Upon hearing Saeko's words, Saya Takagi froze.
Her petite frame trembled, and for the first time since the outbreak began, she looked genuinely shaken.
It had finally sunk in.
The world she knew was gone. Her family's influence, political power, legacy… all worthless now.
In this apocalypse, survival didn't come from status.
And to make it worse, she'd just been called out—by Saeko Busujima, of all people.
That humiliation stung deep.
But Saya Takagi wasn't the kind to collapse from pride. She was a genius, born with analytical brilliance and a calculating mind.
So after only a moment, she accepted it.
If I want to survive, I'll need to rely on Rin Yuki. On all of them.
Beside her, Rei Miyamoto noticed the flicker of pain in Saya's expression and gently asked:
"Takagi-san… are you okay?"
Saya let out a quiet breath.
"Haa…"
"I'm fine."
Her voice was tighter than usual, but steady.
"Let's go. If we stay here any longer, we'll end up like those things."
She shook her head, forcing herself into a jog to catch up with Yuki's group.
Rei stayed at her side.
Together, the group moved through the bloodied schoolyard, heading directly toward the front gate.
Saya quickly noticed the path they were taking and frowned.
"Wait... are we seriously heading toward the school entrance?"
She glanced around nervously.
"There'll be even more of those things out there!"
Her mind raced, calculating risk, danger, proximity, probability.
Yuki, walking calmly ahead, didn't even turn around.
"And what's wrong with more?"
His tone was casual, even bored.
"More just means we won't have to waste time hunting them down."
"Huh?!"
Both Saya and Rei stopped mid-step, wide-eyed.
They knew what was waiting out there—hordes of monsters, chaos beyond anything they'd seen so far.
And this man was walking straight into it?
Miyamoto Rei muttered under her breath, "Is he… insane?"
Behind them, Shizuka Marikawa smiled and chimed in sweetly.
"You two really should trust Yuki-kun more~ He always knows what he's doing!"
As if to prove her words, any zombie that got too close to the group was instantly destroyed—disintegrated by invisible force, crushed by pressure they couldn't even see.
Rei and Saya froze.
What... just happened?
Each kill was instantaneous.
Clean.
No weapons. No effort.
This is real?
They were watching the impossible unfold in front of them. Fantasy powers, used like muscle memory.
'It defies everything I know...' Saya thought.
'But… so does the world now.'
Slowly, both girls began to accept it. Reality was shattered. This was the new world.
And Rin Yuki was at its center.
Before long, the group reached the main gate.
The iron bars were cracked and half-open, swaying in the breeze.
From beyond the fence, a horrifying sight greeted them—hundreds of undead, packed into the streets like a tide of flesh and decay.
The sheer number of monsters was staggering.
Even Saya, who prided herself on staying calm, felt her chest tighten.
This… is like walking into hell.
Yuki stepped forward.
"Saeko-senpai," he said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You want to try?"
His tone was light, almost teasing—but his words had weight.
Saeko's eyes widened. In an instant, she understood.
So that's why he brought us here...
He knew I needed this.
He had seen right through her—through the silence and self-discipline. Through the layers of elegance and tradition.
He saw the wild hunger inside her. The part of her that wanted to kill.
The truth she hated to admit.
And worse—he wasn't judging her for it.
Her chest grew tight.
Someone like me… with this kind of darkness inside… how can I even stand next to someone like Yuki?
But before shame could consume her, Yuki's voice cut through her thoughts.
"Don't overthink it," he said gently. "You're still you, Senpai."
Those words struck her like lightning.
Her breath hitched. Her pupils trembled.
He sees me. He understands... and he's still standing beside me.
"Yuki…"
She tried to speak, but he shook his head with a faint smile.
"Later."
He nodded toward the horde.
"Go on."
And that was all she needed.
Saeko exhaled sharply. Her fingers tightened around the wooden bokken at her hip.
Then she moved.
She charged into the sea of corpses like a warrior unleashed.
Each swing of her blade was pure precision.
A downward strike split a rotting skull clean in two.
A thrust stabbed straight through flesh, bone, and brain.
She moved like wind and fire—beautiful and deadly.
Blood splattered. Bodies dropped.
She wasn't just fighting—she was alive.
And she loved it.
Seitenshi: "Is that really the same calm, graceful Saeko? She's like a completely different person!"
Huaizhu: "That's no student… that's a war goddess."
Raiden Ai: "In presence she wouldn't lose to anyone in our realm. She's terrifying."
Artemis: "She's… enjoying herself a little too much, isn't she?"
Seitenshi: "Agreed..."
Back on the sidewalk, Yuki watched her with an unreadable expression.
Then, with a single flick of his hand—
The horde shattered.
All along the street, the undead—hundreds of them—tore apart like paper in the wind.
Bodies crumbled. Ash fell.
In less than a second, the entire mass of monsters was gone.
Shizuka gasped. "This… this is like witnessing a miracle!"
Even Saya Takagi, who never liked to admit surprise, stared at Yuki in awe.
He's not just strong. He's a force of nature.
He's… divine.
That moment sealed it for her.
'No matter how proud I am, if I want to live—I need to stay close to him.'
But then they realized something: Saeko had gone too far.
Still high from the thrill of the fight, she had rushed deep into the horde before Yuki had cleared it all.
She was surrounded.
His eyes narrowed.
Snap.
With a sound like breaking glass, reality itself cracked.
A blast of unnatural cold tore through the air, freezing everything in its path. Zombies halted mid-swing, turning to ice statues. Their groans turned silent.
The world was still.
The heat of summer vanished, replaced by death's chill.
Saeko blinked. Her heart pounded. Her body was drenched in sweat—but not from heat.
She turned toward him—her savior—and their eyes met.
He had just saved her life.
'I lost control,' she thought.
'I could've died. I can't let it happen again.'
She bowed her head slightly in silent apology, the bloodlust still cooling in her chest.
Behind them, Saya muttered:
"I know we're way past normal, but ice in summer? Seriously?"
Rei shrugged. "The stronger Yuki is, the safer we are."
Her blunt words left Saya blinking.
Shizuka, meanwhile, grinned and slung her arms over both girls.
"Lin-kun's practically a god at this point~ As long as we're with him, nothing can touch us!"
Saya sighed, arms crossed.
"...Can't argue with that."
But her eyes drifted toward Yuki again.
Even for a genius like her, logic wasn't enough to explain what she felt in that moment.
What is this? Fear? Fascination?
…Or something else?
She felt heat rise in her cheeks and quickly turned away, trying to suppress the fluttering in her chest.