The sunlight had turned golden, and some time had passed since Gabriel and Shizuka's encounter with Saeko.
Now, the small group had grown by four more members: Takashi Komuro, Rei Miyamoto, Saya Takagi, and Kohta Hirano.
With that, Gabriel's second main mission—gathering survivors—could be considered complete.
They were now gathered in the teachers' office, a relatively safe location.
Desks had been pushed together to form barricades, windows were blocked with bookshelves, and a small television was turned on—broadcasting news about the worsening global chaos.
Takashi—a black-haired young man—stood with his arms folded, his red shirt visible under his slightly open uniform. A blood-stained baseball bat lay near his feet, ready to be picked up at any moment.
Rei, an orange-haired woman with her hair tied in a ponytail, held a school broom as a weapon. She stood near the window, scanning the outside with sharp vigilance.
Saya, with pink twin-tail hair tied with white ribbons, sat adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose. Her face was tense but focused.
Kohta, a stocky, black-haired boy with glasses, glanced at the TV while meticulously inspecting his airsoft rifle, his fingers checking every detail as if it were a real military weapon.
They were discussing their plan to escape Fujimi Academy using the school's mini bus parked outside.
Everyone looked serious. Tense. Focused on every new piece of information.
However… there was one major problem.
And that problem was in the corner of the room.
"UURGH—! BLURGHH—!"
By one corner, right next to the office safe, Gabriel was kneeling, vomiting.
Both of his hands supported his body on the floor—his movements resembling someone undergoing a mild exorcism.
It was understandable. Gabriel had just scanned the memories of countless zombies. His mind was shaken, though he concealed everything behind his Persona mask.
On top of that, Gabriel had deliberately redirected some zombies to other areas, either to clear the safest route or to make them attack each other.
For Gabriel, any existence with eyes fell under the control system of Gigan.
Saeko stood near the door, silent, her expression unreadable.
Saya paled, automatically rising from her seat and stepping back half a pace.
Rei raised an eyebrow—half worried, half confused. She had no idea how to handle a chuuni vomiting right in front of her.
"Even though… he looked so strong against the zombies just now. But… why is he like this now…?" she whispered to Takashi. "Did he get some kind of shock…?"
Shizuka approached, crouching behind Gabriel, gently patting his back—like a mother soothing a child.
"Breathe slowly, okay~?" Shizuka said softly. "Relax… it's fine to be scared. Everyone's scared~ Just don't catch a chill, hmm?"
Gabriel shivered, embarrassed… but still tried to maintain his faux-cool aura despite being in a vomiting mess.
Takashi stepped a little closer, restraining his own guilt—he was still in shock himself, even though he'd been pretending to be composed all this time.
"Bro… you okay?" Takashi asked honestly. "If you want to take a break, it's fine. Just breathe for a bit. Seriously."
His gaze seemed to say: "I almost puked too."
Gabriel raised a finger, signaling them not to worry.
"Uurgh… huff… d-don't… underestimate Ash…" He tried to stand, but immediately hunched over again, clutching his stomach. "This… is just a minor side effect… from seeing… three hundred… deaths at once…"
Kohta glanced up from his weapon, eyebrows raised. "Three hundred… what?"
Gabriel slowly lifted his head—pale-faced, a faint magical circle from Gigan appearing before his eyes, a sign he had just accessed his ability.
"I… hacked the eyes of the zombies outside… to scan a safe route… and… ugh… I also… saw their final memories…"
He vomited again.
Meanwhile, Saya Takagi finally rubbed her forehead and let out a long, exasperated sigh.
"Oh my God… again," she muttered.
"Can someone deal with him? This is
disgusting and disturbing," she continued, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Of all places… why does there have to be a vomiting chuuni here? Seriously, am I trapped in a world full of weirdos?"
Saya's gaze sharpened, analytical and piercing. She leaned forward slightly.
"Hey, you," Saya said. "Earlier you said you 'saw the suffering of humanity'? What do you mean? What exactly did you see?"
Saeko closed her eyes for a moment and exhaled softly.
"You know… Gabriel has killed quite a few creatures that used to be human," Saeko said gently. "A reaction like this… it's normal. If he didn't feel anything, that would be worrying."
Takashi scratched the back of his head, trying to lighten the mood.
"But… we're supposed to be talking about survival plans in a world-ending apocalypse," he said. "And one party member is almost passing out from… some kind of supernatural motion sickness?"
Gabriel staggered to his feet, leaning against the wall with a weak smile.
"Heh…" Gabriel grinned faintly, "all of this… is part of the Observer's plan…"
Then he bent over again and—
"BLUURGHHH—!"
The sound of vomiting echoed once more through the tense room, leaving everyone frozen, their expressions a mix of concern… and pretending not to know him.
Saya, who had clearly reached her limit, waved her hand sharply through the air, her face flushed with pent‑up irritation.
"INSTEAD of thinking about whatever cosmic, imaginary nonsense that is—could you take care of YOURSELF first?!" she snapped, nearly exploding. "You've been throwing up for five minutes straight like a broken computer!"
She pointed at Gabriel with her finger as if accusing a nationwide tax scandal.
"We haven't even started planning anything, and you're already doing a system shutdown in the corner! Are we escaping on the bus, or are you planning to pass out before we even leave the classroom, huh?!"
Rei blinked.
Takashi struggled not to laugh.
Shizuka tried her best to stay gentle.
Saya looked at them one by one, utterly exasperated.
"Seriously, what is wrong with all of you? Are we fighting? Are we surviving? Or are we just waiting for this floor to turn into a lake of stomach acid?!"
Gabriel could only give a trembling thumbs‑up from his kneeling position—
—and one second later—
"BLUURGH—!"
Saya covered her face with both hands.
"…I hate this world."
Suddenly, Shizuka stopped patting Gabriel's back. She reached into her medical bag, searching for something with a serious yet gentle expression as always.
Before long, she pulled out a small bottle containing some tablets.
"Gabriel‑kun, take this first… it should make you feel better," Shizuka said, offering him the tablet.
Gabriel turned his head—still pale—staring at the tablet for a few seconds before slowly nodding and taking it.
"Dragon Bone Mystic Pill, huh?" Gabriel murmured dramatically, gazing into Shizuka's eyes. "A wise choice giving this to me, Shizuka… You remind me a little of Kak Rian."
Shizuka simply tilted her head in confusion.
"Just take it, okay?" Saya interjected irritably, hands on her hips. "And recover quickly! I can't stand watching a chuuni throw up."
Gabriel popped the tablet into his mouth—without water—as if it were some sacred ritual.
Seeing Gabriel finally swallow the pill, Takashi and the others resumed discussing their escape route. Rei occasionally glanced out the window. Kohta busied himself checking his weapon again. The atmosphere relaxed slightly.
Elsewhere, Gabriel sat leaning against the wall, pulling out some military ration biscuits. Even though he still felt nauseous and his body hadn't fully recovered, he forced himself to eat.
Honestly… after vomiting multiple times today, hunger struck back like a relentless monster.
He knew all too well—fainting now would be the worst choice.
So, even with his face still pale, Gabriel forced himself to feed, bite by bite.
"This… is for the plan of the Observer…" he murmured softly—before choking slightly.
A little while later, the group began preparing to depart. The sun had set, the sky had darkened, and Fujimi Academy felt even more ominous.
Meanwhile, Gabriel's condition had improved significantly. He stood, stretched his body, and rested his white shovel—Silver Grave Keeper—on his shoulder.
With his left hand, he ruffled his bangs, deliberately letting them fall to cover both eyes. The faintly glowing Gigan was now concealed behind the strands of hair.
Even though it was covered, Gigan continued to function as usual—more precise than any human eye.
Takashi glanced over, puzzled.
"Gabriel… why are you hiding your eyes behind your bangs like that?"
Saya immediately crossed her arms, leaning slightly toward Takashi. She squinted one eye, giving a sharp, premium-sarcastic look.
"Isn't it obvious?" she said. "Chuuni eyes like that are way too flashy.
"I don't know if those are contact lenses, some kind of fake-eye tech, or whatever… but my guess? He's sealing his 'God Eyes' so he doesn't accidentally destroy the world, right?"
Gabriel immediately lowered his head slightly and let out a dark, dramatic laugh, his left hand covering half of his face. His bangs swayed with the motion.
"The sharpness of your insight always pierces through my mist, Saya Takagi. I like you."
Saya didn't blink. Then—
"Hah…!?"
In a split second, Saya stepped forward half a pace, her expression indignant, cheeks faintly flushed—either with anger or embarrassment, it was hard to tell.
"DON'T just throw dramatic anime-romance lines at me!" she shouted. "I'm just analyzing the situation—NOT flirting with your broken cosmic eyes!"
She jabbed her finger at Gabriel's forehead in exasperation.
"And if you like me—fine. Keep it. In. Your. Heart. Don't announce it while we're trying to escape ZOMBIES, you walking anomaly!"
Gabriel merely lifted his chin slightly, offering a faint, sly smile.
"You truly can pierce the observer's mist…" he murmured, as if stating a scientific fact. "But very well. Listen. Now… all of you follow me."
Without waiting for a response, Gabriel stepped forward, resolute, radiating that strange confidence he rarely displayed when he wasn't busy vomiting like before.
"Ash has already scanned and prepared a route," he continued. "We can get out safely."
Hearing Gabriel's words, everyone exchanged glances. No one spoke, but their expressions were unanimous:
This is still Gabriel. Still chuuni. Yet… somehow, what he said felt believable.
Takashi let out a small sigh. Rei shrugged. Kohta lowered his weapon slightly. Saya stared at Gabriel for a long moment before averting her gaze, unwilling to fully admit it.
Shizuka smiled gently, and Saeko simply nodded slightly. In the end, without any real argument, they all made the same decision.
They chose to let Gabriel lead the way.
Gabriel stood tall in front of the teacher's office door, his bangs covering his left eye, the white shovel strikingly visible on his back. He let out a slow breath, then spoke calmly:
"Very well… let's move."
And for reasons none of them could even explain, everyone followed him.
___
Additional note:
Ehehehe~ lots of scene cuts, huh? Sorry. I just didn't want to make too many chapters for this world.
Give Power stone!!! 😃