"I think I'm feeling nervous, Saya."
"And why is that, Pervert-sensei?"
"Well..." Nach paused, glancing at Saya walking beside him before continuing, "It feels like you're about to introduce me to your father as your lover."
That remark alone made Saya flustered, unable to hide her blushing face from the group—and Nach wasn't done teasing her yet.
"And we're going to tell him that we're getting married because I got you pregnant."
"SHUT IT, PERVERT!" Saya shouted, resorting to violence as she kicked Nach repeatedly in the shin, mortified and embarrassed. She then hurried ahead of the group to escape their gleeful teasing.
Their comedy skit, as Nach had planned, calmed everyone's tension—but it also earned him threatening glares, especially from Kyoko and Mitsushima.
"That doesn't count as sexual harassment, right?"
***
Following Saya, the group soon arrived at the mansion's private conference room, where Saya's father, Souichiro, and her mother, Yuriko, were waiting together with the technician Matsudo and Souichiro's right-hand man, Yoshioka.
As for Nach's group, it included Saya, Saeko, and Miku—who were wearing kimonos since their uniforms had burned. Saeko wore blue, Miku red, and Nach didn't miss the chance to praise how good they looked in them.
There were also Rei, Shizuka, Kyoko, Mitsushima, Yui, Misuzu, and Toshimi.
The final participant in their meeting was Saki—or more accurately, her body sealed inside a metal coffin with a transparent, bulletproof glass top, placed at the center of the conference table.
"If I had more time, I could've added more decoration for the beautiful sleeping princess," Matsudo said, informing Nach that he had made Saki's confinement coffin.
It might have looked rough on the outside, but the inside was decorated with tatami and a mattress. To add to that, Saki was dressed in an elegant white kimono.
"You made it comfortable for her. That's enough for me, at least," Nach replied, relieved that Saki's body had been treated properly and with respect.
"Please have a seat, everyone."
At Yuriko's remark, the meeting officially began.
"First of all, I would like to offer my gratitude for looking after my daughter and educating her properly," Souichiro said, directing his remark to Nach, Shizuka, and Kyoko, who were sitting beside each other. "I'm proud to see what my daughter has become under your care."
Glancing at Nach's confused poker face, Kyoko whispered to him, informing him of what Saya had done since arriving at the Takagi Estate.
Saya had stood up against her father's men—and even against Souichiro himself—when they tried to confiscate Hirano's guns. She had confronted the neighborhood survivors when they refused to share food supplies with the students of Fujimi Academy. She had also helped Kyoko organize the students and contact their families before communication completely went down.
"You've really grown so much while I was away, Saya," Nach said, teasing her again—but also genuinely impressed by her character development, even though he hadn't been present at the time.
"That's nothing impressive. A genius like me should at least be capable of that much," Saya said, barely hiding her happiness at being praised by her father—and her annoyance at Nach's teasing.
"Now, let's talk about the danger outside our walls—and the possible threat lurking among us."
Although Souichiro's stern expression and serious tone barely changed, the tension in the room intensified at the mention of another potential half-undead hiding among them—someone who could go mad at any time, like Saki had.
It was only speculation, but the incident of a male student suddenly turning undead inside Takayama's bus proved that someone could transform without being bitten.
"That student—what was his name again? And are you sure he wasn't bitten?" Saya asked, directing her question to Misuzu and Toshimi, who had been on Takayama's bus.
"Who was he again, Toshimi? The otaku from our classroom."
"We never talked to him, Misuzu, so how would we know?"
"All we know is that he was supposed to be a member of the student council, right, Toshimi?"
"And he got held back a year too, Misuzu."
"I believe you're talking about Ishigami-kun," Saeko said, mentioning a name Nach couldn't quite remember where he had heard before.
Setting aside the incident on Takayama's bus, Souichiro then asked for a detailed report on the more dangerous undead Nach had encountered.
Nach gave a recap of everything that had happened—of course excluding all the intimate details, which reassured Rei, Saeko, Yui, and Mitsushima.
There was the undead high school girl that Nach and Rei had fought; Mr. Maresato's Mistress, still lurking somewhere on the west side of Tokonosu City with a massive horde; the undead office lady that Nach, Saeko, and Yui fought before rescuing Miku; Toshimi and Misuzu's classmate who turned undead while being assaulted by Shimada; and finally Saki, who controlled a horde of undead students from Fujimi Academy.
"Marikawa-sensei."
With the topic arriving at Saki, Yuriko called on Shizuka to give her report.
However, Shizuka had fallen asleep, leaning her head on Nach's right shoulder.
"Wake up, Shizuka."
"You can do it with Kyoko while I'm sleeping... Nach..."
Half the group awkwardly understood that she was probably tired because of him.
***
Even though she was still half-asleep—and her cheeks stinging from Kyoko pinching her awake—Shizuka proceeded to deliver her examination report on Saki's body.
"The bullet wounds in her head and chest show that her brain and heart were severely damaged. Her blood has stopped circulating as well. But I don't think Yoshida-san is dead. Her wounds aren't decaying, and her body remains warm. Most importantly, the wound in her belly that damaged her womb is showing signs of regeneration."
Shizuka sat down after finishing her report, and Nach didn't fail to praise her by patting her head.
"Nach-sensei," Souichiro said, drawing Nach's attention away from pampering Shizuka. "Are you sure the girl regained her reason before she was shot to protect you?"
"I am. Saki could have been our hope for survival—if only I hadn't been dumb enough not to kill Shido when I had the chance."
"It's also my fault, Nach," Mitsushima added, admitting it had been a mistake to stop him from killing Shido.
"It's a shame, but she is still our hope for survival. Marikawa-sensei, I want you to continue studying her body. If we can figure out the source of her power, we might not only develop a vaccine, but also find the strength to fight the undead."
Listening to Souichiro's instructions, Nach easily understood where the situation was heading—to one of the worst places to be during an undead outbreak.
"But we don't even have basic medical equipment here," Shizuka replied.
"Then we'll raid Tokonosu Hospital next."
At that moment, the conference room door swung open. One of Souichiro's men entered, along with Hiro and Asami.
"Mitsushima-senpai!" Asami cried, holding back her tears.
"Aniki, we've got a problem." Hiro said, making everyone anxious about what might have happened.
Nach, however, already had an idea as soon as he saw Hiro and Asami together.