54: Hayato's Defeat

The atmosphere of the hotel had changed drastically over the past few days.

People moved in and out of the common area constantly. Everyone was energetic.

They carried backpacks full of supplies, exchanging items they had brought back and information they had gathered.

"Apparently, a significant number of Zombies have been cleared from the second floor of the Shopping Mall."

"Right. There was a food court there."

"Yeah. Canned goods should be there."

The center of conversation was the sudden emergence of a high-quality supply collection site.

The Shopping Mall, not far from the hotel, still held a considerable amount of food items Hayato had either failed to collect or overlooked.

The Food Store still contained uncooked rice, snacks, dried goods. Alcohol remained untouched—some bottles of wine, shochu, and liqueur still had unexpired expiration dates.

The souvenir section, restaurant row, and food court also held large quantities of commercial food and seasonings.

Two-year-old rice could be cooked just as well. Sweets and canned goods remained edible, their packaging and seals intact.

Dried foods included udon, soba, konbu for toppings, dried shiitake mushrooms, nori, wakame—collect them all, and they would make substantial rations.

Dried seafood and legumes were still viable. Plenty of food remained.

"Kumakura’s supply collection seems to have been the catalyst for action."

"Yes, that appears to be the case."

The information came from Sakurai, who worked in cooperation with Hayato.

Sakurai sat in the chair in Room 1001, gathering intelligence from the lodgers in place of Hayato, who had been persuaded to join.

After Hayato had defeated a large number of zombies, he headed toward the Shopping Mall and spent several days transporting supplies from the hotel into the building.

Anyone who observed the scene would notice the supplies stored within the Shopping Mall and desire them.

Hayato had defeated five hundred Zombies. It was easy to imagine the area was cleared.

Attempting to seize the supplies by force would risk being shot down like the Zombies. His strength and endurance were exceptionally high. Even without a bow, his chances in a fight were uncertain.

But at the Shopping Mall, supplies were piled high without needing to fight.

Then why not go there and take some for themselves?

Many thought this way.

"I can only collect so much on my own."

"What about the Zombies at the Mall?"

"I cleared the ones near the Food Store. Others, I don’t know."

Hayato entered through the main entrance of the Mall, moved to the Food Store, stopped at the pharmacy, and exited through the back.

The zombies along Hayato's route had been cleared.

"The mall has three entrances on the front side. Entering from the leftmost entrance, the Food Store is the only structure on the left. If that area is secure, we can expand to the right."

A group carrying long weapons could handle a few zombies shuffling forward from the front without difficulty.

If the rear was secure, exploration would be easier.

Several days had passed. Hayato thought the expansion to the right should be underway by now.

"But the right side of the mall seemed like a separate building."

"That is the movie theater. It operates outside regular hours, so they built it separately. The theater has proper entrances and a Parking Lot on the back side too."

"Huh."

The main building’s first floor has a food court. Proceed past the second floor’s clothing store and you’ll reach the cinema. There’s a fast food outlet inside the cinema. Something might still be there.

Hayato’s expression did not change at Sakurai’s suggestion.

Condiments might be available. He did not consider them worthless. But storage capacity was already full. Only personal space remained unused.

After a brief pause, Hayato turned to Yui and Natsuki and spoke.

“Yui, Natsuki. Want to come with me to the mall?”

“What’s wrong?”

Yui looked surprised and asked in return.

Supplies had always been gathered by Hayato alone, for safety reasons.

The only exception was the police station search. They could not leave Yui and Natsuki in the vehicle.

Now that the hotel provided a safe zone from zombies, there was no reason to bring them along.

"I thought you might want clothes and shoes."

Yui and Natsuki's faces lit up instantly.

"Looking for clothes and shoes at the mall?"

"Looks like there are plenty of new ones."

Hayato nodded in reply to their confirmation.

Yui had brought what she owned from home, Natsuki from her dorm. Neither had bought new clothes in likely two years.

That would be difficult during growth.

Yui might not have grown in height. But in any case, she would have wanted to replace worn-out clothes that had never been properly washed.

Clothing has no expiration date. A mall visit would provide unused new items.

"Given how many people have been there, I think the zombies have been cleared out."

"Of course we’re going!"

"Seems like there are plenty left."

No need to worry about budget. They could bring back whatever they wanted.

The prospect excited both of them.

Anna watched the two of them with delight, then sat on the sofa-bed where Hayato was seated, pressing her body tightly against his and murmuring, as if clinging.

"Hey, Husband. Can I go too?"

The noise in Room 1001 ceased abruptly.

Hayato scanned the surroundings, gauging reactions—whether it was proper for Anna, an unmarried woman, to call him Husband before her father, and how Yui and Natsuki would respond.

Sakurai remained neutral, offering no judgment.

The situation with Yui and Natsuki complicated matters. More people meant greater difficulty in maintaining security.

Hayato was free to take her or not. Sakurai left the decision to him.

—A reasonable judgment would be welcome.

Meanwhile, Yui and Natsuki showed opposing expressions.

At present, they were in cooperation with the Sakurai family.

Hayato was milling rice. He planned to remain in Chukann City for the time being, where a country elevator was located. When using the inverter generator, he would leave the hotel.

It would be better to accommodate the Sakurai family, who were improving Yui and others’ safety at the hotel.

He had explained this during the canned food争夺 battle. The two were not unaware.

But bringing Anna along would cause problems.

—Space storage would no longer be usable in public.

That meant fewer clothes Yui and the others could bring back.

A workaround was possible—handing items to Hayato for secret storage—but with some limitations.

Unaware of this, Anna leaned against Hayato.

"Please, my lord."

A soft sensation touched his left arm.

A fifteen-year-old premium-grade item.

—Fruit’s attack power does not depend on size.

Hayato felt like saying he was thoroughly defeated.

Admitting defeat—was that shame? He pondered it. Likely not. That was probably the common view.

“…Clothing is personal. Others can’t choose it for you.”

To bring someone along for safety’s sake, yet leave them behind and retrieve clothing instead—what kind of logic was that?

Anna had style. If she brought it back, it would be worse than what Anna would pick herself.

And Hayato couldn’t possibly bring back Anna’s undergarments.

—Perfect excuse.

Hayato thought that, inwardly.

Yui stared at him, demanding, “Look me in the eye and say it.”

Hayato, in response, looked away as quickly as a wild animal.