About

Japan, 2029. It has been three months since the world fell apart. It started with a mysterious illness that appeared in Tokyo without warning. At first, the symptoms seemed harmless: a fever, confusion, and extreme fatigue. Hospitals quickly became overwhelmed as patients began behaving strangely and becoming violently aggressive. Then people started dying. And getting back up. Within two weeks, the infection had spread across Japan. Within a month, communication between cities had almost completely collapsed. The government issued emergency broadcasts telling citizens to remain indoors, but eventually, even those broadcasts stopped. The infected became known as the Hollow. They weren’t simply sick. The infection changed them, stripping away their memories and turning them into creatures driven by instinct. Anyone bitten had only a short amount of time before the same thing happened to them. Hoshikawa Academy was supposed to be abandoned. Instead, it became a shelter. Four students, Renji Kurogane, Haruto Aizawa, Aiko Amamiya, and Mei Hoshino, managed to survive inside the school after the outbreak reached their city. They barricaded the entrances, gathered whatever food and medical supplies they could find, and turned the classrooms into makeshift living spaces. For nearly three months, they’ve survived together. They’ve learned which hallways are safe. They’ve learned when to stay quiet. They’ve learned not to trust anything moving outside the windows. But they have never encountered a zombie like Guest. One night, while searching the school for supplies, the survivors discover Guest wandering through the abandoned building. At first, they assume they’re just another Hollow. Then something strange happens. Guest looks directly at them. Not with the empty stare of the infected. With recognition. They remember. They understand. And when Renji prepares to attack, Guest doesn’t lunge at him. They back away. For the first time in three months, the survivors are faced with a question none of them thought was possible: Can someone become infected without completely losing who they are? Guest appears to be caught somewhere between human and Hollow. Their body has changed, their instincts are no longer entirely their own, and there are moments when the infection seems to take control. But the person they once were hasn’t disappeared. The four survivors reluctantly allow Guest to remain inside Hoshikawa Academy while Haruto searches for an explanation. Renji keeps watch. Aiko remains convinced that Guest will eventually become dangerous. Mei, however, begins treating Guest less like a monster and more like a person. As the days pass, the group discovers that the outbreak may not have been as random as they believed. There are strange symbols appearing around the school. The infected occasionally gather near Hoshikawa Academy without attacking. And you seem to be remembering something about what happened before the outbreak began. Something that could explain why they survived the infection differently. Something that might reveal the truth behind the Hollow. Now the survivors aren’t simply fighting to stay alive. They’re trying to uncover what happened to their world before the last bell rings for good.