Chapter 21 - Intruder and Miscalculations

Just like yesterday, five people stayed in the room.

The supply team was tasked with sweeping and capturing the enemy, but over here, it was completely peaceful.

There were hardly any problems, and no sign of zombies coming.

With nothing to talk about, everyone was busy copying information from the internet onto paper.

It was just like during a regular test.

Creaaaak...

In the quiet room, that sound echoed clearly.

“Hm? Did you hear something just now?” Hazuki asked, and everyone replied that they heard it.

Wondering what the sound was, it came again.

Bang... Thud...

It echoed from above.

It sounded like something hard hitting metal.

“This might be bad...”

Rei stood up and grabbed a metal bat.

Daiki also stood and strained to listen.

Bang... Bang... Thud...

Somehow, it sounded like it was getting closer.

Thud!

“Everyone, get back!”

At the sharp shout from Miu, something red crashed through the ceiling and fell down.

“Aaaahhh!”

Sakura screamed.

Tension filled the air.

What on earth was this creature?

The red lump slowly lifted its body.

It had proper hands and feet.

Its torso was a bit round, and if you tried to compare it to a known animal, it was like a frog.

But no one had ever seen a frog the size of a human.

Its eyes remained closed, showing no sign of opening.

The frog shook its head, looking around, then turned toward Sakura.

Slowly, it arched back and began to croak.

Something’s coming.

“Sakura, watch out!”

Daiki instinctively pushed Sakura back, sending her flying away.

At the same time, the frog’s tongue shot past just a few centimeters below Daiki’s hand.

“That thing—its tongue!”

The tongue pierced the meeting room wall and then retracted back to the frog.

(This is bad, this is bad!)

He tried to get his half-stopped thoughts running full speed, searching for a way to survive.

But all he could think about was how to run away.

He couldn’t run, though—not if he wanted to protect the supplies here.

Still, even knowing that, his feet naturally wanted to head for the exit.

The hand gripping the bat was slick with sweat.

The frog arched back again. This time, it was facing him.

“Ahhh!”

He threw his body sideways, and the window right where he had been just now shattered.

If he’d been hit, he would’ve been dead for sure.

His fighting spirit was already gone, and he was ready to abandon everything and run.

Then, he heard a roar.

“YAAAAAAH!!!”

The air trembled sharply, and the frog fixed its gaze on the source of the voice.

It was Daiki.

In front of such an unknown enemy, his clear will to fight seemed almost reckless to the point of being comical.

But Daiki probably wasn’t thinking at all.

It was a pure, instinctual power—something close to the urge to protect—that was driving him.

Daiki let out a loud shout and charged at the frog.

He swung the bat sideways and smashed it against the frog’s head.

Then, what happened?

The frog’s neck twisted a perfect 180 degrees, and it collapsed right there.

“How’s that?!”

“Is it… dead?”

I stood up and moved closer to Daiki.

Daiki kicked the frog’s head, but it didn’t twitch at all.

Such an anticlimactic end left me feeling a little disappointed.

“Man, still, this frog…”

Daiki crouched beside it and gave its head a few slaps.

No response.

Looks like it’s really dead.

“That was close…”

Daiki turned back toward the girls.

But I saw it.

The frog’s neck slowly turned in this direction.

“Daiki! Get back!”

“Huh?”

Daiki was blown away.

The frog’s arm, swinging sideways, caught Daiki’s ribs and slammed him into the wall.

“Gah…”

He reached out to grab something, caught the curtain, and tore it as he fell.

Bathed in the morning sunlight streaming through the window, Daiki didn’t move.

The frog grinned wickedly and happily croaked.

No good.

This thing was pretending to be dead on purpose, enjoying our reactions.

Yeah, from the start, there was no way we could win.

Honestly, it’s a miracle someone like me—a total coward—has survived this long.

If Ryuu wasn’t here, I’d be dead already.

God only gave me one day’s grace.

He stood there, stunned and motionless.

What should I do?

Should I just die like this, or should I run away...?

“Daiki-san!”

Miu’s voice pulled me back from the depths of my dark thoughts.

She ran over to Daiki and shook his huge body.

Ah.

What on earth was I thinking?

The answer was clear from the very beginning.

“Hey, monster...”

The frog looked at him.

Maybe it understood what he said.

But that didn’t matter.

What he was about to do was declare his intent.

A declaration of war against it.

If he didn’t do this now, he’d be a coward forever.

The shattered glass reflected the sunlight, sparkling.

“Are you mocking us and laughing at us...? Don’t mess with me! You have no right to make fun of Daiki!”

The frog tilted its head.

What can you do?

It seemed to be asking him that.

What he could do was build a way to survive using all the knowledge he’d accumulated.

From anime, light novels, conversations with friends, or even the media—it didn’t matter.

He’d gather all his knowledge and fight to win.

Otaku have their pride, cowards have theirs.

He reached out to the broken window and grabbed the corridor.

He didn’t care that my skin was cut and bleeding.

He took a deep breath and calmed my mind.

“I once saw on TV that if rabies combined with a highly infectious virus like the flu, it could become something like a biohazard. Maybe that’s why zombies appeared. I wondered why you keep your eyes closed. Opening your eyes would make it so much easier to understand your surroundings, right? Rabies causes hydrophobia, but it’s not really a fear of water—it’s the way water reflects light that scares them. So maybe you have a similar symptom, which is why you keep your eyes shut.”

But the frog’s expression was completely unbothered.

Like it was saying, “So what?”

“I’m betting on the possibility that you’re showing symptoms like rabies!”

He bent my arm back and smashed his hand against the wall.

Then, a shrill ringing sounded as the sprinkler system activated, spraying water.

And the frog—

“GAAAAAAH!!”

—opened its eyes.

“‘Startled animals open their eyes wide.’ They’re sensitive to loud noises and instinctively open their eyes to gather information, even without thinking.”

He gripped the metal bat tightly and stepped toward the frog.

It convulsed and shook its body.

It couldn’t move its limbs anymore, let alone attack.

“Don’t underestimate cowards!”

He slammed the bat down on the frog.