Saeko slid open the bus door, and the girls rushed inside. "Goku-san!" she called from the entryway, her voice tight.
As the last of the five boarded, Son Goku let out a fierce roar. An invisible shockwave erupted from him, shattering the lobby windows and hurling the surrounding zombies through the air like ragdolls. They crashed through walls in a chaos of splintering wood and plaster, filling the once-elegant hall with choking dust. The girls watched, dumbstruck, as Goku sprinted to the bus and casually batted a final zombie aside with a flick of his hand.
"Is… is he even human?" Rei murmured, her voice distant with shock.
"This power… it's unbelievable," Saeko breathed, her usual composure shaken.
The moment Goku leaped aboard, Saeko slammed the door shut. Shizuka Mizushina immediately pounced, pushing him into a seat, her eyes wide with exhilaration. "Goku-san! Are you a superhero? Like from the movies? Did you get superpowers? Tell me, tell me!"
Goku couldn't answer. He was momentarily overwhelmed by a sudden, soft pressure against his face and a delightful, floral scent. Ah… this is paradise! he thought, thrilled. Wait… why is it getting hard to breathe? Am I… am I going to die happy?
"Mizushina-sensei! You're smothering him!" Komuro Taeko snapped, pulling the enthusiastic teacher off. "Honestly!"
"Phew! Second lease on life!" Goku gasped, taking deep breaths. He looked at Shizuka seriously. "Mizushina-sensei, a request. Next time you hug me, please avoid the nose and mouth. Thank you."
"Ara~ Gomen nasai!" Shizuka apologized, though her smile was anything but contrite. The other girls shot Goku skeptical looks. 'Next time'? He gets a free hug and has the nerve to make requests?
Seeing the zombies already converging on the bus, Goku snapped to attention. "Mizushina-sensei, drive. Now."
"R-right!" Shizuka scrambled to the driver's seat. "Okay… handbrake down… ignition… accelerator…" With a lurch, the bus roared forward, plowing through the shambling figures, bursting through the school's iron gate, and escaping onto the open road.
As the vehicle steadied, a collective sigh of relief filled the cabin. "We made it out," Taeko whispered, staring out the window.
"Now," said Saya Takagi, adjusting her glasses as she stood. "The practical matter. Whose residence do we prioritize?"
"Whoever lives closest," Goku suggested, glancing around.
"My only family is my father, and he's running his kendo dojo overseas. I have no destination," Saeko stated calmly.
Shizuka chimed in, "My parents are gone too… I have a friend in the next ward, but she's probably not home."
"My apartment is on Nakayama-dori, not far. But I live alone, so there's little point in going there," Taeko finished, then looked at Saya.
"I… I need to see my mother," Saya said, her expression conflicted, a mix of dread and longing.
"Then it's settled," Rei concluded. "Takagi's estate is closer. We head there first."
"Mizushina-sensei, to the Takagi residence," Goku directed.
"What about you, Goku-san?" Saya asked, eyeing him.
He shrugged. "I told you. I'm not from here. I have no family in this city—in this world, even."
The bus pressed on, Shizuka grimly steering through scattered zombies blocking their path. They eventually turned into a quiet, tree-lined lane, devoid of any movement. It was then Taeko spoke up, her cheeks faintly pink. "Um, Mizushina-sensei? Could you pull over, please?"
"Hmm? What's wro— Oh! Of course!" Shizuka's eyes widened in understanding as she guided the bus to the curb.
The moment the door hissed open, Taeko hurried out. "I'll go too," Rei said, following quickly.
"Same," Saya added.
"Might as well stretch our legs," Saeko remarked, taking her bokken and joining them.
"Goku-san, no peeking!" Shizuka teased with a wink before disappearing after the others.
Watching the five head around a bend, Goku grinned. Does this kind of thing really happen? A chain reaction? Well… a protector's duty is to protect, right? He slipped out the other side, moving with silent speed to a small, elevated garden retaining wall that overlooked a secluded, hedged area.
Below, the girls found a measure of privacy. Goku lay flat on the wall, catching fleeting glimpses of pale skin and hearing the soft, pattering sounds. His heart hammered against his ribs. This is… incredibly dangerous reconnaissance.
Just as the internal conflict peaked, the girls finished, adjusted their uniforms, and began walking back. Goku was a blur, darting back to the bus well before they returned. He was lounging innocently, whistling a tuneless melody, when they filed back in.
Only Shizuka looked directly at him, a knowing, playful smile on her lips. "Goku-san… you're a bad boy. Climbing so high to get a better view? So, which one of us caught your eye? Or… was it all five?"
Goku's heart stuttered. Impossible! My stealth is perfect— She's bluffing!
"What?! He was watching?!" Saya's glare could cut steel. The others turned accusing eyes on him.
"Absolutely not! My character is unimpeachable!" Goku declared, a bead of sweat tracing a path down his temple.
Before the interrogation could continue, a thunderous roar filled the lane. A massive tour bus, its windows filled with snarling, grasping figures, veered around the corner ahead—heading straight for them.
"A bus!"
"It's out of control!"
"It's full of them! Sensei, evade!"
Amidst the screams, Shizuka scrambled for the driver's seat. It was too late. The zombie-laden behemoth was upon them.
Goku moved.
He shot through the front windshield like a bullet, planting his hands against the grille of the charging bus. The impact was colossal—BANG! Metal shrieked as the front of the tour bus crumpled inward. Goku, caught off-guard, was driven back two meters, his back denting the front of their own vehicle. The tour bus recoiled from the impossible resistance and toppled onto its side with a ground-shaking crash.
"YOU BASTARD!" Goku's fury ignited. A visible, rippling aura of golden energy erupted from him, lifting dust and debris into a whirling vortex. He launched into the air and delivered a mighty kick to the overturned bus's hull. The massive vehicle was hurled sideways like a toy, soaring dozens of meters down the road before crashing in a spectacular fireball that lit up the twilight.
"Is everyone alright?!" Goku cried, frantically pulling each dazed but unharmed girl from their own damaged bus.
They stared, speechless, at the distant inferno. The sheer, physics-defying power was incomprehensible.
"Waa~! So amazing, Goku-san!" Shizuka clapped, the only one seemingly unfazed. "You really are a superhero!"
Saeko approached, her gaze intense and searching. "Goku-san… was that… the legendary ki of ancient martial arts?"
"Define 'human.' Are you one, or something else entirely?" Saya asked, her analytical mind wrestling with the evidence before her. Taeko simply watched him with newfound, sparkling admiration. Rei's expression was inscrutable, a blend of awe and deep contemplation.
Goku took a breath, meeting their eyes. "I think it's time I told you the truth. I'm not from this world."
Five pairs of eyes widened in stunned silence.
"I come from a world known for the Dragon Balls. You could think of it as another Earth, a parallel dimension." He spoke freely, trusting them. In his heart, these five were already precious to him.
"A parallel world… The theory exists in quantum cosmology," Saya mused, pushing her glasses up, her scientist's mind latching onto the framework. "The multiverse hypothesis."
"That's one way to see it. I crossed over through a dimensional rift. My plan was to find a way back once I knew you were safe." He looked at each of them, his expression softening. "But the offer stands. If you're willing… you could come with me. My world has its dangers, but nothing like the one dying here. The choice is yours."