Act 1: Outbreak of the Dead
Day 1
Time: 8:00 A.M
Location: Kirishima High School - 2nd Floor Hallway; New Building
Time before the beginning of the Outbreak: 5 hours left
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"The demon is here!"
Startled by the sudden cry of a frantic student, the others who had been engaged in conversations along the hallway swiftly dispersed. They rushed back to their respective classrooms or fled to other locations. The student who had issued the chilling warning, "The demon is here!" had already sought refuge within his own classroom and firmly shut the door behind him, leaving the second-floor hallway completely deserted.
Soon, echoes of footsteps could be heard climbing up the stairs. The sound of these approaching footsteps would send shivers down the spines of most students on that floor, as they hoped the "devil" wouldn't cast a single glance in their direction or provoke his wrath.
The owner of the footsteps finally arrived on the second floor and glanced around. It quickly became evident that the person the students had dubbed a "demon" was not, in fact, a demon at all but rather a high school student. He wore a black beanie with white stripes on the fold. The beanie didn't entirely cover his hair, allowing some of his black and silky locks to peek out, giving them a slightly spiky appearance. He also sported headphones with a design that resembled horns, and they were connected to a small capsule-shaped MP3 player that seemed to be permanently affixed to the headphones. Notably, the front of the MP3 player featured a small solar panel, transforming it into a sun-powered music device, capable of recharging through solar rays.
He doesn't look that bad based on his physique, but he isn't particularly masculine either. You could say he resembles an average guy, clad in the uniform of Kirishima High School. Both of his hands are in his pockets, and despite the number of keys on his hip, they strangely make no clanging sounds, unlike coins falling to the ground or hitting other metal objects.
He glanced around the hallway before resuming his walk. For him, this was a routine occurrence that didn't faze him at all. It was nothing new.
"ICHINOSE KYOSEI!"
A loud female student's voice echoed from behind him. Despite the loud music playing through his headphones, he could still hear the voice clearly. The name being shouted was none other than his own. This, too, was a regular event for him, so he already knew who was calling his name so early in the morning. Without responding, he continued down the hallway, paying no attention to the woman behind him.
"Ugh... are you deaf or are you purposely cranking up the volume on your headphones!?" The female student grabbed his shoulders and forcefully turned him around.
Kyosei gazed at the female student who had pursued him, meeting her with a stoic expression.
"What do you want, President Miyuki? If you're here just to bother me, find someone else to annoy. I don't have time to waste on you."
"Ugh, don't be a jerk, Kyosei. Why did you kick Kaze so hard in the groin when he scolded you for being late?"
"He had it coming, that guy is just an insufferable jerk. He should shut up instead of spewing nonsense. I wasn't even that late, so he shouldn't even care. Now that I've explained myself, let me go."
The female student whom Kyosei referred to as President Miyuki is Tamehara Miyuki. She and Kyosei share a childhood friendship, but for some inexplicable reason, Kyosei has undergone a transformation that Miyuki finds troubling.
While Miyuki strongly desires to counsel Kyosei about his current behavior and guide him back to his former self, she lacks the necessary influence to effect this change, and their closeness has dwindled.
With a heavy sigh, she expressed her concerns, "Sigh, alright. But please don't do anything like that again. I can't continue defending you on behalf of the student council."
Kyosei responded, "...Fine, but don't bother me anymore. You will only be dragged down into whatever I'm involved in. This is for your own good." With a single glance, Kyosei continued walking, leaving her standing there.
Miyuki shook her head as she gazed at Kyosei's retreating figure, which seemed to be growing smaller and more distant.
"Auntie, Uncle, I don't think I have the courage anymore to keep him on the right path. I fear that achieving this may be an impossible task."
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Day 1
Time: 8:20 A.M
Location: Kirishima High School - 2nd Floor Hallway; New Building - Room 4
Time before the beginning of the Outbreak: 4 hours and 40 minutes left
The sky is clear, and the wind is blowing quite smoothly, which is enough to make Kyosei feel a bit drowsy while he waits for the teacher to start the class.
As always, his classmates are afraid of him. His reputation is so terrible that it instills fear in them. Even the delinquents, who are much bigger and bulkier than him, don't dare to confront him. They'd rather stay quiet the entire day than risk offending someone like him.
Just as the song playing through Kyosei's headphones changed to a solemn tune, the intercom suddenly came to life, and the teacher's voice resonated throughout the school.
"Attention, students. Please engage in a self-study session for the entire day today. The teachers will be unavailable for the remainder of the day due to a full-day meeting assembly taking place in the auditorium in a few minutes. Please do not leave the school premises until the final bell rings this afternoon. During this time, students are free to engage in activities of their choice, as long as they remain on school grounds. I repeat..."
The announcement came suddenly, much to the delight of most students. After the announcement, the majority of students promptly left their rooms and headed to their desired locations. Kyosei also heard the announcement and, rather than staying in his room, he stood up and left, temporarily leaving his bag behind with plans to retrieve it later.
At this moment, with no one to stop him, Kyosei slipped behind the school and gazed at the towering walls that typically kept most students from leaving, for these walls were too high to surmount. However, contrary to popular belief, for Kyosei, this barrier was too feeble to be labeled a deterrent.
With lightning-quick reflexes, he sprinted forward, building a swift momentum before he grasped onto the wall, scaling it effortlessly. Disregarding the warning that students couldn't leave the school premises until the final bell, Kyosei boldly flouted the rule, making it an everyday transgression. He had faced nothing more than a few warnings, detentions, and guidance calls, none of which bothered him much. It was evident that he would return to the school premises later because he had left his bag in the classroom. Nevertheless, right now, he yearned for a change of scenery, and the school grounds weren't where he wished to spend his time.
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Day 1
Time: 11:45 A.M
Location: Osaka - A particular Convenience Store in Namba Area
Time before the beginning of the Outbreak: 15 minutes left
The jingle of a familiar commercial echoed inside the convenience store's premises, the loudspeaker blaring the FM station, ensuring that anyone within the store could hear it, whether they liked it or not. Although the jingle was quite loud, it hardly registered in Kyosei's ears, especially since he was wearing his own headphones with music blaring.
Currently, he stood there, holding two types of bread in his hands and pondering whether to choose the croissant or the melon bread. Both options had a similar sweet taste, both were of decent quality, and both were affordable for Kyosei's budget. Today, both choices were available for him to purchase, leaving him with a minor internal conflict, as he regularly alternated between them due to their intermittent availability. Furrowing his brows, he eventually decided to select the croissant bread, after comparing their sizes and finding that the croissant was the larger option. He grabbed four pieces of it, proceeded to the nearest fridge, and retrieved one of the colas he usually picked. Placing it in the basket alongside the croissant bread, he continued with his shopping.
With all of them inside the basket, he headed straight to the cashier. Since he was the only customer there, he immediately paid for it. The cashier exchanged glances with Kyosei before he finalized the total and Kyosei paid for the price of his items.
With all of the items neatly placed inside the small plastic bag, Kyosei went outside and took a seat at the nearest available table. He reached for the first croissant he had grabbed and cracked open the can of cola, releasing a satisfying fizzing sound.
A few seconds later, the cashier also emerged from the store, lighting up a cigarette with his lighter and exhaling a cloud of smoke.
"Are you sure you can just step outside and puff some smoke during your working hours?" Kyosei asked as he took a bite of the croissant.
"It's fine. My boss is quite laid-back, and as long as there are no customers around, I can do whatever I want, as long as I don't leave the place and go somewhere else," he grinned as he took another drag from his cigarette.
"Damn, can you at least puff not so near me? I might be a delinquent, but I don't smoke that stuff."
"Hahaha, sorry. I keep on forgetting you don't smoke."
"Psh, you chain smokers are quite peculiar people. I don't understand the appeal of puffing smoke like that. It doesn't even feel good, and it just makes it hard for me to breathe."
"You won't understand it, Kyosei. If you don't smoke, then don't bother trying to understand why we smoke. You can say that our bodies are already addicted to it, and it's become a part of our routine."
While Kyosei appeared to be disinterested in the presence of the cashier, it was essential to understand the complex history between them. This cashier, named Kato Shunta, used to be one of Kyosei's friends, but they had drifted apart due to Kyosei's decision to cut ties with his social circle.
Kato Shunta had faced his share of challenges at Kirishima High School. Financial constraints had made it impossible for him to afford the tuition fees, leading him to drop out. He lived alone in a small, run-down house and resorted to part-time work at a local convenience store. It was here that he caught the attention of the store's owner, a retired SDF commander who had no family of his own. The commander adopted Shunta, taking him under his wing.
Tragically, Shunta had lost his parents long ago and was surviving on what little money they had left behind. Initially, he used these funds to pay for his school fees, but as the expenses continued to rise and his savings dwindled, he made the difficult decision to abandon his education. Instead, he committed himself to working tirelessly in order to make ends meet. Three years had passed since that fateful choice, and the stress had even led him to pick up the habit of smoking. Shunta's life was a testament to the sacrifices he had made for survival.
"Although I don't mind that you are here, are you sure it's fine to keep skipping classes and leaving the school premises? I'm quite certain that Kirishima High has a strict rule prohibiting students from leaving the school grounds until the final bell rings. The faculty and the student council there are known to be very strict. Even if Miyuki is the student council president, there's no way she'll allow you to break the rules and be exempt from everything."
"They're not in charge of me. If I want to skip classes, I can do so without any problem. My grades are excellent, and I doubt they can even argue with me about it."
"Hey, hey. I know you're a bit of a rebel with good grades, but there should be some limits. Your teachers and the principal aren't robots who will tolerate your behavior indefinitely, you know? You should at least be more mindful of your actions next time," Kato said as he took one final puff of his cigar, then flicked the butt to the ground. He stomped on it to extinguish the last ember before picking it up and tossing it into the garbage.
Kyosei finished his little snack and lunch, tossing the trash into the bin. It landed perfectly without missing or toppling the can, earning Kato a round of applause.
"I still can't get over how good your reflexes are, especially when it comes to throwing things. If you were to apply that skill to basketball, I can easily envision you becoming a star player."
"Meh, who cares about that? Anyways, now that lunch is over, I think it's time for me to go..."
Kyosei's phone began ringing. However, before he could pick it up, it stopped ringing. When he checked to see who had called, he discovered it was Miyuki. He still had her phone number saved in his phone, despite not having communicated with her for a while, and he hadn't given her his number at all. This meant he should be capable of sending her messages and calling her number, but not vice versa. Kyosei frowned, as no one outside of the school itself and the old landlady who managed his apartment should know his cell number. But he quickly realized that Miyuki might have seen his phone number on one of the school records, and since she kept pestering him, she likely saved his phone number in her own phone.
Before he could put his phone back in his pocket, he received an email this time.
"Kyosei? You are outside, right? Please send help! Call the police, the SDF! Whatever help you can get! Please, we are in dangerjbaduahdqydsbay aihadaugzt!@##^^sc"
The first half of the message is clear enough, though the last part appears to have been typed in a hurry, making it difficult to comprehend. It's concerning that Miyuki is seeking help and considering involving the police and the SDF. Although he was confused, he attempted to call Miyuki, but the call wouldn't connect.
"What's wrong? Your face cannot be painted at all. Is something happening?"
"I don't know. Miyuki sent me a weird email asking for help. I tried calling her, but the call won't connect at all."
Kyosei then shows the message to Kato to help him understand its content. Kato frowned upon seeing the message. Since he knows Miyuki well and is familiar with her typical behavior, receiving a message like this from her has left him equally uncertain about what might be happening.
"Perhaps there's a hostage situation happening there? Maybe you should call the police and direct them to Kirishima High to ensure everything is okay. I don't think Miyuki would intentionally cause trouble for you, and it would be a significant issue if the police had to be called. I doubt Miyuki would want that to happen."
Trusting Kato's suggestion, Kyosei dialed the police hotline.
"Hello, this is the Osaka Police Department..."
"Umm, hello? Someone is asking for h-" Kyosei was about to report the incident, but he stopped when the voice on the other end continued to speak and soon realized that it was an automated voice.
"...We apologize for the inconvenience as we are receiving a high volume of calls and cannot respond at the moment. Please wait for a while and contact us again later. We apologize for any inconvenience."
"That's odd. I don't think the Osaka Police would be this unresponsive and overwhelmed with calls. Maybe it's just an issue with your phone. Let me try dialing from the landline inside and see if we can establish a connection," Kato suggested.
Kyosei nodded, and the two of them went inside. Kato walked around the counter to dial the telephone, which was affixed to the wall. As Kyosei waited for a response, he noticed a woman walking down the street. Kyosei wouldn't have given her a second thought if she were just another pedestrian, but this woman was different. Her missing arm was impossible to ignore, and although he had seen amputees before, this woman's situation was far from typical. Her severed limb appeared freshly amputated, with blood still dripping from the wound, staining her clothes. She stopped not too far from the convenience store's entrance.
Kyosei couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong with this woman, and he didn't know how to react. He remained silent, his concern growing when Kato finally spoke up.
"I'm sorry about this, Kyosei. Even on the telephone, the line doesn't seem to connect at all."
As soon as Kato began to speak, the woman outside turned around and directed her gaze toward the entrance. It was at that moment when Kyosei finally laid eyes on her face. However, what he saw was far from anything a living human should possess. Her eyes dangled grotesquely from their sockets, the flesh on her cheeks appeared as if it had been brutally torn away, and her mouth had been peeled back to the point where she seemed to be locked in a perpetual, unsettling smile. While a smile typically brings comfort, the expression he observed conveyed not comfort but rather an overwhelming sense of dread and danger.
Kyosei couldn't help but feel something stirring within him after this disturbing encounter. He was certain that he needed to take action, and he understood the urgency of the situation.
Kato, also catching sight of the eerie woman, had initially intended to allow her entry, but Kyosei acted swiftly and opened the door before she could step inside.
"Kyosei! What are you doing?!" Kato exclaimed, clearly startled by Kyosei's sudden decision.
Despite Kato's calls, Kyosei didn't flinch and kicked the woman in the abdomen, causing her to collapse to the ground. Kyosei quickly reached for his key ring, positioning the keys between his fingers like makeshift brass knuckles. This deft maneuver indicated that Kyosei was not new to this method; he was clearly an experienced user.
The woman let out a pained wail and attempted to rise, but Kyosei swiftly halted her by stomping his knees onto her chest, preventing her from getting up. He then unleashed a relentless series of punches on the woman's face, aided by the keys on his fingers. These weren't just weak punches; with each blow, flesh and blood splattered in every direction. Despite the gruesome scene, Kyosei pressed on, delivering a relentless assault to the woman's face until Kato intervened, pulling him away from the woman's battered form.
That's when Kyosei saw the woman's state after he repeatedly punched her. The head is no longer recognizable, in fact, her head has been reduced to mush. Her brain had been squashed and her skull looked like it was bashed by a metal bat multiple times until it caved in.
"What have you done, Kyosei!? You killed someone in broad daylight, goddammit!" Kato panicked, but Kyosei remained calm and collected as he examined his bloodied hand.
"We can't stay here, Kato. We're not safe."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Kato appeared baffled, seemingly unable to grasp the situation, but he couldn't voice his confusion as Kyosei forcefully led him back inside the convenience store.
Little did Kyosei and Kato know, that the tragedy that would mark the world's end had just begun.
Day 1
Time: 1:00 PM
A worldwide outbreak had finally erupted.