The classroom she had escaped into, by chance, having a "normal" shape might have been a stroke of luck for Inuzuka san.

If she had been unlucky, she might have fallen into a decayed world and died right there.

However, it wasn't an originally existing classroom, but an abnormal space where the floor undulated irregularly, and the lined-up chairs and desks were twisted like avant-garde art.

In the corner of such a room, she's probably hugging her knees and trembling.

Outside, there were figures of three zombies.

They groaned resentfully, "Aaaaaaah...", while strongly banging on the door with their arms and bodies.

Every time the sound of bang, bang, bang echoed in the classroom, Inuzuka san's body stiffened and curled up.

Having gained power, she should at least be able to deal with zombies.

However, there were already bite marks on her limbs, and she probably couldn't move freely.

The purple bruises gradually spread, and her body cooled down like a corpse.

If she waited, she would soon die and join their ranks—but the three zombies broke the door as if to say they wouldn't allow that.

They must have a deep grudge against Inuzuka san, who fled using them as shields.

Finally, the door broke and fell into the classroom with a thud.

As the smashed glass shattered and scattered, Inuzuka san raised her head.

"What... what did I do...! I didn't do anything wrong! I just did what was natural, why am I going through thisssss!"

Crying, she shook her head back and forth.

She no longer had the strength to swing the whip held in her hand.

Even so, to say "I didn't do anything wrong" while facing death, she must have been aware she did something terrible.

I moved from my hiding spot to the front of the classroom and carefully observed her dying moments.

"What's with that look. Do you resent me? Me? You're wrong, aren't you!? The one at fault is Kuragane! Kuragane, who lied! It's not my fault! It's not my fault! If you're going to blame me, then dieeeee!"

Perhaps something snapped in her, Inuzuka san swung the whip wildly while still sitting.

However, her aim was poor, and cutting off one arm from the first-years was her limit.

In an instant, they grabbed onto Inuzuka san, opened their mouths wide, and bit into her body.

"Noooooooooo! Let go, let goooo! Someone, Kuragane, that's right, Kuragane—Aaaah, gi, gyaaaah! Ga, o, ogo, stop... hewp, Mama, higuuuuuuh!"

Squish, tear, the zombies happily devoured her flesh.

The occasional crunch sound was probably them trying to eat the meat along with the bones.

Spilling blood stained the floor, and the unpleasant smell of human insides drifted outside the classroom.

Inuzuka san's voice, which had been loud at first, eventually faded away, leaving only the squelching sound of chewing.

Begging for life at the brink of death is pleasant to hear.

But the silence that visits afterward feels lonely.

I can no longer toy with Inuzuka san's life and enjoy it—such a feeling of desolation.

But, it's different now.

Her greed chose not to end her suffering with death.

[Cure Lv. 3]

[Remaining Skill P: 5]

[Resurrection Lv. 1 MP Cost: 40]

[Revives 1 party member]

[Remaining Skill P: 4]

When I entered the classroom, the zombies stood up and attacked me.

The first-years, their mouths stained with blood and entrails, died easily with a single swing of Dreamer.

Even while carrying Gii, zombies are now opponents of that level.

Choosing to follow Inuzuka san was foolish.

But one of the reasons for that was my behavior right after rescuing them, which made it impossible for them to trust me.

It would be pitiful to lay all the blame on them, so I quickly killed them and put an end to it for them.

Then I stand before Inuzuka san's remains.

Her entire body was devoured thoroughly, a tragic sight.

Observing closely, the wounds were closing while wriggling.

The gouged parts would turn into decayed flesh, regenerating their functions, and she would awaken as a zombie.

While I was thinking that, Inuzuka san's body suddenly began to twitch and tremble.

Rolling her eyes back, her tongue lolling out while foaming at the mouth, the muscles throughout her body spasmed irregularly.

Eventually, a squeezed-out voice from her throat, "A, aaaaah", leaked out.

She sat up just like that and looked at me.

"Uaaaaaa aaaah!"

Stretching out both hands, she fell toward me.

However, she didn't reach and slammed her face hard against the floor.

The ruin of Inuzuka san crawled toward me using only the strength of her arms.

I tried stepping on her head as a test.

Then she couldn't move any further, and flailed her limbs while crying "Uaa, aaaah".

"Fufu, haha... Inuzuka san, you're cute. Ahahahahaha!"

Seeing her like a broken toy, I couldn't stop laughing.

"Inuzuka san and the others enjoyed doing this to me, who had no grudge against you, didn't you. But you see, I have a grudge against you all. A grudge so deep that even killing you isn't enough! That's why it's many times more fun! Thank you, Inuzuka saaan!"

I stepped down hard on her head, just as she had done to me in the infirmary.

There was a sensation of her skull caving in with a crunch.

I heard the sound of zombie Inuzuka san spitting out some liquid from her mouth with a "Fubu".

"Thanks to you guys bullying me!"

I repeated it again.

Inuzuka san's head became more and more crushed, and her skin tore on broken bones.

From those wounds and her ear holes, something pink and semi-solid mixed with blood spilled out.

"I am, right now, so happyyyyy!"

Stepping down with even more force, Inuzuka san's head was completely crushed.

At the same time, her body gave the biggest spasm yet with a twitch, and then became limp and motionless.

It seems she finally died for me.

No, in terms of life and death, her HP reached 0 and she died a long time ago, so I should say she ceased activity as a monster.

In the quiet classroom, I operated my smartphone.

[Tame Lv. 3 MP Cost: 5]

[By killing Kaigyo's Gangrene while this magic is applied, place the target under your control as a party member]

[Fusion Lv. 1 MP Cost: 10]

[Fuses 2 designated party members]

[Remaining Skill P: 0]

I held my hand over Inuzuka san's remains.

"Resurrection."

A light brighter than Healing was emitted from my palm and stopped around the corpse's chest.

The light sank into her body, regenerating her decayed flesh and crushed head, returning her to her original form.

However, checking my smartphone, Inuzuka san's HP is listed as 1.

At level 1, I guess they can only be revived in an HP 1 state.

Perhaps because of that, the wounds on her body aren't completely healed, and I can only hear faint breathing sounds.

I used my foot to flip Inuzuka san's prone body over.

Her opened eyes caught me.

"Kura... gane..."

"Good morning, Inuzuka san, did you have a nice dream?"

"You... because of, you..."

"No, everything is what you did, Inuzuka san. Tatsuoka senpai dying, the first-years turning into zombies, all of it."

"Kuraganeee! Guh... ugh... you, what did you do to my body..."

"What did I do, you turned into a zombie and died once, so I brought you back to life."

"Back to life...? S-such a thing..."

Perhaps recalling the moment she died, Inuzuka san's face grows pale.

"Such a thing... is possible...? H-haha... hahehehe... I, I get it..."

"Get what?"

"This is a dream... For me to be looked down upon by Kuragane, and saved like this... it's impossible, in reality..."

Indeed, there's no way I would save Inuzuka san.

You understand perfectly.

"Don't worry, I didn't save you for no reason."

"...What, are you planning to do."

I gently laid Gii, whom I had been carrying, on the floor next to Inuzuka san.

Her breathing was as shallow and weak as Inuzuka san's, making my heart ache as it seemed she might stop breathing at any moment.

"From now on, I'm going to make you and Gii one."

"Huh...? Me, and this monster...?"

"Yes, I'll make you one with magic and save Gii's life. I don't know what will happen to your consciousnesses then, though."

"No! No... cough, cough, absolutely not, something like that...!"

"Do you think you have the right to refuse?"

When I smiled, showing my teeth, Inuzuka san, perhaps realizing she had no escape, welled up with tears in her eyes.

As she shook her head side to side, the accumulated tears overflowed as drops, mixing with the blood on the floor.

"At least... kill me. That would satisfy you, right? If it's revenge, isn't that enough...!"

"I'm the one who decides if it's enough. Besides, you get to live together with Gii, Inuzuka san, isn't that great."

"Are you crazy!? How could that possibly be great!"

"Of course I'm crazy. I mean, I've lived surrounded by exceptionally crazy people like you, Inuzuka san, do you think I'm normal!? Ahahahahahah!"

Inuzuka san widened her eyes in despair.

Right, you understand, you're just getting exactly what you've done in return.

"Now, let's begin!"

"Nooooooo! No, someone! Shudou! Asanuma! Anyone is fine, come save meeeeee! Ugh, cough!"

"I killed those two."

"—Kuraganeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"Kuki, hihyahahaha! Fu! sioooooooon!"

Like a conductor whose mood has reached its climax, I spread both arms and released the magic.

Just as a diagram like a magic circle emerged on the floor, their bodies also floated up and approached each other.

Shoulders touching shoulders.

And just like that, Gii's body smoothly entered into Inuzuka san.

"Hiiiii!"

"Gii, Gii."

I feel like Gii had a somewhat happy expression.

Gii mercilessly sinks into Inuzuka san, who can now only let out strained voices.

Inuzuka san's bubbling, pulsating arm—I could see Gii's blue body moving beneath the skin.

Eventually, it extended to her whole body; the flesh of two was crammed into the vessel of one, and her body swelled hideously while pulsating.

"Ogo, u, guh, gahiiiiii!"

Inuzuka san writhed around.

However, the swelling subsided little by little, and I could see that the "fusion" was progressing.

Just as I thought her right leg had melted into a squelchy blue slime shape, the next moment it had returned to a flesh-colored human one.

Continuing with her arms, body, and face, as if checking their functions, the slime and human parts swapped.

"A, head... mhy, heaad... aga, ku, comh, don't... don't take mee!—gyah."

Inuzuka san's body bounced significantly.

At the same time, the upper half of her head swelled slightly, then returned to normal.

Her wide-open eyes closed at the same time the spasms subsided, and when they opened next—those irises had changed to a deep blue color.

She changed her lower body into a slime shape and stood up with a squish, as if jumping up.

After that, returning her legs to a human shape and landing, she stared at me, pulled up the corners of her mouth, and showed off her jagged teeth.

"Gii, Gii! Gishishishishi."

And, letting her characteristic laughter ring out, she hugged me as if charging at me.

"Gii's alive! Gii can speak! Thanks to Erika, thanks to Erika!"

For a moment I thought I was being attacked, but it seems it was an expression of gratitude.

When I hugged her back, Gii strengthened her grip on me even more.

Her body temperature is human.

But I feel a slight slime-like softness in the arms and legs entwining me.

"Gishishishii...!"

Like an attached pet, Gii rubbed her cheek against mine.

Her appearance is exactly Inuzuka san's, so it feels somewhat weird.

"First I want to confirm, are you Gii, or are you Inuzuka san?"

Gii released me, stood in front of me, placed her index finger on her lips, and thought.

"Nn... Inuzuka Gii?"

"You're mixed."

Well, they are mixed, though.

"Inuzuka is inside too. But the human soul is tiny. If Inuzuka is 1, Gii is about 100."

"There's that much of a difference..."

"Besides, I don't need the Inuzuka who hurts Erika. Shall I just eat her? Inuzuka's soul is black, so it will surely taste good."

"It doesn't affect anything if you leave her, right? Then let's just leave her like that. It'll be more painful for her."

"I see, Inuzuka should suffer. Because she hurt Erika!"

"You understand very well, Gii."

"Gishishishi."

When I patted her head, Gii narrowed her eyes comfortably.

She really is like a dog.

A slightly ferocious one, though.

"By the way, can you understand what Inuzuka san is saying?"

"Inuzuka is crying. She's crying and screaming, saying 'Give my body back, send me home'."

"Fufu, so unlike her. She sounds like a normal girl."

"But Inuzuka is strange. This body is mine, it's not something a human can handle."

Saying that, Gii stuck out a long blue tongue, and further changed her limbs into a slime shape.

"I'm jealous of that body. It looks convenient."

"I will use this body to be of use to Erika. I will repay Erika."

"Thanks. But isn't it annoying hearing Inuzuka san's voice all the time?"

"No problem."

By having a human face, Gii's expressions became even easier to understand.

Eyes that did not harbor what humans call "sanity."

A mouth that didn't even hide a predator's desires.

It was truly a textbook "wicked smile."

"Human screams are delicious. Because it's a black soul, even more so. It's like having a live bait box inside my body. Gishishishi."

At Gii's extreme reliability, I couldn't help but smile.