I saw Ito Makoto's state right before the end.
He was nothing but skin and bones then, a literal mummified husk. How did he return to his original form? He almost looks alive.
Saionji Sekai felt her skin crawl. Every instinct she possessed screamed at her to turn and run.
Kawashima Toya caught her before she could bolt, his voice steady and calm. "Don't be in such a hurry. Did you forget why we came here?"
He was close to the truth now. He couldn't let her stir up trouble or alert the household. Feeling the security radiating from Toya's presence, Sekai's panic subsided, though only slightly.
"I... I'll try to stay calm, Sensei."
"Good. That's better." Toya offered a thin smile. "It looks like Ito-kun is about to wake up. When he does, I want you to ask him what happened."
"..." Sekai remained silent, her eyes welling with tears. "Kawashima-sensei, can we please just stop? You just said he's going to wake up. If we stay, he's going to turn into a monster and bite us!"
Toya shook his head. "Don't worry. You have me."
Since Ito Makoto was showing signs of life, there was no longer a need for a clinical examination of the corpse.
It was more efficient to wait and ask the boy himself. If the resurrected version proved to be a mindless beast, Toya would simply dispose of it.
Time passed slowly. They waited in the silence for nearly three hours. No mourners visited the hall, and the lights in the main house remained dark; the residence seemed entirely abandoned for the night.
Exhausted by the prolonged tension, Sekai eventually slumped against Toya and drifted into a fitful sleep.
Inside the coffin, the microscopic sound of breathing suddenly grew forceful. A heartbeat began to thump rhythmically within his chest once more.
He's waking up.
Toya stared at the coffin with clear, azure eyes.
What will it be? A zombie? A vampire?
At a glance, those were the only logical conclusions. If he lacked a soul or mind, he was a zombie. If he possessed intelligence and fangs, he was a vampire.
"Saionji-san, wake up," Toya said softly. "Ito-kun is about to rise. Be ready to move."
"He's actually coming back?!"
Sekai snapped awake, staring at the coffin like a startled rabbit. "Sensei, I really regret agreeing to his request now."
"A bit late for that." Toya watched with detached interest as the figure inside the coffin began to sit up. "Look, your friend has returned."
It appeared his initial guesses were slightly off. Ito Makoto wasn't exactly a zombie or a vampire. He was something far more unsettling.
Sekai's eyes widened in horror. It looked like a scene from a low-budget horror film—an invisible force seemed to be hoisting Ito's upper body into a sitting position.
Ito Makoto blinked, his expression dazed. "What... what happened to me?"
"He spoke?!" Sekai's nerves finally snapped. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed into a faint.
Her psychological threshold is far too low.
I really need to toughen her up later. You shouldn't pass out just because a dead man sits up and says hello.
Toya sighed and moved the unconscious Sekai to a safe spot before walking toward the confused boy.
"Hello, Ito-kun. I'm Kawashima Toya, the new health teacher at your school. I'm here at the request of Saionji Sekai to investigate your death. Would you mind telling me everything that happened between your passing and your 'resurrection' just now?"
Even though Toya's tone was casual, he was fully prepared. If Ito showed the slightest hint of aggression, he would be cut down instantly.
"Health teacher? Sekai...?" Ito Makoto shook off his confusion as memories of his final moments resurfaced. "That's right... I did ask her to find out who killed me. But why am I alive? And... why am I so thirsty for blood?"
Ito turned his head slowly, his gaze locking onto the unconscious Sekai.
His eyes were no longer human; they had lost all color, replaced by a void of pitch-black. They were cold and hollow, exactly like the gaze that had been watching from the shadows earlier.
"I want blood... Sekai will forgive me. We're childhood friends. She won't mind if I take a little."
"I think she'd mind quite a bit," Toya said flatly. "Blood is essential for the living, after all. And humans aren't meant to be cattle for a Shiki."
So that's what it is. A Shiki.
That explains why his death looked so much like a descent into madness.
A Shiki—a monster born from a corpse. They retained their memories and personality, but their existence was defined by a hunger for life. Those they fed upon would be plunged into chronic terror, unable to resist the monster's call.
"I'm so thirsty! Get out of my way!"
With his black eyes fixed on Toya, Ito Makoto lunged. His speed and physical power were now far beyond the human limit.
"Decent speed, I suppose."
Toya didn't flinch. He moved like a blur, appearing at Ito's side as if he had teleported. With a casual kick, he sent the boy crashing into the floor and pinned him there with his foot.
Against a normal person, Ito might have been a predator. Against Toya, he was as helpless as a child.
Crack.
A sharp sound echoed through the hall as Ito hit the floor, his ribs snapping under the pressure. Despite the noise, no one came to investigate.
The commotion roused Sekai. When she opened her eyes and saw Ito's cold, black gaze, she began to tremble.
"Sekai, let me have your blood! I'm so thirsty! Aren't we friends? Just come here!"
Toya looked down at the struggling creature. "Ito-kun, why don't you cooperate? Tell me which Shiki killed you. If you do, I'll end your suffering quickly."
Hearing the word "death," Ito struggled even harder. "I don't want to die! I just gained this power! Sensei, surely you understand! You can feel this, right? No heartbeat, no aging... it's perfect! It's beautiful!"
Toya glanced back at Sekai. "What do you think, Saionji-san? His pitch sounds quite passionate."
"I don't want to turn into a monster!" Sekai scrambled behind Toya, terrified. "Those eyes... he looks like he wants to eat me alive."
"I thought so too." Toya's voice turned cool as he looked back at the boy. "I'm going to put him out of his misery. Any objections, Saionji-san?"
Since Ito was clearly unwilling to talk, there was no point in continuing. Toya would find the source of the outbreak on his own.