The two buildings were connected by link corridors on three floors. Above those sat a fourth level—an open-air rooftop walkway, unlike the enclosed passages on the second and third floors.
"Start by moving desks to block the path. We'll build a barricade and seal it once the students who can still move have made it across," Kagehiro Shiro said, pointing toward the glass doors. "You can't expect a thin sheet of glass to stop a horde of zombies."
"But our numbers..." Hayama Hayato was already calculating their odds.
Only a fraction of Class F had made it this far. A standard class at Sobu High had about thirty students; roughly twenty from Class F were here. Subtracting the girls, that left only about ten boys—and if you discounted the four currently standing there...
"Post two people at every entrance. Once Shizuka-sensei broadcasts to the school, we'll pull in more able-bodied people to help," Shiro said, glancing at the girls behind Hayama. "The girls should stay inside the rooms for now."
Shiro turned to Yukinoshita Yukino. "Yukinoshita-san, can you take them to the Service Club room and keep them hidden?"
"I refuse," Yukino said instantly, her voice cold and decisive.
Behind Hayama, Miura Yumiko tugged at his sleeve. "Hayato..." Her expression made her intent clear—she wanted to stay by his side. It wasn't the kind of action a "normal" girl would take, but Yumiko wasn't normal; she was the undisputed Queen of the normies.
Shiro looked back at Yukino. "What is it now?"
"Do you expect me to hide and shiver like a helpless child while others do the work?"
Her words were a sharp jab at everyone else. Of the students present, only Hayama and his inner circle had the courage to stand their ground. The others were clearly paralyzed by fear.
"Whether they are zombies or something else, I will judge the situation and act for myself. I do not take orders from you."
"Fine," Shiro shrugged. "Hayama, Yukinoshita and I will handle the two upper entrances. I have Hikigaya with me on my floor, so that's three of us. Can you spare one more person for my team?"
"Sure." Hayama nodded, turning to see who among his group would be best.
"Actually, can I request Ebina Hina-san?" Shiro pointed her out directly.
"Ebina?" Hayama looked surprised.
"Yes. Ebina-san is reliable."
With her short brown hair, dark eyes, and glasses, Ebina Hina looked like a quiet beauty—provided she didn't open her mouth and reveal her obsession as a Fujoshi. However, within Hayama's group, she was arguably the most capable person besides Hayama himself. She was essentially a female version of Hikigaya Hachiman—cynical, observant, and detached. Unlike the love-struck Yumiko or the socially-focused Yuigahama, Ebina was someone Shiro could trust to get a job done, even if she shared Hachiman's escapist tendencies.
"M-me?" Ebina blinked, clearly not expecting to be singled out.
"That's too dangerous!" Yumiko protested immediately.
Shiro looked at the blonde Queen. "Weren't you planning on staying out here too?"
"I—well, yes," Yumiko stammered. "But we don't even know you!"
Lack of trust due to lack of familiarity, Shiro thought.
"It's fine by me," Ebina said with a casual shrug.
"E-Ebina-san!" Tobe Kakeru, the orange-haired "hip-hop" boy of the group, tried to interject. It was common knowledge that Tobe had a crush on her, but it was a textbook case of unrequited love. Tobe was loud, flashy, and hyperactive—the polar opposite of Ebina's quiet (albeit twisted) nature.
"Then I'm counting on you, Ebina," Hayama said seriously.
Just then, the school's public address system crackled to life.
"Attention all students and faculty. This is not a drill. The disturbance in the school is caused by a zombie virus. I have witnessed it personally. As unbelievable as it sounds, it is real. All students who are able to move, please evacuate to the Special Building immediately. Furthermore... be extremely careful. Do not let the infected scratch or bite you."
Hiratsuka Shizuka's voice cut off abruptly. She didn't need to finish the sentence; anyone with a brain could infer the subtext: If you get hurt, you're finished.
A dull roar erupted from the main building. Whether they believed in zombies or not, no one was willing to gamble with their lives. A flood of panicked students began to stream across the corridors—a chaotic scene visible even from the Special Building.
"Move! We're going!" Shiro barked, already sprinting toward the stairs. He signaled for Ebina and Yukino to follow.
He left the organization of the first floor to Hayama. Hayama moved quickly, directing his friends. "Yamato, Ooka! I need you to..."
"Could you stop making decisions for me?" Yukino's icy voice drifted from behind Shiro as they ran.
"Are you going to refuse to help, then?" Shiro didn't even look back.
"There won't be a next time."
She was clearly fuming. Being ordered around by a boy she had just met—a boy who had already lied to her once today—was an insult to her pride.
"I'm choosing the people I trust to get the job done. This is an emergency; deal with it," Shiro said, glancing back at Yukino and Ebina.
"Ahaha," Ebina gave a dry, slightly hollow laugh.
"Hmph." Yukino brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, looking slightly placated by the word "trust," even if she wouldn't admit it. At this stage in her life, she was still a girl possessed by a certain sense of self-importance.
"This is life or death. If we mess this up, we all die. I'm counting on you both," Shiro emphasized.
"Fine."
"Understood."
The three of them sprinted up the stairs and found Hikigaya Hachiman standing in the hallway.
"Hachiman!" Shiro called out.
"Yeah." Hachiman stepped forward.
There was no time for explanations. The first wave of refugees was already pouring toward them.
"Hachiman, take this entrance. Grab whoever looks useful and start blocking the path with desks." Shiro didn't wait for an answer, sprinting toward the far end of the corridor. He knew Yukino or Ebina would explain the details to Hachiman.
As Shiro ran down the hallway, he encountered the first few scattered students.
"Hey! You guys! Start dragging desks out of the classrooms and pile them at the entrance! We need a barricade to keep the zombies out!" Shiro yelled at them.
"O-okay!" the students stammered, their bodies moving instinctively under the command. In a moment of panic, people are desperate for someone to tell them what to do. If someone offers a plan, the masses will follow.
A boy in the lead reached for the nearest classroom door. "Wait! It's locked!"
Tch.
"A portion of these are club rooms. They're kept locked under normal circumstances," Yukino's voice sighed from behind him.
"You followed me?"
"Hachiman-kun and Ebina-san are from the same class; they can manage that side."
Actually, Hachiman is so invisible in that class they probably don't even know he exists, Shiro thought. But he let it go.
"Follow me. I have the keys to the club rooms." Yukino took charge, leading the students toward the Service Club room.
Shiro continued forward, shouting at the new arrivals. "Help with the desks! Pile them up! We have to stop them from crossing!"
He repeated the instructions tirelessly, standing at the mouth of the corridor like a conductor. "Anyone who still has strength, get to the classrooms! Move the furniture!"
Waves of students arrived in groups of three or five. Shiro noticed some were clutching their arms with bloody tissues—teeth marks. For now, he let them through. He would deal with the "potential threats" once the corridor was sealed.
The first desks were shoved into place. "Keep them to the sides! Leave a gap for the others for now!"
Shiro looked toward the main building. No more students were emerging from the classrooms. "Seal the gap!"
"Don't block the path yet!"
"Slow down, don't trip over the furniture!"
Shiro barked orders until the barricade was three layers deep and four desks high. It wasn't perfectly stable—they had to climb the desks to reach that height—but it was formidable.
Yukino had finished directing the furniture move. She was now moving through the crowd, checking which doors could be forced open.
"How's it going?" A voice called out. It was Hayama. He had come up from the floor below.
"Everything okay down there?" Shiro asked.
"Yeah. Thanks to everyone's help, the first floor is secure. I came to see if you needed a hand."
"Are you sure you should leave your post?"
"A teacher from one of the other classes made it across. I left him in charge," Hayama said with a bright, easy smile. Even in the middle of a literal apocalypse, the "Golden Boy" hadn't lost his shine. His blonde hair seemed to catch the light even in the dim hallway.
"Why haven't you fully sealed it yet?" Yukino asked, appearing behind Hayama.
Hayama flinched slightly at her voice. Shiro watched him closely. It was clear that Yukino was Hayama's "Dark History" personified—and likely vice-versa.
"I was thinking..." Shiro looked back at the now-silent main building. The quiet was eerie, as if something was festering just out of sight. "If we went back now and... killed them."
He used a specific pronoun—the kind used for animals.
"What did you just say?" Hayama's eyes widened in shock. He seemed to think he had misheard.
Yukino narrowed her eyes, radiating an aura of cold severity that kept everyone else at a distance.
"It would be more efficient to handle it now, wouldn't it?" Shiro's question was directed at both Hayama and himself.
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?" Hayama demanded, his voice rising.
"I'm saying we should kill them while they're still turning," Shiro said. Seeing Hayama's lack of agreement, his own expression hardened. Shiro's eyes turned dark, a chilling light gleaming from behind his messy fringe.
"Are you joking?" Hayama grabbed Shiro's collar. Shiro didn't budge; he stood like a stone wall.
"Are you out of your mind?!" another roar came from behind Hayama.
"I thought you, of all people, would agree with me, Hachiman."
"You think I'd sign off on that?" Hachiman stepped forward.
"Hikigaya-kun..." Hayama looked at Hachiman with relief. He hoped the class loner could talk some sense into Shiro.
"My plan is the correct one," Shiro stated firmly. "Before they stand up, we finish it. Everyone here stays safe."
Though Shiro was looking at Hachiman, Hayama's temper flared again.
"How can you be so callous about human life?! They've just collapsed. No one has proven they're 'zombies' yet. If we can get them to a hospital, they might recover!" Hayama's "Saint" persona was in full swing; he wanted to save everyone.
But the world was cruel.
"Hayama, shut up," Hachiman said, stepping up and wrenching Hayama's hand off Shiro's collar. "The people over there don't matter."
Hayama couldn't believe his "teammate" would say such a thing. "Hikigaya! Don't you care about your classmates?!"
Hachiman spat on the ground. "Go look at the two 'things' we knocked down at the gate. If you saw them, you wouldn't think Shiro's plan is wrong. It is the most efficient solution."
Yukino walked away, heading down the corridor without a word. Only the three boys remained, locked in a tense, ideological standoff.
"Then there's no problem, is there?" Shiro said. Two against one.
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