Episode 49 Chukann City Home Center

Morning’s end, sun still slanting.

Hayato retrieved arrows from the fallen zombies, eyebrows knitted at the scene spreading around him.

Hundreds of zombies lay scattered.

"Used about six hundred arrows. Around five hundred down."

Dead bodies were common on battlefields. No longer affected him.

The issue was cleanup.

Leftover corpses would attract flies.

Hotel staff and guests would handle the cleanup next.

— If I stay here, I might be forced to help with zombie cleanup.

In the other world, corpses had been transported using empty space storage areas to prevent rodent and insect infestations.

But he had not volunteered for cleanup.

Especially not when space storage was hidden. He might be made to help by hand.

He would not be forced into such work.

"I might as well head to the Home Center."

No one had asked for help with cleanup at this point.

He could go anywhere now without complaint.

Zombies had already been removed from the Shopping Mall and the Home Center.

The Shopping Mall had multiple levels. Zombies might still remain. The Home Center was mostly single-story. Most zombies had already been removed.

It seemed the perfect moment to search for supplies.

"Good. Let's go. I've contributed the most by eliminating zombies."

Hayato made his decision. He turned his back on the pile of corpses and began walking toward the Parking Lot.

Once out of sight of the hotel, he pulled out his Bicycle and mounted it. Movement began.

March sunlight was pleasantly warm, yet a lingering chill from the north wind brushed across the face.

Hayato felt the wind's touch as comfortable, and moved forward.

"Still, a portable power source would be useful."

His mind was already fully set on the Home Center.

He had a generator, but it was loud and required gasoline, making it unsuitable for indoor use.

A portable power source, however, needed only charging. Some models produced almost no sound—around fifteen decibels.

Having one in the room would allow operation of a refrigerator, an air conditioner, and even cooking rice.

—With so many Zombies around, no one could have retrieved them anyway.

Hayato imagined the items he desired, and pedaled the Bicycle onward.

The path to the Home Center held a few Zombies. Likely slow ones, separated from the main group and lost.

Hayato avoided them without striking them down, circling wide.

Killing Zombies would waste time. A following group might arrive from the hotel.

He would not let the following group catch up while he cleared them. That would be unacceptable.

If the following group took portable power sources, he could not bear to look.

Thus, he moved forward without clearing the Zombies by the roadside.

Eventually, a large Shopping Mall came into view.

A prominent pink sign. White building. A well-known chain with nationwide branches.

Beside it stood a vast, single-story Home Center, nestled close.

Hayato entered the Home Center's Parking Lot, dismounted the Bicycle, and stored it.

"Good. Time to claim the reward for defeating five hundred Zombies."

Hayato stepped into the Home Center, anticipation rising with the number of Zombies he had defeated.

The interior remained mostly intact.

Expected, given Zombies had entered before looting could occur.

Near the entrance, ladders and hand carts were placed.

"Better take two of each."

The ladder might serve some purpose.

The hand cart would reduce round trips when transporting rice from the Parking Lot to the hotel.

After storing both, Hayato entered the store, holding an oil lamp. The first thing he noticed was a shelf of dry batteries.

"Ah!"

The shelf displayed lithium batteries, rechargeable AA and AAA batteries, and chargers.

Eight single-use AA adapters, ten single-use AAA adapters, were also present.

Hayato speculated that lithium batteries were in demand, but rechargeable cells had risen in price—perhaps that was why they remained.

—When Japan still maintained order, it had been overrun by zombies.

Perhaps that was also why they had survived the initial looting.

Moving forward, they reached the section with LED flashlights and lanterns.

The shelves were wide open, yet flashlights priced at ninety thousand yen each still remained.

Hayato glanced at the price and exhaled.

"One hundred thousand yen? Too high. No wonder they’re still here."

That the flashlights remained was a stroke of luck.

Hayato set the oil lamp on the floor, opened the box labeled “Ultra-Strong LED Light,” and installed the dedicated battery that had received a small charge during shipping.

Brightness was adjustable in steps: 50, 350, 1,000, 3,000, 6,000, 12,000 lumens.

Setting it to 1,000 lumens, a blinding light erupted through the store.

“Ugyaaah! My eyes!”

It is commonly believed that bears have poor eyesight. This is entirely mistaken.

Most bear species possess daytime vision comparable to humans—around 1.0—and can clearly identify objects 50 meters away.

The misconception about poor bear vision stems from their exceptional hearing and sense of smell, which reduces reliance on sight.

Bear hearing is 2,000 times more acute than human hearing.

Their sense of smell is seven times stronger than that of the best bloodhounds and 2,100 times more sensitive than human smell.

Additionally, bears have superior night vision, far surpassing human capability.

The retina in their eyes contains a layer of reflective material called the tapetum lucidum, allowing them to collect fifty times more light than humans.

Light is required only when exploring areas indoors where moonlight does not reach.

That is, Hayato currently receives fifty times the damage of a human.

"Aaaahh, my physical capacity, drop it—!"

Hayato consciously reduced his own physical capacity to average human levels.

He panted heavily through his shoulders, lowering the light level to fifty lumens.

After regaining composure, Hayato stowed the flashlight away.

He passed through the corner with assembled furniture and trash bins, bypassing curtains and shelves of stationery.

A tool set caught his eye. He selected three sets of high-grade tools.

Next to the tools, a wide variety of nails filled the shelf. Behind them, gloves were arranged in rows.

Cut-resistant coating mechanic work gloves.

Stainless steel hinge safety work gloves.

Winter-insulated leather work gloves.

Standard military-style gloves.

From high-priced sets costing thousands of yen per pair to cheap ones priced at just dozens of yen, all types were present.

"Non-perishable. I'll take them."

They would be collected if left in the Home Center, but if moved, they would not be taken.

Just as Hayato had hidden the bow in a civilian dwelling, these could be temporarily collected and relocated elsewhere.

Nearby were auxiliary locks and outdoor extension cords. These were also collected, in case they could be used later at a new base.

Walking between the shelves, he noticed cable ties labeled industrial and horticultural.

They appeared to be for securing industrial cables or horticultural supports.

Hayato stared at it. A memory surfaced from the night before. When he had entered the open-air bath, Yui had untied the rubber band holding her hair, then used it to bind his hands.

— If I were to tie Yui’s hands behind her back like this—

then Hayato’s hands would be free.

Even more so, Yui’s hands would be bound.

The image formed in Hayato’s mind. He swallowed hard.

Edo shogunate, severe violation.

But Yui claimed to be eighteen. An adult.

Consent would make it safe.

“Still, getting consent is impossible.”

Using such a thing would allow a temporary performance of a geisha house fantasy. But if Hayato slept, Yui would bind his hands and throw him into the hallway.

Yui hated losing. She would absolutely retaliate.

Bind her hands—she would bind back. She knew the Hammurabi Code well.

Being sprawled in the hallway made her feel exposed to the other guests.

'Um, what are you doing?'

'This roommate of mine is a bit extreme...'

It was unbearable.

Still, Hayato thought he could not simply abandon it. He came up with a perfect excuse.

'The New Order Coalition is dangerous. I’ll take this.'

Hayato kept a serious expression. He calmly stowed away the bundle of various cable ties.

Perhaps, when his favorability reaches two hundred, she might play with him. When that will happen, he had no idea.

While stowing the ties, Hayato suddenly snapped back to himself.

Why had he come here, exactly?

He had thought a portable power source would be useful.

Hayato recalled his original purpose. He moved from the wide empty space on the shelf and returned to searching for the portable power source.

He circled the store, where no zombies were present.

At the general goods section, he finally found what he sought.

"Oh, there it is."

On the shelf, a 2042Wh portable power source and two 200W solar panels were displayed together.

The set was priced at 19.8 million yen.

Even Hayato, unfamiliar with the market rate for portable power sources, recognized it as clearly expensive.

Yet only one unit remained on the shelf, suggesting it had sold out quickly.

Holding the product box, Hayato leaned in to read the description printed on it.

What he wanted to know was how long charging would take.

He shone the flashlight on the box. Suddenly, his right shoulder was grabbed, and he was yanked around.

"Hey, hand that over!"

He turned around—his face was struck with a fist.