University of Tokyo – Girls' Dormitory
Takayama Akira walked into the lobby on the first floor carrying a toolbox.
The dormitory caretaker, an older lady, saw him and gave him a kind smile.
"Takayama-chan, you're here? No classes today?"
"I came to check the air conditioner in room 308. They said it was fixed, but it's still having issues."
"I see. Then come here and sign in."
It was morning, and most of the girls had already left for their classes.
Since Akira was already known by everyone, the caretaker had no reason to worry.
He wrote his name in the logbook, gave her a slight nod, and went up the stairs.
Takayama Akira was a second-year student in the Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.
It had already been two years since he traveled to this parallel world.
In the first year after his arrival, his parents died unexpectedly in a car accident.
Not only did they leave behind no inheritance, but they also carried a mountain of debt. The family's only house was forcibly auctioned off.
Upon learning of his situation, the university waived his tuition and began providing regular assistance for students in extreme need.
Akira didn't want to simply live off the university's charity, so he started working part-time at the campus property management office.
Whenever he didn't have classes, he helped replace light bulbs, fix air conditioners, and do minor repairs.
Curiously — or perhaps not so curiously — the girls' dorms always seemed to have more "problems" than the others.
After so many visits back and forth, Akira had become a frequent face around there.
That day, he arrived at room 308 on the third floor.
Knock, knock.
Soon, the door opened. A girl wearing a JK uniform appeared before him.
She had shoulder-length short hair, a sweet and innocent expression, and her slender, fair legs under the short skirt seemed to softly glow in the daylight.
Yamamoto Hinata.
One of the flowers of the Horticulture Department — and a well-known figure at the University of Tokyo.
"Akira-senpai, it's been a while..." she said, blinking her large, bright eyes.
"Yamamoto-san, are you alone in the dorm?" Akira asked.
"Yes... all the other girls have already gone to class," she replied, a bit shyly.
In truth, Hinata had stayed behind on purpose, just to wait for him.
And because of that, she was wearing a short skirt she would normally be too embarrassed to leave the room in.
Akira entered the room and looked around, as he usually did.
But the moment his eyes landed on the drying rack ahead, he froze for a second, surprised.
A pink pair of panties was hanging right in front of him.
The image was crystal clear. Small, delicate, and visibly freshly washed — an unmistakably intimate item.
Hinata noticed what Akira had seen as well. Her face turned bright red instantly.
She rushed over to the rack and snatched the pink panties with both hands, pressing them tightly to her chest.
Terrible!
She had been so focused on getting ready that she completely forgot to take down her underwear after it dried!
Akira didn't say a word. He pretended not to have seen anything and went straight to the air conditioner.
"It's not broken. It's just out of refrigerant," he said after a quick inspection.
"The dorm supervisor is on leave and won't be back until tomorrow. You'll have to manage one more night like this."
Refilling the refrigerant required access to the outer unit — and a licensed professional.
It was early May, and temperatures in Tokyo were already nearing 30 degrees Celsius.
The room felt like a greenhouse.
Without air conditioning, it was truly uncomfortable.
"It's fine... it's just for one night," Hinata said, forcing a smile. "Worst case, I'll go to the room next door."
Seeing the sweat dripping down Akira's forehead, she quickly reached out and offered what she had prepared.
"Senpai, you've worked hard. Here, use this to wipe the sweat."
"Thanks," Akira said, taking the cloth without a second thought.
But the moment he pressed the fabric to his face... something didn't feel right.
This towel was way too small.
Soft texture, gentle scent, and a pink strawberry pattern...
He paused and looked at it more closely.
And then he understood.
Hinata went pale for a moment before suddenly yelling out:
"A-Aah!"
She realized it too late — the cloth she had been holding in her other hand, the pink panties... was exactly what she had handed to Akira.
She had just made the boy she liked wipe his face with her underwear.
Hinata covered her face with both hands, her cheeks burning.
How embarrassing...!
"Ahem... well then, I'll be going. Let the dorm supervisor handle this tomorrow," Akira said with a light cough.
Even though he didn't show it, he was a little flustered by the situation.
He calmly handed the intimate item back to Hinata, picked up his toolbox, and got ready to leave.
Hinata bit her lower lip, distressed.
Today, she had originally dressed up with the intention of confessing her feelings to her senpai.
But after such an embarrassing situation… the words just wouldn't come out.
"Ahhh!"
"H-Help!"
A sharp scream pierced the air from outside the window.
The two of them rushed over to see what was happening.
In the open courtyard below the dorm building, a girl was lying on the ground, struggling violently.
Over her, someone was hunched — the person's head bobbing up and down frantically, as if... gnawing on something.
Blood gushed across the cement, staining the ground red.
Within seconds, the girl stopped moving.
Total silence.
"Stop!"
"If you don't stop, I'll call the police!" Akira shouted firmly from the window.
The hunched figure slowly turned upward.
It was... the dorm caretaker.
The kind lady, known by everyone on campus, now looked like a completely different creature.
Her eyes were gray, lifeless.
Her expression? Fierce.
And the corners of her mouth... bloodstained.
The girl who had been attacked twitched and, with unnatural movements, rose to her feet again — like a broken puppet being pulled by invisible strings.
Both of them entered the dorm building, one after the other, with stiff, jerky steps.
Moments later, screams echoed through the hallway.
"Run!"
"They're killing people!!"
Hinata instinctively took two steps back.
She was trembling.
Even Akira felt a chill crawl up his spine. It wasn't fear. It was... something instinctive — a biological warning.
At that moment, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind:
> [Doomsday Survival System activated.]
> [Link established with the sole host: Takayama Akira.]
"…Doomsday…?"
Akira narrowed his eyes.
The scene he had just witnessed… was identical to the zombies in the movies and shows he used to watch in his previous world.
A new text screen appeared before his eyes, like a mental projection:
---
[Name: Takayama Akira]
[Age: 19]
[Level: Ordinary Survivor]
> Upon reaching Awakened Level 1, the Follower module will be unlocked.
Upon reaching Awakened Level 5, the Homeland module will be unlocked.
---