"...My classmates want to hear too. Is that okay?"
"No problem."
Hearing his reply, Utaha switched her phone to speaker so the rest of her class could hear.
Shiro began by recounting what he had witnessed. "I first saw a man collapsing and struggling at the school gate. A guard went to help and was bitten in the neck. There was a massive amount of blood loss, and shortly after, he turned into a zombie."
"I've confirmed that both of them are dead. No heartbeat, but their bodies are still moving. It's exactly like a zombie movie."
"This..." Utaha didn't know how to react for a moment, but every student in the room immediately scrambled to put distance between themselves and their classmates.
"The ones who fainted are the 'primary infected.' They will slowly transform. Death or fatal injuries will accelerate the process. As for anyone who has been bitten, they are likely infected already. If possible, bind them and monitor their condition."
Shiro shared his observations and the necessary precautions. He couldn't bring himself to say something as cruel and hopeless as 'You're already finished, just wait to die.'
"If you're careful, you should be fine. Evacuate to a secure location. If possible, secure the entire school. If not, find a room and barricade yourselves in."
Utaha immediately thought of the next step. "What about going home?"
Shiro shook his head, even though she couldn't see it. "If the school is like this, the outside is undoubtedly worse. If you walk or bike, your safety on the road can't be guaranteed. The trains are just moving coffins—there's nowhere to run if someone turns in a crowded carriage. The zombies in a school are a finite number, but the situation outside is far more complex."
Drivers fainting and crashing into crowds, victims dying and turning instantly... a chain reaction of chaos was likely already sweeping the city.
"I understand. I'll find a way to manage things here, Shiro-kun." Utaha's voice carried a slight tremor. She wanted to ask for help, but her pride made it difficult to form the words.
Will you come and save me? How could she even ask that?
He had made a promise yesterday, and she had been waiting for him to say the words she longed to hear. But what right did she have to ask him to ignore the dangers and cross the distance between Chiba and Tokyo for a mere "friend"—even if there were deeper feelings involved? In the end, she stayed silent.
But then...
"Yeah. Once I've settled things on my end, I'm coming to get you."
Utaha gripped her phone tightly, a muffled sob of relief caught in her throat. She fought to keep her voice steady so the others wouldn't notice.
"It's too dangerous, maybe you should—"
"We had a deal. Don't worry, just stay safe and wait for me," Shiro interrupted.
She took a deep breath and replied softly, "I understand."
The students in her class were seeing a side of the school's "Ice Queen" they had never imagined—a far cry from her usual cold, sharp-tongued, and intellectual persona.
"From Chiba to Tokyo, it's about an hour. I'll get there as fast as I can."
Chiba was considered part of the Greater Tokyo Area because they were adjacent, but considering the time needed to secure Sobu High, the likely paralyzed traffic, and the need for detours, it would be a challenge. Shiro had never even been to Toyogasaki Academy; he only knew it was somewhere in the heart of Tokyo. He wasn't even that familiar with the capital outside of the famous spots like Akihabara, Ginza, Shibuya, or Ikebukuro.
"Okay."
Utaha hung up and looked at the students staring at her. She took a deep breath to settle her nerves, quickly regaining her usual composed, elegant demeanor.
"I will be taking command from here. Does anyone have an objection?"
As the top genius of Toyogasaki and one of its legendary beauties, her restored presence carried an undeniable weight.
"No, Kasumigaoka-san! We'll follow you!"
"We're counting on you!"
A chorus of soft responses filled the room. Everyone kept their voices low, as if afraid of waking the monsters at their feet.
Back in Chiba, Shiro pocketed his phone. He offered a thin smile. "Let's wrap things up on our end, quickly."
"It's no use. I'm looking at the news," Hachiman said, his face expressionless. "The government is saying there's a 'large-scale outbreak of a new flu strain.' They're 'investigating the cause' and telling citizens 'not to believe rumors on the internet.' Basically, the usual 'please stay calm' script."
Shiro felt a sense of déjà vu. "So, they're stalling."
"Mhm." Hachiman shrugged, not wanting to elaborate. Politicians were bound by public opinion and protocol; they had to confirm, deliberate, and plan before making any major moves. The price for a "perfect" decision was time—but that was the nature of the beast.
"What you two were just talking about... was that a joke?" Yukino asked. Her voice was calm, but there was an icy edge of accusation in it. If Shiro didn't know her better, he would have kept his distance.
"Why don't you listen to me before deciding if it's a joke?" Shiro countered.
Yukino was someone who, like Shiro, rejected social circles to the point of being isolated in class—though their reasons differed. Shiro knew that having a reliable friend like Hachiman was worth more than a dozen hollow acquaintances. He didn't want to waste his time on a class full of people whose hearts were unknown to him.
Back before he had become the "gloomy weirdo" of his class, Shiro had occasionally found love letters in his shoe locker—a classic Japanese trope. Hayama Hayato probably got them by the dozen. Shiro had once met one of the girls in the courtyard and rejected her flatly. If love was an investment, he expected a return; to him, finding a "good house" to live in for a lifetime was more important than an unstable short-term speculation.
After that rejection, the rumors started. High school was a place to "enjoy youth," and most students were just people waiting for their adult lives to begin. Bored teenagers would spread any gossip, and since Shiro didn't belong to any "clique," no one spoke up for him. The labels of "unfriendly" and "unapproachable" stuck instantly. It didn't affect his daily life; it was a consequence he had accepted as the price for his own voluntary isolation.
Yukino, however, was isolated out of pure malice: the jealousy of other girls. The boys who approached her usually did so because they liked her, but she rejected them all, which only fueled the girls' resentment. Even without knowing the full details, Shiro knew she had faced severe bullying—her indoor shoes had been hidden or stolen nearly sixty times, fifty of which were by girls.
To Shiro, these were just the petty squabbles of "bratty children." This had started back in her elementary school days and left a permanent scar, leading her to go abroad for middle school. She returned for high school as an "Ice Queen"—cold, sharp-tongued, and fiercely independent. Like Hachiman, she refused to change. She was the kind of cute girl who, if asked if she had friends, would dodge the question by trying to "define" the concept of friendship first—the hallmark of someone with no friends.
Yukino shifted her cold gaze from Shiro to her "subordinate" club member.
"Don't look at me, I haven't done anything yet," Hachiman muttered, backing away from her "detecting a criminal" stare.
"So, what is the situation exactly?" Yukino asked, her tone now openly demanding.
"Some students are likely infected. The building across from us is a ticking time bomb. The outside isn't safe. Therefore," Shiro said, his tone shifting into one of grand strategy, "we shall 'Hold the Emperor to command the nobles.'"
Hachiman scoffed. "Are you Cao Cao now?" Being a top student in humanities, he immediately recognized the reference to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Japan's obsession with the Three Kingdoms era was immense—countless games, from Sangokushi to Dynasty Warriors, existed. They even gave their own historical figures nicknames based on it, like the strategist Takenaka Hanbei being called the "Modern Kongming."
"No, I'm not fond of Cao Cao, though his strategy of using the Emperor's authority to control the warlords was undeniably effective." Shiro spat to the side. "Tch."
"Meaning," Yukino said, "that Shiro-kun is planning to use this chaotic situation to seize control of the school? What a breathtakingly arrogant plan."
"To be precise, not 'control.' 'Manipulate'."
"Is there a difference?" Hachiman whispered.
"Manipulate? Shizuka-sensei and the other faculty are still here. Why engage in such a foolish, thankless task?" Yukino couldn't understand. She saw Shizuka-sensei outside inspecting the barricades. Why would Shiro think he needed to pull the strings?
"Because we are students. Should we just leave everything to Shizuka-sensei and the adults because they are 'obligated' to protect us?"
"No, that's not what I meant—" Yukino started.
"I know it's not what you meant, and it's not what I meant either," Shiro interrupted, raising a hand. "But most of the students here will default to that mindset subconsciously."
"...Yeah." Hachiman thought for a moment and nodded.
"So?"
Just then, Yukino's phone rang. She pulled it from her skirt pocket. The caller ID simply said: Mother. Just seeing the word evoked the image of a dignified woman in a traditional kimono.
"Hello, Mother?"
The voice on the other end was uncharacteristically soft and frantic—a far cry from the strict woman Yukino knew.
"Yukino? Thank goodness you're safe."
"Yes... but at school, many people have... collapsed," Yukino admitted.
"I know. It's the same at your father's company. He's currently organizing a rescue effort. We can't reach the driver, so stay in a safe place. Your father is coming to get you himself."
This was rare. Due to the family's status, her father hadn't driven himself in years.
"I'm safe for now. What about Sister?"
"I'll contact Haruno shortly."
"...I see." A sudden, fleeting feeling of having "won" against her sister flared in Yukino's heart, followed immediately by a wave of shame. Her emotions were a tangled mess. "Mother..."
"Yes? What is it?"
"Don't worry about me for now. We're grouped together in the Special Building. The corridors are barricaded. And... regarding the ones who collapsed... people are saying they've seen them stand back up and bite others. Like zombies in the movies."
"...I understand. Just stay safe. As long as you are unharmed, that is all that matters." Her mother's voice was calm, projecting a sense of security that made Yukino feel like everything was under control. Her mother was, after all, the true power behind the Yukinoshita family, while her father was technically a son-in-law who had married into the name.
"Yes."
She hung up. The atmosphere among the three became heavy. It felt as if their "trio" had barely begun its journey before one member was already preparing to leave.
"This is exactly what I was considering," Shiro said. "The worst-case scenario."
Yukino turned to him. "What?"
Shiro asked a pointed question that hit Hachiman right in the gut: "How many of the teachers at our school do you think are single and have no children?"
"Ah..." Hachiman instantly understood the implication.
It was a classic "Trolley Problem," but in a more personal form. Duty vs. Family. Students vs. Kin.
The choice was far too easy for most people. Parents would worry about their children. Husbands would worry about wives. If things truly turned for the worse, the students—the "minors" who weren't expected to act and were essentially "leftover" baggage—would be the last priority.
Why do high schoolers always save the world in stories? Because they're the only ones with nothing better to do.
Hachiman suddenly realized why Shizuka-sensei was their greatest asset. She wasn't married. She had no boyfriend. She had no children. She lived alone. Even if something happened at her parents' house, her family's powerful background meant they likely didn't need her help.
This was exactly Shiro's point. For other teachers, the choice was between friends/students and family. They would always choose family.
But Shizuka-sensei was different. In this specific crisis, her "single" status made her a radiant, unexpected beacon of hope.
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