The 23rd Murderer

Ah well.

I finally did it.

A murder.

Though I don't really feel anything about it.

Ever since the day I drove the blade into Mr. Tanaka—the only person I'd ever had any real connection with among living humans (see Chapter 2)—that part of me has pretty much gone numb.

I've become callous, one way or another.

Suddenly, the old man’s corpse—just moments ago lifeless—slowly rose up.

“W…O…O…O….”

Well, well. Already coming back to life, are we?

A half-naked “zombie.”

…Yeah, not exactly a sight a young lady should be seeing.

Well then, time to deal with this quickly—(snap).

After securing the safety of the shop, I grabbed bandages from the shelf and tied them tightly around the wound.

The pain wasn't as bad as I thought. It seemed recovery had already begun.

From what I could tell just now, it seemed like the injury was bad enough that walking might be difficult for a month or so.

Given the circumstances, it seems we could run around again after waiting just half a day.

Panny. "Natural Healing (Mid)" Panny.

...

That aside, anyway.

Choose your reward from the achievement "Sacrifice."

We must process the achievements we've acquired while we still have the chance.

— 1. Interview with the Dead — Microphone

――2. The Song of the Death God

――3. Corpse Vacuum

Hmm?

It's a lineup quite different from last time.

This one's hard to understand without an explanation, I'm afraid.

It's a hassle, but let's go through everything carefully.

――"Interview Mic for the Dead" allows you to ask a question to a deceased person and receive a single response. Disposable type.

――"Song of the Reaper" is a sheet music containing a song that destroys the brain of a "zombie" upon hearing it. However, once sung aloud, the song permanently loses its power.

The "Corpse Vacuum" is a portable handheld cleaner capable of instantly sucking in up to thirty corpses.

Ugh.

Something about all of these feels a bit off.

Still, there's only one that might actually be useful in this situation.

"With the 'Song of the Reaper'..."

Then, an item is issued.

A single sheet of sheet music fluttered down gracefully.

Upon inspection, the song titled "Song of the Reaper" was indeed written on it.

I mentally recited the lyrics in my head for a moment.

『Lulu laraa♪ Lura laraa♪ Die, die, die, fall into hell♪ Everyone drop dead♪』

"Uwaa..."

This is terrible.

It's like something a grade schooler came up with.

Hyoujou continues.

――Choose a reward from the achievement "Disease Leading to Death."

――1. Glasses for the Coward

――2. Glasses for the Popular

――3. Spare Glasses

Is it the glasses series again?

It seems the rewards from the "Achievement" come in three types that share some common theme.

――"Glasses for the Coward" allow the wearer to perceive others' feelings toward them. ※The lenses do not correct vision.

――"Glasses for the Popular" make others more likely to develop affection toward the wearer. ※The lenses do not correct vision.

――"Extra Glasses" are the perfect eyewear for your current vision. They're built to be incredibly durable, impossible to destroy even by nuclear weapons.

Huh.

I guess surviving a near-death experience really paid off—these rewards seem to be of high quality.

For now, let's leave the "Extra Glasses" option alone.

Personally, "unbreakable glasses" do sound appealing, but I'm not having any trouble with my current ones.

As long as I don't accidentally step on them, I don't really need a backup pair.

...That's not a flag, right? Probably not.

In that case, the remaining choices are "coward" or "popular," I suppose.

Hmm.

Well, I'll go with "coward" for now.

I might end up having to deal with someone just like that rapist uncle earlier. I'd prefer to identify potential dangers in advance, if possible.

"‘Coward’ sir."

A mouse-colored glasses case suddenly flies into my hands.

I check the contents.

"……ew"

Even for someone like me, who doesn't usually care about what others think, the design was so shocking it made me recoil.

I thought I'd seen something like this before—didn't someone from *Chibi Maruko-chan* wear glasses just like these?

You know, those classic bottle-bottom glasses.

Honestly, wearing these in public would mean giving up something important as a teenage girl, but well, performance comes first. I'll just endure the looks.

I tried them on for a bit, but since there was no one around, there was no effect at all.

Let's double-check the effects once we return to the others.

Well then, next.

――Please select the skill you wish to acquire.

――1. [Swordsmanship (Intermediate)]

――2. [Perfect Maintenance]

――3. [Combat Technique (Beginner)]

――4. [Hunger Resistance (Weak)]

――5. [Natural Healing (Strong)]

――6. [Skin Reinforcement]

Oh right, my level has increased too.

For now, let me check the skills I haven't looked at yet.

――《Perfect Maintenance》 restores equipment degradation over time upon acquisition, keeping gear in perfect condition at all times. Additionally, the rate of restoration over time increases.

――Acquiring《Natural Healing (Strong)》allows full recovery from severe injuries (including brain damage and physical trauma) within one day.

Hm.

Both are appealing, but what I, isolated as I am, truly need is combat ability to get through this situation.

That means I need...

"《Swordsmanship (Intermediate)》."

――Applying the skill effect.

Suddenly, the blade felt lighter than ever before.

Perfect, that'll do.

Let's get moving.

――Please choose your reward from the achievement "Murderer."

――1. Holy Sword Excalibur

――2. Artemis's Bow

――3. Gungnir's Spear

"……Huh?"

I couldn't help but let out a sound.

All of these options seem incredibly powerful, don't they?

Could this actually be the cheat item everyone's been talking about?

Whoa! With this, there's no way I won't be on the path to victory in life!

Even I, who's usually composed, can't help but get excited.

"……Effect..."

Of course, my voice trembles slightly—yes, it does.

――"Excalibur," a miniature modeled after the legendary sword said to have been wielded by King Arthur... one-tenth scale, made of plastic.

――"Artemis's Bow," a miniature modeled after the bow said to have been used by the goddess of hunting, Artemis... one-tenth scale, made of wood.

――"Gungnir," a miniature modeled after the spear said to have been held by Odin, the god of war and death... one-tenth scale, made of vinyl chloride.

Woo-hoo! We did it!

A perfect feint!

He lets his shoulders slump down.

I guess the world isn’t that kind, huh?

Or maybe this disappointment is just a penalty for earning the infamous achievement of “murderer.”

Looks like the rewards from achievements come in all kinds of forms.

“…Whatever works.”

—Then, we’ll issue you an item.

The item handed over with a casual toss was a toy... of the Holy Sword Excalibur.

Just the right size to hold in a figure's hand.

I almost considered throwing it away, but since it turned out well as a miniature, let's keep it as a memento.

And so, that's the story.

Various repairs.

Let's switch and move on to the next one.

▼

At the moment, we needed to thoroughly check whether this building was safe.

Still, since that man was here, it's likely this place is safe.

But he was bitten.

That means the "zombie" that caused the bite could just as easily be hiding here.

Of course, he might have been attacked outside and barely managed to flee in here.

I cautiously scan the inside of the store.

For now, nothing seems out of the ordinary.

The issue is behind the counter.

From outside, I'd vaguely noticed that this drugstore had a second floor. Probably used as a private room or something.

I cautiously open the door behind the counter.

A slightly steep staircase lies ahead, leading up to the second floor.

As I climb the creaking stairs, which groan loudly with every step, I come upon another door.

…There.

I sense something on the other side of the door.

Could it be a living person?

"Knock knock? Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Ghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... aaaaahhhhhhhhh..."

Oh, what a lively response.

At least it doesn't sound like someone groaning from stomach pain.

I set my sword aside and pulled out a knife from my bag.

The sword would be awkward to handle inside the room.

"Ghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

Take a deep breath.

Hold my breath, then open the door.

There was a young woman—her appearance suggested she was a few years older than me—standing there, a zombie.

Hmm.

Was this the kind of situation where the daughter's mutation had turned even the old man into a monster?

Or perhaps she had simply sheltered a woman who'd accidentally wandered in, only to end up looking foolish.

Either way, it was undeniable that a tragic drama had likely unfolded right here.

The zombie was shuffling toward me, unsteadily. I quickly grabbed her hair and, with more care than I'd used when first inserting a game cartridge into my Nintendo DS, plunged the knife into her eye.

At the same moment, the hand reaching for my neck froze.

That's it.

After laying her corpse down, I glanced around me.

The place was less like a dressing room and more akin to a living space—complete with a bed, even a kitchen.

I tossed the woman’s corpse out the second-floor window, confirmed that zombies were swarming over it, then slightly opened the first-floor shutter and pushed the old man’s body out with a mop through the gap.

I also wiped up the blood on the floor, just to be thorough.

Now everything feels clean and clear.