Acting

"You!" Blondie glared furiously, letting out a roar as though he could intimidate his opponent. He stepped forward with his left foot and threw a right punch straight at Komuro Takashi's fairly handsome face.

"Bang—Aah~ blegh—"

Miyamoto Rei, standing behind Komuro Takashi, was the first to react. She darted in front of him and swept her homemade spear across, striking Blondie in the abdomen. He doubled over like a boiled shrimp, curling into himself as the tremendous force churned his stomach until he finally vomited.

Miyamoto Rei might not have held much of an advantage against Dead Bodies, but against ordinary people, even without using her full strength, her blows were far from easy to endure. Years of spear training had made her the ace of her club among a group of boys, so her skill was obvious.

Force traveled through the homemade spear again. Its excellent flexibility lent even more power to the blow, something Blondie—who had just thrown up and could barely stand—could not withstand...

"Bang—"

Blondie's hundred-plus pounds were sent straight into the air. He flew back a full half meter before crashing to the floor, clutching his stomach with both hands. The intense pain left him unable to speak, his face flushed red as he collapsed to one side.

A small patch of filth remained in the bus. The pungent smell of stomach acid made Kurumi frown in displeasure. She thought even the scent of blood was better than this; the sour stench filled her nose.

"Scum!" Miyamoto Rei lowered her spear to one side as she faced Blondie. Her cold, hateful tone left even Komuro Takashi behind her staring in astonishment.

"Clap, clap, clap—" "What wonderful teamwork, Komuro, Miyamoto." Koichi Shidou, seated at the back of the bus, seemed to see hope once more—the hope of becoming this group's leader.

He walked forward, clapping as he looked at Komuro Takashi and Miyamoto Rei as if in admiration. One elbow rested on a nearby seat to support his body, while two contradictory expressions—arrogance and humility—appeared on his face. Komuro Takashi wanted to rush up and punch him right then.

"Still, this dispute only proves that my opinion is correct." He leaned forward slightly, bringing that nauseating face before Miyamoto Rei again, watching the shorter girl with a strange smile.

"We do indeed need a leader."

"And there's only one candidate, right?" Takagi Saya pushed up the glasses on her nose, glancing sideways at Koichi Shidou beside her.

"I'm a teacher, Saya, and all of you are students." Koichi Shidou continued smiling at Takagi Saya, making her turn away with a frustrated expression.

"That alone is enough to determine who is qualified." Shidou straightened up, his voice rising steadily. "Choose me, and I can think of a way to solve everything without any problems!" Turning around, Koichi Shidou looked like the very model of an outstanding candidate as he faced the confused students.

Blondie lay in the bus with a mixture of drool and stomach fluid still at the corner of his mouth, gazing at him expectantly. He felt that Teacher Shidou becoming the leader would be pretty good. Wasn't he clearly standing up for him? Besides, Shidou seemed to have some conflict with Komuro and the others. If that could be fully exploited...

"What does everyone think?" The braided girl with glasses, the first to be won over by Shidou's "personal charisma," rose excitedly from her seat and began applauding him. The short-haired girl beside her quickly followed.

Gradually, the students Shidou had brought onto the bus were swept up by the atmosphere. They applauded him happily, and some even whistled. They were like drowning people clutching at their last straw.

Seeing this scene, Koichi Shidou could not help feeling pleased with himself. Still, appearances had to be maintained. Wearing a hypocritical smile, he gave an exceptionally humble gentleman's bow.

To Kurumi, the atmosphere reeked of some third-rate staged performance. In peaceful times, wouldn't this sort of thing be a comedy variety show on television? Unfortunately, she had not watched much of that. Still, this seemed like a good opportunity to complete a side quest...

Kurumi was still making plans in her mind. Of course, she was not plotting some elaborate scheme. She was merely considering what excuse she should use—what body part Koichi Shidou should lose while still being able to escape alive.

Behind Shidou, Miyamoto Rei's expression had completely darkened. She still could not believe those brainless idiots had been so easily swayed by Shidou. She truly could not imagine what would happen if the group were handed over to him. At the very least, she had no intention of remaining with this team...

"That settles it. The minority obeys the majority, and I'm the leader!" A barely perceptible excitement seeped into his words as he turned toward Miyamoto Rei and the others.

"Oh my~ Does that mean we'll all have to listen to you from now on? Does that mean we must obey you in everything~?"

Koichi Shidou looked toward Kurumi. Her wine-red eyes carried a depth that seemed accumulated over the years, and they intoxicated him. It was as though he had seen his long-dead mother! He could swear from the bottom of his heart that he had never been this crazed over any woman before!

Get her! Get her! I have to get her! I'm the leader of this group now, so they should all listen to me! Then I can find a quiet little hotel... Only I can give her the best protection!

It was as if a little demon perched on his shoulder, whispering constantly into his ear. Those words echoed through his clever mind as the light of reason slowly faded from his eyes. Looking at Kurumi seated in her chair, he could see how her posture accentuated her alluring curves. The hint of wine-red in her eyes tempted him like poison.

"That's right, I'm the leader. I'll lead you out of this disaster, provided that all of you obediently listen to me~. Surely you don't distrust me, Classmate Tokisaki?"

"Hehe~ Of course not. I'm a good girl, after all." Seeing Kurumi cover her mouth as she laughed like a delicate young woman, Koichi Shidou's body immediately grew hot. If there had not been so many people on the bus, he likely would have been unable to restrain his desire any longer.

"But we never planned to go with you, Teacher Shidou." Even though those words came from Kurumi's tender cherry lips, Koichi Shidou swiftly forced himself to calm down.

The lust in his eyes vanished completely, and his hypocritical smile returned. "Classmate Tokisaki, don't throw a little tantrum. In this disaster-stricken world, the more people there are, the easier it is to survive. Mutual support is the proper path. Splitting up now would clearly be bad for everyone."

Kurumi narrowed her eyes, but her words showed no mercy, and her tone gradually turned cold. "But I simply can't entrust my safety to a murderer."

Just as Koichi Shidou was about to refute her, Kurumi's voice followed like a death warrant. "Do you remember the boy with glasses before we got on the bus? I saw everything that happened perfectly clearly." Her voice remained charming, but Koichi Shidou broke out in a cold sweat.

That fleeting unease was instantly noticed by the sharp-sensed Busujima Saeko.

"So Classmate Tokisaki means Masakuma. Yes, it was all my fault. If only I'd been a little faster, I could have saved him. But Masakuma... he forcibly pushed me away! He told me to run! He faced those monsters alone..."

Tears glistened at the corners of his eyes as he spoke, his acting flawless. Kurumi felt that if Koichi Shidou became an actor, his future would be limitless—he was worthy of an award for Best Actor! Couldn't they see that every student behind him believed him? Those two young girls had even been moved to tears!

"Could you get off the bus, then?"