On the morning of the joint camp departure day, a large bus was parked in front of Sobu High's gate.
Students gathered in small groups, the air filled with the relaxed atmosphere and enthusiasm typical before a field trip.
Yui and Yukino stood together; the former enthusiastically discussing what snacks to bring, while the latter showed a facial expression as if her soul was already tired of life. Not far away, Hachiman leaned against a tree with lifeless eyes, as if he could rot on the spot at any moment.
Hayato with his "popular" group was chatting and laughing under the sunlight, attracting the attention of most female students.
Totsuka, wearing comfortable sportswear for movement, was greeting Hachiman with a bit of shyness.
In the corner, Zaimokuza wore a black trench coat he considered very cool, clutching a thick notebook while muttering to himself, seemingly composing a magnificent epic.
Just then, a figure appeared at the school gate.
Darius.
He carried a military green camouflage mountain backpack wider than his own body. On that bag hung a water bottle, rope, and several metal carabiners whose functions were unclear. His face wore tactical goggles, and his entire body radiated an oppressive aura as if heading to the battlefield—very incongruous with the surroundings.
Everyone's laughter and conversation stopped instantly.
"He... is he going to do wilderness survival simulation?" someone whispered.
Shizuka extinguished her cigarette butt, then strode toward Darius with a face as black as the bottom of a pot.
"Darius, what's in that bag of yours?"
"Mission necessities, Sensei." Darius stood upright and answered very meticulously.
"Open it, I want to inspect." Shizuka's tone brooked no argument.
Darius didn't resist, he obediently set down his bag, pulled the zipper, and displayed his "equipment".
Shizuka's eyelids began throbbing intensely.
First, she pulled out a... military folding shovel. The shovel blade glinted coldly under the morning sunlight.
"What's this for?"
"For quickly building defensive fortifications, checking obstacles, and performing effective close-range physical exorcism when encountering large-scale mutant creatures." Darius explained without changing his facial expression.
Shizuka took a deep breath, threw that shovel aside, then pulled out a... gas mask from inside the bag. Soviet style, complete with large round filter canister.
"What about this?"
"Air quality in the target area is unknown. Based on intelligence, there may be high concentrations of hallucinogenic spores or T-series virus aerosol. This is standard protective measures."
Shizuka felt her migraine about to relapse. She threw the gas mask aside, and continued rummaging inside. Finally, she pulled out a mineral water bottle containing half a bottle of clear liquid, with a crudely drawn cross using red marker on the bottle.
"...This is drinking water, right?" She asked with her last remaining logic.
"This is high-purity Holy Water that has undergone blessing rituals." Darius corrected. "Has significant purification effects against spirit-type entities, void-type, and some units corroded by abyss energy."
Shizuka fell silent.
She stared at Darius's very serious face, then stared at the pile of "equipment" on the ground equivalent to a small arsenal. Finally, she pointed at the military shovel and issued her final ultimatum.
"This one, confiscated. The rest... whatever, get on the bus!"
"Sensei!" Darius's expression instantly transformed into something very tragic. "You can't do this! You're stripping my primary close-combat module! This will reduce my wilderness survival rate by at least forty percent!"
"Say one more word, the gas mask also stays here."
Darius immediately shut his mouth.
He silently packed his belongings, shouldered the now slightly lighter bag, and boarded the bus with a tragic expression like a hero ready to sacrifice.
The atmosphere inside the bus was somewhat strange.
Darius walked straight to an empty seat beside Yui and sat down. Yukino sitting on the other side near the window immediately pressed her body closer to the window, as if wanting to embed herself into the glass.
The bus slowly started moving.
Darius didn't look at the scenery outside the window. He turned his head, and with an unprecedentedly serious expression, he stared at Yui.
"Agent 'Pink Hazard'."
"Present! Commander!" Yui immediately straightened her back.
"Listen." Darius's voice was pressed very low, full of urgency, "The danger level of this mission may far exceed our estimates. The pollution index in the target area is completely unknown."
He glanced at the cute small cloth bag containing homemade cookies that Yui brought.
"If..." his voice became heavy, "If I become infected and show any mutation symptoms—for example, losing high-level logical thinking ability, starting to crave raw meat, or starting to groan unconsciously—"
He paused, his gaze becoming full of determination.
"You know what to do."
Yui's expression also became very solemn. She nodded vigorously, her hand gripping her cookie bag tightly.
"I understand, Commander!" A flash of determination radiated from her eyes, "I won't let you suffer! I'll use the 'tactical nuclear warhead' at maximum explosive power to give you a quick end!"
Yukino sitting beside them quietly put on earphones and turned the music volume to maximum. She felt if she listened any longer, she would be the one mutating first.
The bus had left the urban area and entered winding mountain roads.
The scenery outside the window changed from city high-rises to continuous green mountain ranges. Fog began enveloping the mountains, getting thicker and thicker, coloring the world outside the window into a dim grayish-white.
Most students inside the bus had started getting drowsy or listening to music. Only Darius remained sitting perfectly upright. He removed his protective goggles, pressed his nose against the cold bus window, and inhaled the air slowly.
His brows furrowed more and more.
"Something's wrong..." he whispered to himself.
Although wearing earphones, Yukino still paid attention to Darius from the corner of her eye. Seeing Darius's expression change, her heart beat rapidly, she felt a bad premonition.
"What is it, Commander?" Yui asked softly.
Darius didn't turn around, his gaze remained sharply fixed on the thick fog outside the window that wouldn't dissipate.
"In this fog..." His voice contained a slight tremor, as if he had discovered a terrifying truth.
"There's the scent of T-Virus."
The bus at that moment happened to turn at a curve, and a rusted road sign passed briefly through the fog. On it was written in peeling paint:
[Welcome to Chiba Village]