The classroom buzzed with half-hearted attention as the blonde teacher spoke in a bored, mechanical tone. Students nodded, pretended, or straight-up zoned out
Yuki just blinked in confusion.
A minute ago, he was at work.
Now he was surrounded by teenagers with anime hair colors, sparkly eyes, and suspiciously perfect skin.
'…I guess I'm dead?'
He didn't scream. Didn't panic. Couldn't.
A thousand years of corporate experience had drilled one rule into his soul:
Never cause trouble in front of a higher-up.
So he sat there like the perfect employee—quiet, polite, and spiritually deceased.
'I thought I'd make it to twenty-five…" He shrugged, "Meh, not much left anyway.'
He wanted to glance outside and figure out what kind of world he'd landed in, but there was a teacher here. A Higher-Up. And he was a lifetime-certified higher-up pleaser.
So he stared forward.
Then the teacher's face finally registered in his brain—and his stomach dropped.
"…Wait."
She looked familiar.
Too familiar.
A manga scene flashed across his mind.
Yuki's eyes went wide.
"No way…"
Slowly—oh so painfully slowly—he turned to look at the back corner by the window.
Two dull brown eyes stared straight into his soul.
'Haah…'
Long brown hair. Tired eyes. Depressed aura.
It was Shiro.
The protagonist of "Let Go and Die."
Yuki snapped back to the front, forcing his expression into something between polite, interest and internal screaming.
'Not only an apocalypse… I landed in his class. Great.'
He remembered the story.
Shiro had a normal life—loving parents, warmth, and stability.
Then the car accident took everything in the blink of an eye.
Relatives came "to help."
They only wanted the house.
Shiro worked himself half to death at fifteen and dealt with bullying, loneliness, and exhaustion… and on the day of the university exam—
Zombies.
Because why not?
He already has a misserable life, why not make it worse?
And the first scene?
Right here.
This classroom.
This teacher.
'Maybe I'm lucky enough to land a few weeks before the apocalypse?'
Unfortunately even Yuki didn't believe in himself.
He instinctively stood up and raised his hand mid-stride toward the door.
"Yuki? Something happened?"
The teacher blinked.
Yuki felt embarrassed, but time was ticking.
"I… feel like throwing up. Can I g—"
He clamped a hand over his mouth, looking violently ill.
The teacher went pale.
"H-Ha!? Go! Go!! Don't vomit here!"
Yuki bolted.
Behind him, whispers erupted.
"What happened?"
"Did he eat too much?"
"He looked awful…"
Shiro watched him leave through half-lidded eyes.
He knew Yuki. He knew the group Yuki followed.
No sympathy. No curiosity.
Just the dull, numb thought:
'They're up to something again.'
The class buzzed louder.
Shiro silently observed the class, waiting for the next hit to come.
His heart didn't even race anymore.
Just another day.
***
Yuki headed straight to the cafeteria.
While walking the hallways, memories of the body flashed in his mind, each of them confirming he had made the right decision.
"It's good I didn't trust my luck."
The morning news had been full of strange reports—violent incidents, missing people, even reports of civilians acting… unnaturally.
Everything screamed apocalypse.
But no one noticed.
Even if they did, it was already too late.
He reached the kitchen door and tapped lightly.
Tap, tap.
A faint voice called, "Come in."
Inside, an elderly sister was washing dishes. Normally, Yuki wouldn't dare to act this boldly.
But today wasn't normal.
"Sister, the principal wants a spare key to the storage."
She blinked. "Why?"
Yuki shrugged casually, like he had no care for the key. "Maybe he lost his own?"
She hesitated, then nodded. "Okay… wait a minute."
Moments later, the key rested in Yuki's palm.
He bowed politely, then turned toward the storage.
"…Even I would've believed that. Kinda scary how good people can lie."
He scratched his cheek, embarrassed, "Good thing Father can't se—"
"—AAAAAAAAAH!! HEEEELP!!"
"PLEASE HELP!!"
The screams tore across the schoolyard.
Students panicked. Teachers shouted futile orders. Gasps echoed from those who had glimpsed the chaos outside.
Yuki went pale.
He knew the apocalypse was coming, but not… like this.
A minute ago the world looked like a goofy high-school anime. How was he supposed to predict this?.
Another scream stabbed through the air.
Yuki stood frozen in front of the storage door.
The key was cold in his hand. He could lock himself in. He could survive. It was the smart choice.
But his mind was elsewhere.
Shiro.
The only person in this world Yuki felt a bound.
The noises from the corridors grew louder. His grip tightened.
He could lock himself in. He could live.
"HEEEELP!!"
Yuki's chest thumped violently.
He stared at the storage door. Then at the direction of the chaos outside.
No matter which choice he imagined, his heart refused calm.
He was the only one who knew the suffering Shiro would endure.
"This is how idiots die…"
And then, he ran toward the chaos.