After a brief consideration, Inaba Tsukiyo decided not to enter through the school gate.
Although not entering through the main gate, if they were discovered, there was a high possibility of conflict with others, which would escalate the situation.
But Inaba Tsukiyo's intuition told her that the situation inside Nishikowa Elementary School was definitely not as simple as it seemed.
Following the wall, Inaba Tsukiyo found a corner obscured by trees and buildings, easily scaled the wall, and reached out to Wakasa Yuri outside.
Although Wakasa Yuri didn't know why Inaba Tsukiyo didn't enter through the main gate, she trusted Inaba Tsukiyo's judgment.
Despite her strong desire to find her sister, Wakasa Yuri knew that Inaba Tsukiyo would never harm her, so she followed her over the wall.
After signaling Inaba Tsukiyo to be absolutely silent, Inaba Tsukiyo led Wakasa Yuri, keeping their bodies low, and slowly advanced into the school.
She had already heard sounds from inside the school earlier, and there must be someone there.
Soon, Inaba Tsukiyo arrived at the window of the classroom from which the sounds were coming, and there they clearly heard the voices inside.
However, the sounds coming from within were only one-sided scolding and beating.
"Damn it! I didn't expect you to find out. But even if you did, what then? Anyway, an old geezer like you, even if you tell others that you were eaten by those guys, no one will suspect it."
A young, scrawny man was continuously beating a white-haired old woman.
"So what if you used to be the Headmaster of this school? It's already this late, do you still think you can order people around just because you're the Headmaster? Heh heh~ How boring, do you really think others will listen to you? Besides those little brats who haven't even started growing hair, do you really think we'll listen to you?"
"Bastard! You bastard! As long as I'm alive, I will never let you do such things! Beasts! You guys! You're even worse than the things outside!"
Although she was being beaten, the old woman did not give in; she resisted desperately, trying to fight back, but she was no match for her opponent.
The old woman's voice sounded very familiar to Wakasa Yuri. She cautiously raised her head from the window and saw the full face of the old woman who was being beaten.
Her eyes widened, and just as Wakasa Yuri was about to cry out, Inaba Tsukiyo timely covered her mouth, preventing her from making a sound.
"Yuri, calm down. I will save her, but you cannot expose yourself. Otherwise, it will be very troublesome. Calm down. Trust me, I will succeed."
Covering Wakasa Yuri's mouth and stopping her from wanting to rush in, Inaba Tsukiyo tried her best to soothe Wakasa Yuri's emotions.
Under Inaba Tsukiyo's soothing, Wakasa Yuri gradually calmed down.
Inaba Tsukiyo was right; even if she rushed in, she couldn't beat the opponent and might even become a hostage for the opponent to threaten Inaba Tsukiyo.
Having thought this through, Wakasa Yuri nodded, suppressing her inner anger, and said with a trembling voice.
"Please save her, Tsukiyo-chan. Save Headmaster Grandma."
Wakasa Yuri, who often brought Kouru to school, naturally knew the true identity of the old woman being beaten; she was the Headmaster of Nishikowa Elementary School.
She was a very kind Headmaster, always gentle with her students, and for this reason, most students liked her very much.
She was rumored to be retiring after today, and she didn't expect such a thing to happen. But why would such a person come to Nishikowa Elementary School?
Inaba Tsukiyo gestured for Wakasa Yuri to stay there. After settling Wakasa Yuri, Inaba Tsukiyo quietly slipped in through the window.
The entire movement was silent, and even her presence disappeared. If Wakasa Yuri hadn't been watching Inaba Tsukiyo, she probably wouldn't have noticed her existence.
The man didn't notice Inaba Tsukiyo approaching at all. He was still shouting, speaking in a frantic tone.
"Even worse than the things outside? Heh heh~ So what? In this day and age, do you think I care about those things?"
"And do you really think the other teachers are good people? Heh heh~ There are real devils mixed into this school, but you guys are just too foolish to notice."
"Once you're dealt with, this school will be ours. As for the other teachers, they were pretty much handled when we went out to look for things earlier. You're also a bother, always protecting those brats."
Inaba Tsukiyo slowly opened her eyes, coldly staring at the constantly shouting man.
She had seen too many people like this, especially in this apocalyptic environment. These guys truly had no moral bottom line.
Unlike those who bravely survived, these guys chose to indulge their inner desires and do whatever they wanted most.
So what if they hid in a safe place? In this world, they would all die sooner or later. Since they were going to die, why not do what they had always been afraid to do?
"...Truly, despicable people!"
Inaba Tsukiyo came behind the man and delivered a heavy chop to his neck, knocking him unconscious.
She had no intention of letting this guy off, but Inaba Tsukiyo didn't want him to die so easily.
"Headmaster Grandma!"
As Inaba Tsukiyo dealt with the man, Wakasa Yuri couldn't help but climb in through the window and rush to the Headmaster, who had very little breath left.
Inaba Tsukiyo shook her head. This man clearly had no intention of leaving anyone alive. If it were a young person, it might be different, but the old woman's physique was too poor. After such severe injuries, there was basically no chance of survival.
Inaba Tsukiyo found some binding materials in the room. After tying him up with the strongest method, she left through the window first.
Dragging the bound man, Inaba Tsukiyo found a not-too-tall tree outside the wall and hung the man on it before the zombies gathered.
After doing all this, Inaba Tsukiyo left the area. Although she didn't know when this guy would wake up, she had left him a big surprise, and he would definitely be very surprised.
Returning to the room once more, Inaba Tsukiyo went to Wakasa Yuri's side.
At this time, the Headmaster was quietly leaning against Wakasa Yuri, lifeless.
"Grandma is gone, Tsukiyo-chan."
Wakasa Yuri held the Headmaster sadly. Although they were not blood relatives, her relationship with the Headmaster could be considered family.
Seeing her pass away in her arms, Wakasa Yuri felt extremely sad, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"...She was a good person, Yuri."
In this apocalyptic environment, good people are often in short supply.
And such good people are often exploited by those with ulterior motives; this is a very good example.
"Yes, she was a good person. Why... why did it turn out like this? Why has this world become so cold? Why?"
Wakasa Yuri couldn't understand. It hadn't been long since the disaster, so why had some people become so selfish?
Shouldn't the most important thing now be for everyone to unite and face the difficulties together? Why do such excessive things?
"Because they have lost their human nature. These people, compared to those zombies, only have intelligence. All destruction comes from greed and selfishness; all existence comes from strength and mutual love."
Inaba Tsukiyo hugged Wakasa Yuri, who had collapsed to the ground, just like the scene last night, except this time it was Inaba Tsukiyo holding Wakasa Yuri.
"Don't be affected by the actions of these people, Yuri. Think of Headmaster Grandma. Even though she was old, she still wanted to protect the other students in the school. Even though Sister Megumi had the car keys, she didn't drive away from the school but stayed with us to face this difficult situation together."
"When the apocalypse comes, if humanity does not learn to unite, love each other, and help each other, and only acts selfishly, then what awaits humanity is only the end."
Of course, Inaba Tsukiyo was not a saint. Having experienced war, she understood the evil of human nature, but she had her own bottom line.
As long as that line was not crossed, Inaba Tsukiyo could choose to save people, but if that line was crossed, then she was sorry, even if it meant becoming the culprit of world destruction, Inaba Tsukiyo would do it without hesitation.
However, Inaba Tsukiyo did not want Wakasa Yuri to become like herself. This world would eventually return to its original trajectory. Although she didn't know if it could ever go back to the past, it was better for her to handle such matters.
Wakasa Yuri leaned quietly against Inaba Tsukiyo. She wasn't crying, just silently feeling Inaba Tsukiyo's heartbeat.
At this moment, even a small hug could bring immense encouragement.
Wakasa Yuri somewhat understood why Kouru liked to hug her so much. Was this what being comforted felt like?
After Wakasa Yuri's emotions stabilized, she propped the Headmaster's body against the wall. From the outside, it looked as if the Headmaster was just tired and resting against the wall.
Although regrettable, they still had to go rescue Kouru.
Kouru hadn't been rescued yet, and to prevent any special circumstances, they had to be even more careful.
"Wait a moment..."
Inaba Tsukiyo suddenly stopped Wakasa Yuri. As soon as they went upstairs, Inaba Tsukiyo felt a familiar sensation, similar to what she had felt in the academy before.
Something here was reacting with her. It was very close, in a room not far away.
'Why? Why am I feeling abnormal energy here? Isn't it supposed to be at Randall Company? Why am I feeling this in such an ordinary school?'
Inaba Tsukiyo couldn't understand. She had been planning to go to Randall Company to locate the energy, so why was she sensing familiar energy in this elementary school?
'Could it be... that there isn't just one mass of abnormal energy that came to this world, but others as well? Or does this energy have a way of spreading?'