After finding a secluded, clear, and suitable spot, they managed to cross the river.
Kohta distributed the weapons and taught the basics of how to use them. Saeko, however, paid little attention, stating that her sword was more than enough. Only Saya and Rei nodded along to his explanations—especially Rei, who listened carefully. Having a police officer as a father, she had good aim, but she had never handled firearms of such high caliber.
They were all dressed in their school uniforms, which gave the group a distinctive appearance. Only Nanashi seemed out of place among these students, wearing military clothing. Takashi and Kohta had also wanted to wear some of it, but everything was far too small for them.
Nanashi let out a resigned sigh when he saw them.
The Humvee's engine roared loudly against the eerie silence of the streets. They were strangely deserted. Pink petals drifted through the city, carried by the wind, creating a calm, almost peaceful atmosphere. Rei and Takashi fell asleep amid that unnatural tranquility.
Nanashi noticed that this was not the same route as in his memories and suggested slowing down, but he was ignored by Shizuka-sensei and Saya. They changed routes anyway, and Nanashi remained uneasy. All he could do was grip his weapon tightly, bracing himself for the worst. He stayed focused on the road, though even he failed to notice it as quickly as Kohta did, who reacted just in time.
"Straight ahead—turn right!" Kohta shouted, barking instructions.
The shout startled everyone awake. Disoriented, they grabbed their weapons. The Humvee made evasive maneuvers, following Kohta's and Saya's directions.
A bead of sweat ran down Shizuka-sensei's temple as an overwhelming number of zombies appeared out of nowhere.
It was impossible to keep evading them at that point. Saya yelled:
"Forget it—just run them over!"
Saeko saw the inevitable when she noticed cables attached to the walls, and the imminent collision arrived. Nanashi groaned and let out a sad, involuntary cry.
"But this was a different location!" he thought—yet it still happened the same way. They crashed, and everyone slammed against their seats or the windows.
The teacher tried to restart the vehicle and reverse, but it was stuck. A zombie's body had become lodged between the wheels, causing the Humvee to skid against the metal cables.
Takashi and Kohta jumped out without hesitation.
Nanashi watched in shock. He had no chance to tell them to cross the wire fence—the impulsive group was already outside, shooting and trying to free the tire.
The others followed Takashi and Kohta, exiting the vehicle and facing the zombies. Only Nanashi and Shizuka-sensei remained inside: one watching helplessly and complaining, the other frozen by how quickly everything had changed.
The street narrowed between two rows of two-story houses with white concrete façades, forming a desolate suburb. Some windows were open, curtains swaying in the breeze. No one could have imagined that high-voltage cables had been installed to block entry—cables they had just crashed into.
Deafening roars began to echo.
TA-TA-TA-TA
Gunfire. The crunch of bones breaking under a bamboo sword. Kohta's euphoric screams.
Chaos.
Nanashi stayed inside the vehicle, unable to understand how the group had reacted so quickly. The shotgun recoil barely moved Takashi when he fired. Rei and Saya checked the vehicle's wheel.
He couldn't understand why they hadn't simply crossed the wire fence. A survival instinct urged him to flee and escape, but he stopped himself the moment that suffocating sensation returned—a premonition of certain death if he abandoned the group. It crushed his chest and killed the thought of running away.
He sighed and assessed the situation grimly. Anger surged through him, and he shouted furiously at the group.
"Damn it—cross the fence!"
As if struck by divine revelation, they froze for a moment, stunned by the simplest solution to their tragic situation.
"Nanashi-kun is right," Shizuka-sensei said as she hurriedly moved and tried to climb through the Humvee's hatch, attempting to cross to the other side.
Takashi reacted as well and shouted:
"Guys, cross over! I'll cover you!"
"I will too, Takashi-kun," Saeko said, a strange smile forming on her face as she continued cutting down zombies. Kohta and Rei didn't move. Seeing this, Saya approached the fence and said anxiously as she watched the approaching horde:
"It's impossible from here. The fence is too high and has no openings. We have to climb over the Humvee to cross—but it'll be extremely dangerous with this many of them."
Takashi yelled:
"Kohta, help Saya and Rei cross!"
Takashi was drenched in sweat. One misstep and one of his friends would die here. They couldn't all climb at once, or the zombies would swarm the vehicle, destabilize it—or worse, climb up and bite someone. Someone had to keep the zombies at bay.
He swallowed hard, gripping the shotgun with resolve, and took a deep breath.
At the same time, the suffocating sensation returned to Nanashi. He cursed the rescue group that was supposed to arrive—they weren't coming. The feeling intensified, and he knew what would happen next: he would lose consciousness or die. It was as if something was forcing him to act.
Takashi stood a few meters from the crosswalk leading across the asphalt. Nearby was the main avenue they had avoided. He steadied his breathing and fixed his gaze. Saeko noticed his intention and prepared herself as well. Rei, terrified, jumped down from the Humvee—where Kohta was helping Saya cross—and ran toward Takashi to stop him. She recognized that look. She knew he was about to do something stupid.
"AHHHH, GODDAMN IT!"
Nanashi burst out of the vehicle with a furious scream and ran madly forward. His shout stunned everyone.
He pulled a bean from his ring and shoved it into his mouth as he ran. Strength instantly surged back into his body—the fatigue of the past two days vanished, and he ran faster.
He headed toward the main avenue. Even if there were more zombies there, they wouldn't be packed so tightly that dodging them would be impossible—and he did just that. As he fled, he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WAITING FOR? CROSS ALREADY!"
His voice echoed in the distance, drawing the zombies away. Takashi wanted to run after him—he owed Nanashi too much—but a hand grabbed him firmly. He knew it was Rei without even turning around. Before he could say anything to convince her to let him go, Saeko ran as well.
"Saeko-san—" he said in surprise, watching her back as she ran past him toward Nanashi. He let out a breath of relief.
Kohta continued firing from the Humvee and shouted:
"Hurry up! Or Nanashi's help will be for nothing!"
Kohta was worried too. In just a few hours, he had grown attached to Nanashi—watching how attentive he was to everything. Nanashi treated him with respect and hadn't refused when Kohta asked for help transporting the weapons, even though he was exhausted. He followed Kohta's instructions without complaint, which had made him genuinely happy. Nanashi hadn't said a word when Kohta noticed the grenades were gone. Kohta could only assume Nanashi had them—and hoped that would increase their chances of survival.
The number of zombies had decreased, but several were still heading toward the narrow street. They had to hurry.
Nanashi couldn't help but shout when he heard the sickening crunch of the bamboo sword shattering zombie bones.
"Why the hell did you follow me?!"
There was no response. Saeko's eyes were cold as she cut through the zombies in her path, not even trying to help Nanashi.
He couldn't keep yelling at her. That was his last shout before focusing entirely on avoiding the undead.
The adrenaline rush fueled by fear was fading, but he forced himself to keep running with everything he had. He spotted a wall separating a house's yard from the street. He didn't even think about whether he could climb it—he sprinted and leapt.
He made it over, nearly face-planting onto the grass. He covered his face at the last second, then leaned against the wall, aching and gasping for breath.
Saeko crossed as well with ease, landing gracefully on her feet. Nanashi could hear her breathing heavily too—she had been fighting nonstop.
She stood there in silence.
An uncomfortable silence, broken only by the growls and the sound of zombies scratching at the wall separating them.
Saeko walked forward and opened the back door to enter the house.
Nanashi understood her silence. She was a warrior—she wouldn't lower her guard until she was completely safe. All he could do was watch her enter the house slowly while he remained sprawled on the grass, utterly exhausted.