Episode 20: Great Harvest

To conduct trade with Kirioka Agricultural High School, Hayato decided to search for supplies.

What Hayato wanted was seeds for crops.

Kirioka Agricultural High School cultivated a wide variety of crops, and the variety of seeds it owned was extensive.

Rice = polished rice, glutinous rice.

Vegetables = tomato, cucumber, eggplant, bell pepper, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, potato, radish.

Fruit = strawberry, melon, orange, apple, grape, pineapple, papaya.

Others = shiitake mushrooms, green seedlings.

Of these, pineapple and papaya could not grow without greenhouses.

Even for Hayato, a student from the general course, it was not guaranteed that all crops would succeed even in suitable land, but it was unlikely that all would fail.

As long as they were stored in spatial containment, their condition would be preserved. They could be taken out in sequence once the growing environment was ready.

If one of them grew, the diet would improve. There was no choice but to exchange here.

— The saplings seemed quicker.

There was also the option of stopping by a region known for apples, acquiring saplings, then heading to the destination.

With the heat increasing, it was still possible to move to Aomori Prefecture first, then head south after summer passed.

While making idle calculations about what might be gained, Hayato headed toward the Home Center to acquire a hose and pump.

The Home Center’s shutter was damaged. He confirmed it was accessible.

And still, a large quantity of supplies remained.

Food and batteries near the entrance were gone, of course.

Other items had likely been taken, but hoses and pumps were present.

He therefore hoped something useful for exchange might still be available.

“Would be faster if we brought someone like Mr. Kobayashi along. Then we’d know what could help.”

He did not understand what the current agricultural high school required.

Hayato carried the lit lamp and stepped into the Home Center, his mind burdened by that thought.

The interior of the Home Center was as dim as before.

Shelves lay toppled. Goods scattered. Remained as they were.

A place he had visited several times before the transfer, but he did not fully comprehend the interior of the store.

No promising items found near the entrance. Only option remaining is to walk through the interior.

"First, somewhere near the tool corner."

Hayato walked, holding the lamp aloft, recalling the layout of the shop in his mind.

The place where we had found the hose and pump before was the tool corner.

I recall the area adjacent to it containing unusual tools.

Advancing carefully to avoid stepping on fallen goods, I noticed several items still on the shelf.

"Can this be used?"

My attention settled on a weed barrier sheet.

A weed barrier sheet was a material laid directly on the ground to prevent weed growth.

It blocked sunlight, inhibiting weed development.

Weeding removed existing weeds, but a barrier sheet prevented growth before it began.

— The issue was weight.

Kirioka Agricultural High School could make use of it, but without space storage, transporting enough to cover a field was impossible.

Hayato carrying it would be unnatural.

It was useful, but retrieving and transporting it felt impractical.

"Weed barrier sheets aren't usable."

Carrying one for personal use was questionable.

Abandoning the idea, Hayato looked toward the adjacent corner.

Adjacent to it stood a small threshing machine for separating grain from stalks—rice, wheat, and similar crops—alongside a smaller rice hulling machine capable of separating husks from brown rice, and a single-pass rice mill.

The threshing machine processed one hundred kilograms of rice stalks per hour.

The hulling machine converted one hundred kilograms of paddy rice into brown rice per hour.

The single-pass rice mill produced thirty kilograms of white rice from brown rice per hour.

All required electricity. The label on the threshing machine read 100 V, 400 W. The hulling machine: 100 V, 250 W. The rice mill: 100 V, 450 W.

Small for a dedicated farm, it seemed more like equipment a part-time farmer might use for personal needs.

"Rice-processing machines—keep one for personal use."

Kirioka Agricultural High School, a proper facility, should have better equipment.

But Hayato planned to grow his own crops, so having one for personal use would be acceptable.

There was only one threshing machine and one hulling machine, but two rice polishers were placed, likely because some households used them for home purposes. Considering possible breakdowns, Hayato decided to take both.

The issue was the lack of a power source, but that would be a concern for later.

Then, glancing to the side, Hayato blinked in disbelief.

At the very bottom of the shelf sat a large inverter gasoline generator.

"Seriously?"

The inverter generator ran on regular gasoline, the kind used in automobiles.

It had two AC 15A outlets, one 30A outlet, and one DC outlet.

Rated output: 2.8 kVA AC.

That meant 2,800 watts—enough to power a 450-watt machine.

Hayato had collected premium gasoline, but the generator would operate without issue even on that.

The fuel tank holds 12.7 liters.

Engine oil remains in two 20-liter cans labeled '10W30SP (API) CF'.

Staring in disbelief, Hayato inspected the source. A thick security chain, attached behind the generator, was fastened securely to the shelf.

"A chain connected to the shelf. That explains why it remained intact."

Using tools from the Home Center, Hayato judged it impossible to break by hand.

Satisfied, he pulled the long chain forward from the shelf. From the spatial storage, he retrieved a spear, raised it high, and swung it down with full force.

A dull, heavy impact echoed. The chain shattered.

Hayato exhaled sharply and stowed the spear.

——The presence or absence of the generator makes a significant difference.

One unit is too heavy to use casually, but cultivating rice with it would be immensely helpful.

Hayato moved deeper into the store, increasing his expectations for the inventory.

Then, something caught his eye beneath the shelf.

Bending down, he reached out and found a box of work gloves.

The box read: "Rubber-coated, smart touch, washable, twelve pairs."

"Such consumables can never be had in excess."

At an agricultural high school, gloves would be used for labor.

These items might be exchangeable for seeds.

Hayato collected the gloves, raised the lamp slightly, and scanned the surroundings.

In memory from over three years prior, general goods had been stored at the far end of the aisle.

Hayato began walking toward that location.

Hayato might have been careless.

Walking with distracted attention, something suddenly grabbed his foot.

"Uwah!?"

He yelped, pulling his leg back. The zombie that had seized his ankle was dragged out from between the collapsed shelves.

The zombie appeared trapped, wedged between fallen shelves, unable to move.

Hayato, panicking, thrashed his leg violently, tearing the zombie's hand from his ankle.

A powerful kick struck the nearby shelf.

The shelf flew backward, crashing into the back door at the far end of the storage area.

The zombie whose ankle had been gripped was pulled out from between the fallen shelves, but Hayato managed to free himself from the hand that had grabbed his own arm.

"Waaah..."

For an instant, the zombie, freed from the shelf, let out a rasping groan.

Its face, half crushed, stood out vividly in the dim light of the store.

While Hayato stored the glove he had picked up, the zombie before him crawled forward, extending its grotesque hand toward him.

Hayato felt a bad premonition. He stepped back, scanning the surroundings.

In the faint light of the lamp, beyond the back alley where the knocked-over shelf had struck, he saw countless shadows stirring.

"Understood why so many goods remained."

The Home Center housed a considerable number of Zombies.

People had struggled to carry them out, so the remaining items had been abandoned.

Zombies in the back alley had likely fled there during the previous expedition.

The pursuing Zombies had toppled shelves, and now, thanks to Hayato kicking the shelf aside, they had been released.

The liberated Zombies were drawn by the noise in the store, advancing one after another.

"How many of you are there?"

Hayato muttered low, lifting the lamp and beginning to retreat.

He decided exploration was no longer viable and broke into a run toward the exit.

Zombies advanced behind him, their movements irregular in the dim light.

"I'm faster. But if I slip, it'll be a mess."

The lamp's light vanished. Zombies piled on one after another in the dark.

The image formed in Hayato's mind—his skin crawled.

It wasn't about winning or losing. Even if he were stronger than a small organism G, the thought of physical contact was the same.

—Unpleasant things are unpleasant.

Old man Zombie? Absolutely not.

Even former beauty Zombie? I'd rather not.

Hayato ran, avoiding the piles of scattered goods, moving toward the store's outer door.

The broken shutter came into view. Hayato leapt through the outer door without looking back.

He kept running.

From inside the shutter, a rasping groan leaked out. The sound grew louder. Soon, Zombies poured out of the entrance in a swarm.

“This place is done.”

Hayato tossed out the words, then mounted his bicycle and pedaled down the country road.

They would likely follow. He would put distance between them with full effort.

Thus, the second Aokigahara Citizen Marathon, hosted by Hayato, began in earnest.