Chapter 52: Mall Ground Floor

The morning after acquiring supplies at the Home Center.

Hayato stood before the Shopping Mall.

"Frankly, I don't feel like it."

He could foresee that grotesque Zombies still lingered in the darkness inside.

He did not think about being bitten and joining them.

But would he be happy if some dirty old man approached?

There was no way he felt like it.

Still, he decided to go. For food.

—Only rice and salt remain.

Even if hunting game or growing vegetables, at least seasoning would be useful.

Canned goods would also be necessary for occasional pleasure.

The bags for discarding trash were also running low from Yui’s stock.

"There's no choice but to go."

Hayato tried to think of something pleasant.

For example, the sensation in his left arm yesterday.

The supplies collected belonged to Hayato. Original distribution was free.

Perhaps give a little to Anna. Let her play newlywed pretend with the husband she earned outside and the wife waiting at home.

She might go along if she thinks it through quickly.

And perhaps the Edo shogunate would not be too angry.

Maeda Toshiie and Matsunaga were married at twenty-two and twelve.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Nene married at twenty-five and fourteen.

Kumakura Hayato and Anna were twenty-one and fifteen during the collapse of civilization.

——Good, let us advance.

Hayato, inexplicably revived, walked toward the mall's parking lot, holding a spear in his right hand and a flashlight in his left.

The parking lot held countless abandoned vehicles. Only a few zombies stood among them, frozen in place. They turned upon seeing Hayato and began to walk toward him.

The zombies moved slowly. Hayato did not turn. He walked forward.

Nothing could stop Hayato now.

The front and rear exits were wide open, as if struck by a vehicle.

Perhaps the brave soul who crashed through had found something worth the risk.

“Ventilation is working. That’s good.”

He adjusted his grip on the spear and stepped inside.

Shelving lay toppled. Goods scattered across the floor. A shopping cart rolled aimlessly. A bicycle, out of place, stood upright.

The store was in severe disarray.

Glass shards cracked softly under Hayato’s feet.

The Food Store was positioned near the entrance of the large Shopping Mall. This was a deliberate strategy to draw in customers.

Chukann City’s mall was no exception. A large section was set aside to the left.

Drawn by the beam of the flashlight, several zombies groaned as they approached.

— A groaning one that announces its approach is a good zombie.

Lift the spear high and bring it down with the strength of a grizzly bear.

The zombie struck on the tip of the spear fell backward.

More zombies continued to advance without pause.

Fighting among the narrow shelves risked being surrounded from front and back, and the goods would be damaged. Hayato chose to meet them head-on, striking them down one by one in place.

Afterward, he adjusted his path to avoid stepping on them, shining the light onto the shelves.

He began searching in the central area of the store.

Fruits, vegetables, fresh fish, meat, bread, bottled drinks—items along the walls were likely destroyed.

Walking carefully to avoid damaged sections, he found something unexpected first.

“Ooh, wow?”

A fake American appeared in a rural Shopping Mall overrun by Zombies.

Eyes wide, hands raised slightly, the fake American turned in a full circle before the line of goods arranged on the shelves.

The items there were numerous and useful—things Hayato could bring back.

• Detergents (dishwashing, laundry, kitchen, toilet cleaning)

• Consumables (hand towels, paper towels, chopsticks, paper plates, paper cups, garbage bags)

• Hygiene supplies (toothpaste, toothbrush, toner, lotion, facial cleanser, soap)

• Toilet supplies (toilet paper, kitchen paper, wet wipes)

• Kitchen supplies (plastic wrap, aluminum foil, baking paper, ziplock bags)

• Health care items (menstrual products, diapers)

• Baby care items (powdered milk, baby bottles, etc.)

The quantity on the shelves was reasonable, but this was a large shopping mall's inventory. Relief mixed with dread—having more was welcome, yet the storage space was already strained.

"Let's just put it all in for now."

A space equivalent to one room's worth should be reserved.

After bringing it back, it would need to be divided between Yui and Natsuki, stored in their shared space, stockpiled in the hotel room, or split between Sakurai and his child.

Hayato touched the items with the palms of his hands, holding a spear and a flashlight, arranging them carefully. His expression held both pleasure and a grim tension.

He straightened the shelves, exhaled once, and relaxed.

But as he glanced into the seasoning section—canned goods, ready meals, dried food, packaged food, freeze-dried food—the world swam.

The number of items was greater than before.

Cheese, sugar, salt, soy sauce, sauce, ketchup, mirin, vinegar, miso, sesame oil, curry powder

Canned goods (fish, vegetables, fruits, jam)

Ready meals (curry, pasta sauce, soups)

Packaged food (crackers, biscuits, protein bars)

Instant food (coffee, tea)

Long-life food (plain, chocolate, fruit, cheese, maple-flavored)

Freeze-dried food (yokan, side dish cans, ten snack varieties)

All items have a shelf life of over two years.

"These were mass-produced by the government."

Purchased, increased in production, purchased again.

The displayed goods, fresh at the time of display, might not be easily discarded by strict shelf-life rules.

Moreover, once removed from space storage, the expiration date advances. They cannot remain exposed indefinitely.

"Can't fit it all. Shove it into Yui's space too—sort it later."

That much should make Yui reluctant to withhold it from the Sakurai family.

Hayato stowed the spear, grunting like a zombie, and began collecting goods with his right hand.

He reached into the shelf, shoved items in like a bulldozer.

Expiration checks would come after relocation.

Staying still might draw someone, just as at the Home Center.

Plenty of goods meant no competition over grabs, but Hayato couldn't show off his storage—so the amount he could take home would shrink drastically.

Every item was difficult to reproduce after the collapse of civilization.

Things produced domestically before the Edo period might still be made.

But before the Edo period, seasoning beyond sugar and curry powder, and dried food, were about all that remained.

Someone could make it, but it would require effort, and that effort would generate labor costs.

Hayato thought this way, and without hesitation continued storing supplies, clearing shelf after shelf.

Just as he thought he might finally return, he headed toward the back entrance of the Shopping Mall, and found the pharmacy corner.

"Ma—ji—ka—"

The pharmacy corner was untouched.

That meant he could obtain items nearly identical to those at the Koganei North Station pharmacy.

He shoved the empty water barrel storage space, carried it back, then after unloading the barrel, began organizing it step by step.

He had not imagined how much effort this would require.

"Ou—ou—ou—"

Hayato, who had regressed from a fake American to a seal, approached the pharmacy corner with a zombie-like stagger, speechless, and began storing items.

"Ou—ou—"

Simple tasks required no deep thought.

Do not think about the purpose of cold medicine, painkillers, fever reducers, stomach medicine, topical treatments—think about fun instead.

It does not matter if bandages or gauze have no expiration date, or if disinfectant does—none of that matters. Hayato tried hard to focus on fun.

"Yui wrapping bandages around herself instead of a bath towel."

Bandages were thinner than bath towels.

Hayato’s intelligence had dropped to the level of a Japanese macaque. Even a two-year-old zombie might now consider him a peer.

Hayato imagined himself, having said something foolish to Yui, being tied up with bandages and thrown into the hallway.

"Hah. Let’s go back."

Two days behind the zombie migration.

A creature matching their intelligence emerged slowly from the Shopping Mall.