Ryoushi didn't hesitate to answer the call—even though class was still in session.
It wasn't out of disrespect for Tanaka-sensei, but because something in his gut told him this was far more urgent.
"Hello, big sister—" he began, but Aiko's voice cut through immediately, trembling with nerves.
"Ryoushi! Don't go outside—the government just issued a red alert! They said—supernatural phenomenon—zombie outbreak—happening all around the world—you need to—"
Her words broke apart, fragments cutting in and out as the line filled with static.
"Big sister?" Ryoushi pressed the phone to his ear, but the signal was deteriorating fast. Her voice faded into nothing but garbled noise before the connection dropped altogether.
He didn't need her to repeat it. He understood. This was bigger than even he had thought.
At the front of the room, Tanaka-sensei, who had noticed one of his most disciplined students with a phone in hand, frowned. "Ryoushi," he said firmly, "what are you doing?"
Ryoushi lowered the useless flip phone, slipping it back into his bag. He gave a short bow. "Sorry, Sensei. But there's something important I need to—"
Before he could finish, the intercom crackled to life with the sound of the principal clearing his throat.
"Sorry for the interruption. This may come abruptly, but the situation outside has been classified as a red alert. Teachers and students, please remain in your classrooms until further notice. I repeat—stay in your classrooms until more information is provided."
The speaker clicked off.
Silence fell over the room like a heavy blanket.
The classroom buzzed with unease. Students glanced at one another, faces filled with question marks. Even Tanaka-sensei looked bewildered.
"What exactly is going on?" he asked, scanning the room. "Does anyone know?"
Heads shook—except one. Ryoushi raised his hand.
Tanaka and the rest of the class turned to him. Even Riko, now wide awake, blinked at him expectantly.
Ryoushi drew a slow breath, his voice low and steady. "The red alert was issued because of a global supernatural phenomenon. It's… a zombie outbreak."
The word hung heavy in the air.
For a heartbeat, the classroom was silent. Then Riko blurted, "What are you even talking about?"
Others quickly joined in, voices overlapping.
"Zombie outbreak? You serious?"
"No way, that's just movies, right?"
"Hold up—I'll check Yahoo—huh? What's wrong with the net?"
"Hey, yeah! I can't get a signal either!"
A ripple of unease ran through the room as students realized their phones were useless.
"The government must have cut the networks," Ryoushi said grimly. "They don't want panic spreading faster than the situation itself."
Tanaka-sensei narrowed his eyes. "Ryoushi… how do you know this? Who told you?"
Wordlessly, Ryoushi raised both hands. "My big sister called me… just before the line went dead."
One skeptical student shot back, "And you just believed her? You expect us to believe it too?"
Ryoushi shook his head and pointed toward the gate. "Look. See that person—"
But just as those words left his mouth, they died in his throat—his voice gone dry at what he saw.
There, walking toward the gate, was Kyoko-sensei, their homeroom teacher, accompanied by the security guard. She was heading straight toward the zombie, seemingly unaware of the danger.
The rest of the class, seeing him point toward the gate, followed his gesture—only to realize their homeroom teacher was moving outside despite the announcement.
"Why's Kyoko-sensei going out there?"
"Didn't the announcement say to stay inside?"
"She probably wasn't in the building when it came through…"
"Wait, so that person was making the clanging sound on the gate? I thought it was just some student playing volleyball or something!"
The room filled with chatter again.
But Ryoushi wasn't listening. His eyes sharpened, jaw tight, as only one thought echoed in his mind: 'I can't let anything happen to Kyoko-sensei.'
He glanced at Riko, his expression deadly serious. "Don't you dare fall asleep now."
Riko was taken aback by his sudden seriousness, but before she could respond, he planted his foot on the window frame—and jumped.
"RYOUSHI?!" Riko cried, reaching instinctively, but he was already gone.
The class gasped, rushing to the windows to see what had just happened.
To their surprise, Ryoushi didn't fall straight to the ground as they had expected. He bounded off the second-floor ledge, then the first, landing cleanly on the pavement below with a soft thump. He moved with effortless grace, as if this were nothing unusual.
Then without hesitation, he sprinted toward the gate.
Inside the classroom, jaws hung open. One awestruck student whispered, "W—was Ryoushi… knew parkour like those cool guys?"
While Riko's fists clenched at her sides, barely hearing them. Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it wanted to burst from her chest. She nearly gagged on her own breath as she watched him leap from the window.
'But… what is going on? Why is he running toward the gate? What's happening right now?'
Her mind raced with questions, but for now, all she could do was stare at his retreating back as he sprinted with astonishing speed—far faster than she could even comprehend.
***
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