I'm Female Lead In Their World: Living in the High School of the Dead

"That's all they can say?!" Takashi punched the table in frustration, his knuckles white from the force. The helplessness of their situation was palpable, and his anger boiled over, directed at the government's inaction.
"I think they're afraid of causing panic," Hisashi suggested, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Even now?" Rei asked, her voice filled with disbelief.
"Hisashi is right; fear leads to chaos, and chaos leads to anarchy. How do you expect the government to deal with the living dead in a time of anarchy?" Takagi interjected, her irritation bubbling back to the surface. She paced the small room, her hands clenched into fists, trying to suppress the dread that lingered in the back of her mind.
"But even America and the rest of the world haven't brought this situation under control," Kazu added, glancing at the TV screen, where the news continued to play in the background, a grim reminder of the chaos outside.
"I can't believe it only took a few hours for the world to come to this. Don't you feel the same? But there must be some place that's safe, right? I'm sure everything will go back to normal," Rei pulled on Takashi's sleeve lightly, desperately seeking hope in the uncertainty.
"That will be impossible," Niikaz stated bluntly, her tone unyielding.
"What do you mean?" Kazu asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.
"Pandemic."
"Pandemic?" Okada tilted his head, his expression puzzled.
"It's when an epidemic of infectious disease spreads. So, the same disease that is infecting people here is spreading throughout the world," Takagi explained, her voice steady, but her eyes betrayed the fear lurking beneath the surface.
"Like the Black Death?" Hisashi asked, seeking any thread of historical context to understand their current predicament.
"Yeah, Europe, Africa, and Asia, with an estimated death toll between 75 and 200 million people due to the fleas living on the rats," Takagi said solemnly, the gravity of her words weighing heavily on the group.
"H-How does the disease stop?" Okada asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"The reason why the disease appeared is because of infections from others. When a lot of people die, the disease stops spreading as there are not enough hosts to carry it," Marikawa explained, her tone professional, but tinged with worry.
"But in this case, the dead are moving around and attacking people," Hirano noted, glancing nervously at the windows where shadows flitted by.
"Then you're implying it has no reason to stop spreading?" Saeko asked, her expression serious, sensing the tension in the room.
"From what I've seen, this infection seems to be transmitted through biting, meaning their saliva. As long as we avoid contact, we should be safe. The infected seem to be dead but still moving around. So I can say they are the 'undead,'" Hisashi looked out the window at the creatures stumbling through the streets, their movements jerky and unnatural.
"They have no sense of pain or sight. I tested it with a wet towel. The undead seem to rely solely on sound. They can differentiate between us and one of their own kind, though I don't know why," Takagi frowned, her analytical mind struggling to make sense of the chaos.
"What about the heat?" Hisashi asked, his curiosity piqued.
"I haven't tested that yet," Takagi admitted, frustration creeping into her voice.
"I see." Hisashi's tone turned contemplative, as if trying to piece together a puzzle.
"B-but we can just wait for them to die, right? You know, s-since they're dead, the body probably will start to rot, am I right?" Okada said, a hopeful lilt to his voice.
"Then how long until the body starts to rot?" Kazu asked, skeptical.
"Erm, about a week?" Okada shrugged, a forced optimism lacing his tone. Silence fell over the group, the weight of reality settling heavily upon them.
"S-sensei~," Okada called out, his voice a mixture of desperation and hope, looking up at Marikawa with pleading eyes.
"Well, during summer it takes around 22 days for some parts of the body to decompose, but during winter, it can take months," Marikawa explained, her voice steady but empathetic.
"That long?!" Okada's eyes widened in shock, his earlier hope draining away.
"So you really don't know, huh?" Kazu smirked, a hint of sarcasm creeping into his tone.
"Shut up!" Okada snapped back, embarrassment flashing across his features.
"How do we know they will even start to decompose anyway?" Takagi asked, crossing her arms defensively, her irritation flaring again.
"What do you mean?" Takashi asked, perplexed.
"Don't these things defy our knowledge of medicine? So why bother relying on it?" Takagi retorted, her voice sharper than intended.
"So it's hopeless, huh?" Hisashi said solemnly, the weight of despair pressing down on the group.
Suddenly, a holographic notification popped up in front of Takagi.
(Open) She commanded it to open and saw the progress of the story had increased to 4%.
(Looks like what Takagi said has triggered the event, huh? That must be the clue to this riddle.) Niikaz grinned a bit, noting the shift in energy in the room.
"So what's the plan now?" Kazu asked, breaking the heavy silence that had settled over them.
"We are going to check on our families. We'll stop by everyone's home, going from closest to furthest. And if we have to, we will help our families too. Once we're done, we'll find a safe place to stay," Takashi said, his tone steady and authoritative.
"Really?! That means we can check on my family too? Thank god!" Okada exclaimed, relief flooding his features.
"We must act as a group. If we go off on our own, we won't stand a chance," Hisashi reminded them, his expression serious.
"Let's go!" Takashi declared, embodying the spirit of a true leader.
As they prepared to move out, Takagi felt a surge of frustration mixed with fear. "Are we really doing this? Just like that? We don't even know what's out there!" Her voice shook, revealing her underlying anxiety.
"Takagi," Saeko said softly, stepping closer to her. "I know you're scared, but we need to stick together. We can't let fear control us."
Takagi glanced at Saeko, the sincerity in her eyes causing her irritation to fade slightly. "I... I know. It's just... I can't shake the feeling that this is all going to end badly."
"It might, but we can't let that stop us. We need to keep moving, keep fighting. Together," Saeko reassured her, squeezing her shoulder gently.
Takagi took a deep breath, nodding reluctantly. "Okay, let's do this then."
As they stepped outside, the weight of uncertainty hung heavily over them, but the strength of their resolve shone through. The world outside was chaotic and terrifying, but together, they felt a flicker of hope.
"Kazu, here, carry this. It will cover our trip once we get out." Niikaz pointed to the box top of the table.
When they busy discussing each other before, Niikaz takes the chance to fill the bread packages and mineral bottles in an empty box. She chooses the biggest box enough for 20 people to eat for 2 days.
Kazu hesitated, once he carries this, for sure he will not be able to defend himself. His body shiver in fear. Niikaz sighed.
(looks like he still --)
"Niikaz! Let me carry this for Kazu." Hisashi volunteered.
"No, thanks senpai but I will carry this!" Kazu firmly said.
He lifted the box and turn to face Niikaz.
" I-I will be alright, right?" He forced to smile to overcome his fear.
"hmp! Who did talking to? Huh?" Kazu felt relieved a little as he saw Niikaz smile brightly toward him.
"ah ahahaha sorry~" he chuckled.
"Kazu! I will protect you too!" Okada said.
"hehe us too obviously" Hisashi added.
" Are you guys ready?" Takashi holds the door. Ready to slide it open as he looks at all the members face nodded.
"Alright let's get out of here!" Takashi opens the door start to move out when he saw that the hall is clear from the undead.