I take Inuzuka san back to the infirmary.

The moment her body was clean, she got bossy and started ordering me around, but it was funny how she screamed and burst into tears when Cerberus suddenly appeared on the way back.

Come to think of it, I don't see the cronies who were always near her; I wonder if they died.

Dealing with a trio would have been annoying, so I'm glad it's just her.

As soon as we entered the room, Rea came to welcome me.

Then, Shimakawa kun and Ushizawa san rejoiced at the new survivor.

However, only Mitsurugi san looked at Inuzuka san in surprise, and then cast an anxious glance at me.

When I smiled back, Mitsurugi san awkwardly looked away.

"Inuzuka san, nice to meet you."

Rea called out to Inuzuka san in a friendly manner.

But she gave her a displeased look with a "Hmph."

"I'm tired. I'm using that bed, and get me some food, Kuragane."

She chased away Ushizawa san, who was near the bed, in an overbearing manner and sat down on it bossily.

Then, Shimakawa kun approached such an Inuzuka san.

"Oh, are you going to get it for me? How considerate."

"There are no upperclassmen or lowerclassmen here. Get it yourself."

"Huh? You came all the way over here just to say that? So annoying... Hey, Kuragane, I told you to bring it quickly!"

Inuzuka san's voice echoed through the infirmary.

Because the others had fallen silent, it sounded even louder.

I ignored her and washed my hands at the sink using magic.

"Don't ignore me, Kuragane! Tch, getting carried away... Mitsurugi will do, bring me some bread."

"..."

Mitsurugi san looked away and said nothing.

In the class caste system, Inuzuka san is higher.

I just didn't know it, but she must have been treated like that on a regular basis.

"Mitsurugi, are you ignoring me too? Since when did you become so high and mighty!"

"Just stop it already!"

Rea stood in front of Inuzuka san, who was trying to press Mitsurugi san.

"Who are you."

"A lot of people have died, you know? We all have to cooperate!"

"Huh? Annoying. Putting on airs like an honors student is a pain."

"Erika saved you, didn't she? Why are you taking that attitude!"

"Isn't it obvious that she'd save me? I mean, what has she even been doing until now? Other people are dying, so why hasn't she died first!"

"That's enough!"

Just as I finished washing my hands, a sharp smack echoed.

Rea was slapping Inuzuka san's cheek.

I was surprised... I didn't expect her to go that far.

Rea is seriously angry.

But Inuzuka san isn't the type to stay quiet after that.

She took on a demonic expression and raised her hand.

"Who do you think you are, touching me, you fake honors student—!?"

I quickly approached her and grabbed her wrist.

"That's enough getting carried away, Inuzuka san."

"Kuraganeee...! Let go, she's the one who hit me first!"

"You're the one who opened your mouth first, Inuzuka san. It's childish, calm down."

"Kuraganeee!"

No matter how much she glares, it's not scary at all.

In the first place, Inuzuka Supika is the type who can only show strength when she has her cronies around.

The reason she was friendly with Shudou kun and Asanuma kun was to gain that power.

All by herself, she's just a fragile girl.

Look, just by putting a little strength into my hand, she stumbles backward.

"Wai-, wait a minute... Let go! Let go of meee!"

She staggered backward unsteadily and bumped the back of her head against the wall with a thud.

"Ouch... Don't mess with me, Kuragane!"

"Did you think everyone would listen to you if you intimidated them with a loud voice?"

"Wha..."

"Just like you said, Inuzuka san, I'm getting carried away right now. But you have no choice but to obey me. Because you don't have the power to fight those monsters, Inuzuka san."

"You... are you trying to threaten me?"

"It means you're so cornered, that a simple fact becomes a threat."

Unable to talk back, Inuzuka san ground her teeth in frustration, grrr.

How cute.

I almost laughed.

Noticing the smile that appeared on the edge of my lips, her face turned even redder, and she flew into a rage.

"Don't mess with meeeeeee!"

But all she could do was scream.

It's pretty, like a small animal trying to intimidate.

Released from my hand, Inuzuka san glared at me for a moment before running away with long, quick strides.

Then she snatched a piece of bread placed on the table as if crushing it, took a seat on a chair, and roughly tore open the bag.

Everyone stared at her in silence for a while, but perhaps to clear the air, Meiji sensei spoke to me.

"Kuragane san, how was the other classroom?"

I guess this is where she shines as a teacher.

At first, I didn't know what she was thinking, but lately I think she's a fairly proper adult.

"Everyone was alive and safe. They didn't seem to be in very good health, but they have the same Sanctuary Deployment as here, so it seems there's no need to worry about being attacked by monsters."

"Ai was wondering if we aren't going to join up with them."

"We'll act separately for now. It seems we can communicate with our smartphones, so we plan to coordinate through that."

"We can communicate..."

"As long as we're in the same school building. You should give me your contact info later too, Rea."

"Y-yeah."

...Hm? Her reply seemed somewhat unsettling.

Could it be that she doesn't want to give me her contact info?

No, maybe there's something else she's anxious about.

I'll listen to her problems later.

"Other than the classroom's situation, is there any new information? Since there are two of them over there, they might have found some clues for escaping."

"Ah, about that..."

To think Shimakawa kun of all people would ask.

Now, how should I tell him?

"What's wrong, you have a gloomy expression."

"They found stairs to the second floor over there."

"Does that mean we can escape from here!?"

"But if it was easy to pass through, those two would have escaped a long time ago, right?"

"It's blocked by a wall, and no attack can break it. We're currently trying to figure out how to break it—either we just need to get stronger or a special method is required."

"Ai thinks since Hiyami san was able to break a normal wall, maybe only that wall was special."

...Well, I guess I have no choice but to tell him.

Shimakawa kun has been looking for his cousin all this time, and it would be cruel to leave him in the dark.

"I suppose it was a special wall..."

"Why are you putting on such airs?"

"It was... a human. A human was opened up, stretched out, and turned into a wall."

"Such a thing..."

Rea's voice trembles.

This alone is shocking enough, but in this school building where zombies roam and corpses are buried, it's entirely possible.

That's not the problem.

"Who was that human?"

At Meiji sensei's question, my stomach tightens in pain.

I'm not an involved party, so why do I have to feel this much pain?

"Shimakawa Yuya."

When I announced that, Sensei gasped, and Shimakawa kun let out a faint "Wha..." before falling speechless.

A tense silence filled the room, and only the sound of Inuzuka san crumpling the plastic bread wrapper could be heard.

"That's... Shimakawa kun's cousin, right..."

Rea was the first to speak.

It helped, because I'm not good with that kind of silence.

"There was a name tag, so I'm pretty sure. If there's someone with a similar name in the same class, it could be someone else, but."

"There's no such person. He is the only Shimakawa in that class."

When Meiji sensei narrowed her eyes and said that sadly, Shimakawa kun collapsed to his knees.

"Why... why does my brother have to go through something like that...! That's crazy! He just helped someone who was suffering, and his parents died, and he met with such a fate! Why would God do such a thing to my brotherrr!"

With a heartbroken scream, he pounded his fists against the floor over and over.

Meiji sensei approached such a Shimakawa kun and rubbed his back.

"It seems the only clue was a name tag... but are you sure it was Yuya kun?"

"I took a picture, just in case, but..."

"Could you show it to me?"

"Are you sure you want to see it?"

"I don't think I can accept it unless I see it and confirm it myself."

I showed the image on my smartphone to Meiji sensei.

The moment she saw it, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly and lamented in a tearful voice, "Ah..."

"I see... This is Yuya kun. His face... part of his face is the same..."

"Kuragane senpai, can I... see it too?"

"Shimakawa kun, you'd better not—"

"I want to accept it too! If I don't see it with my own eyes, somewhere in my heart I'll end up thinking my brother is still alive."

Even Meiji sensei reacted like that, can Shimakawa kun really bear to see it—I had that doubt, but I tilted the smartphone and showed him the screen.

When he saw it, his eyes widened and he covered his mouth with his hand.

Then he ran straight to the sink and threw up.

...See, I knew this would happen.

When I sighed, my eyes happened to meet Tatsuoka senpai's.

Perhaps it was just my imagination, but he looked quite relaxed.

But when he noticed my gaze, he immediately put on a grim expression.

What a nasty guy.

I thought that from the bottom of my heart.

At that moment, with his face still thrust into the sink, Shimakawa kun asked me a question.

"Hah... hah... Hey, Kuragane senpai, can't that... be cured? Can't you do something with magic?"

"It's impossible."

I haven't tested it, but for example, a decayed state is normal for a zombie.

That dog-like appearance is the correct form for a Zombie Wolf, and using healing magic on them won't return them to their original human state.

So I can't say for certain, but I decided to clearly deny it.

Because giving him false hope will only make Shimakawa kun suffer more.

"I see... It's impossible... Ugh, uhh... Brother... Brotherrrr...!"

He then sobbed and shed tears.

I want bad people to experience fates worse than death.

But the providence of the world isn't built like that, and if left to the natural flow of the world, it's always the weak humans who suffer.

This place is no exception.

I was merely given power by chance; it doesn't mean the providence of the world has completely changed.

◇◇◇

A heavy atmosphere flows through the infirmary.

Sitting on the towel spread on the floor next to Rea, we were just leaning against each other without saying anything.

Ah, but I did thank her first.

For getting angry on my behalf.

It's embarrassing to say thank you honestly, but I'm glad I did because I got to see Rea's bashful smile.

That's exactly why I'm worried about the anxiety Rea is holding on to—as I was thinking that, her gaze suddenly turned toward me.

When I looked back at her, her mouth opened—

"Um, Erika."

"Kuragane san, do you have a minute?"

And with bad timing, Mitsurugi san also spoke to me at the same time.

The two of them exchanged awkward glances, saying "Ah."

"P-please, go ahead, Mitsurugi san. I can wait."

"I don't mind, it's not urgent."

"But I'll be with Erika all the time anyway."

It almost sounds like she's bragging, saying that she can talk to me whenever she wants to.

Rea didn't notice, but I was a little embarrassed.

"You two are close."

Mitsurugi san showed an unusually soft smile and said, "Then I'll borrow her for a bit," taking me to a different spot.

It was a spot hidden right out of Inuzuka san's sight.

"What is it, Mitsurugi san? It's rare for you to initiate a conversation with me."

"It's because you brought Inuzuka here."

Unlike earlier, she faced me with a serious expression.

Ah, that.

Indeed, from the perspective of Mitsurugi san, who knows the circumstances, it might be strange.

"I just happened to find her on my way back from Class 1-E. It's obvious you'd save someone if they're alive, right?"

"But the other person is that Inuzuka Supika, you know? Her nastiness is on a completely different level from mine."

The fact that Mitsurugi san herself is aware of her nastiness makes me chuckle lightly.

"Why are you laughing... Don't tell me, you're planning to... Inuzuka here..."

"Don't worry, I won't cause any direct harm. I only killed Yoshioka san and Asanuma kun because they became zombies."

"Then what are you planning..."

"As long as Inuzuka san wishes it, I will protect her life as much as possible. Nothing more, nothing less."

I'm not lying or deceiving at all.

This is my pure, true feeling.

"In fact, I'm protecting your life right now, Mitsurugi san. That's because you yielded and obeyed me."

"Then, what if—"

Just as Mitsurugi san was about to say something, Inuzuka san loomed up from behind.

She placed a hand on Mitsurugi san's shoulder and whispered with a smile that felt nothing but malicious.

"You two are close."

It was a line I had heard earlier, but the meaning behind it was completely different.

"I-Inuzuka... san."

Mitsurugi san's cheek twitched, and she completely avoided making eye contact with Inuzuka san.

"Don't tell me you're treating this Trash-gane as a human? Mitsurugi saaan?"

Inuzuka san said clingingly, while grinding her foot into Mitsurugi san's foot.

"Mitsurugi san, we're done talking, so you can go. Head back."

"Eh... ah, okay."

It wasn't meant to be a lifeline, but I sent Mitsurugi san back because things seemed like they were about to get troublesome.

Then Inuzuka san looked at me with deep displeasure.

"Trash doesn't need consideration."

"I want you to speak in words I can understand."

"Are you trying to make a fool out of me?"

"I'm just speaking at the level of your words and actions."

Her face immediately turned bright red.

Her boiling point is low when she's on the receiving end of provocation.

It would be troublesome if she screamed hysterically, so I decided to quickly change the subject.

"So, what do you want?"

"You, that power to fight monsters... your smartphone is important, right?"

"That's right."

"Give that smartphone to me. I'll take the power."

Saying that, Inuzuka san held out her hand without any sign of guilt.

Her loyalty to her desires is enough to make a zombie pale in comparison.

"No."

"Do you think you have the right to refuse? Saying 'no' means transferring the power itself is possible, right?"

"Probably."

I don't know if it's actually possible, though.

"Then it stands to reason that you hand it over. It's a waste of treasure for trash like Kuragane to have it. Even as it is, Kuragane surviving in this situation is a waste of a life."

"People with rotten natures sure say different things."

"Kuraganeee!"

Haha, is that all you can say?

Even though a loud voice doesn't even amount to a threat.

"It seems you really don't understand your position."

Then Inuzuka san took out a box cutter that had been in the infirmary.

"Last time I only made a slit, but today I'll cut off your whole ear."

Her gaze is directed at my ear hidden by my hair.

There is a torn-like scar on the upper part of my right ear.

Needless to say, it was cut by Inuzuka san while I was tied to a chair.

She's saying she'll recreate that.

Indeed, Dreamer is currently placed on the table, so I'm bare-handed.

Even so, I don't think such a flimsy box cutter could cause a wound, but—in the first place, it's not like I don't have any weapons.

It seems that weapon is a mirror of our hearts.

In other words, we are one in body and soul.

"Stay still. If you resist, it won't just end with your ear!"

Seeing Hiyami san's, I wondered why she could pull out a weapon from a place with nothing.

Then, according to the person herself, "No matter where you leave it, it will come if you call it."

As I thought, a game without a tutorial is a kusoge(TL Note: Trash game).

'Come, Dreamer!'

When I focus on that thought, the knife disappears from the table and moves to my palm.

I was going to just cut the box cutter—but it would be a waste of limited stationery.

So I strike her wrist with the hilt and knock it away.

Watching her face distort in pain as she says "Ouch...!" with satisfaction, I thrust the curved blade against her neck.

Perhaps feeling its coldness on her skin, Inuzuka san let out a strained voice, "Hahih."

"I could kill you anytime I wanted to, you know, Inuzuka san?"

"Huh...?"

"This isn't a matter of having power or not. I resent you enough to want to stab you to death, Inuzuka san. Haha, the one being resented understands at least that much, right?"

"K-Kuragane... you, saying such a thing..."

"There's no problem. Because everyone who would protect you, Inuzuka san, is dead. Though, perhaps you did that yourself, Inuzuka san."

Her expression freezes.

Just as I thought.

Inuzuka san must have used her cronies, who always acted with her, as decoys to escape into that restroom.

That's why she was alone.

"If you go outside, your cronies might become zombies and come to kill you, Inuzuka san. If that's what you desire, you can leave from here."

"U... ugh..."

"You can't, right, because you value your own life. Then you have to obey me. Because I'm the only one who can fight the monsters, right?"

"This is crazy... Something like this, no matter how you think about it..."

"Let's get along, Inuzuka san."

I placed a hand on her shoulder with a pat.

Just that made her body tremble with a jolt.

"K-Kuuuuu... Kuraganeeeeee...!"

I'm toying with her emotions, it's amusing.

Attacking on her own, getting thoroughly paid back, and standing there dumbfounded even after I left, Inuzuka san.

Looking at that small, weak back, I nod in satisfaction, "Hmm, hmm," with a hand on my chin like an appraiser.

Mitsurugi san stealthily approached me and spoke in a low voice.

"Are you okay doing that? You never know what Inuzuka might do."

It's true that Inuzuka san is the type to prioritize her own emotions over calculating profit and loss.

She could suddenly explode and go out of control.

But what does that matter?

"She can do whatever she wants."

No, in this case, maybe I should say I want her to do whatever she wants.

Don't be frightened.

Don't back down.

Even if the world ends, I want you to remain endlessly foolish.

Because if you take the scumbag elements out of Inuzuka san, nothing remains.

Right now she's depressed from being threatened by me, but that emotion will eventually turn into hatred towards me and explode.

Today? Tomorrow? The sooner the better.

I won't be the one doing it.

I can't help but look forward to the moment when Inuzuka san brings ruin upon herself.