Rei looked at Tetsuya anxiously. She was only worried about her childhood friend, even though she was also disappointed that he was together with Koichi Shido.
Who was Koichi Shido? He was Rei's enemy, the man she truly hated.
In the past, Rei's father, Tadashi Miyamoto, had investigated suspicious business dealings involving Koichi, which were led by Koichi's father, Ichirou Shido. Because of that, Rei was forced to repeat a school year by Koichi, even though she had been an outstanding student. Tadashi blamed himself for the incident, and Rei had hated Koichi ever since.
Tetsuya knew all of this. He didn't answer Rei and instead opened the bus door. When Koichi's group, being chased by a horde of zombies, arrived, Tetsuya casually grabbed Komuro and pulled him inside. The bus door slammed shut with a loud bang!
Koichi frowned in shock and shouted urgently, "Hey! Don't joke around. Open the door now and let us in!"
"Yeah! Let us in!"
"What the hell is wrong with you?! Why only Takashi?!"
Tetsuya shoved Komuro backward, allowing the anxious Rei to rush over to him.
Then Tetsuya turned to Koichi and smiled mockingly. "What a shame, I'm being completely serious, Mr. Koichi Shido. Besides, you're too rotten to stay with us, but just good enough to be food for the zombies," turning to Shizuka, he said, "Drive, Shizuka."
"Okay."
The bus drove off, leaving Koichi's group behind as they scattered in panic while the zombie horde closed in. Rei let out a sigh of relief, she was glad Komuro was safe, and also glad that Tetsuya hadn't let Koichi board the bus.
She knew just how dark that man was.
Komuro, who had been stunned until now, finally snapped out of it. He pulled away from Rei and shouted at Tetsuya, "What are you doing?! You just left Shido-sensei and the others behind like that?! You killed them!"
Tetsuya glanced at the furious Komuro, his expression remaining calm.
Saeko silently observed from the side, but her grip on her katana tightened, as if she were ready to cut Komuro down at any moment if he dared shout at Tetsuya again. Saya stayed quiet, she knew what was right and wrong. Tetsuya had the ability to keep them safe, and even though she knew Komuro better, that only made her realize that Komuro was no better than Tetsuya.
Shizuka, who was driving, listened in panic, her expression serious as she focused on the road while the argument raged behind her. Meanwhile, Rei was shocked and disappointed, Komuro still didn't understand how evil Koichi truly was.
"Don't you know what you've done?! Why did you abandon them like that?!" Komuro shouted again.
Saeko was already ready to raise her katana, but Tetsuya stopped her and calmly looked at Komuro. "Komuro Takashi, right? You were saved because Rei asked me to, because you're her friend. But after being saved, you yell at me? Don't you feel any shame?"
"Takashi, actually—!" Rei, still disappointed, tried to explain, but Komuro snapped at her.
"Shut up!"
Rei flinched, her eyes reddening as she was about to cry. Saya immediately moved closer to her. Saeko, having been restrained, simply stayed silent and looked at Tetsuya with a faint smile, an expression that was hard to read.
Komuro didn't care. He glared at Tetsuya. "I'm grateful that you saved me, but you can't just abandon Shido-sensei and the others! They want to live too! You killed them, this is against the law!"
"How funny. What law applies in a world this chaotic? It's the law of the jungle. Because I'm stronger and more capable, I get to live. And them? They can die for being parasites on other people's lives," Tetsuya sneered coldly at Komuro. "Honestly, if it weren't for Rei asking me, I wouldn't have bothered saving you at all."
"You—!"
"Takashi, enough!"
Komuro wanted to keep arguing, but Rei shouted angrily at him, even glaring at him with hostility.
Komuro froze in shock.
Tetsuya sneered and said, "If you really want to meet them that badly…" he walked up to Shizuka and said, "Stop the bus up ahead."
The bus stopped in front of a building. The door opened, and Tetsuya kicked Komuro out before the door slammed shut again.
"Then get out and go to them yourself. Shizuka, drive," Tetsuya said as he sat back down.
"Understood."
The bus drove off again, leaving Komuro Takashi behind, stunned, disbelieving, and filled with hatred.
…
The group chat live stream was still on, and the three women had witnessed the entire exchange.
[Tsunade Senju: Tsk. What is that kid thinking? What law matters when the world is ending?]
[Boa Hancock: A foolish man.]
[March 7th: Tetsuya, you're scary… but that guy was weird too. He didn't even know how to be grateful! Hmph! He doesn't deserve to be with you guys!]
[Tetsuya Hiratsuji: Alright, March 7th-chan. He's been discarded.]
"Tetsuya-kun, where should we go now?" Saeko asked as she approached him.
The others also looked at him. Even though Rei was still shaken because of Komuro Takashi, she was also thinking about where they should go next.
Tetsuya thought for a moment and said, "Do you know a safe place? With food and weapons?"
"I do! Let's go to my friend's house!" Shizuka said as she drove.
"Alright. For now, we'll go to Shizuka-sensei's friend's house. Food is the most important thing right now."
Saeko hadn't had time to gather supplies. She had only been investigating things like the new virus and infection related to the zombies yesterday, and today, the zombie apocalypse had already begun.
All four of them nodded, and Shizuka immediately drove the bus toward her friend's house.
The streets were filled with zombies, on every corner and in every alley. Hearing the roar of the engine, the zombies immediately gave chase, but they were clearly too slow. Any zombies blocking the road ahead were run over without hesitation by Shizuka, causing blood to splatter across the windshield.
Not far from Shizuka's friend's house, Tetsuya told her to stop the bus at a corner and suggested that they walk the rest of the way. The noise of the bus could attract even more zombies to surround the house.
The zombies along the way were taken out by Tetsuya and the others, and the five of them quickly entered Shizuka's friend's house.
After locking the door, they finally let out a sigh of relief.
"We should be safe here for a while," Tetsuya said with a smile at them.
Rei relaxed her tense shoulders, her mood, darkened by Koichi and Komuro, finally improving a little. "Finally…"
"Ugh, I'm all sticky from sweat. I smell awful, I want to take a shower," Saya complained.
"I'll show you to the bathroom. Come on, follow me," Shizuka said with a smile, leading Saeko and the others.
Meanwhile, Tetsuya turned off the live stream and went into the kitchen. Everyone had to be exhausted and hungry after such a terrifying ordeal.
[March 7th: Tetsuya, are you guys safe now? Why did the live stream end?]
[Tetsuya Hiratsuji: It's fine. We're at Saeko-senpai's teacher's friend's house right now.]
[Tsunade Senju: Hey, kid. You seem pretty skilled with a sword, are you a warrior?]
[Tetsuya Hiratsuji: No, I'm just a high school student who happens to be good with a sword. By the way, killing zombies gives 1 point.]
[Tsunade Senju: Killing zombies gives points? Didn't you harvest a ton then?]
[March 7th: Wow! Tetsuya, you're rich!]
[Boa Hancock: Does killing living creatures give points?]
[Tetsuya Hiratsuji: No idea. Maybe you can try hunting a Sea King.]
[Boa Hancock: …]
While cooking, Tetsuya chatted with the three women in the group chat.
Laughter and giggles came from the bathroom, Saeko and the others were bathing together. Tetsuya quickly prepared five dishes to restore their strength and calm their nerves.
"Saeko-senpai, everyone, come quickly! The food is ready!" Tetsuya called out toward the bathroom.
"Okay~!"