Episode 42: Canned Food Heist

The desk in Room 714 has a wall on one side. Two chairs face each other. Opposite the wall is a bed.

Natsuki and Anna sit on the chairs. Yui sits on the bed. Hayato stands.

"Alright, I'll explain the distribution rules."

Hayato calls out to the three, half expecting they're not listening.

"Me and Sakurai are in a partnership. The split is six to four. That’s three people—me, Yui, Natsuki—versus two—Sakurai and Anna. Three to two."

The three aren’t listening. Their attention is fixed on the stack of canned food piled on the desk.

The desk is stacked high with a variety of canned goods, packed in different packages.

Fish included sardines, mackerel, mackerel, salmon, tuna, bonito, crab, and scallops—plentiful and varied. Cooking methods ranged from grilled, oil-packed, grilled again, simmered, water-boiled, broiled, to flaked.

Fruits included tangerines, apples, pears, mangoes, white peaches, yellow peaches, pineapples, and fruit cocktail—brightly colored and gleaming.

Total: ninety cans.

They were packed into a backpack.

“This isn’t from the place Sakurai recommended, but the cooperation still serves as insurance for Yui and Natsuki’s safety while I’m away from the hotel. So this is shared as a distribution. It’s my collection. No objections.”

Three people glanced at the cans, hearing the ratio 6 to 4.

Excitement over how to divide them was within Hayato’s expectations.

Hayato had already planned the distribution method in advance, to avoid confusion.

"Divide ninety cans among five people, one person gets eighteen cans. Hayato and Sakurai’s shares are postponed. First, the three of you play rock-paper-scissors. Then, each selects one item per round, one at a time, for eighteen rounds. That’s it."

Hayato finished speaking. Anna opened her mouth.

"Are you always this lucky?"

Anna looked around the room. The shared supplies Hayato had claimed to have transported between the vehicle and the room were arranged inside.

One wooden crate, about thirty kilograms, containing cheese, dried meat, and dried fruit. One crate provided three people with one month’s worth of food.

Pharmacy medicines, nutritional supplements, various proteins.

Nutritional supplements included drinkable nutrients, cereal calorie bars, jelly, and powdered drinks. Hayato could go a full month without eating and still survive.

And the travel bags, numerous and with unknown contents, were carried in as if they were meant to be used. They served as excuses for when something might be needed later.

Some had apparently been swapped by Yui with Anna, now containing buckwheat flour and binding powder instead.

"Has strength, that's all."

Yui activated her skill, 'Japanese Humility,' and subtly diminished Hayato.

At the same time, she asserted dominance over Anna—perfectly feminine behavior.

One might consider saying, "My husband is wonderful," but tsundere types do not speak openly, and saying it outright would only serve as a point of superiority over Anna.

—What if she said, "My husband is wonderful"? What would happen then?

Yui might respond with a casual, joking "Yes, yes," and let it pass.

She would likely deflect with, “I do appreciate it, but it’s not something I can say in front of others, and with things the way they are. I just can’t help but wonder?”

Hayato recognized the possibility that he might be the one being deflected.

The evidence was the consistent failure to win any argument about resource management.

Natsuki activated her skill, ‘Modest Japanese Woman,’ and fell silent.

She turned slightly toward Hayato, smiled faintly, and said nothing.

Hayato nodded casually in return, playing the composed man, though inwardly he longed to hear a cheerful, childish laugh.

Life was unpredictable.

Hayato’s thoughts on that matter were unknown to her.

The three began discussing the canned goods.

“The expiration date hasn’t passed. This must be the same batch the factory rushed out after the zombie outbreak, when they said there was still stock.”

That might be true. Canned goods are tested under extreme conditions—high heat, high humidity—to deliberately accelerate degradation and determine how long they can withstand such stress. If stored at home, they’d still be safe for about half a year.

Natsuki, a former agricultural high school student, displayed her knowledge of food preservation.

"Is that right?"

"Half a year is certain. I can eat them myself."

"Really?"

Anna expressed admiration when Natsuki confirmed Yui’s concerns.

The three confirmed the expiration date, then began discussing the types of canned goods.

"Fresh fruit is rare."

"Yes. You can harvest plenty at an orchard, but getting there is difficult."

"We haven’t had fruit in about two years."

It seemed the three had set their sights on canned fruit.

The reason for avoiding talk about fish is that mentioning fish as valuable would only lead to being offered fish instead.

They are now using advanced outpost tactics to negotiate what each desires.

——Hurry up and choose.

Hayato began to consider just lying down on the bed without permission.

He inched toward the bed and lay down.

Placing his body on the hotel bed, fatigue from the day spread through his limbs.

A day of exploring the town, evading zombies, breaking into homes only to be chased by zombies again, replacing a car battery, nearly caught by a bandit group—quite the adventure.

Hayato slid his hand beneath the pillow and stared blankly at the ceiling.

"Yui, decide for me. But ask Sakurai to be fair. Neighbors matter."

Hayato spoke from the bed, announcing his withdrawal from the competition.

"I don’t know which one Hayato prefers."

Yui turned her head and answered with a slight frown.

Living in an environment without fish or fruit, it was expected that preferences would be unclear.

Hayato answered with the same vague tone he used when asked, "What’s good for dinner?" — "Anything’s fine."

"I can eat any of them. Fairness should be measured by quantity."

Hayato stated the point clearly and concisely.

The key was for Hayato to be seen as striving for fairness, and for Yui to have shown consideration — so that Anna would understand.

If Anna reported exactly as she saw it, and Sakurai accepted it, then fair distribution would be achieved.

"Understood. Anna, is that acceptable?"

Yui nodded slightly and turned her gaze toward Anna.

Anna paused for a moment as if considering, then nodded immediately.

Understood. Hayato and Father—let us divide the quantity equally.

The allocation for Hayato and Sakurai was settled.

The remaining matter was the distribution among the three girls.

The expressions of the three seated around the table tightened. A quiet tension filled the hotel room.

Thus, the first round of the canned food争夺 war began.

"Ready?"

Natsuki nodded in response to Yui’s call. Anna and Natsuki nodded in agreement.

"First, rock, paper, scissors!"

All three moved almost simultaneously.

A speed so sudden it defied belief—hands shot out.

"It's mine!"

Yui proudly clenched her fist. Natsuki and Anna stared at their own scissors hands, their eyes dimmed with sorrow.

"Then, this one."

Without hesitation, Yui reached out and seized the single remaining can.

It was a fruit cocktail can, offering five servings of fruit.

Inside, five types of fruit: pear, yellow peach, pineapple, grape, and cherry. A single can offering five distinct flavors simultaneously—luxury incarnate in a tin.

Net weight: an imposing four hundred twenty-five grams.

No less substantial than other canned goods.

This is, truly, the violence of civilization.

Natsuki and Anna, shoulders slumped, played rock-paper-scissors together.

"Rock-paper-scissors!"

Anna won. She took the mandarin can.

Natsuki, the last to lose, took the yellow peach can. The first round concluded.

Each placed their spoils into the bag at their feet or beside them.

Immediately, the second round began.

"First, rock—rock-paper-scissors!"

Yui threw scissors. Natsuki and Anna threw paper.

"Second win!"

All three froze, stunned.

Then Natsuki, hesitantly, spoke.

"Yui, you seem lucky."

"Is that so? Hmm, maybe it is?"

Yui looked at Hayato, affirming her own fortune.

Being bitten by a zombie was misfortune. But drawing Hayato was luck beyond winning the lottery with a single ticket.

Then again, if the government has designated islands in the south as safe zones, the islanders who lived there originally might be considered lucky too.

Water, food, safety—those are guaranteed there.

——Which island would be the best refuge?

Izu Oshima and Hachijō-jima could sustain about ten thousand people even in an era without electricity.

Returning civilization to roughly Edo period levels would allow that many people to survive.

Moreover, Japan has several islands larger than Izu Oshima’s approximately ninety-four square kilometers or Hachijō-jima’s sixty-nine square kilometers.

Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture is approximately 855 square kilometers, with a population of about fifty thousand.

Amami Oshima in Kagoshima Prefecture is approximately 717 square kilometers, with a population of about sixty thousand.

Tsushima in Nagasaki Prefecture is approximately 699 square kilometers, with a population of about thirty thousand.

Tanegashima in Kagoshima Prefecture is approximately 444 square kilometers, with a population of about thirty thousand.

If ten thousand people can live on Hachijō-jima, then ten times the area would support ten times as many, one hundred thousand people.

Niigata Prefecture may have a harsh climate due to winter snowfall.

But the remaining three islands seem unlikely to receive much snow.

If a large group from the government and the Self-Defense Forces arrives, defeats the Zombies, and secures the islands' safety, life could continue at a level similar to the Edo period.

Additionally, Tanegashima has a high food self-sufficiency rate, exceeding one hundred percent.

Additionally, close to Kagoshima Prefecture, the location offers favorable terrain for any attempt to reclaim the Japanese archipelago.

——The government’s destination is Tanegashima.

Hayato, lying on his back, vaguely thought of the Japanese government’s evacuation site.

Of course, this was merely a possibility.

"White peach obtained!"

When Hayato regained awareness inside the building, Yui had secured her victory for the nth time, claiming the last remaining can of fruit preserves.