When they arrived at the mall, Ryueen Kakeru stopped short, his eyes narrowing as he took in the scene before him.
Almost no zombies.
A few scattered undead shambled aimlessly between the storefronts, but the numbers were laughably small—a handful at most, easily dealt with.
And indeed, Albert and Mio were already moving, dispatching the few threats with efficient brutality while the rest of the class spread out, weapons ready but finding nothing to swing at.
Ryueen's jaw tightened. Something felt wrong. Too easy. Too clean.
Sensing his hesitation, Hiyori Shiina appeared at his side, her voice soft but precise as always. "Ryueen-san. This actually makes sense if you think about it. We're not on the mainland. We're not even in first semester, when freshmen had massive point reserves to waste on luxury shopping. The students who could afford to spend time here were always a minority—the elites, the ones with points to burn. The rest? They're in the cafeteria. The hallways. Their club rooms. But here?"
She gestured at the empty corridors, the untouched storefronts. "It seems we've managed to secure the mall without a single drop of bloodshed."
Ryueen's lips curled into a ferocious grin, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. "I like that analysis, Shiina. Your observations are sharp—sharper than most."
He turned to face her fully, his dark eyes gleaming with something between appreciation and warning. "In this chaotic world, there's no place for you outside Class C. You're my advisor now. My brain. The one who thinks while I act."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "But if you ever betray us? Good luck finding another leader who tolerates you as much as I do."
He chuckled, the sound low and dangerous.
Hiyori said nothing to his recruitment pitch, nor to the thinly veiled threat woven through it.
Her expression remained calm, analytical, as if she were cataloguing his words for future reference rather than taking them personally.
Instead, she continued observing their surroundings, her eyes scanning the darkened store windows, the emergency lights flickering overhead, the shadows pooling in corners where light didn't reach.
"Ryueen-san," she murmured, her voice dropping even lower. "We need to be vigilant. This silence... it's too perfect. Too quiet."
Before Ryueen could respond, Albert shifted nervously beside them, his massive frame somehow managing to look uncertain despite its size. "Uh... Leader? I mean, I get what you're saying about controlling the entrances, but... can we really hold this whole place? It's huge. We're not exactly an army here."
Ryueen's head snapped toward Albert, his expression darkening with immediate contempt. "Stupid."
The word was a whip crack.
"We're not going to fucking guard every square meter. We control the choke points—the entrances, the exits, the key corridors. The Chairman won't care if we 'hold' the mall. He'll care if someone's watching it, maintaining order, keeping the resources secure. We do that, and this place becomes ours by default."
Albert nodded quickly, chastened, stepping back into the main group.
But before anyone could relax, before the thrill of easy conquest could settle into their bones—
Footsteps.
Distant at first, but growing closer. Rhythmic. Deliberate. The sound of multiple people moving with purpose.
Ryueen's expression shifted instantly, the satisfied grin wiped away and replaced by something darker. His jaw clenched so hard the muscles stood out.
His hands curled into fists at his sides as he turned toward the sound, his body coiling with barely contained violence.
A group emerged from the shadows of the far corridor.
At the front, walking with that infuriatingly calm, unhurried pace that made Ryueen want to smash something, was Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
His expression was as blank as ever, revealing nothing—no satisfaction, no challenge, no emotion at all.
Beside him, Suzune Horikita walked with her usual rigid posture, her dark eyes scanning the mall with barely concealed disdain for everyone present.
Behind them came others—students Ryueen recognized but had never bothered to track.
Ken Sudo, looming and eager.
Several freshmen he'd never bothered to learn.
And most disturbingly, a cluster of staff members and adults who should have been on the school's side, not following a student like obedient dogs.
Ryueen's voice came out low and dangerous, cutting through the tense silence.
"You..." His eyes moved from Ayanokouji to Horikita, then back. "What the hell are you doing here? And you, Horikita? I thought you had better sense than to follow this puppet."
Ayanokouji didn't respond. Didn't even acknowledge the question. He simply stood there, watching with those empty eyes, letting others speak for him.
Ken Sudo stepped forward, a sneer twisting his features. "What are we doing here? Same thing you are, Ryueen. Staking a claim."
He gestured broadly at the mall around them. "This turf is ours. We got here first? Doesn't matter. What matters is who can hold it."
His hand moved, pulling aside his jacket just enough to reveal the gun tucked into his waistband. "See this? We've got the firepower. You've got... what? Baseball bats? Crowbars? You can't guard anything with toys, Ryueen."
The silence that followed was electric.
Ryueen's classmates shifted uneasily behind him, suddenly very aware of the disparity in armament.
Albert's hand tightened on his crowbar, but his eyes kept darting to the weapons now visible on the opposing side.
Mio Ibuki's sword remained steady, but even she seemed to be recalculating.
Then Ryueen laughed.
It was a dark, humorless sound—more threat than amusement.
His eyes never left Ayanokouji's face, even as he addressed Ken's challenge.
...
Note: MC will go out later to recruit people from other anime franchises. This is where democracy and votes come in—choose which group you want the MC to recruit the most!
There will also be a plot. The MC will scout around the city, recruit people, clear paths, and possibly eliminate all zombies and hostile factions occupying the city near Advanced Nurturing High School, which is connected by a bridge. This would make land travel more convenient in the future without needing helicopters or ships.
Of course, this scenario will only happen if the MC has already taken over the school and built up enough manpower and ammunition. In the early stages, he might follow Negan's approach—taking 70% of other bases' resources in exchange for protection.
For now, we'll focus on recruitment and scouting first. Here are the voting options:
1. HOTD – You'll see characters like Busujima Saeko, Saya Takagi, Rei Miyamoto, the nurse, Takashi Komuro, Kohta, Shido, and many more. Who the MC will recruit or kill remains a secret, but one thing's for sure—the MC will blow Shido's head off.
2. Spy x Family & Oshi no Ko – You'll see Yor Forger, Loid, Anya, Fiona, Ai Hoshino, Saito, and Miyako. However, I don't recommend this option if you want the MC to quickly dominate and take over the school. The Spy x Family cast is much harder to control compared to HOTD and others. They might even join the Chairman instead of the MC. This choice could lead to setbacks, where the MC wastes time scouting and recruiting, only for most of them to side with the Chairman. This path is better suited for after the MC has already taken over the school. But if you enjoy drama and want the MC to face challenges instead of steamrolling everything, this is a great option. At the very least, Ai will join the MC.
3. Roshidere – Mahiru Shiina is also here.
4. School Days
5. Kaguya-sama: Love is War
6. Shokugeki no Soma
Anyway, that's all for now. I won't go into detail about what's mixed into the choices above. For example, there are characters like Shiina Mashiro from The Pet Girl of Sakurasou, some from Grisaia (such as Yuji Kazami and Kazuki Kazami), Passerby Girlfriend, Yosuga no Sora, and many more hidden within the options above.
Will the MC take Yor Forger for himself even though she has a husband? Maybe yes, maybe not. Let's see where the story goes first.