Expulsion

"Could I ask you to get off the bus now?"

She turned around, smiling at Koichi Shidou's supporters.

Like startled rabbits, they shrank back again and again until there was nowhere left to retreat. The bus swayed slightly, and from outside, it was obvious that the rear tires had been flattened somewhat under the weight.

Blondie collapsed onto the floor. The girl's radiant smile before him was like a demon luring away people's souls, yet her jade-like face shone with a holy light that filled him with terror.

He wanted to escape this place. Even the hordes of zombies outside could not suppress the fear in his heart. Just look at Koichi Shidou, still clutching his arm as he knelt on the floor and wept soundlessly... Maybe he would be next.

Going to the hospital in this situation? What a joke. Leaving aside the dangers along the way, what could you do even if you got there? Did you know medicine? The people in the hospital had either fled long ago or turned into those monsters!

Being with the Goddess was nice and all, but he still had to keep himself alive, didn't he? And now, she was clearly on Komuro Takashi's side! If she stabbed you in the back later, you might not even live to see tomorrow's sun...

"I... I'll go. I'm leaving right now."

Blondie carefully got to his feet and fawned over Kurumi, looking exactly like a lapdog desperate to please its master. Takagi Saya, sitting in her seat, looked at him with undisguised contempt.

But Koichi Shidou's supporters were filled with hope. If he could get through safely... then that meant they could get through safely too. As long as they were alive, where they went did not matter. Fighting monsters was still better than having to watch out for Kurumi every second.

The distance between Blondie and Kurumi gradually shrank. In the cramped bus, he moved forward one tiny step at a time. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, revealing just how unsettled he was.

Just as he was about to reach Kurumi, the elf-like beauty was reflected in his eyes, yet he could not summon even the slightest lewd thought. Seeing her shift aside and leave him plenty of room, he swallowed, put on a flattering smile, and bowed and scraped his way past her.

He made it through safely. A fresh fragrance filled his nostrils, far surpassing those cheap, gaudy women by who knew how much. Blondie resisted the urge to take a few more breaths of it, lowering his head and not daring to look at Kurumi's radiant face again.

"Tap—ow!"

Even after passing Kurumi and reaching the front of the bus, Blondie did not immediately turn around. To show his respect, and to avoid making her misunderstand, he kept facing backward, intending to walk out of the school bus like that...

But in his nervousness, he had clearly forgotten that Koichi Shidou was still kneeling on the floor in front of him! And so, tragedy struck.

He stepped on Koichi Shidou's severed right hand. Losing his balance, he slipped and crashed down onto the teacher he had once "respected" behind him. Ignoring Shidou's low groans beneath him, he hurriedly rose to his feet and looked fearfully at Kurumi, not daring to make the slightest move...

His black school uniform had already been dusty, but now it was covered in blood. His comical expression made Kurumi snort with laughter, after which she waved him away with a look of disgust.

Blondie was overjoyed. The last time he had been this happy was three years ago, when he got into Fujimi Academy. Back then, he had still been a good kid... He gave Kurumi a deep bow, then turned and was about to run out of the school bus...

"Wait." Those two simple words plunged Blondie into the Abyss. He had no idea what he had done wrong. Though the bus door was right beside him and he wanted to flee, his heart could not give him enough courage.

He decisively turned around. "What are your orders?" His expression was meticulous enough to make him seem like the butler of some ancient, prestigious family, but the blood all over him made Kurumi lose any interest.

"Drag Koichi Shidou away too. He is your leader, after all, isn't he? Make sure you take good 'care' of him. Don't let him die, or else... I'll feel very guilty."

Her sweet, seductive voice entered his ears, and Blondie moved without the slightest hesitation. He did not mind the blood on Shidou as he grabbed his suit and dragged him out of the bus.

"Oh, and after you put him down, remember to come back for your companions. While you're at it, clean up this mess for me!"

"Yes, yes, yes! I'll be right back!"

Once outside the bus, Blondie directly threw Koichi Shidou onto the ground, making him let out a muffled groan. Just as he was about to head back inside, he remembered how much filth was in there. He glanced at Shidou, and an idea immediately came to him.

Squatting down, he began stripping off Shidou's suit jacket while muttering to himself, "Teacher Shidou, I risked my life to save you, so it's not too much to ask you to contribute one suit, right?"

Without caring what Koichi Shidou might have said, he swiftly pulled off the jacket, took a deep breath of the cold air outside, returned to the school bus, and began using Shidou's suit jacket as a rag to wipe away the blood...

The entire suit was dyed crimson with blood, yet it still was not clean. He wrapped Koichi Shidou's severed hand in the jacket and threw it outside, then took off his own school uniform jacket and continued wiping.

Kurumi suddenly felt that this guy was not bad. He could bend and stretch as needed, though he was somewhat brainless. If they were in the Main God Space, she would not mind taking him on as a lackey... But now, forget it. A weakling whose basic combat ability was not even enough to beat Miyamoto Rei—what use was he?

What Kurumi needed to do was nip every tiny danger in the bud. That was the most basic rule of survival. Since Koichi Shidou had been judged as a side quest, and it was even "Expulsion," that meant he might appear again in the future...

She had to reduce the danger to its lowest possible level. Better safe than sorry. "Expelled alive" and "gravely wounded and awaiting death" were not so different, were they? He was alive either way.

That group got off the bus without incident, but they were at a loss for what to do. Especially when they saw Kurumi get off with them, they were scared out of their wits. Now that Teacher Shidou had been crippled by this female demon, what were they supposed to do?

They turned their eyes toward Blondie. That dim patch of yellow was like a lighthouse in a Tempest. Even though he was swaying unsteadily himself, they had no other choice, did they? From the moment they chose the wrong side, their Fate had been decided. Besides, Kurumi had no desire to bring along so many weaklings!

Blondie looked at Kurumi. The sunset had nearly vanished completely, and darkness blanketed the land. Even with the streetlights, it was hard to make out expressions. "C-can we go now?"

Kurumi did not answer. Instead, she walked over to Koichi Shidou. His face was badly swollen, and his speech was slurred, but anyone could feel the hatred in his eyes. Without medical equipment, the blood loss from his severed hand had already begun dragging his consciousness into a haze...

"Y-you... you d-devil... y-you'll... die... horribly!" After mumbling those words in a delirious, moaning whisper that no one could understand, he received only Kurumi's enchanting smile in reply.

"Slash—stab—"

The blade in her hand cut across Koichi Shidou's body once more. Under the dim night sky, Blondie vaguely saw the pale gleam of the blade... Three times in all...

"Slash—slash—slash—"

Koichi Shidou's arms were severed at the shoulders, along with his right leg... The pressure in his blood vessels burst free in an instant, spraying blood all over the ground...

"Ah!!!"

One girl simply could not endure the terror in her heart any longer and screamed in fright. Blondie swung a heavy slap at her...

"Smack!"

The girl snapped awake at once, covering her mouth with both hands in panic. Tears glimmered faintly in her wide eyes, but no one pitied her.

The two sounds stood out sharply in the silent night. Somewhere in the darkness not far away, zombies began to howl, seeming to move toward them...