Seeing everyone's reaction, Blondie and Muscle Man exchanged a smug smile. Blondie then made the introductions. "This is our head housekeeper, Julie Lane. In a moment, she'll take the ladies to wash up and change into some clean clothes. The men will come with us."
Flora Bloom was the first to react, looking at Blondie and asking, "Where are you taking them?" Sending all the men away while leaving the girls behind—this was not a good sign.
Blondie chuckled. "They're men, after all. It's only natural that they come with us to get familiar with the place and join our ranks. All the better to protect you ladies."
'Isn't this just a way to separate the men and women to make it easier for you to prey on us?' Flora thought darkly. 'Such a blatant scheme, and you're still making excuses?' Unfortunately, Belle Bloom and the others were still blinded by the heroic image of their saviors, who had swooped in out of nowhere. They had no idea what was about to happen.
Just then, Belle Bloom smiled, nodding at Blondie and Muscle Man. She put on a delicate act and said, "We'll be in your care then, gentlemen."
Muscle Man's eyes practically burned as he stared at Belle Bloom, but he knew he couldn't be hasty, or he'd ruin his boss's plans.
So, Julie Lane led the women from the lounge to a VIP guest room. "There are three VIP rooms on this floor," she said. "You can pair up, two to a room. You'll rest and sleep here. The rest of you, follow me to the third floor."
Flora Bloom nodded, deciding to stay on the second floor. She had noticed on their way over that Neal Wallace and the other men had also been taken somewhere on this floor. It would be better to stay here to make it easier to meet up with them.
At that moment, all the other girls, except for Leigh Atwood and Luna Thorne, had already started heading for the door, clearly not wanting to room with her.
Leigh Atwood and Luna Thorne exchanged a glance, and Luna decided to stay. Just as Leigh was about to head out, Flora Bloom suddenly called out to Julie Lane, "The three of us are quite close. Could we stay in one room together?"
Julie Lane hadn't expected Flora to ask that. Without giving it much thought, she said, "As long as you don't mind it being a little crowded."
Flora Bloom smiled faintly. "It won't be crowded. We're just grateful to have a place to rest."
Watching the others leave, Leigh Atwood and Luna Thorne both let out a sigh of relief, collapsing onto the bed. They closed their eyes, taking deep breaths and letting themselves finally relax.
Flora Bloom, however, began to pace around the room. She walked about, seemingly casual, but was actually checking several sensitive spots.
Sure enough, she found a pinhole camera in the bathroom.
There wasn't one in the living area, though, which was a relief. 'In any case, I'm not washing the filth off myself. If I clean up, won't that just put a target on my back?'
She returned to the living area and sat down beside Leigh Atwood and Luna Thorne. "There's a pinhole camera in there," she said softly. "Be careful."
Leigh Atwood, who had regained some of her strength after resting for a bit, furrowed her brow upon hearing Flora's words. She wasn't frowning because of what Flora had told them, but because she suddenly felt that the Flora Bloom before her was somehow different.
"Flora, you seem... different."
Luna Thorne completely agreed with Leigh's words, nodding in affirmation. "I think so, too."
Flora Bloom gave a noncommittal shrug. "Oh? How so? Did I get prettier?"
The question made Luna Thorne, who was usually the serious discipline monitor, suddenly laugh. She had always thought of Flora as a silly and incredibly naive person. Personally, she wasn't a fan of the whole "airheaded damsel" type, so she usually kept her distance.
But based on their brief time together just now, Flora didn't seem as foolish as everyone claimed. Especially not the rumors about her using her looks to string along rich heirs or having one-night stands with strangers at bars. Now, those rumors seemed far from the truth.
"I didn't realize you were so narcissistic. But you really are beautiful. You're just... not at all like what people say."
Leigh Atwood sighed and shook her head. There were many rumors about Flora, and even as their homeroom teacher, she had heard a few. But the way the girl had fought against the zombies earlier made her seem like a completely different person from the one in the rumors, forcing Leigh to repeatedly revise her opinion.
Flora Bloom looked at Leigh Atwood and Luna Thorne, her expression slowly turning serious.
"Teacher Atwood, Luna, whether you accept it or not, the apocalypse is here. And believe me, we're never going back to the world we knew—not in ten years, not ever."
Perhaps it was Flora's overly solemn expression, or perhaps the two of them had already reached a similar conclusion in their hearts. Both Leigh Atwood and Luna Thorne fell silent.
"I don't really care what kind of person you think I am. To be honest, Teacher Atwood, now that the apocalypse is here, you can't be too trusting of human nature. Not Belle Bloom, not any of the students in our class. Ask yourself honestly: in a life-or-death crisis, even Luna Thorne here wouldn't necessarily get hurt or die for you."
With that, Flora turned to Luna Thorne. "Isn't that right, Luna?"
The question left Luna Thorne speechless. If she swore it wasn't true, what would she choose in the future when facing danger, when she could barely save herself?
But to admit it openly... she didn't think she was the type of person who would abandon Leigh Atwood and run away alone.
Seeing Luna Thorne's conflict, Flora Bloom smiled. "You don't have to take my words so seriously. I just want to tell you both not to be too naive or foolish."
At this, Leigh Atwood gave Flora a look filled with meaning. "Then let me ask you the same question. If you and your family were facing an inescapable life-or-death crisis, what would you choose?"
Luna Thorne also stared at her intently. She couldn't believe Flora would actually have an answer.
But Flora Bloom just laughed. She looked at the two of them as if they were fools and said lightly, "Then let me tell you this: I, Flora Bloom, am blessed by fortune. I simply can't be killed. And the same goes for my friends and my family. If they ever run into a problem they can't solve, I'll solve it for them, even if it costs me my life."