Soon, Inaba Tsukiyo and the others returned to the school.
"I remember this is the school my sister attended. I didn't expect to not see any zombies here."
The zombies on the playground had mostly been dealt with, and the school gate was usually closed to prevent zombies from entering.
Aside from their own people entering and exiting, the school gate was basically never opened. This way, even if a few small, thin zombies got in, the others could easily deal with them.
The clean environment of the school somewhat surprised Tendo Ri-se. They had originally thought only the inside of the teaching building was safe, but they didn't see any zombies outside either.
"Tsukiyo-chan! Sister Ri! You're back!"
Kurumi and the other girls, who had seen Inaba Tsukiyo's car drive into the school from afar, excitedly came out to greet them.
Kurumi, with the best stamina, was the first to appear on the playground, but upon seeing Tendo Ri-se, Kurumi froze.
Not only Kurumi, but even Tendo Ri-se, upon seeing Kurumi, felt like she was looking in a mirror and didn't know what to say for a moment.
The two of them just stared at each other quietly, and an aura of 'awkwardness' spread across the playground.
"There are two Ri-ses..."
Even Kafū Chino, who was most familiar with Tendo Ri-se, couldn't tell the difference between them for a moment after seeing such a scene. She held her index finger in her mouth, tilted her head, and an equation appeared in her mind.
Tendo Ri-se = Ebisuzawa Kurumi. Hmm, no problem.
"Wow! So Kurumi, you're a twin? Why didn't you ever tell us!"
Takenouchi Yuki, seeing Tendo Ri-se, surprisingly observed the two of them repeatedly, finding very similar features in both hair color and appearance.
Not only that, even the tough, athletic aura they exuded was very similar. This was not something that could be hidden.
"No, no, no, I'm an only child. I never knew I had a sister, let alone a twin."
Kurumi shook her head. Though surprised that there was a girl in this world who looked so much like her, she had no relation to the other party whatsoever.
"That's right, Chino-chan. Snap out of it. I told you, I don't have any other children at home. You should know that, right?"
"Then that would be… an extramarital…"
"Wait, wait, Chino-chan, you can't just say things like that. And how do you even know about such things? And Father would absolutely never do something like that."
You see, her father was a soldier, and most of her habits were formed because of him.
Tendo Ri-se found it hard to believe that such a person would have another sister outside. It was just… Tendo Ri-se looked at Kurumi with complex eyes. Although she trusted her father, seeing a girl so similar to herself made her inner conviction waver.
"Hehe~ Something very interesting has happened indeed."
At first, Inaba Tsukiyo had mistaken Tendo Ri-se for Kurumi. She wasn't entirely sure of her thoughts then, but after the two met, she could finally confirm their strong resemblance.
Although there was a slight commotion, things quickly settled down. Everyone was happy that Wakasa Yuri had found Kouru, and they warmly welcomed Tendo Ri-se and Kafū Chino's arrival.
At night, after Inaba Tsukiyo finished her shower, she went alone to the Rooftop to feel the breeze.
The cool evening breeze ruffled Inaba Tsukiyo's long hair. Inaba Tsukiyo sat on the Rooftop railing, completely unafraid of falling.
Kafū Chino and her companions' arrival brought more vitality to the School Living Club.
Especially Takenouchi Yuki; when Kafū Chino called her 'Sister,' she became completely giddy, and her silliness grew even more intense.
"Everyone is so happy, but how long can this mood last?"
Recalling the zombie she saw in the laboratory, it could be definitively identified as an evolved form of a zombie.
If there was only one, it would be fine, but if multiple appeared, then it would be dangerous.
Even Inaba Tsukiyo couldn't guarantee that she could face multiple monsters' attacks at once. If she were held back, and other evolved zombies attacked Kurumi and the others, they would probably be wiped out.
However, the most important thing now was the abnormal energy. This time, the energy appeared on the evolved zombie. Does this mean these zombies were able to evolve by using this power?
If they didn't have this power, then these zombies would still be the slow-moving, not-very-threatening zombies they originally were.
"Hmm? The wind… it's strange."
The night wind was different from usual; this time, Inaba Tsukiyo felt an anomaly.
"Is it going to rain? And… a heavy rain at that."
There had been a few light rains before, but these light rains hadn't caused much impact. Although the zombies would instinctively try to enter the school to shelter from the rain, Inaba Tsukiyo had dealt with all of them.
It's just… these zombies were different from before.
The zombies around the school now were no longer comparable to before. A large number of zombies had gathered here. Not only that, but Inaba Tsukiyo could also sense zombie Animals appearing nearby.
If it were humans, it wouldn't be a big problem, but the issue with Animals was significant.
No one knew if Animals turning into zombies would make them more threatening enemies than humans. After all, the speed of some Animals was incomparable to humans.
"What should I do…"
Turning around, Inaba Tsukiyo jumped off the railing, landed on the Rooftop, and hurried downstairs. She had to confirm something.
"Tsukiyo-chan… what's wrong? It's time to sleep."
Sakura Megumi appeared at the stairwell. Since it was time to sleep, she planned to look for Inaba Tsukiyo.
However, Inaba Tsukiyo did not heed Sakura Megumi and walked past her directly.
Sakura Megumi looked confusedly at Inaba Tsukiyo walking past her. She quickly realized that Inaba Tsukiyo was acting very urgently, as if she was worried about something.
Realizing something was wrong, Sister Megumi followed Inaba Tsukiyo down the stairs. When she caught up, she found Inaba Tsukiyo in front of the iron gate, tightly clutching the chain locking the iron gate.
After locking the chain, Inaba Tsukiyo still felt it wasn't enough. She tried pulling it to test it and, finding no significant gaps, nodded in satisfaction.
However, even if there were no problems, the windows of the teachers' offices on the First floor could still become entry points for those zombies.
She hadn't forgotten the zombie that came in through the window a few days ago. Classroom windows were not anti-theft windows; they were the kind that could be broken with a little force.
"Tsukiyo-chan, what's wrong? You're acting very strange now."
Sakura Megumi anxiously grabbed Inaba Tsukiyo. She had never seen Inaba Tsukiyo so flustered.
All along, no matter what happened, Inaba Tsukiyo's attitude was calm, as if she could handle anything.
"Sister Megumi… Tomorrow, there might be a very heavy downpour. The zombies wandering outside the school might break in."
After checking that there were no other zombies there, Inaba Tsukiyo told Sakura Megumi what she had discovered.
They were already very clear that zombies acted according to their subconscious.
Although this subconscious behavior was gradually fading recently, in heavy rain, even the most blurred memories would lead them to seek shelter in the school.
Recalling the situation of the zombies outside that she had observed from the classroom earlier, Sakura Megumi's face instantly turned very pale.
"What should we do, Tsukiyo-chan? Will those guys break this and come in from outside?"
The iron gate had always been a very sturdy defense. At least until today, no zombie had been able to break through the iron gate.
Despite the protection of the iron gate, it was indeed not easy for zombies to come in from outside. But Inaba Tsukiyo was worried about zombies climbing in through the windows.
And even the iron gate wasn't necessarily safe.
Even though they had used cars to block the school gate to prevent zombies from pushing their way in from outside, if the number of zombies increased, could the school gate truly keep them out?
"Be careful, Sister Megumi. Although tonight's wind is very abnormal, it doesn't necessarily mean there will be a downpour. Always be prepared for a downpour. If there really is a downpour, the power generator on the roof must be protected. Power is the most important thing. If the First floor is indeed breached by zombies, then go to the emergency shelter on the second basement floor. Zombies are absolutely forbidden from entering there."
They had been to the second basement floor before. To prevent emergencies, they had left some food there to avoid unexpected situations.
Even if power was lost, the second basement floor had an emergency backup power supply that could last for a period of time.
During this time, as long as they held out until the heavy rain stopped and the number of zombies was within a manageable range, that would be enough.
"Yes, I understand."
Sakura Megumi nodded. Although she didn't want to see such a situation happen, it was better to plan early than to be caught off guard and not know what to do when danger arrived.
Finding a random excuse, Inaba Tsukiyo had Sakura Megumi go upstairs first, while she stayed on the First floor to check the windows.
After Sakura Megumi left, Inaba Tsukiyo went to the iron gate, looking at the connecting parts above it.
She reached out and pulled the iron gate; the connecting parts above already showed signs of loosening.
If the iron gate continues to be pulled or pushed with great force, it is very likely to be completely torn off, and then this most important defense will also fail.
"This is... the worst situation. Why does danger always come when I think I can rest? Why is it like this?"
Inaba Tsukiyo sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. Faced with this, she really didn't know what to do.
She had the ability to protect herself, but protecting Kurumi and the others at the same time made it too difficult.
Even if Inaba Tsukiyo could see things invisible to the eye, she couldn't see the unknown future.
Don't be fooled by Inaba Tsukiyo's calm attitude every time she faces zombies, as if nothing could make her anxious.
But she was only doing it to keep others from worrying. As the core of this team, Inaba Tsukiyo knew very well that she absolutely couldn't panic, otherwise it would lead to very serious consequences.
In fact, every time before she went to sleep, she would check the vicinity of the school for any incoming zombies; otherwise, she wouldn't easily fall asleep.
Every day, she had to be responsible for everyone's survival, and she had to protect everyone's lives to live up to their trust in her.
However, for Inaba Tsukiyo, wasn't such trust also a kind of pressure?
"Clearly... clearly, these brain-racking things have always been your responsibility; why do I have to think about these troublesome matters? Really..."
"I miss you... Little Vi."
As Inaba Tsukiyo was completely lost in her thoughts of people from the past, she didn't notice a figure in the corner of the stairwell holding her breath, silently watching her haggard expression.