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Everyone reacted almost instantly.
This was a 500-point mission—and with a limited number of slots on top of that.
Nobody hesitated. They all slammed the accept button.
Alex did the same. He'd watched the Apocalypse anime before and knew that world wasn't all that dangerous.With his current strength, he could basically walk sideways through it.
What shocked him was that despite twenty-something years of being single honing his "hand speed," he still didn't grab a slot!
[Group Member Yotsuya Miko has accepted the mission!]
[Group Member Misaka Mikoto has accepted the mission!]
[Group Member Tokisaki Kurumi has accepted the mission!]
Hestia: "@Yotsuya Miko Why are you taking missions? Do you even have the strength for that?"
Alex: "@Yotsuya Miko Others go to protect Saeko Busujima. You going means someone needs to protect you."
Yotsuya Miko: "Uuuh… I just saw the pop-up and my finger clicked on instinct!"
Roxy: "Haha, same thing happened to me once."
Misaka Mikoto: "Great. Another burden."
Alex: "Relax. The group warning said Saeko's world has a virus outbreak, so it's probably a zombie apocalypse. With your power and Kurumi's, you two can flatten everything."
Erza: "Looks like you three can farm 500 points without breaking a sweat."
Tsunade: "The one doing no work is definitely Miko. Mikoto and Kurumi at least have to lift a finger."
Shinobu: "I'm jealous of Miko..."
Yotsuya Miko: "Stop, stop, all of you stop! When I get stronger someday, I'll let you guys farm points off me!"
Misaka Mikoto: "You said it. I'm holding you to that."
Tokisaki Kurumi: "I'll remember it too."
Meanwhile, in Saeko Busujima's world.
Sakura Country. Tokonosu City. Fujimi Private Academy.
Saeko was in the kendo club room practicing when the group alert popped up. She immediately halted her swing.
A quick shower, a change out of her kendo uniform into casual clothes—then she checked the chat and saw the mission was already taken.
Seeing Yotsuya Miko among the participants left her momentarily speechless.
Moments later, Miko, Misaka, and Kurumi were transported in.
Saeko looked over the three arrivals.A short-haired junior-high girl in school uniform.A beautiful "elf" in a black-and-red lolita dress with twin tails—her mismatched eyes, one red and one gold, radiated a wicked charm. The golden eye was even shaped like a clock.
The last one wore a high-school uniform. Long black hair, golden eyes, pretty face… but she looked exhausted, with dark circles that practically screamed sleep deprivation.
Just as Saeko was about to greet them, the tired high-schooler suddenly pumped her fists.
"I can't see them anymore! They're all gone! I can finally stop seeing ghosts!"
Everyone stared at her like she'd grown a second head.
Realizing what she'd just blurted out, she scratched her cheek and laughed weakly. "Sorry, got a little excited."
Saeko cleared her throat. "You're Miko?"
Yotsuya Miko nodded rapidly. "Yep yep! Finally meeting you, Saeko! We're in the same Familia after all!"
Saeko nodded without commenting further, turning her gaze to the other two.
The short-haired girl introduced herself first. "I'm Misaka Mikoto, from Tokiwadai Middle School in Academy City."
The lolita-clad girl followed with a curtsy. "Tokisaki Kurumi. A pleasure to meet you."
Once the introductions were done, the four began their preparations.
The group message said the Dead Virus had already broken out. That meant staying at school was the worst choice—they'd be trapped once the infection reached campus.
But just as the four reached the school gate, something changed.
A man approached from outside. His posture and expression were disturbingly off.
He staggered up to the iron gate, which blocked his way.Gripping the bars, he began shaking it violently.
The clanging echoed through the campus, immediately drawing attention from teachers and students having PE on the field.
Misaka stared at him. "That's… probably one of the infected, right?"
Miko shrank behind the other three. "That's terrifying… he looks exactly like a zombie."
Kurumi, on the other hand, was delighted. "How fascinating. I wonder if these dead bodies still have time I can absorb."
If they did, it would be perfect.No killing humans required.And she could absorb openly for once—no AST or DEM members to bother her.
Seeing several teachers heading toward the gate, Saeko hissed, "Let's hide for now."
The others nodded and quickly concealed themselves.
Four teachers arrived—three men, one woman. The elderly male teacher even carried a crowbar.
The cute female teacher pushed up her glasses and scolded, "Who are you? Please stop causing trouble!"
But the dead man outside didn't understand human language. He kept shaking the gate, harder and harder, drawn by the scent of living flesh.
"Mr. Hayashi, leave it to me!" the muscular PE teacher said, puffing up his chest. He clearly wanted to impress the female teacher.
Rolling up his sleeves, he grabbed the dead man by the collar through the bars and yanked him upward.Then he slammed the body hard against the gate.
The impact was brutal. The dead man coughed up foul, dark blood.
"Wait, Mr. Tejima! No violence—" the female teacher shouted.
Before she could finish, the dead man lunged.He grabbed Tejima's arm and sank his teeth in.
"AHHH!"
Blood sprayed everywhere. The scene was gruesome.
Saeko, watching from afar, felt her heart pound violently.
Not from fear—from excitement.
That darkness buried deep in her heart stirred awake. Her bloodlust simmered to the surface.
Kurumi noticed her expression and completely misread it. "Saeko, are you alright? Did the gore scare you?"
Saeko snapped back to herself and shook her head. "I'm fine. Let's move."
"..."
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