It happened during the first period after lunch.
The sun was still high in the sky, leaning just a little toward the west, generously blasting its scorching heat over the entire city of Bedmaster.
Shuya lounged in his usual spot—the King's Throne in the back row by the window.
It had been half a month since Shizuka's last "sick day." He still hadn't caught a single glimpse of her so-called best friend Rika.
According to Shizuka, Rika's job was "special," so quitting wasn't easy. But after a full day of Shizuka's emotional blackmail and logical persuasion, Rika had finally promised to resign and come home as fast as possible. If the paperwork didn't go through, she'd at least request emergency leave. Either way, she swore she'd meet Shuya before the zombie outbreak hit.
That was Shizuka's story.
Shuya… kind of believed it. Probably.
Deep down he was pretty sure the ditzy blonde had just gotten played by her bestie again.
Rika was basically a myth at this point. Shizuka had been hyping her up for over a year, always saying "She's coming back any day now!" only for something to come up at the last second. Shuya was starting to wonder if the woman even existed.
He wasn't worried about her safety, though. In close combat she might not match Saeko, but in a gunfight? The entire main cast could team up and Rika would still wipe the floor with them. Her room was stuffed with shooting trophies and medals—drawers overflowing. Rumors said her marksmanship ranked in the top five in all of Japan.
So yeah, no point stressing about her. If anyone needed worrying about, it was the airheaded nurse back home.
Shuya's gaze drifted casually out the window.
Looked like Rika wasn't going to make it back before the outbreak after all.
Because right now, at the school gate, the commotion had already started—the opening act of the anime plot.
The zombie crisis was kicking off today.
"Let's go."
Shuya stood up, turned to Rei, and said it calmly.
"Go? Where?" Rei blinked, confused.
She had no idea why he was suddenly saying that, but her body moved on autopilot. She stood and followed him anyway.
"Excuse me, you two—where exactly do you think you're going? Class is still in session," the middle-aged teacher on the platform called out, clearly not okay with blatant skipping right in front of him.
"Uh… actually, I'm not feeling well. I asked Shuya to—"
Rei's brain spun into overdrive, trying to come up with a believable excuse. She was a top student (even after repeating a year), so the second-year material was basically optional anyway. Sneaking out with Shuya sounded way more exciting.
But before she could finish, Shuya cut in coldly from the doorway.
"We're going on a date."
"EH?!"
The entire classroom sucked in a collective gasp. Even the half-asleep kids snapped awake like someone had dumped ice water on them.
They'd had no idea there was this much of a legend sitting in their class.
Insane. Absolutely insane.
How can a person be this bold?!
Some guys were already staring at Shuya with sparkling eyes, hearts full of worship.
Everyone's gaze swung to the teacher on the platform.
So… what was he going to do?
"Uhh…"
The middle-aged teacher felt his scalp go numb. One wrong answer and he'd become the school's punchline for the rest of the year.
But the one who'd said it was Shuya. Scolding him took serious courage.
Forget the fact that Shuya was second in the entire grade—he was also the strongest swordsman in the kendo club besides Saeko herself. And on top of that, he had the ultimate Tokyo University buff.
As Shuya's history teacher, the man knew the truth: Shuya's grades were rock-solid second place… except in history, where he almost never passed. He barely scraped double digits most tests.
If he pissed the kid off, would Shuya come beat him up?
Screw it. Teaching was just a job.
The teacher forced a gentle smile and completely ignored what Shuya had actually said. "Ah, so Miyamoto isn't feeling well? Then I'll leave her in your care, Shuya-kun. Make sure she gets to the infirmary safely."
Shuya didn't care what the teacher thought. He was leaving either way.
Before stepping out, he swept his gaze across the classroom one last time and said coldly, "By the way, since we're classmates, here's some free advice—get out of school and go home right now."
He didn't wait for a response. He just turned and left.
He wasn't close with any of them, and he wasn't some saint. Reminding them once was already generous. He wasn't about to play hero and save all of Japan.
Besides, the warning wasn't pointless. Fujimi Academy alone had thousands of students and staff. Once the zombie virus started spreading inside the school, anyone still trapped here was screwed. Leaving now gave them way better odds.
Rei kept her head down, gripping the back of Shuya's shirt as she followed him out. Her face was burning so hot she couldn't even look at the other students.
But inside? Pure excitement.
Skipping class for a date~
Just thinking about it made her brain tingle.
The second they were gone, the classroom exploded into chaos. Everyone buzzed about what they'd just witnessed, completely unaware of the horror about to hit.
"Quiet!" The teacher had to shout himself hoarse to get control again.
Just as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, another voice rang out.
"Sensei, I'm not feeling well either. May I go to the infirmary?"
The teacher's irritation flared—until he saw who it was. The fire died instantly, replaced by cold sweat.
The pink-haired girl in front of him wasn't just first in the grade. Her family's influence in Bedmaster City was terrifying. The apartment he lived in probably wasn't even the size of her bathroom.
He couldn't mess with Shuya.
He definitely couldn't mess with her.
This was the sad life of a middle-aged teacher.
He wiped his brow and forced another awkward smile. "O-Of course, Takagi-san. You study so hard it's no wonder you're number one. Please take care of yourself."
"Thank you, Sensei."
The moment she got permission, the pink-haired girl—Saya Takagi, the last main heroine of the original group—bolted after Shuya and Rei.