All Together

"Miyamoto, there's no need to be so despairing."

Lin Yao looked at Miyamoto Rei's lowered head and spoke softly to comfort her.

"It's not as though something terrible happened. The signal was only cut off temporarily. At a time like this, thinking positively is the only way to hold on longer."

"..."

Miyamoto Rei's shoulders were still trembling slightly. The rushed call before the signal cut out, along with Igo Hironaga's accident, had filled her heart with panic.

Seeing her like this, Lin Yao said nothing more.

Fortunately, he was alone in this perilous world. Otherwise, with his current strength, even if something happened, he would probably be powerless to do anything.

"Lin Yao is right."

Komuro Takashi reached out and patted Miyamoto Rei on the back.

"Before the signal cut off, I got in touch with my uncle. He said he was safe. That alone is already incredibly good news."

Miyamoto Rei pressed her lips together without speaking. Moisture still clung to her eyelashes, but her tense back gradually relaxed.

With the two of them comforting her, some of the deadness in her eyes finally faded.

"Roar—"

A zombie's hoarse howl came from the distance. Several swaying figures had been drawn by the commotion here and were dragging their ruined limbs toward the edge of the rooftop.

The stench of rot drifted over on the wind.

That smell instantly jolted Miyamoto Rei out of her gloom.

Her desire to live and her fear of zombies collided in her chest like two raging torrents, forcibly suppressing the grief that had been spreading through her.

Sure enough, only a stronger emotion could overwhelm grief carved into one's bones.

"Stick to the coordination we used earlier."

Lin Yao tightened his grip on the Changhong Sword, the coldness of the metal spreading from his palm up his arm.

"I'll go first. Takashi, Rei, follow me. Move quickly. No one here can cover for you. If anything goes wrong, nobody will be able to save you."

Before he finished speaking, he sprinted forward.

Komuro Takashi and Miyamoto Rei exchanged a glance. The former gripped his baseball bat until it creaked, while the latter tightened her hold on her spear. Its tip trembled slightly, but she still gritted her teeth and followed.

They both knew that the only person who could lead them out of the school now was the sword-wielding figure ahead of them.

Lin Yao led the two of them down the rooftop stairs. His sword flashed like a streak of light, each swing precisely cutting across a zombie's neck and tearing open a gap before they could encircle them.

Warm, filthy blood splattered across the walls, leaving mottled stains. The three of them ran across the sticky floor and charged into the teaching building ahead.

"Ah—!"

A piercing scream suddenly rang out.

"Was that her...?"

Komuro Takashi and Miyamoto Rei both shuddered. The voice sounded both unfamiliar and familiar, and the same guess rose in both their hearts.

Lin Yao merely raised an eyebrow, a hint of helplessness appearing on his face.

Who else could make such a shrill, noisy racket besides that pink-haired girl?

Still, that meant the people he was looking for were in the direction of the scream.

But couldn't that girl keep a lower profile? Screaming like that was practically asking to die faster.

"Let's go. The sound came from the staff room ahead. It's on the way."

Lin Yao did not slow down as he spoke quietly.

"Okay!"

Komuro Takashi immediately followed, with Miyamoto Rei close behind. The shaft of her spear dragged lightly along the floor.

When they reached the source of the scream, the sight before them confirmed Lin Yao's guess.

A pink-haired girl was gripping a chainsaw. Its silver teeth spun at high speed with a piercing buzz as she sawed mercilessly into a zombie's skull.

Filthy blood splashed everywhere, leaving several spots on her face. Her gaze was somewhat dazed.

Beside her stood a bespectacled, chubby boy with a blank expression and his mouth slightly open, clearly too shocked by the scene to speak.

"Is that... Takagi?"

Komuro Takashi and Miyamoto Rei exchanged looks, both seeing the shock in the other's eyes.

But Lin Yao's gaze passed over them and landed on the other side of the staff room.

A purple-haired girl and a blonde, voluptuous woman stood there. They were precisely Busujima Saeko and Marikawa Shizuka, the people he had been looking for.

"Saeko, Shizuka, you're all right. That's great."

Lin Yao immediately called out, genuine relief in his voice.

"Lin Yao."

Busujima Saeko turned around. A faint smile bloomed on her cool face, and her purple hair swayed gently with the motion.

"Lin Yao!"

Marikawa Shizuka's eyes lit up as she waved at him in delight, her ample chest rising and falling slightly with excitement.

If several overturned desks and chairs had not separated them, she probably would have already run over and hugged him as usual, seeking comfort.

However, the zombies would not give them time to reminisce. Drawn by the screams and footsteps, zombies were flooding in from both ends of the corridor.

Raspy sounds came from their rotting throats. Their cloudy eyes stared fixedly at this group of living flesh as they lunged forward madly.

"Saeko, want to compete?"

Lin Yao turned to Busujima Saeko beside him, a smile curling at his lips.

"I've improved quite a bit lately. I'm itching to find out what losing feels like."

Busujima Saeko looked at him, amusement flashing through her eyes.

Back when he had asked her for guidance in kendo, he had called her "Busujima" every other sentence and acted terribly reserved.

Now, not only did he dare call her by name, he even dared provoke her.

Sure enough, once his strength grew, so did his confidence.

She lightly gathered her purple hair and tightened her high ponytail. Then she raised the wooden sword in her hand, drawing an afterimage through the air.

"Then let's try. Though I know my chances of winning are slim, I can't let you get too full of yourself."

The moment she finished speaking, she rushed forward.

But Lin Yao was faster. The Changhong Sword cut several icy arcs through the air.

In less than a breath, five zombies fell, instantly clearing a small area ahead.

So fast...

Busujima Saeko was secretly startled.

Even though she had personally witnessed his progress, she was still shaken by his speed. Those zombies seemed like paper in front of him. Wherever his sword light passed, nothing could stop it.

Yet she did not retreat. Her figure moved as gracefully as a butterfly, her long hair tracing beautiful arcs through the air.

The oak sword in her hand seemed to turn into a steel blade. With two swift chops, two zombies fell in response.

Such skill was already astonishing.

After all, Komuro Takashi and Miyamoto Rei had needed to work together—one swinging a bat, the other thrusting a spear—and still had to struggle to take down even one zombie.

"Saeko, it seems I've narrowly won again this time."

Lin Yao walked to her side. The faint fragrance of her hair seemed to linger around his nose as he spoke with a teasing tone.

"Hmph. Are you trying to win back everything you lost to me before?"

Busujima Saeko raised her wooden sword and lightly tapped the Changhong Sword in his hand, producing a crisp clack.

"Our Kendo Club Vice President is getting more and more petty. How about I give you the president's position instead?"

Her gaze fell on his sword, and she added,

"That sword of yours does seem handy. People used to say you were a weirdo, but it seems they simply had no eye for talent. I just wonder how much longer my wooden sword can hold up."

Lin Yao glanced at the somewhat worn oak sword and said,

"It should last a while longer. Since zombies can show up in a place like this, finding a useful weapon later wouldn't be all that strange."

"Hehe, only you could say something like that to put someone at ease."

Busujima Saeko could not help smiling. The frustration she had felt over her weapon potentially breaking had unknowingly faded quite a bit.

"Are you... Busujima, the champion of last year's National Kendo Tournament?"

Only then did Miyamoto Rei snap out of it. Her eyes were filled with admiration as she looked at Busujima Saeko.

"I'm Miyamoto Rei from the Spear Arts Club."

"I truly don't deserve the title of champion."

Busujima Saeko looked at her, her gaze becoming gentler.

"If the guy standing before us had started practicing kendo a few years earlier and entered the tournament, there would have been no place for me."

Miyamoto Rei opened her mouth, wanting to defend her idol, but after recalling Lin Yao's performance just now, she swallowed her words and could only smile awkwardly.

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

Komuro Takashi spoke at the right moment, breaking the brief silence.

"I-I'm Hirano Kota from Class 2-B. You can also call me Kohta."

The bespectacled, chubby boy pushed up his glasses. His voice trembled slightly, as he clearly had not fully recovered from the earlier shock.

"Hello, everyone! I'm the school nurse, Marikawa Shizuka."

Marikawa Shizuka walked over to Lin Yao's side and patted his shoulder with a smile, as though showing off a precious treasure.

"Look, this is Lin Yao, whom I know. Isn't he amazing?"

Lin Yao helplessly shook his head. "Shizuka, you're still as... carefree as ever."

The zombies in the staff room had been cleared out, and everyone finally had room to catch their breath.

The pink-haired girl—Takagi Saya—watched Lin Yao chatting happily with Busujima Saeko and Marikawa Shizuka. When she realized that he had completely ignored her, a layer of resentment instantly appeared in her eyes.

But her tsundere nature prevented her from taking the initiative to speak.

Only when Lin Yao asked what they planned to do next did she finally find an opening. Her voice was slightly hoarse and carried a trace of barely concealed resentment.

"Break out? Lin Yao, do you think you're strong enough to fight several thousand zombies?"

Lin Yao looked at her. Though bloodstains still covered her face, her eyes had become much clearer, so he replied seriously,

"As expected of Fujimi Academy's famous genius girl. You adjusted so quickly. Impressive."

Takagi Saya was stunned by the sudden praise. A blush instantly spread across her cheeks, only for her to force it back down as complicated emotions stirred within her.

"Even if you praise me, I won't forgive you! When you saw me just now, you didn't even think to come comfort me!"

Lin Yao had long been used to her awkward personality.

At times like this, the more he said, the more fiercely she would make a fuss. Even if she had a bit of affection for him in her heart, her words would never spare him.

Still, he had not expected to misread her thoughts again. Sure enough, a girl's mind—even a pink-haired girl's—was as hard to fathom as a needle at the bottom of the sea.

Busujima Saeko watched from the side, an amused smile playing at the corner of her lips.

"Takagi, why is your face so red?"

At some point, Marikawa Shizuka had walked over to Takagi Saya's side and asked with an expression of concern, the curve of her chest swaying gently with her movement.

"Marikawa!"

Takagi Saya looked at her, her cheeks growing even hotter as she secretly complained, This teacher with those huge evil things really isn't a good person!

"All right, Shizuka is just like that. Don't take it to heart."

Seeing that Takagi Saya was about to explode, Lin Yao quickly walked over. He pressed one hand onto her shoulder while lightly patting Marikawa Shizuka's arm with the other.

"Saya, the most important thing now is for us to leave this place alive together."

"Leave alive together..."

Takagi Saya murmured the words, and scenes from the past suddenly flashed through her mind.

That time when she had been surrounded by hooligans on the street, he had appeared just like this and protected her behind him.

She sniffed, looked down at her bloodstained clothes, and spoke with a hint of sobbing in her voice.

"Lin Yao, when we get back, I'm definitely making my mom wash these properly for me..."

"Okay." Lin Yao nodded, his tone gentle. "Your mother must be worried about you. We'll be fine once we find her."

Busujima Saeko spoke up then.

"Let's rest for a while first. Marikawa has driven an ambulance before, so she should have a license. We can leave by car later."

"That's right."

Lin Yao added.

"First, we find our families and confirm that they're safe. Then we find a place that's easy to defend and hard to attack. That will give everyone a better chance of surviving."

"Then I'll go get the car keys, and we'll charge out later!"

Marikawa Shizuka immediately said.

"Okay!"

Everyone answered in unison.

Together, they locked the doors and windows of the staff room, then retreated to the inner break room for a short rest.

Lin Yao entered the break room and made himself a cup of tea. The sports drink he had drunk on the rooftop had been sweet and sour, good for quenching his thirst in an emergency.

But brewing a cup of tea now made life feel a little more normal again. It was also good for his health.

Yet when the tea entered his mouth, he frowned. He set down the cup and no longer wanted to touch it.

The tea leaves in this staff room were truly awful. The flavor was bland with a hint of bitterness, worse than bottled green or black tea from a convenience store. It was practically like chewing leaves.

Presumably, the school administrators had skimmed and embezzled the funds for it.

"Want some coffee?"

Busujima Saeko handed him a packet of instant coffee, a slight smile on her lips.

"No one has been drinking the tea here for ages. The quality is terrible. You actually didn't know this gossip and used it to make tea."

"Those corrupt bastards really wouldn't even spare a few tea leaves."

Lin Yao accepted the coffee and smiled helplessly.

"Although I don't like coffee, since it's from Saeko, I naturally have to try it."

Busujima Saeko sat down beside him, purple hair falling over her shoulder as she asked softly,

"My Vice President, I'm genuinely curious. How could you improve so quickly in such a short time?

"Your strength probably isn't inferior to that of those world-class elite athletes, is it?"

And your swordsmanship has become increasingly clean and decisive. You learn at an astonishing speed too. Could it be that you're one of those late-blooming geniuses?"

"That's right. You're correct. I'm a genius."

Lin Yao smiled.

He thought of his Cheat—Connect All Realms—linking to versions of himself across countless worlds and sharing, stacking their strength and talents.

Calling it talent would not exactly be wrong.

Watching his self-satisfied expression, Busujima Saeko shook her head helplessly, though she could not help feeling a little envious.

As a woman, she was ultimately at a disadvantage when it came to strength.

If she possessed strength like his, their earlier exchange would not merely have been evenly matched. She could probably have suppressed him in two strikes, perhaps even knocked him down.

Not far away, Komuro Takashi, Miyamoto Rei, and Hirano Kota had all pricked up their ears. Their expressions varied, but the same envy lurked in each of their eyes.

In a post-apocalyptic world like this, personal combat ability was what gave one the confidence to survive. Who would not want a little more ability to protect themselves?

The lounge fell silent for a moment. Only the faint roars of zombies drifting in from outside the window reminded them that their safety was merely temporary.