Chapter 6 - The Clubroom the Master* Resides In

*Master as in martial arts master

“Hmph!”

A fierce roundhouse kick struck the zombie’s neck, and with the sound of bones shattering, it collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut.

With that, the vermin infesting this dojo had been exterminated.

Takumi Toudou, a third-year in Class 2, straightened his uniform.

This was the karate club’s dojo, located on the first floor of the south school building, and the “uniform” he adjusted was, of course, a karate gi.

Takumi was the former captain of the karate club, known for achieving excellent results in competitions.

“With this, it’s clean again.”

His once-white gi was now stained red with splattered blood.

“Whoa~! As expected, senpai is really strong!”

A female student approached.

“They’re just way too weak,”

he said gruffly, taking the towel the girl was holding and wiping his sweat.

“No way! I could never pull off a spinning kick like that!”

The girl spoke proudly, as if it were her own accomplishment—there was something about her that reminded one of a small animal.

Her name was Hazuki Asagiri.

She was the manager of the first-year, class three judo club.

She was the center of attention among the judo boys (except Takumi),

receiving their intense stares, though she had never once noticed.

“For now, we wait for rescue. Let’s block the entrance.”

“Got it!”

They went to the equipment room and brought various tools over to the door.

Just then, the door burst open and a student rushed in.

“H-Help me! I’m being chased!”

The male student looked up at Takumi, his face filled with terror.

However, Takumi kicked the male student down, then shut the door and locked it.

“Hey! Why!?”

The sound of pounding on the door could be heard.

Ignoring the screams as if he couldn’t hear them, Takumi calmly began barricading the door.

“Waaah! Don’t come near!! Stay away!!”

Even as the screams continued, his hands did not stop blocking the door.

Eventually, as the screams ceased and only faint chewing sounds could be heard, the door was fully barricaded.

“Wow, that was quite an expression he had…”

Hazuki’s own expression stiffened slightly.

There was only one reason Takumi didn’t let the male student inside.

The boy’s arm had bite marks.

“...Even knowing he’s infected, he forced death onto others for a moment’s safety. A foolish man. Such a thing is no man at all.”

With a composed expression, she spoke firmly, then stood up and began walking toward the other exit.

The two of them knew.

That if bitten or scratched by a zombie, they would become infected and join their ranks.

That was something they understood from the horrors they had witnessed before coming here.

And one more thing they realized was the weakness of humans when pushed to their limits.

As can be seen from the earlier male student, people become extremely self-centered or stop thinking altogether.

Neither of those paths leads to a good future.

The zombie Takumi knocked down with a roundhouse kick earlier was like that too.

She had originally been a woman but was terribly arrogant.

In the end, she kept hiding the fact that she was infected, then suddenly showed symptoms and took down one of the club members.

A rising anger welled up inside Takumi’s chest.

But it quickly subsided.

He knew that anger dulls one’s thinking.

(In a situation like this, rescue might not even come.)

With that thought, he silently prayed for the fallen club member.

“By the way, I wonder if Kazuma-senpai is alright?”

Hazuki spoke as if she just remembered something.

Senior Kazuma refers to Takumi’s childhood friend, Kazuma Aso, from Class 3-2.

He’s the captain of the baseball team, but his personality is carefree and easygoing—completely opposite to Takumi’s.

Then again, maybe it’s precisely because they’re such an odd couple that their friendship has lasted this long.

“If it’s him, there’s no problem. The guy’s the type who won’t die even if you kill him.”

“That’s some serious trust!”

“It’s a rotten bond... He’s got the life force of a cockroach.”

“A c-cockroach!?”

“When we were in elementary school, we went camping in the neighborhood, and he got scolded badly for peeping at the girls’ bath. But the next day, he happily showed up with a camera.”

“Ahaha... Well, that’s definitely cockroach-like behavior…”

Hazuki shook her head in disbelief.

(Don’t die here, Kazuma...)

Takumi thought this to himself, looking up at the ceiling so Hazuki wouldn’t notice.