(Insert Saeko's Image Here)
Meanwhile.
After seeing Sai Akuto step into the chemical prep room, Saeko gripped her wooden sword and scanned the area around her.
The corner of the purple-haired girl's lips curved upward unconsciously.
Kill! Kill! Kill!
Now that the world had become like this, she no longer needed to suppress the violent urges in her heart!
Saeko Busujima, aside from being a young lady from a noble household, was also a girl with a powerful sadistic desire!
"Slash—!"
Black-and-red blood sprayed through the air, falling like a rain of crimson.
After obtaining a portion of the Symbiotic Slime Battle Suit, even if Saeko's swordsmanship had been absent, her enhanced physique alone was enough for her to dominate the apocalyptic world!
"Shhhk!~ Shhhk!~ Shhhk!~"
In front of the chemical prep room, Saeko cut down every corpse that approached.
She was like a ballerina, dancing gracefully amidst the rain of blood.
Until…
More than ten minutes later, Takashi finally made his way over, following the path Akuto had cleared.
There was no helping it—the road Akuto had carved out was the one with the fewest zombies and the safest to pass through.
…..
Takashi arrived late, but his luck was surprisingly good.
With Saeko and Rei guarding the front, Takashi noticed Akuto wasn't present and tried to greet the two of them.
However…
Under the influence of both her sadistic urges and the symbiote within her, Saeko was already half lost in bloodlust!
"Whoosh—!"
Turning into a blur, Saeko lunged straight at the nearest one to her—Rei.
"Wait! We're humans! Saeko-senpai, what's wrong with you?!"
Rei was startled by the bloodthirsty glow in Saeko's eyes.
"Rei! Get out of the way!" Takashi shouted loudly.
But Saeko had already lost herself in the frenzy.
The purple-haired girl vanished from her spot, her strike whipping toward Rei like a gust of wind!
"Kyahh!!~"
Faced with danger, Rei cried out instinctively.
And yet… a few seconds later, she felt no pain.
Opening her eyes in confusion, Rei noticed a strange black substance forming around her body.
Looking closer…
Her clothes had morphed into liquid-like black armor, blocking Saeko's wooden sword!
"Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!!~"
Saeko continued to swing, raining strike after strike onto Rei.
But without learning to fully wield the symbiote, mere enhanced strength and a wooden blade couldn't break through the Slime Battle Suit's autonomous defense!
"A-amazing… what is this…?"
Looking at the battle suit shielding her from Saeko's attacks, Rei felt an overwhelming sense of safety.
Saeko continued her furious swings.
Until—
Clack!
The wooden blade stopped dead, caught between two fingers.
…..
The one who stopped it with just two fingers… was Sai Akuto, fresh from "feeding" Shizuka.
…..
"Miyamoto, zombies are drawn to sound."
"In the future, don't scream when facing them—it only causes trouble for others." Akuto glanced at Rei indifferently as he spoke.
"Akuto-kun! You're here… thank goodness!"
Even after being scolded, Rei wasn't angry—instead, she became more obedient and submissive.
That was her nature—give her too much kindness and she'd become spoiled; treat her with firmness and she'd yield.
"Enough, Saeko-senpai, that's enough."
Akuto caught Saeko's incoming leg strike and seized control of the symbiote within her body.
In the next moment, her eyes regained clarity.
"What… happened to me?"
Saeko frowned, puzzled at why her wooden sword had been caught so easily.
"You lost control, Saeko-senpai."
Releasing her weapon, Akuto turned and ordered Rei:
"Miyamoto, Saeko-senpai and I are going to clear out the zombies drawn here by sound."
"You should hide in the prep room for now, and look after Nurse Marikawa until she wakes up."
"Alright, I understand."
Even though the tone was commanding, Rei didn't get angry—instead, she felt strangely comforted, and quickly rushed toward the prep room.
…..
"Rei! Don't listen to him!" Takashi shouted after climbing back up from the ground.
"The Akuto we knew isn't the same anymore!"
"He must've turned into some kind of advanced zombie! Run! The farther you get, the better!"
Moments ago, Rei had closed her eyes in fear.
But Takashi had seen it clearly.
When Akuto rushed to Rei's side, there had still been black slime clinging to his back!
Takashi had seen zombie movies before.
In them, humans with strange powers and eerie auras like this were always evolved zombies with human intelligence!
"..."
Akuto raised a brow. In a sense, Takashi wasn't entirely wrong.
Rei glanced at Takashi, then at Akuto, hesitating.
"Takashi… the outbreak only just started. It's too soon for advanced zombies to evolve, isn't it?"
In the end, Rei didn't choose to run. Instead, she smiled as sweetly and submissively as she could.
She knew Takashi was probably right.
But as long as Akuto still had his consciousness—did it matter if he was human or something else?
Seeing Rei's docile eyes, Akuto smiled faintly and turned to Takashi.
"Komuro, are you going to run… or are you going to fight me?"
"I don't care which you choose. As long as you're prepared to bear the consequences."
Akuto's words were practically an admission of Takashi's suspicions.
"I… I'll stay." Takashi grit his teeth tightly.
Even if he wanted to leave, there was no way he could right now.
"And you, Miyamoto?"
Akuto turned back toward Rei.
Rei pursed her lips and answered softly:
"Of course I'll stay by your side, Akuto-kun."
"Even though you and Saeko-senpai are strong, you can't handle everything alone. I want to stay with you and help take care of the smaller things."
Her reasoning was clumsy, but Akuto decided it was acceptable.
"Fine. Then go carry Nurse Marikawa on your back. I don't have time to look after her right now."
Akuto glanced around.
Because of Rei's earlier scream, more zombies had been drawn toward them.
Different worlds had different zombie traits.
Here in the Apocalypse World, zombies—called the Dead—were drawn by sound.
"Saeko-senpai, I need you to hold my hand while we clear out these zombies. Can you do it?"
He picked up a metal rod and extended his hand to her.
"Of course."
Saeko smiled faintly and took Akuto's hand.
…..
The instant she did, the symbiote within her body surged back to life!
The bloodthirst she'd suppressed earlier returned in full force, nearly overwhelming her control.
Akuto squeezed her delicate hand firmly, his tone absolute and commanding.
"Control it—don't let it control you."
"That way, you are the master of your power, not a beast enslaved by it."
"…Alright. I'll do my best."
Saeko smiled knowingly, forcing herself to rein in the symbiote.
…..
The reason Akuto had her hold his hand while fighting zombies was to train her—to help her learn, through real combat, to master both the symbiote and her own lust for killing.
He didn't oppose Saeko's violent nature.
But he would never allow her to be ruled by it.
And Saeko understood this.
That was why she squeezed his hand back, tightly.
She didn't need to say anything about following him.
Her choice was already clear through her actions.
(End of Chapter)
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