The commotion on the sports ground didn't last long.
The wave of zombies gradually subsided, their heads lolling back as they aimlessly wandered, emitting unconscious, hoarse groans. One by one, several dozen students and teachers rose from the ground, joining the shuffling throng.
"Tsubasa-kun, maybe it's because of us that they..." Shizuka covered her mouth with her hand, looking at Tsubasa beside her with doubt in her voice.
"Yes."
Tsubasa's face remained impassive, his eyes devoid of emotion as he watched the students and teachers who had become zombies.
Why were they on the sports ground? It wasn't hard to guess.
After the initial chaos, most of the zombies had flooded into the classrooms, dormitories, gyms, and other areas of the school. The outdoor sports field was the least populated.
No one wanted to simply wait for death.
The surviving students and teachers had seized this opportunity.
Unfortunately!
The alarm clock Tsubasa had thrown had led to their demise.
"Marikawa-sensei, we were just trying to save ourselves," Saeko glanced at Tsubasa, then shook her head at Shizuka. "If Tsubasa hadn't prepared that alarm clock in advance, we would likely be dead right now."
"The world has changed, we didn't intend to kill anyone."
"They... were just unlucky."
She had never been a saint.
In the anime, when she found Shizuka, the guy protecting the nurse had already been bitten by a zombie, and Saeko had killed him herself.
Decisively, without hesitation.
For her, those few dozen students and teachers on the playground were simply collateral damage.
Saeko took Tsubasa's hand, worry flickering in her violet eyes.
"Tsubasa, we were just protecting ourselves. Don't take on that psychological burden, you didn't do anything wrong."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing, and I'm not that weak," Tsubasa shook his head with a faint smile, squeezing his fingers and returning the pressure on Saeko's small hand.
"Although I don't know what the authorities are planning now, the most important thing for us is to ensure our own survival."
"When the chance of survival boils down to a choice between two options, what should one choose?"
"If they don't die, we will."
"Even Marikawa-sensei should understand what choice to make in such a situation, right?"
Hearing Tsubasa's words, Saeko blinked her long eyelashes, a subtle smile gracing her elegant face.
Tsubasa's thoughts mirrored her own.
Shifting their gazes, Saeko and Tsubasa looked at Shizuka standing beside them.
"Tsubasa-kun, I won't think like that anymore..." Feeling their gazes, Shizuka sniffled, a slight embarrassed blush creeping onto her mature face, but her gaze gradually cleared.
She was a doctor, albeit a school one.
A doctor's duty is to save people.
But now the world had changed.
She would save people, but she wouldn't sacrifice herself for others.
As Tsubasa had said, when survival hinged on a binary choice, there was no real choice at all.
She might be absent-minded,
But she wasn't stupid.
"Sensei, hang in there," Saeko winked.
"It's getting late. Let's eat and regain our strength. While the zombies are distracted by the sports field, we need to get away from here as quickly as possible and find a safer place," Tsubasa closed the window again and gestured for both women to sit down.
In truth, he wasn't overly concerned about Shizuka. In the anime, she had also gone through trials at the beginning and gradually matured.
He was willing to give this grown woman time to develop.
***
Time passed.
The teachers' room was quiet, the only sounds the gentle rustling of food being digested and the occasional hushed murmur.
In the corridor outside, an unconscious growl could sometimes drift in.
From other school buildings came the persistent echoes of desperate cries for help, screams, and the guttural roars of zombies.
Only a little over two hours had passed since the start of the epidemic.
Yet, the number of survivors within the school was dwindling rapidly.
Saeko finished two dorayaki and a bottle of yogurt, then settled onto a chair and began meticulously wiping the blood from her wooden sword.
Shizuka Marikawa possessed such a striking figure, yet her appetite was surprisingly smaller than Saeko Busujima's.
She ate half a sandwich and drank a bottle of yogurt, then yawned, rubbed her eyes sleepily, and sat down next to Tsubasa, leaning against the wall to rest.
Likely due to the worry and stress of the situation, now that she had a moment of respite, she felt utterly exhausted. Soon, her head began to nod, eventually resting against Tsubasa's shoulder. Apparently, the position wasn't entirely comfortable, as she shifted her head before finally settling completely against his chest.
Tsubasa's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
Even though she was wearing a white coat and a white blouse, obscuring anything particularly revealing, weren't personal sensations far more stimulating than mere visual observation?
In this position, he didn't even need to touch her to clearly perceive her impressive proportions and the degree to which they defied conventional "rules"!
Tsubasa glanced up at Saeko.
Earlier, when Shizuka had simply approached him, Saeko had already displayed jealousy and offered to "show him" her figure. It was worth noting that throughout their interactions, they hadn't even shared a kiss!
Tsubasa felt a sense of anticipation.
What would Saeko do when she saw Shizuka using him so casually?
Perhaps she might take a shower tonight and...?
"..."
Looking at Saeko, who was lying on the chair with her eyes closed, breathing evenly, and clutching her wooden sword in her sleep, Tsubasa shook his head helplessly.
He shifted his gaze to Shizuka, who was nestled in his arms like a cat enjoying the midday sun. Certain indescribable thoughts involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
He smacked his lips lightly, suppressing these unrealistic fantasies.
Taking a chocolate bar from the box, he unwrapped it and ate it slowly. Since his physical attributes had improved, his appetite had increased significantly, along with certain other... aspects.
However, fortunately, everything remained within acceptable limits!
After all, too much of a good thing wasn't necessarily good either.
Not for Tsubasa, but for Saeko and Shizuka!
2 o'clock in the afternoon!
Jingle-jingle-jingle...
A shrill ringing sound echoed from the loudspeaker.
It was the bell for afternoon classes, ringing punctually every day.
In the teachers' room.
Tsubasa, who had been dozing with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open.
Saeko, who had been sleeping on the chair, also stirred and opened her eyes.
Shizuka, curled up comfortably in Tsubasa's arms, rubbed her eyes like a cat just waking up and sat up, looking slightly disoriented.
"Tsubasa, it's time. We need to move!" Saeko quickly approached them and, seeing Shizuka still clinging to Tsubasa, a flicker of regret crossed her beautiful violet eyes.
Why hadn't she thought of doing that?
And how could she have even fallen asleep?
The teachers' room was quiet, the only sounds the gentle rustling of food being eaten and the occasional hushed conversation.