Upstairs in the school building, several students watched in disbelief as a dark, unremarkable Jeep barreled through the campus, its path sending corpses flying like rag dolls.
The vehicle smashed through the school gate and successfully escaped.
Once it reached the main road, Shizuka Marikawa explained that a friend of hers had weapons stored at their house, so she immediately drove in that direction.
For the first time since escaping, everyone finally had a moment to breathe—and talk.
"Um… who exactly are you?" Saya Takagi finally asked, unable to hold back any longer. "Are you angels? Or some kind of superpowered people?"
Her gaze lingered on the glowing halo above Exusiai's head.
The halo floated freely, moving perfectly with Exusiai's head, suspended in midair. Combined with the terrifying abilities she and Kisaragi Akira had displayed earlier, Saya's curiosity had reached its limit.
Exusiai smiled lazily.
"I'm not an angel, and I'm not a superpowered human either," she said casually. "I'm a Lateran. You can call me Exusiai."
Akira nodded slightly."I am a superpowered individual," he said calmly. "And I'm Saeko's friend. Kisaragi Akira."
"I'm Saya Takagi," Saya replied.
Inside, her thoughts were anything but calm.
A powerful superhuman.A Lateran who looked like an angel.
How exactly had Saeko-senpai met people like this?
"My name is Rei Miyamoto," Rei said quietly, her voice low.
"I'm Shizuka Marikawa," the woman driving added cheerfully. "Though it seems Akira-kun already knows me."
Marikawa frowned slightly.
She couldn't recall ever meeting him.So how did he know her?
Akira glanced toward Saeko Busujima.
Understanding immediately, Saeko said calmly, "I told Akira-kun about you."
Marikawa's eyes lit up."Oh, I see."
Saya Takagi watched Akira and Saeko for a long moment. She could tell things weren't nearly as simple as they appeared—but she chose not to ask.
"Before we go any further," Akira said, his tone becoming serious."We need a plan."
He was speaking directly to Saeko.
"First, you need to understand this: we can only stay in your world for five days."
"Second, our mission is to clean up corpses as much as possible, not to completely eradicate them."
"We don't yet have the ability to eliminate all the undead. They've already spread across the world."
"We can only help you temporarily. In the end, you'll have to rely on yourselves to build a safe zone and survive."
There were others present, and Akira kept some thoughts to himself.
The Doomsday Chat Group would never allow them to help for free.High mission completion almost certainly meant rewards.
That was also why he was acting so decisively.
Benefits meant motivation.
"Only five days…?" Saya Takagi asked anxiously. "Are you leaving after that?"
Akira didn't answer. He simply looked at Saeko.
Saeko's gaze was clear and steady.
A five-day apocalypse journey.It was unreasonable to expect them to protect everyone forever.
She turned to Saya.
"Saya Takagi, are you still planning to look for your parents?"
Saya clenched her fists and nodded firmly."Yes."
"Then we'll get weapons from Shizuka-sensei's friend's house first," Saeko said decisively."After that, we'll go look for your parents."
"And once that's done, we'll find a safe location and establish our own base."
The decision was made.
Throughout the entire discussion, Rei Miyamoto remained silent.
Akira felt something was off.
He scanned the inside of the car again.
Then it hit him.
…Someone's missing.
"Where's Takashi Komuro?" he thought.
Testing the waters, Akira asked carefully,"You escaped on your own. What about the boys you were with? Didn't they come along?"
Saeko casually brushed her hair aside."I don't have a boyfriend. And there's no guy I like."
Her standards were higher now.Ordinary men no longer caught her attention—especially after meeting Akira.
"I don't have one either," Saya snorted. "Those guys are all idiots who think with their lower bodies."
Shizuka Marikawa sighed dramatically."Sensei is an old maid… sob sob…"
Akira resisted the urge to comment.
Only Rei Miyamoto stayed silent.
Her lips trembled slightly as she bit them, lowering her head.
Seeing this, Saya Takagi sighed and gently patted Rei's shoulder.
"Sigh… what's done is done," she said softly."Takashi Komuro and Hisashi Igou already left. We have to keep moving forward."
"..."
Akira's eyes widened slightly.
He knew Hisashi Igou was dead.
But Takashi Komuro?
That realization struck him again.
Reality was reality.Anime was anime.
They might share similarities—but the future was never fixed.
Akira wisely chose not to dig deeper into painful wounds.
He closed his eyes, appearing to rest—
—but quietly opened the Doomsday Chat Group.
Messages had already piled up.
March 7th:"@Akira @Exusiai @Saeko Busujima How is it? How is it?? Say something!"
Kisaragi Akira:"We've arrived. We rescued them and are heading to get weapons now."
March 7th:"That's great! I was worried forever! Pam is angry.jpg"
"..."
Akira stared at the message.
They were already using Pam screenshots as memes.
As expected of you, Little March.