Episode 35: Before the Police Station

Hayato woke between two beds.

The two were Hayato’s semi-double bed and Yui’s single bed.

It was not because he had been forced onto the floor as punishment after frightening Yui and the others during the exploration.

They had simply placed Hayato’s bed and Yui’s bed side by side and slept together as a group.

— Because Natsuki’s dormitory had no bed available to take out.

Yesterday, Natsuki had insisted she could not sleep at all after being frightened too much in the station, so they had ended up sleeping together.

Natsuki had been given the blanket from the other world—soft cashmere-like material—but to ask her to sleep on the same floor where a skeletal corpse had lain was excessive.

Yui had attached her bed to the side, either to prevent Natsuki from getting ahead, or because Yui herself had been afraid.

Hayato thought Yui would avoid losing the advantage of having met him first and established a relationship.

Perhaps her stubbornness, her pride, her childish need to compete—these had driven her not to fall behind Natsuki.

She had experienced near-zombification before. Fear of zombies was natural.

Thus, Yui and Natsuki stood on either side of Hayato.

"Good morning."

"Ah, good morning."

Yui met Hayato’s gaze. Her cheeks flushed slightly. She looked down, embarrassed.

For a moment, he thought she might always behave this way. Then he reconsidered. Yui was Yui. He swallowed the words rising in his throat.

"Stay here a few days?"

"Leave today."

"Understood."

He did not seem to like spending time at the Zombie Police Station.

Yui had clearly refused, so Hayato nodded without hesitation.

The three of them ate breakfast. They retrieved the pre-prepared lunch from the spatial storage and transferred it into the lunchbox.

After completing these tasks, Hayato and the others exited the Police Station building.

——Where would they go today?

They had left the city of Kirigamine, where others knew of Yui’s viral infection. Natsuki’s self-defense weapon, the pistol, had been acquired. The final destination remained undefined.

Hayato hesitated, then looked toward the car parked in front of the Parking Lot.

There was a figure beside the car.

"A human?"

The figure was a middle-aged man, standing upright, not resembling a Zombie.

He wore a long-sleeved shirt with sleeves rolled up slightly, and jeans with sneakers.

His skin was sun-tanned, his face sharp and fit. He gave the impression of a dapper middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man had parked his bicycle beside him, a travel suitcase stuffed with belongings resting in the front basket.

Noticing Hayato, the man smiled gently and spoke.

"Ah. Good morning, young men. Is this bike yours?"

The man delivered the greeting with the precision of a dandy.

As for the vehicle, it had once belonged to a wealthy resident of Kirigakure City before the collapse of civilization.

But the dandy was not asking about such things.

Asked about current operational ownership, the answer was Hayato.

"Yes, I’m the one driving it."

Hayato’s reply caused the man’s eyes to flicker with a faint interest.

"Can you still get gasoline?"

"What would you do with that information?"

Hayato asked, his voice unhidden in caution. The dandy laughed, clear and bright.

"Oops, my apologies. I am Sakurai Haruki."

"Hayato Kumakura."

"I am a resident of this town. I gather supplies to survive. As a local, I know where everything is located."

Sakurai tapped the front basket of his bicycle, where a travel bag rested.

"If you can operate a vehicle, would you like to join forces?"

"Join forces?"

"Yes. If you can drive, we can collect supplies more efficiently."

Sakurai's proposal did not seem unreasonable.

Food was available for now, but wants remained.

Had Hayato been alone, he might have agreed to temporary cooperation.

Current concern was Yui and Natsuki's safety.

"How many companions do you have?"

I am one of the humans based at the hot spring hotel. It is somewhat unusual. Each person pays a portion of supplies in exchange for access to water, hot springs, and the facility.

So, it's like paying rent in supplies rather than cash.

That's right. So, if you count companions, it's just me and my daughter.

Hmm.

Hayato was about to respond to Sakurai's words when—

a motorcycle engine sound reached from a distance.

Hayato turned his head. Six motorcycles approached in a line.

Ten people.

Ages ranged from young adults to middle-aged.

All had harsh features. Each carried blunt weapons—metal bats, iron pipes, bars.

The lead rider was a man with a mohawk.

The flamboyant hairstyle draws attention, but the expression reveals a relaxed smirk and a rough edge. Behind him, men with blonde hair and long locks follow.

"Yui, Natsuki, prepare your firearms."

Hayato issued the order to the two, then stepped between the approaching group and Yui and Natsuki.

The men approached, stopped their motorcycles, and began walking slowly forward.

The lead man with a pompadour shouldered an iron pipe and spoke in a deep voice.

"Hey, we're the New Order Coalition. We manage and distribute supplies in this town."

The pompadour man glanced at Sakurai and pointed at the backpack stuffed into the front basket.

"So hand over the supplies there."

Sakurai's expression hardened with grim resignation.

Then the blonde man behind the pompadour stepped forward.

The blonde did not look at the backpack. He focused his gaze on Yui and Natsuki.

"Women are protected. Leave those two behind."

"Refuse."

Hayato answered immediately to the blonde man's demand.

He swept his gaze over the ten men, gripping his right fist tight, issuing a threat: "I'll knock every one of you down."

A moment of silence followed Hayato's response and demeanor.

Yet, because they were unarmed, the men did not flinch.

"You think I'm joking?!"

The man with the mohawk glared back at Hayato, raising the iron pipe in his hand.

In the next instant, the pipe descended onto the car's front windshield, shattering the glass into a spiderweb pattern.

Immediately afterward, a piercing alarm sounded from the vehicle. The high-pitched beeping tore through the air, a deafening noise that vibrated the surrounding atmosphere.

"Is this car's battery still functional?"

The men stirred in surprise, voices rising in a chaotic murmur.

The alarm would attract zombies.

The man with the mohawk spat and shouted.

"Knock the men down. Use them as bait for the zombies. Take the supplies and the woman. Leave quickly!"

Before the men could move, Hayato acted.

He drove his foot into the ground and leapt, charging the mohawk man head-on and striking his face with a right fist.

A dull thud echoed. The man's head snapped back violently. His body lifted into the air and crashed onto the ground several meters away.

"Ugh..."

The mohawk man let out a short groan and did not move.

"You bastard. You actually did it!"

The blond man screamed in fury and swung the metal bat toward Hayato.

But Hayato was faster than the motion.

Diving into the man’s abdomen before the swing landed, Hayato drove his right fist deep.

“Geha…”

The blond man twisted in pain, dropped the bat, and collapsed to his knees.

Hayato did not pause. Blocking the third attacker’s iron bar with his left hand, he struck the man’s jaw with his right fist.

The force sent the man’s body spinning, rolling across the ground.

The fourth man charged, but Hayato deflected the incoming bludgeon with his left hand and countered with a punch from his right.

“Damn it!”

At the moment one man turned toward Yui and Natsuki, Hayato leapt.

Grabbing the man’s collar from behind, he pulled him close and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick.

“Gah—”

Hayato’s foot pierced the man’s abdomen, forcing his body into a bow-like curve.

The fifth man was blown away while setting a new record for flight distance, rolling across the Parking Lot.

“Run!”

The remaining man shouted.

The others turned and fled, abandoning their dreadlocks and blonde hair, leaping onto motorcycles.

Hayato considered pursuit, but the car alarm still rang.

If left unchecked, zombies would gather, and the situation would spiral further out of control.

Hayato muttered in frustration, withdrew the key from his spatial storage, climbed into the vehicle, and started the engine to silence the alarm.

“Yui, Natsuki, are you unharmed?”

Hayato called out to the two as he stepped from the car. They both nodded in unison.

But their eyes turned toward Sakurai, crouched on the ground.

Hayato looked at Sakurai, who pressed his left elbow while grimacing in pain.

— Struck with a blunt object? Broken?

Ten against one was too many, even for Hayato alone.

Winning a one-on-ten was easy. Protecting Yui and Natsuki while shielding Sakurai was beyond his capacity.

Hayato stood frozen in silence. Sakurai forced a smile.

"Sorry. Let my guard down."

Hayato hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

"Yui, Natsuki. Load the bicycle and luggage into the car. We'll carry Sakurai-san to the hotel."

"Understood."

"I'll put the luggage in the car."

Yui moved beneath Sakurai. Natsuki went toward the rolled-up suitcase.

Hayato picked up the fallen bicycle and loaded it into the car through the back door.

Hayato sat in the driver's seat last. He moved the car, its front windshield half destroyed, away from the Parking Lot.

Five people lay motionless nearby. Zombies approached.

The Police Station, cleared of zombies by Hayato, would likely grow busy again.