Goku's gaze snapped toward the doorway at the sound of rushing footsteps growing louder. Two familiar figures appeared in the entrance.
His eyes brightened immediately. "Saeko Busujima! Rei Miyamoto! To think both of them would show up at the same time. Wahahaha~~ All four of the girls from my heart are finally here. Seems like it's time to leave this place… But why isn't Takashi Komuro with them?"
"Saya… Saya!" Rei spotted her friend, sprinted forward, and threw her arms around her. "Saya… Hisashi is dead… Takashi is dead too… What do I do? What am I supposed to do?" Rei, who had barely steadied herself, broke down again at the sight of a familiar face, her eyes pools of anguish and helplessness.
"What? Takashi… Takashi is dead…? What happened?" Saya was stunned by the sudden news. He'd been fine that morning. How could he just be gone?
Without Takashi's forewarning—a deviation from the original course of events—the school had descended into pure chaos when the outbreak began.
Hisashi's tragedy wasn't a zombie bite, but being shoved down a flight of stairs in the panic and falling to his death (a stretch, perhaps, but bear with me).
And Takashi Komuro, while trying to shield Rei, was also pushed down the stairs by the stampeding crowd, only to be torn apart by the waiting dead below.
Heartbroken, Rei had resolved to end her own life, but was saved in the nick of time by Saeko.
After some calming words, Rei's spirits had lifted slightly. Then, hearing Saya's scream, they had rushed straight here…
Well, this butterfly effect was certainly… unexpected.
Goku had considered Takashi Komuro the primary obstacle to winning Rei's affection and had contemplated removing him. Now, the problem had solved itself!
It certainly saved time and effort.
Watching the two grieving girls, Goku placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "I'm sorry for your loss. This is the apocalypse. Death is inevitable now. It's not just this school—the entire world has been overrun.
So you have to be strong. Anyone around us could be gone in an instant…"
The girls in the room froze. "The entire world…? That… that can't be…"
Saeko studied Goku, her expression calm. "You seem to know something about this."
"I came here from outside. The streets were already swarming with the dead. Calling for help… waiting for rescue… it's not an option anymore. The only people we can rely on are ourselves.
So from now on, we stick together. That's how we improve our chances of survival."
"Has it really deteriorated that far?" Saeko's brow furrowed.
"So now you have two choices. One: we fight our way out and find a safe place to fortify. Two: we first check on our families' safety, evacuate them if we can, and then find a secure location."
After quick introductions, the group debated. Just as in the original timeline, everyone chose to verify their families' safety first… and then seek a haven.
"Then it's settled. Saeko and Rei, watch our backs. I'll take point. Let's move!" Goku declared, leading the five girls out into the hall.
"Wait—where are the keys for that bus on the grounds?" Goku dispatched a shuffling corpse with a sharp strike from his improvised staff—a mop handle—and glanced back at the group.
"They're in the club room…" Saeko answered.
"Lead the way."
At the club room, Saeko retrieved a key ring from a wall hook. "Got them."
"You hold onto them. Alright, everyone! Next objective: that bus on the playground!" Goku rallied them, leading the charge down toward the courtyard.
With Goku's superhuman prowess at the forefront, they carved a smooth path through the scattered undead with little resistance.
"Help…! Somebody help…!" A panicked cry echoed. More than a dozen students and a teacher came tearing around a distant corner, a shambling horde close behind.
"Faster…! Run! They're gaining!" the male teacher at the rear yelled.
Saeko's eyes narrowed. "That's Shido-sensei from Class 3-A."
"Shido…" Rei glared at the teacher, her teeth gritted, hatred burning in her eyes.
"Agh!" A boy stumbled and fell. He looked up, terror-stricken, as the groaning mass closed in. He stretched a pleading hand toward Shido. "Sensei…! Help me…!"
Shido walked calmly to the boy's side. Just as hope flickered in the boy's eyes, Shido drove his foot hard into the student's chest.
"Why… Why, Shido-sensei…?" The boy clutched his ribs, face contorted in pain and disbelief. "You said… you'd get us out safely… Why would you…?"
Shido adjusted his glasses, his features twisting into something ugly. "I needed someone to buy us time. Since you fell behind… you volunteered."
He delivered several more vicious kicks before turning to sprint away, leaving the boy to the ravenous tide. A blood-curdling scream pierced the hallway. Those fleeing ahead, consumed by their own fear, remained oblivious to the brutality behind them. But Goku and his group, positioned directly across the junction, saw it all.
"That bastard… that absolute degenerate! Not only did he not help, he made it worse!" The girls seethed with fury.
Goku crushed another zombie's skull, then fixed his murderous gaze on Shido and the approaching survivors. Watching the anime, he'd loathed this character. Since our paths have crossed… prepare to die.
"Out of the way! Move! Don't block the path!" The fleeing students drew nearer. A blond-haired boy snarled arrogantly at Goku and the others.
The girls frowned but stepped aside. Only Goku remained planted in the center of the corridor, calmly observing the frantic group.
Most veered around him, but the blond boy skidded to a halt nearby, arrogance plastered on his face. "Hey! I told you to move, you deaf? Looking to die?!" He threw a wild punch.
Goku's foot shot out, connecting with the boy's stomach. The air left his lungs in a whoosh as he sailed backward, slammed into the wall, and crumpled to the floor.
"Trash," Goku spat dismissively.
The girls felt a twinge of pity but remained silent.
Shido, witnessing Goku's skill, eyed him with sudden interest. His gaze then swept over the girls behind Goku, gleaming with calculation. "Student, I am Shido from Class 3-A. I see you and your companions are quite capable.
Why not join us? As a teacher, I am duty-bound to protect my students!"
"Protect this, you disgusting piece of trash!" Goku's hand shot out, closing around Shido's throat and lifting him off the ground. "I've seen plenty of scum, but you're in a class of your own."
With that, ignoring Shido's choked, terrified flailing, Goku casually hurled him over the railing.
"GYAAAAAAAAAA—!" A shrill scream sliced through the air, ending abruptly with a distant, wet thud.
They were on the third floor. The outcome was never in doubt.
The remaining students stared at Goku, faces pale with terror. No one dared utter a word.
The girls were shocked by Goku's ruthlessness, but none felt a need to condemn him. If anything, a grim satisfaction settled among them.
Rei Miyamoto, especially, looked almost radiant with vindication. "Well done, Goku! A scumbag like him deserved it!"
Goku chuckled, then turned to the petrified students. "Alright, the trash has been taken out. You coming with us?" The group scattered as if he were a demon incarnate. No one dared stay near someone who killed so casually.
"Tch. Bunch of cowards." Goku shot their retreating backs a contemptuous look, then gestured to his companions. "Let's go." He led them toward a different stairwell.
---
On the first floor, they surveyed the main hall teeming with dozens of listless zombies. Goku rested his 'Nyoi Kinko Bō'—the mop handle—on his shoulder with a swagger. "I'll draw their attention. You all make a break for the doors."
"That's too reckless. Based on my observations, these creatures are highly sound-sensitive. If we move carefully and quietly, we should be able to slip past." Saya adjusted her glasses—she'd switched from contacts—analyzing meticulously. "However, that's just a hypothesis. It still requires testing."
Saeko eyed the milling corpses. "I'll do it."
"Why bother? Zombies are just trash. It's nothing." Eager to impress, Goku decided a small display was in order. Ignoring the girls' protests, he strode boldly into the center of the hall.
"This… this idiot! He's completely reckless!" Saya's cheeks flushed with anger.
"Let's watch for now. If he's this confident, he must have a plan." Saeko had some measure of Goku's strength.
But when Goku began aggressively striking nearby zombies, his attacks drawing the entire horde's attention toward him, the five girls felt a cold dread.
"Is his brain broken?! Why is he provoking them like that? If he's drawing aggro, shouldn't he lead them away?" Shizuka Kisaragi was equal parts exasperated and worried.
"Oh my goodness! Goku's completely surrounded! We have to help him…!" Indeed, Goku was now engulfed by a pressing wall of bodies, the mop handle becoming useless in the tight crush. Shizuka wrung her hands.
Just as Saeko and Rei prepared to dive in, a roar thundered through the hall.
"Damn it all! If the tiger doesn't roar, you think I'm a sick cat?!" Goku discarded the stick. His legs became a blur, each kick launching zombies through the air like grisly soccer balls.
Thud! Crash! Crunch!
The girls stared, dumbfounded, as bodies rained down around him. "So… so strong…"
"I knew he was capable, but this…" Saeko's eyes gleamed, a thrill of excitement flashing across her face.
Seeing every zombie in the hall now converging on Goku, Saeko snapped into action. "Now! Go!" she hissed, darting for the exit. The others, snapping out of their stupor, rushed after her.