After reading the announcement in front of him, Kazuki almost stumbled, and then he felt his body warming up from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. It was a pleasant sensation, as if he were stepping into a hot bath. The feeling lasted for three seconds before fading away, and Kazuki exhaled a lungful of heavy air, as if he were expelling something negative from within himself.

The others stopped and looked at Kazuki curiously, wondering if he had found something, but seeing him with his eyes closed and taking deep breaths, they decided to wait while keeping an eye on their surroundings. A few seconds later, Kazuki opened his eyes, and noticing everyone's curiosity, he didn't know how to explain, so he decided to let Future Kazuki explain.

"I'm fine, I'll explain what happened later, let's focus for now."

They gradually walked through the store, which wasn't very large, but the shelves blocked much of the view. Noticing that no one had looted this place yet, Kazuki was pleased. Then, he grabbed a Shonen Jump magazine from the magazine rack in front of the counter and tossed it towards the door of a refrigerator at the end of the aisle.

BAM!

'I felt a difference, slight, but still...'

After the impact, everyone remained on alert, waiting until they heard frequent and frantic pounding on a door. Waiting a bit longer, no zombies appeared, only the pounding getting louder and stronger as it approached the source of the noise, accompanied by grunts.

UUURRRRRH
GRRRRRRGH

"It seems there's more than one in there, it's the staff room," said Saeko.

"What should we do, Kazuki-senpai? If we open it, they'll jump on us, and we can't leave them like this because if they break the door while we're gathering things, it could be dangerous," Rei asked.

"I wanted to enter that room because the boxes are probably stored there. It'll be easier to store things if we can get them..." Kazuki said.

"How about we just facilitate their exit and gradually take them down?" suggested Kohta.

"Hmm... I know, since we already know there are no zombies around, I'll speed up the door-breaking process, stand back." After cleaning and stowing away the hunting knife with a handkerchief, which he then discarded, Kazuki drew his war hammer and, seeing everyone step back, swung the pointed side of his hammer at the door.

CREAK
CREAK
CRASH

UURRRRGHH
ARRRRRGH
RRRRRGH

Kazuki's blows shattered part of the door enough for them to see inside, and upon noticing only two zombies within, they relaxed their vigilance a bit.

The arm of one of the zombies, who was wearing what looked like the store's uniform, reached through the cracked part of the door and, with a pull, ripped off another chunk of the door.

"And this is the reason not to let these things grab you; they're bizarrely strong when grabbing onto something," Kazuki instructed.

Rei, who was beside him, watching this scene, trembled, remembering that right at the beginning of all this, the reason Takashi was bitten was precisely because she was caught off guard by one of them.

"Kazuki," Saeko called.

"I got it." Kazuki raised his hammer and, with a vertical strike, hit the zombie's skull that was trying to pass through the door.

CRUSH.

The hammer's tip pierced the creature's skull, instantly finishing it off. After the body fell to the floor inside the room, the second zombie, a woman, tried to jump over the door that was missing its upper half, but she was quickly dispatched by Saeko's precise blow.

"Man, watching you guys do this makes it look easy," Kohta said.

'The freaking sniper has the gall to say that,' the three of them thought.

After checking all corners of the store and confirming it was clear, they started dragging the corpses outside and leaving them on the backside through the back door.

"Guys, I know I gave gloves to everyone, but wash your hands with water and alcohol. And take masks to prevent blood splatter from getting into your mouth. When we pass by a hardware store, we can look for eye protection too; we can't mess around with this situation. We can look for lightweight helmets with good visibility."

"Okay," they replied in unison.

"Kazuki-senpai, Hirano-kun and I will let the others know to bring the bus," Rei said.

"Alright, I need Kyoko to move this car from the entrance to make our lives easier."

While Rei and Kohta headed to the bus, Saeko was looking at the blood stains on the floor thoughtfully.

"Hey, what's wrong? Thinking about your family?" Kazuki asked Saeko while wiping the blood stains off the floor.

"Huh?" Saeko startled. "Ah, no, it's just my dad and me in my family, and... He's in the United States at some convention, and I don't need to worry because he's the one who taught me how to use a sword."

"If it's not that, why were you staring at the floor so intently?"

"...Kazuki, do you think what we're doing might be wrong? Attacking to kill, all these people... What if they find a cure?" Saeko said uncertainly.

"Saeko, I can see in your eyes that you don't even believe what you're saying. But until you gather the courage to tell me what's really on your mind, I'll answer you... I don't think we're doing anything wrong; if we don't attack to kill, we'll be the ones killed. And if they find a cure? Heh, if my grandmother had wheels and an engine, she wouldn't be my grandmother, but a car."

Saeko's eyes widened in surprise that Kazuki had noticed she was hiding something. Her heart began to beat faster, and after hearing what Kazuki spoke at the end, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Haha... Geez, I'm talking about something serious here."

Kazuki put the mop in the bucket and approached her, embracing her. Saeko flinched, and with his face close to her ear, Kazuki spoke in a low voice.

"You don't have to keep up appearances with me. I'll understand you no matter what happens."

His words, though simple, resonated deep in Saeko's heart. She stood there in silence, feeling her heart beat faster amidst the comfort of Kazuki's embrace. Despite both of them being armored, the feeling was conveyed.

[Affinity with Saeko Busujima +5]

'Maybe with him, I can...' Saeko thought before being snapped out of her trance by the sound of the bus engine. She quickly moved away from Kazuki, her face noticeably red, and due to Kazuki's teasing smile, he had definitely noticed.

After gathering the boxes and Kyoko removing the car from the entrance, the group divided to gather food, personal hygiene products, condoms, masks, and other miscellaneous items.

"Everyone, grab the cooler and put the perishable foods in to make them last a bit longer. We'll save the non-perishable foods for later; let's enjoy while we have power to eat cold things. Also, grab some water jugs."

A microbus typically has about 18 seats. After looting the convenience store, 8 of those seats were completely occupied.

'I think we have supplies for all these people for at least a month.'

"We've spent too much time here, the sun is starting to set. Where can we spend the night?" Saya asked.

"Isn't your house nearby?" Kazuki asked, fully aware of the answer.

"No! My parents left me to die; they didn't even try to call me!" She replied sharply.

"Hey, you see the situation, they may be in a worse situation than you. Have you tried calling them?" Kazuki asked.

"Tsk, I know, okay?! And no, I haven't... I'm... scared." Saya said in a low voice. No one on the bus judged her for that, as almost everyone was worried about their families.

The atmosphere became heavy, and Kazuki took out his iPhone from his pocket, went to Saya, and handed her the phone.

"Here, call your mom."

Saya hesitated for a few seconds but took the phone and started dialing. After a few rings, the call connected, and she began talking to her mother. After a few minutes, she hung up and handed the phone to Kazuki, with some difficulty.

"Um, thank you... They're okay, my dad is setting up a refugee camp, and from what I heard from my mom, all the bridges are closed; we'll have to spend the night on this side of the river."

"The bridges will be impossible for at least 3 to 4 days, and they'll probably be crowded with vehicles... Does anyone have any ideas?" Kazuki asked the group, and his move wasn't wasted because at that moment Shizuka Marikawa raised her hand.

"Um, I know a place."

'Finally,' thought Kazuki. Shizuka's suggestion sparked a glimmer of hope in the group. They listened attentively as she explained.

"Is it your boyfriend's house?" Saya asked in a teasing tone.

"N-No, it's my friend's house. She's always busy with work at the airport and other things, so she leaves the key with me to clean up and take care of. Honestly, I end up spending more time there than in my own apartment," Shizuka replied, flustered, sneaking a few glances at Kazuki. Seeing no reaction from him, she let out a sigh.

[Affinity with Shizuka Marikawa +1]

'What?' Kazuki was confused.

"Is it an apartment? Does it have a good view?" Kohta asked.

"Yes. It's on the riverbank, and it's a maisonette, so there's a convenience store nearby, too. AH! And she has a car that looks like a tank!" Shizuka said, waving her arms to illustrate the size of the car.

"Yeah, we really need a smaller vehicle to explore," Saeko remarked.

"I'm exhausted from today, I just want to take a hot shower before the electricity stops working," Saya commented as she stretched to relieve tension in her muscles.

"Yeah..." Kohta murmured, looking at the scene with a slight blush.

Saya almost kicked him, noticing his slightly lecherous gaze. The group laughed a little at their antics, bringing some lightness to the moment.

After the laughter, Kazuki took the lead in the conversation again.

Kazuki nodded, considering the proposal, and with a clear voice for everyone to hear. "That sounds like a good plan. Let's head there for the night, and if possible, fortify the place. We can make it a temporary shelter. But I imagine we'll have to clear the area, so be prepared when we arrive at sunset. No need to rush too much, or we might run into something."

Shizuka, who was at the wheel, nodded and started the bus.

...

The journey ahead was smooth and uneventful. However, they had to change their route slightly because a bus had overturned in the middle of the road, making passage difficult. But thanks to Kazuki's GPS, they easily found an alternative route.

During the change of route, they saw the complete desperation of many people who were attacking anything that moved, be it zombies or even other survivors. The streets were chaos, and Shizuka occasionally had to run over some zombies.

But the problem arose when they entered an intersection a few blocks from the bridge. A group of people started trying to surround the bus.

"LET US IN TOO!"

"HELP US! DON'T LEAVE US ALONE!"

"PLEASE DON'T ABANDON US!"

The group on the bus looked serious and uncertain about what to do. There were at least 10 people, and they were in front of the bus, forcing Shizuka to stop or she would run them over.

"Why the long faces? I've already said, don't pay attention to people who have nothing to do with us. Kohta, one on the shoulder of each of those in front," Kazuki said, firmly.

"OK!" Kohta then took advantage of a gap in one of the windows and shot his nail gun at the arm or shoulder of each of those on the sides.

FWIP, FWIP, FWIP!

AAAHRGH! THEY'RE ARMED!

AAAAAIIII!

KYAAA!

The group on the sides started to disperse, but the one in front, feeling protected by the lack of an angle, started shouting.

"Go to the back and come forward; they won't be able to do anything!"

"Shizuka, move a little forward," Takashi and Takuso widened their eyes but remained quiet.

VROOM!

The bus jerked a little forward, and the people, despite being frightened, heard the man in front of them, "They're just bluffing; they wouldn't dare!"

This seemed to restore the people's confidence.

"Shizuka, put it in neutral and make the engine ROAR!" Kazuki said with cold eyes and continued. "Kohta, scout, how long until contact?"

The group understood Kazuki's objective, and although some didn't feel good about it, the situation didn't allow for another solution.

VRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM

Kohta picked up the binoculars again, surveyed the surroundings, and after a few seconds said, "There are at least 30 coming from inside the building on the corner and a few more from the sides. Count to 10."

Everyone was surprised and began looking for the zombies, but they couldn't see them until the screams caught their attention.

"KYAAAAAAH! THEY'RE HERE!"

The group in front of the bus started to panic and bang on the door to open it, but Kazuki, remaining with a cold look, said.

"Shizuka, let me take the wheel now."

"NO! I'll do it." She then put it in gear and started to make the bus move; the people in front noticed and started to panic, and when they saw that she was really going to accelerate over them, fear finally took over, and they ran from the front to take cover.

Shizuka wasted no time and stepped on the gas, pulling away with the vehicle and almost knocking over Kazuki, who held onto the bars suddenly.

She drove, dodging pedestrians and cars until she left the busier area and passed through some quieter streets until she reached the entrance of the maisonette.

Right from the entrance, it was possible to see the vehicle that Shizuka had mentioned. The maisonette was a set of two-story houses with a sleek and modern appearance. The exterior of the maisonette was surrounded by a well-maintained garden, with green shrubs and colorful flowers that added a touch of serenity to the environment. A tall and discreet fence surrounded the property, providing some privacy and security since the fence was over 1.70 meters high.

'At least these zombies can't jump that, but it doesn't look good to stay here in the future,' thought Kazuki.

Until they got here, the group remained silent, but noticing that they had reached their destination, the tension dissipated, and they finally felt comfortable speaking.

Looking at the HUMVEE, Saya was the first to speak, "...What kind of friends does she have?"

Rei, right after noticing the fence, commented, "I don't think 'they' can jump that wall, so we should be safe for today."

After turning off the bus engine, the group noticed that from the open windows of the houses inside the property, a group with several zombies began to emerge.

During the journey, Takashi and Takuso also put on armor. Miku put one as well and was holding a bat. Almost everyone got off the bus, leaving only Shizuka, Taniuchi, Momo, and Naomi to cover for them.

"As soon as we open the gate, they'll come. Everyone be prepared and spread out so we don't get in each other's way."

"3, 2, 1. LET'S GO!"

The gates opened, and a massacre began.

This time, the whole group was together. Upon reflection, it's truly disturbing how everyone changed in such a short period. They were no longer fighting to flee... They were fighting of their own volition. This was the first time the entire group took the initiative to attack, not just in self-defense. None of them had doubts or regrets at that moment.

In just half a day...

In half a day, they had changed so much... and now, the first night since it all ended was there to welcome them.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------