A mini bus rolled steadily along the quiet yet chaotic streets—wrecked cars, shattered glass, and streaks of blood scattered everywhere.
Inside, fifteen students and two teachers sat in tense silence, including the group of survivors gathered by Gabriel.
Gabriel sat near the window, putting the Healing Potion back into his bag after having applied it to his eyes.
His bangs had fallen again, covering half of his face, hiding both eyes. He stared outside, observing a world slowly turning into hell.
With Gigan, it was only natural that Gabriel could see even the tiniest details. The world before him appeared like a map stretched out under a massive telescope—for Gabriel, scanning it was as easy as taking a sip of water.
"Ha… this world… has been completely swallowed by darkness…" Gabriel murmured, his voice heavy, full of dramatic weight, as if the world outside the window were a tragic stage only he could witness.
Beside him, Saeko sat calmly, her gaze fixed on Gabriel, studying the change in his demeanor since they left the school.
In the front seat, Shizuka gripped the wheel, trying to stay focused even as her shoulders trembled slightly.
Saeko, Takashi, Rei, Saya, and Kohta naturally took their seats—like a formation they had already established in the original storyline.
The five of them sank into their own thoughts… especially about the journey to the mini bus.
The route Gabriel had led them through was completely safe.
No zombies.
No ambushes.
Yet the school corridors, which should have been crawling with the undead, were eerily empty.
And when they looked out at the schoolyard, the scene was even stranger: zombies scattered everywhere, most of them tearing each other apart as if forced together… and then left to annihilate one another.
The sight was unnervingly abnormal.
It was understandable that everyone felt a chill—unaware that it was all the result of Gabriel's manipulation, as he had deliberately hacked the perceptions of the zombies in the school area.
That was also why Gabriel had used the Healing Potion. The act had pushed him to his limits, though it hadn't yet caused Gigan to fry his brain.
Thanks to this frontal operation, Gabriel—earning 5 System Points for each kill—had successfully accumulated 1,050 System Points after herding and eliminating around 210 zombies within Fujimi Academy.
Because of this, even though only a few survivors had managed to reach the mini bus, their journey so far could be considered remarkably smooth.
At least… until now.
Just as the bus drove down a quiet, straight road without any obstacles, the silence was suddenly shattered. A man in a sharp suit abruptly stood from a middle seat.
He wore thin-rimmed glasses, his hair slicked neatly to the side, and a grin spread across his face so wide that it sent shivers down most of the students' spines.
The man—Shidō Koichi—scanned all the passengers… before his gaze finally settled on Saeko and Gabriel.
In a soft yet repulsive tone, he began speaking like a cheap cult leader.
"Children… in times like these, we must rely on someone worthy… someone with morality, order, and control."
"The world may be in chaos, but as long as you follow the guidance of the right adult—"
The nauseating tone of his voice made anyone's skin crawl.
Rei—sitting by the window—froze mid-breath. Her hands clenched tightly around her broomstick. Her gaze sharpened, slicing through the air like a knife.
But before she could fully rise, Gabriel moved swiftly.
A heavy strike landed squarely on Shidō's face, sending his glasses flying and his body staggering sideways off the seat.
Everyone froze in shock.
Gabriel stood tall in the bus aisle, his bangs covering both eyes.
His right hand remained raised from the strike. His expression… flat, yet deadly.
Shidō clutched his cheek, gasping. "Y-You… dare to—"
"Silence, you filth," Gabriel said calmly, his tone slicing like a cold blade. "Ash does not need your cheap speeches. Even zombies would vomit hearing them."
The bus fell into absolute silence.
Gabriel stepped forward, bowing his head slightly, exerting a brutal psychological pressure that even Saeko observed with grave attention.
For a moment, Gabriel's Persona mask as Ash The Watcher cracked and faltered.
"You talk about morality?"
"About leadership?"
Gabriel chuckled, his low voice echoing ominously. "A man like you… isn't even worthy of living among corpses."
Shidō shivered, taking a half-step back.
Gabriel continued, his tone dripping with mockery:
"You said we should listen to the right adults, right? Fine… I agree."
He leaned forward slightly, his bangs still hiding his eyes.
"But clearly… it's not you!"
"The world is already chaotic… don't vomit your moral trash."
Rei finally exhaled in relief, though her body remained tense.
Saya crossed her arms, giving a slight nod and whispered, "For once… I agree with him."
Kohta almost cheered.
Saeko studied Gabriel silently, a new glint of appraisal in her eyes.
Takashi reached out and placed a hand on Gabriel's shoulder, attempting to soothe and restrain his simmering anger.
Shidō, cornered and trembling, had lost all authority in an instant.
Gabriel then clapped his hands, as if brushing away some insignificant dust.
"Now," he said, settling back into his seat, "please don't make me vomit again with your rotten speech… I've already vomited enough today; my stomach feels bloated."
The bus fell silent again—but this time, not from fear. For the first time, the most chuuni presence on the bus was the voice of reason.
At least, that's how that night's journey felt—safe, calm, almost uncomfortably peaceful for a world that had already fallen apart.
***
A night had passed, and the morning sunlight danced across the river's surface, casting a warm shimmer that contrasted sharply with the crumbling world.
Even though the outbreak still raged, the scene felt strangely… peaceful.
At the riverbank, Gabriel stood, dripping a Mid-Tier Healing Potion into his eyes, which were starting to feel strained.
"Ugh… these eyes… if I keep pushing them like this, they might actually break," he muttered softly, half in regret, half joking to himself.
It was understandable. Gabriel had been using Gigan directly quite often. To keep his brain and eyes stable, he applied the potion at regular intervals.
He wasn't worried about running out; a single bottle contained 200 milliliters—enough for several weeks of routine use.
And, in truth, Gabriel already knew that Gigan could heal itself automatically. Yet, to speed up the process, he opted to use the potion.
After applying it, he blinked briefly, lowered his hand, and stored the bottle away. His black bangs fell back over his eyes, concealing them once again.
The morning wind blew against the end of his black feathered scarf, adding a dramatic aura that somehow felt natural on him.
Not far behind, Saeko, Takashi, Rei, Saya, Kohta, and Shizuka stood, watching Gabriel silently.
Honestly, they still didn't fully understand what was going through the boy's mind.
But one thing was clear to them: they weren't here just to survive… they were fed up with Shido.
Even though Gabriel had already taken him down before, Shido hadn't learned his lesson.
He continued escalating, accusing Gabriel of being barbaric, stupid, an idiot—and kept inciting the other students to avoid "the devil disguised as a human."
In the end, Gabriel chose to separate from the group.
Not out of anger… but because he was too lazy to manage an increasingly crowded team.
And as for his second main mission—gathering the survivors—he didn't worry about it at all.
If that task were considered a failure just because he left the group?
He didn't care.
Gabriel could gather more survivors anytime he wanted.
To him, Saeko, Takashi, Rei, Saya, Kohta, and Shizuka already made an almost perfect team. They could take care of themselves. They didn't need his "supervision."
On the other hand, Shido's words had pushed the entire group to their boiling point.
Saeko hated manipulative cowards like Shido.
Takashi felt disgusted watching someone exploit other people's panic.
Rei couldn't stand seeing Shido twist the facts any longer.
Saya was fed up listening to baseless ramblings from someone who didn't even understand the situation.
Kohta… would have nearly shot him if Takashi hadn't restrained him.
Shizuka just sighed, "I'm tired of that strange teacher."
In the end, they all agreed: enough was enough. They broke away from Shido and chose to follow Gabriel—though they didn't always understand what he was thinking.
Or why Gabriel always seemed like… he had just returned from a small war inside his own mind.
But compared to staying with Shido?
They much preferred following that "weird chuuni who actually gets things done."
Still, for the moment, they were unsure of their next destination. Everyone was exhausted after staying up all night in the mini bus, and they hadn't yet found a safe place to rest.
Gabriel then lowered his hands and turned around. From behind his bangs, a pair of blue eyes met Shizuka's with a friendly gaze.
For a brief moment, he deliberately let a small piece of his Persona as Ash The Watcher slip away.
"Shizuka," Gabriel said as he stepped closer, "do you still have the Dragon Bone Mystic Pill? May i… have it?"
Hearing that, Shizuka blinked in confusion. Her index finger touched her chin as she tried to figure out what Gabriel meant.
Before anyone could say anything, Saya translated, "This chuuni means the Anti-Nausea Pill."
"Ah… right, that pill!" Shizuka finally exclaimed, her face brightening as she understood. "Um! Just a moment…"
She quickly rummaged through her medical bag. While searching for the medicine, Shizuka looked at Gabriel with genuine concern.
"Gabriel-kun… could it be that you're feeling a bit seasick?" she asked in her characteristic innocent manner. "Because your face looks like someone who just got off a boat."