“Is anyone there?”

  Eishi scanned the room. One of the green lights he saw was located in its corner.

  Then, he saw her.

  “Hiratsuka-sensei?”

  His voice was particurly loud in this silent cssroom.

  “...Hiraoka?”

  “Yes, it’s me.”

  He gestured for Mahiru behind him to come inside. Then, he closed the door.

  Shizuka stood up from the floor. She noticed the bloodied sword and baseball bat the two arrivals held.

  “You two should leave as soon as possible. There’s a strong zombie on the fourth floor…”

  “No need. We dealt with it.”

  “..?”

  “It’s the Principal, isn’t it?”

  He took the time when Shizuka was surprised to open her panel.

  [Shizuka Hiratsuka]

  Innate Talent: Martial God (SS, First-order)

  Non-exclusive Talent: None

  Life Level: First-order, One-star

  Strength: 17 > 27

  Agility: 20 > 30

  Constitution: 16 > 26

  Spirit: 65 > 125

  Eishi wasn’t surprised to see her awaken. He stayed connected with Saeko and Megumi for two days. Once the tter recovered from her fever—something resulted after being exposed to the blood rain—she grew stronger.

  “How did you…”

  “There are more people with superpowers, Hiratsuka-sensei.”

  “Superpowers..?”

  It was then he remembered. The girls could not ‘perceive’ their innate talent right after awakening. It took Eishi twenty minutes teaching them the ‘folded paper image’ to be able to use them.

  “The Principal is what I termed a Mutated Zombie. He’s stronger and faster than regur zombies.”

  He did an impromptu teaching course regarding the apocalypse. The roles between the two were reversed.

  “Hiratsuka-sensei can wait here. We’ll clear up the remaining zombies in this building. Then, you can come with us to our ‘base’ ter.”

  Overwhelmed by his information, Shizuka fell silent.

  The memories of her colleague being killed fshed in her mind. She, who should have supported him from the get-go, backed out due to fear. The rest of her colleagues on the fourth floor also became zombie snacks.

  Shizuka was robbed of her dignity, going as far as to accept her impending death in the corner of a cssroom.

  …

  She hated this feeling.

  Looking at the familiar-yet-unfamiliar student whom she always reached out to, she resolved herself to do one st thing.

  ‘I can’t die without doing anything…’

  “Take me with you. I can fight.”

  Five minutes ter, she stood, dumbfounded. Mahiru alone was enough to clear up the four zombies on the fourth floor. Her expertise in using the baseball bat to bash skulls grew. It greatly contrasted her image as a weak and pitiful angelic girl.

  While the two did their own things, Eishi walked across the principal’s room. He spotted the other target that emitted a green light.

  It was a potted pnt bearing a small red fruit. He sniffed it and found nothing unusual.

  [Physical Evolution Fruit (First Grade)]

  Details: Previously an ordinary fruit, it underwent a mutation after being saturated with evolutionary energy. It contains pure evolutionary energy. Consuming it can break the inherent limits of human genes, awaken one’s innate talent, enhance talents, and has a small chance of awakening physical-reted talent once.

  It was the same description as the green strawberries. Eishi felt there was something more to it, however.

  “Mahiru.”

  “Mn?”

  “Have this.”

  The moment he picked it off the branch, the small fruit emitted an irresistible temptation. It shed off all its prior pretenses, showcasing its full might.

  Mahiru caught it agilely. Its temptation prompted her to pce it inside her mouth immediately.

  [Confirmed consumption of Physical Evolution Fruit (First Grade). A rebate of 5,230 times has been activated. 5,230 Physical Evolution Fruits have been credited to the system space.]

  If it was the usual, Eishi would have consumed the rebate chances at night. However, they were coming outside. He retained Mahiru’s rebate chances for today, saving them up for something like these fruits.

  After giving her five more, a change occurred.

  “Eishi-kun. I feel stronger.”

  He called up her panel.

  [Mahiru Shiina]

  Innate Talent: Healing Grace (SS, First-order)

  Non-exclusive Talent: Agility Boost (B, First-order)

  Life Level: First-order, Two-star

  Strength: 72 > 87

  Agility: 71 > 111

  Constitution: 71 > 86

  Spirit: 117 > 132

  She stepped into three-stars in one go. She also obtained the physical-reted talent, [Agility Boost], granting her an extra 25 points to agility.

  “That’s the effect of the fruit. Don’t worry. I have more of them here.”

  “Um…”

  By the time the two left the office, Shizuka regained her composure.

  “Do you want to go to the canteen? There is food inside.” She asked.

  “Alright. There’s also your phone.”

  “..!”

  She did not say anything, merely nodding out of gratitude.

  The trio descended to the faculty room on the second floor. The torn and dipidated corpses of the teachers were littered to the ground.

  “It’s the principal.”

  Nobody replied to Eishi’s words. The two processed this scene of carnage.

  Shizuka eyed her bloodied bag, took out her phone, and hastily looked up her messages on LINE.

  “Hm.”

  “Yes?”

  “Is she also a target?”

  Mahiru’s sudden question caught him off-guard. Eishi felt a strong sense of jealousy from her, as evident from her pouted lips.

  “Your Hiratsuka-sensei… She helped you before I knew you. Isn’t it…”

  “Yes.”

  She instantly wore a smug look of ‘I knew it’. A helpless sigh escaped her lips before she moved her gaze away from him.

  Eishi didn’t know what to do. He cannot control others’ reactions. Mahiru’s silent acceptance of it was already the best result.

  Just then, suppressed sobs came out of the room. It came from Shizuka.

  ‘Her parents…’

  It was painfully obvious. She received news of her parents’ death. This time, Eishi did something. He walked straight up to her and patted her back.

  Seeing this usually head-strong teacher turned into a huge mess, he could only sigh.

  ‘What an apocalypse…’

  *****

  Shino pulled off the tape on the curtain and took a peek outside. Unlike the typical gss wall, this vil is made with cement. Windows amounted to a small ratio. She sealed them off with tapes and made sure there won’t be any lights that could be seen outside.

  ‘Hiraoka-san…’

  A warm sensation filled her chest at the thought of him.

  On the apocalypse’s first night, she decisively broke out of her school. She went through a lot of skirmishes—zombies and humans alike. What saved her life was her ingestion of a fist-sized apple she found on the street. Her newly-strengthened physical body allowed her to deal with hungry civilians and zombies alike.

  The most despairing news she encountered, however, were her grandparents turning into zombies. She wanted them to come with her, only to find them turned.

  The ‘hell’ Shino crossed before reaching the vil was unspeakable to an ordinary girl. If it wasn’t for Eishi, she would have lost all the will to live.

  He served as her purpose, as simple as that.

  To repay this gratitude, she has to live.

  Shino gnced at her phone. The LINE group she joined was active. She glimpsed upon their conversation and discovered the recent news.

  ‘Shinomiya Zaibatsu, shelter…’

  *****

  Toyogasaki High housed hundreds of high school students. The school itself carries on a weekly-resupply basis. The ones stocked now—bread and water—can st up to half a year.

  Prying open locks, scouting the surroundings…

  It could be said that Eishi gained a bargain. Toyogasaki High’s early graduation led to fewer zombies in the school space. If it was the normal popution, like Mahiru’s Seijo High next door, they would have faced hundreds of zombies, not the dozens of today.

  Shizuka watched as Eishi swept everything inside his spatial backpack. As long as it remains in his sight, it can be pced inside.

  Sensing her curious looks, he expined patiently:

  “This is a superpower. Hiratsuka-sensei also has one.”

  “Ah? Me?”

  He briefly expined the ‘folded paper’ mental image to her. Five minutes ter, she let out a surprised yelp.

  “This is…”

  A ‘burning’ red aura surrounded her fists. She could feel her blood boiling. Her physical body became stronger in an instant.

  Bam-!

  Crack-!

  She tried punching the wall and left a fist-sized hole in it.

  Eishi checked out her panel. He was stunned to see a five-times increase to all of her attributes, excluding spirit.

  Shizuka’s ‘super state’ sted for a minute before she was forced to deactivate it. Her entire body felt extremely heavy.

  She was about to fall down when Eishi caught her. The height difference between the two was ten centimeters. The distance between their faces was not much. Amidst the bloody scent, she caught his special bodily scent.

  Feeling the strong arm that caught her waist sent her mind into a flurry of thoughts.

  “Take it. This should resolve your weakness…”

  The school did not offer much supplies. After the cafeteria was the Physical Education Storage Room. Eishi swept through the utilities and various kinds of sports equipment.

  Finally there was the infirmary. The meager amount added another small percentage to his supplies.

  When he took out the modified nd rover on the front gate, no one was surprised anymore.

  “Our next stop is—”

  A loud and sudden explosion interrupted his words. Its deafening sound seeped through the small gaps of the car.

  Eishi eyed the bck smoke rising from the distance.

  ‘That pce is the city center…’

  [A lucky encounter occurred.]

  The prompt verified his thoughts. There were two girls trapped in the city center—Saeko and Megumi. The gas station’s explosion cleared up most of the zombies on the pza, attracting them away.

  ‘There’s no wasting time..!’

  *****

  The explosion from a closer range shook the gym’s floor. Fortunately, Japan’s infrastructures were built with earthquakes and tsunamis in mind. Its structural integrity wasn’t wasted at all.

  The locker room has windows near the ceiling. It is what regutes the air around the stuffy room filled with sweat.

  “Let me do it.”

  “Hum.”

  A tacit cooperation was formed between Saeko and Megumi. The tter climbed up on the former’s shoulders. The two scurried for a while before locating the direction of the explosion.

  “It must be that gas station.” Saeko commented. “The zombies outside left.”

  “They must be attracted to the sound. Should we..?”

  “Yes.”

  Although the supplies inside this locker room can st them for another week, there’s no telling when the hordes of zombies will return. Taking advantage of them being attracted by the explosion outside, they have a shot at leaving the fucked up city pza.

  Most importantly, Eishi offered them a pce to stay.

  Megumi did not think much of it. She simply thought Eishi was a good guy, just like how he recommended her to a new goal.

  Saeko was different. She is a martial artist first and foremost. She is clear about debt and gratitude, more so when she defended Japan’s championship title worldwide.

  Recalling the man with the perfect muscles, she felt he sought more than what he stated.

  A phone’s vibration broke her thoughts. She picked it up and saw a message from Eishi.

  The content’s simple:

  He is coming to fetch them.

  ‘...What?’

  For a moment, confusion filled Saeko’s mind. She knew about Eishi’s outstanding martial arts prowess. He learned a year’s content in a week. His personality, at the very least, lies on a give-and-take attitude.

  Him giving his address is the best treatment she could think of. Risking himself to face hundreds, if not thousands of zombies?

  She looked at the oblivious girl beside her.

  ‘Is it her..?’

  Saeko shook her head. That didn’t matter now.

  “Hiraoka-san is coming to pick us up. Let’s get to moving.”

  *****

  Inside a small restaurant, the coldness of the light snow seeped in. The heater had long stopped working. It was in such an environment that light moans resounded.

  Five people guarded the counter. Behind it was the restaurant’s private room.

  One of the underlings, a nky man, came inside.

  There was a couch in the middle, with wooden tables and shelves all over.

  A burly naked man was seen manhandling a beautiful middle-aged woman. Her vivid moans and broken expression showed a huge contradiction. Beside her was a simir-looking girl who bnkly watched the two copute.

  The corpse of her father was still rotting outside the restaurant. The family of three did not expect the intrusion of these ‘gangsters’. The burly man was very strong. Their father died in one punch to the head.

  The remaining mother and daughter duo lost any will left to live.

  “Boss. The gas station exploded.”

  “Wait for me to finish. It should be enough time.”

  “Enough time..?”

  The Boss did not mind expining while thrusting his waist.

  “There will be survivors attracted by it. They will desperately try to leave this city pza. Almost everyone is aware of the terrifying zombie horde outside.” He expined. “This is an opportunity.”

  His power came from eating a country-side apple. Since then, he knew that pnts might have mutated.

  Supplies, people, and evolution fruits…

  The nky man saw through his words.

  “Kill the opposing men. Take their women. Raid their supplies. The more that gets fished out, the better. I won’t fight you over some women.”

  His calm words lit up a motivational fire inside the nky man.

  “The Boss is mighty!”

  Unbeknownst to him, it wasn’t just him who developed in this apocalypse. Young and old, men or women, the remaining survivors were attracted by the opportunity brought by the gas station’s explosion.

  The city pza is destined to be a bloody battlefield.