. Shiro knew she was only here because of her crush on Hayama. She likely used her "little devil" persona to wrap the boys in her class around her finger, though the girls probably weren't as fond of her.
"Hello, Senpais," Iroha said, giving a polite, "innocent" bow.
Hachiman's brow furrowed. He had seen through her act instantly. Shiro reflected that humans are complex; Iroha might be a calculating "sly-fox," but she was also a girl with the agency and courage to act when things got bad. Much like Saki, whose "bad girl" aura hid a hardworking, family-oriented heart.
"The hallways are blocked. As long as no one does anything stupid, the school should be safe for a while," Shizuka said, justifying her decision to leave. It was just a short trip within Chiba. A round trip wouldn't take more than an hour.
"Ehh~" Iroha started to protest.
"Isshiki," Hayama cut her off gently. "We'll be fine here."
That was Hayama—always helping those who needed it, even if it meant taking on the burden of the school himself.
"I'm heading out too, Sensei," Shiro said, tossing the car keys. He nodded to Hachiman. "Stay safe out there."
"You too," Hachiman replied.
"Isshiki Iroha-san," Shiro said, looking at the freshman. "Since you're a first-year, go to the Student Council room and help the President and Yukinoshita organize the other freshmen. Can you do that?"
"Huh? Me?"
"Yeah. You're brave enough to be out here, so I'm counting on you."
"Well... I guess I can try," she said, giving a safe, non-committal answer.
Shiro turned back to Shizuka-sensei, who was crushing out her cigarette. "By the way, Sensei..."
"Yes?"
The next question made Shizuka's heart stop.
"If I bring your car back in pieces—or if I can't bring it back at all—is that going to be a problem?"
"You... you! What are you planning to do to my car?!" Shizuka asked in despair.
"If the road is blocked or a horde gets in the way, I might have to put the pedal to the floor."
"But... that's my baby..." Shizuka's cool composure shattered. She looked genuinely pained. Then, she steeled herself. "Fine. Do what you have to do. Smash it if you must."
Shizuka's heart was bleeding. It was a red Aston Martin—she had fallen in love with it the moment she saw it. The golden ratio of its design, the elegant lines, the rhythmic purr of the engine... it was her pride and joy.
"Try to bring it back in one piece if you can..." she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"If it's a total loss, just leave it," Shiro said with a smirk.
She's really torn, Shiro thought, feeling a mix of amusement and sympathy. "I'm off."
He turned and headed for the exit. Every second was precious now—the "Golden Fifteen Minutes" of a crisis. He had already delayed enough.
After he left, Shizuka put her cigarette butt in her portable ashtray and pulled out her key case, flipping to her second car key.
"Saki-san, how many siblings did you say you had?"
"Three."
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