The very moment the cafeteria doors locked shut, the tension thickened like bad steam. Kenji could feel it in his spine—and the system was already reacting.
[Ding!]
Warning: Sexual Tension Threshold Exceeded (71%)
Group morale at risk.
Trigger: "Alpha Competition Detected."
Suggested Response: Dominate, Delegate, or Defuse.
Sin whispered in his ear, voice a silk threat.
"Someone's gonna snap, big boy. Might be your harem... Or might be your throat."
Kenji scanned the room.
Miku sat cross-legged on the lunch table, still cleaning her nails with that pocketknife. She hadn't said a word since arriving, but her eyes? Watching everything. Calculating.
Rei Kanzaki leaned against the wall, arms crossed under her chest, silent and sharp. That scientific coldness was back—but it wasn't indifference. It was strategy. She was measuring Miku.
Sayaka stood beside Kenji like a lost puppy... if the puppy had claws and just realized it wasn't the only one being pet anymore.
Akane—well, Akane enjoyed the drama. Her smile was wide. Her legs were wider. She was stirring the pot, and she knew it.
Tetsuo? Still eating canned beans, oblivious as usual.
Kenji cleared his throat. "Alright. Game plan. Rei, you and Sayaka stay here and inventory supplies. Akane, Tetsuo—you two run patrol on the lower hallway. Miku—"
"I don't take orders," Miku said flatly.
Kenji raised an eyebrow. "Then take it as a suggestion. You and I scout the second floor classrooms. Quick sweep. You in?"
Miku looked at him, eyes unreadable. Then she smirked. "Try to keep up."
[Ding!]
New Team Formation: Kenji + Miku
Synergy: 18% (Low)
Tension: 91% (Volatile)
Reward Multiplier: x2 XP if mission succeeds.
Risk: Group Cohesion may degrade.
Sin cooed, "Yessss... send the fox into the henhouse, see who comes out alive~"
As Kenji and Miku exited the cafeteria, Rei called out behind him.
"Don't trust the pretty ones."
Kenji didn't look back. "That's half the room right now."
They moved in silence.
The second floor was a ghost town. Dust in the air, trails of dried blood smeared like someone had been dragged. Every door they passed was a gamble—could be survivors, could be monsters, could be both.
"Why'd you bring me?" Miku asked without looking at him.
"You're the only one who doesn't flinch."
"That's not an answer."
"You scare the rest of them. I figure if I keep you busy, they'll sleep better."
She smirked. "Smart."
They stopped at Room 2-C. Door slightly open. Kenji gestured. Miku kicked it in.
Nothing. Empty desks. Blood on the teacher's chair. A backpack with a broken strap. Someone had fought here.
Miku grabbed a ruler off the floor, spun it once like a blade. "I like this place. Quiet."
Kenji turned to her. "You used to go here?"
"I transferred this year. Never unpacked my locker. Never joined any clubs. Guess it saved my life."
He nodded slowly. "You fight like someone who's seen real shit."
"I have."
She looked at him. For the first time, there was something soft in her gaze. A flicker. Then—
"You like playing the leader, huh?" she asked.
Kenji blinked. "Someone has to."
"You're not bad. But you're still green. You think just because you've got a teacher and two pretty girls hanging off your arm, that means you're in control."
He took a step forward. "And you think just because you can swing a stick and glare like a dominatrix, that you scare me?"
"Oh?" She stepped closer. "Do I excite you instead?"
[Ding!]
System Trait Triggered: Erotic Echo Lv.2 (Proximity Stimulus Active)
Miku Shoko: Libido Spike Detected
Lust Meter: 61% → 67%
Sin purred, "Ooooh, the tension's so thick I could cut it with a dildo."
Miku narrowed her eyes. "You've got a twitchy eye."
"No," Kenji said. "That's just the voice in my head telling me you're trouble."
"Well," she said, turning away, "keep listening to it. I'm not your type."
She walked ahead.
Kenji let out a long breath.
She was wrong, though.
She was exactly his type.
Back at the cafeteria, things weren't going smooth.
Sayaka had finally cornered Rei behind the supply shelf.
"Do you like him?" Sayaka asked bluntly.
Rei didn't answer right away. She finished stacking the bottled water, then turned slowly.
"That's none of your business."
Sayaka's fists clenched. "He touched me first. I know I'm not... as smart, or sexy, or grown-up as you. But I felt something."
Rei sighed. "This isn't the time."
Sayaka stepped closer. "It might be the only time."
Rei's eyes flicked up—and for a second, something dangerous passed between them.
"You're braver than you look," Rei said softly. "But don't mistake kindness for affection. Kenji is important. To all of us. But if you want to survive this, stop thinking with your heart."
Sayaka's voice cracked. "What do you think with?"
Rei didn't answer.
But her fingers lingered too long on Kenji's bag when she passed it.
Kenji and Miku returned just before sundown. They'd found a medkit, some canned food, and—most importantly—evidence that at least one other person had fled into the science building.
Hope.
Tetsuo cheered.
Akane winked. "Nice of you to bring our pink-haired samurai back alive."
Sayaka ran to Kenji and hugged him tight. Miku watched with an expressionless face.
Rei met Kenji's gaze across the room. No words. But a silent nod. You're still mine. For now.
Kenji stood in the middle of it all. Five survivors. Different hearts. Different weapons.
And outside?
The sky was darker than ever.
Then—
The school's power flickered.
Lights cut off. Emergency floodlights glowed red.
[Ding!]
System Alert: Power Grid Failure. AI Monitoring Suspended. Surveillance Offline.
Danger Level: 5.9 → 7.8
Sin's voice whispered, low and hushed.
"Oh no. I didn't authorize this."
Kenji looked out the cafeteria window.
Something was moving in the darkness. Big. Too fast. Not human.
He felt the cold dread of it.
Then—
Screams.
Not close. Not far.
Just... echoing through the night.
And with it, the real nightmare began.
[To Be Continued...]