Zero
The zombies from earlier had been all but wiped out, so the ones still clustered at the school front gate were noticeably fewer. Exactly eight.
Even so, it was clearly a burdensome number for the kids. They had been following quietly enough until they started hesitating, glancing at me for cues.
I shrugged once, then lifted the axe and hurled it straight at them.
Whoosh—
Thud!
One staggered with the axe buried in its shoulder joint, twisted its head toward us, screeched like it was in pain, and charged. The rest followed right behind.
“You know the drill from earlier, right? Everyone just stay put and watch. Jump in and get yourselves hurt worse and it’ll just be a pain in my ass.”
“.....”
I let go of Chaeyeon’s arm, rolled my wrist left and right as I spoke, and everyone fell silent and nodded.
I caught the first one’s outstretched arm, swung it hard to wreck its balance, then yanked the axe free from its shoulder in one violent pull and brought it down, severing the neck in a single stroke.
Just like with that pervert’s corpse earlier—once the nerves connecting head and body were completely cut, it crumpled and stopped moving.
No more need to waste time popping every head one by one. I liked that a lot.
Thud—
I was still looking down at it when the second one lunged from the side. I snatched its gaping maw with one hand.
Crunch—
Using only the strength of that single arm I forced it down so it couldn’t move, then swung the axe with the other and slit the third one’s throat clean.
After that I dropped my gaze to meet the eyes of the high-school-girl corpse locked in my grip and spat out a single word.
“Shut your mouth.”
Crack!
I put full force into my grip. With a wet, brutal sound its lower jaw tore free.
I’d told it to shut its mouth, and now it could never open it again—but that wasn’t my problem.
“Grrrraaah… gah!”
I leaned my upper body forward, adding my full weight to the arm, and flattened the thing that had been pressed almost to its knees until it was completely on its back.
With its lower face full of blood and rot hidden under my hand, lying beneath me, it honestly looked decent for a second.
Of course, that was excluding the scraps of flesh tangled in its long hair and those pure-white, pearl-like inhuman pupils.
Well, enough idle thoughts.
The male part of my brain almost surfaced for a split second, but even so, necrophilia wasn’t really my thing.
I wondered why the appetite that had been dominating my head suddenly got overridden and the switch flipped—then it hit me. It was clearly because of that Im Chaeyeon kid.
Objectively her looks could go toe-to-toe with every popular—or rather, formerly popular—idol out there. And that pure-white underwear peeking out that you couldn’t help but notice.
But so what? She was still a minor in the end.
I sighed deeply inside, left the high-school-girl corpse lying there, and smacked away another one’s reaching arm with the axe.
I glanced at the chunk of arm spinning off to the side, then without missing a beat jammed the axe handle into the charging one’s mouth while stomping the high-school-girl corpse’s head flat.
I stomped the stubborn thing several more times until the skull finally shattered into pieces.
Leaving my now-soggy shoe behind, I looked down with mild disgust at the one still mumbling around the axe handle, elbowed it into the dirt, and turned around.
“About half left, so just wait a little longer. Watching a fight is kinda fun originally, right? Don’t you think?”
“…Y-yes.”
Chaeyeon, the only one among the kids who could still answer, finally had no choice but to lower the sword she’d been holding above her waist.
A little later the kids and I completely left the street that linked the three schools on the mountain side and stepped into the city proper.
“F-finally…”
“We made it… we really, really survived… sob…”
In the middle of that emotional flood the middle-school twin sisters were trying to hide the tears welling up when an alien sniffling sound came from the side. I turned my head and saw the thuggish-looking high schooler staring up at the blue sky and sniffling like a complete wreck.
“.....”
Thinking he really didn’t live up to his face, I looked at the short-haired high school girl next to him who was staring at him with thoroughly cold eyes. Our gazes met.
“…W-what is it?”
Kang Soeun, was it?
Looking closely, her face was almost on the same level as Im Chaeyeon’s, but those sharply upturned eye corners made her look like she’d never make it as an idol where first impressions matter.
…Or maybe not? For guys with that particular taste it might work even better.
Even while she carefully tried not to poke at my mood, those raised eyes showed zero intention of coming down. It was kind of funny.
“Nothing hurt or uncomfortable?”
I thought of the cheeky little ball of fur my mom keeps at home and asked kindly. She nodded slowly.
“…Yes. I’m fine.”
“The others too? All of them?”
I looked back and forth between Soeun and Chaeyeon beside me, then swept my gaze once across the group. Sure enough, one of them flinched.
“Kim Yujin? Something hurt?”
“Ah, no. I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong…”
She waved her hand and played dumb, but her younger sister next to her seemed to have something to say—her lips kept twitching.
Yujin told Sujin with her eyes to stay quiet, then continued speaking to me.
“I just twisted my ankle a little, that’s all.”
I stared at her for a beat, then snorted a quiet laugh and muttered,
“No wonder she’s Kim Yejin’s sister.”
Watching her act like that naturally brought back the first time I met Yejin.
Both the older and younger sisters were unnecessarily sharp with their instincts.
I walked slowly toward Yujin. Even while she pretended otherwise she was scared enough to shrink back—her eyes looked firm, but a middle schooler is still a middle schooler.
After telling the rest to keep a careful watch for any zombies, I knelt on one knee in front of her.
“Let me see.”
“I’m really fine…”
“Whether your ankle is sprained or broken and dangling, I’m not planning on dumping you, so just show it.”
The second the words left my mouth I wondered if that was a bit harsh for a kid like her, but what could I do—it was already out.
Fortunately, whether she didn’t care much or was already scared stiff so nothing registered, Yujin showed no reaction and quietly offered her ankle.
“Yeah. Looks pretty fine.”
“.....”
It was so swollen it was a miracle she’d been moving at all until now. Fine my ass.
I called over one of the high school guys who was scanning the surroundings with wide eyes like a private who’d just arrived at his unit.
“Hey, you there who doesn’t live up to his face—yeah, you. Come here.”
He approached looking thoroughly confused by the weird nickname. I finished putting Yujin’s shoe back on and said,
“Carry her. If that ankle gets any worse it’ll swell so much it’ll burst.”
“…Yes, yessir.”
Whatever he’d been about to say vanished the moment our eyes met. He shut his mouth tight and awkwardly bent at the waist.
To Yujin, who was still hesitating behind him, I added,
“What, can’t get on? Want me to lift you up?”
“Ah, no. It’s fine.”
Eventually, to the girl who climbed on with a truly complicated expression, I said,
“I’d rather carry you myself, but if something suddenly happens I’d have to throw you on the ground to fight. So no. Sorry.”
“…I-it’s fine. Thank you.”
“This guy’s a lot more timid than he looks, but at least he should have the guts to take care of one of you. Well.”
“…???”
Ti…timid? Me?
As I brushed past the high school guy looking utterly baffled while carrying Yujin, I went “ah” and turned my head.
“Come to think of it, what’s your name?”
“Uh, ahem. Kang… Kang Haejun. Hyung-nim.”
…Hyung-nim?
This time I tilted my head for a second, then figured it didn’t matter and roughly nodded.
Honestly, what did the title matter? Especially between guys.
Anyway, while I was at it I decided to tell the kids my name too.
“I’m Lee Sijun. Twenty-four. Call me whatever. Mister or hyung, doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, Mister.”
I looked once at Soeun, who nodded quietly, then stopped.
…Clearly it doesn’t matter at all. What’s this uneasy feeling?
I lightly shook off the idle thoughts and pointed toward the side alley.
“We’ll hit a few stores over there then head straight home, so just keep following like you are now.”
“Yes. Hyung-nim.”
“Got it, Oppa.”
When Chaeyeon answered last, Soeun beside her turned to look at her.
Soeun furrowed her brow slightly and tilted her head at the way Chaeyeon was blinking as if asking what the problem was.
I pushed off the wall I’d been leaning against and started walking ahead. Everyone followed. From behind came a small whispering voice.
“Since when do you call a guy Oppa? You only ever stuck ‘sunbae’ on everyone.”
“Those people and that person are on a completely different level.”
“…How are they different.”
“Hmm… I don’t know? I don’t really get it either.”
At that absurd answer Soeun’s brow furrowed even deeper as she stared at her friend whose thoughts she couldn’t begin to read.
Regardless, Chaeyeon left Soeun behind and scurried up right behind me.
Soeun kept staring at her for a while, then muttered a word to Haejun as he quietly passed by.
“Just try pulling any crap with that kid. I’ll make your stick look like Yujin’s ankle.”
“…No, even so I’m not that kind of trash.”
Haejun followed after Soeun looking thoroughly wronged, and from atop his back Yujin quietly watched me the whole time.