2 Chapter 2: The Name Of This World.

"Now I remember."

Blood-stained humans with lifeless eyes shuffled in a mindless horde, drawn to any sound that caught their attention. The ground was littered with lifeless bodies, once vibrant students now reduced to mere shells of their former selves.

Sakamaki Izayoi stood on one of the school building's rooftop, observing the chaos down below.

Running his hands through his hair, he gazed upon the horrifying scene with a heavy sigh.

The once lively high school, brimming with youth and promise, now resembled a nightmarish landscape.

"I finally remember it... The name of this world..."

ROAAAAR-

Izayoi swiftly intercepted a zombie attempting to grab him from behind. Utilizing the creature's momentum, he launched it headfirst into the wall.

Crack

The sickening sound of the impact echoed as the zombie's skull caved in. Wiping the blood from his face, Izayoi regarded the unmoving corpse below.

It was a fellow student, clothes tattered from bites, a testament to the gruesome transformation.

The school, now silenced except for sporadic screams, had transformed into a haunting manifestation of the undead.

It truly was-

"-A High School of the Dead."

------

'Well he did say he was going to block a few of my memories...'

A twitch appeared in Izayoi's face remembering his encounter with ROB, the Random Omnipotent Being has blocked all his memories that related to the Anime as well as his meeting with ROB.

'Saying it was something about making it more 'Entertaining' but couldn't you have at least returned it before the outbreak happened?'

Shaking those useless thoughts away, Izayoi looked around the bus, taking note of everyone inside.

Seeing this, everyone suddenly turned tense at his stare.

Perhaps Izayoi didn't notice himself, but to everyone around, his calculating gaze felt like the piercing scrutiny of a strategist planning their next move on a chessboard.

Izayoi's previous entrance was certainly something that left an impression on everyone, it didn't help that there was blood all over him as well, a testament to what has become of the zombies that tried to attack him.

The atmosphere within the bus grew palpably heavier as the weight of his observation settled on each individual.

Shizuka Marikawa, the blonde woman currently driving the bus and also the school nurse.

Rei Miyamoto, the childhood friend of the protagonist.

'Though on episode 1 she looked to be in a complicated situation with him before the outbreak happened.' 

Rei, gripped her weapon tighter as she met Izayoi's gaze.

Saya Takagi.

'Tsundere I guess?' Izayoi's perplexed looked caused Saya to suddenly twitch feeling as if this guy was thinking about something rude.

Kohta Hirano.

'Gun nut.' Izayoi simply gave him a nod, his skillset was something to be sought after in the worlds current situation.

Kohta didn't know why but he suddenly felt a sense of deja vu!

Seeing Izayoi standing there, it was as if he could a glimpse of his old military Instructor standing behind him.

Gulping nervously, Kohta subconsciously sat a little straighter.

Saeko Busujima.

Izayoi also gave a nod to this purple haired beauty, seeing her skills in person truly showed him how capable this seemingly delicate girl was.

Raising a brow, Saeko nodded back, her hand holding her wooden sword tightly, never before as she faced a person that gave such a dangerous air as Izayoi has.

As Izayoi continued to look around his eyes caught the sight of Takuzou, a person who was originally supposed to die followed by the girl beside him.

Swept up in the intensity of his gaze, the passengers fidgeted uncomfortably, exchanging nervous glances.

It was as though Izayoi's eyes were dissecting them, assessing strengths, weaknesses, and their uses.

The silence that followed his survey seemed to stretch, creating an unspoken tension.

And finally-

Looking down, Izayoi observed the original protagonist of this world, still in a daze.

It seems he was still grappling with the events that had unfolded.

Finally breaking the silence, Izayoi's lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. It was a knowing expression, as if he had deduced something from his observation.

The tension in the bus didn't dissipate, but rather shifted into a different form—a sense of anticipation, wondering what thoughts were churning in Izayoi's mind.

But... unexpectedly.

"Certainly a bad time to get cold feet now don't you think?"

Izayoi's sudden carefree voice broke the tense atmosphere that engulfed everyone inside the bus.

As everyone was surprised by this unexpected turn, even Saeko herself seemed to be affected as the hand that held her wooden sword ready to take action couldn't help but twitch.

"h-Huh?"

Nodding slightly, Takeshi finally regained his thoughts. The remnants of anxiety still lingering in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm good." he mumbled, attempting a half-hearted smile as he saw Izayoi bringing his hand towards him.

"Just... wasn't expecting all that, you know?"

Facing the new arrival that saved his life, Takeshi accepted the hand as Izayoi helped pull him up.

Izayoi chuckled, his easygoing demeanor a stark contrast to the recent chaos.

"No one ever expects the unexpected. But hey, your alive aren't you?"

Takeshi merely managed a weak laugh, appreciating Izayoi's attempt to lighten the mood.

Seeing this, everyone all started to calm down as well, it seems this new arrival wasn't as bad as they thought.

"True... but..."

Takeshi's eyes roamed Izayoi's figure, looking to be the same age as Takeshi, the blond male the same uniform as them with a yellow shirt beneath, his arms wrapped in what seemed to be cloth, with the only weapon he seemed to carrying was a bow on his back.

"Is that...?" Seemingly realizing something, Takeshi was just about to ask something when Rei rushed towards him, pushing him on the chair.

"Ack!? r-Rei what are you-" 

"Are you alright?! did you get hurt!?" Rei now on top of him fired question after question as her hands roamed his body to find any trace of injury.

Seeing this, Izayoi chuckled, giving them some space and taking a seat on one of the nearby chairs, exhaling a breath didn't realize he was holding.

Looks he himself hasn't gotten used to the situation yet.

Scanning for any signs of injury and feeling relieved once she found none, Rei went for a hug. tightly grasping on Takeshi as if he'd disappear any moment.

"I'm alright Rei." Takeshi comforted the girl as everyone finally started to calm down from the events of what happened.

"But seriously what the heck was that thing? it came out of nowhere!" Saya spoke, bringing the attention to new infected that just appeared.

"Indeed." Saeko nodded, crossing her arms together she wore a serious expression. "That thing was faster and more aggressive than the ones we've encountered so far."

"Hmmm... if I had to relate it to something... it would be something like those Hunter zombies from games, exceptionally agile, and dangerous."

Kohta, always ready with his Otaku knowledge, added. "In zombie games, there's often a variety of special infected. If this world is taking cues from those, then..."

Gulp

Kohta's audible gulp was an explanation in itself.

"Wait... that means...!" Saya's eyes widened in horror.

"If that thing can be associated as the Hunter then screamers, spitters, and tanks-!"

The more Saya spoke the more dread was laced with her voice.

The atmosphere on the bus grew heavier as Saya's words lingered, each name she mentioned bringing with it a wave of apprehension.

Everyone exchanged glances, realizing the potential implications of facing evolved and more dangerous variations of the infected.

"Are you saying we might encounter different types of these... things?"

Rei's brow's furrowed as Saya nodded grimly to her question.

"It's a possibility. If we're dealing with variations like the Hunter, who knows what else could be out there!"

"Takuzou...!" A girl tightly clung to her boyfriends arm as tears were threatening to fall from her eyes.

This news brought an unprecedented level of concern, and the weight of the situation settled upon them once more.

"Now, now everyone!"

"I know things may seem grim but like every challenges we can overcome it! after all hasn't our friend here...-"

Shidou shamelessly approached him as if to ask for his name, with Izayoi's only response being a raised brow.

Even after seeing him from the show or in this life, this guy was clearly shady.

"Izayoi... Sakamaki Izayoi." Nonetheless he still gave his name, if it was the only way to get him to leave.

"Sakamaki-kun has already dealt with one of them! there is no reason to fear as long as everyone sticks together, everything will be alright!"

Shidou tried to calm everyone down with Rei sending him a disgusting look finally remembering that this person was also here.

"With all due respect, we appreciate your attempt to calm everyone, but we need practical solutions, not just words." Saya the ever pragmatic girl she was spoke back at Shidou showing clear annoyance.

Shidou's glasses reflected the light as he grinned at Saya, undeterred he continued.

"Words can be powerful, my dear. In times of crisis, it's essential to maintain a positive outlook. Izayoi-kun here has already demonstrated that we can overcome these challenges!"

Izayoi had to hold back a at the sudden change of how Shidou addressed him.

'He has a knack for words I'll give him that.'

Whether it was the way he spoke and carried himself, this shrewd man knew how to persuade to the unassuming crowd.

Suddenly before the conversation could escalate, Saeko approached him from the side.

"That Bow."

"Hmm?" Izayoi's attention went towards the voice of Saeko who was now looking at the Bow he had on his back.

"This? I got it from the Archery Club, figured they wouldn't mind me borrowing one considering their shortage of members now." 

Izayoi joked, faced with an unknown threat, one without a known cure, or perhaps an undiscovered one.

He had prioritized acquiring a ranged weapon. while also using rags and cloth wrapping them around his arms to create a makeshift armor for added protection.

"So were you the guy that was helping us from the roof?" Takeshi looked at Izayoi for confirmation as he merely nodded in turn.

"Wait really!?" Kohta after finally finding him nail gun on the floor looked at him in surprise.

"If you were that guy on the roof then how did you reach the bottom so fast!"

Tilting his head, Izayoi had a thoughtful face as if contemplating how to answer.

But after thinking about it, he finally just made the straightest face he could and simply answered.

"I ran."

"You... ran?" Saya's eyes twitched, the others gave Izayoi a blank look with the only exception being Saeko who just placed a hand on her mouth to cover a laugh.

Although it was hard to believe he really did ran, using the roof to cross to the other side unlike them who had to go around, he was able to reach them just in the nick of time.

Although the feral was certainly not with in his calculations it saved him from having to jump on the roof of the bus he supposed.

Kyle Crane and Aiden Caldwell, the two protagonist of Dying Light 1 & 2, these guys ran around in the Apocalypse of their world with ease while being chased by steroid induced crazy fast abominations called Volatiles.

After gaining their memories and experiences coupled with him taking parkour as a hobby from the 2 of them, scaling down a 4 story building while chasing a bus honestly didn't seem too hard now.

"It doesn't matter." Saeko shook her head.

"At least now we get to know the person that helped us." Saeko brought her hand towards Izayoi.

"Saeko Busujima, thanks for your help back there." 

Seeing this purple haired beauties actions caused Izayoi to blink.

Nonetheless, He accepted her greeting as he brought his hand to meet hers.

"Sakamaki Izayoi, though you already know that."

'Quite soft...' Izayoi raised a brow, one would think with all that swordsmanship practice it would be filled with callouses.

"Is there a problem?" Saeko spotting Izayoi's thoughtful look asked.

"No." Shaking his head, Izayoi let go of her hands. "Your hand is comfortable to hold."

In the end, Izayoi just attributed it to 'Anime Logic' and didn't wanna think about it to much.

"Oh yeah, I nearly forgot! thanks for the save back there! you don't know how worried I was when I suddenly ran out of bullets!"

Blinking, Saeko was caught off guard by the sudden words as she stared at the blonde male who's attention now turned to other people.

Though she has certainly received plenty of compliments all her life it was the first time she'd receive one so blatantly spoken.

Smiling slightly, She didn't want to disturb as she just went to find a place to sit down.

"t-The City...!" Attracted by the voice, everyone turned to look out the window as many of them turned silent.

The sight outside the bus sent shivers down their spines. In the distance, the city, once bustling with life, now filled with chaos.

Various black smoke reaching the clouds could be seen. showcasing the accidents that unfolded in those areas.

"It's worse than I thought." Saeko murmured, her eyes scanning the scene.

The group inside the bus fell into a heavy silence, each member absorbing the gravity of their situation. The initial shock of the infected encounter had been intense, but the true scope of the crisis became apparent as they witnessed the city's devastation.

Crossing his arms, Izayoi silently gazed out, a glint flashing from his eyes.

Various thoughts swam through his mind before deciding to just close his eyes and calm down.

His hands gripping tighter than ever...

------

D*mn im on a roll! another chapter after just a day!

Might not be much for you guys but from my procrastinating butt this is an achievement.