I'm Female Lead In Their World: Living in the High School of the Dead

Inside the bus, the tension of survival mixed with exhaustion weighed heavily on the group. The outbreak had taken its toll, both physically and mentally.

"This is taking longer than I thought. I bet Sensei is getting tired from driving," Saeko said, glancing at Marikawa, who seemed to be pushing through the fatigue.

"There's a parking lot not far from here. We can stop and let her rest," Takagi suggested, looking out the window.

Okada tilted his head, confused. "How do you know that?"

Takagi sighed, pointing to the sign ahead. "Look, there's a sign."

"Oh! Haha, right, I see it now," Okada laughed awkwardly, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Most of us are already asleep. We haven't had proper rest since the outbreak started," Hisashi added, his voice filled with the weight of their ordeal.

Takagi nodded, frowning at Hirano, who was snoring loudly, drooling in his sleep. "Including him."

Meanwhile, Kazu flinched slightly as Niikaz's head bumped gently onto his shoulder. He hesitated but ultimately let her rest there. The others noticed, casting glances filled with curiosity, envy, and a bit of jealousy.

(Lucky pervert. Bet you're enjoying this,) thought Okada and Nishinoya, eyeing Kazu with silent resentment.

"Marikawa-sensei, you can park at that stop up ahead so you can get some rest," Hisashi suggested, pointing toward the corner.

Marikawa smiled brightly. "Oh, don't worry about me! I feel quite energetic after Niikaz gave me that massage earlier. I'll stop if I get tired, but for now, I'm fine."

Hisashi nodded, still concerned. "Just let me know if you need anything, okay? Don't push yourself too hard."

"Okay~" Marikawa's voice was light, but Hisashi knew they'd need to take a break sooner or later.

Hisashi returned to his seat next to Saeko. "She says she's fine for now," he explained.

Saeko smiled softly. "Marikawa-sensei is really kind, isn't she?"

"She is," Hisashi agreed, chuckling lightly.

Meanwhile...,...

(Mom… Dad… someone… help me… someone…) A faint voice rang in Niikaz's mind.

(Niikaz-neechan… hurry… help me...) She saw a boy, crying, bending his knees and whimpering in fear.

"Who is it?" Niikaz asked.

The boy turned, tears in his eyes. "Help me~" he pleaded, and then the scene abruptly cut out, as if the video had been corrupted.

Niikaz jolted awake from her dream, breathing heavily. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Her eyes glowed faintly as a hologram notification appeared before her:

[The main story has progressed by 6%]

(What the hell? It looks like that boy from my dream triggered this event in this world. But… who is that? I don't recall his character in the original story.)

"Niikaz… Niikaz!" Kazu's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. He looked concerned, as did the others who had gathered around her.

"I'm fine. It was just a bad dream," she said, brushing off the worry.

"Are you sure?" Saeko asked, offering her a bottle of water.

"Thanks," Niikaz said, managing a small smile.

Kazu leaned in closer, whispering, "Are you really alright? You can tell me if something's wrong."

Niikaz giggled lightly, sensing his nervousness. "I'm fine. I'll let you know if I need anything... just not while that man is around." She nodded toward Shido at the back of the bus, making Kazu grin awkwardly. He, too, despised the man.

The others in the bus settled back into their seats as morning light filtered through the windows.

"Marikawa-sensei, are you okay?" Okada asked, approaching the front with a bottle of water and some bread.

"Ah, Okada-kun! I'm fine, but I'm bored with this unmoving traffic," she replied with a playful sigh.

"Bored? So am I. I came here because my ears were getting tired of Shido's talk. I wonder how he doesn't get tired of it," Okada sighed.

"Hahaha, maybe he has a script inside his clothes and feels he has to finish reading it." Marikawa laughed.

Both of them chuckled, finding some lightheartedness in their dire situation.

"That's right! Thus, instead of acting out of self-interest, bla bla…" Shido continued, spouting his ideology.

"There he goes again…" Nishinoya muttered, exhausted by Shido's endless monologue.

---

Hisashi tended to Nishinoya's sprained ankle, frowning as he removed the bandage.

"Umm, senpai, is something wrong with my leg? You look serious," Nishinoya asked nervously, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

(Is my leg getting worse?!) He kept thinking anxiously.

"Ah, no, actually, rather than worse, it's looking better. There's no sign of swelling anymore," Hisashi said thoughtfully, pressing his chin with his fingers.

"Really? Let me take a look!" Marikawa said, unfastening her seatbelt and walking over.

She examined the ankle and frowned as well, making Nishinoya flinch in nervousness.

"Strange. The ankle has healed. Normally, it takes a week."

"That's great, Nishinoya! I'm glad for you!" Kazu congratulated him.

"Eh, really? My leg is already healed? You mean fully healed?" Nishinoya's eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Yeah, though I don't know the reason. It's like something out of a fantasy novel," Hisashi chuckled.

"The world itself is beyond normal now, with the undead walking around," Takagi remarked with a wry smile.

Without anyone noticing, Niikaz gazed out the window, lost in thought. The world of the story was shifting, and she was eager to face what was coming next.

"Oi! Hirano!" Takagi snapped, her irritation clear as she saw Hirano still half-asleep.

"Ah, unnn… Takagi-san… Good... morning~" Hirano mumbled, barely coherent as he blinked groggily at her.

"Look, you're drooling! Why are you still sleeping!? Geez, we're in the middle of a crisis!"

Hirano lazily wiped his face, turning to glance out the window at the standstill outside. "Because of… all this." He gestured to the packed streets. Cars were at a complete stop, with people abandoning their vehicles and walking instead, making it look like the entire city was stuck in a gridlock.

"I think it would've been better if we had headed toward the suburbs," Okada chimed in, joining the conversation.

"There are other ways to escape besides cars, you know?" Takagi said, crossing her arms, her tone slightly more condescending than intended.

"Ah! Seaside airport?" Kazu guessed.

"Exactly. It's too dangerous to stay in the city," Takagi continued, sounding more like she was lecturing the group than offering suggestions.

"Possibly the city will be full of 'them' soon enough," Hisashi added, staring out at the sea of stalled vehicles.

"Yeah, there's probably a group of people trying to flee to an island or some isolated area where armed forces are present," Takagi speculated.

"Like Okinawa?" Kazu said. "The American military is stationed there, though they aren't exactly here to fight. But there's always the SDF…"

"Hokkaido and Kyushu might still be okay if they managed the situation properly," Takagi added, tapping her chin. "The planes leaving the city must be headed somewhere secure."

"Then we should go somewhere like that too!" Nishinoya suggested enthusiastically, with Hirano and Okada nodding in agreement.

"That's impossible," Hisashi said, his voice calm but firm.

"Eh? Why, Hisashi-senpai?" Okada asked, puzzled.

"I think it's already too late," Kazu muttered, drawing a silent glance from Niikaz, who barely registered the conversation. She already knew the flow of this story—her mind was elsewhere, absorbed in thoughts of the endless possibilities this chaotic world held for her.

(The world changes according to my actions or someone else's… and this story has no true end. I just need to keep moving forward.) Niikaz thought, itching for a fight or to unravel more of the mystery she knew was buried within.

Hisashi broke the silence, addressing the group again. "Areas with large amounts of American soldiers or where the SDF is stationed are probably keeping things under control. But they're likely limiting who they let in. The risk of letting the undead inside is too great."

"If they start closing off their communities to keep outsiders away, humanity might end up isolating itself into extinction," Takagi said grimly.

Hirano wiped his brow nervously. "You really think so, Takagi-san? That sounds… awful."

"Of course, it's possible. Just look at him." Takagi jerked her thumb toward Shido, who was preoccupied in the back of the bus, still engrossed in manipulating his students with his twisted ideologies. "He's an example of how people are starting to break. It's only going to get worse."

"Ugh, he's disgusting," Nishinoya groaned, cracking his knuckles. "I could try kicking him now that my leg's healed."

"Count me in," Hirano said, gripping his nail gun. Okada flexed his bat, ready for action.

"Cool it, you three," Hisashi said with a sigh. "Let's not waste energy on him right now. We need to focus on survival."

"Exactly," Takagi interjected. "We need to start thinking seriously about how we're going to make it through this. And for that, we need a leader. Someone we can trust."

"Eh? What about Hisashi as leader?" Okada suggested, pointing to him.

"Honestly, I think Hisashi's more suited as a vice-leader," Takagi said thoughtfully.

"Why me?" Hisashi raised an eyebrow.

"You're kind, you look out for everyone. You protected Takashi from Tsunoda. So if something happens to him, you'd naturally take charge. That's what I think."

Hirano, still a bit sulky, glanced at her. "Takagi-san, be real. You just want Komuro to be the leader because you like him, right?"

"Don't say something so stupid!" Takagi snapped, her face flushing slightly. Her denial was swift, but her blush betrayed her, earning curious glances from everyone around her.

"Heh," Okada said, rubbing his chin like a detective.

"I didn't realize Takashi was so popular despite his moody personality." Hisashi smiled, closing his eyes. "Feels like I'm watching my son grow up."

Saeko chuckle a bit seeing Hisashi like that.

Niikaz, meanwhile, tuned out the playful banter. Her mind wandered back to the streets outside, her instincts urging her to act. Somewhere out there, Takashi and Rei were struggling, facing chaos in the city, while the police fought to maintain order by any means necessary. A water cannon sprayed into a crowd of rebellious students, and the situation was rapidly spiraling out of control.

(This world… it's coming apart. But that just means my part in the story is only getting started.) Niikaz thought, her eyes gleaming with the thrill of what was to come.