The olive-green military Humvee rumbled steadily down the road. Aside from the engine's low growl, the surroundings were eerily quiet no moaning zombies, no movement, only the tension of the deserted urban streets.

Humvees weren't built for speed, especially not in tight city blocks, and this one capped out at a little over 130 kilometers per hour. But to Megumi Kato, that was just fine.

It was sturdy.

It was stable.

Every now and then, a lone zombie would stumble onto the road, only to be crushed mercilessly beneath the reinforced tires.

Megumi sat by the window, leaning gently against the door. Including herself, there were seven people inside the vehicle six adults and one young girl. Thanks to the Humvee's spacious design, even with four adults and a child in the back, it didn't feel cramped at all.

Or maybe everyone here was just unusually slim.

"Thank you for taking me in. I'm Megumi Kato, a student from Toyosaki Academy."

Her voice was calm but respectful. Before this, she had thought Saeko Busujima was traveling alone. Realizing she had joined a group, Megumi knew she had to integrate quickly. It was better to take initiative.

"No need to thank us. If Saeko agreed to bring you in, then what else is there to say?" said a girl with twin tails and a sharp smile. Her name was Saya Takagi. With a mischievous smirk, she elbowed Saeko beside her.

Saeko chuckled lightly, "Hey, when you call me, shouldn't you add 'senpai' at the end?"

"You just called me 'hey,' and you're correcting me?" Saya pouted and shot her a glare. Then she turned to Megumi with a grin. "Anyway, let me introduce everyone. Most of us here are students or teachers from Fujimi Academy."

"I'm not!"

The declaration came from the smallest member of the group, who raised her hand proudly before Saya could finish. It was the young girl her cheeks puffed in defiance.

Saeko covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

Saya's brow twitched. "Then you do the intro yourself."

"Gladly!"

The little girl practically bounced over and flopped herself across Megumi's lap, chin tilted up with cheerful confidence.

"I'm Alice Maresato, second grade! These big brothers and sisters saved me the night before last!"

"Nice to meet you, Alice."

Megumi smiled warmly and gently patted her head. That single sentence revealed so much. Clearly, this girl had gone through something traumatic.

That kind of heartbreak... Megumi knew it well.

Alice seemed to pick up on the shift in her expression. With innocent concern, she softly grasped Megumi's hand and tilted her head in confusion.

Such an emotionally perceptive child…

Megumi silently admired her. She smiled again, making sure not to let her sorrow affect the others. Just then, Saya resumed.

"The guy up front in the passenger seat is Kohta Hirano. Claims he trained with Blackwater in the States. His weapon of choice? A sniper rifle. Driving us is Asami Nakaoka she's a trainee officer with the traffic division."

"Would've sounded cooler without the word 'trainee'..." Asami muttered.

Megumi caught her gaze in the rearview mirror and nodded in polite greeting.

"Oh, right!" Saya slapped her forehead. "Almost forgot. Asami and Kohta are a couple."

Megumi blinked. A high school student and a police trainee?

Really?

"Don't say it like that," Kohta mumbled, clearly embarrassed.

"No need to hide it," Asami chuckled. "I'm only two years older than Kohta. And for the record, I was the one who pursued him."

Megumi nodded in understanding, though she couldn't help but feel curious about their story.

Saya noticed the look on her face immediately and laughed. "You're wondering why Asami fell for him, right?"

Asami met Megumi's eyes in the mirror, smiling playfully. "The answer's simple. He saved me. The classic tale hero rescues damsel, and the damsel falls for the hero."

"Pfft, you shameless woman," Saya reached from behind to grab her.

"Hey! Hands off! I'm driving!" Asami squealed.

Megumi glanced over just in time to see Saya's sneak attack. Instinctively, she covered her own chest.

But for some reason, her mind wandered back to the silhouette of the boy whistling atop the school wall, leading zombies away so the others could escape.

Senpai... are you still alive? Megumi whispered in her heart.

A soft breath brushed her ear.

"Oh my~ Little Kato~ Don't tell me you've got a crush?"

Megumi flinched and scooted away, startled by the voice and the warm breath on her skin.

Shizuka Marikawa, the school nurse, folded her arms beneath her chest only making her already impressive figure even more prominent. Oblivious to the visual impact, she tilted her head with curiosity.

"A boy from your school? Is he handsome? Tall? Did you guys get separated?"

Megumi's eyes briefly flicked to Shizuka's chest. She sighed.

No wonder she calls me 'little.' Compared to her, I really am…

"It's not like that."

She sighed again and softly recounted the events from the school.

"I just wanted to thank him for leading the zombies away… but with the situation as it is, I don't know if I'll get that chance."

"True. All the comms are down. Can't call, can't text," Shizuka said, tapping her finger on her lips. But when she noticed Megumi's expression, her usual bubbly demeanor gave way to something more gentle.

Suddenly, she pulled Megumi into her arms.

"Don't be sad, little Kato! You have us now!"

Megumi didn't even have time to react before she was smothered in a warm, overly soft embrace. Her breathing hitched, face squished between two suffocating mounds.

"Let go! She can't breathe!" Saya cried out.

"I want hugs too!" Alice squealed, leaping into the chaos.

…

After several minutes of chaos and shouting, Megumi finally escaped from Shizuka's vice grip.

Her face was flushed red not from shyness, but from sheer oxygen deprivation.

Marikawa-sensei was way too enthusiastic.

Catching her breath, she looked around and noticed something odd.

Saeko had been silent for a while now.

Megumi leaned forward and peeked around Shizuka's "twin mountains."

There she was Saeko Busujima, leaning quietly against Saya's shoulder, eyes closed, breath steady, completely asleep.

She looked... exhausted.

Megumi frowned, guilt flashing across her face.

She must've pushed herself too hard probably from fighting off those armed attackers back at the school.

Saya noticed Megumi's gaze and whispered, "She's okay. Saeko always sleeps like this after using her ability."

"Ability... You mean stopping time?"

Megumi remembered that otherworldly moment. But Saya just shook her head.

"No such thing. She's just fast. So fast your eyes can't even catch the movement."

"Curious, right?"

Her eyes softened as she glanced at the sleeping Saeko, a trace of something tender flashing through them.

"I don't know the full story either. But I think it has something to do with the virus. Maybe Saeko's mutating. Or evolving."

"Evolving?" Megumi asked, stunned.

"Just a guess," Saya shrugged. "But..."

Just then, the Humvee screeched to a sudden stop.

Asami slammed her hand on the steering wheel in frustration.

"Damn it! The road ahead leads straight to the coastal highway. We were almost there… but it's completely blocked!"

A tangled mess of abandoned cars filled the intersection like a scrapyard explosion twisted wreckage in every direction, completely sealing off all routes forward.

"Forget it. Let's find another way," Saya sighed, patting Asami's shoulder.

Through a narrow gap between buildings, they could already see the coastal road just beyond clear, empty, and maddeningly out of reach.

The Humvee slowly began to turn around.

Megumi kept her eyes on the window.

Just then, a sleek black car sped past on the coastal highway, disappearing in a blur.

"Where exactly are we headed?" she asked softly.

Saya adjusted Saeko's head on her shoulder and smiled.

"To the port."

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