Author's Note: Hi everyone, just a heads-up that after this chapter, the events of Highschool of the Dead will no longer follow the anime. The Takagi estate will still be part of the story, but some events—like the EMP bombs three days into the apocalypse—might not happen. Also, the relationship between Saeko and the MC will be well-established in a chapter or two, so for those of you who dislike relationship moments, rejoice—this part will soon be over. Besides, I don't think I'm that good at writing romance anyway. As you've probably noticed, the MC is still an 18-year-old guy from the modern era, even though he's influenced by a Magos' memories. It will be through relationships and betrayals that he's shaped—after all, you can't change the world without getting your hands dirty! Over time, he'll become more emotionally detached. Please rate the story if you enjoy it.
"Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream!"
It was early morning as the Humvee crossed the river. Sitting on the roof were Kohta and the newest member of the group, Alice, the little girl they had rescued. Standing at the gunner's post was Saya, looking through binoculars, scanning the surrounding area for any signs of life—or the undead. Inside the Humvee, Shizuka was at the wheel, driving them across the river. In the back, Takashi, Rei, Saeko, and Aurélien were catching what sleep they could, having barely rested the night before. Rei's head rested on Takashi's shoulder, and Takashi's head leaned against the headrest. Aurélien sat on Takashi's other side, head bowed forward, softly snoring through his nose, while Saeko lay with her head resting on Aurélien's lap.
"Again, again!" Alice cried out, and she and Kohta sang the nursery rhyme once more. When they finished, Kohta added mischievously, "Now we'll do a different version!" With a devilish grin, he sang:
"Shoot, shoot, shoot your gun! Kill them all right now! Bang! Bang! Bang! Life is but a scream!"
Kohta finished the song with a manic laugh, and Alice giggled, saying, "That's awesome, Kohta!"
Hearing Kohta's version, Saya slapped the roof of the Humvee and scolded him harshly. "Hey, you fat otaku! You shouldn't be teaching a little girl a song like that!" she snapped angrily. "Got it?! Don't butcher Mother Goose!" she threatened.
Kohta whimpered in fear and defeat just as the Humvee reached the riverbank. Shizuka then called out to the group. "Everyone, wake up! We're almost across!" she said loudly.
Rei was the first to wake up, smiling at the still-sleeping Takashi. She then glanced at Aurélien and Saeko and smirked at how Saeko was lying on the young man's lap. Leaning forward, she tugged sharply on Aurélien's cheek.
"Argh! What the hell?" Aurélien mumbled as he woke up, turning to Rei. "Why did you do that?"
"Looks comfy~," Rei said slyly, gesturing toward his lap. Aurélien looked down and his eyes widened when he saw Saeko's head resting there. Saeko stirred groggily, eyes half-open, a bit of drool on her chin.
"S-Saeko?" Aurélien said to the indigo-haired girl.
"Good morning, Busujima-senpai!" Rei said cheerfully. "You're drooling," she added gleefully.
Blushing, Saeko wiped the drool from her chin just as Takashi began to stir. As Rei greeted him, Aurélien looked at Saeko, who looked back at him.
"How… how was your sleep, Saeko?" Aurélien asked timidly, feeling like a fool.
"It was fine," Saeko murmured, adjusting the straps of the apron she still wore. "I'm sorry for sleeping like that. I was very tired from last night," she said softly.
"No problem," Aurélien said gently. "Anything to help a lady in need," he added.
"Anything?" Saeko said with a faint smile.
"W-Well, anything reasonable," the young man stammered nervously.
"I'll hold you to that, Aur," Saeko said with a small laugh. Then, with a rumble and a jolt, the Humvee climbed up the riverbank. Shizuka pulled the handbrake and shut off the engine.
Aurélien got out with Takashi and the others. Kohta handed Alice to Takashi, who set her down. The girls headed to the back of the Humvee to change while the boys kept watch.
"Were there any handguns among the weapons you scavenged?" Aurélien asked.
"A few. I can give you one with some mags," the bespectacled boy replied, handing over a Beretta 92 with five magazines. Thanking his friend, Aurélien holstered the pistol and stashed the ammo in the many pockets of his coat.
He had never used firearms before, but the Magos' memories gave him enough knowledge to maintain and handle them skillfully—though far from the level of a Space Marine.
"By the way, did you guys notice there are different types of undead?" Takashi asked.
"Yeah. So far, we've seen three. Who knows how many more?" Aurélien replied.
"We should give them nicknames to identify them more easily," Kohta suggested.
"I agree. Mentally, I've already been calling the big muscular ones 'brutes'," said the technopriest.
"Well, we could call the least dangerous ones 'shamblers'. They move slow and are easy to avoid," Takashi proposed.
"What about the ones that run? Sprinters? Hunters?" Kohta asked.
"I think 'Hunter' fits well. They're fast and cunning enough to ambush," Aurélien answered.
The three boys continued chatting for a while. Kohta then resumed teaching Takashi the functions of the shotgun. Aurélien observed the devastation left by the undead. "So, they made it across here too," he muttered.
The girls then announced they were done changing. Aurélien, Takashi, and Kohta turned to look and saw what they were wearing. Rei was still in her school uniform, now with gloves and kneepads. Saya had changed into a white jacket and black tank top with a skirt. Shizuka wore a button-up white shirt with a short yellow-and-orange plaid skirt. Saeko wore her school shirt with a black skirt that exposed her right thigh and thong string, paired with long purple lace stockings and combat boots.
The boys must've stared a bit too long, because Rei asked, "What? Got a problem?" as she hefted the M1-A1 rifle in her arms.
"Nothing. You look good," Takashi replied. "But do you even know how to use that thing?" he asked, eyeing the rifle.
"I'll ask Hirano to teach me," Rei said. "If worse comes to worst, I'll just hit them with it," she added.
"Oh, I'd be delighted to teach you! Perhaps you've noticed the standard military bayonet?" Kohta replied eagerly.
Aurélien stared at Saeko, who noticed and blushed a little. "Something wrong, Aur?" she asked.
"N-No. Not at all. You… you make it work," Aurélien stammered, trying not to look at her legs.
"It's the only skirt that fits," Saeko said, realizing what he was looking at. "I guess it's a little revealing," she added modestly.
"Not at all. It suits you," Aurélien said, growing slightly more confident.
"Thanks, Aur," Saeko replied warmly. "Maybe we'll find something for you, Takashi, and Hirano to wear?" she added.
"To be honest, I like my coat a lot, but I'd add metal greaves and wrist guards to protect against bites," Aurélien said.
"Not a bad idea. I have a feeling heavy armor will come back into fashion," she said with amusement.
"Maybe," Aurélien nodded. Then, looking around, he saw Rei watching them with a mischievous grin. "Something wrong, Lady Rei?" he asked her.
"Nope ~. Nothing at all," she replied with a giggle.
Rei then hopped over to talk to Takashi. Aurélien looked at Saeko, who shrugged, both of them confused by Rei's antics.
Aurélien, Takashi, and Kohta then climbed the hill, weapons at the ready. Takashi took the left, Kohta the right, and Aurélien the center. Scanning the road carefully, Aurélien looked to his companions and shook his head. No signs of abominations anywhere.
Takashi looked down the hill and signaled for the others to come up. With a roar, the Humvee drove up the steep incline and went airborne. By sheer luck, Aurélien shoved Kohta out of the way just as the vehicle landed where the chubby boy had been standing. Kohta trembled from his near-death experience, muttering, "All these zombies and I'm about to be killed by a blonde driver!"
Saya looked through the binoculars and saw the destruction. "Looks like the river didn't stop them."
"The media said it's like this all over the world," Saeko pointed out. "I don't know why any of us would expect otherwise," she added coldly.
"Maybe the police are still doing their job?" Rei said hopefully, thinking of her father who was a police officer.
Saya smirked and said mockingly, "Yeah, and curbside waste disposal should still work too!"
Aurélien stepped in front of Saya and said, "Don't be rude, Lady Saya. It's unworthy of a woman like you."
Saya blushed and muttered, "Yes sir, Sir Lancelot."
Aurélien then looked at Takashi and said, "Now that we're on the other side of the river, we should look for our families. Who do we search for first?" he asked.
Takashi then looked at Saya. "Takagi, your house is in Zone Two, in the eastern hills, right?" he asked, and the petite rose-haired girl nodded. "Then it's the closest. So we'll go there first," Takashi declared.
"But before we go, we should eat and drink something first," Saeko helpfully suggested. "We don't want to do this on an empty stomach," she said knowingly.
"Yeah. I think you're right," Takashi agreed.
Saeko pulled out some of the bento lunches she had prepared the night before. Kohta sat on the roof of the Humvee, munching on a sushi roll, his rifle in hand, keeping watch. Aurélien stood at the perimeter, breaking his fast, and Saeko joined him while the others sat down and ate near the vehicle.
"Everything feels so calm," Aurélien murmured, placing a piece of teriyaki chicken in his mouth and chewing. "But yesterday, there were so many helicopters and planes," he recalled.
"I noticed that too," Saeko said as she ate. "But today? Nothing. Not a single thing in the sky," she added, looking up. Aurélien also looked up and nodded in agreement. "Yes. It's bad everywhere. Just like the media said."
Once everyone had eaten and the trash was bagged for later disposal, the group climbed into the Humvee with Takashi and Rei sitting on the roof, and Shizuka driving the vehicle down the roads. Aurélien sat in the back with Saeko. The latter was cleaning her bokken with a cloth. Aurélien watched the indigo-haired swordswoman tend to her weapon for a moment. Saeko noticed him staring. "What?" she asked him.
"Nothing. Though your bokken isn't a real blade, you care for it like it is one," the young man said. "May I ask who taught you?"
"My father, Master Akihiro Busujima," Saeko answered with a smile. "He taught me everything I know about swordsmanship, from usage and samurai history to care and maintenance of a blade," she said.
"I see. That says a lot about you," Aurélien said with a smile. "But, what about your mother?" he asked.
"I never knew my mother. My father raised me and told me she died giving birth to me," Saeko said sadly.
"I'm… sorry. I didn't mean to—" Aurélien tried to say when Saeko smiled and said, "It's fine. You didn't offend me. I've had time to come to terms with it, and my father never blamed me. He loves me still."
"But what about your parents? You told me about your late father, but you rarely mention your mother," Saeko then asked.
"That's true," he said darkly. "My mother and I aren't very close, and my father's death made it worse. She buried herself in work, and I withdrew into my workshop. She spent the last few months in Tokyo for work," he added grimly.
"Sounds like you harbor some resentment toward her," Saeko noted gently.
"Not really," Aurélien said bitterly. "It's as much my fault as hers for letting things get this bad. All I can hope now is that the droids I sent to rescue her bring her back safe, so we can rebuild something."
"That's very mature of you to admit and try to fix things," the girl said proudly.
"Has your father taken any women since your mother passed?" he then asked.
"I can honestly say he hasn't taken another woman as a wife, nor any lovers," Saeko said with a bit of pride. "Besides, any woman who would court my father would need my approval first," she joked, a sly grin on her lips.
"And I suppose anyone who would court you would need your father's approval," Aurélien said, a teasing smile on his lips.
Saeko blushed and looked away, clearly embarrassed. The young man realized the double meaning of his words and looked away, a sheepish look on his face. Looking back at Saeko, Aurélien apologized, and she placed a hand on his and smiled. Aurélien let out a brief chuckle and awkwardly smiled in return. Saeko smiled wider and returned to cleaning her bokken.
The tech-priest looked out the window and saw floating cherry blossom petals—it was almost a serene image of calm and normalcy. Aurélien was nearly tempted to relax when Kohta's sudden shout alarmed him.
"They're here!"
Kohta was looking through the front windows of the car, and in the distance, there were undead shambling along. "Distance: one hundred meters!" the chubby boy yelled.
Saya was next to Shizuka in an instant, shouting instructions. "Go left! Left!" With a swerve, Shizuka steered the Humvee down a street to the right—but it was no use, there were more of them.
"Ahh! There's so many!" Shizuka whined as she turned down another street to avoid the zombies. The vehicle slammed into a large horde shambling across the road.
"Just run them over!" Saya yelled at Shizuka, who followed the command, and the Humvee plowed through the miserable undead. The car shook and rumbled as each corpse was crushed and broken beneath the sturdy steel chassis.
Suddenly, Rei shouted, "Stop the car!"
Saeko looked ahead. "Kami! There's a wire across the road!" she exclaimed. "Turn the car sideways to take the weight of it!" she screamed.
With a sudden turn of the wheel, Shizuka swung the Humvee sideways, rubber tires screeching as they slid against the paved road, across the blood, grease, and other remnants of the walking corpses.
Then the car struck the wire fence, which tightened against the weight and momentum of the vehicle, and the undead caught between the Humvee and the fence were killed—crushed by the vehicle or their heads severed by the metal wire. Contaminated black blood splattered against the side windows, and Kohta buried Alice's head in his chest, telling her not to look.
"Why isn't it moving?!" Shizuka yelled.
"It's the blood and grease! We're sliding on it!" Saya shouted back.
"Miss Shizuka, the tires are locking up!" Kohta yelled. "Let go of the brake and gently press the gas pedal!" he shouted.
"Huh? Oh, got it!" Shizuka shouted in response. She released her foot from the brake—but instead of gently pressing, she slammed it down on the gas, sending the Humvee leaping forward toward a wall. Realizing her mistake, Shizuka cried out, "I'm not cut out for this!" just as the vehicle slammed into a lamp post.
Everyone was thrown forward from the momentum and sudden stop. Rei was suddenly flung from the roof of the Humvee, her back hitting the hood before she tumbled to the ground, landing on her back. Rei groaned in pain—still alive, but the undead were dragging themselves closer. Takashi leapt up, the shotgun in his hands, doing just what Kohta had taught him. He stood protectively in front of Rei, aiming the shotgun at the cadaverous creatures—and fired.