NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10: CHAPTER 10
Meanwhile, Rei and Marikawa rushed toward Takagi, concern etched on their faces.
"Are you okay, Takagi?" Rei asked, her voice soft but urgent.
"Miyamoto..." Takagi looked at Rei, her eyes blank, devoid of any emotion. The adrenaline that had fueled her moments ago was fading, leaving a heavy weight in her chest.
Marikawa stepped in, a reassuring smile on her lips. "We're all acquainted with the school nurse, Marikawa-sensei. I'm Busujima Saeko from 3-A."
"I'm Ishii Kazu. You can call me Kazu, and this is Okada from 1-B."
"Yo! Okada here!" Okada saluted, his tone bright but laced with nervous energy.
"Komuro Takashi from 2-B," Takashi introduced himself, trying to maintain a sense of normalcy.
"Hisashi Igou from 2-B," Hisashi added, his eyes scanning the room for any signs of danger.
"Gehhh! Senpai, a-ahahhaha, I'm sorry~" Okada laughed awkwardly, glancing around at the others.
"Okada, seriously?" Kazu shot him a look, his expression flat.
"Niikaz, a freshman, newly transferred here," Niikaz introduced herself, bowing politely toward them.
"Oh, that must be hard, especially with the situation like this," Hisashi remarked, his voice steady as he tried to reassure her.
Niikaz shook her head, denying it as an answer, her expression revealing that she was anything but okay.
"You are the same Busujima-senpai who won at the national championship last year, right?" Rei said, her admiration evident.
"M-Miyamoto-senpai from the Sojutsu club! Woah, the one in the flesh! - ouch," Okada interrupted himself, realizing he had spoken out of turn.
"I'm sorry for this," Kazu said, moving closer to Okada and giving him a playful punch on the top of his head. Okada bowed slightly and laughed awkwardly.
"It's fine, I don't mind," Rei smiled, her warmth easing the tension.
"I, umm, Hirano Kohta, also from 2-B," Hirano introduced himself, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Pleasure to meet you," Saeko smiled sincerely at Hirano, causing his cheeks to flush a bright red.
"Tch, what the... is this an intro session now?! Huh?" Takagi snapped, irritation flaring within her. The anxiety she felt was beginning to bubble to the surface.
(What the hell... that must be Takagi-san, an honor student, a genius who skipped grades earlier than Kazu and me! ...scary~) Okada thought, suddenly startled by her sharp demeanor.
"What the... Takagi?" Takashi called out, concern creeping into his voice.
"Don't treat me like I'm stupid! I am a genius! I can do anything once I put my mind into it! I'm... I'm..." Her voice cracked, overwhelmed by a mixture of fear and frustration.
"Enough," Saeko said softly, resting her hand gently on Takagi's shoulder. It was a comforting gesture that seemed to cut through Takagi's emotional turmoil.
Takagi stopped yelling, her gaze drifting to her reflection in the glass near the front door. Her clothes were stained with blood from the creatures, and her body trembled, revealing the fear that had gripped her.
"Look at how dirty I am... I need to tell Mom to get it cleaned..." she muttered softly, her voice breaking.
Takashi stood behind her, pity in his eyes. He noticed that she had gone too far with her outburst. Finally, Takagi rested her head against Saeko's shoulder, tears spilling over as she cried, releasing the pent-up emotions from the chaos of the day.
"It's safe now. Let's get inside and rest. I know we're all tired, both mentally and physically, after everything that's happened," Niikaz said, pushing the door open wide to let them in.
"Yeah, Niikaz is right. Let's take a break and plan what to do next," Hisashi added, stepping inside, followed by the others.
Once they closed the door, Kazu moved to help his senior block it, instinctively wanting to protect them from any potential threats.
Niikaz found it unnecessary but chose not to stop him. Instead, she walked to a nearby table, scanning every piece of information she could find. The documents piled up but yielded nothing of value.
"Um, Niikaz, right?" Hirano asked, breaking the silence.
"Yes?" Niikaz replied, turning to face him.
"Can I ask something?" he hesitated, glancing at the weapon strapped to her side.
"Sure," she said, raising an eyebrow, intrigued by his curiosity.
"Your weapon piqued my interest," he said timidly, his admiration clear.
(As expected from military nerds, he already noticed my weapon) she lightly chuckled to herself.
"I know your intention, but let's discuss it later when we find a safe place after we get out of here," Niikaz suggested. To her, it wasn't really the time to talk about weapons and tactics.
"O-oh, yeah, let's do that first... I-I'll go check on Takagi-san!" Hirano quickly approached Takagi, concern for her wellbeing evident in his eyes.
Kazu noticed Hirano's action but chose to stay silent, observing how the others slowly regained their energy as they rested.
"Kazu, come here! Look what I found!" Okada called, excitement bubbling in his voice as he pointed toward a box full of mineral water. Next to it was a small fridge.
"Whoa! That's a huge help, Okada! You rock! Let's go give it to the others," Kazu said, enthusiasm creeping into his tone.
"Everyone, we found some bread and mineral water here!" Okada called out, walking toward the others, passing out the food.
"Is there any left? Do you think we can carry it outside?" Hisashi asked after thanking him.
"Yeah, there is, but whoever carries this will be unable to protect themselves," Kazu replied, his expression serious.
"I will ca—" Hisashi started, but Niikaz interrupted him unexpectedly.
"Let Kazu carry it," she said matter-of-factly.
"Huh? Me?" Kazu blinked, surprise flooding his features.
"What? You don't want to? Didn't I say that I will protect you? Don't you believe in me?" Niikaz teased, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"That's not what I meant to ask!" Kazu blurted out, flustered. Niikaz found his embarrassment entertaining and couldn't help but tease him further.
"I envy your relationship. Are you guys going out?" Saeko asked, her expression playful.
"Eh?! W-we just met!" Kazu denied, flustered.
"Yes, we are," Niikaz replied in a monotone voice, her expression unwavering.
"Eh?! We are? Really? W-Why? But you and I just met?!" Kazu stammered, his face burning with embarrassment.
"Did you not hear the phrase called 'love at first sight'?" Niikaz said, her tone teasing.
"...." Kazu's head seemed ready to explode from the embarrassment, and he struggled to find words to counter her.
"Ah, whatever," Okada sighed, giving up quickly. Maybe he didn't care much since he was surrounded by girls; he thought he could just chase after other girls later.
"Sorry to interrupt you guys, but you have to watch this," Hisashi said, raising the volume on the television.
"What's up, Hisashi?" Takashi walked over, curiosity piqued.
[...the government has started to do something about this ongoing revolt. However, the politicians...]
"Revolt?" Okada flinched at the word.
"What the hell are they calling this a revolt for?" Takashi said, irritation coloring his tone as he crossed his arms.
Hisashi changed the channel.
[The number of deaths in the Saitama prefecture already exceeds 10,000. The prefectural governor has declared a state of emergency—] The reporter was interrupted as gunfire erupted in the background.
"That was gunfire! The police have opened fire! But what are they shooting at?! Ahhh, the— the corpses! Ahh no, stay away! Stay away! Help! Arghhh!" the camera fell, and the live feed cut off abruptly.
Soon the TV switched to a studio broadcast.
"There seems to be a problem. F-from now on, we will be broadcasting from the studio here. As you can tell, the situation outside has become grave. The minister has announced a state of emergency and a lockdown for all Japanese citizens. We advise you to please stay in your home unless absolutely necessary. We will take action against those who do not take this seriously."
The news continued to run, but not all of them were paying attention. They were shocked and struggling to process everything happening around them.
"Hey, Kazu, you think my parents are going to be okay?" Okada broke the silence, his eyes welling with tears.
"Okada..." Kazu muttered softly. He didn't know how to comfort his friend, so he just patted Okada's back, sharing in his worry. He also felt concern for his own father, who was currently working out of town.
"That's all they can say?!" Takashi punched the table in frustration