The floor of the third story was littered with corpses—either undead or half-devoured students. Aside from the sounds of chewing, the tapping of a cane echoed through the corridor. Its owner walked calmly, as if he weren't in the middle of a slaughterhouse.
As he passed one of the classrooms, a zombie lay in wait for prey to pass within reach. Sensing the scent of its next meal, it lunged at the target, but before it could taste flesh, three metallic fingers from a mechadendrite crushed its head.
Aurélien was heading toward the infirmary at a leisurely pace, intending to retrieve the medicine stored there. He was also taking advantage of the relatively undead-free floor to adapt to using his sword and mechadendrites. For now, the first floor was filled with fresh corpses, but over time the zombies would climb the floors in search of food.
He had also crossed paths with a few students, but they were either in such a state of panic that they couldn't grasp the situation or had chosen to barricade themselves in classrooms. Aurélien found that unfortunate but didn't want to burden himself with dead weight.
As he was about to dispatch his sixth zombie, it surprised him by dodging his right mechadendrite and lunging at him. Fortunately, his left mechadendrite grabbed the creature's leg, causing it to trip and slam headfirst into the floor. Suddenly, another runner zombie burst out of a classroom with a broken door. Spotting it from the corner of his eye, Aurélien waited for it to get closer before swinging his right mechadendrite, hurling the flesh-eater against the wall and plunging the appendage into the undead's chest, grappling with the creature to keep it at bay. This distraction allowed the first zombie to apply enough force with its arms to rush its target, even though it had lost one of its legs in the process. Seeing the crawling abomination charge, Aurélien drew his sword. The situation escalated as he heard a third zombie approaching from behind.
Instinctively, the left mechadendrite whipped around behind Aurélien, attacking what its master deemed the greater threat. Aurélien focused on the crawling monster, attempting to stab its head. However, it proved to be a superior type of undead, dodging the sword like a fish out of water. Even when struck, the wounds were non-lethal. Several times, it tried to bite his legs, forcing him to perform an awkward dance to evade it. Suddenly, a noise of breaking glass behind him distracted the zombie for just a second—enough time for Aurélien to plunge his sword into its skull.
Noticing the second zombie was still occupied with the mechadendrite, Aurélien quickly looked back and saw the mechadendrite had pierced one of the nearby windows. Concluding that it had likely thrown the abomination through the glass, a wave of relief washed over him. The fight had placed him under considerable pressure. He moved in to finish off his last opponent.
Aurélien thought: Let this be a lesson—I must remain vigilant and more aware of my environment. These types of zombies are far more dangerous than others. Though physically weaker than walkers, their agility and cunning make up for it. Their most fearsome trait is their ability to ambush in groups. Without my mechadendrites, I likely wouldn't have survived this encounter.
The swordsman resumed his path to the infirmary, this time more alert to his surroundings. Through the window, he spotted two silhouettes hiding on the roof of a nearby building. He still had two BX droids ready to intervene on his command, but preferred to keep them as a last resort. Upon reaching the infirmary, he noticed others already occupying it and retracted his mechadendrites beneath his coat.
Inside were three people: the school nurse Shizuka Marikawa, his classmate Saeko Busujima, and a younger student sitting on the floor, trying to stop the bleeding from a neck wound. The bodies on the ground made it clear what had happened. The indigo-haired girl approached the dying boy, resting her right hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
Saeko: "What's your name, first-year student?"
??? weakly replied: "Kazu… Ishii. Kazu Ishii."
Saeko: "I'm Saeko Busujima, captain of the Kendo team. You did a great job protecting Dr. Marikawa. I salute your courage."
These words seemed to bring a bit of life back into the boy's eyes.
Saeko: "You know what happens when you're bitten, don't you?"
The boy nodded faintly.
Saeko: "Do you want your parents and friends to see you like this? If that's your wish, I'll end your life as gently as I can. But I've never killed anyone before."
Kazu, with a faint smile: "Please do it. I don't want to become one of them."
Shizuka seemed to realize what was about to happen just as Saeko stood, bokken in hand.
Shizuka: "Wait, what are you—"
Saeko: "Please don't interfere. This boy will die with his pride intact. And protecting a man's pride is a woman's duty."
Then she brought her bokken down on Kazu's skull, splattering the window with blood and brain matter.
Shizuka had a horrified, shocked look on her face, covering her mouth with her right hand as if she couldn't comprehend what had just happened. As the two women looked on at the aftermath, their observer decided to make his presence known.
"Clap" "Clap"
Aurélien applauded sincerely at what he had witnessed. This immediately caught the attention of the two women, who turned to see the new arrival locking the door behind him.
Aurélien: "Lady Busujima, I truly admire your sense of duty and honor—qualities all too rare these days. You did that boy a service by keeping him from becoming one of those abominations."
The indigo-haired woman found the young man before her intriguing. His attire and cane made him look whimsical in this setting, yet it was clear he had no trouble moving. Moreover, his nonchalant demeanor suggested he had mastered the chaos overtaking the school.
Saeko: "Lady?"
Aurélien, a bit sheepish: "Sorry, my father was a former member of the French aristocracy and raised me to value the art of conversation. I know my way of speaking might sound odd in this country, but I'm proud of my heritage."
Saeko didn't mind this. As the heir to a long line of samurai with her own sword technique, she understood the expectations and ethics that came with noble lineage. Suddenly, Shizuka jumped up cheerfully, as if what had just happened never had.
Shizuka, with an innocent and excited smile: "A prince is here to rescue us—just like in the stories from my childhood!"
The two 18-year-olds chose to ignore her comment, though a faint smile of amusement flickered on their faces.
Saeko: "It's nothing. But could you remind me of your name? I remember we were in the same class, but I can't recall it."
This didn't surprise Aurélien. He had remained discreet for most of his student life, participating only in a few school plays to entertain himself and take his mind off machines and books. It was only recently that he chose to reveal his true self, even if people thought him insane.
He lightly placed his left hand on his chest, positioned his cane to his right while keeping hold of it, and bowed his head toward the woman he deemed worthy of respect—someone he believed to be his superior in combat.
Aurélien: "My lady, I am Aurélien Yamamoto, at your service."
The young woman didn't even have time to respond before the side door of the infirmary crashed down and more zombies entered the room. Aurélien drew his sword, stabbing the first in the chest, then decapitating it. The next had its left hand severed before losing its head. Saeko took out the last two, then wiped her face with her school uniform sleeve. Shizuka stayed behind the two fighters throughout the battle, knowing she would only get in the way.
Saeko: "I suggest we team up to get out of here."
Aurélien: "Agreed. But first, we should take as much medicine with us as possible."
Nodding in agreement, the three of them filled Aurélien and Shizuka's bags with all the usable medicine they could find.