gathering

Realising her position, Shizuka blushed before snuggling shamelessly into his embrace, making his ripped from under his re-created uniform. She had been too distressed early to take a clear look at his naked frame before he clothes himself, but now, she could rub and probs her heart content.

'Hubby' so fit!' She couldn't help but flush at the intimate position and the warmth transmitting to her body through her chest. Enrolled in Fujimi, barely out of her nurse school, Shizuka had really little time for relation during her schooling.

Her following years here had been the same, as most were already married or too old to date. Even by leaving off campus, she had little time to go out and made encounter, making her still single a 27.

Shizuka was snapped out of her flunk when they passed the staircase to the second floor and started to hear more cries and the rambling sound of the rapidly nearing stampede. Her eyes widen as she took conscience of what a warning would have triggered now.

Alex hears it before her, more experienced with their enhanced senses, making him hasten in step and climbs the flight of stairs for the third and four floors before they found themselves facing the screaming and escaping students. The brief time he saw the state of the third floor, Alex cursed at the wave of students have already slipped. Knowing their basic rank, Alex wasn't that eager to face the lot of them in enclosed space.

Alex forced the pace, rapidly passing empty rooms on the bare floor, before stopping in front of the kendo dojo. Alex held the door handle, sending an unlocking charm on. Sliding the door, he made Shizuka enter before giving her the supply bag.

"Go inside, but made sure to announce yourself, tell the two inside that I will shortly return." Said him before peaking her lips, making her eyes glazes for a second and blush fiercer.

Not leaving her the time to react, he slid the door close, locked it before throwing a silencing and notice-me-not, hoping it enough to protect them.

~~~

Free of his passager, Alex bolt through the nearest staircase, Using the walls to condemn the passage after him. Landing in the third-floor corridor, Alex took out his knives and shot six, walking undead in the group of six.

-They rapidly evolving, the one you face was immature; they're around the one in the infirmary, but it seems around I rank.- Commented CS at sight he shared through Alex vision.

Waving around the first undead, Alex didn't flinch when its dead gaze turn to him, even if he was still silent. 'They either retain their olfactive sense or are sensitive to several possible spectra, be it magic, heat or the like. It's also only reacted when I was around a metre far.'

As he sliced its nape and the body crumbled on the ground in a muffled noise, Alex saw the one in a radius of three meters react and turn toward him.

-Hearing, check weak perception in a three-meter radius.-

Aiming at one incoming undead, Alex fired a blasting curse, removing the head in a shower of gore and loud sound.

-Reaction to loud sound, check five meters radius. Magic sight, inconclusive.-

Throwing one of his small knives, Alex momently stops them before throwing a small ball of fire slightly off one head'.

-Infrared perception check, one-meter radius. Trace of basic intelligence, inconclusive. Instinctive perception, check.-

Following the fireball's origin, the undead stopped their progression momently before resuming their march to close on the last place Alex had been. Moving to the side and out of range to avoid them, Alex remains silent before slicing at the nearest, who turn to him.

-Basic predation instinct, check.-

Taking out one of his short swords, Alex runs pure magic in the blade, lightening the lightly pulsing motif.

-Magic sight, check, raw magic, two meters radius.-

Taking a deep breath, Alex blew on the incoming undead, momently covering them in his misty poison. His hears popped out, enhancing his hearing, allowing him to catch the footsteps.

-Poison, mist form, inconclusive.-

Bringing the blade to his mouth, Droplets of poisons rapidly rolled to the edge, running the length of the blade. Slashing at the incoming undead, Alex felt the blade momently sink before feeling the form crumble.

All the venom had been cleaned as he brought out the blade.

-venom, check, three drops per undead, rank I.-

Done with his initial test, Alex stored all corpse before retreating at the number still present. Every class he passed were locked and strengthen, trapping the undead present inside. Left with a fews undead in the corridors, Alex cleaned the passage. All corpses were stored, leaving no faint splash of undead blood behind, mixing with one of the turned students. After what happened in the infirmary, he wasn't about to take other risks.

Before he continues, Alex grazed a window frame in the corridor, scooping a good amount of steel. Putting it close to his face, the metal ripple and morph to surround his nose, mouth and ears, covering all his face under the eyes. Taking it off, he carved a small pipe inside and an array is hidden in the crafted snarly fang exterior to breathe freely. Putting it back, Alex departed for Saya class.

~~~

After crossing the building, Alex exit the bridge between the two before running outside the second, manifesting step under his feet. He could see the pandemonium spreading on the campus with a glance, be it inside buildings or outside.

Any newly turned undead would join the other seven seconds after their death. As he tough, the most common turning method was through bites. The only difference was it need to be to the blood. Skin injuries were shrugged off, with no witnessed turned students after several seconds.

Before he could rejoin Saya classroom, Alex stopped when he witnesses a case similar to him. He looked intently at the student splashed by undead blood, clothes and skin alike but see no turning. Spotting another student, moaning and crying in pain after being trampled upon by classmates, Alex flicks his blade, sending droplets of undead blood in his throat.

-Blood ingestion, check, twenty seconds.-

After he killed and stored the rapidly turning undead, Alex finally attains Saya classroom. Seeing the closed doors and pristine room, Alex couldn't help a smile with desks pushed against the door.

'Atta girl, Saya.'

Catching the sight of a half-open window, Alex quickly enters the room, immediatly tackled by a pink missile. Hugging the sobbing form of Saya, Alex slide against the wall, putting the girl on his lap and gently rubbing her back. Looking from the closet at the back of the classroom, he said through his mask.

"You can come out; all the undead are gone, attracted by the noise downstairs."'As expected, he was smart enough to follow Saya.' said Alex softly before nodding mentally as Hirano Kotha exit the second janitor closet.

As he saw, Alex sign for the chubby young with square, black-framed glass to come closer before putting the finger on his lips, above his mask.

~~~

Seeing the position of the two, Khota smiled wryly before nervously rubbing his hands together. He relaxed when he still, so the other student sign for him to came closer but silently. He had been frightened momently by the life-like mask, but it clicked after he remembered witnessing some turn after ingesting blood.

Snapping out of her flunk as Alex spoke, Saya raised her puffy red eyes to Alex, only for him to remove his mask and kiss the end of her nose, making her cutely scrunching it, bringing a smile on his face.

"Let me guess; all started to flee while screaming at first sight of them?"

"Hmm!" Hummed Saya positively while burying her head in his chest.

Seeing her state, Alex knows that she wouldn't be able to move on her own. Raising, he slides her in his back, making her lock her arms around his neck and legs around his waist. Felling her robust and secure grip on him, Alex raised of all his height, making Kohta briefly squeal at the sight of the giant.

"Let's go." Said Alex while facking looking in Saya bag and give her a mask too. After she equipped it, he stored back his two knives, took her bag, and unlock the door, followed by Khota.

Once in the corridor, Alex put a hand in his back, retrieving a knife and give it to the bewildered teenager at sight.

"Just in case. Don't seek confrontation; they have their body limiter removed. They can catch small noise and heat signature in a meter meters radius, loud sound in five ones. If you need to attack one, aim from behind, out of sight, at the base of the neck."

If being confined an actual, sharp blade surprised him, Khota was left stunned at the instruction and the unknown student's earnest gaze. He was accustomed to bullying and be ignored or mocked by others, but it was the first time someone opening talk to him usually and share life-saving advice when he knows most would at best abandon him or use him as bait at worst.

Taking them to heart, Khota nodded before making all effort possible to stay silent while following the koala-carrying student.

~~~

The trio rapidly exited the building before rejoining the one of Alex and the Kendo clubroom.

Alex magically locked the door leading to the bridge behind them, knowing them unable to detect structured magic for now.

As they walked in relative silence, they could hear the still ongoing pandemonium outside and on the lower floor. For one, Khota was grateful and proud that he stay behind after seeing Takagi do so. He had been puzzled as to why she did, but it became evident now, she knows that someone would come for her.

Passing the corridor Alex was in previously, Khota couldn't help be see a large amount of undead in the class, raising his stress drastically and making raze to another side of the corridor to avoid them spotting him. Before he could react, he caught a light groan and several muffled noise. Snaping back ahead, he looked to his fellow student with an agape expression and the five downed undead. The work had been silent and swift, not leaving him time to react.

'He did this so fast and with even someone on his back?!'

Never did he felt so secure in school.

~~~

Climbing the first flight of staircase they crossed, the two second-year involuntary relaxed when they so that no trace of struggle was visible here, telling them that there was a high chance that no undead appears or came here.

Removing both wards from afar, Alex bends his knee while coaxing Saya to go down.

"We're here, Saya; I need you to go down for a minute, alright?" Said him softly, kissing her forehead once she did after removing both their masks. "It won't take long."

Opening the window of the corridor on the side, Alex expertly walked and the nearly inexistent edge of the building floor visible outside. With less than twenty steps, Alex saw the dojo inside and the three girls seeming in deep discussion. Knocking on the window, he attracted their attention, making Rei run to him and open the window.

Before she could say a word, Alex rapidly returns to the door, unlocked it and made the two others enter rapidly before closing it back.