A third-year classroom.
Busujima Saeko sat in her seat, staring blankly at the blackboard on the podium.
Even though her body was still in its seat, her soul had been wandering for quite some time.
'I really, really want to cut something.'
'I want class to end already.'
'I want to go to Su Yan-kouhai's side.'
'I really want to see Su Yan-kouhai soon...'
Su Yan's appearance had added many different colors to Saeko's once-monochromatic world.
Yet, because of that, her once-flavorless daily routine felt even more unbearable in the young woman's eyes.
Saeko rested her chin in her hand and turned her head, her gaze somewhat hollow as she looked at the sky through the window, an unconscious sigh escaping her lips.
'Today is another flavorless day.'
Just as Saeko was about to lament this in her heart...
*Crackle...*
The speakers hanging on the classroom wall suddenly emitted a harsh, static-filled sound, catching the girl's attention.
Saeko immediately looked toward the speaker, her eyes filled with a hint of surprise.
In high schools, there was usually a club called the Broadcasting Club. Besides announcing weather reports or lost items during the lunch break...
The school speakers were generally only used during significant events.
Even though they were currently in the middle of class, the school speakers had suddenly activated.
It was clear that something had happened.
Saeko's eyes narrowed.
'Could this be the major upheaval Su Yan told me about, the one that would affect the entire world and allow me to vent my inner murderous desires?'
At that thought, the corner of Saeko's mouth curled up slightly, forming an almost imperceptible smile.
She then pricked up her ears, listening patiently to whatever was about to come out of the speakers.
Soon, a man's voice came through the speakers.
"Attention all students. A violent incident is currently occurring on campus. Please follow the guidance of nearby teachers and evacuate..."
"I repeat, students please follow the guidance of nearby teachers..."
"Stop! Who let you in here? Get away from me! Don't come any closer! Noooo..."
The voice, which had been orderly at first, suddenly turned into chaos. It seemed something unexpected had happened in the broadcasting room.
"Aaaaah!!!"
After a terrified scream echoed through the speakers, the once-noisy broadcast fell into complete silence.
One could only faintly hear sounds resembling a wild beast devouring prey coming from within.
For a moment, the entire classroom was dead silent.
It was so quiet that one could almost hear the sound of their own heartbeat.
Everyone began to look at each other in confusion.
No one knew who let out the first scream.
Then, chaos erupted.
Everyone in the classroom scrambled to flee.
As for Busujima Saeko?
She had already quietly left the classroom the moment the sound from the speakers stopped.
She headed toward the infirmary, the location she had previously agreed upon with Su Yan.
Along the way, every student she saw was running around like a headless fly.
They all seemed to be blindly searching for a place they believed to be safe.
It was hard to imagine that in less than a few minutes, the vast Fujimi Academy had instantly fallen into total chaos.
"Man-eating monsters?"
Saeko looked ahead, her expression turning solemn.
Not far away, she saw a monster with skin as withered as a dead tree, its body appearing black and purple as if covered in bruised blood.
It held a student wearing a Fujimi Academy uniform firmly in its hands, tearing at the flesh like a starving dog with its bloody, wide-open mouth.
However, that wasn't the most surprising part. The most shocking thing was...
This monster-like being was also wearing a Fujimi Academy uniform.
Perhaps, not long ago, it had been a normal person just like the other students?
The young woman had no intention of going over to investigate the truth.
Even though she could easily dispatch such a weak existence with a single strike...
Her priority right now was to meet up with Su Yan at the infirmary.
Moreover, she worried that if she did act, she might be unable to control her inner murderous intent and lose herself.
If it were before, she certainly wouldn't have passed up such an opportunity.
But now things were different; she had something more important to care about in her heart.
He was the scabbard that restrained the sharp blade known as Busujima Saeko.
Su Yan!
Yet, just as the girl was about to move on, a shocking scene unfolded right before her eyes.
The monster that had been frantically devouring flesh like a starving dog suddenly stopped and released its prey.
The prey that should have been dead after being brutally bitten suddenly stood up.
Its skin, which had been fair compared to the monster, rapidly withered and turned a nauseating blackish-purple.
It had become a being just like the one that had attacked it.
Saeko's pupils shrank suddenly.
When she heard Su Yan say that a change affecting the whole world would happen soon, she hadn't believed it at the time.
But now, she did.
This terrifying infection ability, this horrifying speed of mutation.
If these monsters couldn't be dealt with quickly, perhaps humanity really would face extinction.
Saeko quickened her pace.
She had to reach the infirmary and meet up with Su Yan immediately.
Soon.
Saeko saw the door to the infirmary.
And standing before the infirmary door, with her hand on it, seemingly hesitating whether to push it open, was a pink-haired girl.
"Are you a friend of Su Yan's as well, kouhai?"
Looking at the pink-haired girl's pretty face and her chest, which was even more impressive than her own...
Saeko subconsciously assumed she was a companion like Miyamoto Rei, who harbored feelings for Su Yan and had been called to the infirmary to meet up.
"Huh?"
The sudden voice beside her gave Takagi Saya a fright, and her hand on the door jerked back as if she'd received an electric shock.
She turned to look at Saeko, who was standing beside her.
Saeko might not know her, but Takagi Saya certainly knew Saeko.
The "Flower of the High Peak" of Fujimi Academy and the captain of the kendo club.
Furthermore, her father was one of the leading figures in Japanese kendo.
She had once watched Saeko's father give kendo pointers to her own father.
Realizing it was someone she recognized, Saya breathed a sigh of relief.
"Um, I'm not..."
Just as Saya was about to protest, she was interrupted by Saeko's movement.
"Let's talk inside. It's dangerous in the school right now; there are man-eating monsters everywhere."
Saeko could easily sense that the pink-haired girl had no Nen within her, and her muscle lines didn't show signs of much training.
Thus, she quickly concluded that the girl was just an ordinary person.
Without another word, she pushed open the infirmary door and pulled the girl inside with her.
Saeko held Takagi Saya's hand as they entered the infirmary and said, "Su Yan-kouhai, we're here."
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