Time passed unknowingly for three days, and it had been three days since the School Living Club was established.
During these three days, everyone was actively setting up defensive measures, sealing off the corridor from the First floor to the second floor to prevent the zombies on the First floor from breaking the glass and reaching other floors.
A bell trap was set up in the corridor on the second floor. If zombies came to the second floor, the people on the third floor would hear the sound.
In addition, everyone stacked classroom desks together to block the entrance to the third floor.
Although the barricade was simple, breaking through it would require destroying the entire barricade, so it was also a form of protection.
However, the situation had not improved. Although the zombies in the school building had been cleared, and even the zombie remains had been cleaned up, the number of zombies around the school was simply too great.
Just when things had finally settled down, the sheer number of zombies near the school was not good news, even with the school gate closed.
On this day, in the lounge of the School Living Club, Sakura Megumi suddenly called everyone together.
Although they gathered periodically to avoid special situations, Sakura Megumi's expression this time clearly indicated that she wanted to announce something important.
"Thanks to everyone's efforts, the school building is basically safe. I know it's not good to tell you this at a time like this, but I still want to tell everyone."
Saying that, Sakura Megumi took out a small booklet titled "Emergency Evacuation Manual for Staff," which also specified the conditions under which it could be opened:
1: When the principal or her proxy gives instructions.
2: When an A-1 alarm is issued.
3: When contact with the outside world has been cut off for more than ten days.
These three conditions were clearly not what a normal evacuation manual should have; it obviously contained a very big secret.
Everyone didn't understand why Sakura Megumi was acting so strangely, but they still followed her instructions, opening and reading the contents.
"Biological weapons may cause unforeseen harm, leading to what is called an infection outbreak. A large-scale outbreak signifies the failure to contain this infection. Thorough isolation is key; those around the infected must also be isolated... The continuation of humanity takes precedence over individual lives. Your actions could save tens or hundreds of thousands of lives... In this situation, tolerance and compassion are useless..."
Reading this far, Wakasa Yuri could no longer continue. Not just her, but the content of this guide dealt a huge blow to all of them.
These past few days had allowed them to start adapting to this life, and just as they were trying to stop dwelling on things, the truth turned out to be like this.
"So, the things we always thought were lucky actually had a reason. So, the fact that we're still alive was actually already arranged?"
Wakasa Yuri had already felt that there was something strange about the school, and now... now she knew it was because of this.
Sakura Megumi had never known. She hadn't known such things would happen before, and it had nothing to do with her.
However, every teacher in the school had this manual, and Sakura Megumi felt that it was because of teachers like her that the students were put in danger.
As the only adult here, she shouldn't shirk responsibility. All of this... it was all her... "'It's all your fault?' You wouldn't be thinking that, would you, Sister Megumi?"
"Eh?"
Sakura Megumi looked up. Unbeknownst to her, her face was already streaked with tears.
Why was she crying? Sakura Megumi didn't know. Even if she wanted to control herself and not cry, she couldn't. Tears uncontrollably flowed from her eyes.
"I've been hearing dripping sounds since just now. You really are crying, aren't you, Sister Megumi."
Wiping Sakura Megumi's cheek, Inaba Tsukiyo frowned, feeling the wetness.
Inaba Tsukiyo and Sakura Megumi's actions attracted the attention of the others, and everyone's gaze focused on Inaba Tsukiyo.
"This isn't your fault, Sister Megumi. Even if you're an adult, you're still a girl. Don't bear all the pressure alone."
Although Sakura Megumi always apologized to Inaba Tsukiyo, saying that she had made Inaba Tsukiyo bear the pressure that she should have endured.
But after learning the contents of the "Emergency Evacuation Manual for Staff," Inaba Tsukiyo knew that the pressure Sakura Megumi was bearing was far greater than her own.
For Inaba Tsukiyo, she wanted to protect everyone because they were her friends.
But as someone who was privy to the situation, Sakura Megumi, by not reading the information inside beforehand, caused everyone to be in danger when the disaster erupted.
Actually, Sakura Megumi was a very selfish person. She selfishly blamed all the responsibility on herself, selfishly blamed herself for putting everyone in danger.
She selfishly attributed all the blame to herself, which was also why Sakura Megumi cried uncontrollably.
"You always like to tell me not to push myself too hard, but aren't you always pushing yourself, too, Sister Megumi? Do you really think I didn't hear you when you went to the restroom to cry last night?"
Sakura Megumi went to the teachers' office last night. Perhaps she found this unread disaster guide given to her by the principal there, and couldn't bear the pressure it brought, which is why she cried.
"Tsukiyo-chan..."
Sakura Megumi looked at Inaba Tsukiyo in surprise. She hadn't expected her secret actions last night to be discovered by Inaba Tsukiyo.
However, thinking about it, it didn't seem impossible. Inaba Tsukiyo had told them that if she wanted to, she could hear everything happening in any corner of the academy.
Although her actions could fool others, could she fool Inaba Tsukiyo? The answer was no.
"Don't think these things are your fault, Sister Megumi. Look closely at everyone; we've never blamed you."
Turning Sakura Megumi to face everyone, Kurumi, Wakasa Yuri, and Takenouchi Yuki did not look at her with blaming eyes, but rather with some concern.
Although they found some of the guide's contents hard to accept, they trusted Sakura Megumi. They believed that Sakura Megumi didn't know about the disaster's outbreak and withheld it from them, but rather learned about it later.
The "Emergency Evacuation Manual for Staff" stated that it should only be opened in emergency situations. Given Sakura Megumi's personality, she would certainly abide by those rules.
"Waaah... waaaah waaaah~ Everyone, everyone, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Yuki, Kurumi, Yuri, Tsukiyo-chan, I'm such a bad teacher, I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry."
As if wanting to release the accumulated pressure from this period, Sakura Megumi, abandoning her usual strength, knelt on the ground and cried loudly.
Seemingly infected by Sakura Megumi's crying, Takenouchi Yuki hugged Sakura Megumi and cried with her.
Inaba Tsukiyo, Kurumi, and Wakasa Yuri stood aside, watching the two of them cry.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you, Tsukiyo-chan? You actually knew Sister Megumi was under a lot of pressure when you found her crying last night, didn't you?"
"Yes, Sister Megumi is very much like a silly person I used to know. They both like to blame everything on themselves. It's fine at first, but if it goes on for too long, it can easily lead to a mental breakdown. Even the strongest person can't bear that kind of pressure."
"Is that so? A silly person? Is this person the one who gave you the ring, Tsukiyo-chan?"
Unable to hold back her curiosity, Wakasa Yuri pretended to be indifferent as she asked the question.
Actually, everyone had discussed whether to ask this question before, but realizing it concerned Inaba Tsukiyo's personal secret, they had never asked.
Wakasa Yuri wanted to take this opportunity to ask the question.
"The ring... huh? Hehe~ Something like that. That silly person, although she needed to be taken care of, she was a very important person to me."
The girl known as the 'Golden Fairy,' despite being so smart, always liked to blame herself.
And she was always worried that I wouldn't find her, holding my hand until her last breath, only then leaving with peace of mind.
Wakasa Yuri and Kurumi exchanged glances, almost not delving deeper into the question.
Since she was a very important person, it was not strange that she always wore the ring.
Moreover, with the world now like this, that very important person to Inaba Tsukiyo must also be in crisis.
Thinking of this, Wakasa Yuri and Kurumi remembered their own families.
Since the disaster occurred, they hadn't contacted their families at all and had no idea what had happened to them.
Whether they had left Megurigaoka City with the help of government personnel, or had been attacked by those zombies and become one of them, they didn't know any of this.
'No, I can't think about these things. Maybe the government is already handling this disaster, just hold on a little longer. Just hold on a little longer and we can see hope.'
Wakasa Yuri slapped her cheeks hard, trying to cheer herself up.
She picked up the "Emergency Evacuation Guide" from before and turned to the later content.
In addition to the aforementioned, the first and second basement floors of the school building have been constructed as emergency shelter areas, storing enough food and emergency supplies to support fifteen people for a month.
Although this guide designates these basements as emergency shelters, the entire school is a refuge, as its structure already meets survival standards for the end of the world.
The Rooftop garden, water purification system, power generation equipment, and storage warehouses are all necessary conditions for surviving the apocalypse.
In this academy, which has everything, as long as things go smoothly, they should be able to live here forever.
Life is not without hope; as long as we persevere, we can definitely be rescued, Wakasa Yuri thought.
Inaba Tsukiyo quietly left the academy's student life section and came to the corridor, looking up at the sky.
Although she opened her eyes, she couldn't see anything, only feeling the breeze blowing.
"hope...? I need to clean up the zombies near the school when I have time. For everyone's safety, I must prevent zombies from attacking the school."
The school building is not an absolutely safe place, but it is the only place where they can live.
"... Hmm? This feeling..."
Suddenly, as if sensing something, Inaba Tsukiyo looked towards her right hand side directly in front of her.
There, Inaba Tsukiyo sensed something reacting with something inside her body.
"Is that it? The source of the anomaly, the target of this mission."