The Blade Rises

What happened inside the school was no less terrible than outside. The choices made by immature minds could often leave even themselves trembling with fear.

But that was no excuse for the evil that stained their hands.

Komuro Takashi's group of three had successfully reached the rooftop. Kurumi was still sitting on the other side of the highest point, out of their sight. The noise had drawn many Dead Bodies, so the three decided to make their way toward Kurumi.

Inoue Nagahiro dealt with the Dead Body in front of Miyamoto Rei. The two supported each other as they walked ahead. Komuro Takashi looked out over the school and saw nothing but those monsters. He let out a frantic roar, then hurried after the other two.

"My, my. Are you here to skip class too?"

The three looked toward the owner of that charming voice, and Komuro Takashi felt that he was witnessing a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life.

She sat atop the platform, her legs crossed like a queen's and dangling over the wall. The black stockings on her legs stirred a primal impulse within him.

Her twin tails, one long and one short, fell over the swell of her chest. One small hand rested against the platform while the other lightly covered her lips, as if she were surprised by their arrival. Yet in the uncovered half of her delicate face, those wine-red eyes carried a smile that could not be dispelled.

It was intoxicating, like aged red wine.

"Hmph!" Miyamoto Rei was the first of the three to snap out of it. "Senpai, do you still not know what's happening? I thought a model student like you wouldn't skip class. Why do you have the leisure to come up to the rooftop now?"

Kurumi leaped down, holding a blade in one hand while pressing down her skirt with the other. The three were completely focused on the skirt that the airflow nearly lifted, and none of them noticed the Steel Katana. Unfortunately for them, they did not catch even the slightest glimpse of the mystery beneath it.

"I just happened to fall asleep on the rooftop. I saw everything that happened in the school."

Kurumi approached Miyamoto Rei with a smile.

Because they were so close, Miyamoto Rei could smell the faint fragrance coming from Kurumi. Her face turned red. "Then... then why aren't you at all..."

"Not nervous at all?" Kurumi finished for her. "And what good would that do? Would it stop you from being bitten by those things and becoming one of them?"

The two followed Kurumi's gaze toward Inoue Nagahiro and saw an unnatural flush on his face. Then black blood suddenly sprayed from his mouth!

"Pfft—cough, cough, cough!"

"Nagahiro? Nagahiro, what's wrong? Don't scare me! Right, I'll help you sit down first."

"Could you block the entrance first? Those things are about to come up." Kurumi kindly reminded them. Only then did Komuro Takashi come back to his senses, hastily using old desks and chairs to firmly barricade the stairwell.

By then, Miyamoto Rei had helped Inoue Nagahiro slowly sit down against the wall. She seemed at a loss. He had only been bitten once—how had it become like this? He had vomited so much blood; they had to get him to a hospital.

"Oh, right." Kurumi seemed to remember something. "From what I've observed, anyone bitten by those things either gets eaten completely or becomes one of them soon afterward."

Kurumi bent down, and her radiant face suddenly appeared before Inoue Nagahiro. "You were bitten by one of those things too, weren't you?"

"Ah! Nagahiro won't turn into one of those monsters!" Miyamoto Rei shoved Kurumi away, looking almost crazed.

"Rei... don't be like this. Senpai is right. Cough, cough... I can't protect you anymore, Komuro! I'm leaving Rei to you from now on. You won't let me down, will you?"

Komuro Takashi looked at Inoue Nagahiro's pale, ashen face and nodded firmly.

Inoue Nagahiro forced out a faint smile. "I hope that while I'm still human... cough, cough... you can kill me. I want to keep the last of my human dignity. Please!"

Komuro Takashi fell silent. Just as he was about to step forward, Miyamoto Rei stopped him and screamed, "Nagahiro absolutely won't turn into that kind of monster! He's different! This is a disease, right? It can be cured." Her originally forceful tone instantly weakened as she looked to Komuro Takashi, as though clutching at her final lifeline.

"Rei!" Komuro Takashi grabbed Miyamoto Rei's shoulder with one hand and shook her hard. "Stop deceiving yourself! At the very least, we have to preserve what little dignity Nagahiro has left!"

"Pfft—thud."

The two looked toward Inoue Nagahiro. He spat out another mouthful of bloody fluid, then collapsed face-first onto the ground without moving. "Nagahiro!" Miyamoto Rei quickly turned and ran to his side, dropping to her knees and crying over him...

"He's dead," Kurumi said indifferently from the side. Miyamoto Rei dazedly straightened up, her eyes completely devoid of light as she looked at Kurumi like a puppet on strings.

Komuro Takashi had just wanted to go over and comfort his childhood friend. Although his rival in love was dead, he felt no joy whatsoever. Instead, his heart was unbearably heavy, because Inoue Nagahiro had also been his friend.

Before he could take two steps, he abruptly stopped. He looked ahead in disbelief. Miyamoto Rei followed Komuro Takashi's gaze and discovered that Inoue Nagahiro was actually shakily standing up!

His tall figure loomed over the kneeling Miyamoto Rei in the setting sun. She was both delighted and terrified. "Nagahiro?"

"Ahh~" Unfortunately, the only response was a drooling, gaping mouth snapping viciously toward her!

Miyamoto Rei's mind went blank as she stared in disbelief at the "Inoue Nagahiro" lunging at her. Komuro Takashi snapped out of it and raised his baseball bat to help her, but someone was faster than him.

"Slash—thud."

A streak of white flashed past, and "Inoue Nagahiro's" head separated from his neck. His stiff body crashed to the ground as blood sprayed out, a few droplets splashing onto Miyamoto Rei's still-stunned face.

The two looked toward Kurumi. She held the sword in her right hand, its tip angled toward the ground. Blood dripped from the blade without leaving even the slightest trace behind. Light shone over it, making it glimmer faintly.

Kurumi had no time to pay attention to the two of them. She had helped Miyamoto Rei mainly because of the mission. After all, it said the protagonist's "group." What if the mission could not be completed if one of them was missing? The Main God was exceptionally good at playing word games.

Yet the moment she killed the Dead Body "Inoue Nagahiro," the Mission Panel appeared. That was what had caused the sight Komuro Takashi and Miyamoto Rei had just witnessed.

Mission: ① Completed (Reward issued)

② Follow the protagonist's group out of the school (In progress)

...

Side missions unlocked: ① Kill 10 Dead Bodies (Attribute Points +1) 10/1

② Kill 100 Dead Bodies (Attribute Points +5) 100/1

③ Kill 1,000 Dead Bodies (Attribute Points +10) 100/1

④ Kill 10,000 Dead Bodies (Obtain the title "Novice Hunter"; all attributes +10 while equipped)

Kurumi knew at a glance that these missions were a benefit. She glanced at the Steel Katana in her hand. Since the Main God had made the missions so easy, firearms were probably not allowed. It seemed she would have to learn from Busujima Saeko and rely solely on cutting them down.

"Um, Tokisaki Senpai, what should we do now?" After comforting Miyamoto Rei, Komuro Takashi could not help asking Kurumi, who was still lost in thought.

"Hm? How did you know my name, Junior?"

As he looked into those charming wine-red eyes, Komuro Takashi scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, a beautiful girl like Tokisaki Senpai gets mentioned on the school forum. Almost everyone in the school knows about you."

"Is that so?" Kurumi's eyes held an obvious smile. "Of course we escape next. Or do you want to stay here and sleep with them?"

Looking at the Dead Bodies Kurumi pointed at, Komuro Takashi hurriedly shook his head. "No, no, no. Then we'll listen to you, Senpai."

"Takashi, lend me your phone. I want to call my dad." Miyamoto Rei tugged at Komuro Takashi's clothes.

The result was obvious. It was much the same as in the Original Work: he told Komuro Takashi to protect her well, said they were in serious trouble too, and that they should contact each other again if they could in the future. They were not to go home under any circumstances and had to head toward the other side of the river.

After hanging up, Miyamoto Rei became noticeably silent. She sat off to the side with her head lowered, not knowing what she was thinking. Feeling that the atmosphere was awkward, Komuro Takashi asked Kurumi, "Tokisaki Senpai, do you want to call your family?"

"My? No need. Go comfort your little girlfriend first. We'll be heading downstairs soon."