“Is there really a need to do that?”
Before too, when the fire door opened and monsters poured down, and even when the incident broke out in the auditorium just recently, the twins had occupied a large portion in confronting the monsters. Only then did the survivors sneakily gauge the mood and not particularly mention us staying in the main building, but the atmosphere of excluding and being wary of us remained. Especially, having spread some words somehow, whenever other survivors occasionally passing through the hallway encountered me, they would often freeze in surprise or gasp.
So I thought that female student in the hallway behind the auditorium couldn’t get her mind straight and swung a knife at me recklessly. Though I couldn’t be certain of this either, there was a high possibility the student council president had influenced it.
“Right. What need do we have to step forward and check? They’ll handle it among themselves.”
“True.”
Cha Woodan, who quickly extinguished his interest, turned his body toward me again. He pulled and tightened my necktie one last time, then put it inside the wine-colored vest’s V-neck to adjust the position. Soon his two hands moved gently and neatly folded down the shirt collar that had still been standing upright.
As Cha Woodan withdrew his touch, the nape that had been warm cooled quickly. I raised my hand unnecessarily and fiddled with the shirt collar, when something pierced through the blocked space and dug into my eardrums.
A person’s scream.
I turned my head sharply. Beyond the window, I saw bright red blood rising in a high curve from the schoolyard. Soon the sticky liquid dripped down onto the walkway.
And at that center, one of the survivors wearing Hanul High uniform tilted and collapsed.
***
A world where stealing, snatching each other’s belongings for survival, and even going further to harm or kill had become tacitly justified as extenuating circumstances. In such a place, could there be anything that looked as appetizing as a group of survivors gathered by teenagers who hadn’t yet become adults?
The fact that those children were still clumsy and immature minors didn’t stimulate their worn-away guilt. At the same time, even knowing they would become 20-year-old adults with just one or two more years, they dismissed and looked down on them saying they were still just kids.
So the moment it was revealed to be a faction built by students gathered together, there was no way they wouldn’t be treated as the most tempting prey by survivors positioned nearby.
Seong Taehyeon, who had passed the stairs and descended to the first floor, stopped before leaving the main building. Through the window reflecting outside, the scene of the schoolyard turned into chaos was vividly visible.
The number of rival faction survivors who had followed tracking the athletic club members who had returned from the mart was roughly fifteen. The problem was that more of them might be hiding near the school, or colleagues who heard the news might be additionally coming here.
‘Pathetic bastards.’
Seong Taehyeon clicked his tongue softly and stared outside the window.
Around the time the athletic club students jumped over the school gate and entered the schoolyard, they used their abilities without hesitation as if they’d been waiting from the start and slashed one of the students. That was as good as meaning they’d followed the athletic club students from the beginning with the intention of overthrowing this place.
They must have made plans after seeing the naive children wearing school gym uniforms, then became even more certain when they knew their destination was a school. If they were survivors wearing school attire staying at school, the age range of that group was obvious. Even if several teachers remained, they would be very few, so they clearly judged it would be not just advantageous but too easy a battle.
It had long been the case that nearby convenience stores and pharmacies, as well as most large marts, had been occupied. In such circumstances, how delicious must the group of students that suddenly appeared have seemed?
Blood scattered profusely on the schoolyard sand. That scene, Seong Taehyeon silently stared at with a dry gaze.
As far as Seong Taehyeon knew, the skills of Hanul High survivors weren’t that miserable. At least it meant they weren’t so sloppy or weak as to be mercilessly beaten without even proper counterattack against other factions.
But if there was a problem.
‘The students here have no experience with murder.’
They say once you commit it, the second and third murders become easy. But it wasn’t just any short journey needed until obtaining that first experience while turning away from fear and anxiety about murder.
It was different from simply driving people with words, expelling them, and standing by watching others’ deaths. Murder carried out face-to-face between people would be even more burdensome since you couldn’t hide your face by hiding in a sense of belonging to the majority.
However, the opponents were a vicious faction with only multiple records of killing others and stealing goods.
“……”
Could there be anything he could do by using mental-type abilities now? Even roughly scanning the survivors, all he felt was terrible fear, anxiety, worry, such things. Even if he stimulated such emotions, they would run away with their tails between their legs unable to endure, not be helpful in confronting the opposing faction.
Corpses piling up one by one rolled around the schoolyard. A familiar junior, a classmate, a senior died.
Two students succeeded in killing enemies and collapsed. He could see them urgently blocking their mouths and dry heaving, holding back vomit.
Seong Taehyeon, who had been blankly appreciating that chaotic scene, turned his steps.
‘I was thinking of leaving this place soon anyway.’
Hanul High had no hope from the start. Everything—gathering as a ragtag bunch with mediocre strength, attacking each other and fumbling when they should unite, trying to survive by clinging to the strong twins. So there was fun in watching them easily sway with just a little shake, but could amusement be more important than life?
‘How much luggage do I need to pack?’
While also drawing in his mind the companion member list he’d selected in advance, Seong Taehyeon moved his steps upward again.
***
It was strange.
“Even leaving aside that Seong Taehyeon bastard since he’s a mental-type ability user, I don’t see any of those bastards who claim to be his close associates either?”
I listened carefully to Cha Jeoh’s voice while intently examining beyond the window.
It was as he said. Though quite fierce combat was repeating in the spacious schoolyard, not a single notable skilled person from within Hanul High was showing themselves. Even in the midst of Hanul High not being at an advantage and clearly being pushed back without room for denial.
“…Did they abandon everything and run?”
I turned my head sharply and looked up at Cha Woodan.
“Why would they go that far? Hanul High was almost entirely controlled by the student council president.”
“It was a controlled situation. But rather than really establishing a system… it seemed closer to trying various things like a practice process before actual combat.”
But to abandon this place and run away alone because of that? And taking all the people who could be called skilled within Hanul High?
Then a careful knocking sound was heard. Thinking Lee Gojun and Lee Geonwoo who had grasped the situation had come, I closed my eyes, but the presence felt through the opening door gap was more than two people.
“Hayoung-ah, Jeong Yubin says she has a favor to ask…”
Jeong Yubin? Before I could chew over the unfamiliar name, desperate footsteps hitting the floor approached me. Soon thud, a rough noise of kneeling echoed by my ear.
“I know it’s a request with no shame or conscience.”
A beautiful high-pitched voice. It remained in my hazy memory.
“That we did terrible things to you guys, that we acted selfishly like that and kept trying to use you… I know all of it.”
That time I met her in the infirmary and she guided me to the broadcasting room… that female student with a ponytail.
“Just one more time, can’t you save us?”
At the last sentence, I stopped thinking as if cut off. The earnestly trembling voice didn’t create even a ripple in me.
Perhaps it wasn’t a story that only applied to me, as Cha Jeoh standing beside me burst into a hollow laugh without even the will to hide it.
“What a thick face. The bastards who tried to drive someone out of school calling them a murderer.”
“……”
“Who sent you here? Why, did those dog bastards nag you to go grovel since you seem to have some friendship?”
Ponytail, who had been keeping her mouth shut, raised her head. Though I couldn’t see that expression, I couldn’t not know the fact that her gaze was desperately reflecting me as if piercing through.
“…I’m really sorry. But just once, really one last time, can’t you help?”
Ponytail knew. That if she just persuaded me alone, the twins and even Lee Gojun the healer would step forward to help them.
“Hayoung-ah, if everyone dies like this…”
She knew. That as things were, it would just take a long time but eventually the survivors who remained and endured at Hanul High would be defeated.
But even so.
‘Why should I?’
Now was different from when the incident happened in the auditorium. Back then, Lee Gojun had been in danger so I had to save him, but currently all the people I was concerned about were gathered safely here. So there was no reason at all to confront their enemies together.
However, I had received a favor that wasn’t quite a favor from ponytail alone.
‘Thanks to her, Lee Gojun was able to meet Lee Geonwoo before it was too late.’
Strictly speaking, that was a favor received by Lee Gojun, not me. Moreover, it was also the starting point of the unfortunate incident that led to one more cultist fanatic for me.
“……”
After pondering briefly, I reached out my hand and fumbled through the air, then grasped Cha Woodan’s collar on my left.
As expected, I didn’t want to leave any form of others’ traces on me for long.
