Team

The Dead Bodies around them had all been cleared out, and the route to the staff office was unusually smooth.

Watching Kurumi fiddle with the television, Busujima Saeko smiled slightly at the group, who did not know what to do. "You should all know Teacher Shizuka Marikawa from the infirmary, right? I'm Busujima Saeko from Class 3-A. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Huh?" Kurumi turned around in confusion. "I'm in Class 3-A too. How come I've never seen you, Busujima?"

Before Busujima Saeko could explain, Komuro Takashi beside her cut in. "Tokisaki Senpai, you only transferred here a couple of days ago, and Busujima Senpai is usually at the kendo club. That's probably why you're both in the same class but don't know each other."

"Is that so?" Kurumi saw Busujima Saeko nod and said nothing more, turning back to continue fiddling with the television that would not turn on for some reason.

Seeing how awkward the atmosphere had become, Komuro Takashi felt he should continue Busujima Senpai's topic and at least introduce himself. After all, in this disaster-stricken city, wouldn't it be better to have someone to rely on?

"Busujima Senpai, I'm Komuro Takashi from Class 2-B."

The others introduced themselves one by one as well. Only Hirono Toda seemed a little embarrassed. "Takagi, Komuro, and I are all in the same class, Class 2-B. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Komuro Takashi scratched the back of his head. "I didn't expect there to be so many survivors from Class B. I just wonder about the other classes in the school..."

"Bzzzt—hey! This crappy TV is finally working. At least we can find out what the hell happened. Komuro, use the remote control and switch to the news channel!"

"Okay, Tokisaki Senpai."

"The government has urgently discussed reports regarding this disaster... However, it is with great regret that neither the ruling party nor the opposition has approved the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces for rescue operations. It is estimated that there are at least ten thousand victims in Saitama Prefecture."

Bang—bang bang—

It was obvious that the host on the program was extremely nervous. Her increasingly rapid speech showed just how panicked she was inside. "We can see that the police have just opened fire! That's right, those who died from the infection have come back to life!"

Bang—ah! Oh, God! What is that?! Don't come any closer! Don't come closer! Help! Ah!

The image on the television tilted toward the ground. The cracks across the screen were left by the camera striking the floor. The terrified cries of the female host came through it... Then there was no sound at all...

The screen vaguely showed Dead Bodies like those at the school wandering aimlessly through the streets, pouncing madly whenever they saw a living person...

"Bzzzt—" The picture changed again, this time switching to indoors. A female host with an uneasy expression read out a government announcement... The entire staff office was so quiet it made their scalps tingle.

Click—bzzzt— Kurumi snatched the remote control from Komuro Takashi's hand and rapidly switched through several more channels.

"London has completely fallen!"

"The White House has become a sea of flames! The leaders have completely evacuated and are preparing to move the government onto an aircraft carrier at sea. Rumors claim this move is intended to launch strategic nuclear weapons..."

"...Riots have broken out in Tokyo, with heavy casualties! The Self-Defense Forces are continuously trying to maintain order! Some United States warships have already withdrawn from the harbor..."

"Contact with Moscow has been lost... Bzzzt—" Before the host could finish, the television turned into a sheet of static.

Komuro Takashi slammed his fist onto the desk and said angrily, "What is this supposed to be? That announcement made it sound so trivial. They're clearly treating everyone's lives like a joke!"

Kurumi, seated in a chair, remained very calm. "That is exactly why they don't want to cause so-called panic. Otherwise, things would become even more difficult." She took a sip of tea from the water dispenser and looked at the stunned group.

"Panic causes chaos, chaos brings the collapse of order, and once order collapses..." Kurumi's smile became somewhat morbid. "Those Dead Bodies in the streets will become everyone's example."

The soft light of the setting sun shone through the venetian blinds into the office, lending the room a faintly peaceful, lazy air. Under normal circumstances, it would have been another wonderful day, but the people inside could only feel a stifling oppression.

"How did things end up like this? Everything was fine when I was browsing the internet at home this morning," Komuro Takashi complained.

Miyamoto Rei took two steps back, disbelief written across her face. "How could the whole world become like this in just a few hours?" She tugged on Kurumi's sleeve. "You think so too, right? There must be somewhere safe, right? Things will go back to normal soon, won't they?"

Kurumi looked at Miyamoto Rei beside her, who was asking with a face full of hope. She suddenly did not want to tell her the truth.

"How could that be possible?!" Takagi Saya's firm tone drew everyone's attention. "This is a large-scale epidemic, just like the Spanish Flu of 1918. More than six hundred million people were infected. What can we do?"

"If that's the case..." Teacher Shizuka Marikawa tried hard to recall. "This illness is quite similar to the Black Death in the fourteenth century."

"A third of Europe's population died back then," Kurumi reminded them. "Only a massive death toll could stop it, because by then everyone was dead and there was no one left to infect."

By the window, Hirono Toda lifted a small gap in the venetian blinds and looked at the Dead Bodies outside. He said gravely, "But these dead people can still walk and attack people. If you get bitten, you become infected, and after you die, you turn into one of them!"

He turned back to the others in the office. "But there has never been any record of an epidemic like this!"

"That's right!" Shizuka Marikawa seemed to have thought of something. "The weather will get hot soon. Once they rot away and turn into piles of bones, maybe they won't be able to move anymore!"

Kurumi really wanted to laugh, but seeing everyone's serious expressions, she could only force back her amusement. Dead Bodies were basically the same as zombies, but zombies could still evolve, while the Dead Bodies in anime had no such ability.

Of course, she could not rule out the Main God meddling with things. Kurumi still thought zombies were more formidable. Based on their settings, zombies were absolutely a miracle of biological evolution! They were creatures with limitless potential for evolution!

After clearing her throat twice, Kurumi decided to shatter their illusions. "It's hard to say whether they'll rot or not. After all, they eat human flesh. I don't know whether it's to keep their bodies functioning... but I think that's probably the case."

"I agree with Tokisaki Senpai!" Takagi Saya crossed her arms over her chest, making that pair of rabbits stand out all the more. "Corpses that move and attack humans are already beyond the scope of medical definitions. This could very well continue indefinitely."

Seeing Takagi Saya's unintentional gesture, Kurumi's eyebrow twitched unnaturally. She lowered her head to look at her own chest... In the real world, she was definitely considered well-endowed among girls her age, but in Tittyquake Apocalypse, it seemed a little...

After listening to everyone's analysis, Busujima Saeko said, "Then, after confirming our families' safety, the most important thing is where we should escape to next. In any case, we won't survive if we just run around without a destination! We need to form a team and take as many survivors as possible out of here!"

Everyone's expressions immediately turned serious. They picked up their weapons and were about to rush outside when Kurumi poured cold water on them. "First, we need a vehicle."

Shizuka Marikawa adorably took out the keys to her Beetle. "Will this do?"

"Teacher Marikawa, are you sure your car can fit this many people?"

"Then let's just take the school bus. Isn't it always parked there? The keys should be somewhere in the staff office. Everyone, look for them!"

"Here they are!" While everyone was rummaging through drawers and cabinets, Shizuka Marikawa found the school bus keys in a small drawer. To be honest, no one had expected her to be the one to find them, considering how scatterbrained she was.

Kurumi gripped the Steel Katana resting on the desk and looked at the group of protagonists. "Then what are we waiting for?"