Akira blasted the corrosive slime with his flamethrower, carving a path to safety. Kana and the bare, trembling students followed, escaping the room awash with the creature's remains. Emerging into the dormitory corridor, the stench of decay lingered, but for now, they were safe.
Akira gripped his rotary spear, its tip warped from the battle, the drill silent. "Critical damage to rotary spear confirmed. Unusable. New armaments required."
Kana glanced at the students, their tension easing only to be replaced by embarrassment as they realized their nakedness. Faces flushed, they covered themselves or averted their eyes.
Kana broke the awkward silence with a bright voice. "Everyone's covered in that gunk. Let's hit the showers and clean up. Then we'll find clothes."
"Agreed. Hygiene and body temperature regulation are priorities. We'll use the dorm's facilities," Akira said, pointing down the hall toward the shower room.
The students nodded, trailing Kana as they headed there.
In the shower room, warm water flowed—a small miracle. Kana sighed in relief. "Thank goodness… This'll help us relax."
She stepped under the spray first, rinsing away the last traces of slime. The warmth soothed her chilled body, easing the knots in her shoulders. The others followed, the clean water washing off the stinging red marks left by the slime.
A male student raked back his wet hair, muttering, "Feels good… like I'm alive again."
A female student, toweling off, teared up. "Kana, thank you. If you hadn't saved us, we'd be melted by now."
After showering, they raided the dorm's lockers for spare uniforms and gym clothes. Kana chose an oversized sweatshirt and pants, rolling up the sleeves for mobility. "Finally starting to feel normal again."
"The dorm's a wreck, though," one student said.
"But we're alive," another countered.
Clothed, they shed the terror of their exposure.
They moved to an adjacent lounge, where Akira kept watch while addressing the group. "I need information. What happened in this dormitory? Share what you know."
A male student spoke up. "I woke up to weird noises in the middle of the night… Then white threads flooded the room, and before I knew it, I was trapped in a cocoon. The dorm was already wrong before that thing showed up."
A female student added, "I saw the courtyard from my window—it was warped, covered in this misty haze. I think the whole school's caught in some kind of strange force."
Kana's eyes widened. "The whole school? So that mastermind's really behind it all…"
Akira nodded. "Your information aligns with the anomaly's suspected cause. I'm formulating our next steps. First, we secure new weapons. The rotary spear's loss requires a replacement."
He spotted a toolbox in the lounge's corner and rifled through it, pulling out an iron pipe and a power saw. "These are viable. I'll mount the saw's blade to the pipe for enhanced cutting power."
Using the tools, he crafted a makeshift saw-sword. "New weapon secured. Combat capacity restored."
Kana found water and snacks in a lounge fridge, passing them out. "Everyone, eat up to get your strength back. I'm taking a quick break too."
She nibbled a chocolate bar and sipped water, the sweetness seeping into her weary body, grounding her with a quiet comfort.
Akira located an outlet and plugged in his charging cable. "Energy reserves at forty percent. Ten-minute charge will restore to sixty percent, preparing for the next phase."
Sparks flickered from his left arm, but the charging stabilized him slightly.
The students gathered around Kana, their gratitude spilling over. "Kana, thank God Akira showed up. What's next?"
She glanced at Akira, her voice firm with resolve. "We're going to end this with Akira. That mastermind's got to go, or none of us are safe."
"Affirmative. Post-charge, we leave the dorm to locate the mastermind. Prepare yourselves," Akira said, gripping his saw-sword.
Kana tightened her hold on her hammer, ready to face the night once more.