Joker

The people inside the bus remained in a state of high tension. They were silent regarding Koichi Shidou's words; until he displayed the demeanor expected of a leader, they would not make any rash decisions, as their lives were at stake.

Koichi Shidou did not feel awkward. The grooming he had received from his family for years manifested here. He smiled slightly at the students he had brought with him and walked back to his seat with a brisk, steady gait. For those students who had yet to be tempered by society, this gesture inevitably made them feel a bit embarrassed...

In the corner of Busujima Saeko's eye, she noticed that this girl, who exuded mystery at every turn, had been looking out the window the entire time. Little did she know, Kurumi was actually browsing a virtual panel...

Main Quest ② had been completed the moment the school bus broke through the school gates, and the reward of 20 Reincarnation Points had already been issued. She took a glance at the total... 23 Reincarnation Points.

Main Quest ②: Completed (Reward issued)

Main Quest ③: Reach Nanri's residence (Success: 30 Reincarnation Points; Failure: Deduction of all Reincarnation Points)

Side Quest ②: 100/71

New Side Quest: "Expel Koichi Shidou"

Seeing this, Kurumi's gaze toward the "window" narrowed slightly. She read much into this sentence. Why "expel" instead of "kill"? Could he be related to subsequent missions? Would killing him cause irreparable consequences?

For now, it was better to listen to the Main God; after all, she currently lacked the qualifications to resist. She sighed softly and continued to browse the store...

To be honest, 23 Reincarnation Points were embarrassingly few. She couldn't afford anything valuable, yet they were too many to be considered worthless. As for why she didn't exchange for firearms?

It wasn't worth it. After all, in the anime, there was a cabinet full of guns once they reached Nanri's residence, and she didn't know if Dead Bodies killed by firearms would count toward side quests.

Anyway, she wasn't in a hurry. Looking at the Reincarnation Points rewarded by the missions, there wasn't much time left until dark, and no major incidents should occur. She calmed her mind and looked at the scenery outside the window...

"You will regret this. You will absolutely regret saving him!"

The intentionally lowered voice made Komuro Takashi turn to look at Miyamoto Rei, who wore a serious and disgusted expression. She leaned forward, revealing her striking curves. Komuro Takashi didn't know why she had such thoughts... Everyone was from the same school; why couldn't they help each other? Wouldn't an extra person mean an extra bit of strength?

Just as Komuro Takashi was about to retort, a background-character boy in the back of the bus suddenly exclaimed, "The city!"

The school bus was traveling on a highway at a higher elevation, which provided the people inside with a good vantage point. Although they couldn't take in the entire city, they could view most of it in a fan-shaped field of vision.

It was also possible that because the development level of this world was far lower than reality, the height of the buildings didn't hinder their view. Looking into the distance, one could see the sea where the water met the sky.

The sun was setting in the west, and the sea surface was illuminated with brilliant golden light. The coastal city was also rendered by the afterglow, but this beauty was marred by several plumes of black smoke rising high into the air, with sparks of fire dotting the scene, revealing an ominous air...

Looking closer into the city, some areas had already turned dark. On the streets, the streetlights had begun their nightly work, yet in the once-crowded areas, not a single person could be seen. Blood splattered on the roadside told the tale of what had happened here.

Along the coast, many ships had not returned to the docks and were just drifting quietly on the sea, slowly scattering... Perhaps the owners of those ships had long since turned into Dead Bodies.

The people in the bus remained silent as they saw this. That oppressive atmosphere descended upon them once more, heavy to the point of being eerie, enough to drive a person mad! If not for the sound of the school bus engine reminding them, they would have truly thought this was no longer the world they knew.

"Bang—"

The school bus driven by Shizuka Marikawa successfully sent another Dead Body flying into the air; who told it to stay in the middle of the road? Perhaps this had indirectly saved the convenience store clerk who was still holding his post nearby. It was unknown if he would suffer a breakdown when he got off work and headed home...

"Tch! I'm telling you, going any further is just asking for trouble!" The blondie sitting in the very back stood up. His unbuttoned school uniform and dyed yellow hair proved that he was a bona fide delinquent at school.

The kinetic energy of the speeding bus forced him to grab the seat back to steady himself. He hunched over slightly, his fierce expression making the two girls sitting in the nearby seats feel uneasy.

"Besides, why do we have to tag along with Komuro and the others? You guys just decided on your own to go back into the city, right? Wouldn't it have been fine to just find a safe place in the school?"

That tone made Takagi Saya and Hirano Kota, who were sitting in front, frown, and even Shizuka Marikawa, who was driving, seemed somewhat impatient.

At this moment, a long-haired boy behind the blondie, who looked like his lackey, chimed in, "Yeah, better to find a place to hole up, just like that convenience store earlier!"

"Screech—"

Shizuka Marikawa slammed on the brakes. The massive inertia almost sent the blondie flying. Just as he wanted to lift his head to see what was going on, he saw Shizuka Marikawa turn her head with an impatient look.

"Stop messing around! How am I supposed to drive like this!"

The blondie, startled by Shizuka Marikawa's sternness, finally reacted. "What the hell!..."

Before he could finish, Busujima Saeko, who was holding her Oak Sword, asked, "So, what do you want to do?"

Once he saw it was the winner of the national kendo tournament, the blondie immediately lost his nerve. But the pride of a delinquent made him quickly shift his target. "Tch!"

He looked at Busujima Saeko, then pointed his finger at Komuro Takashi, his tone like that of a man whose father had been murdered. "I'm pissed! I can't stand this guy!"

"Hehe." Komuro Takashi, who had just stood up, heard Kurumi's highly recognizable laughter. Seeing everyone look at him, Kurumi turned her slightly parted, smiling face toward the blondie.

At this moment, the blondie's inner thoughts were intense; his mind collided constantly, producing one of the three great illusions of life—she likes me! His gaze was mesmerized as he looked at the half-profile of Kurumi's exquisite smile. One had to know that she was a well-known Goddess in the school! Ever since he first saw her, he believed she was an angel sent by heaven to save him!

He had saved every photo he could find on the school forum to his phone, and even changed his wallpaper, all just for the day he could have a beautiful encounter with her. Even in this era of catastrophe, he wanted to fully show off in front of Kurumi.

After seeing Kurumi's peerless combat power, he had inevitably felt a bit dejected. Now that Kurumi's gaze was finally focused on him, how could he not be moved?

Could it be that the Goddess also thought he was right? Yes, it must be! Otherwise... But the next sentence knocked him from heaven down to hell in an instant...

"Do you guys know? If it weren't for Komuro insisting on saving you, how could you possibly still be alive on this bus? And now you show such an ugly face to your benefactor. I feel it's not worth it for him, don't you agree, Komuro?"

She turned her head to look at him, her emotional tone sounding incredibly charming. The last sentence, slightly coquettish, seemed as if it would make one's soul ascend, but Komuro Takashi, who bore the brunt of it, shuddered.

Although he was also struck by Kurumi's stunning beauty, he didn't know why he was so afraid of this black-bellied senior. To prevent her from setting a trap for him in some unknown way, he thought it best not to answer...

Seeing this, the blondie was absolutely furious! The Goddess in his heart was actually using a coquettish tone with someone else!

And it was Komuro Takashi, whom he despised! That idiot didn't even know how to answer the Goddess; it looked like it was time to teach him a bloody lesson!