Nineteen Hours Before The Dead (1)  

***The sound of a school bell rang, signaling break time for all the students—a moment when all lessons and teaching activities were paused to refresh their minds, which had grown stiff from absorbing all the inputs from their teachers. 

Slowly, all the students in the classrooms began to spill out. Some headed to the school canteen, some went to meet and gather with friends from other classes, and others wanted to get some fresh air. Ryuji was no exception, as he was seen casually walking up the stairs to the third floor of the extracurricular building. 

However, he didn't go all the way to the top floor. Instead, he stopped halfway up the stairs to stand there alone, leaning on the railing. His hand supported his chin as he slightly hunched over. 

His gaze was distant as he reminisced about a childhood friend he had feelings for, who was now in a romantic relationship with another childhood friend. He never expected things to turn out this way when his love remained unrequited. The turmoil in his heart made him want to escape the school's noise for a while. 

From this spot, he could see students coming and going in the courtyard of Koryo High School. A janitor was also still busy sweeping to keep the school clean from scattered trash. 

When he shifted his gaze to the main building's corridor entrance, he saw Riku, his friend, joking around with a few students there. He and Riku were in different classes, so they rarely had long conversations. They might only exchange greetings in the morning before the bell rang. 

"How ironic..." he muttered with a small chuckle, but his expression quickly darkened again. In the midst of his thoughts, Ryuji heard the sound of footsteps descending the stairs, approaching him. 

"You're acting like an elementary school kid..." said a shoulder-length-haired, glasses-wearing girl who approached Ryuji. 

"...Kobayashi," Ryuji murmured as he realized who was speaking to him. 

"You always come to the same spot to be alone whenever you have a problem," she continued. 

Ryuji was slightly surprised. How did she know that he always came here when he had issues? He had no idea that someone had been watching him from afar all this time. But Ryuji had never noticed—was it because he was too clueless? 

"You're an idiot... Stop acting like a child and start looking at other things. You're such a fool..." Mina lectured Ryuji, who was now slumping listlessly, unlike his usual self. 

Hearing Mina constantly calling him foolish made Ryuji a little annoyed, even though there was a deeper meaning behind her words. But Ryuji was too dense to catch that meaning. Straightening his slumped posture, Ryuji looked at Mina with a lazy gaze. 

"Kobayashi... listen... why do you always—" 

"Because I hate fools," Mina quickly interrupted, leaving Ryuji speechless as she seemed to know exactly what he was about to ask. 

"Especially fools who refuse to admit their stupidity. At least you should realize that you're a fool..." she added, staring sharply at Ryuji, who was left dumbfounded by her words.*** 

"So, if I keep calling you a fool, maybe your foolishness will lessen a bit. Fool," Mina muttered to Ryuji. For some reason, she felt annoyed saying it herself. 

The problem was that Ryuji kept obsessing over his unrequited love. In his mind, there were only Emi, Emi, and Emi. He never thought about or noticed any other girl. Although Mina's words sounded harsh, deep down, she wanted to make Ryuji realize that there were better things—and someone who would accept him despite his flaws. 

However, Mina was taken aback when she saw Ryuji return to his original position as if he hadn't heard her scolding or even acknowledged her presence. 

Ryuji completely ignored all of Mina's ranting about him. It really made Mina extremely angry this time. She turned around and walked past Ryuji, heading down the stairs to the ground floor. 

"So what? Your childhood friend just rejected you..." Mina asked softly, her face downcast, her eyes hidden behind her bangs. 

"Fool," Mina whispered quietly, pausing for a moment. She was unable to comprehend Ryuji's behavior of still obsessing over Emi. Too frustrated, she eventually walked away, leaving Ryuji to his thoughts. 

Ryuji was still overwhelmed by his chaotic emotions. He pondered again—was it Takeshi's fault for taking Emi away from him? Or was it Emi's fault for toying with his feelings? Or was it all his fault for hoping too much? 

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the janitor, who had been sweeping the schoolyard, suddenly collapsed, clutching his chest. Several students panicked and gathered around as they saw him vomiting fresh blood. A security guard immediately rushed to the janitor, leaving his post. 

"Izumo! Izumo! Are you okay?! What's wrong with you?!" the security guard asked worriedly. But there was no answer—only silence. The janitor lay still, unmoving. The guard was shocked when he felt no pulse after placing his hand on Izumo's neck. 

"His pulse... it's stopped," he said in shock, accompanied by the gasps of the students crowding around. 

Hearing the commotion, Ryuji wanted to go down and see what was happening, but his steps halted when he noticed something strange—three unfamiliar individuals entering the school through the slightly open gate. 

Ryuji kept watching the three strangers, who moved in a very odd manner. They walked slowly and unsteadily, occasionally making hoarse sounds. His forehead furrowed in confusion at their strange behavior. Still, his expression quickly turned to one of shock when the three suddenly lunged and grabbed several students. 

"Kyaaaa...!" screamed one of the girls who had been caught as one of the strangers bit and tore into her flesh like a starving animal. 

The same happened to others, as they roughly ripped into the students, causing them to scream in pain. The students who had gathered there immediately backed away in shock, fear, and confusion. When the security guard tried to stop the three strangers, Izumo suddenly rose from death and stood behind him. 

"Ah?! I-Izumo?! How is this possible?! Y-you were just—" 

"Aaarrggh...!" The guard's question was cut short and replaced with a long, painful scream as Izumo suddenly pounced on him, knocking him down, and began tearing into his body with his teeth. Fresh blood soaked the uniforms they were wearing at that moment. 

Ryuji's throat felt tight as he witnessed the horrifying scene from above. When he looked toward the gate again, several strangers were trying to squeeze through the slightly open school gate, their movements strange and unnatural. 

Ryuji's tongue felt heavy, unable to utter a single word as he watched some of those people successfully enter and attack the students. His mind froze as he tried to figure out what to do. The students who had fallen lifeless were slowly showing signs of life again. 

But what confused Ryuji even more was their behavior—they seemed to mimic the strangers. Soon, they began chasing and attacking their friends, biting into their bodies and causing them to writhe in pain. 

At first, Ryuji stood frozen, but now he sprinted down the stairs, pushing past students running in fear in all directions until he reached Riku, who was standing dumbfounded, his eyes wide. 

"Riku...! Snap out of it...! This is an emergency. Get inside and take Nao to the school storage room. Hide there with her for now," Ryuji said quickly, grabbing the collar of Riku's uniform to snap him out of his daze. 

Riku just stared at Ryuji, who was shouting at him, before the blond boy ran into the main building. Riku, finally responding to Ryuji's command, also rushed inside. He bumped into several girls who looked at him in confusion, but he ignored them—his top priority now was... Takeda Nao. 

Ryuji kept running, avoiding students who were casually walking in the school hallway. He finally stopped to catch his breath in front of a door labeled XII-4. After taking a deep breath, he slid open the classroom door and entered, approaching his two childhood friends. 

"You two, come with me right now!" Ryuji said to Emi and Takeshi, grabbing Emi's arm. Both of them were slightly startled by Ryuji's sudden demand. 

"What do you mean, Ryuji?!" Emi asked, her voice rising as her conversation with her boyfriend was interrupted by the blond boy. 

"We don't have much time, Emi." 

"What are you even talking about? I really don't understand, and don't just cause trouble like this!" 

Takeshi was shocked when Ryuji slapped Emi's cheek hard. Everyone in the class also looked stunned by what had just happened. 

"Ryuji—" 

"That's why you need to listen to me first...!" Ryuji shouted, cutting off Emi, who was about to say something. His outburst silenced Emi, who was now holding her cheek where Ryuji had slapped her. 

"Chaos has broken out in the schoolyard. Right now, students are... eating each other," Ryuji tried to explain the situation to them. Takeshi, who had been shocked, now furrowed his brows, trying to process Ryuji's words. 

"Eating each other?" Emi asked softly, not understanding what Ryuji meant. 

"I can't explain it in detail. But what's certain is that we need to save ourselves right now," Ryuji replied in a calm, quiet voice, hoping Emi and Takeshi would believe him. 

. 

. 

. 

"Close the school gate immediately! Don't let anyone else enter the school!" 

A deep, heavy voice echoed from inside the teachers' room. The man was large-built, with graying hair, likely past middle age. He leaned against the wall, looking out the window below. It seemed he was already aware of the incident unfolding in the schoolyard. 

"Yes, Kazuki-sama," replied someone who responded to the command of the man named Kazuki. The long-haired, white-haired man was the principal of Koryo High School. Without wasting any time, the person who had acknowledged Kazuki's order immediately left the room. 

"What exactly has happened?" asked a young teacher not far from Kazuki, dressed slightly more provocatively than the other female teachers. 

"I'm not entirely sure either, but this incident could spread throughout Koryo High School if not handled quickly," Kazuki replied, pressing the school bell button. The bell rang loudly, echoing throughout every corner of Koryo High School. However, the tone of the bell was different from usual—Kazuki kept pressing it repeatedly as a warning signal for the school. 

"So, we need to go down to the field to deal with this..." said Aya, one of the young female teachers, as she walked out of the room. But before she disappeared through the door, a voice stopped her in her tracks. 

"This might be difficult for you. It's best not to act recklessly. In the kendo room, there are some wooden swords you might be able to use," replied a masked man with spiky hair. 

"Are you telling me just to sit back and wait for this to spread everywhere? Is that it?" Aya retorted, standing at the doorway of the teachers' room. She knew exactly what the man named Yamada Shinji meant. 

"Take a look at the situation out there... if you get bitten, you'll end up just like them," Shinji replied calmly, looking out the window. 

"What Shinji said makes sense. I'll try contacting the police," Kazuki, who had been staring out the window, immediately moved to his desk chair and began using the school phone to call the police or anyone who could help. 

"In my opinion, we won't be able to use communication devices right now," Shinji said softly, predicting what would happen. And sure enough, Kazuki slammed the school phone back into its place. 

"Damn it... what's really going on?! This is a real emergency." 

Kazuki muttered to himself, realizing he couldn't call anyone at the moment, just as Shinji had said. Shinji was the only one at Koryo High School who had noticed the ultrasonic explosion in the middle of the city earlier. 

"Then... what should I do, Shinji?" Aya asked with her usual calm expression. 

"Like I said, go to the kendo dojo. The wooden swords will definitely be useful, given your skills," Shinji replied as he walked out, passing Aya, who was still standing frozen at the door. 

"Just follow his advice. It seems he knows something..." 

Kazuki said this while unlocking a safe that stored various sports equipment. Whatever he was looking for, Aya didn't care and quickly left, heading to the second floor where the kendo training area was located. 

"Then what should we do, Kazuki-sama?" asked one of the teachers still in the room, a question that represented several others sitting at their desks. 

"Spread out downstairs and try to control the situation. The rest of you stay here and keep trying to contact the police or anyone who can help resolve this," Kazuki explained at length, giving instructions to all the teachers still in the room as he walked out carrying a baseball bat, passing through the door.***

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