Yukinoshita-Style Swordsmanship

Koichi began to panic, realizing the dead were closing in on him from all directions.

"Hey! You students inside, open the door, or I'll break it down! None of us will be any better off if you don't!" he shouted frantically, pounding on the door to the gym storage. His loud banging only attracted more of the dead.

At this point, Koichi had no other choice but to enter the storage room. There was no way he could break through the horde alone, especially now that he had no more "shields" to throw in the way.

But no matter how hard he pounded, nobody came to open the door.

"Damn you all! You're forcing me to do this. Let's all die together, then!"

Watching the dead closing in, he gave a twisted smile and backed up to run at the door, hitting it hard with his shoulder.

Nothing happened. The door shook under his weight but showed no sign of giving way.

Desperate to try again, he found he had no more time—the closest corpse had already reached him. He stepped back, narrowly avoiding its grasp, only to stumble right into the circle of dead ones closing in.

With a final, terrified scream, Koichi was overtaken by the dead, torn apart by dozens of grasping hands.

...

Meanwhile, Shizuka Marikawa sped down the city streets, the school bus moving swiftly down what had once been congested streets. Now, the road was eerily empty, scattered only with a few dead ones wandering aimlessly. At least the lack of obstacles meant Yukino and her group didn't have to worry about abandoning the bus to walk, which would have greatly increased their danger.

Their destination was Saya Takagi's family home on the far side of Tokonosu City, meaning they had to cross the Obye Bridge. After some time, they reached an area about a few kilometers away from the bridge.

Suddenly, traffic appeared, filling the street with a long line of unmoving cars. It seemed these people had the same idea as Yukino's group: they, too, were hoping to cross the bridge to escape the city.

By now, night had fully fallen; it was already past seven in the evening.

For some reason, movement on the bridge was painstakingly slow. By the time midnight came, they had barely moved four kilometers and still had a considerable distance left to the bridge.

Parked at intervals along the road were military vehicles, with armed soldiers standing guard. Loudspeakers on either side of the road instructed citizens to stay in their vehicles, punctuated by bursts of gunfire that explained the eerie lack of dead ones.

Everyone on the bus looked drained. Their escape from the school had used up much of their energy, and they hadn't eaten anything, leaving them feeling the pangs of hunger.

Yukino sat by the window, her mind wandering as she stared out at the deserted cityscape. Her thoughts drifted back to her kind older sister, her playful eldest sister, and her strict, authoritative mother. She could only imagine how worried they must be after her disappearance over the last few days.

As she mused, Saeko Busujima came over and sat beside her.

"Yukinoshita, may I ask which school of swordsmanship you practice?"

Yukino snapped out of her thoughts, looking over at Saeko for a moment before replying slowly, "The Yukinoshita Style."

Truthfully, she didn't know which school her techniques belonged to. Her style combined elements of iaijutsu, quickdraws, and even some unique, unorthodox moves. But her sister, Akino, had always insisted on calling it "Yukinoshita Style," so that was the name she used.

"Yukinoshita Style? I haven't heard of it. It must be a family style then?" Saeko asked, intrigued.

"No, only my sister and I practice it. She's the one who taught me everything I know."

"Really?" Saeko was genuinely shocked. She had assumed Yukino came from a family of traditional swordsmen, like herself.

"Your sister must be a very accomplished swordswoman. I'd love to meet her one day."

Saeko looked up to Yukino's older sister with deep respect. To create a new style, especially one so effective, was no small feat.

"Maybe someday," Yukino said, brushing it off with a slight smile. She couldn't very well tell Saeko that she wasn't from this world. Yukino had already made a pact with Kei Karuizawa not to reveal their status as reincarnators.

Kei, seated behind them, perked up, listening with interest to their conversation.

"Wait, Yukinoshita, you have an older sister?" Kei leaned over the seat back, looking genuinely curious.

Yukino rolled her eyes. "Is having an older sister really that unusual? Why are you so surprised?"

"But it's you we're talking about! If you're this cute, your sister must be amazing—and on top of that, she's skilled in swordsmanship! She sounds like a perfect character! Though, I do think you're already perfect, Yukinoshita," Kei said with a grin.

"Well, she's technically only older by ten minutes," Yukino replied with a sigh. "But Akino is much more skilled than I am."

"You're twins? Twins usually look identical. Do you and your sister look exactly alike?" Kei's curiosity only grew.

"Yes, exactly the same," Yukino nodded. She and Akino were like mirror images—height, weight, even voice pitch were all identical. When they wore the same expression, not even their parents could tell them apart.

"So, what brings you to Fujimi Academy? You're not Fujimi students, right?" Saya Takagi chimed in from across the aisle, joining the conversation.

"Ahaha, we were here on a school visit," Kei interjected before Yukino could respond. "Then, well… everything went sideways."

"Right," Saya nodded, though she didn't seem entirely convinced. But she let it go, as it wasn't worth probing further.

The group continued to chat, while Kouta Hirano, the only male on the bus, had already fallen fast asleep in the row behind Saya.

...

The night passed slowly, with traffic moving only a few more kilometers. By midmorning, around ten, the group could finally make out the Bridge up ahead.

However, the road was now bustling. In addition to the line of cars, countless pedestrians were flocking to the bridge, hoping to cross to the other side of the river. Police officers were stationed along the road to maintain order, preventing the crowd from surging forward in a panicked rush. Pedestrians moved far faster than vehicles, though.

Everyone on the bus was feeling the effects of exhaustion. Shizuka leaned her head wearily against the steering wheel. Having stayed awake all night, she, too, was visibly fatigued, as was everyone else. Even Yukino, usually composed, had faint shadows under her eyes.

"This isn't working," Saeko muttered, watching the pedestrians hurrying toward the bridge. A trace of concern was evident in her voice.

Yukino nodded, equally serious. "Agreed. The road's gridlocked, and the vehicles haven't moved at all for hours. Something must have happened on the bridge."

With a decisive nod, Saeko suggested, "Perhaps we should abandon the bus and find another way across."

"But won't the bus just block the road if we leave it here?" Shizuka asked worriedly.

"We don't have a choice. If the bridge is truly blocked, we'll be stuck here forever."

The group quickly agreed, taking their weapons and getting off the bus. They joined the crowd moving toward the bridge.

As they approached the long line of people, Kei glanced at Yukino.

"Are we really heading toward the bridge with everyone else?" she asked, looking hesitant.

"No, let's find another way across the river," Yukino replied. "I doubt the bridge will let anyone through, especially if the military's blocking it."

"I'm with Yukinoshita," Saeko nodded in agreement.

"Alright then," Kei shrugged. She had resolved to stick close to Yukino regardless of the plan. Even if Yukino had suggested holing up in a nearby building, Kei would have followed without hesitation.

"Let's find some food first and then a place to rest," Yukino suggested, rubbing her temples before turning to Saya. "Are you okay with that?"

Saya nodded, though her face still wore a haughty expression. "Fine. I'm starving, and it'll be impossible to cross the bridge right now anyway."

"Good," Yukino replied, looking at the rest of the group. "How about everyone else?"

"Of course, I'll go wherever Yukinoshita goes," Kei answered without hesitation.

Saeko gave a nod of agreement, and Hirano, standing off to the side, raised his hand timidly.

"Uh… as long as I'm with Takagi, I'll go anywhere."

Saya grimaced, moving a little farther from him. However, Hirano didn't seem to mind her reaction, still smiling bashfully.

As the others exchanged awkward glances at Hirano's behavior, Shizuka suddenly spoke up.

"Um… my friend has an apartment nearby. We could go there to rest," she suggested.

Saya's interest was piqued, a mischievous grin lighting her face. "Oh? A boyfriend's place?"

"No, no!" Shizuka waved her hands quickly, blushing. "It's just a friend—a female friend who works as a flight attendant. She gave me the keys so I could air out the place while she's away."