Episode 26:无情な策略

The sun had risen high when Hayato rode his bicycle toward Kirioka Agricultural High School.

At the fourth transaction, he planned to pretend to trade horses and pumps for textbooks, secretly mixing in his own shampoo, in an attempt to reach a compromise with Yui and the female teachers.

"Scary, isn't it?"

Physically, the bear could not be matched by humans.

But humans had intelligence, and could choose the most effective means to achieve results.

The female teachers would use their intellect to pressure Hayato.

Rather than engage in a prolonged mental battle, it would be faster to simply bring several bottles of shampoo from the start and say, "I searched the homes, but this is all I found."

That way, the female teachers would back down, and Oomori and Kobayashi would mediate.

"My share should be fine," he thought.

Hayato concluded as much. His vision framed the barricade surrounding Kirioka Agricultural High School.

He turned in a circle. He headed toward the house where he had first climbed onto the roof to survey the school building.

A vehicle stood before the main gate today.

It was a new model of a four-wheel-drive vehicle, widely used by the Allied forces during World War II, known for high off-road performance and a sturdy frame.

Hayato had wanted one. He had not found it. He had settled for less.

The vehicle was parked before the main gate. Four men stood outside it.

After staring, Hayato stepped into the shadow of the house.

Fortuitously, he had spotted them first. They had not noticed him.

— Strange.

In a world overrun by Zombies, it was strange to see people outside.

Hayato, puzzled, stowed the bicycle and moved silently, pressing himself into the shadow of a house to listen.

Human ears could hear conversation ten meters away.

Hayato’s physical capabilities matched those of a grizzly bear. A bear’s hearing was two thousand times more acute than a human’s.

Sound diminished with distance, but a bear could likely hear sounds twenty times farther than a human. At least Hayato could.

When he focused, the men’s conversation came through clearly.

“Eihei, how long until this ends?”

“More than half of the boys’ dormitory have already moved to the vehicle. The remaining half, slightly less, is flowing toward the girls’ dormitory. The students are likely finished, but the teachers’ dormitory farther away is proving stubborn.”

“Fewer should have flowed into the girls’ dormitory.”

“Sorry. There were more newcomers than expected.”

The reply followed swiftly, a young man’s voice, younger than Hayato’s.

“How many teachers?”

“Yes, Ms. Kooura. From Kurohara, sixteen were reported.”

“How many men and women?”

“Half and half.”

The middle-aged man spoke in a low voice. The younger man from earlier answered.

“Me and Ippo have some familiarity with these locals. If a teacher spots us and tries to flee, we’ll pretend to help and pull them out. Kooura and Yamashita will finish them off from behind.”

“Understood.”

“There’s a house wall there. Dump the bodies inside and hide them.”

“Yes.”

A mature man spoke. The middle-aged man gave a brief reply.

Hayato, having heard the essentials, released his mental focus while remaining concealed within the house.

Two of the men were the ones Natsuki had described during her lesson — the ones who traded supplies.

They had entered the compound in a truck.

The method was unknown. Perhaps they had brought zombies into the truck as well.

Their objective was easily deduced: securing food production sites.

— Attacking directly was faster than trading.

Current supplies in the city were dwindling.

Kirioka Agricultural High School had rice growing in its rice paddies, crops in its fields, fruit ripening on trees. A self-sustaining environment capable of feeding two hundred people had been established.

The group fielded two hundred combatants, mostly students, evenly divided by gender.

Their armaments consisted of farming tools and blunt instruments.

A highly attractive target for any aggressor.

The exact number of their group remained unknown, but likely fewer than two hundred.

If they chose total depravity, they would eliminate teachers and male students who might resist. Then integrate only the surviving female students.

With a few remaining agricultural high school students, explanations for the crops grown within the school grounds could be provided.

After securing control over Kiriin, cultivating crops under the subordinate rank of an organization composed of survivors ensured stable food supply going forward.

Even if food production capacity dropped from 200 to 50 person-equivalents, food for fifty people would still be available. Extra mouths could be added if surplus existed. If not, food could be acquired from elsewhere.

For them, this was more than sufficient.

— Fourth transaction. Gone.

Hayato touched the backpack he had carried, then stored it away.

The reason they were attacked was their low self-defense capability, compared to the value of food or production capacity.

Declining all outsiders and operating solely with teachers and students might have been futile.

Even if they were saved this time, Kiriin would continue to be targeted in the future.

And Hayato could not remain in Kirihara City, where others knew of Yui’s viral infection.

‘The purpose of life is survival and reproduction.’

Hayato considered, in his personal philosophy, that this was the natural order.

He prioritized Yui because he had been told that doing so would increase her favor.

Currently, Yui was protected above even Hayato’s own life, far surpassing the priority given to Kirihara City.

If Yui were captured, he would be infected by the same chain reaction, making it impossible to remain in Kirihara City or its nearby areas.

The only regret Hayato harbored was whether to take Natsuki with him.

Taking Natsuki would lower Yui’s favor.

But if Natsuki came along, she could become a partner.

Hayato was not a monk who had abandoned desire. At least in terms of desire, he was an ordinary man.

"Room 201, was it?"

On the far right, facing directly forward. He could jump over it if needed.

Hayato entered the grounds of Kirioka Agricultural High School from a barricade hidden from view of the group stationed at the main gate, as he had been taught.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

Having breached the grounds, Hayato headed toward the four-story girls' dormitory he had seen before.

Hayato sprinted at bear-like speed, spotted by several Zombies.

But the Zombies, unable to identify a target moving faster than fifty kilometers per hour, remained confused, tilting their decaying heads and watching him pass.

"Guaa?"

One Zombie attempted to pursue, but Hayato outpaced it completely.

He caught sight of the cream-colored girls' dormitory, maintained his speed, and leaped onto the second-floor balcony.

The window glass was shattered. Hayato jumped inside, keeping his shoes on, to avoid being seen from outside.

The first thing that caught his eye was two people and one zombie.

A small girl, covered in bite wounds, lying face down.

A large zombie, its head destroyed, rolling on the floor.

And Natsuki, half-sitting against the wall of the room.

Natsuki’s face showed deep fatigue. Her skin had no color. When Hayato approached, her faintly open eyelids slowly moved. Her gaze drifted, unfocused, toward Hayato.

“…What happened?”

Natsuki spoke first.

Her tone was light, as if joking, but her voice carried no strength.

“I came, like you said earlier.”

Hayato scanned the room. His eyes settled on the small girl.

Natsuki had said she had told the other person inside about Hayato possibly arriving through the window.

But the other person would not regain consciousness.

Hayato turned his gaze back to Natsuki.

I thought you’d take me somewhere, but you were a little late.

As she hesitated, Natsuki spoke plainly, revealing her true thoughts.

Perhaps because she was at the end, she avoided roundabout phrasing.

Hayato decided to be honest in return.

I was considering taking you with me, but there was already a companion. If it had been just the two of us, I wouldn’t have hesitated.

A lover?

Natsuki lifted her face slightly and gave a faint smile.

Weakness drained her words of strength.

No. When I rescued her, she said the price wasn’t worth it. I muttered that I imagined her as a body for labor. She misunderstood and said I should increase her favor by doing so. So we settled on that arrangement. That’s how it is.

What kind of thing is that?

Hayato explained seriously. Natsuki laughed weakly.

If it were me, I’d have been fine with being taken away, no matter what.

Even with a companion?

Hayato asked in return. Natsuki nodded quietly.

"Fine. It's too late now."

Her voice lacked strength, yet carried a hint of relief.

Hayato closed his mouth. He stood silent for a time.

"Hayato-san, you should run. Anna might wake soon."

"...I'm seriously considering taking her now."

Natsuki looked puzzled at Hayato’s serious expression.

"I'll probably turn into a zombie by tomorrow."

"Would it be acceptable if there was one more traveler, as I mentioned earlier?"

She answered honestly, despite her confusion at Hayato's indifference to the bite.

"As long as you take me somewhere at the end, that's fine."

Even if it was the end, being taken as she wished—this was enough.

At Natsuki’s words, Hayato made his decision.

If I’m scolded by Yui, comfort me.

That’s fine.

Hayato approached Natsuki and placed both hands on her body, activating sacred magic.